Moving with the quickness...
You just have to shake your head after reading this.
On Friday afternoon, al-Sadr followers stormed the building of Karbala's quick reaction police force and looted weapons, witnesses said. Four Iraqis were killed and thirteen were injured, according to officials at al-Hussein hospital.
Quick reaction? Who's defining "quick" here?
One hopes this information is incorrect
Iraqi blogger Hammorabi on our latest blunder.
The fighting between Muqtada Sadr followers and US forces in Najaf resulted in 4 holes damage in the Golden dome of the shrine of Imam Ali. The size of each is about 8 x 12 inches. This may have been resulted from 4 gun shots! The Shrine of Imam Ali is the third sacred place after Mekka and Madina.
Najaf also contains one of the biggest burial sites in the world. It is believed that Prophet Noah and Adam have been buried there. ...
The US forces entering Najaf with force and with the damage to the holly shrine putting themselves in a serious situation they will regret it if they are going to continue that way. The best way to enforce law and bring whoever required for justice should be done by the Iraqi forces especially in these two holly places.
The economy's doing great!
Inflation's up. I wonder if it has anything to do with higher fuel prices increasing the cost of transporting goods.
OK, I guess that's a rhetorical statement.
Laid off? Want job training? Too bad.
I could swear that Bush went to a community college in Toledo, OH, earlier this year to brag about providing job training for laid off workers. Well I think he's waffling, because this next part is more than predictable.
Across the country, thousands of laid-off workers — many of them from smaller companies in thinly populated states — stand to lose job-retraining opportunities because of a little-noticed change in the way the government pays for such programs.
The new Labor Department rules, adopted earlier this year, bar the longtime practice under which states "bundled" small groups of laid-off workers from separate companies to reach the threshold of 50 employees needed to obtain training dollars.
The rule change could make it more difficult for workers who lose jobs at small companies to get training help. Thinly populated states like Iowa will be hardest hit, since many people there work at smaller companies.
But remember, folks, that economy's humming thanks to dem tax cuts!
What's wrong with Air America?
I hate to hit up Rall's blog twice for posts, but he has interesting things to read this week. On Air America's problems (slightly edited):
As something of a pioneer of leftie talk radio (on KFI Los Angeles from 1998 to 2000, and then again during the fall of 2001), I've taken more of an interest in most in what I feel to be a much needed idea and, if carried out correctly, a potentially profitable business. I've spent the last few weeks listening to Air America pretty much every day, and I think I know what ails them.
First and foremost, the central conceit of using comedy to counter right-wing vitriol doesn't work ... I quickly learned that on radio humor is the icing on the cake, not the main meal. People listen to feel informed, to hear ideas and arguments they can use at work the next day around the water cooler. You don't get that stuff on Air America.
Second, most of the hosts have no talk radio experience...
Third, Air America is reacting to what the Republicans and the right does and says. They don't set their own agenda...
Finally, the editorial content is mushy. A few days ago, I heard Franken try to defend John Kerry on charges of waffling. Look, Kerry IS a waffler. It goes back to Vietnam, when he tried to be a war hero AND a peacenik, a game he's still playing ... A host without credibility won't be listened to.
On Rall's last point, "A host without credibility won't be listened to," I have to disagree with that. I point to Rush, Hannity, and Savage as my counterarguments. But I think most of Rall's arguments against Air America are dead on. I don't have a local station to listen to Air America on, but I have tried listening to Franken's show from the internet stream, and I was bored with it. And, I hate to say it, but Majority Report wasn't that great, either. The only host Rall defends, Randi Rhodes, I listened to while driving through New York last Monday and I really enjoyed her show. All in all, Air America would benefit from taking Rall's advice to heart.
Spinning like a top
Ted Rall, after an appearence on O'Reilly's show, informs us of what really happens in the no spin zone.
To be sure, I didn't get a fair hearing. A lot of people don't know that O'Reilly's show is taped a few hours earlier; any real zingers on the part of a liberal guest get edited out.
5 songs = $4000
For downloading 5 measly songs, the RIAA whacked a Connecticut man with a $4000 fine. "Ridiculous" doesn't even begin to describe this punishment.
Bush's America
Another story about the misconception of freedom.
A southwestern Wisconsin man is fighting a civil citation for bringing a sign that read "F U G W" with him as he watched President Bush pass through Platteville last week. ...
Police told him he couldn't display the sign. Van den Bosch then changed the sign to say "Free Us G W" and added "End the Occupation" on the back, referring to the war in Iraq.
A few minutes later, another police officer came over and ordered Van den Bosch to surrender the sign. Van den Bosch rolled up his sign and moved to the back of the crowd. He held it up as Bush went by.
Police then handcuffed him and took him to the police station, where he was photographed, fingerprinted, cited $243 for disorderly conduct and released. Van den Bosch said he hasn't paid the fine.
I'll guess, and I'm stretching here because I like the original sign, that the legality of "F U G W" is questionable. However, after he changed it to "Free Us G W" and "End the Occupation", I can't see where those aren't perfectly legal and protected under the first amendment of the Constitution, which contains all those pesky little freedoms that Bush likes to claim our troops are supposedly fighting for.
Fark Headline of the Day
"Crazy Phil Spector shows his chauffeur the "Wall Of Fist" sound he's been perfecting"
(And now, the next few headlines will be ripped from Fark...)
Gas'em!
I just read a non-baseball message at my favorite jihad-front of Red Sox Nation:
DON'T BUY GAS DAY: WEDNESDAY MAY 19, 2004
Pass it on.
Where's de purty pictures?
I haven't posted any photos to the blog this week. I usually look on buzz.yahoo.com to see if there's anything interesting people have been viewing and emailing each other. This week, it's been girls girls girls, and a photo of Brad Pitt. Now I look on there and Britney is busting out of her bra, something I'd feel rather guilty looking at. If my cock busted out of my pants while I was out in public and someone snapped a picture of it, I'd certainly be embarrassed if it went out on the internet. Though, I imagine Britney likes the attention because it means millions in the bank for her. Honry men do not spend their money wisely.
So, to keep things light hearted here, I'll dig through the archives for a photo... Ah! Here's one!
Caption it!
Getting gassed
I think the price has gone up at least a dime in the past week. One station near my house has the "cheap" stuff at $2.07 a gallon.
Next time you're at the pump, remember.. There's an oil company executive shitting his pants in a giggle fit just thinking about you!
And not to ignore huge news stories, like Nick Berg
I haven't been able to pay too much attention lately. Work is busy, not getting much sleep, etc... Lambert at corrente hasn't had those problems, though, so read what he has to say.
Senator Lugar said, "Other experts estimate that between five per cent and 25 per cent of the $525 billion that the World Bank has lent since 1946 has been misused. This is equivalent to between $26 billion and $130 billion. Even if corruption is at the low end of estimates, millions of people living in poverty may have lost opportunities to improve their health, education, and economic condition."
First it's $25 billion...
Then $50 billion
Then $25 billion, again...
Now Bush is asking for $70 billion for Iraq and Afghanistan. When does it end?
And I'm sure a brilliant move like this won't lead to anymore death and destruction
Expect more suicide bombings soon.
Israel gives green light to Gaza demolitions
The Israeli Army has been authorised to demolish hundreds of houses in the southern Gaza Strip city of Rafah, where five soldiers were killed earlier this week.
Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon gave the Army the green light to destroy hundreds of houses and widen the 'Philadelphi' route, a buffer zone which runs along the Israeli-controlled border with Egypt.
The first houses to be destroyed will be empty buildings.
An official from Mr Sharon's office described the action as a legitimate defensive measure.
Next on global warming's killer schedule
Possibly 300 million chinese people by mid-century.
Hey, didn't Bush say "Fuck you" to Kyoto a couple years back?
Why has the press allowed the Bush administration to propagate this lie for so long?
In this story about Minnesota setting a program to import cheap Canadian drugs, here it is again!
Federal law forbids the importation of prescription drugs from Canada, where brand-name medicines can cost half the price because of tighter government controls. The government argues that it cannot ensure the safety of drugs imported into the United States. ...
Tom McGinnis, director of pharmacy affairs for the Food and Drug Administraion... said the agency continues to have safety concerns about imported medicines: "For $15, I wouldn't personally risk my health. It's almost like rolling the dice."
Have you heard of any Canadians dying due to complications of bad Canadian medication? No? Gee, that's funny, because I haven't either.
This is absolutely ridiculous. I've seen this lie since Bush came into office, and the media just repeats it like the good government stenographers that they are. Whatever happened to journalism? Whatever happened to researching and investigating? Would some asshole from the fourth estate plus at least ask an FDA official if they have proof positive that Canadian drugs, and the drug testing administrated by their own health agencies, is so much worse than ours that it's a problem? And if it's true that Canadian drugs aren't safe, why aren't we helping them? They border us, they are our friends, after all. Why has the Bush administration sat around with a thumb up its ass for the past 3 and a half years and not offered help to our fellow maple donut munching neighbors to the Great White North? I mean, they could use it. Even if their drugs are clean, we could still send them care packages of scissors so they can chop off those goddamn mullets.
Somehow, I just can't take the Bush administration seriously on this one. Why does the press?
Zee Blog Arteeeest
I'm rather uninspired today. I've been interested in very little of the articles I've read, I can't find any good pictures to post, and I'm not feeling all that witty. Maybe I'm just bloody tired. 7 hours of sleep doesn't mean jack when you roll out of bed to sit down in a chair for 8 hours.
[07:42 - Now everytime I sit down, I fall asleep. I have to constantly walk away from the computer just to stay up. So that should explain the lack of content today.]
Send your Congressperson a comic book
Hey, if it works for Japan...
Japanese Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi scolded rookie lawmakers Thursday for reading comic books and talking on their cell phones during legislative sessions, according to a newspaper report.
Rebuilding Iraq
Could the Bush administration be clueless in how to properly apply resources to best rebuild the country? Hm. This is like asking if a priest likes little boys...
As Sunnis in Fallujah and Shi'ites in Najaf keep reminding anyone who bothers to listen, there are no jobs for Iraqis - unemployment is running at 70 percent. But despite the body count - 34 killed, 74 wounded, two missing and counting - there are plenty of jobs for Americans, especially Texans, on the KBR (formerly Kellogg Brown and Root) bandwagon in Iraq. The Halliburton subsidiary, based in downtown Houston like its parent company, is now employing 24,000 people - mostly Americans, but also from 38 other countries - in Iraq and Kuwait. ...
One wonders, had more Iraqis been given similar job opportunities, whether the United States could have avoided a catastrophic war on both the Sunni and Shi'ite fronts.
Unfuckingbelievable
Wizbang is taking left wing blogs to task for not linking to the Berg video. Like this is supposed to be wrong or something. Ironically enough, his post on the matter is titled, "A partisan beheading?" Like we're the ones making this partisan by not linking to the video!
While I appreciate the offer to see somebody get beheaded, I'm all set. No, really, I'm fine with never, ever seeing this. Ever.
How bad could it get?
Here at Loaded Mouth, we don't ask the tough questions. Just the unwanted questions. And we provide the unwanted answers.
And new pictures continue to surface gradually: on Wednesday, members of Congress saw many as-yet unpublished pictures, these far more lurid than the ones that have appeared in the press. Congressmen said afterwards that they included depictions of sodomy of prisoners with various objects, and an American soldier posing with a corpse. If they are released to the public, these pictures will only add to the sense of outrage.
Posing with a corpse. That's classy.
In this post, I'd also like to address the concerns of the right who have accused lefty smart asses like myself of not paying attention to the Berg incident. Short, simple, and as unbiased of an answer as possible: Berg's death is an atrocity, but what's happening at Abu Ghraib is a bigger atrocity. Therefore, it's a bigger story, and more attention should be paid to it. IF you disagree with me, that's just too fucking bad.
How Republicans react to the truth
Before I quote some whackos rantings about what's being broadcasted on Air America Radio, I pose a question: Have you seen any Republican publicly criticize Rush Limbaugh for the tasteless and offensive way which he has dismissed our torturing of prisoners in Iraq?
No, of course not. Instead, hacks like Michael Goodwin they think Air America lacks tact.
The signing of comedian and best-selling author Al Franken gave Air America a liberal drawing card. But if his three-hour show on Monday was typical, he could sink the ship instead of saving it.
Two attempts at humor were offensive. ...
Franken also imitated a priest giving Communion, saying "Body of Christ" when an imagined pedophile priest was in line but "not for you" when pro-choice politicians came up.
Uhm, excuse me, but how is this offensive? This is reality. This is exactly what happens. Goodwin claims to be a journalist, but with a comment like this, is he even aware that the Catholic Church has tried avoiding the fact that they harbored pedophile priests for decades? It was kind of a big story, Michael. Perhaps you should read up on current events.
The queen of venom, Randi Rhodes, followed Franken in the host slot. Her imitation of a cracker military type telling a soldier to "insert this fluorescent light bulb into that man's buttocks" was revolting.
God forbid radio hosts discuss what's actually happening to prisoners in Iraq! I would expect any decent person to think that the forced rape by sodomy is revolting. But nope, not to Michael Goodwin. That's just peachy in his book. But if you seek to criticize it, well, that's just crossing the line!
You know, what the fuck is wrong with the right? Have they just flung common decency right out the window? They won't criticize Rush Limbaugh for calling torture "hazing" and "blowing off steam", but if a liberal radio host dares to talk about what's actually happening in Iraq, it's "revolting"? If they dare to talk about what's actually happening in the Catholic Church, it's "offensive"? This is the height of hypocrisy, not to mention the stupidity. I honestly can't believe this shit gets published, and these people get paid to write, while I have to blog from work.
[Update 09:19 - Look at all the morons go nuts over this story. I'm not sure if anyone linking to it besides me has noticed that Air America Radio has been factual. The GOP blogs are just eating this story up like cattle being led to slaughter. I shudder to think that these dipshits are going to vote.]
Rights? You only get those if you screw men.
California plays keep the children away from the lesbian.
A woman has no parental rights over the twins she was raising with her lesbian partner — even though she is the children's genetic mother, an appeals court ruled.
Upholding a lower court ruling, the 1st District Court of Appeal decided only the woman's partner — who gave birth to the twins after artificial insemination with eggs provided by her lover — has full parental rights...
Shannon Minter, an attorney for the National Center for Lesbian Rights, said if the genetic mother was a man, she would have been awarded rights to the children, pointing to a 2002 California Supreme Court decision granting a non-biological father rights to a child he helped rear.
And what of our prisoners in Afghanistan?
What kind of treatment are they receiving that's being paid for by our tax dollars? Human Rights Watch has some answers.
In a March report, "Enduring Freedom": Abuses by U.S. Forces in Afghanistan, Human Rights Watch documented numerous cases of mistreatment of detainees at various detention sites in Afghanistan, including extreme sleep deprivation, exposure to freezing temperatures, and severe beatings. Detainees complained about being stripped of their clothing and photographed while naked. Some of these abusive practices during interrogation were similar to those recently reported in Iraq. Recent media reports have also documented new cases of mistreatment in Afghanistan.
But even after gathering evidence of what we're doing in Afghanistan, on top of the mounting torture crisis in Iraq, Rumsfeld refuses to give Human Rights Watch access to Afghan prisons.
Human Rights Watch has also made several formal requests to visit U.S. detention sites in Afghanistan through 2003 and 2004, none of which received any response. Human Rights Watch made a request to U.S. Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld on May 6, 2004 asking for access to all detention sites maintained by the United States in Iraq, Afghanistan, and other undisclosed locations.
What do they have to hide? Judging from the pictures coming out of Iraq, they could have a LOT to hide.
Where's the GLF when we need them?
A Barnsley man has covered up his lewd garden gnomes with painted-on swimwear after police warned him he faced arrest for causing public offence.
While most garden gnomes fish or enact scenes of bucolic tranquillity, ex-army sergeant Tony Watson's models in this northern English town bared their breasts and buttocks, prompting complaints from the public.
Oh shit.
Well, I'll have to eat a little crow here. I've been saying for months that Nader wouldn't be a factor in the election because there's no possible way he has the grassroots support to get on the ballot in any state besides little shit ones like Rhode Island. Well, now he's on the ballot in Florida, Colorado, Kansas, Mississippi, Montana and South Carolina. Why? Because he's been endorsed by the Reform Party.
This totally blindsided me. Fuck, I wasn't even aware that the Reform Party had ballot access in any state anymore. And now the party, which was founded by a pro-corporation Texas billionaire and endorsed the uber-right wing Pat Buchanan for president in 2000, is endorsing Nader. For somebody who has crusaded against corporations for his entire political career, this should be an embarrassment. I'd hate to start believing all of Nader's detractors who say the man is just a shill for the right, but if Nader doesn't outright decline this nomination, then what does he stand for? How can you go from Green to the party which supported Buchanan?
Sanctions-lite
Bush's sanctions against Syria do not affect US energy companies who do business with Damascus. And the sanctions haven't deterred China from helping Syria's missile program. Scream and shout all you want about Syria having a missile program, but don't try telling me that you wouldn't develop missiles with a nuclear-armed Israel breathing down your neck.
I wonder if this man is causing our troops to die
Only a liberal-pinko-unpatriotic scumfuck would spew such treasonous poison!
[On wanting to remove troops from Iraq.] Because I don't think they're serving any U.S. interests there. I don't think that the war serves U.S. interests. I think Osama bin Laden's interests and the Iranian interests are very much served by it, and it's becoming a huge drain on our resources both material and political. And our ability to keep our alliances with Europe together and eventually to bring some kind of stability to the region from Afghanistan to the Eastern med and to more effectively cope with Al Qaeda, we're going to have to get out of this resource consuming pothole.
So what America-hating, Saddam loving, despicable waste of human life uttered this tripe? Here's his bio: "Gen. William Odom, served as director of the National Security Agency under President Reagan from 1985 to 1988. From 1981 to 1985, he served as Assistant Chief of Staff for Intelligence, the Army's senior intelligence officer. He is now a Senior Fellow at the Hudson Institute in Washington. He is the author of several books including "America’s Inadvertent Empire."
Obviously a double-agent!
I hate to be so negative all the time
And when I saw this story, "16 nations to benefit from new US foreign aid programme," I clicked on it and thought, "Well, maybe I'll actually have something good to say about Bush for once." And while it's not all bad, it's not all I hoped, because it seems like Bush is telling nations to bend over before they receive aid from us.
The Millennium Challenge Account encourages all poor nations to embrace political and economic reform. The US has pledged to increase its core development assistance by half, adding $5 billion annually by 2006.
To be eligible, nations must root out corruption, respect human rights, and adhere to the rule of law. They must invest in their people by improving their health care systems and their schools.
They must unleash the energy and creativity necessary for economic growth by opening up their markets, removing barriers to entrepreneurship, and reducing excessive bureaucracy and regulation.
Opening up their markets? Removing barriers to enterpreneurship? Is this code language for privatizing resources like water distribution?
And not to be a dick, but we're offering 16 developing nations $5 billion when Bush doesn't bat an eyelash after asking Congress for another $25 billion to wage war in Iraq?
Jesus Uncensored
The man, the institution, the legend, Kurt Vonnegut has some thoughts on our government and the current situation in Iraq. There's so many quotables in this short piece that I can't possibly give it the attention it deserves by showing you one portion of it, but this one struck me.
Doesn’t anything socialistic make you want to throw up? Like great public schools or health insurance for all?
How about Jesus’ Sermon on the Mount, the Beatitudes?
Blessed are the meek, for they shall inherit the Earth.
Blessed are the merciful, for they shall obtain mercy.
Blessed are the peacemakers, for they shall be called the children of God. …
And so on.
Not exactly planks in a Republican platform. Not exactly Donald Rumsfeld or Dick Cheney stuff.
For some reason, the most vocal Christians among us never mention the Beatitudes. But, often with tears in their eyes, they demand that the Ten Commandments be posted in public buildings. And of course that’s Moses, not Jesus. I haven’t heard one of them demand that the Sermon on the Mount, the Beatitudes, be posted anywhere.
“Blessed are the merciful” in a courtroom? “Blessed are the peacemakers” in the Pentagon? Give me a break!
Drop what you're doing and read the whole thing.
No wonder I've been confused
After reading this from Atrios, about the development of the prisoner torture story, I now undersand why my mind has melted whenever it has seen the news for the past couple of days.
The story changes so fast you can't keep up with it.
They first learned about this when the "courageous" soldier took the pictures to his superiors. And the pictures were all "personal."
But then stories came out that the pictures were ordered by MI for "intimidation" purposes.
And the ICRC reported it had told the Admin. about these problems months ago.
And it was limited to a handful of "bad apples." Except the same thing happened in Afghanistan.
And the photos were staged, not "snapshots."
And they knew something was up in November, but they fixed it. But they were surprised by the allegations in January.
But no one knew about it. But everyone knew about it, because there was a breakdown in command.
But there was no breakdown. And the Geneva Convention has always applied.
Except when it hasn't.
And we've always followed it. Except when we didn't.
And we don't abuse prisoners. Except when we do. It's not "American." Except it is expressly sanctioned by military regulations. Except it can only be sanctioned by the DoD, because Rumsfeld keeps tight rein on everything.
Except he doesn't. Because this was authorized in Iraq, not in Washington. Except it couldn't have been, because Rummy runs a tight ship.
Except he didn't know. But don't call it "plausible deniability." Because there's a chain of command.
Except Rumsfeld doesn't know what it is. He only knows about the PR campaign he's been conducting since these photos went public.
But he isn't lying. He just doesn't know anything.
But it's okay. Because he's doing a great job.
Even though everything is a shambles.
Fill me in
I don't have expanded cable and I try not to watch TV in general. So I have to ask... Are they actually showing this man being beheaded on the tube? I know Wizbang (whom I will not provide a link for) has the video on their servers, and I'm not sure what to make of that. I'm not sure why anybody would want to watch it; I certainly don't.
One of those days
It seems like everytime I attempted to do something non-work related, my job takes over. I'm not sure if there will be anymore posts today.
Playing favorites
So why did Bush wield sanctions against Syria?
The actions of the Syrian government — including pursuing weapons of mass destruction and occupying Lebanon — represent an "extraordinary threat to the national security, foreign policy and economy of the United States," Bush said in signing an executive order imposing sanctions.
Gee, that's funny. All this talk of sanctioning a country for pursuing weapons and occupying territory that's not there's. Reminds me of another country in the region which does the same thing. The prime minister of such country even got the personal approval of Bush to continue occupying territory - during a visit to the White House, no less! Yet we're friends with them, so it's OK when they do it.
Well, this is ironic
I found these couple of paragraphs in an article about men with eating disorders being on the rise:
Everts said his disorder became evident in high school in the late '70s when he began eating less and exercising more to become a better athlete. The 5-foot-10 football player got all the way down to 96 pounds, a hospital room and eventually, a psychiatric ward.
"They just basically said, 'If you eat, you'll get out,'" he said. That triggered a new problem: binge eating. Everts eventually found help, though he still considers himself recovering. He now weighs around 134 pounds — within the normal weight range for a man his height.
Whoa whoa whoa whoa, back the fuck up. For a man at 5'10", 134lbs is normal?! If this is what we should believe as passing for normal, no wonder eating disorders are on the rise. I'm 6'0" and 220lbs, and for myself, I'm thinking 200lbs is "normal." And I tend to think I'm correct; I'm a bit bigger boned than most people, so I can take on more weight. But still, if 134lbs is "normal" for somebody 2 inches shorter than me, then what am I supposed to be? 150lbs? That's insane!
The article points out the influence of the media on male behavior, which I think is fair. Just like women are influenced be the skinny sticks we see everywhere, men are influenced by underware models and action stars. But if 134lbs is the prescribed "normal" weight for somebody at 5'10", I'd have to say thoise figures are an influence, too.
Men, guts are OK. And that goes for women, too.
Taking the economy into the 20th Century
Bush is going to cut funding for Section 8 housing. In case you're keeping score at home, while his tax "cuts" made his millionaire buddies even richer and he preaches about the great job he's done with the economy, Bush doesn't give a shit if more people live on the streets.
Here's one way to curb teen pregnancies
Teach teenagers the finer points of oral sex.
Encouraging schoolchildren to experiment with oral sex could prove the most effective way of curbing teenage pregnancy rates, a government study has found.
Pupils under 16 who were taught to consider other forms of 'intimacy' such as oral sex were significantly less likely to engage in full intercourse, it was revealed.
Britain's teenage pregnancy rate is the highest in Europe. In 2002 there were 39,286 teen pregnancies recorded. The government has spent more than £60 million to tackle the problem but so far failed to halt the rise.
Seems to make sense, but I'm wondering when the evitable religous backlash of "YOU'RE ALL GOING TO HELL! YOU'RE ALL GOING TO DIE! ALL WOMEN SHOULD SEW THEIR VAGINAS SHUT AND WAIT FOR IMMACULATE CONCEPTION!" is going to come.
And another thing, just imagine the oral presentation for class...
Fly that flag, and don't you DARE think for yourself!
I'm always bothered when I read about blind patriotism.
The news media are wrestling with how many and how much of the graphic photographs they should show, and their decisions are drawing controversy of their own. Some critics have accused news organizations of serving an antiwar agenda and endangering troops and Americans overseas by showing such shocking images.
God forbid that troops have endangered themselves by their own actions. Does it ever cross these critics minds that innocent people are being tortured? But they don't want it reported because it serves the "antiwar agenda" and supposedly places our troops in trouble. Well, you know what? Tough shit. I hate to say it, but tough goddamn fucking shit. Obviously these brain dead fucktards haven't been paying attention, because this is news, and it's the job of the media to report news. Fucking DUH!
And if anyone is serving the "antiwar agenda" and "endangering troops", it's the goddamn fucking Bush administration who placed pur troops in Iraq for NO reason and allowed chaos to rule the day, which in turn allowed innocent people to get TORTURED. Stop shooting the messenger! It's the media's job to report news stories, and this, like it or not, is a fucking news story. If mentioning it endangers troops, then maybe our military and intelligence agencies shouldn't have tortured people in the first place! God fucking damnit.
I'm so sick of this fucking bullshit, critics blaming everything on the media. Like it's Dan Rather sticking broomsticks up Iraqi prisoner's asses. It's not, it's the fucking military and it's a fucking news story. If the military and "critics" don't want these stories "endangering" troops, then why not make amends to make sure that these stories don't fucking exist in the first place?
For how long has the Bush administration known that innocent Iraqis were being tortured?
The Geneva-based organization [Red Cross] gave its report to coalition forces in February. The prisoner abuse erupted into an international scandal in recent days after the publication of disturbing photographs from Abu Ghraib.
Or maybe November of 2003?
Iraq's first human rights minister launched a blistering attack yesterday on America's chief administrator in Iraq, Paul Bremer, saying that he had warned him repeatedly last year that US soldiers were abusing Iraqi detainees.
In an exclusive interview with the Guardian, Abdel Bassat Turki, who resigned a month ago, said he informed Mr Bremer last November and again in December of the rampant abuse in US military prisons. "He listened very well. But that was all he did," he added.
Nader sues Texas to get on presidential ballot
Ralph says that Texas' requirements for third party candidates to get on the ballot are unconstitutional, since major party candidates have an easier time making the ballot. I may have agreed with him 4 years ago, but now I think Nader can't get onto the ballot because he just doesn't have the popular, grassroots support. He's still campaigning like it's 1999 and he refuses to modernize his efforts. He couldn't even throw his hat into the ring until the Democratic nominee was sure to be Kerry, which was much too late as far as I'm concerned. On top of that, he's candidacy to supposedly build third parties is going to destroy the best chance third parties have of becoming a major party, and the biggest party he helped build: The Green Party.
Democrat pundits think Nader can tip the election to Bush, but let's face it: the guy can't get on the ballot in any states that matter. The only thing Nader will successfully accomplish is destroying any chance the Greens had at becoming a major party, which goes completely against his platform of running to build third parties. I voted for Nader in 1996 and pounded the pavement for him in 2000, but this isn't the same Nader. He destroyed his popular support even among those who want to build an alternative third party. I wish he would just admit that he's fucking things up and stop trying to become a politician.
I always report the bad news here
There's good news: I just saved a bunch of money on my car insurance by... Actually, I got straight A's for last semester. I know this doesn't matter to anybody else, but hey, it's still good news!
Now back to our regularly scheduled negative lovefest and chimp hunting.
Something, anything new
Off news for a second, I need some new music to listen to. Leave me a comment and tell me what I should be downloading. Thanks. :)
Good crap.
Kevin Drum points out two things: Bush couldn't tell the difference between Shiite and Sunni Muslims "well into his plans for invading Iraq," but Wolfowitz must not have thought the difference was too important because, "there was no history of ethnic strife in Iraq." Disregarding Bush's beliefs because, honestly, it's so believable that it doesn't really come as a surprise, Wolfowitz must be held to a higher standard. As Bush's number two man in the Pentagon, he basically just came right out and said he's never heard of an ethnic minority whose four letter name starts with a "K", ends with a "D", and has a "U" and "R" somewhere inbetween. For over a decade, the US provided this ethnic minority with a no-fly zone to protect them from a murderous dictator who happened to use chemical weapons against them and slaughtered thousands. For Wolfowitz to honestly claim that Iraq had no history of ethnic strife, then he had to have been ignorant to the previous decade of US foreign policy. And if the man is that ignorant, why the hell was he allowed within 500 yards of the Pentagon?
This shit is getting ridiculous. It makes me long for the days where presidential incompetence meant getting a blow job at work.
New and not really improved
Blogger just ate one of my posts it told me it published. There's no evidence of it anywhere... Blog, drafts, XML feed. Nothing. Completely gone. Now I have to load up notepad and make sure I save all my posts in there before I attempt to publish them.
Ah, technology marches on... Just when I deleted all my old Movable Type code that I worked on a year ago, too.
Despicable
Headline: "U.S. Works to Calm Prisoner Abuse Fallout." Can you believe how the media is framing this issue? We're working to "calm" the "fallout", like this is in the past? And why the fuck should anybody be "calm" over this? My tax dollars are paying for torture, I'm most certainly not going to become "calm" unless some heads fucking rolling, starting with Rumsfeld and ending with Arbusto himself.
Of course, I shouldn't overlook another issue-framing portion of this headline: "Abuse". Oh no, it's certainly not torture, merely abuse.
Gun. Now.
There would have been a hole in the television if I watched The Big Dick deliver this quote: "Don Rumsfeld is the best secretary of defense the United States has ever had. . . . People should get off his case and let him do his job." Honest to fucking god, "the best secretary of defense the United States has ever had" insisted that we goto war in Iraq based on lies, insisted that it would be a cakewalk and we didn't have to send in as many troops and other experts thought we needed, insisted that the Iraqi people would welcome us with open arms, and insisted that we would bring rape room-free freedom and democracy to the land of Babylon. Instead, what we got was a quagmire and a few browned broomsticks with dried corn on them. But not only does The Big Dick insist that Rumsfeld is the best defense secretary ever, but in light of just how far off the deep end our military has gone in Iraq, we should leave him alone?!
Ladies and gentlemen, you couldn't get better proof that the Bush administration isn't living in reality if Ms. England stuck in on the tip of a broomstick and fucked you up the ass with it.
WTF?
I leave for a couple days, come back, and find that Blogger has completely changed their format. Maybe if I travel more often, they'll continue to add more new features. "Blogger -- Now with permissive sexual favors!" Ah well... I guess this is a good time to alert everyone that I'm pretty tired this morning, and my posts just might reflect that. You know what to look for: excessive profanities and lame humor.
[Update: There will be news soon. I've just been busy.]
Sex Talk: To Porn or Not to Porn
Since Tas is gone I just had to fill in for sex talk this week. My subject is obviously porn. Do you like it? What type is best (Video, Pics, Stories, Etc.) Do you share your porn with others or prefer to view it on your own? Feel free to share any interesting porn stories or opinions.
Traveling
I'm out for the day and gone until tomorrow. So if the Mat(t)'s, Lumenia, and Ender feel like running wild around here, they got a free pass. Just don't do anything I wouldn't do, like become Republican or something. That would be horrific.
Sunday funnies with all the brown stuff!
As always, and more importantly then ever, two by the irrepressible Ted Rall.
Subscribe to
Posts [Atom]