What did he know and when did he know it? Well, does anyone believe Kerry didn’t know that his supporters were running ads using a picture of Osama bin Laden to attack Dean’s credentials?
Speaking of Kerry, Nixon personally wanted to destroy him back in ‘71.
The Organization of American States’s Inter-American Commission on Human Rights rules that the US violated international law by not giving DC residents the vote.
Israel kills something like 15 people in Gaza in a military raid that, Ha’aretz notes, seems to have had as its sole purpose “so soon after the prime minister announced his intention of dismantling many of the settlements in that area... to show the Palestinians that the decision to withdraw was not a victory for them or for terror”
The family of the Palestinian prime-minister-of-the-week has been accused of supplying cement to build the Wall.
The US is increasingly trying to pretend that the resistance to US occupation of Iraq is Al Qaida. It is not, and I don’t think even Judith Miller is falling for that CD-ROM outlining the connection which the military allegedly found (although they’ve given out several stories about how they found it). Every suicide bomber to date has been a native Iraqi. The AQ claim presumably would provide an ex post facto rationalization for the war. If anyone believed it. And the fact that it’s getting so little play is a sign how little credibility the Mayberry Machiavellis have left.
Reminds me: the story about N Korea testing bio-weapons on political prisoners doesn’t look so well-sourced. Sorry.
Iraqis are claiming the bombings of the last 2 days were done by the Americans to give them an excuse to stay. Which is also unlikely, of course, but you do have to wonder why would-be members of the Iraqi police and military--without which there can be no US pull-out on July 1--were given absolutely no protection but left to line up in the street.
I sorta thought the CIA was getting a bum rap and being set up for a fall, and other Raymond Chandler language, but then I read this. CIA analysts thought intel came from multiple sources when it didn’t, thought it came from good sources when it was third-hand gossip. This is pure amateur hour.
Yet more on Bush & the Nat Guard, and I’m almost getting bored of the subject. Seems he asked for a transfer to Alabama after he actually moved there. Bushies have taken to responding to questions on the subject by throwing hissy fits and refusing to answer (Powell, McClellan)(David Brooks on McNeil-Lehrer was also pretty funny). McClellan: “I'm not going to engage in gutter politics. I'm going to focus on what we're doing to make the world safer, to make the world a better place.” He accused reporters asking for Bush to fulfill his promise on Sunday to release all his records of “trolling for trash,” a Safire-like bit of alliteration that suggests a stonewall prepared in advance. A former assistant deputy assistant gopher of defence (or something) almost takes the position I suggested several days ago the D’s take, and gives it a spin I hadn’t thought of: the government spent $1 million to train him to fly (1969 or 2004 dollars?), and he didn’t show up for his flight physical. But at least we now know what Bush’s teeth looked like in 1973. Historical note: in 1992 Bush the Elder criticized Clinton for having failed to release his military records.
Thursday, February 12, 2004
Wednesday, February 11, 2004
Human beings are human beings
Good Paul Krugman piece in the New York Review of Books on the Bush dynasty.
A cute 2 paragraphs in an AP story:
The French Parliament passes the ban on religious symbols 494-36 (the No’s and abstentions came from the Communists and a Catholic party), or to be precise, “signs and dress that conspicuously show the religious affiliation of students.” Sounds like a loophole to me. My advice: every student should go to school wearing the symbols of other religions than their own. Boys should wear burquas. Girls should wear yarmulkas. Make schools that try to enforce this law have to enquire into the religion of their students, to find out if they are showing their own religious affiliation or someone else’s. Let the Thought Police be the Thought Police, I say.
Telegraph: “Japanese police have arrested Nobuhiko Takahashi, a 42-year-old undertaker, on suspicion of murdering his aunt so that his ailing company could carry out her funeral. In the event a rival firm of undertakers did the work.”
Reuters: “Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld, asked about Tuesday's car bombing in Iraq that killed about 50 people, said there are murders in every major city in the world "because human beings are human beings."”
He also said he couldn’t remember Blair making the 45 minute-claim.
The “partial-birth abortion” ban has led inevitably to John Ashcroft trying to subpoena women’s medical records (although it has been stopped by a district judge--possibly just for that district, though?).
Cognitive dissonance: NYT headline: “US Tightens Grip on Groups Offering Ways To Visit Cuba.” Quote from Treasury Sec John Snow in that story: “Castro’s regime has crushed freedom”. Like what, the freedom to travel?
McNeil-Lehrer has long been dedicated to the proposition that on every issue there are two sides--and no more than two sides. Today in the introduction to a story on Bush’s National Guard record was the phrase “Some Democrats claim...” that Bush was AWOL. Contrary to Bush’s line on Russert, this issue is not “political,” and contrary to McNeil-Lehrer, it’s not a he-said-she-said thing.
There will be a Simpsons movie.
You know the saying that if you don’t vote, you can’t complain? My addendum is that if you vote for a candidate purely because he’s not George Bush, you don’t get to complain about him unless he actually literally becomes George Bush.
In California justice news, the man that Governor Ahnuld was going to execute without even a clemency hearing, Kevin Cooper, got a stay, when the needle was practically in his arm, the first 9th Circuit stay in decades not immediately overturned by a cranky Supreme Court. He will now get the benefit (or not) of DNA evidence, to see if the blond hairs in one victim’s hand came from Cooper, who is black, and whether blood stains contain preservative (i.e., were planted by the police).
And the lawyers for 3 12-year olds arrested at their schools in Orange County says the humiliation of that arrest is punishment enough for sending a homeless guy to jail for 8 months for attacking them. He hadn’t, but they needed an excuse for being late getting home.
Howard Dean tells children to drink from the toilet.
A cute 2 paragraphs in an AP story:
The White House has not been able to produce fellow guardsmen who could testify that Bush attended guard meetings and drills. "Obviously we would have made people available" if they had been found, McClellan said.
Sen. John Kerry, the front-runner for the Democratic presidential nomination, is regularly accompanied by a "band of brothers" of military veterans who served with him in Vietnam.
The French Parliament passes the ban on religious symbols 494-36 (the No’s and abstentions came from the Communists and a Catholic party), or to be precise, “signs and dress that conspicuously show the religious affiliation of students.” Sounds like a loophole to me. My advice: every student should go to school wearing the symbols of other religions than their own. Boys should wear burquas. Girls should wear yarmulkas. Make schools that try to enforce this law have to enquire into the religion of their students, to find out if they are showing their own religious affiliation or someone else’s. Let the Thought Police be the Thought Police, I say.
Telegraph: “Japanese police have arrested Nobuhiko Takahashi, a 42-year-old undertaker, on suspicion of murdering his aunt so that his ailing company could carry out her funeral. In the event a rival firm of undertakers did the work.”
Reuters: “Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld, asked about Tuesday's car bombing in Iraq that killed about 50 people, said there are murders in every major city in the world "because human beings are human beings."”
He also said he couldn’t remember Blair making the 45 minute-claim.
The “partial-birth abortion” ban has led inevitably to John Ashcroft trying to subpoena women’s medical records (although it has been stopped by a district judge--possibly just for that district, though?).
Cognitive dissonance: NYT headline: “US Tightens Grip on Groups Offering Ways To Visit Cuba.” Quote from Treasury Sec John Snow in that story: “Castro’s regime has crushed freedom”. Like what, the freedom to travel?
McNeil-Lehrer has long been dedicated to the proposition that on every issue there are two sides--and no more than two sides. Today in the introduction to a story on Bush’s National Guard record was the phrase “Some Democrats claim...” that Bush was AWOL. Contrary to Bush’s line on Russert, this issue is not “political,” and contrary to McNeil-Lehrer, it’s not a he-said-she-said thing.
There will be a Simpsons movie.
You know the saying that if you don’t vote, you can’t complain? My addendum is that if you vote for a candidate purely because he’s not George Bush, you don’t get to complain about him unless he actually literally becomes George Bush.
In California justice news, the man that Governor Ahnuld was going to execute without even a clemency hearing, Kevin Cooper, got a stay, when the needle was practically in his arm, the first 9th Circuit stay in decades not immediately overturned by a cranky Supreme Court. He will now get the benefit (or not) of DNA evidence, to see if the blond hairs in one victim’s hand came from Cooper, who is black, and whether blood stains contain preservative (i.e., were planted by the police).
And the lawyers for 3 12-year olds arrested at their schools in Orange County says the humiliation of that arrest is punishment enough for sending a homeless guy to jail for 8 months for attacking them. He hadn’t, but they needed an excuse for being late getting home.
Howard Dean tells children to drink from the toilet.
Monday, February 09, 2004
Raise your hand if you love Jesus or want some more peanuts
From Guardian op-ed columnist Gary Younge: “Now ignorance seems to be their only defence. George Tenet says the CIA "never said there was an imminent threat". Well, somebody did. Tony Blair says he did not know that Saddam was incapable of firing long-range chemical and biological weapons. Well, somebody did. President Bush now says he wants "to know all the facts". What did he want to know before? "The absence of a stockpile changes the political calculus," says Powell Sr. "It changes the answer you get." Wrong again. If the question is "Should we have gone to war?" then the answer is still no. What is changed is that with each dissembling statement, the public is listening just that little bit more closely.”
And a good sharp analysis of Bush’s words on Iraq in the Russert interview here.
An equally good analysis of his lies about his budgets here.
You should read both. It’s not just the lying, but the way that Bush lies, that’s interesting. These 2 articles don’t just expose Bush’s words as fiction, but review them as fiction.
A guru is trying to copyright 26 yoga positions.
Kerry’s first wife was the twin sister of his best friend at Yale. That’s rather creepy, in a Brideshead Revisited sort of way.
Scottish feminists are planning to boycott a topless barbershop planned for Paisley, named A Bit Off the Top.
Creepy internet business of the day.
Creepy regular business of the day: “A BRITISH-based company is selling MP3 players which can be attached to an assault rifle. The "AK-MP3" player is built into the ammunition clip of a Kalashnikov and can be swapped with the real magazine.”
Shit, spoke too soon. Creepier business of the day: “On March 4 last year, with the military campaign just 15 days away, the United States agency for international development asked three American firms to bid for a unique job; after Iraq had been invaded and occupied, one company would be charged with setting up 180 local and provincial town councils in the rubble.” Except only 1 company applied, Research Triangle Institute, which normally does drug research but figured it could give nation-building a whirl.
Israel’s far-right Tourism Minister Benny Elon has asked Christian missionaries (I can’t find what brand of Christian, unfortunately) to convert Islamic militants. And to stay away from Jews.
They can fly there on American Airlines, where a pilot asked Christians to hold up their hands and explain their faith to everybody else. No story on this, and there have been many, says whether anyone actually followed instructions.
I can’t quite work up a joke based on someone telling Jesus on the cross to return to an upright position...
Probably just as well.
A British woman was stopped at Athens airport when metal detectors detected metal: her chastity belt.
New, interesting details on Bush’s military “service”.
Haiti has descended into violence and chaos, in case anyone cares.
Oh, right, they don’t.
Never mind.
And a good sharp analysis of Bush’s words on Iraq in the Russert interview here.
An equally good analysis of his lies about his budgets here.
You should read both. It’s not just the lying, but the way that Bush lies, that’s interesting. These 2 articles don’t just expose Bush’s words as fiction, but review them as fiction.
A guru is trying to copyright 26 yoga positions.
Kerry’s first wife was the twin sister of his best friend at Yale. That’s rather creepy, in a Brideshead Revisited sort of way.
Scottish feminists are planning to boycott a topless barbershop planned for Paisley, named A Bit Off the Top.
Creepy internet business of the day.
Creepy regular business of the day: “A BRITISH-based company is selling MP3 players which can be attached to an assault rifle. The "AK-MP3" player is built into the ammunition clip of a Kalashnikov and can be swapped with the real magazine.”
Shit, spoke too soon. Creepier business of the day: “On March 4 last year, with the military campaign just 15 days away, the United States agency for international development asked three American firms to bid for a unique job; after Iraq had been invaded and occupied, one company would be charged with setting up 180 local and provincial town councils in the rubble.” Except only 1 company applied, Research Triangle Institute, which normally does drug research but figured it could give nation-building a whirl.
Israel’s far-right Tourism Minister Benny Elon has asked Christian missionaries (I can’t find what brand of Christian, unfortunately) to convert Islamic militants. And to stay away from Jews.
They can fly there on American Airlines, where a pilot asked Christians to hold up their hands and explain their faith to everybody else. No story on this, and there have been many, says whether anyone actually followed instructions.
I can’t quite work up a joke based on someone telling Jesus on the cross to return to an upright position...
Probably just as well.
A British woman was stopped at Athens airport when metal detectors detected metal: her chastity belt.
New, interesting details on Bush’s military “service”.
Haiti has descended into violence and chaos, in case anyone cares.
Oh, right, they don’t.
Never mind.
Sunday, February 08, 2004
Worked it out with the military
The Independent says the British governments single source for the 45-minute claim was an Iraqi exile who’d left Iraq years before. His source was someone in the army. So MI6 knew a guy who knew a guy.
Did you know that John Kerry has a cousin who once ran for president? Of France? He’d been Mitterrand’s environment minister. Kerry doesn’t talk much about his French relatives, or that he speaks French fluently and has a vacation home in Brittany.
Musharraf says he’ll let Dr. KHAAAAAAN! keep the money he made from illegal weapons trafficking.
Iraq Body Count says that Iraqi civilian deaths (its methods are cautious, so this will be low) have reached the 10,000 mark.
Iran is going ahead with the fixed elections. The few reformists allowed to run will not do so. But neither is the government refusing to hold the election. The ayatollahs have said that they aren’t allowed to, nor to resign, and officials who don’t participate in the election machinery may be prosecuted. Which is why they should resign, of course. I was unsure before about whether President Khatami needed to resign, but you can’t have a legitimately elected president alongside an illegitimately elected legislature. Ideally, he should resign the day before the elections, or maybe the day after.
And what the fuck is Prince Charles doing in Iran at this particular moment in history?
Switzerland votes (56%) for a referendum to jail paedophiles for life.
Israel assassinates a Palestinian militant leader (little-known fact: Palestinian militants have no followers; they’re all leaders) and the statutory 11-year old boy.
I thought I’d have something to say about Bush’s Meet the Press interview, but there is nothing to say about the hour-long string of clichés Russert let Shrub get away with. [Ed.: not that that ever stopped you before] [Me: I have an editor?] [Ed.: No.] It’s not that Bush was being particularly slippery, but that Russert, who is normally known for “gotcha” journalism--catching interviewees in discrepancies with their past statements that might or might not be of any real significance, but gosh they do look dramatic on the teevee--folded. He even let Bush get away with saying that people are “denigrating” National Guard service, as opposed to questioning whether Bush actually performed all of his National Guard service. (Although one denigrator would be Colin Powell. From his memoirs: “I am angry that so many of the sons of the powerful and well-placed... managed to wangle slots in Reserve and National Guard units ... Of the many tragedies of Vietnam, this raw class discrimination strikes me as the most damaging to the ideal that all Americans are created equal and owe equal allegiance to their country.”)
And there’s this, which should go over real big with Vietnam vets: “Well, I was going to Harvard Business School and worked it out with the military.” And since Bush has never done one of these interviews before and may well never do so again, this was the last chance to ask him about it.
Bush is moving slowly along the path to admitting there were no WMDs (the Independent headline uses the word “defensive,” the right-wing Daily Telegraph says Bush “reneges” on Iraq). “He had the capacity to have a weapon ... and we thought he had weapons. The international community thought he had weapons. But he had the capacity to make a weapon and then let that weapon fall into the hands of a shadowy terrorist network.” Of course that capacity hasn’t been proved any more than the WMDs themselves, and the STN (shadowy terrorist network) bit is just silly. He also said that Clinton believed the same things as he did, but hasn’t Clinton been just real quiet about this whole thing, and isn’t it time he be made to say something? Say in front of the commission [the “Commission on the Intelligence Capabilities of the United States”--CICUS, pronounced “kick us”, Billmon notes], which Bush refused to commit to testifying before himself, although he allowed as how he might “visit with them” (what is he, a 65-year old Southern woman?).
William Saletan claims that Bush is in fact a scholar of Plato believing in the Platonic ideal of things like WMDs, so that it doesn’t matter whether there is a physical reality reflecting those ideals, because the ideal is the only real thing. “Bush isn't Clinton. He doesn't change his mind for anything, whether it's polls or facts. And he always tells the truth about what's in his mind, regardless of the evidence.”
A clip of that wonderful moment in the State of the Union address when Republicans applauded terrorism (1.24 MB, 24 seconds).
One of the people running against Putin for president has disappeared.
Did you know that John Kerry has a cousin who once ran for president? Of France? He’d been Mitterrand’s environment minister. Kerry doesn’t talk much about his French relatives, or that he speaks French fluently and has a vacation home in Brittany.
Musharraf says he’ll let Dr. KHAAAAAAN! keep the money he made from illegal weapons trafficking.
Iraq Body Count says that Iraqi civilian deaths (its methods are cautious, so this will be low) have reached the 10,000 mark.
Iran is going ahead with the fixed elections. The few reformists allowed to run will not do so. But neither is the government refusing to hold the election. The ayatollahs have said that they aren’t allowed to, nor to resign, and officials who don’t participate in the election machinery may be prosecuted. Which is why they should resign, of course. I was unsure before about whether President Khatami needed to resign, but you can’t have a legitimately elected president alongside an illegitimately elected legislature. Ideally, he should resign the day before the elections, or maybe the day after.
And what the fuck is Prince Charles doing in Iran at this particular moment in history?
Switzerland votes (56%) for a referendum to jail paedophiles for life.
Israel assassinates a Palestinian militant leader (little-known fact: Palestinian militants have no followers; they’re all leaders) and the statutory 11-year old boy.
I thought I’d have something to say about Bush’s Meet the Press interview, but there is nothing to say about the hour-long string of clichés Russert let Shrub get away with. [Ed.: not that that ever stopped you before] [Me: I have an editor?] [Ed.: No.] It’s not that Bush was being particularly slippery, but that Russert, who is normally known for “gotcha” journalism--catching interviewees in discrepancies with their past statements that might or might not be of any real significance, but gosh they do look dramatic on the teevee--folded. He even let Bush get away with saying that people are “denigrating” National Guard service, as opposed to questioning whether Bush actually performed all of his National Guard service. (Although one denigrator would be Colin Powell. From his memoirs: “I am angry that so many of the sons of the powerful and well-placed... managed to wangle slots in Reserve and National Guard units ... Of the many tragedies of Vietnam, this raw class discrimination strikes me as the most damaging to the ideal that all Americans are created equal and owe equal allegiance to their country.”)
And there’s this, which should go over real big with Vietnam vets: “Well, I was going to Harvard Business School and worked it out with the military.” And since Bush has never done one of these interviews before and may well never do so again, this was the last chance to ask him about it.
Bush is moving slowly along the path to admitting there were no WMDs (the Independent headline uses the word “defensive,” the right-wing Daily Telegraph says Bush “reneges” on Iraq). “He had the capacity to have a weapon ... and we thought he had weapons. The international community thought he had weapons. But he had the capacity to make a weapon and then let that weapon fall into the hands of a shadowy terrorist network.” Of course that capacity hasn’t been proved any more than the WMDs themselves, and the STN (shadowy terrorist network) bit is just silly. He also said that Clinton believed the same things as he did, but hasn’t Clinton been just real quiet about this whole thing, and isn’t it time he be made to say something? Say in front of the commission [the “Commission on the Intelligence Capabilities of the United States”--CICUS, pronounced “kick us”, Billmon notes], which Bush refused to commit to testifying before himself, although he allowed as how he might “visit with them” (what is he, a 65-year old Southern woman?).
William Saletan claims that Bush is in fact a scholar of Plato believing in the Platonic ideal of things like WMDs, so that it doesn’t matter whether there is a physical reality reflecting those ideals, because the ideal is the only real thing. “Bush isn't Clinton. He doesn't change his mind for anything, whether it's polls or facts. And he always tells the truth about what's in his mind, regardless of the evidence.”
A clip of that wonderful moment in the State of the Union address when Republicans applauded terrorism (1.24 MB, 24 seconds).
One of the people running against Putin for president has disappeared.
Saturday, February 07, 2004
Getting on Colin Powell's nerves
Boy are the American media getting bored with Iraq. A massive attack on the Kurdish leadership, killing several quite high-ups, then an assassination attempt on Ayatollah Sistani, yawn yawn.
(Later): except the latter may not have happened. I don’t get it.
More muddle-headed thinking on gay marriage, a subject that inspires muddle-headed thinking, from Mass. Governor Mitt Romney, calling for “defense” of marriage acts everywhere: “The institution of marriage was not created by government, and it should not be redefined by government.”
Reading the headline in today’s NYT, “Rumsfeld in Germany to Meet With Allies,” I had the obvious thought: they won’t be allies much longer if Rumsfeld meets with them. Sure enough, Rummy described the German media’s coverage of Iraq as “even more biased than al-Jazeera.”
If Bush keeps calling Saddam a “madman,” isn’t he suggesting an insanity defense?
Jimmy Carter has a blog. It’s very exciting. He is visiting African countries to investigate eradication of the Guinea worm.
Billmon has a bit from John McCain’s questioning, if that’s the word for it, of David Kay, and suggests that McCain on the commission will be less independent-minded than some might expect, as does his denial today or yesterday that Bush could possibly have distorted intelligence, even before hearing any evidence. And everything you need to know about Laurence Silberman is that as a judge he kept Ollie North out of prison, but everything else about his career (smears against Anita Hill, helping Kenneth Starr go after Clinton, saying that Clinton had declared war on the United States, etc) makes him the perfect candidate to spear a whitewash. And Chuck Robb, holy shit, that’s the Democrat? And there’s no subpoena power and the mission is too narrow to be helpful, etc etc etc.
Of course Sharon wants to evacuate Jews from Gaza--and put them in the West Bank. Of course he does.
America being America, a woman has filed a lawsuit on behalf of the 80 million Americans who saw Janet Jackson’s breast. And for the rest of us: “(B)ecause defendants knew that the Super Bowl and Super Bowl halftime show would have a worldwide audience and knew that for much of the world, these events would reflect the standards and reputations of Americans abroad, plaintiff and the members of the plaintiff class have been defamed by the defendants and have suffered injuries and damages to their reputations as Americans.” The lead attorney is a former member of the Tennessee legislature.
What are our reputations as Americans worth? Answers on a postcard, please.
And what makes you think that flashing Janet Jackson’s breast did not in fact perfectly reflect the standards and reputations of Americans?
It’s an ill wind that doesn’t make some bucks for Halliburton.
Colin Powell says that people criticizing the failure to find WMD-RPAs in Iraq is getting on his nerves.
The US plans to let Musharaf get away with his remarkably transparent coverup. The LA Times article notes that some of the stuff Libya had was not stuff Dr. KHAAAAAAN! had access to. Just in case you were taking his lone gunman confession seriously. “Musharraf also incensed international critics Thursday by chastising Libya and Iran for cooperating with the IAEA, thus exposing Pakistan as their crucial nuclear supplier.”
(Later): except the latter may not have happened. I don’t get it.
More muddle-headed thinking on gay marriage, a subject that inspires muddle-headed thinking, from Mass. Governor Mitt Romney, calling for “defense” of marriage acts everywhere: “The institution of marriage was not created by government, and it should not be redefined by government.”
Reading the headline in today’s NYT, “Rumsfeld in Germany to Meet With Allies,” I had the obvious thought: they won’t be allies much longer if Rumsfeld meets with them. Sure enough, Rummy described the German media’s coverage of Iraq as “even more biased than al-Jazeera.”
If Bush keeps calling Saddam a “madman,” isn’t he suggesting an insanity defense?
Jimmy Carter has a blog. It’s very exciting. He is visiting African countries to investigate eradication of the Guinea worm.
Billmon has a bit from John McCain’s questioning, if that’s the word for it, of David Kay, and suggests that McCain on the commission will be less independent-minded than some might expect, as does his denial today or yesterday that Bush could possibly have distorted intelligence, even before hearing any evidence. And everything you need to know about Laurence Silberman is that as a judge he kept Ollie North out of prison, but everything else about his career (smears against Anita Hill, helping Kenneth Starr go after Clinton, saying that Clinton had declared war on the United States, etc) makes him the perfect candidate to spear a whitewash. And Chuck Robb, holy shit, that’s the Democrat? And there’s no subpoena power and the mission is too narrow to be helpful, etc etc etc.
Of course Sharon wants to evacuate Jews from Gaza--and put them in the West Bank. Of course he does.
America being America, a woman has filed a lawsuit on behalf of the 80 million Americans who saw Janet Jackson’s breast. And for the rest of us: “(B)ecause defendants knew that the Super Bowl and Super Bowl halftime show would have a worldwide audience and knew that for much of the world, these events would reflect the standards and reputations of Americans abroad, plaintiff and the members of the plaintiff class have been defamed by the defendants and have suffered injuries and damages to their reputations as Americans.” The lead attorney is a former member of the Tennessee legislature.
What are our reputations as Americans worth? Answers on a postcard, please.
And what makes you think that flashing Janet Jackson’s breast did not in fact perfectly reflect the standards and reputations of Americans?
It’s an ill wind that doesn’t make some bucks for Halliburton.
Colin Powell says that people criticizing the failure to find WMD-RPAs in Iraq is getting on his nerves.
The US plans to let Musharaf get away with his remarkably transparent coverup. The LA Times article notes that some of the stuff Libya had was not stuff Dr. KHAAAAAAN! had access to. Just in case you were taking his lone gunman confession seriously. “Musharraf also incensed international critics Thursday by chastising Libya and Iran for cooperating with the IAEA, thus exposing Pakistan as their crucial nuclear supplier.”
Thursday, February 05, 2004
We will neither be completely right nor completely wrong
Stupid Hollywood remake idea of the week: Bewitched. Nicole Kidman.
The new chair of the FEC, Bradley Smith, says the Post, doesn’t believe in campaign finance law, any of it. Unreassuring quote: “I'm not going to get sucked into this 'Will you enforce the law?' stuff. I just don't want to answer it.”
Followup: a district judge blocked the execution of the guy who defended himself dressed as a cowboy.
Headline of the day, from AP: “3 Accused of Putting Hairpieces on Cows.”
Secretary of War Rummy Rumsfeld says that when he said of Iraqi WMDs “We know where they are,” he actually was referring to suspect sites.
Ralph Nader tells the Post that he is “Still testing the waters” about a possible presidential run. I thought he was no longer a Green?
“Testing the waters”, Green, get it?
Georgia evolves: evolution is back on the curriculum.
Salon has a good review of the state of our knowledge of Bush’s National Guard lost weekend, I mean lost year. Although it doesn’t mention that when he didn’t take his physical, it was the first time there was a drug test associated with the physical. I didn’t know that a reward of $3,500 had been issued in 2000 for anyone who saw Bush show up in Alabama during that year. (While I was reading this on Opera, the advertising window showed a link to “Join the National Guard.”) The current R spin is that he couldn’t have done anything wrong because he got an honorable discharge. Ah, the old “never been convicted” standard. Personally, I’m wondering why, if he wasn’t fulfilling his National Guard obligations, he didn’t have his ass shipped off to Vietnam. In fact, let’s give him a rifle and drop him in Vietnam right now.
Even without knowing all the details (most of which could be easily cleared up if Bush released his full military records), without dark hinting about the drug test such as I made above, without going beyond the proven, Kerry or whoever could blow Bush out of the water. Because Bush made a promise when he entered the Texas Air National Guard, and got a pass on Vietnam on the basis of that promise, that he would be prepared to defend his country (cough) if called upon. By not showing up for his physical and having his flying license suspended, he failed to keep that promise. It doesn’t matter if he was technically AWOL or not, although if he was that’s certainly icing on the cake.
Michael Kinsley has a good piece on D voters trying to pick an “electable” candidate, i.e., one they think R’s would go for. And I’m working on a new joke, brought on by nausea at the idea of watching another debate with the D candidates: the last time there was so much charisma in one room was when Al Gore dined alone.
I thought the reason R legislatures were cancelling primaries this year was to deny publicity to the D’s when Bush was unopposed. As it turns out, Bush is doing quite badly, even when he’s the only person on the ballot, as in NH. When there’s someone else...well, one Bill Wyatt (billwyatt.org)--slogan: “The Other White Meat”--took more than 10% in Oklahoma. A state or two have quickly cancelled primaries since then. He’s against the war and immigration, but his website is kinda fun. He says of the military service people are using as a qualification: “I can start a campaign based on my non-service in the military. I fought no wars and don’t plan on fighting any in the future. I use my brains to avoid conflict. What is this macho crap? Joining the military and shooting people is like going to the fair, they’ll let anybody in and give you a gun, big deal.”
In the exciting world of scientific intelligence, Tom Ridge says that his gut tells him he averted a terrorist attack with the last orange alert scare. And George Tenet of the CIA says “In the intelligence business, you are never completely wrong or completely right. When the facts of Iraq are all in, we will neither be completely right nor completely wrong.” $40 billion a year well spent.
Pakistan’s former chief weaponeer, Dr. KHAAAAAAAN! is pardoned after saying that only he, and certainly not acting with the knowledge of the military, as he said yesterday, sold nuclear technology to everyone with a MasterCard. Man, I thought the Bushies did lousy cover-ups!
Still, that’s the template for all of this week’s attempts at scandal-containment, from Manuel Miranda’s resignation to George Tenet’s attempt to resist being made the scape-goat.
“A 15-year-old Hong Kong boy survived after leaping 20 storeys to escape taunts by his brother for losing in a computer game. He landed on the awning of a shop on the ground floor of his block, Sing Tao newspaper said.”
Jeez, I don’t know if it’s even worthwhile to watch ER tonight, now that the 80-year old woman’s breast has been edited out.
The new chair of the FEC, Bradley Smith, says the Post, doesn’t believe in campaign finance law, any of it. Unreassuring quote: “I'm not going to get sucked into this 'Will you enforce the law?' stuff. I just don't want to answer it.”
Followup: a district judge blocked the execution of the guy who defended himself dressed as a cowboy.
Headline of the day, from AP: “3 Accused of Putting Hairpieces on Cows.”
Secretary of War Rummy Rumsfeld says that when he said of Iraqi WMDs “We know where they are,” he actually was referring to suspect sites.
Ralph Nader tells the Post that he is “Still testing the waters” about a possible presidential run. I thought he was no longer a Green?
“Testing the waters”, Green, get it?
Georgia evolves: evolution is back on the curriculum.
Salon has a good review of the state of our knowledge of Bush’s National Guard lost weekend, I mean lost year. Although it doesn’t mention that when he didn’t take his physical, it was the first time there was a drug test associated with the physical. I didn’t know that a reward of $3,500 had been issued in 2000 for anyone who saw Bush show up in Alabama during that year. (While I was reading this on Opera, the advertising window showed a link to “Join the National Guard.”) The current R spin is that he couldn’t have done anything wrong because he got an honorable discharge. Ah, the old “never been convicted” standard. Personally, I’m wondering why, if he wasn’t fulfilling his National Guard obligations, he didn’t have his ass shipped off to Vietnam. In fact, let’s give him a rifle and drop him in Vietnam right now.
Even without knowing all the details (most of which could be easily cleared up if Bush released his full military records), without dark hinting about the drug test such as I made above, without going beyond the proven, Kerry or whoever could blow Bush out of the water. Because Bush made a promise when he entered the Texas Air National Guard, and got a pass on Vietnam on the basis of that promise, that he would be prepared to defend his country (cough) if called upon. By not showing up for his physical and having his flying license suspended, he failed to keep that promise. It doesn’t matter if he was technically AWOL or not, although if he was that’s certainly icing on the cake.
Michael Kinsley has a good piece on D voters trying to pick an “electable” candidate, i.e., one they think R’s would go for. And I’m working on a new joke, brought on by nausea at the idea of watching another debate with the D candidates: the last time there was so much charisma in one room was when Al Gore dined alone.
I thought the reason R legislatures were cancelling primaries this year was to deny publicity to the D’s when Bush was unopposed. As it turns out, Bush is doing quite badly, even when he’s the only person on the ballot, as in NH. When there’s someone else...well, one Bill Wyatt (billwyatt.org)--slogan: “The Other White Meat”--took more than 10% in Oklahoma. A state or two have quickly cancelled primaries since then. He’s against the war and immigration, but his website is kinda fun. He says of the military service people are using as a qualification: “I can start a campaign based on my non-service in the military. I fought no wars and don’t plan on fighting any in the future. I use my brains to avoid conflict. What is this macho crap? Joining the military and shooting people is like going to the fair, they’ll let anybody in and give you a gun, big deal.”
In the exciting world of scientific intelligence, Tom Ridge says that his gut tells him he averted a terrorist attack with the last orange alert scare. And George Tenet of the CIA says “In the intelligence business, you are never completely wrong or completely right. When the facts of Iraq are all in, we will neither be completely right nor completely wrong.” $40 billion a year well spent.
Pakistan’s former chief weaponeer, Dr. KHAAAAAAAN! is pardoned after saying that only he, and certainly not acting with the knowledge of the military, as he said yesterday, sold nuclear technology to everyone with a MasterCard. Man, I thought the Bushies did lousy cover-ups!
Still, that’s the template for all of this week’s attempts at scandal-containment, from Manuel Miranda’s resignation to George Tenet’s attempt to resist being made the scape-goat.
“A 15-year-old Hong Kong boy survived after leaping 20 storeys to escape taunts by his brother for losing in a computer game. He landed on the awning of a shop on the ground floor of his block, Sing Tao newspaper said.”
Jeez, I don’t know if it’s even worthwhile to watch ER tonight, now that the 80-year old woman’s breast has been edited out.
Wednesday, February 04, 2004
WWTDD?
Without even a driver’s licence.
Ohio’s new “ban on same-sex unions,” as such things are oddly termed, goes well beyond the normal, including allowing Ohio to disregard parental rights granted to a partner by another state’s courts.
Blair, who thinks Bush stabbed him in the back by accepting an investigation, forcing Blair to do the same, is still defending the 45 minutes claim, insisting that his saying that “intelligence shows” that Iraq could launch WMDs within 45 minutes--the very claim that made the invasion of Iraq appear as self-defense--rather than “intelligence suggests,” as people in the, um, intelligence community wanted, was a difference that was “hardly of earth-shattering importance.” Worse, Blair claims that when he made the claim, he didn’t know the 45 minutes only referred to battlefield weapons, which, 1) bullshit bullshit bullshit (and he has been challenged on this by Robin Cook), and 2) again, it removes the claim from the realm of self-defense, although his handlers insist it makes no difference--"Battlefield weapons which are modified to carry WMD are WMD."--as if there’s no difference between an ability to nuke London at a time of his choosing, and an ability to defend himself if he’s invaded. And of course, he didn’t actually have either.
But to put such matters into perspective, even if an entirely incomprehensible perspective, no one beats Rummy Rumsfeld: “As Dr. Kay has testified, what we have learned thus far has not proven Saddam Hussein had what intelligence indicated and we believed he had, but it has also not proven the opposite.”
They’re planning to broadcast the Oscars with a couple of seconds’ delay this year. Anyone else think they’re worried less about something like Janet Jackson and more about something like Michael Moore?
And over on the BBC, John Lydon, who was a punk singer once [ok, I’ve googled him now and he was in the Sex Pistols, even I’ve heard of them] and is now reduced to doing reality shows, was not voted off “I'm a Celebrity - Get Me Out of Here!” this week, and screamed at the at-home voting audience that they were “fucking cunts.”
Speaking of Michael Moore, the superintendent of a Georgia school district with that name has vetoed a high school student’s work-study job as a hostess at Hooters. Hey, as long as she’s not learning about evolution....
When Cheney was chair of Halliburton, it evidently paid $180m in bribes to Nigerian leaders.
Most of those ads the government will take out to tout its Medicare program will be placed by a media firm that also works for the Bush re-election campaign.
John “Dizzy” Edwards’s Top Ten List from Letterman later tonight, so you don’t have to watch it:
`Things Never Before Said by a Presidential Candidate.''
10. ``Vote for me or I'll slash your tires.''
9. ``Forget universal health care - I'm buying every American an XBox.''
8. ``In a crisis, I ask myself, 'What would Tony Danza do?'''
7. ``I'd give you my plan for economic recovery if I wasn't rip-stinkin' drunk.''
6. ``If your last name begins with 'M' through 'Z,' sorry - your taxes are doubling.''
5. ``We're gonna cut the deficit by selling North Dakota to Canada.''
4. ``I have tons of experience from being president of the Burt Reynolds Fan Club.''
3. ``Lady, that is one ugly baby.''
2. ``When I'm president, I'm putting Regis on Mount Rushmore.''
1. ``Read my lips: no new wardrobe malfunctions.''
Ohio’s new “ban on same-sex unions,” as such things are oddly termed, goes well beyond the normal, including allowing Ohio to disregard parental rights granted to a partner by another state’s courts.
Blair, who thinks Bush stabbed him in the back by accepting an investigation, forcing Blair to do the same, is still defending the 45 minutes claim, insisting that his saying that “intelligence shows” that Iraq could launch WMDs within 45 minutes--the very claim that made the invasion of Iraq appear as self-defense--rather than “intelligence suggests,” as people in the, um, intelligence community wanted, was a difference that was “hardly of earth-shattering importance.” Worse, Blair claims that when he made the claim, he didn’t know the 45 minutes only referred to battlefield weapons, which, 1) bullshit bullshit bullshit (and he has been challenged on this by Robin Cook), and 2) again, it removes the claim from the realm of self-defense, although his handlers insist it makes no difference--"Battlefield weapons which are modified to carry WMD are WMD."--as if there’s no difference between an ability to nuke London at a time of his choosing, and an ability to defend himself if he’s invaded. And of course, he didn’t actually have either.
But to put such matters into perspective, even if an entirely incomprehensible perspective, no one beats Rummy Rumsfeld: “As Dr. Kay has testified, what we have learned thus far has not proven Saddam Hussein had what intelligence indicated and we believed he had, but it has also not proven the opposite.”
They’re planning to broadcast the Oscars with a couple of seconds’ delay this year. Anyone else think they’re worried less about something like Janet Jackson and more about something like Michael Moore?
And over on the BBC, John Lydon, who was a punk singer once [ok, I’ve googled him now and he was in the Sex Pistols, even I’ve heard of them] and is now reduced to doing reality shows, was not voted off “I'm a Celebrity - Get Me Out of Here!” this week, and screamed at the at-home voting audience that they were “fucking cunts.”
Speaking of Michael Moore, the superintendent of a Georgia school district with that name has vetoed a high school student’s work-study job as a hostess at Hooters. Hey, as long as she’s not learning about evolution....
When Cheney was chair of Halliburton, it evidently paid $180m in bribes to Nigerian leaders.
Most of those ads the government will take out to tout its Medicare program will be placed by a media firm that also works for the Bush re-election campaign.
John “Dizzy” Edwards’s Top Ten List from Letterman later tonight, so you don’t have to watch it:
`Things Never Before Said by a Presidential Candidate.''
10. ``Vote for me or I'll slash your tires.''
9. ``Forget universal health care - I'm buying every American an XBox.''
8. ``In a crisis, I ask myself, 'What would Tony Danza do?'''
7. ``I'd give you my plan for economic recovery if I wasn't rip-stinkin' drunk.''
6. ``If your last name begins with 'M' through 'Z,' sorry - your taxes are doubling.''
5. ``We're gonna cut the deficit by selling North Dakota to Canada.''
4. ``I have tons of experience from being president of the Burt Reynolds Fan Club.''
3. ``Lady, that is one ugly baby.''
2. ``When I'm president, I'm putting Regis on Mount Rushmore.''
1. ``Read my lips: no new wardrobe malfunctions.''
This post answers the question, is chess the work of the devil?
Britain’s home secretary, David Blunkett, wants to imprison suspected terrorists without trial. Oddly enough, he chose to announce this in Amritsar, India, where in 1919 400 people protesting a similar law were shot dead.
Bush orders an investigation of what Bush knew and when he knew it, at least according to Bush, who said this to the press: “What we don't know yet is what we thought and what the Iraqi Survey Group has found, and we want to look at that.” This is a strategy to blame the CIA for “intelligence failures,” although the biggest intel failure was obviously in Georgie’s surprisingly chimp-like head. Hint to the media: you can’t call it an “independent” investigation if Bush names all of its members; see also, “Iraqi governing council.” It will report after the election, natch. The NYT quotes an R aide to the effect that the Bushies will use the investigation to blame D’s for short-changing the intelligence budget in year’s past, therefore it was Clinton and Ted Kennedy’s fault that Bush lied to us.
Speaking of independent investigations, a headline from the Independent: “Federal Investigation Is Ordered into Janet Jackson's Boob at Super Bowl.”
The NYT tries to get to the bottom of the huge gap in cost projections for Bush’s Medicare program, and fails, really. Pete Stark says the admin refused to give information to Congress (so why did Congress vote without knowing the cost of the program), Tommy Thompson says it did; how hard could this be to prove one way or the other? To some extent the Bushies are getting a bum rap, in that some of the difference in projections is that Congress based its figures on 88% signing up for the drug benefit, Bush 94%. Given how crappy the program really is, I doubt it will hit even the lower figure. So because it’s a bad deal, it won’t be as expensive as the $534b figure we’re now hearing. I’ll leave it up to you whether that’s a good or a bad thing.
The Russian Orthodox Church has ruled that chess is not the work of the devil.
Ariel Sharon announces that he will dismantle settlements in Gaza (no one knows whether to believe him this time), with a goal “that in the future there will be no Jews in Gaza”. That’s Sharon for you: he announces a basically good thing in such a way that you’re not sure whether to think apartheid or “free-fire zone.”
The man who invented Ctr+Alt+Delete retired last week.
Bush orders an investigation of what Bush knew and when he knew it, at least according to Bush, who said this to the press: “What we don't know yet is what we thought and what the Iraqi Survey Group has found, and we want to look at that.” This is a strategy to blame the CIA for “intelligence failures,” although the biggest intel failure was obviously in Georgie’s surprisingly chimp-like head. Hint to the media: you can’t call it an “independent” investigation if Bush names all of its members; see also, “Iraqi governing council.” It will report after the election, natch. The NYT quotes an R aide to the effect that the Bushies will use the investigation to blame D’s for short-changing the intelligence budget in year’s past, therefore it was Clinton and Ted Kennedy’s fault that Bush lied to us.
Speaking of independent investigations, a headline from the Independent: “Federal Investigation Is Ordered into Janet Jackson's Boob at Super Bowl.”
The NYT tries to get to the bottom of the huge gap in cost projections for Bush’s Medicare program, and fails, really. Pete Stark says the admin refused to give information to Congress (so why did Congress vote without knowing the cost of the program), Tommy Thompson says it did; how hard could this be to prove one way or the other? To some extent the Bushies are getting a bum rap, in that some of the difference in projections is that Congress based its figures on 88% signing up for the drug benefit, Bush 94%. Given how crappy the program really is, I doubt it will hit even the lower figure. So because it’s a bad deal, it won’t be as expensive as the $534b figure we’re now hearing. I’ll leave it up to you whether that’s a good or a bad thing.
The Russian Orthodox Church has ruled that chess is not the work of the devil.
Ariel Sharon announces that he will dismantle settlements in Gaza (no one knows whether to believe him this time), with a goal “that in the future there will be no Jews in Gaza”. That’s Sharon for you: he announces a basically good thing in such a way that you’re not sure whether to think apartheid or “free-fire zone.”
The man who invented Ctr+Alt+Delete retired last week.
Tuesday, February 03, 2004
Eagles may soar high but weasels don't get sucked into jet engines
Edward Gibbon quotes at the Gibbon-o-Matic.
Favorite AP story of the day: “Pa. Police Dog Suspended for Potential Racism.” Actually, after a police dog has bitten a 9-year old kid, it should never have been put back to work, allowing it to bite another kid. It’s almost incidental that both were black.
Joshua Marshall: “When I look at the federal investigation being launched into the Janet Jackson boob incident, I realize what I like about this administration: they believe in accountability.”
Yesterday Powell said he might not have advocated war with Iraq had he known that there were no stockpiles of WMDs. It would have changed “the political calculus.” There’s that fuzzy math again. Today he backtracked (that’s when you put your rhetoric into reverse and back over the tiny shred of integrity and self-respect you have left), saying that Saddam’s was a “regime with intent”. To repeat: if he had had ham he could have had ham and eggs, if he had eggs.
Chirac is going the way of Berlusconi in making libelous attacks on judges and the whole judicial system in the defense of corruption. Former PM Alain Juppé, convicted of corruption from when he worked for Chirac in the municipal government of Paris (he created fictional workers and fed their pay to the Gaullist party), also refuses to step down from any of the offices he holds.
So when will Bush admit that Cheney is a risk factor?
http://theonion.com/4005/infograph.html
Interestingly, the Bush budget gives absolutely nothing to his good buddy The Collectinator. In fact, Calif. would see a decrease in federal money, and will reduce the money to help CA. pay for imprisoning illegal immigrants who commit crimes to zero.
Education Sec. Rod Paige says that No Child Left Behind is “more than sufficiently funded.” More than sufficiently?
Speaking of money the federal government owes people, the matching fund for election expenses is broke, even though Bush, Dean & Kerry are all opting out. The poor schmucks who abided by the rules are being paid 46% of their matching funds, with the rest coming after April 15, when it will be too late.
Saw another boring Kerry victory speech. Got a bit better as it went along, and then everyone cut to Wes Clark. I may scream if I hear Kerry use the phrase “band of brothers” one more time in his ongoing attempt to out-flight-suit Dubya.
I think I deserve some points for never making a “Joementum” joke. And now I don’t have to.
Dean is evidently not as electable as John Fontleroy Kerry. Hah, the WP spellcheck doesn’t recognize electable as a word, although it does suggest execrable. I think we’ll all be very sick very soon of hearing the word, which may be the most pathetic ever attached to a candidate by his supporters, if supporters is the word for people who don’t care who they get as long as it isn’t Bush. Still, he’s had his coronation tonight. Dean’s front-runner status was evidently a fiction of somebody’s imagination, like Iraqi WMDs. I assume at some point the media will tell us how they fucked up so badly, anointing as front-runner a man with no electoral support.
WaPo editorial against a Texas execution scheduled for Thursday, a case I hadn’t heard of, an insane guy who was allowed to act as his own, sole attorney. Dressed in a purple cowboy outfit. Tried to subpoena Jesus, John F. Kennedy and Anne Bancroft. The Texas Court of Criminal Appeals said that it didn’t matter that he wasn’t competent to defend himself, so long as he was competent to choose to defend himself incompetently. Other link.
And Gov. Arnie just denied clemency to someone who hadn’t had a clemency hearing, which has evidently never happened before.
Favorite AP story of the day: “Pa. Police Dog Suspended for Potential Racism.” Actually, after a police dog has bitten a 9-year old kid, it should never have been put back to work, allowing it to bite another kid. It’s almost incidental that both were black.
Joshua Marshall: “When I look at the federal investigation being launched into the Janet Jackson boob incident, I realize what I like about this administration: they believe in accountability.”
Yesterday Powell said he might not have advocated war with Iraq had he known that there were no stockpiles of WMDs. It would have changed “the political calculus.” There’s that fuzzy math again. Today he backtracked (that’s when you put your rhetoric into reverse and back over the tiny shred of integrity and self-respect you have left), saying that Saddam’s was a “regime with intent”. To repeat: if he had had ham he could have had ham and eggs, if he had eggs.
Chirac is going the way of Berlusconi in making libelous attacks on judges and the whole judicial system in the defense of corruption. Former PM Alain Juppé, convicted of corruption from when he worked for Chirac in the municipal government of Paris (he created fictional workers and fed their pay to the Gaullist party), also refuses to step down from any of the offices he holds.
So when will Bush admit that Cheney is a risk factor?
http://theonion.com/4005/infograph.html
Interestingly, the Bush budget gives absolutely nothing to his good buddy The Collectinator. In fact, Calif. would see a decrease in federal money, and will reduce the money to help CA. pay for imprisoning illegal immigrants who commit crimes to zero.
Education Sec. Rod Paige says that No Child Left Behind is “more than sufficiently funded.” More than sufficiently?
Speaking of money the federal government owes people, the matching fund for election expenses is broke, even though Bush, Dean & Kerry are all opting out. The poor schmucks who abided by the rules are being paid 46% of their matching funds, with the rest coming after April 15, when it will be too late.
Saw another boring Kerry victory speech. Got a bit better as it went along, and then everyone cut to Wes Clark. I may scream if I hear Kerry use the phrase “band of brothers” one more time in his ongoing attempt to out-flight-suit Dubya.
I think I deserve some points for never making a “Joementum” joke. And now I don’t have to.
Dean is evidently not as electable as John Fontleroy Kerry. Hah, the WP spellcheck doesn’t recognize electable as a word, although it does suggest execrable. I think we’ll all be very sick very soon of hearing the word, which may be the most pathetic ever attached to a candidate by his supporters, if supporters is the word for people who don’t care who they get as long as it isn’t Bush. Still, he’s had his coronation tonight. Dean’s front-runner status was evidently a fiction of somebody’s imagination, like Iraqi WMDs. I assume at some point the media will tell us how they fucked up so badly, anointing as front-runner a man with no electoral support.
WaPo editorial against a Texas execution scheduled for Thursday, a case I hadn’t heard of, an insane guy who was allowed to act as his own, sole attorney. Dressed in a purple cowboy outfit. Tried to subpoena Jesus, John F. Kennedy and Anne Bancroft. The Texas Court of Criminal Appeals said that it didn’t matter that he wasn’t competent to defend himself, so long as he was competent to choose to defend himself incompetently. Other link.
And Gov. Arnie just denied clemency to someone who hadn’t had a clemency hearing, which has evidently never happened before.
Sunday, February 01, 2004
35 feet
The Iranian government cancels elections, as I said it should. Still, scary.
(Later:) and all the reformists have resigned from Parliament.
North Korea. Gas chambers. Medical experiments on prisoners. Read.
The Observer says that the Bush admin knew there were no Iraqi WMDs last May.
I mentioned the exploding whale in Taipei. Here’s a story with pictures. And a somewhat odd final sentence...
But if you want to see something much more disgusting than exploded whale, here’s Paul Wolfowitz trying to suggest that the US has freed Iraqi women from Taliban-style oppression.
“A Davenport man on trial for three charges of indecent exposure tried to defend himself by having his wife testify that he is not well-endowed enough for a female postal worker to have seen his penis from about 35 feet away. ... The couple’s children were in the courtroom when she testified.”
John Kerry: Botox or not Botox? You decide.
The Columbia Journalism School website asks an obvious question: why has no reporter since the State of the Union Address asked the White House for a definition of “Weapons of mass destruction-related program activities”? The site does make an exception: “For the record, Jon Stewart did ask "Weapons of mass destruction related program activities? What the f--- is that?" on Comedy Central's "Daily Show" on the 21st.” Actually, David Kay coined the term in his interim report last October. So at Wednesday’s Senate hearings, Sen. Ben Nelson (D-NE-Never heard of him) asked. Kay gave a definition, such as it was, and another senator asked how many countries have “WMD-RPAs”. About 50.
This could take longer than we thought.
(Later:) and all the reformists have resigned from Parliament.
North Korea. Gas chambers. Medical experiments on prisoners. Read.
The Observer says that the Bush admin knew there were no Iraqi WMDs last May.
I mentioned the exploding whale in Taipei. Here’s a story with pictures. And a somewhat odd final sentence...
But if you want to see something much more disgusting than exploded whale, here’s Paul Wolfowitz trying to suggest that the US has freed Iraqi women from Taliban-style oppression.
“A Davenport man on trial for three charges of indecent exposure tried to defend himself by having his wife testify that he is not well-endowed enough for a female postal worker to have seen his penis from about 35 feet away. ... The couple’s children were in the courtroom when she testified.”
John Kerry: Botox or not Botox? You decide.
The Columbia Journalism School website asks an obvious question: why has no reporter since the State of the Union Address asked the White House for a definition of “Weapons of mass destruction-related program activities”? The site does make an exception: “For the record, Jon Stewart did ask "Weapons of mass destruction related program activities? What the f--- is that?" on Comedy Central's "Daily Show" on the 21st.” Actually, David Kay coined the term in his interim report last October. So at Wednesday’s Senate hearings, Sen. Ben Nelson (D-NE-Never heard of him) asked. Kay gave a definition, such as it was, and another senator asked how many countries have “WMD-RPAs”. About 50.
This could take longer than we thought.
Saturday, January 31, 2004
A buzzword that causes a lot of negative reaction
Dress George W. Bush, just like Laura does every morning.
Latest rules for Californian voters re “open primaries”: they’ve changed yet again, this time some of the way in the direction demanded by voters at 2 elections. If you are not registered with any party, you may request a Democratic or Republican ballot on March 2nd. Oddly enough, the R’s will let you vote for any elected office except president.
Sharpton in the most recent debate: “As far as Mr. Bush saying that he doesn't need a permission slip from the U.N., he doesn't think he needs votes from the American people to be president.” You’ll miss him Reverend Al when he’s gone, you know you will.
The Post says that Bush’s drug prescription plan will cost, according to the White House, 1/3 more than they said it would just 2 months ago. Well, what a surprise, and if this country had an opposition, they’d be pointing out that nothing Bush says before a vote in Congress ever turns out to be true. The reasons he gives are always false, the price-tag is always a lie.
Which reminds me that I forgot to send the link to an op-ed piece in the NYT 2 days ago, in the style of the Harper’s Index. Favorite bit:
Nailing the Bushies to the wall, using only Google.
One of the effects of the Gropenführer’s refusal to raise state income taxes while piling on “fees,” is to increase the degree to which California is screwed at the federal level, paying much more in federal taxes than it gets back. See, state income taxes are deductible, but not the fees. So he’s keeping one set of our taxes artificially low, while effectively increasing our federal taxes.
That comes from a discussion somewhere online of an op-ed NYT piece which notes that states that receive more money from the federal government than they pay it in taxes voted for Bush in 2000 (78% of his electoral votes), while the Giver states voted Gore (76%). (Florida is a Taker state).
Also a good Paul Krugman column Friday on how “nobody in the Bush administration has ever paid a price for being wrong” while others are punished for telling inconvenient truths, and attempts to check on Bush performance are thwarted, stonewalled and intimidated.
AP: “The Bush administration is moving to replace safety requirements at federal nuclear facilities with standards written by contractors, according to a draft regulation.”
The German cannibal was sentenced to prison. You know the saying: a minute on the lips, 8½ years in the pokey. I believe they got through the entire trial without anyone asking him what human tastes like.
The last British soldier who won a bravery medal in World War I dies, at 104.
Israel has finally conducted its little prisoner exchange, releasing 429 Lebanese and Palestinian prisoners & 59 Hezbollah corpses in exchange for 3 dead Israelis and one live Israeli drug dealer. The Lebanese were held without trial as hostages, pursuant to a 1994 Israeli Supreme Court decision that the Geneva Accords could be so violated. (There is another story about the drug dealer, that he is actually a Mossad operative who had been kicked out of Switzerland after a botched assassination attempt on 2 Hezbollahites on the condition that he never return; when he was sent back, the Swiss shopped him to Hezbollah).
It’s not just evolution: Georgia’s history curriculum starts world history in 1500 AD, and American history does the founding of the country and then skips to 1876. Picture Basil Fawlty with a Southern accent: Don’t mention the Civil War. From the Atlanta Journal-Constitution: “Though teachers supposedly have no time to discuss topics essential to understanding our heritage, the curriculum suggests they have their students write a 1920s radio drama. Teachers are also encouraged to assign essays about dating in the Jazz Age and to show segments from "All in the Family," "Good Times" and "Chico and the Man."”
Suggested final exam question: would Freddie Prinze Sr have killed himself if he had known that one day his son would marry Buffy the Vampire Slayer?
Anyway, the idiot schools supe says she removed the word evolution because it’s "a buzzword that causes a lot of negative reaction." At the same press conference, she advocated the “theory” of “intelligent design,” which she called a scientific theory appropriate for science classes. Jimmy Carter has denounced her.
I missed this week’s debate, in which immoderator Tom Brokaw said “there is a great war going on in the world between the West and the Nation of Islam.”
Just read a really interesting article from the Nov-Dec Mother Jones on religious programs in prisons. It’s worse than we thought. The Christians get their own wings, where they get many privileges unavailable to other prisoners. It’s the details that make this story (after a bit of a slow start).
Latest rules for Californian voters re “open primaries”: they’ve changed yet again, this time some of the way in the direction demanded by voters at 2 elections. If you are not registered with any party, you may request a Democratic or Republican ballot on March 2nd. Oddly enough, the R’s will let you vote for any elected office except president.
Sharpton in the most recent debate: “As far as Mr. Bush saying that he doesn't need a permission slip from the U.N., he doesn't think he needs votes from the American people to be president.” You’ll miss him Reverend Al when he’s gone, you know you will.
The Post says that Bush’s drug prescription plan will cost, according to the White House, 1/3 more than they said it would just 2 months ago. Well, what a surprise, and if this country had an opposition, they’d be pointing out that nothing Bush says before a vote in Congress ever turns out to be true. The reasons he gives are always false, the price-tag is always a lie.
Which reminds me that I forgot to send the link to an op-ed piece in the NYT 2 days ago, in the style of the Harper’s Index. Favorite bit:
Average elderly American's drug costs in 2002: $2,400
Portion of his drug costs covered by the new Medicare drug
benefit: 45 percent
Average markup on United States drug prices relative to
Canadian drug prices: 45 percent
Nailing the Bushies to the wall, using only Google.
One of the effects of the Gropenführer’s refusal to raise state income taxes while piling on “fees,” is to increase the degree to which California is screwed at the federal level, paying much more in federal taxes than it gets back. See, state income taxes are deductible, but not the fees. So he’s keeping one set of our taxes artificially low, while effectively increasing our federal taxes.
That comes from a discussion somewhere online of an op-ed NYT piece which notes that states that receive more money from the federal government than they pay it in taxes voted for Bush in 2000 (78% of his electoral votes), while the Giver states voted Gore (76%). (Florida is a Taker state).
Also a good Paul Krugman column Friday on how “nobody in the Bush administration has ever paid a price for being wrong” while others are punished for telling inconvenient truths, and attempts to check on Bush performance are thwarted, stonewalled and intimidated.
AP: “The Bush administration is moving to replace safety requirements at federal nuclear facilities with standards written by contractors, according to a draft regulation.”
The German cannibal was sentenced to prison. You know the saying: a minute on the lips, 8½ years in the pokey. I believe they got through the entire trial without anyone asking him what human tastes like.
The last British soldier who won a bravery medal in World War I dies, at 104.
Israel has finally conducted its little prisoner exchange, releasing 429 Lebanese and Palestinian prisoners & 59 Hezbollah corpses in exchange for 3 dead Israelis and one live Israeli drug dealer. The Lebanese were held without trial as hostages, pursuant to a 1994 Israeli Supreme Court decision that the Geneva Accords could be so violated. (There is another story about the drug dealer, that he is actually a Mossad operative who had been kicked out of Switzerland after a botched assassination attempt on 2 Hezbollahites on the condition that he never return; when he was sent back, the Swiss shopped him to Hezbollah).
It’s not just evolution: Georgia’s history curriculum starts world history in 1500 AD, and American history does the founding of the country and then skips to 1876. Picture Basil Fawlty with a Southern accent: Don’t mention the Civil War. From the Atlanta Journal-Constitution: “Though teachers supposedly have no time to discuss topics essential to understanding our heritage, the curriculum suggests they have their students write a 1920s radio drama. Teachers are also encouraged to assign essays about dating in the Jazz Age and to show segments from "All in the Family," "Good Times" and "Chico and the Man."”
Suggested final exam question: would Freddie Prinze Sr have killed himself if he had known that one day his son would marry Buffy the Vampire Slayer?
Anyway, the idiot schools supe says she removed the word evolution because it’s "a buzzword that causes a lot of negative reaction." At the same press conference, she advocated the “theory” of “intelligent design,” which she called a scientific theory appropriate for science classes. Jimmy Carter has denounced her.
I missed this week’s debate, in which immoderator Tom Brokaw said “there is a great war going on in the world between the West and the Nation of Islam.”
Just read a really interesting article from the Nov-Dec Mother Jones on religious programs in prisons. It’s worse than we thought. The Christians get their own wings, where they get many privileges unavailable to other prisoners. It’s the details that make this story (after a bit of a slow start).
Thursday, January 29, 2004
Biological changes over time
I don’t know if anyone here is really interested in a dissection of the Hutton Report (but I am, which is the important thing), which is being treated as Holy Writ across the pond for no reason that I can see, but below is a link to one that explains why it is a whitewash. Actually, I think the report is so one-sided that its reputation can’t last long, I hope, because I’d hate to see the damage to the BBC that could arise. Best bit: The term "sexed up", as Lord Hutton explained yesterday, with wonderfully understated, under-sexed distaste, is "a slang expression, the meaning of which lacks clarity in the context of the dossier". Hutton blames the BBC for only using one source in its story that the government knew its claim that Iraq’s WMDs could be launched in 45 minutes was false. Guess how many sources the government had for making that claim? (Later:) spoke too soon. The British public, according to 2 polls, think Hutton was a whitewash.
Astonishing half sentence in a WaPo report: “Although the drug industry's practice of suppressing data unfavorable to its products is legal...” The article, which suggests that antidepressants don’t work on children (because the drug companies did tests on children but didn’t report them), is an eye-opener on the drug industry in general.
The Senate 86-9 votes to let companies under-fund their pensions.
And House Republicans are planning to hold up bankruptcy help for farmers, tying it to their awful bankruptcy bill and a provision allowing abortion protesters to get out of paying their fines through bankruptcy.
A new, rather well-paid profession in Denmark: substitutes for rich people sent to prison. Evidently when you show up to prison in Denmark, you don’t have to show a photo id.
AP story: “Statue of Yoda Worth $20,000 Is Stolen.” Folks, there exists a $20,000 statute...of Yoda.
Bushies are responding to David Kay and the absence of WMDs by calling for more time to investigate, and patience. But want the 9/11 commission to wrap it up, pronto, with no extensions. If there were an opposition party in this country, that little contradiction could be used quite effectively. Hell, if there were an opposition party in this country (or an independent-minded media), the Bushies couldn’t get away with uttering blatant inconsistencies like that.
The Daily Show had clips of every losing candidate in NH claiming some sort of victory, including 5th place Joe Lieberman saying he was in a 3-way tie for 3rd place. Jon Stewart asked when the primaries became the Special Olympics. And there’s a good parody of this (“when I was growing up, we didn't have a lot of money for things like tracking polls and negative advertising”) at Slate.
Speaking of spin, Governor Ahnuuuuuld says that the court decision that he illegally loaned his campaign $4.5m is “fantastic news.”
The 11th Circuit allows Florida to ban gays from adopting. Jeb Bush, one of whose brothers is an alcoholic with a history of driving drunk with minors in the car, and another of whose brothers frequents prostitutes and fathered a child with a woman while both were married to other people, welcomed the decision: “The decision validates Florida's conclusion that it is in the best interest of adopted children, many of whom come from troubled and unstable backgrounds, to be placed in a home anchored both by a father and a mother.” Well, actually single people can adopt in Florida. If they’re straight. This law was pushed in the ‘70s by Anita Bryant, another parent of the year.
Not surprisingly, Bush is reneging on his promise-related program activity to increase AIDS spending in the 3rd World.
We are moving towards elections here. I received a newspaper today entitled Contra Costa Voter, with the headline “Uilkema in Clear Lead for County Board of Supervisors.” Oddly this newspaper is funded entirely by, well I think you can guess. Who does this sort of thing fool?
Another initiative on the March ballot is to change the budget process, including not paying legislators and the governor, excuse me, governator, their salaries when the budget is late.
The US has quietly emptied out the juvenile wing of Stalag Guantanamo, having determined that the 3 under-aged inmates “no longer posed a threat to our nation.” Funny, it’s when they hit puberty that teenagers usually become a threat.
Speaking of biological changes over time, Georgia’s new Republican schools superintendent plans to replace references to “evolution” in school science standards with “biological changes over time.” The superintendent described the new curriculum as “world-class,” but did not say whether she considers that world to be flat.
Astonishing half sentence in a WaPo report: “Although the drug industry's practice of suppressing data unfavorable to its products is legal...” The article, which suggests that antidepressants don’t work on children (because the drug companies did tests on children but didn’t report them), is an eye-opener on the drug industry in general.
The Senate 86-9 votes to let companies under-fund their pensions.
And House Republicans are planning to hold up bankruptcy help for farmers, tying it to their awful bankruptcy bill and a provision allowing abortion protesters to get out of paying their fines through bankruptcy.
A new, rather well-paid profession in Denmark: substitutes for rich people sent to prison. Evidently when you show up to prison in Denmark, you don’t have to show a photo id.
AP story: “Statue of Yoda Worth $20,000 Is Stolen.” Folks, there exists a $20,000 statute...of Yoda.
Bushies are responding to David Kay and the absence of WMDs by calling for more time to investigate, and patience. But want the 9/11 commission to wrap it up, pronto, with no extensions. If there were an opposition party in this country, that little contradiction could be used quite effectively. Hell, if there were an opposition party in this country (or an independent-minded media), the Bushies couldn’t get away with uttering blatant inconsistencies like that.
The Daily Show had clips of every losing candidate in NH claiming some sort of victory, including 5th place Joe Lieberman saying he was in a 3-way tie for 3rd place. Jon Stewart asked when the primaries became the Special Olympics. And there’s a good parody of this (“when I was growing up, we didn't have a lot of money for things like tracking polls and negative advertising”) at Slate.
Speaking of spin, Governor Ahnuuuuuld says that the court decision that he illegally loaned his campaign $4.5m is “fantastic news.”
The 11th Circuit allows Florida to ban gays from adopting. Jeb Bush, one of whose brothers is an alcoholic with a history of driving drunk with minors in the car, and another of whose brothers frequents prostitutes and fathered a child with a woman while both were married to other people, welcomed the decision: “The decision validates Florida's conclusion that it is in the best interest of adopted children, many of whom come from troubled and unstable backgrounds, to be placed in a home anchored both by a father and a mother.” Well, actually single people can adopt in Florida. If they’re straight. This law was pushed in the ‘70s by Anita Bryant, another parent of the year.
Not surprisingly, Bush is reneging on his promise-related program activity to increase AIDS spending in the 3rd World.
We are moving towards elections here. I received a newspaper today entitled Contra Costa Voter, with the headline “Uilkema in Clear Lead for County Board of Supervisors.” Oddly this newspaper is funded entirely by, well I think you can guess. Who does this sort of thing fool?
Another initiative on the March ballot is to change the budget process, including not paying legislators and the governor, excuse me, governator, their salaries when the budget is late.
The US has quietly emptied out the juvenile wing of Stalag Guantanamo, having determined that the 3 under-aged inmates “no longer posed a threat to our nation.” Funny, it’s when they hit puberty that teenagers usually become a threat.
Speaking of biological changes over time, Georgia’s new Republican schools superintendent plans to replace references to “evolution” in school science standards with “biological changes over time.” The superintendent described the new curriculum as “world-class,” but did not say whether she considers that world to be flat.
Wednesday, January 28, 2004
A grave and gathering storm-related program activity
Ted Koppel compared New Hampshire to the musical Brigadoon, evidently under the impression that NH doesn’t actually exist except every four years when ABC cameras go there.
Which for all I know is true.
John Kerry (aka Kaptain Ketchup) won something over 80,000 votes in NH, so he’s obviously the front-runner in a nation of, what, 300 million. He won because he is the tallest candidate, which is a great advantage in New Hampshire, because more of him was visible sticking out of the vast snow drift that is New Hampshire. Joe Lieberman’s campaign staff is still poking sticks into snow banks trying to locate him. Al Sharpton might have had a lock on the visibility thing, but he didn’t compete in the state, possibly believing it would be ungentlemanly to take advantage of the fact, and my god when will I stop digging myself deeper into this hole.
Brigadoon indeed.
As I write, Kerry is on Nightline, giving a really boring interview, just like his droning speech after Iowa. All that attention newly focused on him, and he throws away the opportunity. I think Dean really could lose to Bush by fewer votes than Kerry would. Oh dear christ, Koppel is asking him how he’d explain this process to Martians. He does not answer that he doesn’t speak Martian, or, indeed, answer in Martian, but then Kerry has no sense of humor.
The NYT notes that even voters opposed to the war went with Kerry over Dean (their poll says 70% of D voters there oppose the war, but half voted for Kerry, who voted for the war), which suggests a) voters are stupid, b) voters don’t care about foreigners, c) they don’t think a, what, $200 billion war will impact their lives, but d), and I’ve said this before, Bush won’t get much help from the war either, just like his father. Quick historical pop quiz: It’s the blank, stupid.
So anyway, did you know that Thomas Jefferson suggested in 1777 when he was revising Virginia’s laws, that “sodomitical” women be punished by halving half-inch holes cut through the cartilage in their noses?
SJ Merc article on the divisions among the Bushies over how to pretend to hand power over to Iraq. Cheney and Rumsfeld evidently want to do it even earlier, in April, to an expanded version of the appointed puppet council. Meanwhile, the UN has acquiesced with Bush’s plan to “study” the feasibility of direct elections until it is too late for direct elections to be feasible.
Meanwhile, the White House plans to hire an ad agency to sell the Iraqis on its hopeless plan for caucus-related program activities, because what the plan really needs is a “branding symbol.” Oddly enough, this contract would be open, so presumably even the French could bid on it.
Note to WashPost re article on Lieberman: if he only got 9%, maybe optimistic is not the word you’re looking for. Innumerate, pollyannaish, deluded....
In a war that is almost as overlooked as the Republican primaries (newsflash: Bush won in New Hampshire), the US is planning a spring offensive in Afghanistan, in which suicide bombings and roadside booby traps are increasing, showing that at least someone is learning something from Iraq.
Whitewash week continues, with David Kay, who can’t give the same story two days in a row, claiming that it was all the fault of the intelligence services that Bush is a lying sack of shit, a practitioner of lying-sack-of-shit-related program activities, and Lord Hutton doing the same for Blair.
The Hutton thing will be misquoted by the White House, who will count on American ignorance, which has always served them well in the past (like Bush repeatedly saying recently that Hussein refused to allow inspectors into Iraq). Hutton, wrongly, denies a BBC claim that the Blairites sexed up an intelligence dossier, but doesn’t address the fact that everything in the dossier was wrong in the first place. (Also, the government wasn’t required to provide Hutton with all relevant documents, which should be all you need to before completely dismissing anything he has to say).
Bush this week keeps using the phrase that Saddam Hussein was a “grave and gathering threat,” whatever that means (it’s intended to invoke the 1st volume of Churchill’s history of WW II, The Gathering Storm, and so continue the Hitlerization of Hussein). What threat? They couldn’t drop bioweapons on London in 45 minutes, the smoking gun was not going to be a mushroom cloud, so what gathering threat?
Amelia sent me this amusing link from a Republican site (go to the home page, too) attacking Kerry as anti-American for parodying the Iwo Jima statue and being against the Vietnam War.
And finally, for the best exploding whale story of the week.
Which for all I know is true.
John Kerry (aka Kaptain Ketchup) won something over 80,000 votes in NH, so he’s obviously the front-runner in a nation of, what, 300 million. He won because he is the tallest candidate, which is a great advantage in New Hampshire, because more of him was visible sticking out of the vast snow drift that is New Hampshire. Joe Lieberman’s campaign staff is still poking sticks into snow banks trying to locate him. Al Sharpton might have had a lock on the visibility thing, but he didn’t compete in the state, possibly believing it would be ungentlemanly to take advantage of the fact, and my god when will I stop digging myself deeper into this hole.
Brigadoon indeed.
As I write, Kerry is on Nightline, giving a really boring interview, just like his droning speech after Iowa. All that attention newly focused on him, and he throws away the opportunity. I think Dean really could lose to Bush by fewer votes than Kerry would. Oh dear christ, Koppel is asking him how he’d explain this process to Martians. He does not answer that he doesn’t speak Martian, or, indeed, answer in Martian, but then Kerry has no sense of humor.
The NYT notes that even voters opposed to the war went with Kerry over Dean (their poll says 70% of D voters there oppose the war, but half voted for Kerry, who voted for the war), which suggests a) voters are stupid, b) voters don’t care about foreigners, c) they don’t think a, what, $200 billion war will impact their lives, but d), and I’ve said this before, Bush won’t get much help from the war either, just like his father. Quick historical pop quiz: It’s the blank, stupid.
So anyway, did you know that Thomas Jefferson suggested in 1777 when he was revising Virginia’s laws, that “sodomitical” women be punished by halving half-inch holes cut through the cartilage in their noses?
SJ Merc article on the divisions among the Bushies over how to pretend to hand power over to Iraq. Cheney and Rumsfeld evidently want to do it even earlier, in April, to an expanded version of the appointed puppet council. Meanwhile, the UN has acquiesced with Bush’s plan to “study” the feasibility of direct elections until it is too late for direct elections to be feasible.
Meanwhile, the White House plans to hire an ad agency to sell the Iraqis on its hopeless plan for caucus-related program activities, because what the plan really needs is a “branding symbol.” Oddly enough, this contract would be open, so presumably even the French could bid on it.
Note to WashPost re article on Lieberman: if he only got 9%, maybe optimistic is not the word you’re looking for. Innumerate, pollyannaish, deluded....
In a war that is almost as overlooked as the Republican primaries (newsflash: Bush won in New Hampshire), the US is planning a spring offensive in Afghanistan, in which suicide bombings and roadside booby traps are increasing, showing that at least someone is learning something from Iraq.
Whitewash week continues, with David Kay, who can’t give the same story two days in a row, claiming that it was all the fault of the intelligence services that Bush is a lying sack of shit, a practitioner of lying-sack-of-shit-related program activities, and Lord Hutton doing the same for Blair.
The Hutton thing will be misquoted by the White House, who will count on American ignorance, which has always served them well in the past (like Bush repeatedly saying recently that Hussein refused to allow inspectors into Iraq). Hutton, wrongly, denies a BBC claim that the Blairites sexed up an intelligence dossier, but doesn’t address the fact that everything in the dossier was wrong in the first place. (Also, the government wasn’t required to provide Hutton with all relevant documents, which should be all you need to before completely dismissing anything he has to say).
Bush this week keeps using the phrase that Saddam Hussein was a “grave and gathering threat,” whatever that means (it’s intended to invoke the 1st volume of Churchill’s history of WW II, The Gathering Storm, and so continue the Hitlerization of Hussein). What threat? They couldn’t drop bioweapons on London in 45 minutes, the smoking gun was not going to be a mushroom cloud, so what gathering threat?
Amelia sent me this amusing link from a Republican site (go to the home page, too) attacking Kerry as anti-American for parodying the Iwo Jima statue and being against the Vietnam War.
And finally, for the best exploding whale story of the week.
Tuesday, January 27, 2004
The illiteracy level of our children are appalling
In news of the American justice system, a kid sentenced to life without parole at the age 13 (12 when he killed a 6-year old imitating tv wrestlers) has been released at 16 (although to a year of house arrest and then 10 with an electronic tag). And a 92-year old recidivist (unarmed) bank robber, who robbed his first bank at 80, has been sentenced to 12 years.
Bush: “The illiteracy level of our children are appalling.” Yes it am.
BBC story on fat-farms in Mauritania, that is, places where girls are force fed until they are really obese and, hence, attractive.
Tony Blair, who staked his career on his policy of screwing college students and increasing social inequality, has won in Parliament, barely, by a margin of 5 votes, down from 161.
Nat Hentoff explains McCain-Feingold’s obvious unconstitutionality.
The Justice Department has thoroughly examined its use of the Patriot Act and found not a single abuse of power. Not one. Really. House Judiciary Committee Chairman James Sensenbrenner (R-Wis.-fatter than me), said that finding by JOD exonerating itself should undercut "those who are intent on skewering the Patriot Act with misinformation."
Finally, some important research out of the University of Colorado.
From the Miami Herald: “White criminal offenders in Florida are nearly 50 percent more likely than blacks to get a ''withhold of adjudication,'' a plea deal that blocks their felony convictions even though they plead to the crime. White Hispanics are 31 percent more likely than blacks to get a withhold. The disparity in outcomes has cost thousands of black offenders their civil rights, including the right to vote, serve on juries, hold public office, own a firearm. And the convictions carry an economic penalty: Felons can't be hired for many government jobs, and they can't apply for some student loans.”
Fortunately, lots of black people being disfranchised in Florida can’t possibly have any wider implications.
Jon Stewart of the Daily Show predicts the outcome of the 2004 elections: “It ends with Howard Dean in a white Bronco being chased down the Santa Monica Freeway.”
“Bush 2004 Campaign Pledges To Restore Honor And Dignity To White House.”
The exit poll used in New Hampshire by the consortium feeding the 3 networks, CNN, Fox & AP asked not just the usual questions--who voted for, age, sex, etc--but also “Regardless of how you voted today, do you think Howard Dean has the temperament to serve effectively as president?” No questions about any other candidate. The Columbia Journalism School’s site says “Simply by tossing that stink bomb into the official exit poll, the networks and their consortium have blatantly inserted themselves as players, rather than reporters”. Yeah, enough already. I think Dean should only give interviews in the future to Fox, because no one who works with Bill O’Reilly could possibly raise questions about anybody else being “angry.”
Bush: “The illiteracy level of our children are appalling.” Yes it am.
BBC story on fat-farms in Mauritania, that is, places where girls are force fed until they are really obese and, hence, attractive.
Tony Blair, who staked his career on his policy of screwing college students and increasing social inequality, has won in Parliament, barely, by a margin of 5 votes, down from 161.
Nat Hentoff explains McCain-Feingold’s obvious unconstitutionality.
The Justice Department has thoroughly examined its use of the Patriot Act and found not a single abuse of power. Not one. Really. House Judiciary Committee Chairman James Sensenbrenner (R-Wis.-fatter than me), said that finding by JOD exonerating itself should undercut "those who are intent on skewering the Patriot Act with misinformation."
Finally, some important research out of the University of Colorado.
From the Miami Herald: “White criminal offenders in Florida are nearly 50 percent more likely than blacks to get a ''withhold of adjudication,'' a plea deal that blocks their felony convictions even though they plead to the crime. White Hispanics are 31 percent more likely than blacks to get a withhold. The disparity in outcomes has cost thousands of black offenders their civil rights, including the right to vote, serve on juries, hold public office, own a firearm. And the convictions carry an economic penalty: Felons can't be hired for many government jobs, and they can't apply for some student loans.”
Fortunately, lots of black people being disfranchised in Florida can’t possibly have any wider implications.
Jon Stewart of the Daily Show predicts the outcome of the 2004 elections: “It ends with Howard Dean in a white Bronco being chased down the Santa Monica Freeway.”
“Bush 2004 Campaign Pledges To Restore Honor And Dignity To White House.”
The exit poll used in New Hampshire by the consortium feeding the 3 networks, CNN, Fox & AP asked not just the usual questions--who voted for, age, sex, etc--but also “Regardless of how you voted today, do you think Howard Dean has the temperament to serve effectively as president?” No questions about any other candidate. The Columbia Journalism School’s site says “Simply by tossing that stink bomb into the official exit poll, the networks and their consortium have blatantly inserted themselves as players, rather than reporters”. Yeah, enough already. I think Dean should only give interviews in the future to Fox, because no one who works with Bill O’Reilly could possibly raise questions about anybody else being “angry.”
Monday, January 26, 2004
Evil chemistry and evil biology
Holy cow, indeed: “A diamond trader in India's western state of Gujarat has been feeding a cow for three weeks to retrieve the 1,722 gemstones it swallowed after he dropped his bag in the street. Mohabbatsinh Gohil has been sifting daily through the cow's dung. He has recovered 555 stones so far and has vowed to collect them all.”
Kerry defends his vote for war as a vote only to threaten war. He says he believed Bush would only use force as a last resort.
I’m sorry, I had to type that out to see if I could do it without laughing. No, no I couldn’t.
Anyway, he says Bush misled him. Outwitted by a half-wit, what a recommendation.
The story about R Senate Judiciary Committee staffers spying on Ds and leaking to Robert Novak has yet to appear in the WaPo, and nothing in the NYT in 3 days either. It’s always interesting to see which potentially major scandals go nowhere in the press (although if the blogs weren’t so distracted by the horse-race now being won by horse-face Kerry, they might be able to force the story on the mainstream media, like Trent Lott and the Strom Thurmond thing). Nor is anyone mainstream taking the opportunity of Peter Jenning’s stern but ignorant dressing down of Wesley Clark/Michael Moore to reopen the issue of Bush’s National Guard service, although I’ve heard that Jamie Rubin, asked a question about it by Wolf Blitzer on CNN, responded that he hadn’t looked into it, have you, Wolf? at which point Wolf went rapidly to commercial.
A last comment on the State of the Union address, swear to Jebus: he mentioned his little aircraft carrier stunt but he failed to acknowledge in any way the more than 500 US soldiers killed since his previous SOTU speech.
Also, how much of the $1.5b to help people with their marriages will go to help his brother Neil--who is planning to marry his mistress once both their divorces go through--stay away from the hookers, even if they are free?
John Ashcroft: “Weapons of mass destruction including evil chemistry and evil biology are all matters of great concern.” Ashcroft also thinks dancing is evil, which may or may not be relevant, but I always like to remind you of it whenever Ashcroft’s name comes up. Also: lost an election to a dead guy (now, THAT’S evil biology!).
Got my supplementary voter’s pamphlet--not the main guide yet, of course, that would make sense. More than ever you have to ask how they choose the people who write the arguments, which in the case of Der Arnold’s pet initiatives, are entirely an intramural Republican affair. Both are attacked from Arnie’s right: the argument against the $15b bond initiative (the Economic Recovery Bond Act, it’s called; evidently they circumvented the usual rule against biased titles and summaries) is written by Tom McClintock, the one against the balanced budget initiative by Howard Jarvis-type loons who think it has too many loopholes and doesn’t strangle the last bureaucrat with the guts of the last public school teacher. The range of argument in these guides bears less and less resemblance to the range in which the views of most Californians actually fall.
With Iran’s “Guardian Council” refusing to back off from disqualifying most reformers from election, the government is talking about refusing to organize any election, which seems to me the right response.
1971 Doonesbury about John Kerry.
Daily Telegraph: “A white teenager who moved from South Africa to America six years ago was suspended from school after nominating himself for a "Distinguished African-American Student of the Year" prize. Trevor Richards, 16, was accused of "showing disrespect" to black pupils at Westside High School in Omaha, Nebraska. It is thought he is the only pupil to have lived in Africa.”
Israeli rabbinical authorities give permission for bigamy to the husband of a woman who has been declared brain dead.
Remember how in the 1980s we first heard about the Medellin cartel? And then in the 1990s the Cali cartel? Or possibly the other way around. Well, evidently it is now the Northern Valley cartel responsible for 60% of the cocaine and heroin in the US. Why have you never heard of it? Because for years it has been manipulating the US & Colombian governments into attacking its rivals. Some of its leaders are former narco-cops decorated by the DEA for their services in the war on drugs.
Kerry defends his vote for war as a vote only to threaten war. He says he believed Bush would only use force as a last resort.
I’m sorry, I had to type that out to see if I could do it without laughing. No, no I couldn’t.
Anyway, he says Bush misled him. Outwitted by a half-wit, what a recommendation.
The story about R Senate Judiciary Committee staffers spying on Ds and leaking to Robert Novak has yet to appear in the WaPo, and nothing in the NYT in 3 days either. It’s always interesting to see which potentially major scandals go nowhere in the press (although if the blogs weren’t so distracted by the horse-race now being won by horse-face Kerry, they might be able to force the story on the mainstream media, like Trent Lott and the Strom Thurmond thing). Nor is anyone mainstream taking the opportunity of Peter Jenning’s stern but ignorant dressing down of Wesley Clark/Michael Moore to reopen the issue of Bush’s National Guard service, although I’ve heard that Jamie Rubin, asked a question about it by Wolf Blitzer on CNN, responded that he hadn’t looked into it, have you, Wolf? at which point Wolf went rapidly to commercial.
A last comment on the State of the Union address, swear to Jebus: he mentioned his little aircraft carrier stunt but he failed to acknowledge in any way the more than 500 US soldiers killed since his previous SOTU speech.
Also, how much of the $1.5b to help people with their marriages will go to help his brother Neil--who is planning to marry his mistress once both their divorces go through--stay away from the hookers, even if they are free?
John Ashcroft: “Weapons of mass destruction including evil chemistry and evil biology are all matters of great concern.” Ashcroft also thinks dancing is evil, which may or may not be relevant, but I always like to remind you of it whenever Ashcroft’s name comes up. Also: lost an election to a dead guy (now, THAT’S evil biology!).
Got my supplementary voter’s pamphlet--not the main guide yet, of course, that would make sense. More than ever you have to ask how they choose the people who write the arguments, which in the case of Der Arnold’s pet initiatives, are entirely an intramural Republican affair. Both are attacked from Arnie’s right: the argument against the $15b bond initiative (the Economic Recovery Bond Act, it’s called; evidently they circumvented the usual rule against biased titles and summaries) is written by Tom McClintock, the one against the balanced budget initiative by Howard Jarvis-type loons who think it has too many loopholes and doesn’t strangle the last bureaucrat with the guts of the last public school teacher. The range of argument in these guides bears less and less resemblance to the range in which the views of most Californians actually fall.
With Iran’s “Guardian Council” refusing to back off from disqualifying most reformers from election, the government is talking about refusing to organize any election, which seems to me the right response.
1971 Doonesbury about John Kerry.
Daily Telegraph: “A white teenager who moved from South Africa to America six years ago was suspended from school after nominating himself for a "Distinguished African-American Student of the Year" prize. Trevor Richards, 16, was accused of "showing disrespect" to black pupils at Westside High School in Omaha, Nebraska. It is thought he is the only pupil to have lived in Africa.”
Israeli rabbinical authorities give permission for bigamy to the husband of a woman who has been declared brain dead.
Remember how in the 1980s we first heard about the Medellin cartel? And then in the 1990s the Cali cartel? Or possibly the other way around. Well, evidently it is now the Northern Valley cartel responsible for 60% of the cocaine and heroin in the US. Why have you never heard of it? Because for years it has been manipulating the US & Colombian governments into attacking its rivals. Some of its leaders are former narco-cops decorated by the DEA for their services in the war on drugs.
Sunday, January 25, 2004
Potentially unacceptable consequences
I must interrupt the flow of insightful political analysis to talk about something really important: hot chocolate.
A few years ago, potato chip companies started putting fewer chips into the same size bag, but now it’s everywhere. Have you noticed that many brands of ice cream’s half gallon size is now slightly smaller than a half gallon? And toilet paper rolls contains the same number of squares, but they’re smaller (according to my mother). So I just bought a box of hot chocolate, and as I was putting the last packet from the old box in the new one (same brand), I realized that the new ones were smaller, 1/4 smaller according to the box. And the instructions (who reads instructions on hot chocolate?) recommend 6 ounces of water. If you have no life like me, you will immediately measure 6 ounces of water into your favorite mug and find that it doesn’t even come close to filling it.
They are fucking with my hot chocolate, and not one of the presidential candidates is addressing this issue.
An article on the new words of 2003: embeds, pre-emptive self-defense, metrosexual, manscaping, freedom fries, transfer tubes (body bags)...
Alarming story of the day, from the AP: “Amarillo, Texas, area workers dismantling an aging nuclear weapon improperly secured broken pieces of a highly explosive component by taping them together, federal investigators found. An explosion could have occurred, they said.” Also, “Last fall, workers taking apart another old warhead accidentally drilled into the warhead's radioactive core, forcing evacuation of the facility.” The chairman of the Defense Nuclear Facilities Safety Board said of the first incident that if dropped, there could be a violent reaction which could have, “potentially unacceptable consequences.” Depending on what you think of Amarillo, I suppose.
Penguin cricket. In a funny foreign language, but if I can figure out how it works, you can. My best score is 588.3.
Dave Barry is in NH now. He describes Dean’s little outburst (now available for answering machines, I’m guessing) as “a pitch-perfect imitation of a small-hipped woman giving birth to an upright piano. It was a heartfelt scream, no question about it, and it has received far more attention in this race than, say, Iraq. But somehow it did not come across as presidential. (``Four score and seven years ago, YEEEAAAAAARGGH.'')”
Also amusing campaign trail coverage here.
Excellent article on the evolution of the nominating process, and why primaries aren’t necessarily more democratic than smoke-filled rooms.
http://www.washingtonpost.com/ac2/wp-dyn/A43490-2004Jan23?language=printer
Article on the inevitable Screaming Howard Dean action figure. The silent version is, oddly enough, cheaper.
Colin Powell admits that Iraq may not have had WMD-RPAs. “But we had questions that needed to be answered. What was it: 500 tons, 100 tons or zero tons? Was it so many liters of anthrax, 10 times that amount, or nothing? What we demanded of Iraq was that they account for all of this and they prove the negative of our hypothesis.” The interviewer did not ask Powell how one proves a negative, which is just as well, because that’s the sort of thing we go to war over. The “All Thebans are liar” paradox could result in World War III with these guys.
A few years ago, potato chip companies started putting fewer chips into the same size bag, but now it’s everywhere. Have you noticed that many brands of ice cream’s half gallon size is now slightly smaller than a half gallon? And toilet paper rolls contains the same number of squares, but they’re smaller (according to my mother). So I just bought a box of hot chocolate, and as I was putting the last packet from the old box in the new one (same brand), I realized that the new ones were smaller, 1/4 smaller according to the box. And the instructions (who reads instructions on hot chocolate?) recommend 6 ounces of water. If you have no life like me, you will immediately measure 6 ounces of water into your favorite mug and find that it doesn’t even come close to filling it.
They are fucking with my hot chocolate, and not one of the presidential candidates is addressing this issue.
An article on the new words of 2003: embeds, pre-emptive self-defense, metrosexual, manscaping, freedom fries, transfer tubes (body bags)...
Alarming story of the day, from the AP: “Amarillo, Texas, area workers dismantling an aging nuclear weapon improperly secured broken pieces of a highly explosive component by taping them together, federal investigators found. An explosion could have occurred, they said.” Also, “Last fall, workers taking apart another old warhead accidentally drilled into the warhead's radioactive core, forcing evacuation of the facility.” The chairman of the Defense Nuclear Facilities Safety Board said of the first incident that if dropped, there could be a violent reaction which could have, “potentially unacceptable consequences.” Depending on what you think of Amarillo, I suppose.
Penguin cricket. In a funny foreign language, but if I can figure out how it works, you can. My best score is 588.3.
Dave Barry is in NH now. He describes Dean’s little outburst (now available for answering machines, I’m guessing) as “a pitch-perfect imitation of a small-hipped woman giving birth to an upright piano. It was a heartfelt scream, no question about it, and it has received far more attention in this race than, say, Iraq. But somehow it did not come across as presidential. (``Four score and seven years ago, YEEEAAAAAARGGH.'')”
Also amusing campaign trail coverage here.
Excellent article on the evolution of the nominating process, and why primaries aren’t necessarily more democratic than smoke-filled rooms.
http://www.washingtonpost.com/ac2/wp-dyn/A43490-2004Jan23?language=printer
Article on the inevitable Screaming Howard Dean action figure. The silent version is, oddly enough, cheaper.
Colin Powell admits that Iraq may not have had WMD-RPAs. “But we had questions that needed to be answered. What was it: 500 tons, 100 tons or zero tons? Was it so many liters of anthrax, 10 times that amount, or nothing? What we demanded of Iraq was that they account for all of this and they prove the negative of our hypothesis.” The interviewer did not ask Powell how one proves a negative, which is just as well, because that’s the sort of thing we go to war over. The “All Thebans are liar” paradox could result in World War III with these guys.
Friday, January 23, 2004
Very fundamental
The Globe’s followup on R spinning of SenateJudiciaryCommitteeGate (what, not snappy enough?) notes that Rs are claiming nothing illegal was done and that people who use government computers have no expectation of privacy. Gee, that claim couldn’t come back to haunt the most secretive administration in American history, could it?
David Kay resigns as head of the search for Iraqi WMDs, excuse me, WMD-RPAs, saying there aren’t any and he no longer has the staff to look for them in the places they aren’t. His successor has already pre-given up, telling McNeil-Lehrer just 2 week ago, “The prospect of finding chemical weapons, biological weapons is close to nil at this point.” Not exactly the Saint Crispin Day’s speech, is it?
Dick Cheney, of course, just told NPR that Iraq had WMDs, citing the same mobile labs that were discredited decisively 7 months ago.
In one of the slimiest moments of the slimy history of immigration policy in Australia, it intercepted Afghan refugees’ boats and bribed the nation of Nauru to take them. After a couple of years, 45 or so began a hunger strike, severely stretching the capabilities of the island’s one hospital. The strike was called off after a team of Aussie medical specialists announced plans to inspect conditions there. Then Nauru, very clearly under threat from Australia, denied the team entry visas.
Wesley Clark keeps thinking that he has better Vietnam credentials than John Kerry because he was a general while Kerry was a lieutenant. He is of course wrong.
Somebody actually did a word count of yesterday’s debate. Peter Jennings spoke more (1,870 words) than some of the candidates (Clark 1619, Kucinich 1550, etc). And some of what he said was so stupid. Will the media be all over Jennings to prove that Bush did not go AWOL? Don’t think so.
In the battle of colossuses, Mike Rowe, 17-year old Canadian, has surrendered to Bill Gates, giving up the website name mikerowesoft.com. They’re giving him an Xbox.
Secretary of Commerce Don Evans, at the Davos international economic conference: “The fundamentals of our economy look very fundamental.” That’s the guy who they kept out of the State of the Union address so he could run the country if the Capitol was blown up. And Trent Lott to keep the Senate going. See, it could be worse. You all thought it couldn’t possibly get worse, didn’t you?
The Guardian carefully explains the US plan for re-establishing “sovereignty” in Iraq, which Bremer says is pretty much like the direct elections the Iraqis are calling for: “Bremer wants his Coalition Provisional Authority (CPA) to appoint the members of 18 regional organising committees. These will then choose delegates to form 18 selection caucuses. These will then select representatives to a transitional national assembly. The assembly will have an internal vote to select an executive and ministers, who will form the new government. Got that? Iraqi sovereignty will be established by appointees appointing appointees to select appointees to select appointees. Add the fact that Bremer was appointed to his post by President Bush and Bush to his by the US Supreme Court, and you have the glorious new democratic tradition of the appointocracy: rule by an appointee's appointee's appointees' appointees' appointees' selectees.” The author suggests that what the Bushies want is for the 18-month transition period from when we “turn over power” until general elections to be the time when a fake Iraqi government ratifies what the US wants for the long term: long-term military occupation and the sell-off of national assets to foreign corporations. “Only after these key decisions have been made will Iraqis be invited to have their say. The White House calls this "self-rule". It is, in fact, the very definition of outside-rule, occupation through outsourcing.”
Bush is opening 9m. acres of Alaska, next to the National Wildlife Refuge, to oil exploration. Hopefully, it will be blocked.
David Kay resigns as head of the search for Iraqi WMDs, excuse me, WMD-RPAs, saying there aren’t any and he no longer has the staff to look for them in the places they aren’t. His successor has already pre-given up, telling McNeil-Lehrer just 2 week ago, “The prospect of finding chemical weapons, biological weapons is close to nil at this point.” Not exactly the Saint Crispin Day’s speech, is it?
Dick Cheney, of course, just told NPR that Iraq had WMDs, citing the same mobile labs that were discredited decisively 7 months ago.
In one of the slimiest moments of the slimy history of immigration policy in Australia, it intercepted Afghan refugees’ boats and bribed the nation of Nauru to take them. After a couple of years, 45 or so began a hunger strike, severely stretching the capabilities of the island’s one hospital. The strike was called off after a team of Aussie medical specialists announced plans to inspect conditions there. Then Nauru, very clearly under threat from Australia, denied the team entry visas.
Wesley Clark keeps thinking that he has better Vietnam credentials than John Kerry because he was a general while Kerry was a lieutenant. He is of course wrong.
Somebody actually did a word count of yesterday’s debate. Peter Jennings spoke more (1,870 words) than some of the candidates (Clark 1619, Kucinich 1550, etc). And some of what he said was so stupid. Will the media be all over Jennings to prove that Bush did not go AWOL? Don’t think so.
In the battle of colossuses, Mike Rowe, 17-year old Canadian, has surrendered to Bill Gates, giving up the website name mikerowesoft.com. They’re giving him an Xbox.
Secretary of Commerce Don Evans, at the Davos international economic conference: “The fundamentals of our economy look very fundamental.” That’s the guy who they kept out of the State of the Union address so he could run the country if the Capitol was blown up. And Trent Lott to keep the Senate going. See, it could be worse. You all thought it couldn’t possibly get worse, didn’t you?
The Guardian carefully explains the US plan for re-establishing “sovereignty” in Iraq, which Bremer says is pretty much like the direct elections the Iraqis are calling for: “Bremer wants his Coalition Provisional Authority (CPA) to appoint the members of 18 regional organising committees. These will then choose delegates to form 18 selection caucuses. These will then select representatives to a transitional national assembly. The assembly will have an internal vote to select an executive and ministers, who will form the new government. Got that? Iraqi sovereignty will be established by appointees appointing appointees to select appointees to select appointees. Add the fact that Bremer was appointed to his post by President Bush and Bush to his by the US Supreme Court, and you have the glorious new democratic tradition of the appointocracy: rule by an appointee's appointee's appointees' appointees' appointees' selectees.” The author suggests that what the Bushies want is for the 18-month transition period from when we “turn over power” until general elections to be the time when a fake Iraqi government ratifies what the US wants for the long term: long-term military occupation and the sell-off of national assets to foreign corporations. “Only after these key decisions have been made will Iraqis be invited to have their say. The White House calls this "self-rule". It is, in fact, the very definition of outside-rule, occupation through outsourcing.”
Bush is opening 9m. acres of Alaska, next to the National Wildlife Refuge, to oil exploration. Hopefully, it will be blocked.
Thursday, January 22, 2004
I have shat myself
The Boston Globe report about Senate Judiciary Committee Republican staffers hacking into the D staffers’ email and leaking it to the press, which has been all over the leftie blog sites today, doesn’t seem to be spreading very widely yet. The NYT has a story that underplays it considerably, and a literally parenthetic comment in Krugman’s column. The Post has nothing. This is the same sort of activity involved in Watergate, only without the overt break-in because you don’t need that sort of thing in the cyber age. It’s not just the one staffer who was fired (and promptly hired by Bill “Kitty Killer” Frist), but every R staffer who read one of these emails, who should be prosecuted, and any senator who knew or should have known should be kicked off the committee.
In the ongoing list of really stupid ideas to come out of Hollywood, there’s this: a movie version of The Dukes of Hazzard, with Britney Spears.
Australian newspaper The Age says that Aussie troops attacked Iraqi positions prematurely last March, before Bush’s 48-hour ultimatum had expired.
The Texas D’s believe that the Justice Dept’s non-political appointees recommended an objection to Tom DeLay’s redistricting coup as violating the Voting Rights Act, but were over-ruled. The JOD is refusing to release the legal opinion prepared for the department.
The R’s are pushing a Fetus Protection Bill, or some such name, to make killing a fetus a separate crime, part of the not-terribly-subtle strategy of giving more and more “rights” to the unborn. By the end of a second Bush term, fetus’s will have the vote. Their mothers won’t.
Russian prosecutors are trying to figure out how to prosecute the organizers of a vodka-drinking contest. Most of the contestants wound up in the hospital. The winner triumphantly yelled out “I have shat myself,” and dropped dead.
After a businessman is indicted for having bribed Ariel Sharon, Sharon himself insists he won’t resign as PM even if he’s indicted. Prosecutors are still trying to figure out if there’s enough evidence for that, although how could there be enough for one but not the other?
How time passes. In October 1996 I reported on the first conviction in Britain on the basis of earprint evidence. That man was just released, because earprint evidence turns out to be nonsense (and DNA evidence clears the guy).
The Log Cabin Republicans, the gay R’s, do have a breaking point after all! They’re not happy with Bush’s almost-support of the const. amend. banning gay marriage.
Rep. Bill Janklow gets only 100 days for running over and killing someone. After 30 days, he’ll be allowed out during the day. Janklow had a long record of reckless driving, and had used the claim that he had to swerve to avoid another car on three prior cases, in none of which was evidence adduced for the claim.
In the ongoing list of really stupid ideas to come out of Hollywood, there’s this: a movie version of The Dukes of Hazzard, with Britney Spears.
Australian newspaper The Age says that Aussie troops attacked Iraqi positions prematurely last March, before Bush’s 48-hour ultimatum had expired.
The Texas D’s believe that the Justice Dept’s non-political appointees recommended an objection to Tom DeLay’s redistricting coup as violating the Voting Rights Act, but were over-ruled. The JOD is refusing to release the legal opinion prepared for the department.
The R’s are pushing a Fetus Protection Bill, or some such name, to make killing a fetus a separate crime, part of the not-terribly-subtle strategy of giving more and more “rights” to the unborn. By the end of a second Bush term, fetus’s will have the vote. Their mothers won’t.
Russian prosecutors are trying to figure out how to prosecute the organizers of a vodka-drinking contest. Most of the contestants wound up in the hospital. The winner triumphantly yelled out “I have shat myself,” and dropped dead.
After a businessman is indicted for having bribed Ariel Sharon, Sharon himself insists he won’t resign as PM even if he’s indicted. Prosecutors are still trying to figure out if there’s enough evidence for that, although how could there be enough for one but not the other?
How time passes. In October 1996 I reported on the first conviction in Britain on the basis of earprint evidence. That man was just released, because earprint evidence turns out to be nonsense (and DNA evidence clears the guy).
The Log Cabin Republicans, the gay R’s, do have a breaking point after all! They’re not happy with Bush’s almost-support of the const. amend. banning gay marriage.
Rep. Bill Janklow gets only 100 days for running over and killing someone. After 30 days, he’ll be allowed out during the day. Janklow had a long record of reckless driving, and had used the claim that he had to swerve to avoid another car on three prior cases, in none of which was evidence adduced for the claim.
Wednesday, January 21, 2004
Armageddon cuts and WMD-RPAs
From the Telegraph, a story with a hilarious 1st paragraph, whose effect is completely destroyed by the 2nd paragraph:
“A New Zealand train driver is on indefinite leave suffering from stress after running over a garden gnome.
“The gnome was apparently placed on rail tracks in the North Island city of Tauranga, south-east of Auckland, as a practical joke, police said. But when the driver's train struck the pottery figure in the early hours of yesterday, he believed he had killed a child.”
Morocco has passed the most progressive, pro-woman family code in the Arab world, including equal powers within marriage and a virtual ban on polygamy.
Evidently the proposition on the CA. March ballot for $15b in borrowing is linked (as in, if one fails they both fail) to one for a balanced budget. Governor Ahnuuld warns that if they fail, there will be “Armageddon cuts” in services. Nice to have an action movie star to explain these things to us.
Bush said (quotes from different sections of the SOTU speech): “America will never seek a permission slip to defend the security of our people” and “it is not enough to serve our enemies with legal papers,” and “no one can now doubt the word of America.” I’m telling you, it’s clear as day: George Bush does not know how to read. He sneers at written forms of speech like permission slips and legal papers, but is ok with the oral “word of America.” Can’t read. Clear as day.
(See David Corn’s take on what “America’s word” is now worth after all the lies about Iraq).
NBC offered to kill a documentary about Michael Jackson on Dateline if he gave an interview, for which they’d also have paid him $5m. That’s the second network willing to sell out its journalistic integrity to Michael Jackson.
You know the problem with celebrating the Chinese Year of the Monkey? An hour later, you feel like throwing your feces again.
Oh, like you weren’t all thinking that too.
Joe Conason is using an acronym derived from the SOTU address, that I’d like to see widely used: WMD-RPA (weapons of mass destruction-related program activities).
The French, trying to be even-handed in banning manifestations of religion, started with headscarves and “conspicuous” crucifixes, is now realizing it will have to include bandanas, Sikh turbans, beards if they have a religious significance...
On the other hand, there’s this good news for French women: “Frequent underarm shaving could play a key role in a suggested link between breast cancer and deodorant use, according to a scientist.”
American entrepreneurialism at its finest: “Local tourism officials cheered the news that San Mateo County in California will host the trial of Scott Peterson, right, charged with murdering his wife, Laci, and unborn child in 2002.”
A Belgian Catholic cardinal says: “I am prepared to sign here in my blood that of all those who say they are lesbian or gay, at most five to 10 per cent are effectively lesbian or gay. All the rest are sexual perverts.” I don’t know about that, but they should definitely take him up on the blood thing. He went on to attack democracy and endorsed men who really need sex going to brothels (although he says they won’t be happy).
Boris Yeltsin, who is amazingly still alive, admits that he had 5 heart attacks while in office.
Tuesday, January 20, 2004
Ashley Pearson believes in you
Just one subject this time. Random thoughts on the State of the Union address:
Bush came out against steroids. I’m hoping some enterprising reporter asks my governor about this. And oh for fuck’s sake $23m for drug testing students. And he wants athletes to pee into cups to show children that there is “no short-cut to accomplishments.” Bush’s entire resume consists of short-cuts to accomplishments.
No Child Left Behind is “common sense.” Isn’t common sense what ignorant people like Bush claim to have?
He says when we next see someone in uniform, we should say thank you. A stripper in a cop uniform, for example. A member of the Village People. Hello sailor.
The D response, going on as I write this, is so tame that you have to wonder why Dean’s “anger” has been so castigated.
No mention of Osama, of course. Afghanistan is mostly mentioned in terms of women’s rights, which we know are fast going into the toilet. And WMDs? “We are seeking all the facts - already the Kay Report identified dozens of weapons of mass destruction-related program activities and significant amounts of equipment that Iraq concealed from the United Nations. Had we failed to act, the dictator's weapons of mass destruction programs would continue to this day.” A bit of a step down from previous claims, but still claiming too much.
Speaking of programs that won’t go anywhere, he didn’t mention Mars. He did mention the immigration thing. Maybe they can work on building those hydrogen cars he promised in the last State of the Union message.
He wants all the tax cuts made permanent, of course. If not, “millions of families will be charged $300 more in Federal taxes for every child.” I didn’t even know there was a tax on children, is that like a dog license? Similarly, the semi-fictitious “marriage penalty” morphs in this speech into a “tax on marriage.”
When Bush talked about marriage being “one of the most fundamental, enduring institutions of our civilization,” CNN’s cameras went to a nun. “The same moral tradition that defines marriage also teaches that each individual has dignity and value in God's sight.” Unless you count excluding gays from “one of the most fundamental, enduring institutions of our civilization.”
Presumably they’re also excluded from fucking. Shrub wants to double abstinence spending “so schools can teach this fact of life: abstinence for young people is the only certain way to avoid sexually transmitted diseases.” I like the phrase “this fact of life,” which admits the programs will ignore the actual facts of life. Also, it’s not even a fact, unless rape has been magically eliminated. Just sayin’. “All of us - parents, schools, government - must work together to counter the negative influence of the culture, and to send the right messages to our children.” So “the culture” has nothing to do with parents, schools and government?
He will “unleash the compassion” of religious institutions, which may not have known that they were actually leashed (not that that would be a bad idea).
The NYT transcript is wrong about the closing, which is actually his usual, creepy, expanded version: may god continue to bless the USA. And a whole paragraph before about the greater power who guides the unfolding of the years. Dick Clark? Altogether, I think even more religious stuff than usual. And he used the word “character” an awful lot.
Bush came out against steroids. I’m hoping some enterprising reporter asks my governor about this. And oh for fuck’s sake $23m for drug testing students. And he wants athletes to pee into cups to show children that there is “no short-cut to accomplishments.” Bush’s entire resume consists of short-cuts to accomplishments.
No Child Left Behind is “common sense.” Isn’t common sense what ignorant people like Bush claim to have?
He says when we next see someone in uniform, we should say thank you. A stripper in a cop uniform, for example. A member of the Village People. Hello sailor.
The D response, going on as I write this, is so tame that you have to wonder why Dean’s “anger” has been so castigated.
No mention of Osama, of course. Afghanistan is mostly mentioned in terms of women’s rights, which we know are fast going into the toilet. And WMDs? “We are seeking all the facts - already the Kay Report identified dozens of weapons of mass destruction-related program activities and significant amounts of equipment that Iraq concealed from the United Nations. Had we failed to act, the dictator's weapons of mass destruction programs would continue to this day.” A bit of a step down from previous claims, but still claiming too much.
Speaking of programs that won’t go anywhere, he didn’t mention Mars. He did mention the immigration thing. Maybe they can work on building those hydrogen cars he promised in the last State of the Union message.
He wants all the tax cuts made permanent, of course. If not, “millions of families will be charged $300 more in Federal taxes for every child.” I didn’t even know there was a tax on children, is that like a dog license? Similarly, the semi-fictitious “marriage penalty” morphs in this speech into a “tax on marriage.”
When Bush talked about marriage being “one of the most fundamental, enduring institutions of our civilization,” CNN’s cameras went to a nun. “The same moral tradition that defines marriage also teaches that each individual has dignity and value in God's sight.” Unless you count excluding gays from “one of the most fundamental, enduring institutions of our civilization.”
Presumably they’re also excluded from fucking. Shrub wants to double abstinence spending “so schools can teach this fact of life: abstinence for young people is the only certain way to avoid sexually transmitted diseases.” I like the phrase “this fact of life,” which admits the programs will ignore the actual facts of life. Also, it’s not even a fact, unless rape has been magically eliminated. Just sayin’. “All of us - parents, schools, government - must work together to counter the negative influence of the culture, and to send the right messages to our children.” So “the culture” has nothing to do with parents, schools and government?
He will “unleash the compassion” of religious institutions, which may not have known that they were actually leashed (not that that would be a bad idea).
The NYT transcript is wrong about the closing, which is actually his usual, creepy, expanded version: may god continue to bless the USA. And a whole paragraph before about the greater power who guides the unfolding of the years. Dick Clark? Altogether, I think even more religious stuff than usual. And he used the word “character” an awful lot.
A known bad-guy site
The NY City Dept of Transportation has turned down the request of the Brooklyn borough president for a sign on the Williamsburg Bridge reading, “Leaving Brooklyn: Oy Vey!” An earlier request for a sign on the the Verazzano Narrows Bridge reading “Leaving Brooklyn: Fuhgeddaboudit!” was also turned down, for “a lack of directional information.” Which reminds me of the NY joke ending “Can you tell me how to get to City Hall, or should I just go fuck myself?”
A US bombing run in Afghanistan kills 11 civilians including children, which the US denies. A US military spokesman, a lt. colonel yet, says “They were running away from a known bad-guy site.” That’s a US military spokesman, no doubt chosen for his command of the English language.
Assuming that Iowa (a known doughy white-guy site) means anything (and when has it ever?), some pundits are saying that Dean’s “anger” against the war is now a dead issue. If so, doesn’t that mean that the war is also a dead issue as far as helping Bush?
Fortunately for Dean, Bush expected him to win Iowa, and so scheduled the State of the Union address to undercut news coverage of his victory. Instead, it will undercut coverage of his defeat. Oops.
The Indy has a good Harper’s-Index-type state of the American union. Figures include:
And this one:
With Conrad Black’s little financial embarrassment, the Daily Telegraph may cease to be a crappy right-wing newspaper, but will it still have stories like this one?: “A Finnish taxman dropped dead at his desk - and nobody noticed for two days. The newspaper Ilta-Sanomat reported that none of the 30 people who were in the same department as the 60-year-old auditor realised that he was not just silently poring over papers in the Helsinki office.”
The Supreme Court will hear the case about secrecy and Cheney’s Energy Commission. So last week Cheney and Antonin “Fat Tony” Scalia went duck hunting. Scalia, asked whether this might not be a conflict of interest, said, “I do not think my impartiality could reasonably be questioned.”
Challenging that for most asinine quote of the week is one from Cheney himself, to the LA Times. On whether Iraq had WMDs, he says “the jury’s still out.” If so, that’s only because the jury was shackled, blindfolded, and flown to Guantanamo, never to be seen again.
Another State of the Union drinking game. My favorite bit: if Bush says “don’t mess with Texas,” Locate the nearest Texan; mess with him/her; then drink
A US bombing run in Afghanistan kills 11 civilians including children, which the US denies. A US military spokesman, a lt. colonel yet, says “They were running away from a known bad-guy site.” That’s a US military spokesman, no doubt chosen for his command of the English language.
Assuming that Iowa (a known doughy white-guy site) means anything (and when has it ever?), some pundits are saying that Dean’s “anger” against the war is now a dead issue. If so, doesn’t that mean that the war is also a dead issue as far as helping Bush?
Fortunately for Dean, Bush expected him to win Iowa, and so scheduled the State of the Union address to undercut news coverage of his victory. Instead, it will undercut coverage of his defeat. Oops.
The Indy has a good Harper’s-Index-type state of the American union. Figures include:
58 million: Number of acres of public lands Bush has opened to road building, logging and drilling
29,000: Number of American troops - which is close to the total of a whole army division - to have either been killed, wounded, injured or become so ill as to require evacuation from Iraq, according to the Pentagon
88%: Percentage of American citizens who will save less than $100 on their 2006 federal taxes as a result of 2003 cut in capital gains and dividends taxes
$42,000: Average savings members of Bush's cabinet are expected to enjoy this year as a result in the cuts in capital gains and dividends taxes
$42,228: Median household income in the US in 2001
$116,000: Amount Vice-President Cheney is expected to save each year in taxes
And this one:
0: Number of American combat deaths in Germany after the Nazi surrender to the Allies in May 1945
With Conrad Black’s little financial embarrassment, the Daily Telegraph may cease to be a crappy right-wing newspaper, but will it still have stories like this one?: “A Finnish taxman dropped dead at his desk - and nobody noticed for two days. The newspaper Ilta-Sanomat reported that none of the 30 people who were in the same department as the 60-year-old auditor realised that he was not just silently poring over papers in the Helsinki office.”
The Supreme Court will hear the case about secrecy and Cheney’s Energy Commission. So last week Cheney and Antonin “Fat Tony” Scalia went duck hunting. Scalia, asked whether this might not be a conflict of interest, said, “I do not think my impartiality could reasonably be questioned.”
Challenging that for most asinine quote of the week is one from Cheney himself, to the LA Times. On whether Iraq had WMDs, he says “the jury’s still out.” If so, that’s only because the jury was shackled, blindfolded, and flown to Guantanamo, never to be seen again.
Another State of the Union drinking game. My favorite bit: if Bush says “don’t mess with Texas,” Locate the nearest Texan; mess with him/her; then drink
Monday, January 19, 2004
A wartime....visionary?
UNCLEAR ON THE CONCEPT: Pakistani dictator Musharaf calls for a holy war against extremism.
Another bit of dissonance in the Sunday WaPo: one article says Bush will present himself in the State of the Union speech as being above politics, “a wartime visionary who stands above the fray of politics -- the commander in chief, not a candidate.”
And then there’s this article, saying that Bush plans to run attack ads in support of Congressional candidates, quite possibly illegal under campaign finance laws, calling their opponents soft on national security.
Presumably Bush means that anything he does is by definition above politics and above criticism. It’s gonna be a long election year.
Has anyone seen pictures of the art installation in Stockholm that the Israeli ambassador attacked? A suicide bomber as Snow White. O....K.... There exists footage of the incident, but I haven’t seen that either.
More details on last week’s female suicide bomber: her husband drove her to the scene. She thought that if he also blew himself up at a later date, she’d be one of the 70 nymphs greeting him in paradise. I can understand wanting to have 70 nymphs, but wanting to be one of them?
The move to ban Muslim female pupils wearing the hijab is spreading throughout Europe. Belgium and I forget which German state (Bavaria?) are talking about it.
Your State of the Union speech drinking game, sort of.
According to the Sunday Times, one of the candidates in Russia’s presidential elections, owner of the largest drug company in Russia, admits he doesn’t want to be president and will vote for Putin himself, and his only purpose is to help increase turnout to 50%. “I am running just because, without candidates other than Putin, this election could not take place.” Makes you feel warm all over about Russian democracy, doesn’t it? Of course, he’s just exhibiting the sort of attitude that Shrub thinks his own opponents should (and too often do).
Scientists say there is a reason Russians get so drunk. They metabolize alcohol differently, getting drunk faster, staying drunk longer, and becoming more depressed and aggressive when drunk. They inherited the gene for this from the Mongolians, who developed an enzyme to break down alcohol from fermented mare’s milk rather than grape- and grain-based alcohol.
Another bit of dissonance in the Sunday WaPo: one article says Bush will present himself in the State of the Union speech as being above politics, “a wartime visionary who stands above the fray of politics -- the commander in chief, not a candidate.”
And then there’s this article, saying that Bush plans to run attack ads in support of Congressional candidates, quite possibly illegal under campaign finance laws, calling their opponents soft on national security.
Presumably Bush means that anything he does is by definition above politics and above criticism. It’s gonna be a long election year.
Has anyone seen pictures of the art installation in Stockholm that the Israeli ambassador attacked? A suicide bomber as Snow White. O....K.... There exists footage of the incident, but I haven’t seen that either.
More details on last week’s female suicide bomber: her husband drove her to the scene. She thought that if he also blew himself up at a later date, she’d be one of the 70 nymphs greeting him in paradise. I can understand wanting to have 70 nymphs, but wanting to be one of them?
The move to ban Muslim female pupils wearing the hijab is spreading throughout Europe. Belgium and I forget which German state (Bavaria?) are talking about it.
Your State of the Union speech drinking game, sort of.
According to the Sunday Times, one of the candidates in Russia’s presidential elections, owner of the largest drug company in Russia, admits he doesn’t want to be president and will vote for Putin himself, and his only purpose is to help increase turnout to 50%. “I am running just because, without candidates other than Putin, this election could not take place.” Makes you feel warm all over about Russian democracy, doesn’t it? Of course, he’s just exhibiting the sort of attitude that Shrub thinks his own opponents should (and too often do).
Scientists say there is a reason Russians get so drunk. They metabolize alcohol differently, getting drunk faster, staying drunk longer, and becoming more depressed and aggressive when drunk. They inherited the gene for this from the Mongolians, who developed an enzyme to break down alcohol from fermented mare’s milk rather than grape- and grain-based alcohol.
Friday, January 16, 2004
No word for caucus
Even by Bush administration standards, this photo breaks the irony-ometer. (I’ve replaced a link to the Atlanta Journal Constitution, which had a similar picture, but without the soldier-looking guy--sniper?--standing on top of the bus. Why did they go with the weaker picture?).
Oddly, even while reporting elsewhere that the Secret Service told a local group of people who knew ML King to wrap up their tribute early so the Boy in the Bubble could get his photo op, the WashPost insisted on titling another article “Bush Courts Black Voters.” Thing is, if you read the article, Bush talked about giving federal money to religious groups. Read it; there is nothing specifically for blacks. Does the Post, or Bush, think that black is synonymous with Christian? Although I suppose it does imply that, all appearances to the contrary, black people do have a prayer under Bush.
Oh, and while he didn’t want to see any protesters, he went on to a $2,000 a plate fundraiser. No word on how many of those people were black (waiters don’t count).
(Later): oh for fuck’s sake, and today he tops off his King celebrations by putting racist shithead Charles Pickering on the 5th Circuit by a recess appointment, which is itself a procedure that should never ever be used for a judicial appointment. And he tried to sneak it through on the Friday afternoon of a holiday weekend, not even having the courage of his contempt for constitutional checks and balances.
The Post explains why recess appointments for judges undermine judicial independence.
Haven’t explored the site yet, but this link is to 5.5 million aerial reconnaissance pictures of Europe taken by the British during World War II.
Israel announces plans to assassinate the quadriplegic founder of Hamas. Isn’t that special? The deputy defense minister said “Sheik Yassin is marked for death, and he should hide himself deep underground where he won't know the difference between day and night. And we will find him in the tunnels, and we will eliminate him.” Sure, follow the wheelchair tire tracks.
Speaking of annoying Muslim clerics, the London Times has this rather delightful headline: “US Baffled by Shia Leader Who Refuses to Cut a Deal.” What is he, some sort of communist? Actually, he must be, since his last fatwa was against the black market in gasoline (worked, too), and the one before was against revenge attacks against Hussein officials. I’m looking forward to watching Bushies denounce Sistani for demanding democracy, which is our current retrospective rationale for the war, since the WMD thing has been so thoroughly debunked.
(Later:) gosh, it’s actually more insulting than that; the Post, obviously (and lazily) taking dictation from someone in the US government, says “On substance, the United States is not even sure how well Sistani understands the complicated U.S. plan to hold 18 regional caucuses to select a national assembly, which would pick a government to assume power when the occupation ends. Complicating the problem is the fact that there is no precise equivalent in Arabic for "caucus" nor any history of caucuses in the Arab world, U.S. officials say.” So...Sistani is against this plan because it’s complicated and opaque and alien to Arab political culture. Um, aren’t those all reasons why the plan is a bad idea which won’t lead to a legitimate government, even setting aside the condescension? The Post goes on to say that the US is looking for someone who can explain Sistani’s thinking to them. In other words, Sistani can’t understand their hideously complicated plan, but neither can they understand his remarkably simple plan.
Sistani also wants a vote on whether US troops will remain in the country.
The US wants to get the UN involved in endorsing this travesty. Since it involves one country picking the people who pick the rulers of another, the UN needs to stay the hell out.
Left I quotes the Post, “The United States...says security is too poor and voter records too incomplete for fair elections." and comments, “So...unfair elections it is!”
Speaking of unfair elections, the Supreme Court is allowing the redistricting of Texas to go ahead. The D’s should have stayed in New Mexico.
Tony Blair said of yesterday’s massive demonstration in Iraq, “They now have the freedom to demonstrate. They never had it under Saddam.” US troops have fired far too often into crowds of demonstrators for anyone to claim credibly that there is a freedom to demonstrate. And he said, “The demonstrators are a small minority of the local Iraqi population.” Gee, now how would you go about demonstrating what the majority thinks? How about through democratic elections, the very things those Iraqis were calling for?
Speaking of the majority of Iraqis, the “governing council” has voted (Dec. 29, why didn’t we hear about it before? although the vote was behind closed doors) to destroy the rights women had under Hussein, opting instead to expose them to the tender mercies of sharia. Bremer had damned well better veto this, and should have done it immediately.
Yesterday I wondered which leaders besides Berlusconi have had plastic surgery done. According to the Times, Carlos Menem of Argentina (hairline, cheekbones). And it reminds us that Gerhard Schröder sued a news agency which pointed out his rather obvious dye-job.
On BBC World News today, I saw an orchestra practicing for a radio performance of John Cage’s 4 Minutes and 33 Seconds of Silence. Practicing. It was originally written for solo piano. Click here to listen.
Oddly, even while reporting elsewhere that the Secret Service told a local group of people who knew ML King to wrap up their tribute early so the Boy in the Bubble could get his photo op, the WashPost insisted on titling another article “Bush Courts Black Voters.” Thing is, if you read the article, Bush talked about giving federal money to religious groups. Read it; there is nothing specifically for blacks. Does the Post, or Bush, think that black is synonymous with Christian? Although I suppose it does imply that, all appearances to the contrary, black people do have a prayer under Bush.
Oh, and while he didn’t want to see any protesters, he went on to a $2,000 a plate fundraiser. No word on how many of those people were black (waiters don’t count).
(Later): oh for fuck’s sake, and today he tops off his King celebrations by putting racist shithead Charles Pickering on the 5th Circuit by a recess appointment, which is itself a procedure that should never ever be used for a judicial appointment. And he tried to sneak it through on the Friday afternoon of a holiday weekend, not even having the courage of his contempt for constitutional checks and balances.
The Post explains why recess appointments for judges undermine judicial independence.
Haven’t explored the site yet, but this link is to 5.5 million aerial reconnaissance pictures of Europe taken by the British during World War II.
Israel announces plans to assassinate the quadriplegic founder of Hamas. Isn’t that special? The deputy defense minister said “Sheik Yassin is marked for death, and he should hide himself deep underground where he won't know the difference between day and night. And we will find him in the tunnels, and we will eliminate him.” Sure, follow the wheelchair tire tracks.
Speaking of annoying Muslim clerics, the London Times has this rather delightful headline: “US Baffled by Shia Leader Who Refuses to Cut a Deal.” What is he, some sort of communist? Actually, he must be, since his last fatwa was against the black market in gasoline (worked, too), and the one before was against revenge attacks against Hussein officials. I’m looking forward to watching Bushies denounce Sistani for demanding democracy, which is our current retrospective rationale for the war, since the WMD thing has been so thoroughly debunked.
(Later:) gosh, it’s actually more insulting than that; the Post, obviously (and lazily) taking dictation from someone in the US government, says “On substance, the United States is not even sure how well Sistani understands the complicated U.S. plan to hold 18 regional caucuses to select a national assembly, which would pick a government to assume power when the occupation ends. Complicating the problem is the fact that there is no precise equivalent in Arabic for "caucus" nor any history of caucuses in the Arab world, U.S. officials say.” So...Sistani is against this plan because it’s complicated and opaque and alien to Arab political culture. Um, aren’t those all reasons why the plan is a bad idea which won’t lead to a legitimate government, even setting aside the condescension? The Post goes on to say that the US is looking for someone who can explain Sistani’s thinking to them. In other words, Sistani can’t understand their hideously complicated plan, but neither can they understand his remarkably simple plan.
Sistani also wants a vote on whether US troops will remain in the country.
The US wants to get the UN involved in endorsing this travesty. Since it involves one country picking the people who pick the rulers of another, the UN needs to stay the hell out.
Left I quotes the Post, “The United States...says security is too poor and voter records too incomplete for fair elections." and comments, “So...unfair elections it is!”
Speaking of unfair elections, the Supreme Court is allowing the redistricting of Texas to go ahead. The D’s should have stayed in New Mexico.
Tony Blair said of yesterday’s massive demonstration in Iraq, “They now have the freedom to demonstrate. They never had it under Saddam.” US troops have fired far too often into crowds of demonstrators for anyone to claim credibly that there is a freedom to demonstrate. And he said, “The demonstrators are a small minority of the local Iraqi population.” Gee, now how would you go about demonstrating what the majority thinks? How about through democratic elections, the very things those Iraqis were calling for?
Speaking of the majority of Iraqis, the “governing council” has voted (Dec. 29, why didn’t we hear about it before? although the vote was behind closed doors) to destroy the rights women had under Hussein, opting instead to expose them to the tender mercies of sharia. Bremer had damned well better veto this, and should have done it immediately.
Yesterday I wondered which leaders besides Berlusconi have had plastic surgery done. According to the Times, Carlos Menem of Argentina (hairline, cheekbones). And it reminds us that Gerhard Schröder sued a news agency which pointed out his rather obvious dye-job.
On BBC World News today, I saw an orchestra practicing for a radio performance of John Cage’s 4 Minutes and 33 Seconds of Silence. Practicing. It was originally written for solo piano. Click here to listen.
Thursday, January 15, 2004
Pro leonibus exhortemur
Bush’s alleged plan to go to Mars, what the NYT editorial page calls his “space vision thing,” won’t happen any more than when his father proposed the same thing 15 years ago, but it will succeed in starving the funds of other NASA projects that might actually be implemented.
In Britain, the Iraq war looks like it will take a scalp, Defense Minister Geoff Hoon. The first British soldier to die in Iraq had been ordered a couple of days before to give up his body armor to someone else--there wasn’t enough to go around.
Afghanistan re-bans performances by women on tv. The Supreme Court, which as I’ve said is more religious than legal in composition, rules that the constitution’s provision for equal rights is trumped by its provision that all laws are subordinated to Islam.
Silvio Berlusconi, no doubt wishing to look his best for his bribery trial, has had plastic surgery (around the eyes). And not for the first time, I’d think. How many other world rulers have had plastic surgery, do you think?
A website just starting, is from the Columbia Graduate School of Journalism, dedicated to analyzing bad press coverage of the 2004 election. Might be worth keeping an eye on.
A Spanish socialist leader calls Tony Blair a dickhead. For those wishing to expand their vocabulary: un gilipollas integral.
Want more? Rori-kon, Japanese for sexual obsession with schoolgirls (Tokyo is thinking about banning the sale of used underwear from girls under 16).
Finally in today’s lessons: “Take Me Out to the Ballgame” in Latin:
Aufer me ad arenam.
Aufer me cum turba.
Da mihi glires sparsos melle.
Reditum domum non curo velle.
Pro leonibus exhortemur.
Nil refert hominum.
Duo, tria membra edent
gladiatorum.
Actually, it’s culturally specific: Take me to the arena / Take me out with the crowd / Buy me some dormice in honeycomb / I don't care if I never go home / So let's root, root, root for the lions / Not the humans they maim / Munching two, three more body parts / at our Caesar's game!]
In Britain, the Iraq war looks like it will take a scalp, Defense Minister Geoff Hoon. The first British soldier to die in Iraq had been ordered a couple of days before to give up his body armor to someone else--there wasn’t enough to go around.
Afghanistan re-bans performances by women on tv. The Supreme Court, which as I’ve said is more religious than legal in composition, rules that the constitution’s provision for equal rights is trumped by its provision that all laws are subordinated to Islam.
Silvio Berlusconi, no doubt wishing to look his best for his bribery trial, has had plastic surgery (around the eyes). And not for the first time, I’d think. How many other world rulers have had plastic surgery, do you think?
A website just starting, is from the Columbia Graduate School of Journalism, dedicated to analyzing bad press coverage of the 2004 election. Might be worth keeping an eye on.
A Spanish socialist leader calls Tony Blair a dickhead. For those wishing to expand their vocabulary: un gilipollas integral.
Want more? Rori-kon, Japanese for sexual obsession with schoolgirls (Tokyo is thinking about banning the sale of used underwear from girls under 16).
Finally in today’s lessons: “Take Me Out to the Ballgame” in Latin:
Aufer me ad arenam.
Aufer me cum turba.
Da mihi glires sparsos melle.
Reditum domum non curo velle.
Pro leonibus exhortemur.
Nil refert hominum.
Duo, tria membra edent
gladiatorum.
Actually, it’s culturally specific: Take me to the arena / Take me out with the crowd / Buy me some dormice in honeycomb / I don't care if I never go home / So let's root, root, root for the lions / Not the humans they maim / Munching two, three more body parts / at our Caesar's game!]
Parts of my body can fly all over
A good piece on what Paul O’Neill’s book reveals about Bush and the Bush White House.
Oh, and it says the publishers will post all 19,000 documents to the internet.
Michael Powell, Colin’s pro-media-monopoly son, wants the FCC to crack down on dirty words. I missed this, but during the Golden Globes Awards, Bono said that something or other was “fucking brilliant.” The FCC ruled that the word was an adjective, not describing a sex act, so it wasn’t obscene. (Also, wouldn’t that have been a live broadcast?) Powell wants to overturn that, and increase the fine for dirty words ten times.
Like every other “discovery” of Iraqi WMDs, last week’s claim that trace liquids in old shells might be poison gas turned out to be false.
According to the video message left by the Hamas suicide bomber and mother of two (aged 2 and 3), “I always wanted to be the first woman to carry out a martyr attack, where parts of my body can fly all over. That is the only wish I can ask God for.” Dare to dream, Reem al-Riashi, dare to dream.
Oh, and it says the publishers will post all 19,000 documents to the internet.
Michael Powell, Colin’s pro-media-monopoly son, wants the FCC to crack down on dirty words. I missed this, but during the Golden Globes Awards, Bono said that something or other was “fucking brilliant.” The FCC ruled that the word was an adjective, not describing a sex act, so it wasn’t obscene. (Also, wouldn’t that have been a live broadcast?) Powell wants to overturn that, and increase the fine for dirty words ten times.
Like every other “discovery” of Iraqi WMDs, last week’s claim that trace liquids in old shells might be poison gas turned out to be false.
According to the video message left by the Hamas suicide bomber and mother of two (aged 2 and 3), “I always wanted to be the first woman to carry out a martyr attack, where parts of my body can fly all over. That is the only wish I can ask God for.” Dare to dream, Reem al-Riashi, dare to dream.
Wednesday, January 14, 2004
The Mustache Patrol
A Japanese judge rules that comic books can be pornography. Says the Telegraph, “Even the popular schoolchildren's comic Shonen Jump, which has an English language edition, has had such bizarre characters as "Weirdo Mask," a schoolboy who acquires special powers when wearing women's knickers on his face.” Well who doesn’t?
According to Newsweek, the White House is still opposing extension of the 9/11 investigating committee after its impossible May deadline. It had thought about extending it only if its report weren’t released until after the election, but has reverted to its previous strategy of playing out the clock, delaying giving the commission access to personnel and paperwork. One might almost think they had something to hide.
Speaking of something to hide, the president of Kenya turns out to have a second wife no one knew about (which is legal, and no, he isn’t Muslim, just horny).
The Italian constitutional court rules that a law passed expressly to stop PM Berlusconi’s corruption/bribery trial was unconstitutional, so the trial is back on. That’s one for the rule of law.
Speaking of corruption, Bush at the Summit of the Americas wanted countries with corruption to be excluded from the OAS. No one pointed out his refusal to release information on which companies participated in the formulation of his energy policy, or indeed his brother Neil getting money and free call girls from foreign companies. (Later:) and one of you just sent this story about the Bush dynasty’s financial dealings over the years and the conflicts of interest they create in US foreign policy.
The NYT says the Bush admin is talking about $1.5 billion in programs to promote marriages and train couples in marriage skills. No one pointed out that Bush spent the first, what, 10 years or so? of his marriage in bars sniffing cocaine off prostitutes’ backsides. It’s interesting that the religious right is pushing this, but not training in parenting skills.
From the Daily Telegraph: “Police in northern India are being paid an extra 30 rupees (35p) a month to grow a moustache to give them more authority. Mayank Jain, a superintendent with the Madhya Pradesh state police, told The Asian Age that research showed that police with moustaches were taken more seriously. But the shape and style of police moustaches would be monitored to ensure they did not take on a mean look, he said.” Sipowitz?
Bush in the Diane Sawyer interview: “The possibility that [Saddam] could acquire weapons. If he were to acquire weapons, he would be the danger.” Yeah and if he had ham, he could have ham and eggs, if he had eggs.
According to Newsweek, the White House is still opposing extension of the 9/11 investigating committee after its impossible May deadline. It had thought about extending it only if its report weren’t released until after the election, but has reverted to its previous strategy of playing out the clock, delaying giving the commission access to personnel and paperwork. One might almost think they had something to hide.
Speaking of something to hide, the president of Kenya turns out to have a second wife no one knew about (which is legal, and no, he isn’t Muslim, just horny).
The Italian constitutional court rules that a law passed expressly to stop PM Berlusconi’s corruption/bribery trial was unconstitutional, so the trial is back on. That’s one for the rule of law.
Speaking of corruption, Bush at the Summit of the Americas wanted countries with corruption to be excluded from the OAS. No one pointed out his refusal to release information on which companies participated in the formulation of his energy policy, or indeed his brother Neil getting money and free call girls from foreign companies. (Later:) and one of you just sent this story about the Bush dynasty’s financial dealings over the years and the conflicts of interest they create in US foreign policy.
The NYT says the Bush admin is talking about $1.5 billion in programs to promote marriages and train couples in marriage skills. No one pointed out that Bush spent the first, what, 10 years or so? of his marriage in bars sniffing cocaine off prostitutes’ backsides. It’s interesting that the religious right is pushing this, but not training in parenting skills.
From the Daily Telegraph: “Police in northern India are being paid an extra 30 rupees (35p) a month to grow a moustache to give them more authority. Mayank Jain, a superintendent with the Madhya Pradesh state police, told The Asian Age that research showed that police with moustaches were taken more seriously. But the shape and style of police moustaches would be monitored to ensure they did not take on a mean look, he said.” Sipowitz?
Bush in the Diane Sawyer interview: “The possibility that [Saddam] could acquire weapons. If he were to acquire weapons, he would be the danger.” Yeah and if he had ham, he could have ham and eggs, if he had eggs.
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