Saturday, February 28, 2004
Friday, February 27, 2004
Wednesday, February 25, 2004
11 year WTC Attack Anniversary....the First One. (2/26/1993)
Too bad we didn't get the message back in 1993. We could have been 11 years along on this war on terror. Ironic the guy says "the worst nightmare". If only that HAD been the worst. Who could know how bad things would get...
Tuesday, February 24, 2004
Good column by Dick Morris...
This is an (unfortunately) accurate account of the position Bush finds himself in. I see it in the people I am around. For some reason they really DO seem to not be caring much about terrorism anymore. Bush's success has hurt his reelection campaign. I think this is the more likely cause of polls dropping than the whole WMD/CIA fubar.
Former Texas Governor ignores terrorist warnings?
So, now we see that President Bush's blame in 9/11 goes back to 1999. The CIA was told about one of the hijackers, and what did Bush do? He spent time running Texas and ignoring the security of the United States and policing the CIA. With the Governor of Texas running Texas, who could be hunting down leads given to us by Germany? Did he think he would just ignore them and leave it to someone else? Who else should be doing those things? It is as if he thought that Bill Clinton should have been paying attention.
Monday, February 23, 2004
'Have you killed anyone yet?'
Apparently, this is what Sec. Rumsfeld asked Gen. Holland in an update meeting as a status-check on how the fight against terror was progressing. I know most of the people outside the US, and many inside don't like Rumsfeld, but, I like him. He doesn't care about bureaucratic obstacles, he just wants to solve the problem. The terrorists want to kill us, so, we should be killing them first. Seems pretty logical.
Saturday, February 21, 2004
One of these days a story like this will be true...
and oh how sweet it will be. I get chills every time I let myself think 'maybe this will the time'. And if we can take out '50 fanatical bodyguards' with him, all the better.
Friday, February 20, 2004
Guess who's back, back again...
Will the real 'Green Shady' please stand up? Please stand up!
Dean is out, and Ralphie is back in. Good deal. He just might take 5% (with all the Dean exiles) and give Bush the cushion he needs to win in November.
Wednesday, February 18, 2004
Kerry ahead in Blue states, Bush ahead in Red states...not a surprise.
However, it is interesting to note that Bush is WAY ahead in the Red states, meaning Kerry has little chance of winning them, while Bush is barely behind in the Blue states. He lost the Blue states badly in several of them in 2000, so to even be close is a good thing. All this during a time when the Democratic candidates are getting all the press.
Hope Zogby's latest numbers turn out to reflect what happens. Since, winning the Red states guarantees a victory in 2004, let alone any of the Blue states.
John Kerry continues his disdain for the South with recent dissing of Nascar...
I guess John Kerry must really believe the South doesn't matter. Remember when he said:
“Everybody always makes the mistake of looking South. Al Gore proved he could have been President of the United States without winning one southern state, including his own.”
Well, his latest strategy is to take on the Nascar nation. He doesn't like the way Bush was mobbed while he was at the recent Daytona 500. Now he says:
"We don't need a president who just says, 'Gentlemen start your engines. We need a president who says, 'America, let's start our economy and put people back to work."'
This must be some shrewd angle of attack on not just the South, but, the 75 million Nascar fans that I just can't figure out. But, go for it, Mr. Kerry. Glad you will be a different kind of President. Osama is certainly pulling for you.
Friday, February 13, 2004
Guess terrorists are having their tactics used against them...
Former Chechen president killed when his SUV blows up. Hmm...ties to Al-Qaida, also wanted in Russia. This comes just after a Chechen homicide bomber explodes in Russia killing 40 people. Sure seems like someone (or multiple someones) decided it was time for this guy to disappear for good.
Forget personal responsibility, let's blame the dog!
I can check another place off the list of where I won't live. Kira isn't welcome in Guysborough, Nova Scotia. Not sure where that exactly is, and also not sure 'Guysborough' is where I'd want to live, but, either way, when I retire and run away from it all, don't look for me there.
I am not going to discount the tragedies that happen w/ dog attacks. Nor am I going to say that all breeds are exactly equal in their destructive capability. However, it is not as clear cut as people who want to ban specific breeds (and the people in Guysborough) try and make it.
It truly IS the owner who is to blame in making a dog (or failing to NOT make a dog) the type that would be going around attacking things. I feel bad for the owner of the poodle, but, come on, they have some shared responsibility in this. They have their house setup so a something can just 'wander in' without being stopped? No fence? This beloved poodle could have just 'wandered out' and gotten run over by a car. Then they try and make it seem even more scary by saying the child had been brough inside just 5 minutes before. So, if you time it right, you can go to these people's house and wander into the backyard and take their kid and no one will notice.
Anyway, Rottweilers and other breeds with a bad rap just have more than the average capability to do damage when they 'go bad'. You could make a Chihuahua viscious, they just won't actually be able to hurt anyone since they are about the size of a can of Coke. Are we going to then start banning larger and stronger humans?
Wednesday, February 11, 2004
Rapists are bad!...Unless you work for a Congressperson in Marin
This story should be getting a lot of traction in the media, but, it isn't. Commonsense&Wonder picked up on it last week.
It is about Rep. Lynn Woolsey's appeal for leniency on behalf of a convicted rapist who happened to work for her. The best of her quotes are:
"Stewart Pearson is a young man from a supportive family. I believe he has a promising life ahead of him"
and
"Obviously, in my eyes he is not a criminal,"
Now, Jonah has it mentioned in the Corner. He links to the story where she backpedals. I can't even imagine the firestorm that would erupt if this was from a male Republican Member of Congress.
This is the same Woolsey, who has endoresed Kucinich for reasons including his women's rights positions.
The same Woolsey who is 'appalled' at the level of underreporting of violence against women.
The same Woolsey who has supported the Women's Caucus policy agenda.
But, maybe we shouldn't be so surprised after all at her actions. She also is the same Woolsey who thinks we could learn from Saudi Arabia about how to treat women.
The GOP would want to put people who commit crimes like this in jail forever, or even better, kill them. But, they are the ones portrayed at the ones who are keeping women down. Yet, people like Woolsey are held up on a pedestal as defenders of the fairer sex. Go figure.
Tuesday, February 10, 2004
Stop the Presses!!! A Muslim cleric supports America. Hope he has bodyguards...
Not that this will get any play in the mainstream media, but, we have to take the positive commentary whenever we can get it.
Also, not sure the Madrases will be using this example as one to get more donations. Will the press jump on this like they do (deservedly) on the Catholic Church for the misdeeds of the priests?
Latest candidate for weakest link does a Clark Griswold imitation...very sad
This "relative" has two strikes going against them. 1) They are a terrible relative and how can they possibly be so busy that they can't drive a 7 year old girl (that they presumably love and care about) 5 miles? The girl is in the car and you make them get out? Terrible. 2) They are completely stupid, clueless and oblivious to the outside world and should not be driving. Off to Greenland with them!
First Kerry "looks French" and now he "wins" France?...
Remember back last year and the whole "Kerry looks French" flap? Who knew it would be such a leading indicator of the Paris branch of 'Democrats Abroad' vote recently. Looks like 'JFK' got 310 of 517 votes to crush Howard Dean. Nice headline though, "Kerry Steals".
Also, could this be the next President of France?
Monday, February 09, 2004
"Fight-Holy-War-and-end-up-full-of-holes" campaign by Osama falling behind
This is good news. The "get out the bomb" campaign is falling on deaf ears it seems in Iraq. Sure hope it is true.
Al Gore finds long-lost Tennessee accent while forgetting history...
Al Gore seems to say that George Bush betrayed the USA because he planned on invading Iraq BEFORE 9/11. Interesting that Al notes this, since "Regime Change" had been the Official US Policy since 1998 when a man with the same name, but, without the evangelical fiery heavy accent, was the the Vice President. Maybe he forgot about that when he found his new sound.
Friday, February 06, 2004
Bizarro World where bad means good and good means bad?
How in the World can this be passed off as objective journalism? This is so bass-akwards it makes my head spin. Now, while it may be true that Bush IS spending a lot, it certainly is NOT the case that a Kerry presidency will be more focused on a balanced budget. The economy.com "expert" who says a Kerry presidency will be like a Clinton one should scare off any voter. First of all, even if the "surpluses" of the Clinton era WERE real, it wasn't for anything he did, it was due to the Internet boom, which was NOT because of WJC. There will be more stories like this and it is scary. Since many 'sheeple' will start to believe it.
I can't even focus on what part of the "story" that pisses me off more. The part about a Kerry presidency will "bring down interest rates" (I guess the lowest rates in 40 years isn't good enough) or that the overall implication that a Bush presidency has been bad for the economy. The headline "Kerry Presidency Seen as a Boon for U.S. Markets" seems so assinine now after 2003 being one of the best years for the market in a LONG time. U.S. markets are in a boon right now. New jobs is the last piece of the puzzle, which based on today's report, may also finally be coming to fruition.
The media will spin the latest data as "dissapointing" or that "more" jobs were expected to be created than the 112,000 that were. Well, since the month previous was 1,000, and has been just revised upward to 16,000 (16 times BIGGER for the math-impaired) it stands to reason that even the 112,000 number of this month will be revised. Even so, 100,000+ new jobs and the unemployment rate dropping is not a bad thing! Even more of a crazy, conflicting left-spin is evident here where while doing exactly what I mention above, they say because of this interest rates will stay low. OK, so low job creation is going to keep rates low, and Kerry is going to keep interest rates low (per the first Reuters article), therefore, it follows that Reuters believes that a Kerry presidency will keep job creation low. But, I though (to continue the spin-speak) Kerry will be LIKE Clinton, who supposedly was the greatest job-creator ever. Didn't he create 459,345,457,867 jobs or something like that? When I try to use this kind of logic in Excel, I get a circular reference error. I wish the media had that function also.
So, either the author of the first "Kerry is a Boon" article would have you believe the past year was NOT good for U.S. markets and Wall Street, OR, that Wall Street was already beginning to price in a Kerry presidency about 15 months ago as they salivated over a return to Clinton-like budget management. Which of those two 'the Earth is flat'-quality statements is it? It can't be neither.
Thursday, February 05, 2004
Lack of evidence clears Mohamed Atta's roommate?
Only people who think OJ is innocent can think there isn't enough evidence in a case like this. Let's see: Gave cash to 9/11 terrorists? Check. Admits being friends w/ Mohamed Atta? Check. Admits co-signing Atta's last will and testament before the attacks? Check. Ok, good, set him free so he can go finish his electrical engineering degree. Bailiff, send in the next case!
Is this the sequel to the Nigerian email scam?
Gabonese President mistakes Miss Peru for a prostitute? Maybe Miss Peru responded to one of those emails. Too bad for the prez, though, Miss Santa Maria said "non" to playing the Bongo. Sounds like his bed would make Austin Powers proud.
IP Infringement, maybe - unPC, probably - funny as hell? absolutely!!!
This thing is made me crack up so much I had to watch it 3 times. It has been around on the web a couple weeks but somehow I just found it. I actually found it while trying to Google for a picture of the guys in Outkast. I thought this guy, from the Smoking Gun, looked like he was trying to be both of the members at once.
Silence of the Lame
This is so silly. If it were April 1st, I would think that CNET was doing a spoof of an Onion headline. But, it seems as though this is real. Apple's iTunes is offering several "songs" for download that are nothing but silence. They decline to say how many they have sold, but, being that humans have an inexplicable ability to be conned over and over, I wouldn't be surprised if it was a lot. I think I should start offering 'Ralstunes' here. I will give 2 for 1 silence downloads. I will even offer to send them via email. 98 cents for 2.
How to become a dad in 30 days...and a trip down memory lane
This is an interesting one. It seems that one of the people I worked with way back at the Daily Nexus at UCSB in 1991 (They were true journalists, I was just an interloper for a year), is embroiled in a very unfortunate situation. Not responding to a notice in the required 30 days had made him, in the eyes of California, the dad to a child DNA proves is not his. Another fellow Nexite, Matt Welch, has a good piece on Tony's plight in Reason this month. Several other blogs have picked up the issue. Instapundit, Unbillable Hours, Cathy's World, among others. Here is a pic of the "tall, dark" man of the hour, at Blogosphere, by Mark Frauenfelder, of Wired Online fame.
Anyway, while I may not agree with Tony on many political issues, this is most definitely a terrible thing happening to him and people should write their Congresspeople. This story has made me think what an exciting year it was back at the Nexus in 1990-1991. It was, of course, during the First Gulf War. We were always looking for local angles to the war to make it more personal. I remember when we found out that some guy had performed self-immolation on the Capitol steps, apparently in protest of the war. We got a call from a former Nexite working at CNN that had seen some footage of the guy. He was wearing a "UCSB" t-shirt. I was given the task of trying to see what I could find out. Not sure how I managed it, but, within 30 minutes I had tracked down a phone number and was talking to the son of the man who had died. The son explained his brother had gone to UCSB and had simply given the father a shirt at some point. So, that was it, no story. Immediately, I was struck by how awkward it was to have been caught up in the moment of calling people out of the blue to get the 'scoop', completely oblivious to the pain this family must be going through. They were absorbing the loss of a family member, and someone was calling to find out why or how they might be connected to a University. I know this kind of thing must go on all the time, but, it gave me the creeps.
Anyway, good luck Tony...sdg
Massachussets talk shows experiencing 'The Ring of Kerry'...
The "Do you know who I am?" anectodes are flooding the airwaves in the Senator's home state. One thing that will be interesting in the campaign over the summer will be how much the Left tries to flog Bush on the "he is just a rich multimilionaire who didn't earn the money himself" angle. Considering the two most likely candidates are Kerry and Edwards, both near the top of the Senate wealth lists, it would seem to be absurd to try and use it. However, the truth never gets in the way of a good talking point most of the time. What if there is a Kerry-Edwards ticket? We could have a combined quarter BILLION in net worth running against big business "W".
Wednesday, February 04, 2004
Can you say "Cave"?
ESPN just announced they are cancelling "Playmakers", which I thought was a pretty darn good show. The NFL didn't like how it portrayed players (I guess they aren't a fan of realism). The incredible irony of Ray Lewis saying the show should have been cancelled since "that show is nothing about us" is amazing. It has been a short 4 years since Lewis was charged in the case involving a double murder at a night club just after the Super Bowl. While Lewis was found innocent, the case remains unsolved and the relatives of the victim aren't feeling any love for the star player.
With this kind of 'clarity' who needs incoherence?
Woman decides Christianity doesn't make sense, so she coverts to Islam and marries a terrorist? OK, now that is some world class reverse logic.
So NOW he says it! Kofi admits waiting for UN to act is worthless...
"I long for the day when we can say with confidence that, confronted with a new Rwanda or a new Srebrenica, the world would respond effectively and in good time," he said. "But let us not delude ourselves, that day has not yet come."
How conveniently this type of comment will be ignored by the media. Kofi Annan himself says the UN has failed to act in a timely manner. While he doesn't mention Iraq as an example (of course) he concedes the World may still not be ready to intervene. So, there it is.
How big would the 'Big Dig' get if Kerry becomes President?
Gotta love those Massachussetts boys, Kerry and Kennedy take care of their own. Regardless of any conflict in this particular issue, looking out for those that help you is not necessarily a bad thing. Everyone does it. But, Kerry looks like a hypocrite bashing Bush for taking care of 'his' friends.
Where are the crosshairs when you need them?
If only we could get on the mailing list of these planned rallies.
The dangers of "feckless gun cleaning" and other dendrite stories..
I'm not an 'anti-dendrite', but, somehow I can't take a story like this seriously when it uses phrases like:
"The physiological responses that cause an unintentional discharge—sympathetic contraction, loss of balance, and startle reaction—are all enhanced when an individual is aroused,"
While trying to describe unintended shootings.
Hopefully, this Amy G. Dala can shed some light on this.
"Feckless" Poor?
This is what it means to be brave? Do people actually think that the producers (the rich) will actually produce just as much if you take it all from them? Is a one-time redistribution a good long term fix? I guess if EVERYONE has nothing, then all is good.
Tuesday, February 03, 2004
Yeah, ok, but, what about the guy at the top of the list? Where is the "John Kerry Earned Millions as Husband" headline? And no, I am not jumping on the Edwards bandwagon, even if he did win in a state with a town called Gaffney.
Navin R. Johnson would be proud..
Wow. Janet's boob is the most searched thing on the Internet. "I bet more people see that than the phone book."