Hate Parade!
Here's a look at my stats as of 5 minutes ago.
You love me! You really love me!
...Thanks for the link, Power Line! And for anybody who wants to see the absolute slander err.. "honest journalism" that Power Line provides, just click here. And here. And here.
Dead Blastocyst? Bad. Dead 4 Year Olds? Okay!
First off, I want to thank tas for giving me a space where I can post sporadically and not feel bad about it.
Just a very short bio: My name is Jesse. I used to blog at the Gotham City 13. I'm one of those godless heathens that voted for John Kerry. For the most part, I'll let my posts do the rest of the explaining.
Secondly, let's take a good, hard look at these "Conservative Christian Values" and the "Culture of Life" that Bush and his team hold so very dear. These pictures tell the hypocritical tale better than I ever could:
Nothing says "Conservative Christian Values" like a rosary hanging from the gun turret of a Bradley fighting vehicle.
Let's ask this Fallujah kid about the "Culture of Life." Then ask his Dad. On second thought, ask him after he's done cleaning his son's brain matter off the floor.
It's time to hold the Republicon's jackboots to the fire and see how they can morally justify shit like this happening under the American banner without leaning on the old "War is dirty" line.
What would Jesus do in Iraq, George?
Power Line to a grieving widow: Fuck you
I think the heart, soul, and "values" of the right are summed up perfectly in this Power Line piece cheering on the New York Post for assailing Yasser Arafat's wife, running a picture of the Post's cover with a picture of her weeping to the headling "THE ARAFAT LADY SINGS." As I've said before, I realize that opinion about Arafat is going to be split, but can these people at least show some sensitivity and common decency for one goddamn second? Would it kill them to do that? Do they really, truly think it's necessary to apply a verbal beat down to a grieving widow after her husband died less than a week ago?
And some people wonder why I consider the lot of Republicans to be lower than pondscum. It's because of things like this. Power Line, and their 100,000+ readers, have absolutely no shame, none at all. They can't even leave a grieving wife alone.
And people wonder why the world hates us.
...Troll count: 11. No, wait, 13! Lemmie refresh again.. Damnit, still 13. Man, you guys and gals are lazy. 16! Somewhere in the 20s now, I'm losing count. Keep the hate pouring in; keep proving my point.
Dipshits.
23:49 Update - Concerning this statement about me from Power Line: "I can see how those who think that reasonable opinion can "split" when it comes to the bloodiest, most corrupt terrorist ever might be offended by the Post headline. But we're not sufficiently reality-based to have so even-handed a view."
"Bloodiest, most corrupt terrorist ever?" There are things about Arafat that certainly can't be defended, but let's also get a couple things straight here: Arafat and Sharon are two sides of the same coin. And when you have a leader/terrorist like Sharon holing up Palestinians in ghettos, bulldozing their homes, taking their land, and placing bullets in their children's skulls... Then yes, I'm afraid opinion is going to be split on this, Power Line. Any sane person who takes an objective look at the situation can see this, but unfortunately, you and your bloodthirsty readership have convinced me that you're far from being sane. I never once defended Arafat, and I can't honestly see how you can hold up a bloody murderer like Sharon as a hero while condemning a man who's basically just the same as he is, but with different religious beliefs.
01:21 Update - In reply to Power Line's Hindrocket on yours truly: "Hyperbole is not in short supply in today's Democratic Party. It's hard, though, to take seriously a blogger who defends Arafat and links to Al Jazeera, but thinks that we are the ones without shame or decency."
"Defends Arafat?" It's good to know that one of the right's top bloggers can't even read. Unfuckingbelievable...
As for this: "I'd never heard of this blogger, and I'm sure that Deacon's link sent him way more traffic than he's ever seen before. I'm afraid, too, that our readers gave him more than he bargained for."
No, I haven't seen this much traffic before. But you're quite mistaken about what you're readers have thrown at me. In fact, I have to thank Deacon for the link because your readers have shown me that every negative thought I've attributed to the lot of Republicans is 100% correct.
I can't believe headlines like this even exist
From the "I wish I was kidding" Dept.: "Ashcroft Condemns Judges Who Question Bush."
Apparently, kids, Ashcroft hasn't heard of a little thing called [ahem] CHECKS AND FUCKING BALANCES! Christ, I swear everybody in the Bush administration needs to be sent back to high school and forced to take a fucking Civics course. Maybe then the headlines won't seem like they're getting stupider by the minute.
Fight club
Via Lying Media Bastards, this is the Best. Craigslist. Ad. Ever.
I would like to fight a Bush supporter to vent my anger. If you are one, have a fiery streek, please contact me so we can meet and physically fight. I would like to beat the shit out of you.
Iraqi blogger Riverbend says...
People in Falloojeh are being murdered. The stories coming back are horrifying. People being shot in cold blood in the streets and being buried under tons of concrete and iron... where is the world? Bury Arafat and hurry up and pay attention to what's happening in Iraq.
They say the people have nothing to eat. No produce is going into the city and the water has been cut off for days and days. Do you know what it's like to have no clean water??? People are drinking contaminated water and coming down with diarrhoea and other diseases. There are corpses in the street because no one can risk leaving their home to bury people. Families are burying children and parents in the gardens of their homes. WHERE IS EVERYONE???
Furthermore, where is Sistani? Why isn't he saying anything about the situation? When the South was being attacked, Sunni clerics everywhere decried the attacks. Where is Sistani now, when people are looking to him for some reaction? The silence is deafening.
We're not leaving the house lately. There was a total of 8 hours of electricity today and we've been using the generator sparingly because there is a mysterious fuel shortage... several explosions were heard in different places.
Things are deteriorating swiftly.
More on Falloojeh crisis here:
Aid agencies say Falluja "big disaster"...
Eyewitness: Smoke and Corpses...
Iraqis will never forgive this- never. It's outrageous- it's genocide and America, with the help and support of Allawi, is responsible. May whoever contributes to this see the sorrow, terror and misery of the people suffering in Falloojeh.
...Here's an eyewitness account from the BBC link she posted.
It is hard to know how much people outside Falluja are aware of what is going on here.
I want them to know about conditions inside this city - there are dead women and children lying on the streets.
People are getting weaker from hunger. Many are dying from their injuries because there is no medical help left in the city whatsoever.
Some families have started burying their dead in their gardens.
This is the reason why more of us need to run for our local school boards
A rural Pennsylvania county has mandated the teaching of "Intelligent Design" in public schools, believed to be the first county in the nation to do such. The school board vote mandating the teaching of religious creationism was 6-3, with 2 of the 3 dissenters resigning in disgust after the vote was taken.
If somebody wants to believe in creationism, fine, that's their right. However, creationism being taught in schools is nothing more than religion being enforced on people -- at our expense -- and that's not right. Maybe I'm more sensitive to this issue because Roger Williams, the founder of the Colony of Rhode Island and Providence Planations, was run out of Massachusetts for stipulating a very radical philosophy for the 1600s: People have the right to practice any religion they choose, or none at all.
Any religion or no religion, it's your choice. And when it's stops becoming your choice, that's when we've transported ourselves back to the 1600s.
Ya know... No shit!
I never would have guessed this is happening in Falluja!
"They seem to be communicating with each other," said 1st Sgt. Jose Andrade of Charlie Company, 1st Battalion, 8th Marine Regiment, as he crouched on a main street, taking cover. "It makes it harder to get at them."
I can't believe I just read that. I honestly can't fucking believe it. We're in the 21st century and this Marine seems to be surprised that, shockola!, the insurgents are communicating with other! God, that's something armies have been doing for, you know, only the past century or so. The foes we're facing must not be from the stone age!
Something tells me the insurgents are being... How would Bush put it? Misunderestimated.
Phone Cards for Troops
Imagine that you just lost your leg in Iraq and you can't call home because your government is too damn cheap to pay for the long distance charges. Well, that's exactly what's happening. These are the values that America voted for.
For those of us who have real values, you can send phone cards here:
Medical Family Assistance Center
Walter Reed Medical Center
6900 Georgia Avenue, NW
Washington, DC 20307-5001
[Hat tip: Rimone.]
...Lauren has post about helping the troops and other worthy causes. It's good to think about the poisitive things we can do, because sitting around and moaning about the war can be a drag.
Feel the love
A non-blogging cousin of mine emailed me the new symbol of the Republican Party.
Hey, it's bipartisan!
Needlenose has some more email humor.
Joining Team LM
Jesse from the now defunct Gotham City 13 has joined Loaded Mouth's Team of Sporadic Bloggers™. That's a shorter way of saying, "This isn't a group blog, but other people have access to make random posts whenever they wish. I do not know what they'll post or when they'll post it, but they are free to say whatever they wish even if I don't agree with it." LM's Sporadic Bloggers opinions and backgrounds can vary. Without naming names, I'll give you a short rundown of some differences: there's a Bush voter from 2000 among us, though now won't admit it; there's a Badnarik voter and bought an AR-15 assault rifle after the ban was phased out, one is quite possibly angrier than me, there's a Chinese speaker who has lived abroad, and there's one who went to his Catholic high school classes with a Satanic bible in hand.
Rule #1 - Keep it interesting. :)
Tet thinking
In the Vietnam War's Tet Offensive, part of North Vietnamese (NV) General Giap's strategy was meant to spread US and AVRN/South Vietnamese (SV) forces thin by causing uproars in rural areas, causing soldiers to be pulled from SV cities to squelch the uprisings. While soldiers were kept busy in rural areas, Giap sent his forces into the cities afterwards in an attempt to take them over while US/SV forces were stretched thin.
Now, in all fairness, I would like to point out that there are no direct parallels, but the NV strategy of Tet is interesting to think about where Falluja is concerned, and the chaos erupting in the rest of the country. Mosul's getting hit right now, for example. Baghdad has also been under intense pressure.
Randomness before bed
I'm coming to learn, since I haven't had my head buried in the newswires for the past couple of days, that I really should pay more attention to what's happening in Falluja. Because, from what I've been hearing, it's really, really bad. Burning people alive with white phosphorous rounds ain't even the half of it. Not even close.
In other news, I've added a quote from the 1.5 million hits storng Daily Pundit about yours truly to the hall of fame. I feel so honored just to be noticed.
And you if you read just one Atrios post this week, it must be this one. (Thanks Rimone.)
The Unelected Truth
I'm posting this email I just sent to my sister Melanie. I won't post her portion of the email, but it was similar to her comments about our voting system posted on her blog. After emailing my reply to her, I looked it over and thought, "Well, this sums up the whole election right here," so why not let the rest of y'all see it?
You're exactly correct on all counts. This really should be a nonpartisan issue, but unfortunately, it isn't. And there's no actual proof of these machines being used to purposely disenfranchise voters, but nobody who is educated on the topic cn truthfully say that manipulation wouldn't be easy, and that's the problem.
Then there's other election gaffes. Kerry would have likely won Ohio, and the presidency, if the minority communities weren't given punch card ballots to vote on. I have to confirm this, but rumor has it that there are over 200,000 overvotes/undervotes/hanging chads in Ohio this years -- all of them "spoiled votes" from mainly minority communities, votes that don't count. And while the white suburban communities got all the voting equipment they needed, some polling places handed out provisional ballots to people who had waited in line for too long. Again, these were in minority communities. I know of one college campus in Ohio whose polling station had two voting booths, and people were waiting in line until 2am wednesday morning just to cast their ballot.
The man who is supposed to be in charge of all this, Ohio's Secretary of State Kenneth Blackwell, was also in charge of Bush's Reelection Campaign in Ohio. Along with states passing laws barring felons from voting even after they've served their time, meaning 12% of our black population nationwide simply doesn't have the right to vote period, this is really how Republicans win elections.
Yes, I know this will piss off Republicans, but the hard truth is that if this election was held fairly, George W. Bush would be packing his bags as we speak. As for the Democrats, you can blame the Evangelicals, Kerry's bad campaign, and anybody/anything else all you want. Certainly those are factors, but Kerry lost because the Republicans cheated. And we have to put a stop to this.
The audacity of the right never ceases to amaze me
What is relevant are answers. Solutions, not a list of problems. Declaring that Iraq is a mess is easy, and worthless. Telling us what we should do to fix it is harder, but far more worthwhile. Don't like the operation in Falluja? Fine: how else would you stop the terrorists? Think we should involve allies more in Iraq? Great. How?
Solutions? How? What should we do? Gee NZ Bear, I honestly don't know why you're asking us. Bush is, after all, you're president. You and your friends are the ones that voted for him. We're the ones who tried warning you before this war started that taking over Iraq is illegal, immoral, would become the next Vietnam, and would be one of the biggest foreign policy blunders in the history of the United States.
But did you listen to us then? No, of course not, because you thought you knew better. Well, guess what? -- You didn't. So my answer to you is to go find your own solution. Not only did you help create the problem, but you won't listen to our solutions anyway. We could have brought more allies into the fold if you would have voted for a president that the world could trust, but you didn't. So don't you dare try to place the burden on me and my people for your mistakes. We warned you about what would happen, but you decided not to listen in the first place, so don't even try pinning the blame on us for Iraq now.
But if you actually want a solution, I got one for you. Quick and dirty: Pull our troops out of Iraq and fight the actual enemy, al-Qa'ida.
Our nation is at war. We are not screwing around; this is not a game. A better decision now means fewer people die later. It's that simple, and that's why we need your help. You will think of things that this administration and its supporters won't --- and can't. If you can get past the knee-jerk urge to slam Bush because --- well, because he's Bush --- you can make a contribution to the safety and welfare of this country. Assuming that still matters to you, even with a Republican in the White House for four more years.
NZ Bear, don't you dare question my patriotism just because I don't agree with you or Bush. Being against the war in Iraq doesn't mean I want soldiers to die; quite the contrary, I want them to live. All of them. I have friends over there too, you know. Do you actually think I want them coming home in a bodybag? Is this honestly the low opinion you hold for anyone who disagrees with you? And do you actually think we're not worried about "the safety and welfare of this country?" What do you think happens at Democrat and Green party meetings, NZ Bear; we sit around, rubbing our hands together mischievously, grinning from ear-to-ear as we plot the demise of this country?
Honestly, let's get serious here.
What I'm most worried about, NZ Bear, is a repeat of the Vietnam war. I know with my mention of the issue, you've probably cupped your hands around you ears and started screaming, "LA LA LA LA LA, I'M NOOOOT LISTEEEENNNIIIINNNGGG!," but I'm just telling you what I believe. It's the same belief I held before the war, and I see no reason to waver from it. I'm well aware that Falluja isn't a game, but I don't think you understand the kind of war we're fighting: Guerilla Warfare. Many of the Iraqis being killed in Falluja are innocent, and for every innocent civilian you kill in a war against a guerilla army, the longer you're in the country fighting this enemy. It's simple math, NZ Bear: They have more people than us, and for every innocent civilian we've killed, we've just galvanized some of his family and friends to go fight against us. We've just created more enemies.
As far as the the operation in Falluja itself, what's the point of it? Who are we fighting? There were rumors that a large scale operation like this would happen after the election, so do you actually think the insurgents we're supposed to fight decided to stick around for the bloodbath? I doubt, as far as military strategy goes, this battle will mean much of anything in the long run. Five years from now, when we have more troops committed to a pointless war in Iraq, who among us will remember Falluja?
The Vietnam War killed over 40,000 of our soldiers, NZ Bear. And because Bush refuses to take the threat of al-Qa'ida seriously, more people on our soil could die from a terrorist attack. The next time you question anybody's resolve for protecting "the safety and welfare of this country" just because they don't agree with you, NZ Bear, maybe you should keep those two things in mind.
12:42 Update - Lauren left a great comment, providing this link to Tom Burka's explaination of Falluja. It. Explains. Everything.
And LM part-time blogger Matt left this comment which I'm publishing because it's so well-stated that I want to get as many eyeballs as possible reading it.
I love the right. They have such valid points. I mean, just because I do not think that Bush is a good president-elect, I must be a terrorist sympathiser. I must hate America and everything here. I must have no morals or values, and must drink baby fat for my evil powers.
Being in the age range that I am, most of the people in Iraq fighting this farse are my age, maybe a few years older, and mostly, a few years younger. Thinking about it this way, it makes we wonder how people in a similar situation, during Vietnam, felt, when they saw that their generation was being killed. Now I know how the British, German, and French felt after WWI, having their entire generation wiped off the face of the earth. Its not a good feeling. I look at the list of soliders killed (whenever it is available, thanks Bush), to see if there is anyone that I knew on there, people I went to school with, people I used to hang out with, and things like that.
Republicans support this war, just because Bush says its good. It is about WMD, well, Saddam, well, Democracy, well.. let's be honest. Oil. Why should my generation be wiped off the face of the earth, just because Bush and his cronies want oil profits? Shouldn't it be a bunch of Republicans over there fighting, because its their cause?
Saddam was no direct threat to the US. Could he have attacked the US? Did he attack the US? No. Osama bin Laden (Usama for you Republicans)attacked the US. Osama can still attack the US, if he wants. Why is he still at large?
Why can't I go and piss on his corpse whenever I want to? Why can't I go throw shit at him when I want to? Because Bush decided that if he caught Osama, his "war on terror" would trickle away slowly, and he couldn't have justified(ha!) invading the soverign nation of Iraq, and murdering ten's of thousands of civilians, which are creating ten's of thousands of insurgants.
As Tas said, you kill 1 guy, you have his/her whole family wanting to see the US fail. You kill a family, you have a whole neighborhood gunning for you. I mean, I'll end with this comment:
The Shi'ites and Sunni's are working together against the US troops. What the fuck? They've been fighting each other for over 1000 years. Why, all of a sudden, are they working together? Because, simply, we are the terrorists. We are killing their citizens. We are the foreign invaders.
Warning: Email virus
I haven't looked for any news of this, but one thing I one on my job is monitor network outages and a couple of our big accounts have been slammed with an email virus this morning. I'm not if it's global, how big it is, or what the virus does, but take warning that there's something out there today.
How do you say "snark" in that annoying British accent?
I love the snarkiness of their mainstream press. Hell, it even causes me to read the pro-Bush Telegraph for editorials like this.
There's something rather delightful in the settlement of the battle between the collectibles company Franklin Mint and the buffoonish factota of the Diana, Princess of Wales Memorial Fund. It isn't that the fight – over whether the Franklin Mint should be allowed to make wee dolls of the Princess for the mantelshelves of debt-ridden grannies in Ohio - took place in the first place, nor that the Franklin Mint should have countersued when the fund lost its initial case.
Hee hee hee...
A few pounds of eggs...?
Actually, it's a few pounds for an egg. Quite a few in the UK: "£1,000 a time for egg donors."
Sperm is only £50, though. I feel so cheap.
Blue States, Red States, Taxes, Freeloading, Arrogance, and the Beaten Wife Syndrome
This is part of a comment I made in response to section of Rogue Angel's post talking about "The red state blue state bullshit." Personally, I don't mean this as an offense to Rogue or anybody else, but I, as a blue stater, am sick of being put on the defensive about this. It's the beaten wife syndrome: I'm being punched and then told I deserve it. And you know what? I don't deserve it. And there are things happening in the blue states that the media refuses to discuss. So this post is meant to show you the viable reasons behind the hatred and anger against red states. [Part of Rogue's post is in italics, and I've cleaned up my grammar a bit from the original comment.]
You want to go on all day about how red state people are those awful Christians, welfare states (that one really surprises me considering our view on welfare), and how all these states want to do is have things their way and how that just pisses you off. Fine.
I'm not sure about everybody else, but my personal views on welfare are that people shouldn't be on it if they have no intentions of working. In fact, I think they should be kicked off it if that's the case, and if they go hungry and cold in the winter, fuck'em. Now, of course, things are never this simple, and somebody might not be able to get a good job, or have to work two while they have children to raise, etc... Those people, I believe, are not abusing the system.
On the whole, though, we need welfare no matter who abuses it because it's part of the social safety net that keeps recessions from going overboard and becoming full blown depressions. During the Great Depression, our country was screwed because we didn't have any laws setup to distribute wealth. Whole towns went without seeing a single greenback for months, and when that happens, the factories don't just slow down production, they shut down - stop humming. And that's what killed us during the Great Depression. Making sure that people have money to at least purchase the basic necessities makes sense because when a recession hits, it's those government greenbacks that keep the factories humming. The social safety net, simply put, keeps our economy out of depressions. Now, I'm not sure what everybody else thinks about welfare, but those are my thoughts.
And with that said, I'm also not afraid to admit that I think many of the red states are freeloading off the blue states. I may not be one to talk because RI is in the middle, and we get back $1.06 for every $1.00, but that's paltry compared to what some other states get. One of the worst welfare cases is Mississippi, getting back $1.84 in federal dollars. Now, on one hand, I certainly don't want these states to die off, and I think our federal tax dollars should be used to support our citizens no matter where they are. Not all states are going to be adept at getting industry to come to them, especially when so many jobs are just outright leaving America.
But what about people like me? Nobody takes into accout how high my taxes are. I have to live with my parents right now because the only places I can afford to live in [on my own] are a $400-500 a month room in the ghetto. I can't get a house because, on top of the average home price being over $200,000 in RI, the property taxes are $6000-8000 a year. And these figures I'm quoting are from the low end of the spectrum. (In fact, the property taxes are a huge reason why our rents are through the roof.) To be able to afford to live outside of my parents house, I have no choice but to move... And I'll probably be moving to a red state because in Massachusetts, who gets somewhere around $0.84 back in federal funds, living ain't any cheaper. And forget NYC. I could move to New Hampshire, but I don't really feel like living in the woods. [No offense, Kerry.]
So, unfortunately, I have to take a "what about me?" attitude here. What about me? How come I'm being stripped of my right to live independently in my home state? How come nobody gives a damn about the federal government helping my state out with our taxes? Why do I have to feel like my tax dollars are subsidizing other states?
I know a lot of blue against red resentment has come out over this recently, but from my perspective, I think it's justified since I'm one of the people who has to uproot my life and move since I can no longer afford to live in my home. It also doesn't help that red states have anatagonized us. On November 3rd, they had the audacity to use the media to call us a bunch of arrogant assholes who lack moral values. Well, you know what? I'm insulted. I'm sick of these ungrateful, freeloading pricks putting me on the defensive and telling how much of a dick I am because they think they're just so much more moral than me. I'm sick of them calling me the problem just because I fight back when they use their two senators of each lower population midwest state to force their morality down my throat. This is sooo beaten wife syndrome it's not even funny, and I'm sick of being punched and then being told I deserved it. I'm really surprised that everyone's so shocked that I choose to punch back after getting a black eye. Honestly, what other reaction did the red states expect? Happy thoughts and flowers?
News and randomness
Max emailed me some links about our soon-to-be Attorney General, Alberto Gonzalez. Since the story is big and I wanted to push the Mother Jones link, I figured I could get away without mentioning him. I mean, is this really a surprise that Bush would choose Mr. Torture Memo who also used to be an Enron lawyer? Rimone has more.
As for randomness, yesterday somebody googled "fuck of the mouth" and found this site. Do I have any japanese perverts among my readership now..?
Iraq Veterans Against the War
I subscribe to Mother Jones, though I don't always find the time to read it in a timely manner. So when I got mail from them the other day requesting a donation to help break their latest cover story, "Breaking Ranks," into the mainstream and on blogs, I thought I should read it, first.
And I'm happy that I did. Though I need to throw a little memo at MoJo: If you want the story spread blogs, give it a link on your own main page.
But, ever willing to do my part, I googled for the linked and found the story. It's definitely a must read, and the personal stories detailed from soldiers who served (including one who fled to Canada rather then be deployed) are things that need to aired in the mainstream. For example, here's the story of a Marine named Jimmy Massey.
Staff Sergeant Jimmy Massey may be the most unlikely of the soldiers who have come out against the war. A Marine since 1992, he has been a recruiter, infantry instructor, and combat platoon leader. He went to Iraq primed to fight. “9/11 pissed me off,” he says. “I was ready to go kill a raghead.”
Shortly after Massey arrived in Iraq, his unit was ordered to man roadblocks. To stop cars, the Marines would raise their hands. If the drivers kept going, Massey says, “we would just light ’em up. I didn’t find out until later on, after talking to an Iraqi, that when you put your hand up in the air, it means ‘Hello.’” He estimates that his men killed 30 civilians in one 48-hour period.
One day, he recalls, “there was this red Kia Spectra. We told it to stop, and it didn’t. There were four occupants. We fatally wounded three of them. We started pulling out the bodies, but they were dying pretty fast. The guy that was driving was just frickin’ bawling, sitting on the highway. He looked at me and asked, ‘Why did you kill my brother? He wasn’t a terrorist. He didn’t do anything to you.’”
Massey searched the car. “It was completely clean. Nothing there. Meanwhile the driver just ran around saying, ‘Why? Why?’ That’s when I started to question.”
The doubts led to nightmares, depression, and a talk with his commanding officer. “I feel what we are doing here is wrong. We are committing genocide,” Massey told him. He was later diagnosed with post-traumatic stress disorder and given a medical discharge.
Back in his hometown of Waynesville, North Carolina, Massey got a job as a furniture salesman, then lost it after speaking at an antiwar rally. Two or three times a week, he puts on his Marine uniform and takes a long walk around the nearby town of Asheville carrying a sign that reads: “I killed innocent civilians for our government.” The local police now keep an eye out for him, he says, because people have tried to run him over.
When asked what he would say to someone who thinks the way he did before the war, Massey falls uncharacteristically silent. “How do you wake them up?” he finally responds. “It’s a slow process. All you can do is tell people the horrible things you’ve seen, and let them make up their own minds. It’s kind of the pebble in the water: You throw in a pebble, and it makes ripples through the whole pond.”
The article includes more information about what soldiers are doing to combat the war, like Mike Hoffman, the 25 year old Iraq vet who founded Iraq Veterans Against the War. These are definitely stories that should be on be on the front pages of every paper because they honestly talk about what's happening in Iraq, something our current maybe-elected government has a lot of trouble doing.
They've got a Persecution Complex
Are you sick if arrogant, whiny Republicans constantly screaming about how they have been victimized just because you've fought back against their attempts to enforce their religion on you? Well, Roxanne perfectly summarizes their problem in two words: PERSECUTION COMPLEX.
Please use this in your future framing of the issue.
The Bush Agenda: Energy (notice that the word "alternative" is missing)
This AP article lays out what we'll be fighting from Bush on the energy front for the next 4 years.
If he is successful, it would be a stinging defeat for environmentalists and an energy triumph that eluded Bush his first four years in the White House. A broader agenda that includes reviving nuclear power, preventing blackouts and expanding oil and gas drilling in the Rockies will be more difficult to enact. Republicans in the House and Senate said this week they plan to push for Alaska refuge drilling legislation early next year, and they predict success, given the 55-44-1 Republican Senate majority in the next Congress.
Israel wastes no time whipping it out and taking a leak on Yasser's corpse
Why isn't there peace between Israel and Palestine? Well, with attitudes like this in charge...
ISRAELI JUSTICE MINISTER YOSEF LAPID
"Without Arafat there could have already been peace in the region and a Palestinian state ... The government of Israel will continue with its efforts to reach peace."
Listen, I know opinion about Arafat is going to be split and many will accuse him of holding up the peace process too, but when an Israeli leader shows no regard to the feelings of mourning Palestinians by insulting their leader while his corpse is still warm, I think that speaks volumes about why we won't see peace in that region for a long, long time.
War stories
I'm always feel uneasy about posting stories like this. Part of me says that I shouldn't because it reflects badly on my country and the soldiers serving in Iraq. On the other hand, articles like this detail some of the horrors of war, remindig me about why I'm against our needless actions in Iraq in the first place. All sides of the story should be heard, and since the American media won't publish this side, then I will.
Iraqis report food shortages in Fallujah
Iraqis still living in the city of Fallujah said Tuesday that conditions were deteriorating, with no electricity, food shortages and limited medical aid for the wounded.
"The situation in Fallujah is a tragedy," one resident, who gave his name as Ismail, said by telephone.
"People cannot reach the clinics or the hospital and there are many wounded people. Most people are staying inside their houses. The fighting is heavy," he said.
Although most of the population of 300,000 has fled the city in recent weeks, tens of thousands of civilians are thought to have stayed behind. Under the terms of a curfew imposed on Monday they cannot leave their homes.
The city's main hospital was the first target captured in the operation and there were reports Tuesday that another medical clinic had been destroyed in bombing. Once the attack began, power was cut off to the city and some residents said the water supply had also been cut.
"The Americans have entered areas right in the center of town and there they fought with the mujahidin," said the man, who spoke from al-Joulan neighborhood, an insurgent strongpoint in the northwest.
"There are a lot of people dead who I saw with my own eyes," he said.
Another resident, Fadril al-Badrani, a correspondent for Reuters and the BBC, said the artillery and bombing had been intense.
"Every minute, hundreds of bombs and shells are exploding," he said. "The north of the city is in flames. I can also see fire and smoke. Fallujah has become like hell."
He said shops were closed and food supplies were limited. Roads were cratered by the bombardments and most people stayed in their homes.
"Electricity is cut off because of damage to the main power station from the bombardment. The water supply has been cut off too," he said.
"People, particularly children and women, tend to stay at home, fearing being mistaken for a military target. Doctors say medical supplies at the main hospital, which has been in US hands since Sunday, are low," he said.
The Face of Intolerance
It's a Townhall columnist, of course! In his attempt to tell us how immoral we are, his lists a bunch of examples of what "most Americans" disagree with. It's really revealing, because from the absolute lies about Michael Moore to ranting about crossdressers needing therapy, his column just how prejudice and anti-erudite most Americans are. That is if he's correct and "most Americans," as he stipulates, actually believe his bullshit. Maybe he should reword it to "most Republicans."
I'm starting a list of people who should go fuck themselves, and these assholes are on the top of it
I love the propaganda imminating from the mainstream media about how the Democrats are so arrogant and intolerant, we're so incapable to living with those peaceful, war loving Republicans. You know, it's really us who are the problem, and how dare we protest when these noble do-gooders refuse to fill birth control perscriptions or allow women to have access to the morning after pill. I mean, god, I guess we must be dicks if we choose to live our own lives the way we want to without bothering them. How arrogant of us just to breath in their direction without kissing their ass! The next time we address these ungrateful pricks red state Republicans, make sure you bow and say, "Oh thank you, your holiness, for allowing us feeble peons to live, work, and pay federal income taxes which keep your states afloat. What can I do to earn your forgiveness?"
Or we could send them all 18" dildos with a note: "Use it sideways, asshole."
Do you have faith?
The voting fiascos, and how we haven't seen a big uproar about them on the right, truly illustrates the difference between left and right: Faith. Our side has religion, of course, but we have no compulsion to force people to live how we live just because we think our lifestyle is superior. But you find many more secular atheists and agnostics on the left, which not only increases our level of pessimisism, but decreases our level of faith.
On the right, religion is more dominant, therefore they are more apt to place their trust in faith.
This explains why the right finds no problem with computerized voting, because you have to place a sizeable dosage of faith in such a system to actually believe it will work without error.
Really, actually, truly
I know I haven't mentioned much on the story, but I feel compelled to mention that BBC Word Report said Yasser Arafat passed away. As in actually passed away, none of this he's in a coma, not in a coma, he's clinically dead, but now he's back, and now he's in a coma again, and now he's back, and now... Now, he's dead.
Let the hatefest from the right begin.
Disclaimer
Today on Loaded Mouth, we will try to limit the graphic discussions of man-to-man and man-to-woman assfucking. Discussions into related topics, like rimjobs, fisting, shrimping, and Violent Anal Death, will also be kept on the DL.
As for Dubya fucking Jenna's mouth, that topic could still be discussed.
Posse Comitatus Act be damned
Via Rimone, (like you haven't heard that today!), an anti-war protest in LA was met with tanks. This, as far as I know, is quite illegal under something known as the Posse Comitatus Act of 1878. Could Bush be polite and at least wait until his second term officially starts before breaking important laws like this?
Take this for what you will...
I mulled over the Florida voting fraud story I don't believe to be true a little bit more because I truly, honestly want it to be true. So for the small counties (20,000 or under population) that voted Republican but have high rates of registration for Democrats, I took their voting data from 1996, 2000, 2004. I took down who they voted for, how many votes were recorded for the candidates, and then added "REP +####" totals the years 2000 and 2004, to see how many votes the Republicans gained from the previous years. [I actually don't have MS Word installed on my laptop right now, or any real word processor, and I'm too lazy to dig out the install CD. So I couldn't save it into table format and it's gonna look messed up, so... Deal. Or download the easier to read RTF file.]
Baker
1996: REP - 3,686 DEM - 2,273 PEROT - 667
2000: REP - 5,611 DEM - 2,392 NADER - 53 REP +1,925
2004: REP - 7,738 DEM - 2,180 REP +2,127
Bradford
1996: REP - 4,039 DEM - 3,356 PEROT - 819
2000: REP - 5,416 DEM - 3,075 NADER - 84 REP +1377
2004: REP - 7,553 DEM - 3,244 REP +2137
Calhoun
1996: REP - 1,717 DEM - 1,794 PEROT - 630
2000: REP - 2,873 DEM - 2,156 NADER - 39 REP +1,156
2004: REP - 3,780 DEM - 2,116 REP +907
Columbia
1996: REP - 7,588 DEM - 6,691 PEROT - 1,970
2000: REP - 10,968 DEM - 7,049 NADER - 258 REP +3,380
2004: REP - 16,753 DEM - 8,029 REP +5,785
DeSoto
1996: REP - 3,275 DEM - 3,222 PEROT - 966
2000: REP - 4,256 DEM - 3,321 NADER - 157 REP +981
2004: REP - 5,512 DEM - 3,910 REP +1,256
Dixie
1996: REP - 1,399 DEM - 1,734 PEROT - 653
2000: REP - 2,697 DEM - 1,827 NADER - 75 REP +1,298
2004: REP - 4,433 DEM - 1,959 REP +1,736
Franklin
1996: REP - 1,563 DEM - 2,096 PEROT - 878
2000: REP - 2,454 DEM - 2,047 NADER - 85 REP +891
2004: REP - 3,472 DEM - 2,400 REP +1,018
Gilchrist
1996: REP - 1,939 DEM - 1,985 PEROT - 841
2000: REP - 3,300 DEM - 1,910 NADER - 97 REP +1,361
2004: REP - 4,934 DEM - 2,016 REP +1,634
Glades
1996: REP - 1,361 DEM - 1,530 PEROT - 521
2000: REP - 1,841 DEM - 1,442 NADER - 56 REP +480
2004: REP - 2,443 DEM - 1,718 REP +602
Gulf
1996: REP - 2,430 DEM - 2,480 PEROT - 1,054
2000: REP - 3,553 DEM - 2,398 NADER - 88 REP +1,123
2004: REP - 4,794 DEM - 2,398 REP +1,241
Hamilton
1996: REP - 1,520 DEM - 1,735 PEROT - 406
2000: REP - 2,147 DEM - 1,723 NADER - 37 REP +627
2004: REP - 2,792 DEM - 2,260 REP +645
Hardee
1996: REP - 2,928 DEM - 2,417 PEROT - 851
2000: REP - 3,765 DEM - 2,342 NADER - 75 REP +837
2004: REP - 5,047 DEM - 2,148 REP +1,282
Hendry
1996: REP - 3,855 DEM - 3,855 PEROT - 1,135
2000: REP - 4,747 DEM - 3,240 NADER - 104 REP +892
2004: REP - 5,756 DEM - 3,960 REP +1,009
Holmes
1996: REP - 3,249 DEM - 2,312 PEROT - 1,208
2000: REP - 5,012 DEM - 2,177 NADER - 94 REP +1,763
2004: REP - 6,410 DEM - 1,810 REP +1,398
Jackson
1996: REP - 7,189 DEM - 6,667 PEROT - 1,602
2000: REP - 9,139 DEM - 6,870 NADER - 138 REP +1,950
2004: REP - 12,115 DEM - 7,552 REP +2,976
Jefferson
1996: REP - 1,851 DEM - 2,544 PEROT - 393
2000: REP - 2,478 DEM - 3,041 NADER - 76 REP +627
2004: REP - 3,298 DEM - 4,134 REP +820
Lafayette
1996: REP - 1,166 DEM - 829 PEROT - 316
2000: REP - 1,670 DEM - 789 NADER - 26 REP +504
2004: REP - 2,460 DEM - 845 REP +790
Levy
1996: REP - 4,299 DEM - 4,938 PEROT - 1,774
2000: REP - 6,863 DEM - 5,398 NADER - 285 REP +2,564
2004: REP - 10,408 DEM - 6,073 REP +3,545
Liberty
1996: REP - 913 DEM - 868 PEROT - 376
2000: REP - 1,317 DEM - 1,017 NADER - 19 REP +404
2004: REP - 1,927 DEM - 1,070 REP +610
Madison
1996: REP - 2,195 DEM - 2,794 PEROT - 578
2000: REP - 3,038 DEM - 3,015 NADER - 54 REP +843
2004: REP - 4,196 DEM - 4,048 REP +1,158
Okeechobee
1996: REP - 3,418 DEM - 4,826 PEROT - 1,666
2000: REP - 5,057 DEM - 4,589 NADER - 131 REP +1,639
2004: REP - 6,987 DEM - 5,151 REP +1,930
Taylor
1996: REP - 3,188 DEM - 3,583 PEROT - 1,140
2000: REP - 4,058 DEM - 2,649 NADER - 59 REP +870
2004: REP - 5,466 DEM - 3,049 REP +1408
Union
1996: REP - 1,636 DEM - 1,388 PEROT - 435
2000: REP - 2,332 DEM - 1,407 NADER - 33 REP +696
2004: REP - 3,396 DEM - 1,251 REP +1064
Wakulla
1996: REP - 2,933 DEM - 3,056 PEROT - 1,091
2000: REP - 4,512 DEM - 3,838 NADER - 149 REP +1,579
2004: REP - 6,777 DEM - 4,896 REP +2,265
Washington
1996: REP - 3,524 DEM - 2,992 PEROT - 1,287
2000: REP - 4,995 DEM - 2,798 NADER - 93 REP +1,471
2004: REP - 7,368 DEM - 2,912 REP +2,373
There it is, all the data in it's unbiased, nonpartisan glory. Which means it's open to interpretation. Unfortunately, compiling this table has only convinced me further to stick with my guns -- I still don't think we have a story here. While the Republicans gained thousands of votes in these small counties, the votes from 1996 and 2000 clearly show that these counties haven't leaned towards the Democrats in the past 8 years, despite how their voters are registered. Many of the gains Republicans made in 2000 can be directly attributed to the absence of Perot from the ballot, because Nader really didn't fare well in these counties. And we do have to accept the fact that Bush had a strong candidacy in 2004, which helps the further jump in Republican votes for these counties. When you look at the "REP +####" columns for each county, their vote spike in 2000 makes the 2004 spike seem like a more modest continuation of the way things were headed. Most were leaning GOP in 1996, and went GOP in 2000... We weren't going to win them.
But, like I said, the statistics themselves are nonpartisan, so interpret them how you wish.
Ahhh, that wonderful liberal media, how I fucking love thee...
Self-censorship? The New York Times, Los Angeles Times, and Washington Post all killed stories on examining that bugle in Bush's back during the first debate. They were kill 5 days before the election. Meanwhile, CNN decided not to air a documentary on Saudi Arabia before the election, and 60 Minutes delayed an investigation into the Niger yellow cake documents until after the election.
That's amazing, because I didn't know Bush was talented enough to take 5 cocks in his mouth at once. I guess he needs his protein.
Election blogging
Since everyone has to link to Atrios at least once a month, (it's a law, you know) I agree with everything he said here:
But, irregularities and questionable results are not necessarily "proof" of "fraud" and "proof" that the "election was stolen. " If people want this issue to be taken seriously they need to stop thinking that any of the information floating around right now - and yes, I've seen it all multiple times - provides proof of any such thing. Yes, legitimate questions have been raised, but I fear people on "our side" have started to confuse the legitimate questions with the answers to those questions they've imagined. I'm fully ready to believe that everything was corrupt in Florida, Ohio, and elsewhere, but thinking and knowing are different things entirely.
I'm glad I'm not the only one who's not afraid to come out as a moderate on this issue. Further, as I have said before, we're not going to get Bush out of office. Not through lawsuits, not through impeachment, nothing. The man has beaten us, and it's better to accept that and focus our energies against him to fight against his agenda. This isn't to say that I don't support an investigation, but I'd be much happier if it was done in the context of election reform, and not rabid Bush hate.
And how come I'm the only blogger who's looked at the votes from 1996 to help explain why Bush could get thousands of votes from small Florida counties? I'm not saying that the extra amount of votes isn't strange, but just because a story supports our side doesn't mean we should stop thinking critically. Until somebody can tell me why Bill Clinton didn't get a 50% majority of the votes in the rural counties that gave a few thousand more votes to Bush this year, then I'm not buying that the behavior is so abnormal. We have to have better evidence than this.
However, on the confusion of exit polls and my dismissal of the results as being within the margin of error, I going to have to eat a little crow. If Karen Hughes took the exit polls seriously enough to tell Bush he lost the election, then maybe I should take them more seriously, too.
BOPnews has an election links clearinghouse. I haven't been able to look all of them over yet, but it's supposed to be constantly updated. So bookmark it.
Bev Harris has a mainstream media source who told her outright that they will not be covering election fraud stories. (Hattip: Rimone)
Also via Rimone: "Congressional Democrats Ask GAO to Probe Election Problems."
Do they have a how-to guide for growing your own mullet?
Since Dubya's "election," the Canadian immigration website has seen a six-fold increase in traffic.
Remember Darfur?
I (shamefully, I guess) haven't looked in-depth into the situation for quite a while, but if this article about Britain mulling over sending 10,000 troops to Sudan is indicative of anything, things in Darfur have gone from bad to worse.
"What's your favorite band name ever?" Open Thread
Yes, I am being lazy today... But my vote goes to an infamous band called "Violent Anal Death." Top that!
Who's dividing the nation?
Lauren at feministe has once again made me jealous of her writing talents (and I'm sure more people are in that club) as she tackles the perceived innocence and victimhood of red state voters. While the know-nothing talking heads of the mainstream media scream about the vile attitudes us coastal liberals harbor towards red state conservatives, nobody is questioning the attitudes of those who supposedly make up the new mainstream America, and how they are contributing to the deep divisions of this country. Reading her piece has further convinced me that I'm right -- It's not people like me who are the problem.
More love and tolerance from people who certainly aren't dividing the nation, nope...
This photo was snapped in March in Rhode Island, unfortunately. How old do you think that girl holding the sodomy sign is? Four? Five? I can imagine the conversations in her household. "Mommy! Daddy! What's sodomy?!" 'Well dear, sodomy is a man sticking his penis into...' Boy, I'd love to have dinner there.
Fark Headline of the Day
"John Ashcroft resigns. D.C. safe for statue boobies once again"
Yes, that headline displays all the dignity this story deserves.
This just in from the "Just saying..." department
Doesn't Karl Rove just strike you as somebody who has a one inch wang?
A Rovian plan? Read, and shudder.
I'm not sure if readers outside of Rhode Island have heard of Darrell M. West, a Political Science professor at Brown University. I know he's received some national attention, but I doubt he appears in your local news broadcasts on what seems like a weekly basis sometimes. I respect the guy, so when I saw an op-ed piece by him in yesterday's Providence Journal, "Consider McKinley in 1896 Has the GOP cemented its majority?," I made sure I read it.
And I'm glad that I did, because the piece ponders whether the Democrat Party is about to split apart and fade into political obscurity for the next few decades while the Republicans become the majority party of the nation; which is basically a carbon copy of the political climate at the turn of the last century when William McKinley was elected president in 1896. (An even weirder parallel that West doesn't mention between McKinley and Bush is that of unprovoked warfare which could also be looked upon as war for conquest, or a war fought for religious reasons. Bush has Iraq, and McKinley owns the War with the Philippines, which he started because he said God told him he must "Christianize the Filipinos." A remark to which historian Howard Zinn quipped, "Obviously, God did not tell the Filipinos." In reality, the United States wanted a colony so it could hang with all the other cool kids in Europe, and the Pacific had resource rich land that was ripe for the conquest. Of course, we can relate this to our war in Iraq, the seemingly religious drivings of Bush's policy, and the land being rich with one resource: oil. This historical anecdote really has nothing to do with political science, which is probably why West never mentioned it, but I just thought of it and figured it would be interesting. If you think I should have just shut up, well, uhm.. Screw. :>)
Shifting back on topic, West ends his piece with what can be taken as a warning to Democrats:
Meanwhile, the Democrats face some difficult soul searching after their losses. Some will criticize Kerry for having centered this election on foreign policy, as opposed to the traditional domestic issues of the economy, health care and education that generally undergird Democratic presidential victories. Critics will say that he should not have talked so much about his Vietnam experience, and should not have devoted so much effort to contesting Bush's foreign policy, but should have confronted the Republicans on the issues with which the Democrats often have an edge with voters. Others will complain about the quality of the campaign run by Kerry: that his message was not clearly focused and his campaign was slow to react to GOP attacks. Rather than let Bush criticize him as a liberal, he should have pointed out that the Republicans are outside the political mainstream on several key issues. Critics will say that if he had run a better campaign, the Democrats could have won.
However, that criticism ignores that the Democrats lost not only the presidential race but also seats in the Senate and House, and governorships. The Republican victory was a reflection not just of Kerry's deficiencies but also of a successful GOP strategy to focus the agenda on such issues as cultural values and security, on which the GOP was seen as the more competent party. The biggest risk for the Democrats is that their party will splinter between those who wanted to confront Bush on all fronts (the Howard Dean wing) and centrists who wanted to blur differences in some areas and confront Bush on selected topics that might have been advantageous to the Democrats.
If this happens, Karl Rove's vision becomes a reality.
You ever feel like you just stepped into a GOP strategy session? That's how I felt after reading that final line. West's public persona is that of a nonpartisan interested in studying how politics work, and he's intelligent enough not only to see what's happening on both sides, but also to observe the chess game inbetween them. And I think what West really said here is, "Hey Democrats, Rove's got you thiiiiis close to checkmate." It's this man's strategies which are always placing us on the defensive, but whenever always attributed Rove to Bush and how he helps Bush win. I don't think we've given thought to Rove's thinks his place in history as a whole is, or what he thinks his place is in the Republican Party, and what the Republican and Democrat parties current places in history are. We've been taught to think narrowly when going on the attack, but what about the big picture? Because this right here in the big picture. And as much as I've fought against the Democrats from my far left position, I do recognize that we need the party as a bulwark against broader conservative policies. I do recognize that without the Democrats, nobody is going to be big enough to take their place. The Greens membership isn't suddenly going to swell, especially when of any third party, they are now the closest to falling into disarray.
We do need the Democrats, but does that mean we need to put up with their usual centrist, Republicrat, defeatist philosophy that now isn't winning them any elections? Because to counter this philosophy means stepping on the toes of party heads, which then means playing into what is seemingly Rove's goal: to splinter the party apart, thus making the Republicans America's majority party by default because there will be no competition to counter their agenda.
What do you think?
Though Bush would like you to believe Falluja is Iraq's only story...
It's not. The Independent provides a much-needed counterpoint as insurgents launch offensives all around Iraq.
All eyes may be on Fallujah, but violence continues across Iraq. The US is selling the battle of Fallujah to its troops and to the outside world as a decisive moment, when the tide will turn against the militants - but the bloodshed across the rest of the country yesterday suggested that taking the city would not inflict a body blow to insurgents.
They are able to operate freely inside the capital. In Baghdad yesterday, they bombed a Catholic church, wounding at least 35 people. The outer wall of St Bahnam's Church was destroyed and the house next door set alight. A car bomb in western Baghdad killed at least one American soldier. On the airport road, one of the most notorious highways in the country, a suicide bomber used a red Opel packed with explosives to ram a civilian convoy. Witnesses said at least three people were killed. The group led by Abu Musab al-Zarqawi, the Jordanian al-Qa'ida ally whom the US has presented as its main target in Fallujah, claimed responsibility.
These people fucking kill me...
Brent Bozell's uber-conservative Media "Research" Center released their, "The Ten Worst Media Distortions of Campaign 2004." Let's take a peek!
The Attack On The Swift Boat Vets … Last spring, over 250 Vietnam War contemporaries, including veterans who served with him when he was a Swift Boat commander and his entire chain of command, came forward to publicly challenge Kerry’s version of Vietnam and his anti-war activities. After being ignored for several weeks the media turned on these honorable men with a vengeance, rather than give them a shred of credibility.
Uhm, ignored? What? What country was the Media "Research" Center based in during the campaign, Instapundistan? The Truth Distorted Beartopia? As for these "credibility" of these "honorable" men, when the media actually did it's job and found out that the lot of these Swift Boat dickheads were fucking liars, why didn't anyone on the right give them credit for practicing good journalism?
The Networks’ Convention Double-Standard … Democratic speakers who savaged Republicans in Boston were touted by network journalists as “rock stars.” But journalists turned sour when covering the Republicans in New York. CNN’s Bill Schneider on the GOP: “This is a very angry convention, it’s a very belligerent convention.” TIME’s Joe Klein, a CNN contributor: “I’ve been doing this for a fair number of years and I don’t think I’ve seen anything as angry or as ugly as [Sen. Zell] Miller’s speech.”
Maybe Obama, the only Democrat who was compared to a "rock star," was called such because he delivered a rousing and positive speech? I mean, did this fuckwads even watch Zell Miller's speech? Jesus.
The Media "Research" Center listed other "distortions," some of which they didn't even provide a description for, like "Misrepresenting the 9/11 Commission on Iraq/al-Qaeda Links." They say it's a distortion, but yet they don't provide an explanaton. I wonder why. I mean, they are the Media "Research" Center, after all, yet they don't provide research for their claims? If they are too lazy to provide research, then I suggest they rename themselves to something more descriptive. Like the Media Fucktard Center or something.
Wag the Falluja
Could somebody from the press please ask the president what is the strategy -- military strategy -- of launching a massive assault on Falluja a week after the election. Was there a credible military plan which determined that early November would be the best time to commit to this offensive? Or did the president purposely place our soldiers in danger for his own political gain by not attacking Falluja earlier? In not attacking, did the president not give precious time to the insurgents to prepare for an attack they surely knew was coming since there were rumors one would be launched after the election? Did the president purposely place our soldiers in harm's way to insure his own reelection?
Ok, now I'd rather eat 20 lobstahs in 30 minutes
In fact, reading about this makes me yearn for a Tim Horton's beef stew and donut combo.
Specialist cooks from around the world gathered in Serbia last week for the World Testicle Cooking Championship. Testicles are regarded as a gourmet delicacy in Serbia and the championship was organised by Ljubomir Erovic, of the Serbian Tourism Board, as a way of promoting the dish. [The Tourism board planned this? They must have some balls to think this will bring in the vacationers.]
“The best cooked balls come from Serbia, which are known locally here as white kidneys,” [Waiter, I won't have the kidneys, thanks!] he said. The contest in the village of Savinac was won by gourmet testicle chef Dejan Milovanovic from Belgrade. His dish, prepared using testicles from a bull and a boar beat off challengers from around the world.
Funny he should say "beat off"...
Reporters, stenographers, propagandists...?
When this is the sum of your report...
Iraqi, U.S. Troops About to Punch Into Falluja
FALLUJA, Iraq (Reuters) - Iraqi troops and U.S. Marines prepared on Tuesday to thrust further into the rebel- held city of Falluja as part of an offensive to crush insurgents and foreign Muslim militants.
"The Iraqi army and Marines will soon push into Falluja," Marine Lieutenant-Colonel John Morris told Reuters in Falluja.
...then why even bother to make a story out of it? I've seen two "articles" like this today, and it's absolutely fucking ridiculous of the wires to publish "articles" that blatantly lack information.
Is this a religious term for a declaration of secular holy war?
Is it time to issue, as YT at Capitol Banter puts it, "fuckwas" against our enemies?
Heh.
Just in case you ever wondered, "Gee, what do Nahner New Englandahs do fer fun?"
Headline: "Vt. Man Devours 19 Lobsters in 35 Minutes." This was for a lobster eating competition, by the way. Others, recognizing that it's fucking cold out, just stay indoors and eat fish.
Maybe we should outsource our elections to get them done right
A cousin emailed me this Slashdot article that has links to more elections gaffes that I hadn't heard of until now. Like Palm Beach County having 88,000 more votes then people who actually voted there. And a "computer glitch" in LaPorte County, IN, axing 57,000 votes and (maybe) forcing a manual recount. And did you know that Broward County voting machines started counting backwards? How about the reporting of this election observer in New Mexico about some Kerry votes going to Nader, and Kerry only getting a 12 vote advantage in a minority precinct?
Verrrrry interesting.
But what the mainstream wants is always right. Right? (Or, should I say, "Literally?")
Well, if that's the case, I'm opening up a restaurant with a white section and a "colored" section. And all of those "colored" people who try to vote are going to be hosed down. And if you happened to be "colored", don't you dare sit at the front of the bus. As for white women, don't even look at them! And we'll unleash the ultimate insult upon you: Having this dude become popular by covering songs composed by your people.
When is comes to dividing the nation, are we really causing it?
[Don't you hate it when you screw up the grammar in your title, and you can't edit it or else the link is ruined? Oops. Well, it should say, "When it comes to..."]
One thing I'll constantly wonder about with how divided our country currently is is my place in it. I'm I part of the problem? If so, what have I done to become part of the problem? And is there anything that I can do to become part of the solution?
The complex answer to these three very simple questions is yes, I harbor progressive political beliefs, and no. Before I explain, think about this passage from the latest Dan Kennedy article in the Boston Phoenix, "Blue in a Red America."
If Boston — along with New York, Washington, Chicago, and Los Angeles — is one of the capitals of Blue America, the NBC exit polls describe the very definition of Red America: bigoted, intolerant, fearful of the unknown, ever ready to impose its own version of morality on everyone else. Let me admit right here that I’m struggling — much of what I’ve written about Red Americans this morning strikes me as intolerant of them. As a devoted secularist with a number of religious friends, I certainly don’t want to come off as though I’m denigrating religion itself. But the essence of liberalism is that religion must exist in its own sphere, and though it needn’t be private, it has no business poking its nose under other people’s tents. If you’re opposed to abortion, then don’t have one. If you think homosexuality is a sin, then don’t have sex with someone of the same gender. Now, this all makes perfect sense to me. The trouble is, tolerance is perhaps the most vital component of a liberal value system, and it’s at the heart of what makes Blue America what it is. And Red America values neither tolerance nor liberalism. Not to sound too arrogant, but I don’t think we would have any trouble living with them — it’s they who have trouble living with us.
And now they’ve won.
This is the best description I've found that explains, flat out, that people like me are not the problem. We are not the ones forcing this nation to become divided. How could we? We simply want to exist and that's it. People like me don't care about what happens within the walls of your church, just as long as those beliefs aren't enforced within the laws of our own home. We're not blocking out their churches like they block off abortion clinics. We're not censoring their media or banning the Bible while they constantly try to place their own standards on our media; a conquest which included suing a relatively small band called the Dead Kennedy's back in the late 80's.
For those unfamiliar with the case, here's a short rundown: The Parents Music Resource Center (PMRC), a Christian Right front group headed up by none other than Tipper Fucking Gore, started a campaign in the 80's to outright censor all the music we listen to because it didn't fit into their religious tastes. The Dead Kennedy's (DK's) were a big, but still independent punk band who were targetted by the PMRC for exactly this reason: they were independent and didn't have the resources to fight for themselves. The PMRC listed this as the main reason why they sued the DK's, by the way; picking on the little guy. The DK's latest album, Frankenchrist, included a posting of a painting by HR Giger which, essentially, was a bunch of decreped penises fucking a bunch of decreped vaginas. DK's frontman Jello Biafra said the painting symbolized the general theme of the album: society fucking itself over and over. Well, the PMRC thought this was, ahem, "harmful matter" that a child must never be subjected to, and got the Los Angeles DA to take the DK's to court over the matter. While being sued by the government, LA prosecutors made blow-ups of lyrics sheets from the album to display to the whole court while questioning witnesses, and it quickly became evident that the DK's were on trial for their political beliefs, and not for a stupid HR Giger painting. Through donations and with the help of the ACLU, there was a hung jury and the judge decided that there would be no retrial on the matter.
This is how the Christian Right operates, and these are the people who won the election. Not content with the fact that we lead different lives, their goal has always been enforcing their view of morality on us, forcing us to live like them. This is why comparisons to the Taliban, Osama bin Laden, and fundamentalist Islam are so apt.
This is also why people like me are not the problem. Unless, of course, you count living, breathing, and simply believing in a different set of beliefs as being part of the problem. I certainly don't. This is America, and if we're supposed to have freedom, then that means I can live my life any damn way I please as long as I'm not infringing on the freedoms of those around me. The undisputable fact is that these people can't live with me, not the other way around. If they were perfectly content to keep the laws of their church within their church, there wouldn't be any conflicts. It's not like I'm trying to enforce my secular views on them by suing their churches for not being secular enough.
Of course, there are plenty of Christians living in America who aren't part of the Christian Right mindset; who, like myself, wish to live their life the way they please without interfering with the lives of those who surround them and do not share their views. Not only are they our friends, but we can't take them forgranted because they are our best hope of shifting the pendulum in the church, swigning it so that liberal beliefs are respected by their majority. This will be a critical voting bloc in the 2006 and 2008 elections.
The Culture War that the Christian Right has waged on our society and liberal values has been going on for years, and it just took a turn for the worse. I honestly believe this is a crusade, and the goal is to either convert or destroy people like you and me. Unfortunately, our only hope to survive is to view this as the war it is, and wage counter warfare. But the first thing we need to remember is the truth: We're not the problem. They are.
[Post placed on top until noon.]
Here's what America actually looks like
This map represents the way counties of America voted, in proportion to the population. Red represents Republicans, blue Democrats, and shades of purple are the varying degrees of mixtures of the two.
We're a big, fucking mess, aren't we?
"Bipartisanship," Republican-style
Or, with this description, should I say "lack of bipartisanship?" Because this is dead on.
Since Election Day, he has promised to earn the trust of Democrats and talked of bipartisanship. But so far, that has mostly meant inviting Democrats to support his proposals and leaving them behind if they decline.
Stories like this are going to place me in suicide watch
Most American voters say the decisive presidential election last week has given them renewed confidence about the nation's electoral system and they're hopeful about the next four years, an Associated Press Poll finds.
This just in: A poll among bloggers finds that the AP aren't doing their fucking jobs in reporting the news.
Grrrrrrr...
Good morning, you're Canadian!
The dollar is now worth 70 cents to one euro, and quickly gaining the "play money" status that we have applied to Canadian money.
Thanks, Bush. We couldn't have done it without ya. When do we start calling them monkey bucks?
We're not going to attract any Republicans, so why pander to them
1. Gay Rights. The folks who now speak for the Republican party demand that gays be shoved back into the legal and social closet; at the loony fringe, they want them exterminated. Jim deMint, senator from South Carolina, supports a platform barring gays from teaching school. John Thune supports a constitutional amendment banning gay marriage. Both these gentlemen were handily elected by constituencies that presumably approved of their positions.
Now, the contention is that out there somewhere there is a mass of silent Republicans who disapprove of this extremism and would happily accept some k ind of middle-of-the-road solution.
WHAT IS THE MIDDLE OF THE ROAD BETWEEN FULL CITIZENSHIP AND SECOND CLASS STATUS?
Read the rest. It's sad to think that this is what our country has come to. And for all the Republicans telling us that we're so out of touch that we have to pander further to their asses, I refuse. I refuse to be apart of your hatefest. I refuse to force my friends into second class citizenship just because you don't like the way they fuck. The way you seek to enforce your beliefs on those who aren't like you is not only disgusting, but it won't stop. I know for a fact that when you come for the gays, I'm next, because you just won't stop until everyone's converted to your liking. And I refuse to do your dirty work all in an effort to fuck myself over for your benefit. I refuse to pander to you motherfuckers just because you tell me to. So consider this a memo from the rest of us: Take your "morals" and shove them up your ass.
We will defeat you. We will not be you.
Apologies to the world
Let them know we're not all ignorant Americans. Just, you know, half of us...
Monday is the day after Radio Mouth Day!
This week it's old Boston punk: The Freeze's "We Make Sanity." It's easily the best time-compacted song I've ever heard. It packs a great, piano-laced intro in with interesting lyrics, great choruses, and a great solo -- clocking in at a 1:40. You'd swear the song was at least 2:30 after listening to it for the first time.
Lazy Monday
If it hasn't already been evident from the past 285 minutes, I'm sleeping in this Monday morning. I'm undecided if I'm going to try and stay up to do some blogging or pass out again, since getting a full night's rest is prett bad when you're a third shifter who should only be getting a full day's rest.
So, it looks like it's zombie time this morning! (Meaning I'm forcing myself to stay awake, which, in turn, will make me emulate a zombie.)
Oh, and I need help. Because reason eight thousand four hundred sixty-one on why I should never become a researcher reared it's ugly head tonight: What the fuck do I type into Google to make it give me a link to statistics of who voted in this past election? Like age ranges, etc. National averages. Or dothe national averages even exist yet? DO I have to goto each state's Secretary of State website, get the figures, and do my own calculations? I don't want to go that route, because that involves tedious, mind-numbing work. Help.
Reasons why I should read my sister Melanie's blog more often
Let me explain to you how cheap toilet paper and cheap paper towels are undermining the American economy.I'm sorry people, but this can't be good for the bottom line.
- If I have to use toilet paper that is half as good as it used to be, I spend twice as long in the bathroom, wiping my behind four times over with eight times the toilet paper, which by the way is sixteen times harsher than the good stuff and produces butt-abrasion, or as I call it, "repetitive overwipe injury" or "ROI" (probably not the same "ROI" that corporate accountants are shooting for).
- All that t.p. is thirty-two times more likely to clog the pipes. Send in the plumber army. We may have to reinstitute the draft.
- I waste time wondering if I need to start buying Puffs tissues or moist baby wipes so I can heal, get clean, and get back the time I am losing whilst abusing my derriere.
- I then have to wash my hands and use two paper towels: one to squeegee off the moisture, and another to actually get my hands dry.
- I then have to take a time out and put on hand lotion so I can heal from the splinters. While moisturizing, I multitask by considering whether I should go back to the john and lotion my butt.
ROI.. Classic. Thanks Mel. :)
What the fuck is wrong with you Canadians?
I know we (may have) actually reelected Bush and all, but you Canadians just made me wanna hurl. I just saw a Tim Horton's commercial advertising a beef stew combo meal. And there are reasons a donut place shouldn't serve lunch. One of those reasons is because this combo meal was beef stew served with a donut and coffee.
Beef stew and a DONUT? Eww. That's just fucking disgusting. Stick to hockey and mullets please, okay guys?
The Comedy of History. Future history, that is.
Just think about how fucked up American Historians will regard us long after we're dead. In 2000, we had arguably the closest election in the history of our nation, and even though everybody knew Al Gore got the most votes in Florida, Bush was placed into office because of the lack of quality in our voting system. So to replace them, we bring in touch screen voting machines that provide no paper backup, no way to recount the votes, no way to know if the voting has been accurate, the votes are stored in a database that a chimp could hack (I'm not joking, there's evidence on video of a chimp hacking it) because the database isn't password protected, and if that wasn't enough, these touch screen voting machines seem to cause a whole slew of user errors. But instead of investing money in already established voting systems that don't cause as many user errors, are more accurate, and provide a paper ballot backup so recounts wouldn't be a problem, many of our respective state governments decide on two options: A) User the problem-riddled touch screen voting machines; or B) Stick with problem-riddled punch card ballots. Then in 2004, while not as close, is riddled with problems that make it look like the other candidate could have easily won it.
We better put some Depends in a time capsule, because future historians are going to shit themselves looking into this.
A temporary shift in Loaded Mouth's news publishing policy
Most people reading this are probably saying to themselves, "His site has policies?" In my mind, yes, though I have never posted them as rules I run this site by. I want the news I publish to be timely, but also as accurate as possible. If a story comes from another blog/other independent source, I always check for other sources to see if it's factual before posting it.
But, given the crush of Ohio election coverage from independent sources, I'm going to let this rule fall by the wayside for a couple of weeks. It's trumped by another LM policy that I've also never posted: this blog serves as my personal newsbook for news. There's so much news coming out right now that I simply don't want to ignore it just because I can't verify it immediately.
So, as I start to seriously begin my election coverage, please keep this in mind.
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