Tuesday, May 04, 2004
Council Update
We on the council will miss Hawkin Blog on our rosters, though not on our reading lists. And we are happy to welcome The Spoons Experience as our newest member!The Watcher's Offer
As I'm sure you are aware, members of the Watcher's Council hold a vote every week on what they consider to be the most link-worthy pieces of writing around... The Watcher is looking for a few good posts to nominate and is offering a pretty sweet deal. To Wit; When The Watcher nominates two posts for this week's vote, he is gonna limit himself to considering those who do the following:The Deal 1. You must make a post containing 4 required links -- your qualification post must link to the most recent winning council post, the most recent winning non-council post, the results of the latest vote, and that vote's posting of the nominees . 2. Then send me an email with "LINK WHORAGE" as the subject and include a link to the post you want me to consider nominating... also, please include a link to your post required by the previous step. 3. Please follow the previous two steps before Tuesday's nomination deadline of 8 PM, Eastern Standard Time.
For the actual links you gotta Go See . . . The Watcher. G'head. Give it a shot!
Terrorists? What terrorists?? I don't see no terrorists???
ANKARA (Reuters)[5.4] - Turkish police probing an alleged plot to bomb a NATO summit in Istanbul next month said on Tuesday nine men had been charged with belonging to an illegal organization [Ansar al-Islam ] and seven others had been released. ...Police in Bursa also seized guns, explosives, bomb-making booklets and 4,000 compact discs featuring training instructions from al Qaeda leader Osama bin Laden. The incident has highlighted security concerns in the run-up to the NATO summit. It will be the biggest gathering of foreign leaders in Turkey since the presidents of the United States and Russia attended a meeting of the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe in Istanbul in 1999.
I'm sure there're no more . . . I see Osama has moved up from tapes to CDs. Way to keep up with the times, oh Psychotic One.
The plot thickens . . .
NEW YORK: Ahmed Chalabi, a long-time Pentagon favourite to become leader of Iraq after maintenance Hussein's ouster, and some of his top aides supplied Iran with sensitive information on American occupation of Iraq which could "get people killed," a media report said on Monday quoting top Bush administration officials. The electronic intercepts of discussions between Iranian leaders indicate that Chalabi and his entourage told Iranian contacts about American political plans in Iraq, Newsweek quoted American officials as saying.
I'd missed this one.
Censure Rall
Freedom of speech means free of governmental censoring -- not free of consequences. Consequences are a-brewing for the above-mentioned Ted Rall:Andrew Sullivan Today’s disgusting diatribe against Pat Tillman is so vile, so utterly devoid of any motive or argument but personal malice and hatred, some form of protest is surely merited. Email the vice-president for print syndication, Lee Salem, and tell him what you think of Rall’s cartoon. Please, please, be civil. His email is lsalem@amuniversal.com. He needs to hear from you.
Cold Fury The time for merely railing in places like this against Rall’s childishly treasonous outbursts is past. It’s now time to do something more concrete and tangible about him. Let him scream “stifling of dissent” all the way to the pauper’s grave he so richly merits; let him peddle his filth from somewhere other than the protective bosom of the country he so obviously despises. Let him lie down with the terrorist dogs his nihilistic ivory-tower Leftism breeds, weans, and coddles and see if he’s more comfortable in their embrace than our own. Let him reap what he’s sown. There is no reason in the world that any nation, any society, any civilization, should have to tolerate such trifling, intellectually dishonest, and despicable attacks. The fact that he lacks the self-discipline to muzzle his own baser impulses is no reason to continue letting him shit on a rug he didn’t pay for in the first place.
Beautifully written, that.
In just one, tiny sentence, Ted Rall changes from just another bitter anti-America screech owl into a hatemongerer. ...That's disdainful. It's arrogant, it's obnoxious, it's vile and it's contemptible. No newspaper or syndicate in their right mind should be letting this hateful attempt at humor grace their pages.
Dear Mr Salem, I do not protest your publishing of un-funny cartoons, for after all, one man's hilarity is another man's "Lulu." I find I must protest when un-funny slops across the line into hateful, as have Ted Rall's pieces. I hope that you are making the choice to continue your association with him with the awareness that many people will view your organization as they view Mr Rall; as supporting hatred, racism and petty meanness. Thank you for your time, Claire Barry There's mine -- you?
Ted Who ?
Until I read Michele's Rall Rant and others around the blogosphere, I didn't really think about who this "Ted Rall" person was. Just another asshat... This morning I looked him up out of curiosity. I recognized the "cartoon" as one I have seen and which always left me slightly to moderately nauseous. So I ignored it. I followed the linkage and found that Rall has a "blog," trendsetter that he is, and there I found his response to the furor over his Tillman "cartoon." Parts of which are quoted below:Rall: First of all, the media's decision to genuflect to a cult of death is terrifyingly similar to the cult of Palestinian suicide bombers in the Middle East and the glorious coverage given by the Japanese during World War II to fallen kamikaze fighters.
"Cult of death," "cult of death" . . . "worshiping" . . . Flipping through my Liberal-to-English Dictionary here . . . [it reads from Left to Right, yanno] Ah! Here it is: "Cult of Death": (n.) 1] Armed Forces of any kind; in particular Special Forces, Rangers, etc. 2] Person who believes that force must be met with force, not with rolling over and peeing 3] Person who believes that freedom is not free and must be fought for Alrighty, then . . .
Second, Mr. Tillman served an evil president and an evil cause.
That's right, Rall. Should'a just let them little brown fuckers rot over there in Saddam's prisons and mass graves. You betcha! Grabbing Saddam, and particularly those nice boys Qsay and Uday, holding Iraq's perimeters 'til they can get themselves up and running again, advocating Democracy and free speech?!?! O. M. G. Why, anyone could say any damn dumb, vile, small, vicious thing! And what about that "Cult of Death" policy of putting our own people in harm's way rather than taking out resistance from the air thus saving Iraqi civilian lives. Evil! Evil President!! [*smack*smack smack*]
Finally, it's time for troops who signed up post-9/11 to take a little personal responsibility.
Yeah, you fat, lazy lie-abouts. What the hell's wrong with you?!? Signing up to defend your country after an attack by a foreign power?!? Flagrant irresponsibility! I imagine you're planning to get jobs when you come home, too, instead of hitting the streets and the congressional hearing rooms?!? Have you learned nothing from your elders?? Get out there and protest the evil treatment of those poor suicide-bombers who are not being allowed to blow themselves up where they want to!
...the "president" is an illegal usurper occupying the White House, he's an out-of-control warmonger using the deaths in New York, Washington and Pennsylvania to promote a partisan political agenda and his wars are nothing more than grabs for control of oil and gas resources and pipeline routes
I don't care if Ted Kennedy counted those votes -- Bush is illegal! Using the deaths of those poor airline-hijackers to start illegal wars! Look! Just look how the price of fuel has plummeted since BushCo stole all of Iraq's and Afghanistan's oil! Can't you see?!?
Liberals tend to let volunteer soldiers off the hook, but let's not forget the hard, cold truth: If no one had enlisted after 9/11, we wouldn't be fighting these immoral wars based on lies and greed now.
We'd be speaking Arabic while sponging American body-parts off of Cleveland, Los Angeles, Seattle, Fargo, Miami, Charlotte, Bangor, Racine . . . like we were meant to! /sarcasm . . . now where's that coffee? as ol' Teddy sez:
If you can't judge someone based on their decisions, what can you judge them on?
Monday, May 03, 2004
Art Lives at
My favorite photoshopper creates some propaganda for our times.Snark *snork*
Snark's On!!J F'n Kerry's Friends Rally 'Round Him
mostly behind him, actually(CNSNews.com) - Hundreds of former commanders and military colleagues of presumptive Democratic nominee John Kerry are set to declare in a signed letter that he is "unfit to be commander-in-chief." They will do so at a press conference in Washington on Tuesday. ..."We have 19 of 23 officers who served with [Kerry]. We have every commanding officer he ever had in Vietnam. They all signed a letter that says he is unfit to be commander-in-chief," O'Neill said. ...Among those scheduled to attend the event at the National Press Club and declare Kerry unfit for the role of commander-in-chief are retired Naval Rear Admiral Roy Hoffman, who was the commander of the Navy Coastal Surveillance Force, which included the swift boats on which Kerry served. Also scheduled to be present at the event is Kerry's former commanding officer, Lt. Commander Grant Hibbard.
Maybe he'll shut the hell up about Vietnam now. [Holy Crap!] ThanQ! fellow Pre10tious Twit, Brain Shavings
Take Me To Your Leader, Krantz. • (0) Trackbacks • Link This
Rules are for when brains run out
Joe Nation [D-Marin] believes that the state should "protect the children©" from UV rays.Marin lawmaker Joe Nation has introduced a bill that would prevent anyone under 18 from using a tanning machine with ultraviolet rays unless they have a doctor's prescription. ...The bill was prompted by Nation's own bout with skin cancer three years ago.
...He believes exposure to the sun while growing up in Texas and playing high school and college tennis damaged his skin.
Ok, that is Joe's belief. Here is the research as outlined by a medical journal:
A recent study in the medical journal CANCER estimates that tens of thousands of Americans die each year of cancers possibly caused by too little sun exposure and too little vitamin D. Scientists at the National Cancer Institute recently found that the chances of dying from many of these cancers was reduced by 10 to 27 percent for people who live in the sunniest areas. Current indoor lifestyles, sun-blocking pollution and sunscreens reduce Vitamin D production, which is found in few foods consumed today. The body relies on UV light to get most of the vitamin D it needs to stay healthy. According to research, UV light can have powerful health benefits into the many roles played by vitamin D in the body, according to Dr. Michael F. Holick, professor of Dermatology, Medicine, Physiology and Biophysics at Boston University Medical Center. Dr. Holick has concluded that brief exposure to sunshine or artificially produced UV light produced by indoor tanning beds can help to ward off a host of debilitating and sometimes deadly diseases, including osteoporosis, hypertension, diabetes, multiple sclerosis, rheumatoid arthritis, depression and cancers of the colon, prostate and breast. According to his studies, exposing people with high blood pressure to UVB rays in a tanning salon lowers their blood pressure readings as much as a drug will, and he also found that increasing vitamin D improved the heart's pumping ability and reduced cardiac strain. Vitamin D is made in the skin when it is exposed to the ultraviolet B (UVB) rays in sunshine, as well as those from indoor tanning beds.
This is why a reasonable education in the sciences is a useful item. Not that anything like that can be found in any state school...
Nation said the bill would protect teenagers from skin damage caused by the sun's rays
This is why a reasonable education in logic and the Law of Unintended Consequences is also a useful item. Not that it can be found, well... 'most anywhere. Joe -- pay attention: your bill does not outlaw the Sun. I think that if you stop for a minute and actually think, you'll realize that the kids, if banned from the tanning salons, will go outside and lie in the actual sun. O' course, you can always try to outlaw Coppertone, lawns, the beach, pools and rivers, walks in the park, parks, sidewalks, convertibles, and leaving any buildings from 6 am to 8 pm. Joe, get a grip and get back to work on the deficit.
The Council Has Spoken ! ! [and I missed it]
I've been a baaaad, baaaaad girl. I completely missed that I'd completely missed reportage of the Watcher's Council Winners for the week of 4.22. Here is my make-up post and my most sincere apologies to the Watcher, my fellow Council members, and most of all, the worthy winners. Your Political Correctness or Your Life by Patterico's Pontifications Under An American Sky by Spiced Sass Talking Turck-y at the Boi’s by Aaron's Rantblog and, Woodward Says No Secret Oil Deal, Suggests Kerry Learn to Read by Captain's Quarters Letter From the Front by The Daily Blogster Justifying American Ethnocentrism by Tempus Fugit Full results of the vote are over at The Watcher's, and the week's entries are too! Spambots: byte hot bits and die!! [Thanx, Watcher!]A Funny Feeling . . .
Well that was informative . . . I just went through one of those experiences that tells youSaturday, May 01, 2004
And Now for Something Politically Incorrect
The anecdotal stories that crime was decreasing in downtown Minneapolis, St. Paul and at the Mall of America started soon after the Metro Transit strike began in early March. Curious about what might be happening, police began discreetly monitoring crime figures and found some intriguing numbers. • Police calls at the Mall of America, especially on weekends, were down by as much as 21 percent. • Arrests in downtown Minneapolis had dropped. • In St. Paul, police calls for so-called "quality of life" complaints, such as narcotics sales near bus stops, also had fallen.
Public transit: conveyance of choice for the criminally minded?
And Now for Something Politically Incorrect
The anecdotal stories that crime was decreasing in downtown Minneapolis, St. Paul and at the Mall of America started soon after the Metro Transit strike began in early March. Curious about what might be happening, police began discreetly monitoring crime figures and found some intriguing numbers. • Police calls at the Mall of America, especially on weekends, were down by as much as 21 percent. • Arrests in downtown Minneapolis had dropped. • In St. Paul, police calls for so-called "quality of life" complaints, such as narcotics sales near bus stops, also had fallen.
Public transit: conveyance of choice for the criminally minded?
Iran -- You're Catching American Wacko-itis
bwahahahahaha OOooooo, look. Something shiny!Flying saucer fever has gripped Iran after dozens of sightings in the last few days. Fanciful cartoons of alien spacecraft have adorned the front pages. State television on Wednesday showed a sparkling white disc it said was filmed over Tehran on Tuesday night. More colorful Unidentified Flying Objects (UFOs) have been spotted beaming out green, red, blue and purple rays over the northern cities of Tabriz and Ardebil and in the Caspian Sea province of Golestan, the official IRNA news agency reported. Newspapers and agencies reported people rushing out into the streets in eight towns on Tuesday night to watch a bright extraterrestrial light dipping in and out of the clouds. An airforce officer in the Revolutionary Guards was quoted in the reformist Vagha-ye Etefaghiyeh daily saying Iran's Supreme National Security Council should investigate whether these visitors from afar had hostile intent.
That'll keep their minds off that silly "freedom" idea. ThanQ! Kelley
Statistics
This page has been viewed 18188767 times
Total Entries: 5718
Total Comments: 4193
Total Trackbacks: 714
Most Recent Entry: 06/14/2011 06:44 am
Most Recent Comment on: 11/27/2011 05:18 pm
{/if}
