"The situation with this week's Democratic National Convention in Boston is a window on what this failure of discernment may imply for the future of the mainstream press. It is difficult, of course, to argue that any event attended by 15,000 journalists is in any sense under-covered."
GMB:
Q: if you call a dogs tail a leg, how many legs does the dog have?
A: Four. Calling a tail a leg doesn't make it so.
Q: How many journalists attended the Democratic Convension
A: ...
Saturday, July 31, 2004
Friday, July 30, 2004
GeorgeWBush.com :: The Official Re-election Site for President George W. Bush
This stuff is must read.
Take the parental notification thing: the site says Kerry does not support parental notification, allows giving the kid a morning after pill without parental notification.
Now I know that there are families where the kid is going to get a serious hurt, a dangerous hurt, any number of things: they fall in the scumsucker class, or "what we have here is a failure to communicate". Yeah, it might cut down on teen pregnancies to term, but at the cost of stepping outside the family. Personally, I think that until the kid is of legal majority age, the family is responsible and cannot do as the President Bush does: be uninformed. None of this "plausible deniability".
It's sad, but if your family sucks, you're probably screwed.
Head start, good schools, safe schools is a better way than putting social workers and pharmacists in where teachers and books are needed.
Take the parental notification thing: the site says Kerry does not support parental notification, allows giving the kid a morning after pill without parental notification.
Now I know that there are families where the kid is going to get a serious hurt, a dangerous hurt, any number of things: they fall in the scumsucker class, or "what we have here is a failure to communicate". Yeah, it might cut down on teen pregnancies to term, but at the cost of stepping outside the family. Personally, I think that until the kid is of legal majority age, the family is responsible and cannot do as the President Bush does: be uninformed. None of this "plausible deniability".
It's sad, but if your family sucks, you're probably screwed.
Head start, good schools, safe schools is a better way than putting social workers and pharmacists in where teachers and books are needed.
Bush: 'I trust God speaks through me. Without that, I couldn’t do my job.'
Lancaster Online.com News : Bush quietly meets with Amish here; they offer their prayers
'This story has not been reported before. You might think an observant press follows the president everywhere, especially during a re-election campaign, but no reporter attended this meeting.
'At the end of the session, Bush reportedly told the group, 'I trust God speaks through me. Without that, I couldn’t do my job.'
GMB:George Bush believes that God will let him do nothing but good: I don't know that Jesus would have gone that far.
But some might ask, why not? God speaks through all of us!
OK: all of us. Let's think about that.... Figured out the problem yet?
'This story has not been reported before. You might think an observant press follows the president everywhere, especially during a re-election campaign, but no reporter attended this meeting.
'At the end of the session, Bush reportedly told the group, 'I trust God speaks through me. Without that, I couldn’t do my job.'
GMB:George Bush believes that God will let him do nothing but good: I don't know that Jesus would have gone that far.
But some might ask, why not? God speaks through all of us!
OK: all of us. Let's think about that.... Figured out the problem yet?
Thursday, July 29, 2004
Staged Capture of Bin Laden Coming Soon
"Madeleine Albright recently told Fox News that Bush already has bin Laden and is waiting to roll him at a politically expedient time. Understand that when she said this she was stern faced, she wasn't joking."
Wednesday, July 28, 2004
Capitol Hill Blue: Bush Using Drugs to Control Depression, Erratic Behavior
I dunno, maybe it makes him better? Blood sugar level affects mood. As does sleep, noise, diet, exercise. Or blood pressure medicine, pain killers, or stomach gas.
"Delusional" is where one gets concerned. However, it's only a delusion if 1) you're the only one who has it 2) there is somebody around to put a bell on that cat, in a manner of speaking.
If drugs make the man better, I'm all for it.
"Delusional" is where one gets concerned. However, it's only a delusion if 1) you're the only one who has it 2) there is somebody around to put a bell on that cat, in a manner of speaking.
If drugs make the man better, I'm all for it.
Saturday, July 24, 2004
The Kiwi Electoral System
Of course, it will never fly here. N.Z. is so bloody liberal for a reason.
---
* The Party Vote is for the political party the elector most wants to be represented in Parliament. The Party Vote portion of the single-page ballot paper shows all the registered political parties that have nominated a party list for the general election. Every voter chooses among the same parties on the Party Vote regardless of whether he or she is enrolled for a General electorate or for as Maori electorate.
* The Electorate Vote is for the candidate the elector wants to represent him or her as the electorate MP.
In general, each registered party's total number of Party Votes decides its share of all 120 seats in Parliament. However, before it is entitled to a share of all the seats, a party must first qualify by "crossing the threshold": either it must win at least five percent of all the Party Votes cast at the election, or it must win at least one General or Maori electorate seat. Party Votes cast for parties that do not cross the threshold are disregarded.
The Sainte-Laguë mathematical formula is used to allocate seats to parties that cross the threshold. If an electorate seat is won by an Independent candidate or by a party that did not appear on the Party Vote the Chief Electoral Officer subtracts that number of seats from 120 and uses the lower number to work out allocations of seats between parties that cross the threshold.
Each party that qualifies will be allocated enough list seats to add to any electorate seats it has won so that its share of the total 120 seats is close to its share of all the Party Votes cast for parties that cross the threshold.
If a party that appears on the Party Vote wins more electorate seats than it is entitled to based on its share of all the Party Votes then it does not receive any list seats. It keeps the extra seats (known as "overhang" seats) and the size of Parliament increases by that number of seats until the next general election.
Parties which get list seats fill those seats from the list of candidates they nominated before the general election. List candidates become list MPs in the order they are shown on their party's list, and voters cannot change that order. A person can be a "dual candidate" by standing for an electorate seat as well as being on the party list. A dual candidate who wins an electorate seat has his or her name deleted from the party list.
---
* The Party Vote is for the political party the elector most wants to be represented in Parliament. The Party Vote portion of the single-page ballot paper shows all the registered political parties that have nominated a party list for the general election. Every voter chooses among the same parties on the Party Vote regardless of whether he or she is enrolled for a General electorate or for as Maori electorate.
* The Electorate Vote is for the candidate the elector wants to represent him or her as the electorate MP.
In general, each registered party's total number of Party Votes decides its share of all 120 seats in Parliament. However, before it is entitled to a share of all the seats, a party must first qualify by "crossing the threshold": either it must win at least five percent of all the Party Votes cast at the election, or it must win at least one General or Maori electorate seat. Party Votes cast for parties that do not cross the threshold are disregarded.
The Sainte-Laguë mathematical formula is used to allocate seats to parties that cross the threshold. If an electorate seat is won by an Independent candidate or by a party that did not appear on the Party Vote the Chief Electoral Officer subtracts that number of seats from 120 and uses the lower number to work out allocations of seats between parties that cross the threshold.
Each party that qualifies will be allocated enough list seats to add to any electorate seats it has won so that its share of the total 120 seats is close to its share of all the Party Votes cast for parties that cross the threshold.
If a party that appears on the Party Vote wins more electorate seats than it is entitled to based on its share of all the Party Votes then it does not receive any list seats. It keeps the extra seats (known as "overhang" seats) and the size of Parliament increases by that number of seats until the next general election.
Parties which get list seats fill those seats from the list of candidates they nominated before the general election. List candidates become list MPs in the order they are shown on their party's list, and voters cannot change that order. A person can be a "dual candidate" by standing for an electorate seat as well as being on the party list. A dual candidate who wins an electorate seat has his or her name deleted from the party list.
Friday, July 23, 2004
Cuff 'em, Danno!
97-year-old Texas woman handcuffed, jailed for failing to pay traffic ticket.
The did the perp walk, la da de da de da, they did the perp walk, la de da de da de (sung to the tune of under the boardwalk)...
(the title comes from Hawaii Five O)
The did the perp walk, la da de da de da, they did the perp walk, la de da de da de (sung to the tune of under the boardwalk)...
(the title comes from Hawaii Five O)
Accounting and Accountability
We don't have a president: the American people, roughly half, have opted for a spiritual leader: he cannot be expected to dabble with the numbers, the details of the laws, the names, places, dates.
OpinionJournal - from The Wall Street Journal Editorial Page
"Keep your friends close. Keep your enemies even closer."
This is a good source of conservative thinking. Some of the links will take you to the paid area (ie, you can't get in) but the editorials and comments in the WSJ are free.
The Journal editorials are unabashedly conservative, but in general, their news is unaffected by the WSJ policy.
For instance, the "liberal" point to view was "no preemption" on a "sovereign nation" under any circumstances: that still seems to circulate and resonate, that we invaded a "sovereign nation": that kind of stuff is unthinkingly inflexible and makes many people run away for their own safety.
This is a good source of conservative thinking. Some of the links will take you to the paid area (ie, you can't get in) but the editorials and comments in the WSJ are free.
The Journal editorials are unabashedly conservative, but in general, their news is unaffected by the WSJ policy.
For instance, the "liberal" point to view was "no preemption" on a "sovereign nation" under any circumstances: that still seems to circulate and resonate, that we invaded a "sovereign nation": that kind of stuff is unthinkingly inflexible and makes many people run away for their own safety.
Dream Dictionary
Camper
To dream that you are living in a camper, indicates that you need to move on with regards to some aspect of your life. You may be dwelling on a situation and it is time to move forward. Alternatively, you may be expressing your desire to be more independent and self-sufficient.
To dream that you are living in a camper, indicates that you need to move on with regards to some aspect of your life. You may be dwelling on a situation and it is time to move forward. Alternatively, you may be expressing your desire to be more independent and self-sufficient.
Thursday, July 22, 2004
Kerryism of the Day - The senator's caveats and curlicues. By William Saletan
Kerryism of the Day - The senator's caveats and curlicues. By William Saletan
Mountains, really big mountains, of molehills: never use one word when 25 will do, so long as nothing gets said. Or, if you get caught, babble like and idiot.
It's sort of like Bush, with better grammar? Oy.
Mountains, really big mountains, of molehills: never use one word when 25 will do, so long as nothing gets said. Or, if you get caught, babble like and idiot.
It's sort of like Bush, with better grammar? Oy.
Freak waves spotted from space
Sailors often whisper of monster waves when ships sink mysteriously but, until now, no one quite believed them.
As part of a project called MaxWave - which was set up to test the rumours - two Esa satellites surveyed the oceans.
During a three week period they detected 10 giant waves, all of which were over 25m (81ft) high.
more...
As part of a project called MaxWave - which was set up to test the rumours - two Esa satellites surveyed the oceans.
During a three week period they detected 10 giant waves, all of which were over 25m (81ft) high.
more...
Girlie men: the origins
That's not original Arnold, it's Saturday Night Live Arnold, and it's funny! Arnold takes a funny a very weird swing at himself, self parody. Follow the link for more SNL phrases. Quite funny.
Star-Telegram | 07/01/2004 | When pietism dances with partisan politics
"I come from a tradition (Episcopal) that considers it rather in bad taste to wear your religion on your sleeve, presumably from Matthew 6:5-6:"
'And when thou prayest, thou shalt not be as the hypocrites are: for they love to pray standing in synagogues and in the corners of the streets, that they may be seen of men. Verily I say unto you, they have their reward.
'But thou, when thou prayest, enter into thy closet, and when thou hast shut thy door, pray to thy Father which is in secret: and thy Father which seeth in secret shall reward thee openly.'
'Drag God into politics, and you'll ruin his reputation in no time.'
'And when thou prayest, thou shalt not be as the hypocrites are: for they love to pray standing in synagogues and in the corners of the streets, that they may be seen of men. Verily I say unto you, they have their reward.
'But thou, when thou prayest, enter into thy closet, and when thou hast shut thy door, pray to thy Father which is in secret: and thy Father which seeth in secret shall reward thee openly.'
'Drag God into politics, and you'll ruin his reputation in no time.'
Monkey starts walking like a human
A monkey at an Israeli zoo started walking like a human after recovering from a serious illness.
Natasha, a five-year-old macaque at the Safari Park, near Tel Aviv, now walks exlcusively on her hind legs.
She almost died of a severe stomach flu but suddenly stabilised and was released from the zoo's clinic.
Workers at the zoo say that's when she started walking upright exclusively, reports CBC News.
Monkeys usually alternate between upright walking and moving on all fours.
A zoo veterinarian says he's not sure why she has altered her behaviour but says the illness could have caused brain damage.
Other than walking upright, the vet says Natasha's behaviour has returned to normal.
Natasha, a five-year-old macaque at the Safari Park, near Tel Aviv, now walks exlcusively on her hind legs.
She almost died of a severe stomach flu but suddenly stabilised and was released from the zoo's clinic.
Workers at the zoo say that's when she started walking upright exclusively, reports CBC News.
Monkeys usually alternate between upright walking and moving on all fours.
A zoo veterinarian says he's not sure why she has altered her behaviour but says the illness could have caused brain damage.
Other than walking upright, the vet says Natasha's behaviour has returned to normal.
Losing America: Confronting a Reckless and Arrogant Presidency
"Reading a passage from Bob Woodward's recent book, Byrd quotes Bush as saying, " ‘I do not need to explain why I say things. That's the interesting thing about being the president. Maybe somebody needs to explain to me why they say something, but I don't feel like I owe anybody an explanation.' "
Byrd bristles. "Such hubris," he said. "Unmitigated arrogance. He's talking about the people here. That one little paragraph explains better than I could ever explain the contempt this man shows for the sovereignty of the people of this country.""
I think this is THE book to read. Buy it, and your "vote" will be counted. Now, while Byrd lives, show him we heard his voice.
Byrd bristles. "Such hubris," he said. "Unmitigated arrogance. He's talking about the people here. That one little paragraph explains better than I could ever explain the contempt this man shows for the sovereignty of the people of this country.""
I think this is THE book to read. Buy it, and your "vote" will be counted. Now, while Byrd lives, show him we heard his voice.
Wednesday, July 21, 2004
It’s a Heartache
The Spare Tire of Health or Die Hard?
Several studies [1] show that a diet that allows a high fat intake, such as Atkins, increases risk for heart disease for certain people. Some people on low-carb diets have experienced arterial blockage despite having lost weight. (This shows that though there is a link between heart disease and obesity it is not a one-to-one relationship). Some also believe that a number of dieters have become so carbophobic that they are avoiding good carbohydrates such as fiber and may well not be getting the level of vitamins and minerals that they need.
[1] Counting Carbs Science News, July 17, 2004; Vol. 166, No. 3 , p. 40 (free access)
Keywords:Diet , Health
Several studies [1] show that a diet that allows a high fat intake, such as Atkins, increases risk for heart disease for certain people. Some people on low-carb diets have experienced arterial blockage despite having lost weight. (This shows that though there is a link between heart disease and obesity it is not a one-to-one relationship). Some also believe that a number of dieters have become so carbophobic that they are avoiding good carbohydrates such as fiber and may well not be getting the level of vitamins and minerals that they need.
[1] Counting Carbs Science News, July 17, 2004; Vol. 166, No. 3 , p. 40 (free access)
Keywords:
Tuesday, July 20, 2004
Superfund Me!
Would you like PCBs with that?
There is a new fright on the dieting scene, body pollution! When people lose weight through fat metabolization anything that might also be dissolved in that fat will also be freed into the blood stream. This is the mechanism behind acid “flash backs.” Well it turns out that quite a few environmental pollutants are fat soluble. Also, when people lose weight there is a natural hormone that is released to slow the body’s metabolism. This theoretically is designed to help a person survive a period without food. Drug manufacturers are interested in manipulating the body’s response to this hormone since preventing it from doing its job would help many lose weight faster.
To that end scientists investigated the blood levels of the hormone (leptin) in obese patients put on calorie restricted diets [1]. In addition to the hormone they also tracked the levels of 14 polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) and 11 pesticides. What they found was that the pollution cocktail increased by 23 percent in the blood stream and that even when leptin levels declined the body’s metabolism remained suppressed. The only explanation was that the pollution cocktail was somehow involved though the exact mechanism is unknown.
Keywords:Pollution , Pesticides , Xenohormones
[1] A Toxic Side of Weight Loss: Pollutants may slow body's metabolism" Science News, July 17, 2004; Vol. 166, No. 3 ($ subscription article)
References (free access)
There is a new fright on the dieting scene, body pollution! When people lose weight through fat metabolization anything that might also be dissolved in that fat will also be freed into the blood stream. This is the mechanism behind acid “flash backs.” Well it turns out that quite a few environmental pollutants are fat soluble. Also, when people lose weight there is a natural hormone that is released to slow the body’s metabolism. This theoretically is designed to help a person survive a period without food. Drug manufacturers are interested in manipulating the body’s response to this hormone since preventing it from doing its job would help many lose weight faster.
To that end scientists investigated the blood levels of the hormone (leptin) in obese patients put on calorie restricted diets [1]. In addition to the hormone they also tracked the levels of 14 polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) and 11 pesticides. What they found was that the pollution cocktail increased by 23 percent in the blood stream and that even when leptin levels declined the body’s metabolism remained suppressed. The only explanation was that the pollution cocktail was somehow involved though the exact mechanism is unknown.
Keywords:
[1] A Toxic Side of Weight Loss: Pollutants may slow body's metabolism" Science News, July 17, 2004; Vol. 166, No. 3 ($ subscription article)
References (free access)
Saturday, July 17, 2004
Report: Allawi killed Iraqi detainees -
I doubt it. Looks like CapHillBlue has a new office in Australia...
"Seven prisoners were brought out. Six were shot in the head and died. One was wounded, the report said."
I especially like how one of the 7 that Allawi supposedly shot in the head was only wounded. Did they take him for medical treatment...?
In any case, I like the reader comment system that Al Jazeera has below its articles.
Firing squads and you
"Seven prisoners were brought out. Six were shot in the head and died. One was wounded, the report said."
I especially like how one of the 7 that Allawi supposedly shot in the head was only wounded. Did they take him for medical treatment...?
In any case, I like the reader comment system that Al Jazeera has below its articles.
Firing squads and you
Friday, July 16, 2004
Ingrown Toenail Removal - June 15, 2002 - American Family Physician
Politics, politics... Let's talk about something else for a while. I just had this procedure on both my big toes and I enjoyed the challenge of watching it being performed. I even saved the removed nails. Should I post photos?
Martha Stewart Sentenced to 5 Months in Prison (washingtonpost.com)
Faith in the financial systems restored! Public is much safer now. Homeland security provided valuable assistance in bringing this woman to justice, plus a big step for equal justice without regard for gender.
Or common sense.
On the other hand, Martha Stewart is a brilliant woman. There is probably not a moment of her life that has been wasted, that she has not learned and propered from, and I think this will be no different. I would hope she emerges as a tiger.
Or common sense.
On the other hand, Martha Stewart is a brilliant woman. There is probably not a moment of her life that has been wasted, that she has not learned and propered from, and I think this will be no different. I would hope she emerges as a tiger.
Thursday, July 15, 2004
John Kerry wants to hear from you
Here is what I wrote:
I am voting for John Kerry this year because saving the country is more important than reform of the Democratic Party. Once Kerry is elected we can then move on to reform the party or move on past it.
Kenneth MacClune
I am voting for John Kerry this year because saving the country is more important than reform of the Democratic Party. Once Kerry is elected we can then move on to reform the party or move on past it.
Kenneth MacClune
Bush joked about ‘torture’ at Yale
Gary Trudeau, the cartoonist who pens Doonesbury and attended college with Bush at Yale, apparently told the New York Times while he was a student that George Bush had joked about a hazing ritual that involved burning the skin of a younger fratmate, reports the Associated Press.
Brave Old World
Brave Old World
Toward the end of the Stone Age, about 30,000 years ago, there was a dramatic increase [1]($ subscription article) in the number of people surviving long enough to be grandparents (age 30!). The sudden availability of people with greater knowledge had a deep impact on society according to researchers. The archeological record shows an explosion in artwork and ornamentation that occurred around the same time. The larger available and more knowledgeable population might also have led to the establishment of agrarian cultures that would eventually evolve into the fiefdoms and kingdoms of ancient history.
In order to determine the age at which the subject died, the researchers used a new technique of comparing the teeth from contemporary children and extrapolating tooth wear expected over the years.
[1] "Living Long in the Tooth: Grandparents may have rocked late Stone Age" Science News, July 10, 2004; Vol. 166, No. 2 , p. 20
References (free access)
Toward the end of the Stone Age, about 30,000 years ago, there was a dramatic increase [1]($ subscription article) in the number of people surviving long enough to be grandparents (age 30!). The sudden availability of people with greater knowledge had a deep impact on society according to researchers. The archeological record shows an explosion in artwork and ornamentation that occurred around the same time. The larger available and more knowledgeable population might also have led to the establishment of agrarian cultures that would eventually evolve into the fiefdoms and kingdoms of ancient history.
In order to determine the age at which the subject died, the researchers used a new technique of comparing the teeth from contemporary children and extrapolating tooth wear expected over the years.
Keywords: society , human pre-history , culture
[1] "Living Long in the Tooth: Grandparents may have rocked late Stone Age" Science News, July 10, 2004; Vol. 166, No. 2 , p. 20
References (free access)
Wednesday, July 14, 2004
DHS | Department of Homeland Security | Emergencies & Disasters
Consider this: given the size and scope and mission of Homeland Security, almost any civic disturbance can be treated as a terrorist attack, a threat against the homeland. The cop, the fireman, the bureacrat: all devoted to protection of the homeland, and you'd better behave yourself!
Similarly, any personal or civic need for resources must compete against Homeland Security.
The very existence of the organization coupled with its size has institutionalized the logic of war in the fabric of American life. In the same manner in which war demands all resources ahead of any other by being the bastian of survival, of existence, Homeland security finds dire threat everywhere, and must vociferously object to funds diverted for luxuries such as parks, healt care, or an environment that is unnecessarily cozy, clean or fresh.
And ah yes, Joseph Lieberman, lays claim to the brilliant idea and much of the campaign will focus on the UNDERFUNDING (!) of Homeland Security!
And people might dare to complain that they are hungry when the survival of the nation is at stake? Privacy? Free movement? Taking pictures of monuments? Just what the enemies of freedom need to further their murderous plots.
I don't know that absent Joe Lieberman we would NOT have Homeland Security. But that schmuck was eagerly the first in line and the noisiest. Thanks, Joe. Democrataic Senator and ex candidate for the vice presidency. Oh, yeah, and another man imbued with religious rectitude and certainty.
Similarly, any personal or civic need for resources must compete against Homeland Security.
The very existence of the organization coupled with its size has institutionalized the logic of war in the fabric of American life. In the same manner in which war demands all resources ahead of any other by being the bastian of survival, of existence, Homeland security finds dire threat everywhere, and must vociferously object to funds diverted for luxuries such as parks, healt care, or an environment that is unnecessarily cozy, clean or fresh.
And ah yes, Joseph Lieberman, lays claim to the brilliant idea and much of the campaign will focus on the UNDERFUNDING (!) of Homeland Security!
And people might dare to complain that they are hungry when the survival of the nation is at stake? Privacy? Free movement? Taking pictures of monuments? Just what the enemies of freedom need to further their murderous plots.
I don't know that absent Joe Lieberman we would NOT have Homeland Security. But that schmuck was eagerly the first in line and the noisiest. Thanks, Joe. Democrataic Senator and ex candidate for the vice presidency. Oh, yeah, and another man imbued with religious rectitude and certainty.
Less is More
As seen in the latest Science News(1) ($ subscription article) tadpoles exposed to low levels of a common herbicide (Atrizine) have a greater death rate than ones exposed to higher levels. This finding is another in a series of recent findings(2)($ subscription article) that show that the ill effects of some pollutants are worse when those pollutants are at lower concentrations. The basic reason for why this might be is unknown, but there is some speculation that the hormonal system may be tuned to interact with chemicals only at very low concentrations.
(1) Science News, July 10, 2004; Vol. 166, No. 2, p. 20
(2) Science News, Oct. 12, 2002; Vol. 162, No. 15, p. 228
Other references and sources available from Science News(free access)
Keywords: Pollution, Pesticides, Amphibians
(1) Science News, July 10, 2004; Vol. 166, No. 2, p. 20
(2) Science News, Oct. 12, 2002; Vol. 162, No. 15, p. 228
Other references and sources available from Science News(free access)
Keywords: Pollution, Pesticides, Amphibians
Tuesday, July 13, 2004
The Bland Leading the Blind Into the Abyss
Another repost...
Ken
By DOUG THOMPSON
Jul 13, 2004, 08:13
You gotta love watching Republicans squirm as they try to explain the latest rounds of FUBAR by the amateurs at 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue.
Each excuse to explain the latest screw up by George W. Bush is more laughable than the last. In order to accept the various explanations to rationalize the actions of what may well be the most corrupt – and at the same time most stupid – Presidential administration in recent history, you have to completely abandon the laws of probability.
Example: After months of stonewalling request for access to the complete record of Bush’s service (or lack thereof) with the Texas Air Guard, the Pentagon now claims the microfilm records were “inadvertently destroyed” and compound the lie with the ludicrous claim that no backup records exist.
The military doesn’t have backup? The same military that does everything in triplicate can’t find a backup? The same military that, weeks earlier, told Associated Press Associate General Counsel Dave Tomlin that the records existed, both in paper form and on microfilm?
Bush’s die-hard supporters, of course, claim this ain’t no big deal, saying stuff like “these things happen” and that it is “just a coincidence” that these missing records just happen to be the ones that could confirm or rebuff the President’s claim that he actually attended meetings of the very Texas Air Guard he joined to evade service in Vietnam.
These, of course, are the same Republicans who scream “conspiracy” and “cover-up” every time a Democrat misplaces a record or claims something can’t be found. These are the same hypocrites who say presumptive Vice Presidential nominee John Edwwards lacks the experience for the job because he has held only one elective office (Senator) for five years but forget that when their boy Dubya was elected he had held only one elective office (Governor) for the same length of time.
Edwards, at least, knows the capitals of foreign countries. Bush, as we recall, missed several when quizzed by a reporter during the 2000 Presidential campaign.
The same hypocrisy belches out of the GOP camp when they try to explain away Bush’s refusal to answer questions about his cozy relationship with indicted Enron executive Ken Lay. When Bill Clinton refused to answer questions, he was “hiding something.” When Bush refuses, he is just “exercising his prerogative as President.” And they offer stupid excuses to try and rationalize how their boy lies repeatedly about the war in Iraq, the true cost of Medicare and just about every other time he opens his mouth and mangles the English language.
Hypocrisy is not limited to Republicans. Democrats who now nail Bush for every screw up looked the other way and came up with lame excuses when Clinton also misused the power of the Presidency and lied about his actions.
Sadly, partisans of both political stripes are mostly brain-dead functionaries who abandoned independent thought and rational thinking to follow their leaders into the dark hole of narrow mindedness and mediocrity.
Such mind-numbing loyalty can be dangerous. Mounting evidence suggests George W. Bush, an emotional and mental lightweight when he took office, is crumbling under the pressure of the job, but those who follow him would rather support a man who is losing his marbles than put their country ahead of their political beliefs.
If Bush loses in November, it will be because he deserves it. He’s an emotional cripple and mental midget who got into office under questionable circumstances and has managed, through nearly four-years of missteps, to destroy America’s credibility with both its citizens and its allies, increase the resolve of our enemies and trample with the constitution and basic freedoms. His vice president is a corporate crook who faces indictment for bribery, money laundering and misuse of corporate assets.
Bush is doing everything in his power to give the Presidency away yet the best the Democrats could come up with was John F. Kerry? This is exactly how we ended up with Bill Clinton in 1992.
Kerry won’t be any better. He’s a Senatorial joke, another lightweight who has spent most of his life cruising without any real substance. His running mate is a trial lawyer, for Christ’s sake, who made millions by milking the deep pockets of corporate America through frivolous lawsuits. When push comes to shove, they will probably fail under the pressure and leave America far worse off than it was when they took office, just as Bush and Cheney have done.
Two losers, leading two parties of losers.
The bland leading the blind.
America should deserve better. The fact that we apparently don't is the saddest commentary of all.
© Copyright 2003 by Capitol Hill Blue
Ken
By DOUG THOMPSON
Jul 13, 2004, 08:13
You gotta love watching Republicans squirm as they try to explain the latest rounds of FUBAR by the amateurs at 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue.
Each excuse to explain the latest screw up by George W. Bush is more laughable than the last. In order to accept the various explanations to rationalize the actions of what may well be the most corrupt – and at the same time most stupid – Presidential administration in recent history, you have to completely abandon the laws of probability.
Example: After months of stonewalling request for access to the complete record of Bush’s service (or lack thereof) with the Texas Air Guard, the Pentagon now claims the microfilm records were “inadvertently destroyed” and compound the lie with the ludicrous claim that no backup records exist.
The military doesn’t have backup? The same military that does everything in triplicate can’t find a backup? The same military that, weeks earlier, told Associated Press Associate General Counsel Dave Tomlin that the records existed, both in paper form and on microfilm?
Bush’s die-hard supporters, of course, claim this ain’t no big deal, saying stuff like “these things happen” and that it is “just a coincidence” that these missing records just happen to be the ones that could confirm or rebuff the President’s claim that he actually attended meetings of the very Texas Air Guard he joined to evade service in Vietnam.
These, of course, are the same Republicans who scream “conspiracy” and “cover-up” every time a Democrat misplaces a record or claims something can’t be found. These are the same hypocrites who say presumptive Vice Presidential nominee John Edwwards lacks the experience for the job because he has held only one elective office (Senator) for five years but forget that when their boy Dubya was elected he had held only one elective office (Governor) for the same length of time.
Edwards, at least, knows the capitals of foreign countries. Bush, as we recall, missed several when quizzed by a reporter during the 2000 Presidential campaign.
The same hypocrisy belches out of the GOP camp when they try to explain away Bush’s refusal to answer questions about his cozy relationship with indicted Enron executive Ken Lay. When Bill Clinton refused to answer questions, he was “hiding something.” When Bush refuses, he is just “exercising his prerogative as President.” And they offer stupid excuses to try and rationalize how their boy lies repeatedly about the war in Iraq, the true cost of Medicare and just about every other time he opens his mouth and mangles the English language.
Hypocrisy is not limited to Republicans. Democrats who now nail Bush for every screw up looked the other way and came up with lame excuses when Clinton also misused the power of the Presidency and lied about his actions.
Sadly, partisans of both political stripes are mostly brain-dead functionaries who abandoned independent thought and rational thinking to follow their leaders into the dark hole of narrow mindedness and mediocrity.
Such mind-numbing loyalty can be dangerous. Mounting evidence suggests George W. Bush, an emotional and mental lightweight when he took office, is crumbling under the pressure of the job, but those who follow him would rather support a man who is losing his marbles than put their country ahead of their political beliefs.
If Bush loses in November, it will be because he deserves it. He’s an emotional cripple and mental midget who got into office under questionable circumstances and has managed, through nearly four-years of missteps, to destroy America’s credibility with both its citizens and its allies, increase the resolve of our enemies and trample with the constitution and basic freedoms. His vice president is a corporate crook who faces indictment for bribery, money laundering and misuse of corporate assets.
Bush is doing everything in his power to give the Presidency away yet the best the Democrats could come up with was John F. Kerry? This is exactly how we ended up with Bill Clinton in 1992.
Kerry won’t be any better. He’s a Senatorial joke, another lightweight who has spent most of his life cruising without any real substance. His running mate is a trial lawyer, for Christ’s sake, who made millions by milking the deep pockets of corporate America through frivolous lawsuits. When push comes to shove, they will probably fail under the pressure and leave America far worse off than it was when they took office, just as Bush and Cheney have done.
Two losers, leading two parties of losers.
The bland leading the blind.
America should deserve better. The fact that we apparently don't is the saddest commentary of all.
© Copyright 2003 by Capitol Hill Blue
Monday, July 12, 2004
How to become famous in two weeks or less
When I saw the ad for a class on how to hustle two-week fame, I couldn’t wait to slam down forty bucks. I mean, look at poor, stupid Vincent Van Gogh. What a chump. Worked his whole damn life painting his ‘vision’ — to what end? Poverty? Madness? No one gave a rat’s ass in his lifetime. He even cut off his ear privately. Cameras weren’t around then, but he could have whacked it in the town square or something for a little P.R.
And Mother Teresa, another head case. By the time she got famous, she looked like hell squared. A sea of Botox couldn’t help that mug. Was she invited to Cannes? To Diddy’s yacht? Did Dolce & Gabanna even know she was alive?
“The nice thing about being a celebrity is that when you bore people, they think it's their fault,” said major bore-cum-dickhead Henry Kissinger.
And Mother Teresa, another head case. By the time she got famous, she looked like hell squared. A sea of Botox couldn’t help that mug. Was she invited to Cannes? To Diddy’s yacht? Did Dolce & Gabanna even know she was alive?
“The nice thing about being a celebrity is that when you bore people, they think it's their fault,” said major bore-cum-dickhead Henry Kissinger.
Bin Laden determined to strike in US
This is from the Presidential Daily Briefing (PDB) that Bush recieved on August 6th, 2001.
This certainly would have gotten my attention if I were president.
---
Parts of "Bin Laden determined to strike in US."
Clandestine, foreign government, and media reports indicate bin Laden since 1997 has wanted to conduct terrorist attacks in the US. Bin Laden implied in U.S. television interviews in 1997 and 1998 that his followers would follow the example of World Trade Center bomber Ramzi Yousef and "bring the fighting to America."
Al Qaeda members -- including some who are U.S. citizens -- have resided in or traveled to the U.S. for years, and the group apparently maintains a support structure that could aid attacks.
A clandestine source said in 1998 that a bin Laden cell in New York was recruiting Muslim-American youth for attacks.
Nevertheless, FBI information since that time indicates patterns of suspicious activity in this country consistent with preparations for hijackings or other types of attacks, including recent surveillance of federal buildings in New York.
---
Yup, we got ourselves a REAL competent guy in charge right now
-ken
This certainly would have gotten my attention if I were president.
---
Parts of "Bin Laden determined to strike in US."
Clandestine, foreign government, and media reports indicate bin Laden since 1997 has wanted to conduct terrorist attacks in the US. Bin Laden implied in U.S. television interviews in 1997 and 1998 that his followers would follow the example of World Trade Center bomber Ramzi Yousef and "bring the fighting to America."
Al Qaeda members -- including some who are U.S. citizens -- have resided in or traveled to the U.S. for years, and the group apparently maintains a support structure that could aid attacks.
A clandestine source said in 1998 that a bin Laden cell in New York was recruiting Muslim-American youth for attacks.
Nevertheless, FBI information since that time indicates patterns of suspicious activity in this country consistent with preparations for hijackings or other types of attacks, including recent surveillance of federal buildings in New York.
---
Yup, we got ourselves a REAL competent guy in charge right now
-ken
Friday, July 09, 2004
Panel Condemns Iraq Prewar Intelligence (washingtonpost.com)
They call it "group think". But shit, do you have to be an old man before you understand that people do what the boss wants? Does anyone NOT do what the boss wants?
Bush wanted the WMD. Cheney says they are still there. (He also says "go fuck yourself", which gives a little heads up to anyone that might bring him news that he doesn't like.)
We SAW the drone aircraft Iraq had: it was joke. We KNOW that the yellow cake story was bullshit. We KNOW there were no mobile chemical labs (and so did Colin "the house boy" Powell (Harry Belafonte nailed him with that one), and we knew the half a dozen aluminum tubes were bogus and that you need several hundreds of them to produce anything at all, and a bodacious factory to house them, but they were missile tubes anyway.
All this is giving cover to Bush: he was mislead. Right.
Bush wanted the WMD. Cheney says they are still there. (He also says "go fuck yourself", which gives a little heads up to anyone that might bring him news that he doesn't like.)
We SAW the drone aircraft Iraq had: it was joke. We KNOW that the yellow cake story was bullshit. We KNOW there were no mobile chemical labs (and so did Colin "the house boy" Powell (Harry Belafonte nailed him with that one), and we knew the half a dozen aluminum tubes were bogus and that you need several hundreds of them to produce anything at all, and a bodacious factory to house them, but they were missile tubes anyway.
All this is giving cover to Bush: he was mislead. Right.
This weeks RANT
So it is now just political squabbling to mislead Congress. Some might say that misleading Congress by deliberately not including information is really just a form of lying. Luckily for us, this administration has brought integrity back to the White House (whose White House, Nixon’s?)
Meanwhile, back at the ranch… It seems that Russia is suffering from a good old fashioned dose of unregulated capitalism. Back in the good ol’ days before FDR and the New Deal it was not uncommon for there to be runs on banks. A little nervousness about the soundness of a bank and suddenly all banks would have lines of customers wanting to withdraw their money. But our buddies at CATO, the “libertarian” think tank (that seems to have a bunch of positive things to say about the Bush administration despite the fact that it is the least libertarian administration for decades if not for ever) want us to know that FDIC is not so great an idea after all. My best guess is that FDIC might well be on the chopping block come a second Bush installment. If it’s true, I’m sure the press will find out from a senior White House Official.
"Older men declare war. But it is the youth that must fight and die."
Herbert Hoover
-ken
Down the memory hole
Military records relating to George W Bush's National Guard service more than 30 years ago have been accidentally destroyed, the Pentagon has said.
Why is it ?
That every time there is some budding scandal, like Bush's bud "Kenny Boy" being indicted, that Osama and his gang start becoming more of threat?(link to captains quarters blog) This sort of thing just lends credence to Michael Moore's Movie (say that five times fast.) where he says that all this terror warning is politics. It may or may not be, but we’ve seen the terror warning levels move up and down and have seen serious warnings about terrorism without changes in our alert level.
It seems obvious that we need to somehow extract our national security apparatus from politics. It was abused by Clinton and has been even more so by George the lesser.
-ken
Thursday, July 08, 2004
July Surprise?
The Bush administration denies it has geared the war on terrorism to the electoral calendar. "Our attitude and actions have been the same since September 11 in terms of getting high-value targets off the street, and that doesn't change because of an election," says National Security Council spokesman Sean McCormack. But The New Republic has learned that Pakistani security officials have been told they must produce HVTs by the election. According to one source in Pakistan's powerful Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI), "The Pakistani government is really desperate and wants to flush out bin Laden and his associates after the latest pressures from the U.S. administration to deliver before the [upcoming] U.S. elections."
“Fuck ‘em all,”
Cheney Faces Criminal Indictments; Other Illegal Actions Raise Warning Flags at White House
By TERESA HAMPTONEditor, Capitol Hill Blue
Jul 8, 2004, 04:59
Vice President Dick Cheney faces criminal indictments for illegal activities while CEO of energy giant Halliburton and also illegally intervened to secure a $7 billion no-bid contract for his former employer after his election to office, an analysis by the White House counsel’s office concludes.
The Vice President is currently under investigation by French authorities for bribery, money laundering and misuse of corporate assets while at Halliburton and also faces a U.S. Securities & Exchange Commission probe of a $180 million "slush fund" that may have been used to pay bribes.
Although the White House Counsel analysis is not available to the public because of the secrecy of “attorney-client privilege,” it has generated speculation among senior White House aides who suggest the Vice President should step down as President George W. Bush’s running mate for the November Presidential elections. Such talk has increased in GOP circles lately with former New York Senator Alfonse D'Amato Wednesday calling on Bush to dump Cheney.
Those who have read the analysis say it presents a “devastating” case against the Vice President and concludes Cheney has violated both the “spirit and intent” of federal laws on conflict of interest.
Even worse, Cheney faces indictment by a French court on charges of bribery, money laundering and misuse of corporate assets because of fraud associated with the construction of a $6 billion petrochemical plant built by Halliburton in Nigeria in partnership with Technip, one of France’s largest petrochemical engineering companies.
Cheney is under investigation by Judge Renaud van Ruymbeke, one of France’s famous investigating magistrates. Ruymbeke is a legend in legal circles because of his investigation into French campaign scandals in the 1990s, resulting in multiple indictments and convictions of top officials.
Because of Ruymbeke’s work on the case, the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission has opened an investigation into a $180 million “slush fund” that the French judge says was used to pay bribes.
London Lawyer Jeffrey Tesler, a consultant to Halliburton, admitted under oath in May that he made payments from the fund to Albert “Jack” Stanley, president of Halliburton subsidiary Kellogg, Brown & Root and a longtime friend and associate of Cheney. The payments, Tesler said, were personally approved by Cheney, who headed Halliburton at the time.
Although Cheney left his position at Halliburton before becoming Vice President, his financial disclosure statements show he continues to receive dividends from stock as well as deferred compensation from the company.
At least $5 million in payments to Stanley from the fund were wired to a secret numbered bank account in Zurich which Judge Ruymbeke discovered belonged to the KBR President. Tesler also testified he paid another $350,000 to another KBR executive, William Chaudran, through another secret bank account on the isle of Jersey.
Cheney served as CEO of Halliburton from 1995 until 2000 and approved the Nigerian contract in 1999. Halliburton publicly announced on June 18 it was “severing all ties” with Stanley, admitting he had received “improper personal benefits” while serving as President of KBR. Sources within Halliburton say the company’s internal investigation clearly implicates Vice President Cheney but acknowledge the investigation will remain sealed in light of the company’s $7 billion sweetheart contract with the Pentagon for work in Iraq.
French Judge Ruymbeke, however, is said to be offering Stanley a deal if he implicates Cheney and sources within the French legal system say the judge has more than enough to indict the Vice President on charges of bribery, money laundering and misuse of corporate assets.
The assessment of the White House counsel’s office agrees that Cheney faces “serious legal implications” from the pending French indictments and add that the Vice President’s illegal and unethical lobbying on behalf of Halliburton for the no-bid contract “raises additional questions.”
Cheney, however, is standing firm and recently told Senator Patrick Leahy of Vermont to “fuck off” when the Senator questioned him on the Halliburton matters.
According to White House sources, President George W. Bush laughed the matter off at a recent cabinet meeting.
“Fuck ‘em all,” Bush said.
The President’s bravado, however, is not shared by worried White House aides. Some point to the last vice president to step down because of fraud and corruption – Spiro T. Agnew, who served under President Richard M. Nixon, another Republican forced to leave office because of scandal.
© Copyright 2004 by Capitol Hill Blue
Wednesday, July 07, 2004
Translator in Eye of Storm on Retroactive Classification
Published on Monday, July 5, 2004 by the Boston Globe
Translator in Eye of Storm on Retroactive Classification
by Anne E. Kornblut
WASHINGTON -- Sifting through old classified materials in the days after the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks, FBI translator Sibel Edmonds said, she made an alarming discovery: Intercepts relevant to the terrorist plot, including references to skyscrapers, had been overlooked because they were badly translated into English.
Edmonds, 34, who is fluent in Turkish and Farsi, said she quickly reported the mistake to an FBI superior. Five months later, after flagging what she said were several other security lapses in her division, she was fired. Now, after more than two years of investigations and congressional inquiries, Edmonds is at the center of an extraordinary storm over US classification rules that sheds new light on the secrecy imperative supported by members of the Bush administration.
In a rare maneuver, Attorney General John Ashcroft has ordered that information about the Edmonds case be retroactively classified, even basic facts that have been posted on websites and discussed openly in meetings with members of Congress for two years. The Department of Justice also invoked the seldom-used ''state secrets" privilege to silence Edmonds in court. She has been blocked from testifying in a lawsuit brought by victims of the Sept. 11 attacks and was allowed to speak to the panel investigating the Sept. 11 attacks only behind closed doors.
Meanwhile, the FBI has yet to release its internal investigation into her charges. And the Senate Judiciary Committee, which oversees the bureau, has been stymied in its attempt to get to the bottom of her allegations. Now that the case has been retroactively classified, lawmakers are wary of discussing the details, for fear of overstepping legal bounds.
''I'm alarmed that the FBI is reaching back in time and classifying information it provided two years ago," Senator Charles E. Grassley, a Republican from Iowa and a leading advocate for Edmonds, said last Friday. ''Frankly, it looks like an attempt to impede legitimate oversight of a serious problem at the FBI."
More...
Translator in Eye of Storm on Retroactive Classification
by Anne E. Kornblut
WASHINGTON -- Sifting through old classified materials in the days after the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks, FBI translator Sibel Edmonds said, she made an alarming discovery: Intercepts relevant to the terrorist plot, including references to skyscrapers, had been overlooked because they were badly translated into English.
Edmonds, 34, who is fluent in Turkish and Farsi, said she quickly reported the mistake to an FBI superior. Five months later, after flagging what she said were several other security lapses in her division, she was fired. Now, after more than two years of investigations and congressional inquiries, Edmonds is at the center of an extraordinary storm over US classification rules that sheds new light on the secrecy imperative supported by members of the Bush administration.
 Whistleblower Sibel Edmonds [CBS] |
In a rare maneuver, Attorney General John Ashcroft has ordered that information about the Edmonds case be retroactively classified, even basic facts that have been posted on websites and discussed openly in meetings with members of Congress for two years. The Department of Justice also invoked the seldom-used ''state secrets" privilege to silence Edmonds in court. She has been blocked from testifying in a lawsuit brought by victims of the Sept. 11 attacks and was allowed to speak to the panel investigating the Sept. 11 attacks only behind closed doors.
Meanwhile, the FBI has yet to release its internal investigation into her charges. And the Senate Judiciary Committee, which oversees the bureau, has been stymied in its attempt to get to the bottom of her allegations. Now that the case has been retroactively classified, lawmakers are wary of discussing the details, for fear of overstepping legal bounds.
''I'm alarmed that the FBI is reaching back in time and classifying information it provided two years ago," Senator Charles E. Grassley, a Republican from Iowa and a leading advocate for Edmonds, said last Friday. ''Frankly, it looks like an attempt to impede legitimate oversight of a serious problem at the FBI."
More...
Tuesday, July 06, 2004
Gound Hog Day
If they kill Hassoun, six more weeks of winter, at least. Otherwise, it's springtime.
Are the bad guys scared of what will happen? To them? To all of Iraq?
Are there some negotiations being played that will get them more by keeping him alive?
Turning him loose?
Seems parading him around naked would be, well, fair play: who could object, and on what grounds?
(It is a little late for pure humanitarian gestures.)
Are the bad guys scared of what will happen? To them? To all of Iraq?
Are there some negotiations being played that will get them more by keeping him alive?
Turning him loose?
Seems parading him around naked would be, well, fair play: who could object, and on what grounds?
(It is a little late for pure humanitarian gestures.)
Monday, July 05, 2004
Electronic voting: a train wreck
Florida was nothing. It was uncertain. The supreme court had to come in to straighten it out.
Not this time. This time it will all work perfectly.
Not this time. This time it will all work perfectly.
Saturday, July 03, 2004
Thursday, July 01, 2004
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)