Adjustments

There are differences between the mainstream media and the unfiltered, causal access to news that you get from blogs. You're all smart cookies, so I'm sure I don't need to mention all the differences for you to understand them. But blogging, as the newest form of media, continues to take shape and find its voice, people will need to get used to one huge difference between this and the mainstream media.

That difference is continuity.

The mainstream media thrives off continuity. Every week is the same routine: advertisment-heavy Sunday and Thursday papers net most of the articles, weekday and Saturday editions are skinnier; you have the front section, local section, sports section, food, travel, etc. Many of the stories come from the wires. No matter where you are in the country, you'll still read the same articles from AP, Reuters, Knight-Ridder, New York Times, and Washington Post. And when there's a staff change at a major newspaper or wire service, there's 50 people waiting to fill it. They report in all climates, all extremes, all the corners of the planet, and are able to get this coverage to you at the same time everyday.

Blogs are quite different. They are typically run by a single person as a hobby. Most bloggers could only wish that their blog could be their main source of income, but we're all normal people. Some of us work 40-50 hours a week, others goto school. Some, like me, do both. While balancing our professional and student lives with time to focus on blogging, we also like to maintain a social life, too.

Those are some factors which influence how blogs are run, and they are in the back of my mind right now. Another factor is how we feel about ourselves, our intellect, and our ability to write. Right now, I'm not satisfied with the blog I have been producing. I haven't been on top of stories lately, it's had an adverse effect on my writing, and often times I end up feeling confused and wondering where all the hits I gained a month ago went.

I remember how I used to read news before I got addicted to an RSS feed. I would hit Common Dreams often, comb over Indymedia's open newswire before it really started to suck, read all the feature articles on Salon no matter how long they were, hit the Independent and Guardian for international coverage, Yahoo to see what the latest American propaganda was, and then hit up various sites that had gained my interest for whatever reasons. But since I started using an RSS feed, my news combing habits have changed. Likewise, so has the blog. I've tried posting articles I read as quickly as possible, abused blockquote to the point of plagiarization, I haven't focused on my writing, and I've stopped reading the longer articles because I think I don't have time to anymore. Just gotta post post post!

The only thing this has led to is mental fatigue, writers block, and heaping helpings of fucking profanity. But the last part hasn't been noticable, right? :)

I'm no longer satisfied with the format of this blog. I'm not satisfied with my writing, and I'm not satisfied with my grasp on current events because I haven't taken the time to read the news like I used to. Because of all these factors, the quality of this blog has suffered.

I knew the format of this blog would change at same point this year. Pretty soon, the workload at my job is going to double - maybe even triple. I also intend to be a full time student next semester, because getting my degree is the most important thing I can do right now. And factors in my social life have changed, and they do not place me near a computer has much as I used to be.

Instead of choosing to let all these factors create a conflict which forces me to change, thus making the metamorphosis uncomfortable, I'm deciding upon intervention now. The changes which are inevitable will only be worse to go through if I don't take control of the situation and relearn what I'm supposed to do.

This doesn't mean that the site will stop being updated. My main goal is to improve this website. While I can imagine all the redesigns and reorganizations of site content that I want to, I know that gimmicks don't fly in the long run. And no matter how many other "guest" bloggers I add, I understand that the heart and soul of Loaded Mouth is my writing. It's my cult of personality. I have to make sure that my mind is sharp enough to make this site informative, interesting, and fun to read.

These improvements start now. Right now, I harbor the same feelings as the five years younger version of myself, entering a studio for the first time, ready to record an album but not knowing what it would sound like. Nobody knows what the end result will be until you've found it. Then you know.

My daily, sometimes semi-daily, excursions for it may be awkward, but hopefully you'll have fun watching. The only promise I can make is that, eventually, I'll learn how to be a better blogger.

Stop looking! This isn't a story!

When I woke up around 10:30 last night, I flipped on the radio and listened in while Bill O'Fuckwit mouthed off about our torture of prisoners and how it's not a story anymore. His justification for it not being a story is that, supposedly, nobody wants to here about it.

Well, gee, if people listening is an apt measure of journalism these days, then I would like to ask Mr. O'Reilly to stick to his very own standards and resign. "The O'Reilly Factor" on Fox News hardly nets the ratings that a nightly newscast on NBC, ABC, or CBS. Hell, has Fox News even cracked 2 million viewers yet? Doesn't NPR's "All Things Considered" have millions of listeners every afternoon? I'm pretty sure an audience of that size puts the combined audience of all Fox News shows and O'Reilly's "Radio Factor" to shame. By O'Reilly's own standards, he should not only be off the air, but he should also rally against Fox News and try to get his job back at ABC. They still employ John Stossel, so I'm sure they have room for another dipshit. (Maybe they could ask O'Reilly to grow one of those stupid mustaches, a la Stossel, and that would just be funny.)

Of course, this isn't taking into account how most Americans pay attention to Hollywood, not the news. I hate to say it, but I'm sure there are more people in America who care more about seeing Britney Spears' tits than the news. So, furthering O'Reilly's "logic", if the media should only be concerned about what people are interested in, the main concern of all major news networks should now be getting a topless photo of Britney Spears to the public as quickly as possible. Britney's bust or bust!

Mr. O'Reilly, you asshole! I thought you were pro-family and pro-children!

Well, now that we got that out of the way, here's some real news. Because I know you'll listen, right? Right? Hey, stop imagining your lips around Britney's nipple and listen! Pervo. Here's what O'Reilly doesn't think this is a story.

In this undated still photo provided by The Washington Post on Friday, May 21, 2004, a hooded Iraqi detainee appears to be cuffed at the ankle chained to a door handle while being made to balance on two boxes at the Abu Ghraib prison on the outskirts of Baghdad. The Washington Post has obtained what it says are hundreds of photographs and short digital videos - as of yet unreleased - depicting U.S. soldiers physically and emotionally abusing detainees last fall in the Abu Ghraib prison. (AP Photo/Washington Post)

Remember, they don't think this is a story.

That sound you hear in the distance is Rush Limbuagh poppin' a stiffy

Police Seeing Generic Oxycontin on Street.

Hit me!

It seems I'm not the only blogger complaining about a loss of hits lately. Click here and make a good blogger happy.

Republicans are nuts

Look at what happens when Ted Rall dares to speak his mind.

First, I want to thank everyone who sent me copies of their messages to Attorney General John Ashcroft regarding the acts of Treason committed by Ted Rall (see previous entry). It is gratifying to me that so many people are willing to stand up and fight such despicable actions. Now it will be up to the U.S. Department of Justice as to whether the law as defined in the Constitution will be enforced.

However one whiner [tasnote: ahhh, name calling is so mature] wrote in to make the predictable charge that it was 'censorship' and a violation of the First Amendment to take Rall to task for his Treason.

And to that I say: BULLSHIT. Rall committed Treason, and that Treason is perfectly defined by Article III, Section 3 of the United States Constitution...

And Rall? It is my fervent prayer that I might live long enough to see that S.O.B. lined up before a firing squad and executed for that act of Treason. Tell me where that dirtbag gets buried and I'll join the long line of real Americans who will no doubt be ready to p*ss on him.

Remember, in the same breath, this fucking asshole (and that's the nicest thing I can say about him) would tell you that the troops are fighting for our freedom. Roll that around in your brain for a minute.

Don't call it an antitrust (it's been here for years)

Why won't Bush knock'em out?

Attorneys general from seven states, including Rhode Island, are asking President Bush to direct an international investigation into the setting of gasoline prices, contending that their regional probes are not powerful enough to protect consumers.

The chief law enforcement officers said they didn't know if the high gas prices are a function of higher demand, lower supply or collusion, but they agreed that U.S. Attorney General John Ashcroft must use the strength of the federal government to find any offshore illegal activity.

Open mouth, insert right foot

Little Green Footballs claims that Palestinians were going to behead a New York Times reporter. I tell ya, they're credible!

What if this is true?

According to eyewitnesses, after the seige of Kunduz, some three thousand prisoners were forced into sealed containers and loaded onto trucks for transport to Sheberghan prison. Eyewitnesses say when the prisoners began shouting for air, U.S.-allied Afghan soldiers fired directly into the truck, killing many of them. The rest suffered through an appalling road trip lasting up to four days, so thirsty they clawed at the skin of their fellow prisoners as they licked perspiration and even drank blood from open wounds.

Witnesses say that when the trucks arrived and soldiers opened the containers, most of the people inside were dead. They also say US Special Forces re-directed the containers carrying the living and dead into the desert and stood by as survivors were shot and buried. Now, up to three thousand bodies lie buried in a mass grave.

Throwing rice is out. Throwing bombs is in!

Is there anybody who believes we didn't bomb an actual wedding in Iraq?

[Excuse me, not bomb, but blast away at with helicopter gunships. What the fuck ever, though. I can hardly see where the difference matters at this point.]

But we've got to protect the children!

Get a load of this censorship bill in Caleeefornya's legislature.

H.B. 4239, also called the “Parents’ Empowerment Act,” would allow the parent or guardian of a minor to sue in federal court anyone who knowingly disseminates any media containing “material that is harmful to minors” if the material is distributed in a way that “a reasonable person can expect a substantial number of minors to be exposed to the material and the minor, as a result to exposure to the material, is likely to suffer personal or emotional injury or injury to mental or moral welfare.” The bill has been referred to the House Judiciary Committee.

I'm no expert of politics in the state, so I don't know if this bill has any legs. That doesn't disqualify it from being ridiculous, though. If the government of California truly seeks to empower parents, why don't they ask parents to take an active role in raising their children? Be involved with their lives, and if a child has a book or magazine that you talk think is healthy, why not talk to them about it instead of suing people's asses off?

Northampton!

On Tuesday, I wondered what was happeningin Northampton, MA since gay marriage became legal in Massachusetts. Given that Northampton is the lesbian capital of the Northeast, I found it odd that all we heard about was P-Town.

In response, I received a comment from Seonachan, who was in Northampton on May 17 and wrote about the events in his blog, which makes for good reading. He also gave me the link to a local paper there. I would expect local events to be logged in such, but that's not the point. If I see stories about P-Town and gay marriage in the mainstream media, then I should also see stories about Northampton in the mainstream media. I view both cities as important in this story, since both are centers of homosexual culture.

Some women...

I have to take exception to this:

German women fed up with a man with a poor aim can turn to the ghost-shaped gadget, which lurks under the toilet rim and, if the seat is lifted, declares in a stern female tone:

"Hello, what are you up to then? Put the seat back down right away, you are definitely not to pee standing up ... you will make a right mess..."

The first time I saw "About Schmidt" I was fresh out of a bad relationship with a girl who wouldn't allow me to be an individual. Schmidt's ill-fated wife in the movie reminded me of my ex, and as I watched the film I said to myself, "Crap, if I didn't break up with that !@#$, this would be me in 60 years." There were many things Schmidt's character did to himself that made him miserable, but his wife also effectively beat the individual out of him. Neutered him. Humiliated him to the point where he could even stand up and take a piss anymore, because that wasn't allowed in her house.

People might think this is silly, (others may think I'm droning on about a non-news item because I have nothing better to do; I'm guilty of such right now), but if I'm controlled to the point where I'm told to sit down when I take a leak, I'd feel like I've lost my manhood. This device, while silly and cute, just screams "I WILL CONTROL YOU!" to me. I shudder to think who I would be if I were married to a woman who bought this.

Second Fark Headline of the Day

"Dennis Hastert, who was too fat to serve in Vietnam, gives John McCain, who spent five years as a prisoner of war in Vietnam, a lecture on the sacrifices of war"

Reading the article linked from Fark, McCain had some good things to say.

"Throughout our history, wartime has been a time of sacrifice. ... What have we sacrificed?" McCain said. "As mind-boggling as expanding Medicare has been, nothing tops my confusion for cutting taxes during wartime. I don't remember ever in the history of warfare when we cut taxes." ...

"All we're called upon to do is not spend our nation into bankruptcy while our soldiers risk their lives. I fondly remember a time when real Republicans stood for fiscal responsibility."

Zing!

Fark Headline of the Day

"Federal rule requires porn spam to now identify itself in subject line. Porn spammers available for comment, but can't stop giggling"

Yes, I am ignoring Israel

As usual, I decline to comment on anything happening in the land of Canaan. Matt, if you're itching to bulldoze in a response, feel free.

Sign of the times

There's a story about gas prices on the news, and my father just muttered, "It cost me 53 bucks for gas tonight."

Fifty three dollars. Thanks, Bush.

Bush, he's just doing wonders for our economy!

(via Atrios)

Good lord...

The radio just told me that Ice-T has convinced David Hasslehoff to come out with a hip hop album. Ice-T will produce it.

Right now, I'm thinking of a couple places where bullets are welcome to go.

What a wanker

Jonah the Yahoo Goldberg, from the National Review, thinks Tim Russert is arrogant because he's complaining about the way Colin Powell's press secretary tried cutting off his interview on Sunday. Apparently, if a Bush administration grunt is being questioned on all the shit this administration has spewed up and a PR flak tries censoring the interview, Russert is the one who's arrogant for questioning it.

In other news, Jonah the Yahoo gets paid to write this bullshit. Amazing, isn't it? Screw doing a blog and writing from my heart, maybe I should just start talking out of my ass. Seems to net the big bucks.

Slacking

I've got 8 articles on my screen, and about 200 more headlines to sift through. But everytime I try reading, I fall asleep. I thought that with the end of my semester I would be getting more sleep, but the 6 hoursI've had in the past 48 hours disagrees. So if content has been off for the past couple of days, there's my excuse.

And speaking of sleeping, anyone want a dog who barks a lot in the middle of the day?

I'd miss a Red Sox game if I were in an anti-war rally...

But these World Cup football fans are dedicated.

Little Green Footballs hate religious freedom

It's OK if you're Christian of Jewish, but fuck you if you're muslim. It's nice to know that the right loves our freedoms.

Amnesty International rips the US a new asshole

And, quite frankly, it's deserved.

Amnesty International is calling for an impartial and independent commission of inquiry to be set up by the United States Congress to conduct a thorough investigation into the USA's "war on terror" detentions across the globe. ...

Since the outset of the "war on terror", the US administration has fostered a climate conducive to torture and cruelty. A contemptuous approach to international law and standards, the use of incommunicado and secret detention, and the repeated dehumanization and labelling of all detainees as "killers" and "terrorists", have created conditions ripe for torture and other crimes under international law. ...

There is growing evidence that the abuse of prisoners in US custody has been widespread and resulted from US policies as well as a leadership failure. However, the administration continues to claim that only a few soldiers have been responsible. President Bush himself, Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces, is promoting this message. The most appropriate way to get to the bottom of this and to meet international concern is to establish an expert inquiry independent of government.

You know AI is right. I know AI is right. Your annoying Republican brother-in-law even knows AI is right. And if the Bush administration didn't have anything to hide, then there would be no problem with an independent investigation being conducted.

International law? That doesn't apply to us!

Not even in cases of genocide?

In a letter sent to the Chamber, Amnesty International urged the Bolivian authorities to uphold Bolivia's obligations as a state party to the Rome Statute of the International Criminal Court by opposing the ratification of this unlawful agreement.

Bolivia signed an impunity agreement with the USA in May 2003. Last Wednesday, the [Bolivian] Senate approved this agreement, which would commit the government of Bolivia not to surrender US nationals accused of genocide, crimes against humanity and war crimes to the new International Criminal Court (ICC).

Remember, genocide is A-OK as long as it's committed by an American!

A few more bad apples

When are heads going to roll?

Army officials in Iraq responded late last year to a Red Cross report of abuses at Abu Ghraib prison by trying to curtail the international agency's spot inspections of the prison, a senior Army officer who served in Iraq said Tuesday.

After the International Committee of the Red Cross observed abuses in one cellblock on two unannounced inspections in October and complained in writing on Nov. 6, the military responded that inspectors should make appointments before visiting the cellblock. That area was the site of the worst abuses.

I hate to oversimplify things, but if the Army tried keeping the International Red Cross from monitoring prisons, doesn't that mean they know they were doing something wrong?

It just gets worse

Flexible Kerry manages to, yet again, deep throat his foot.

Democrat John Kerry said Wednesday he's open to nominating anti-abortion judges as long as that doesn't lead to the Supreme Court overturning the landmark 1973 ruling that made abortion legal. ...

As fellow Democrats and abortion-rights groups demanded clarification, Kerry issued a statement after the interview pledging to not to appoint anybody to the Supreme Court who would undo the right to abortions. He left open the possibility of appointing anti-abortion judges to lower courts.

[rolls up a newspaper and whaps Kerry repeatedly on the nose] NO NO NO NO NO NO NO! BAD DOGGY! This has to be the most asinine thing I've heard from this man. It's most certainly not OK to appoint pro-life justices to the federal bench, because that just places them one step closer to a Supreme Court appointment when the next Republican eventually becomes president. Besides that, there's a balance issue here. Whenever there's a Republican in office, they do everything in their power to stock the federal bench with Scalia-clones. If a Democrat gets into office and won't appoint judges with common sense, then what's the point of having him in office?

And if Kerry is going to lean this far to the wrong side of the abortion issue, what's the point of having him in office? I'm this close to removing my "Clothespin Endorsement" because I'm afraid a clothespin can't close up my nose enough to escape the stench of the stinkbomb Kerry just dropped.

Furthermore, how could Kerry ever think this position will help his campaign? I know he's trying to pander to moderates, but the majority of Americans want abortion to be legal. If Kerry is going to ride the fence on abortion, he'll lose more voters to Nader. He just can't do this. Abortion, above anything else these days, is the defining issue that seperates Democrats from Republicans. He won't gain Republican votes with the wishy-washy position, and he'll only lose voters from his base.

What the fuck is he thinking? If ditching the abortion issue isn't bad enough, he still won't define his position on Iraq. Instead, he pulls a Nixon.

"It will not be like Vietnam," Kerry said. "I will get our troops home from Iraq with honor and with the interests of our country properly protected."

How soon? "It will not take long to do what is necessary. I'm not going to give you a specific date, but I'll tell you that I have a plan and I will put that plan in place." Republican Richard M. Nixon used similar language during the 1968 presidential race, but the war dragged on for years after his election.

If you have a plan, put it on display! Please! I'm sure my voters like myself would like to know how you differ from Bush on this issue, and the time to tell us isn't after the election. The time is now. Cut the shit and tell us your plan.

God. I wonder how much rent in Canada is right now...

I wish I could make this shit up

When did he stop drinking again?

U.S. First lady Laura Bush was warned by her mother-in-law never to criticize George W. Bush's speeches, and the one time she did, he drove the car into the garage wall, she said on Wednesday.

Warning: Immaturity ahead

I guess I should have that warning for this whole website, and not just one post... Anyways, here's Kerry describing the size of his sac for this campaign season.

Here's hoping he proves me wrong.

First born comes next...

A Shell gas station owner put up this sign again in Menlo Park, Calif., Monday, May 17, 2004 as gas prices raise in the area. The owner put up the sign last year when prices climbed. (AP Photo/Paul Sakuma)

Disgraceful

What kind of sick fuck thinks it's all right to give a thumbs up, sporting a shit eating grin, while standing next to a corpse? Seriously, did she plan sending this picture home to her family? "Look ma, a dead Iraqi! Isn't this cool?!"

Morons

Are people fucking blind or something?

The idea that Iraq today is suffering because of America's liberation is nonsensical unless you believe that, if Saddam were back in power, life in Iraq would be better. Is that how much these liberals hate George W. Bush?

This is absolutely the stupidest thing I've heard today. And unlike normal people, I've already had a full day of work with an irate phone call under my belt. Just because Iraq would suffer more under Saddam doesn't mean that they aren't suffering under Bush; especially when it's Bush who invaded the country, didn't plan properly for its occupation, allowed the existence of torture and rape rooms to continue, and there's no sign of when the violence perpetrated by all sides will abate. To equate sufffering solely with Saddam is "nonsensical," because ANYBODY can cause suffering. Just because the situation in Iraq under Bush is better than it would be under Saddam doesn't mean everyone there is skipping around and smelling roses. And that isn't, "how much these liberals hate George W. Bush?", it's fucking reality. Something which seems to allude the right.

Kerry is unelectable

And it's all your fault.

Now that I've got your attention, listen up: Card-carrying members of the left, including prominent bloggers, better start criticizing Kerry. Otherwise he's going to lose the election, and we'll have to share part of the blame.

I don't know how to put this nicely, so I won't even attempt to try. Currently, Kerry has balls the size of raisins. The guy has no sac, no umpf, no nothing. He's an empty shell of a candidate who is running solely on the fact that he's not George W. Bush, and he expects this fact alone to carry him to the White House.

It won't. And shame on you if you think it will, because that means you haven't learned the lessons from 2000. Bush STOLE the election. Gore won, but Bush TOOK it from him. His campaign manager, with full clearence from his brother, were allowed to disenfranchise thousands of black voters in Florida, who, as exit polls show, 91% of voted for Gore. Furthermore, they were allowed to send mobs to Florida to stop the recount while Gore rolled over and showed that he had no clue how to put up a fight.

These motherfuckers cheated. Don't believe for a second that they won't cheat again when given a fraction of a chance. One thing you have to give the Republicans credit for, and respect to, is their tenacity. They aren't afraid to fight tooth and nail to achieve their objectives.

Our side, on the other hand, is sending someone who is seemingly the biggest pussy in politics to face a potential onslaught. And after the dust has settled, who do you honestly think has the best chance of claiming victory when you have to choose between a candidate with nuts of steel or a waffle with raisins?

I know it's just so fun and productive to place the blame on Nader again. But if Kerry loses in November, we all have to shoulder some of the burden for his loss. Everyone on the left who has merely served as a "yes" person to the Kerry campaign, refusing to criticize him, will have to share the blame for his loss. The last thing Kerry needs is anybody bowing to him like he's some sort of anointed deity whom the public will flock because Bush is such a horrible choice. This will not happen. Right now, Kerry's best friends are contemptible assholes like myself, kicking him in the rump and screaming, "GO FUCKING FIGHT!"

Just like Kerry has pulled a disappearing act lately, so has the left. Why aren't we asking him to become a real anti-war candidate? You can't honestly believe that anti-war voters will back Kerry with Nader asking them to donate to his "peace chest". And since Nader will accept the Reform Party nomination, he will be on the ballot in key battleground states like Florida. Nader is a threat, it's time to start sapping voters away from his base.

Where's the left to scream at Kerry to go out and actually campaign? How come I feel like the only person who says Kerry should goto the closed factory in Canton, OH, and stick it to Bush? Am I the only person who realizes Kerry can't win the election without winning Ohio? Not only would Kerry point out Bush's hypocrisy to the nation, but his message would be a home run in in a state he desperately needs to win. Campaigning doesn't mean giving a stump speech at some random location, Kerry needs to goto the places where Bush policies have failed and point out reality. He needs to cite real world examples to demonstrate just how much of a miserable failure Bush has been.

But Kerry's not doing this. And I'm sick of the left refusing to criticize the man for his failures. Our silence will only serve in giving Bush another four years in an office he was never elected to in the first place. Kerry needs to wake up, and it's our job to set the alarm clock. I know it will be convenient to blame Nader again if Bush wins another term in office, but the blame will be misplaced. If Bush gets a second term, it's your fault.

How come Canadians make so much sense?

Canada's federal government clears the way for provinces to make the morning after pill available without prescription.

India's voters stick a fork in globalization

Long held up as an example of why free trade works, Common Dreams has an interesting piece on why the voters of India ousted their pro-globalization government.

The ruling Bharatiya Janata Party had embraced the corporate model of globalization, willingly accepting the dictates of the World Bank, selling off even profitable state-owned firms to foreign investors, and dramatically cutting business tax rates. A small sector of the India economy did boom, and the BJP sought a new term with a campaign that celebrated that growth. Its slogan was: "India shining."

Pollsters, pundits and business analysts predicted an easy victory for the BJP.

But the voters had a different view. They recognized that India's so-called "boom" has not shined on most Indians. As one opposition party slogan asked, "What did the common man get?" The answer was "nothing." And in India, where poor people vote at the same or sometimes higher rates than the rich, anger over the elitist nature of the boom proved to be decisive.

Coming to a pump near you!

And you thought you were leaving?

The Pentagon considers doubling the time of a Marines' tour of duty in Iraq.

It's alla 'bout the oil, jackass

Bush took over control of Iraqi oil reserves, claims the money from Iraqi oi is going to that country, but this may not be true. Go ahead, tell me you're surprised.

One reason why people think the South is a bunch of slack-jawed yokels

The Mobil Register is calling on Senator Kennedy to resign for making false statements and, quote "hate speech". Want an example?

Consider Mr. Kennedy's statement: "Protection of the Iraqi people from the cruelty of Saddam had become one of the administration's last remaining rationalizations for going to war. All of the other trumped-up rationalizations have collapsed. ... On Dec. 24, 2003 -- the day Saddam was captured -- President Bush said, 'For the vast majority of Iraqi citizens who wish to live as free men and women, this event brings further assurance that the torture chambers and the secret police are gone forever.' On March 19, 2004, President Bush asked: 'Who would prefer that Saddam's torture chambers still be open?' Shamefully, we now learn that Saddam's torture chambers reopened under new management -- U.S. management."

Yup. Apparently, Kennedy is lying. All those news stories to see about our troops sticking broom sticks up the asses of Iraqi prisoners, they're all false! Why stop at calling for Kennedy's resignation? Where's their editoral calling for Sy Hersh at the New Yorker to resign? What a liar that man is for breaking these horribly untrue stories!

God. Does one need a better example how partisanship makes somebody blind to the truth?

Freedom to Beat the Press

Just a few more bad apples, eh?

U.S. forces beat three Iraqis working for Reuters and subjected them to sexual and religious taunts and humiliation during their detention last January in a military camp near Falluja...

An Iraqi journalist working for U.S. network NBC, who was arrested with the Reuters staff, also said he had been beaten and mistreated, NBC said on Tuesday.

Two of the three Reuters staff said they had been forced to insert a finger into their anuses and then lick it, and were forced to put shoes in their mouths, particularly humiliating in Arab culture.

All three said they were forced to make demeaning gestures as soldiers laughed, taunted them and took photographs. They said they did not want to give details publicly earlier because of the degrading nature of the abuse.

The soldiers told them they would be taken to the U.S. detention center at Guantanamo Bay in Cuba, deprived them of sleep, placed bags over their heads, kicked and hit them and forced them to remain in stress positions for long periods.

But I guess since there wasn't a beheading, it's OK. Right?

Feeling tiny and insignificant?

Unrelated to this week's sex open thread, the universe is expanding rapidly.

Where's the news?

Sorry, I was working on a longer piece that I will post later today. Now I have time to start combing the news...

Fark Headline of the Day

"White House consults fundie Christians on Middle East policy"

Seriously. Atrios has more.

Welcome to the biggest cash register in politics

"Pioneers" buy influence in the Bush administration. Pioneers get Bush $100,000 by finding 100 friends to donate $1000. Ranagers, new to the 2004 campaign, get $200,000 in Bush's warchest. In return, Bush gives some jobs within his administration, other pioneers are lobbyists, and they've purchased influence. Really, it doesn't get any more blatant than this.

Of the 246 fundraisers identified by The Post as Pioneers in the 2000 campaign, 104 -- or slightly more than 40 percent -- ended up in a job or an appointment. A study by The Washington Post, partly using information compiled by Texans for Public Justice, which is planning to release a separate study of the Pioneers this week, found that 23 Pioneers were named as ambassadors and three were named to the Cabinet: Donald L. Evans at the Commerce Department, Elaine L. Chao at Labor and Tom Ridge at Homeland Security. At least 37 Pioneers were named to postelection transition teams, which helped place political appointees into key regulatory positions affecting industry.

A more important reward than a job, perhaps, is access. For about one-fifth of the 2000 Pioneers, this is their business -- they are lobbyists whose livelihoods depend on the perception that they can get things done in the government. More than half the Pioneers are heads of companies -- chief executive officers, company founders or managing partners -- whose bottom lines are directly affected by a variety of government regulatory and tax decisions.

Bush, of course, denies that any influence is being purchased. But pioneers won't talk, and Bush won't reveal all his pioneers. Get a load of their reason:

Pioneers interviewed for these articles were reluctant to discuss on the record their contacts with the administration. "That's dead man's talk," one said. The Bush campaign declined repeated requests to reveal the entire 2000 list of Pioneers, saying it is contained in computer files they can no longer access.

Contained in computer files they can no longer access? My ass they are. The rather unorganized Green Party I was a member of was able to keep track of their records on a less than shoestring budget, so to think a Bush campaign flowing with riches can't do the same is like believing there were WMDs in Iraq.

What do they have to hide?

More of what Disney doesn't want you to see

Michael reveals more about Fahrenheit 9/11.

Yesterday he [Moore] said: "When you see the movie you will see things you have never seen before, you will learn things you have never known before. Half the movie is about Iraq - we were able to get film crews embedded with American troops without them knowing that it was Michael Moore. They are totally fucked."

Anti-War votes for Nader?

There's some buzz abound about the growing strength of the anti-war movement, and how this could hurt the, quite frankly, pro-war Kerry because votes that should other goto him will goto Nader instead, who is the only actual anti-war candidate running. I'd love to feel sorry for Kerry in this case, but I just can't. The only reason Nader can sap votes away is because Kerry is on the wrong side of a very, very important issue. And if it causes him to lose the election, I'll scream at anyone who blames Nader again. The only reason Nader is in the race is because the Democrats again refused to nominate a candidate who had any hint of a backbone. It's about time Kerry grew a backbone, realized that what's happening in Iraq isn't something that he should be supporting, and develope a plan to get our troops out of there. And if he doesn't, then fuck him. It will be his fault, and his fault alone, if he loses the election, especially with what's happening to Bush right now.

Furthermore, where is Kerry? Has he even been around lately? Gas prices and inflation are exploding, Iraq is looking more FUBAR as each day passes, a factory which Bush used as his platform to brag about the economy last year has gone under -- Where. Is. Kerry? It's bloody amazing that Bush's poll numbers can drop while Kerry's won't rise. Where is Kerry? Why isn't he beating Bush over the head? Is he too busy helping his daughter pick a dress to wear at Cannes? Where the fuck is this guy? The presidency is being handed to him on a silver platter and he's just ignoring it like it's nothing. The time to act is now.

Who killed Nick Berg?

Kuro5hin has a very interesting article, "Nick Berg's Killing: 50 Fishy Circumstances, Contradictory Claims, and Videotape Anomalies." Reading this whole thing may force me to do something I never wanted to do: view the video. Some points are weak, and they admit this. But others aren't.

16) No blood at decapitation
When Berg is decapitated, there was almost no blood. If Berg were still alive at this point, with the cut starting at front of throat, blood would have been spraying everywhere. Berg's severed head, the floor, Berg's clothes, and even the hand of the 'Arab' who decapitated Berg had no visible blood on it. When the executioner holds up Berg's head immediately following what is represented as an actual decapitation of a living person, there is no significant blood flow from the neck or blood splatters showing anywhere on the executioner. ...

40) Missing tattoos?
Large green tattooed "dots" are known to be on the back of Abu Musab Zarqawi's left hand. These tattoos cannot be seen in the close up video of the execution, though the back of his hand is fairly visible.

Was this video done by the same "professionals" who created the supposedly real bin Laden dinner party video? K5 makes another point about the terrorists being "fat", and I remember bin Laden in the dinner party video also being quite the porker.

I think this is a sign

A big fucking sign that says, "Don't ever breed!"

A German couple who went to a fertility clinic after eight years of marriage have found out why they are still childless - they weren't having sex. ...

A clinic spokesman said: "When we asked them how often they had had sex, they looked blank, and said: "What do you mean?".

"We are not talking retarded people here, but a couple who were brought up in a religious environment who were simply unaware, after eight years of marriage, of the physical requirements necessary to procreate."

They may not be retarded people, but unfortunately, even retards figure out how to fuck. I mean, holy shit, if a married couple can't figure out on their own that you need to have sex to bear children, they shouldn't be allowed to have a child. Period. Because this is the test. It's an unwritten social contract. If you can't figure this out, then we don't want you to figure it out! The clinic should have said a little bird would drop a basket on their stoop soon, given them lollipops, and sent them off on their marry way.

Gay marriage will increase crime, drug use, and single mothers in poverty

Actually, the only thing gay marriage has managed to increase is idiotic tripe from the right.

But, give it a couple of decades and we'll have people marrying the dead as they do in France, animals as they do in India, and you might as well throw adult siblings into the mix because that won't be far behind. Of course, advocates of gay marriage, most of them at least, will deny that. But, hasn't that always been what Americans have been told as they were dragged kicking and screaming down the slippery slope towards gay marriage?

Eventually, as marriage becomes totally debased and meaningless except as a method to get gov't benefits or insurance, most people won't bother to get married and we'll see skyrocketing crime and drug use, single mothers mired in poverty raising their kids, and all the other ills befall our society that go along with illegitimacy.

How do people become this delusional? Perhaps this person was one of the children forcefed Ritalin when he was five? That's the only logical explaination I can think of.

They're fucking five!

Statements like this astound me.

The most startling change was a 369 percent increase in spending on attention deficit drugs for children under five. That's in part because of the popularity of newer, long-acting medicines under patent, compared with twice-a-day Ritalin and generic versions available for years.

Excuse me, but children under five are supposed to have attention spans? Jesus Christ. What would we have ever done without these miracle drugs? Whole generations grew up fine without them. But now, the same pharmaceutical companies who practically murder AIDS victims in Africa by refusing to provide them with drugs, have no problems with medicating your child up the wazoo. Gosh, little Billy doesn't pay attention to his toy for more than five minutes, let's DRUG him! How fucking far off the deep end have we gone as a society?

This man should write children's books

File under "nutjob".

Last Wednesday the Brighton school practiced a lockdown that was supposed to teach students emergency procedures. All classrooms had to lock their doors, but one first-grade room didn't. That's when the principal went in to the classroom and did something that traumatized the students, a parent said.

"He went up to each one of them and went, 'Bam, bam, bam!' And said, 'You're dead,'" said parent Jeanie Styer.

OK, besides the obvious, I've got a question: if there's a person with a gun in the building and they want to enter a classroom to kill somebody, what use is it to have the door locked? A gun is the best lockpick available!

Anyone have some more layers of stupidity to add to this story? Can we get a quote from Heston?

How about a nice, tall glass of shut the fuck up?

Der monkey: "The sacred institution of marriage should not be redefined by a few activist judges."

You know what, Bush? "Activist judges" shouldn't decide who our president is, either. But you certainly don't have an issue with them when they do.

And why did you take your bigotry to Topeka? Perhaps you're more comfortable in the company of like-minded supporters?

Boo!

This ad comes up every so often when I read email on Yahoo. I always wonder why it comes up, because this lady looks absolutely scary and there's no way I make purchases from scary people unless I'm forced to. Fake tan, fake hair, I betcha those eyes are fake, too. And what's with that smile? I'm not sure if she's trying to consume her bottom lip or if she just crapped her pants.

In other news, there really wasn't a point to this post.

Gay marriage and flying planes into the World Trade Center, murdering 3000 people, are one and the same

Angry yet? Please, read on.

Like mile markers in time, certain calendar dates stand in memory as not only historic, but momentous. Dates like Dec. 7, 1941, and Sept. 11, 2001, represent far more than mere days on a calendar. Now, May 17, 2004, must be added to that list.

Why? Because today -- by the unilateral decision of activist judges -- the state of Massachusetts will legalize same-sex “marriages.” This is a day that will live in moral infamy. Civilization itself has been attacked by forces that would redefine marriage, normalize homosexuality and transform our understanding of family, gender, parenthood and human relationships.

I don't think I need to mention who said this, you've probably already guessed that this backwards thinking comes from some old baptist doughboy in the South. You're correct: "R. Albert Mohler, Jr. is president of Southern Baptist Theological Seminary in Louisville, Ky."

Honest to god, what the fuck is wrong with these people? You don't like gay marriage? Fine. That's your opinion. But it's none of your business when two people you don't know decide to get married, so shut your piehole. But not only can't he keep his mouth shut, but he compares gay marriage to 9/11. He's practically begging for an ass raping.

Northampton?

We've heard about P-Town since gay marriage became legal in Massachusetts, but what about Northampton? The home of Smith College is also the well known lesbian capital on this side of the Mississppi. If I use Google News to search for "Northampton", I pull up more links about football in England then I do gay marriage. There's got to be something happening there, at least on Smith's campus. Can't the media show lesbians a little love? It's not all about the men.

Maybe I'll grab my camera and drive up there this weekend. (Keep your "Oh, I see, he wants to get pictures of hot lesbian action!" comments to yourself. :P)

Fark Headline of the Day

"Ohio factory that Bush visited last year and used as example of how his economic policies were working announces it will shut down and lay off all 1300 employees"

Hey Kerry, I have your next campaign stop right here! And not to drone on about this, because I'm never too wordy when I post a Fark headline, I'm not joking. Kerry, goto this factory. NOW. If you expect to win in the fall, you have to win Ohio, because you're certainly not going to win a state in the South. If you don't win Ohio, it's four more years of Bush. Don't let this story be reduced to headlines on Fark, Atrios, Counterspin, countless little shit blogs like yours truly, and the back of tomorrow's A section. You'll knock one out of the park against Bush in a state that you need. You'll earn voters in counties outside of the large cities. You have Cleveland and Columbus in the bag already; Cincinnati is a lost cause. You need to win counties outside of the cities, because these counties went for Bush in 2000. Don't punch a gift horse in the mouth. GO THERE NOW.

You have to love the dialogue here

"OK, we're at the stage now where people's fucking heads are being cut off? Golly, what a compelling counterargument to prisoner abuse, you fucking INSANE JIHADIST ASSHOLES!"

'Why don't we just cut to the chase and say the first side to rape a thousand retarded donkeys is the winner?'

Excuses, excuses

I'm at home right now, been glued to this chair for the past few hours when I should have visited the gym, or the shower, at least once... But I haven't posted much. My excuse for this is that when I'm at home using the computer, it's more of a social experience for me. I don't concentrate as much on news hunting. I keep Trillian open, email friends, download MP3s, listen to them endlessly, etc. You know the drill. Plus the dog occsionally wants to play or go for a walk, and feel bad if he's just lying there, too bored to move because the alpha male won't get his butt off tis chair.

When I post to the blog, it's at work. I'm locked in a room for 8 hours, I usually keep AIM closed, I occasionally email friends, and I don't have speakers and can't download MP3s for my listening pleasure. It gets me in the blogging mode. Right now, I have too many distractions, coupled with concentration problems, I become less sharp then I should be.

So it's not that I'm ignoring the blog. I really no want to comment on stories, like this one about the head of Iraq's Governing Council being murdered, but I don't feel like I can make sense of it yet. I don't have time the time to sift through all the news, read the thousands of headlines and hundreds of articles, form the big picture in my head and try to make sense of it all.

So, it's not that I'm ignoring the blog, this just isn't the best environment for blogging. And if my intent is to be a useless lump, maybe I should get my fat ass to the gym for a while.

Some of what Disney never wanted you to see

Fahrenheit 9/11:

Moore, using a mocking soundtrack to great effect, shows members of the bin Laden family being flown out of the U.S after September 11. Up surges the song: "I gotta get out of this place."

In Washington, Moore is shown on a bizarre recruiting drive.

He stops Congressmen in the street and asks if they might consider sending their children as soldiers to Iraq. "What do you think of that idea?" he asks before getting the brush-off.

[Link corrected, that's the hawkeye F'in Mat. But if you're interested in learning more about a band called Communique, here's the old, mistake link.]

We're all going to hell!

The rapture will begin soon! Look -- Jesus is actually Mel Gibson from Braveheart! Run!

If it's not Scottish, it's crrrraaaaap!

OK, one more post, then bed. Honest!

These men have the right idea.

Scientists found that a large number of the Scottish males they interviewed prized their beer bellies because it meant they did not look weak.

The trend was so pronounced, according to the study, that some men of ‘normal’ weight even wanted to be fatter.

Of course, the article drones on into health issues.

"This would put them at increased risk of weight-related health complications, such as Scotland’s big three: coronary heart disease, cancer and stroke."

Blah blah blah. You know what? Who gives a shit. How come it's assumed that we all have to live until we're 100, otherwise we haven't lived a full life? Just why the hell would I want to live until 100, anyways? That's just tacking unneeded years on my time in a nursing home. I'll jog and lift weights to keep my belly reduced and metabolism going, but goddamnit, I'm going to eat what I damn well please. This doesn't mean Taco Bell and ribs every night, but what the fuck? I'd rather dropdead of a coronary at 75 then live for another 25 years if it's going to be a boring and empty existence. Surely I don't want to be fat, but what's the problem with my belly? Hmmm?

Society's stupid social rules are hurting my belly's poor wittle feelings.

Rumsfeld: War Criminal

OK, maybe just one post... Blunted on Reailty has the goods on Rumsfeld's responsibility for the torture of prisoners. In fact, he setup the program which allowed them to be tortured. And Bush was "informed" about it, too. It's a long post, but read it for details.

Sleeping, for now.

As a third shift worker, it's very easy to screw up your sleeping schedule on your days off, when you get to bed at normal times like 2-3am instead of noon. I did just that last night, which means there's no way I'll make it through tonight. Even if I tried, I'll be too tired in a couple hours and I won't be able to comprehend a damn thing. So I'm off to bed and posting later today, before I have to goto bed again and then goto work.

Your weekly dose of Sunday propaganda

I skipped out on reading the Sunday paper last weekend. After flipping through the A section this morning, I'm thinking the making last weeks aberration a permanent part of my sunday morning routine.

Why? The first example is on page A17, "Kerry can only hope he fares as well". The article talks about George H. W. Bush, in his first run for the White House against then Massachusetts governor Michael Dukakis, calling the Boston Harbor the, "Harbor of Shame". Then the rest of the article talks about how much progress was made cleaning the harbor, and it's so much better 16 years later, fish actually swim in it now. It all makes me wonder where the negative headline about Kerry comes into play.

Next on page A14 (unlike normal people, I read the A section backwards after reading the front page), "Despite Iraq, voters remain confident in Bush". Errr, what? The man's poll numbers have been slipping for the past couple of weeks, and his approval ratings are below 50%. And that's exactly what the article talks about. But even though the polls prove that voters are not confident in Bush, that's exactly what the headline says! The same page also has, "Democrat attacks Kerry at Ga.'s GOP convention," an article about Zell Miller. Sorry, I know Miller says he's a Democrat, but he's not. The media should get it straight, instead they make it look like an attack coming from Kerry's own party.

Oh, this is interesting! Here on page A6, "Bush approval rating hits low". Gee, whatever happened to our supposed confidence in the man?!

Granted, the A section had some good stories, but I'm not going to comment on those. And why not? Because it's the media's job to print actual news and get the story straight. I don't receive any special rewards if I do my job right so I don't see where I have to extend special treatment to them when they get it correct. That's their job, and it should be expected. But unfortunately, I got what I really expected when I opened the paper this morning.

Sunday is Sex Day!

Today's topic: Penis size. And for any men out there, don't tell me worry about your endowment has never crossed your mind. Our penis size and functionality isn't only questioned when we open our email, but television at all hours now has advertisments for Viagra and Enzyte. There's money here, and lots of it. Why? Because penis size is the male insecurity. (Women will point out that at least we only, really have one and may scoff at this conversation topic, but I'm biased and I think it deserves mention.) And if you let worry about it get to you, it can have devastating effects on your self esteeem to the point where you're embarrassed to even be naked with somebody else.

How do you deal with your insecurities? And given that this discussion topic is about insecurities and is aimed at men, though women have done most of the postings in previous sex threads, I already foresee this thread getting a big, fat zero for comments. So feel free to post anonymously.

Sunday sunday, fun day! Sunday sunday, fun day!

As always, some funnies from Ted Rall.