Tuesday, January 31, 2006
Operation Truth
Four Things the President Needs to Tell America's Troops and Veterans Iraq Veterans Call for Answers in State of the Union Speech
According to the Iraq and Afghanistan Veterans of America here are four things the President needs to tell the nation in his SOTU tonight.
1) This Nation’s Veterans are a Priority
2) The Current Problem of Military Overextension Will End in 2006
3) Here are the Benchmarks for Success in Iraq
4) Never Again Will our Troops be Sent to War Without Proper Equipment
My guess is that we here 0 of those in any meaningful way. He may pay lip service to 1 and 4, but he's done that before.
According to the Iraq and Afghanistan Veterans of America here are four things the President needs to tell the nation in his SOTU tonight.
1) This Nation’s Veterans are a Priority
2) The Current Problem of Military Overextension Will End in 2006
3) Here are the Benchmarks for Success in Iraq
4) Never Again Will our Troops be Sent to War Without Proper Equipment
My guess is that we here 0 of those in any meaningful way. He may pay lip service to 1 and 4, but he's done that before.
Monday, January 30, 2006
Maybe they could invite the Bush administration as well
Instapundit.com:
INSTAPUNDIT WROTE:
"GETTING IT WRONG: It's an issue of The Economist from November, but the 'Lexington' column, which is often quite good, contains this howler: 'The rumor-mongers interpret Mr. Cheney's recent ubiquity as more proof that he is desperately trying to save his job.'
Er, except that, you know, the Vice President can't be fired. Cheney holds an independent office, and doesn't work for Bush. It's possible that he might be persuaded to step down in favor of someone (*cough* Condi *cough*) else, but there's no desperation involved. He could spend the next almost-three years hunting pheasants and fly-fishing and nobody could say boo. Any 'rumormongers' saying otherwise are probably fellow British journalists who don't understand that either . . . .
I don't want to be too hard on 'Lexington,' which is actually quite a good column in general. But I showed that passage to several colleagues (none of them people who would likely be upset if Cheney were fired) and all of them laughed. At least, said one, it wasn't an American journalist making that mistake, though that would be no great surprise if it happened. Perhaps someone should set up seminars for foreign journalists on how the Constitution works."
Daily Drew
Hollywood Rag - Celebrity Ragazine | Drew Barrymore at Curious George Premiere
Haven't done that in a while.
Haven't done that in a while.
Sunday, January 29, 2006
The Great Glenn Greenwald
Unclaimed Territory - by Glenn Greenwald: Putting the terrorist threat into perspective:
Read the whole post. It's brilliant which seems to have become Greenwald's norm.
"All of this seems obvious at this point. The total number of Americans killed by Islamic terrorists in the last 5 years -- or 10 years -- or 20 years -- or ever -- is roughly 3,500, the same number of deaths by suicide which occur in this country every month. This is the overarching threat around which we are constructing our entire foreign policy, changing the basic principles of our government, and fundamentally altering both our behavior in the world and the way in which we are perceived."
Read the whole post. It's brilliant which seems to have become Greenwald's norm.
Saturday, January 28, 2006
Not bad
ChubbyChecker.com:
"Chubby Checker – the only artist to have 5 albums in the Top 12 all at once.
Chubby Checker First Platinum – 'Let's Twist Again'.
Chubby Checker – the only artist to have a song to be #1 twice – 'The Twist'.
Chubby Checker – the only artist to have 9 Double-Sided Hits."
Friday, January 27, 2006
Thursday, January 26, 2006
How does he keep a straight face?
Aljazeera.Net - US pushes to keep Hamas out:
"A political party, in order to be viable, is one that professes peace."
--George W. Bush (he then ordered the US military to continue to blow shit up in Iraq)
"A political party, in order to be viable, is one that professes peace."
--George W. Bush (he then ordered the US military to continue to blow shit up in Iraq)
Tuesday, January 24, 2006
A joke from The Big Pharaoh
The Big Pharaoh
An old Arab lived close to *New York* City for more than 40 years. One day he decided that he would love to plant potatoes and herbs in his garden, but he knew he was alone and too old and weak. His son was in college in Paris, so the old man sent him an e-mail explaining the problem:
"Beloved son, I am very sad, because I can't plant potatoes in my garden. I am sure, if only you were here, that you would help me and dig up the garden for me. I love you, your father."
The following day, the old man received a response e-mail from his son:
"Beloved father, please don't touch the garden. That is where I have hidden 'the *THING*.' I love you, too, Ahmed."
At 4pm the FBI and the Rangers visited the house of the old man and took the whole garden apart, searching every inch. But they couldn't find anything. Disappointed, they left the house.
The next day, the old man received another e-mail from his son:
"Beloved father, I hope the garden is dug up by now and you can plant your potatoes, that is all I could do for you from here; Your loving son Ahmed.
Insight
Impeachment hearings: The White House prepares for the worst
Why is another analysis of Bush's impeachment troubles important? This one is published in the GOP paper of records' Sunday magazine. That's right. The Washington Times is testing out the impeachment waters.
Why is another analysis of Bush's impeachment troubles important? This one is published in the GOP paper of records' Sunday magazine. That's right. The Washington Times is testing out the impeachment waters.
Yo Democrats
What kind of courage does it take, for mercy's sake? The majority of the American people (55 percent) think the war in Iraq is a mistake and that we should get out. The majority (65 percent) of the American people want single-payer health care and are willing to pay more taxes to get it. The majority (86 percent) of the American people favor raising the minimum wage. The majority of the American people (60 percent) favor repealing Bush's tax cuts, or at least those that go only to the rich. The majority (66 percent) wants to reduce the deficit not by cutting domestic spending, but by reducing Pentagon spending or raising taxes.
The majority (77 percent) thinks we should do "whatever it takes" to protect the environment. The majority (87 percent) thinks big oil companies are gouging consumers and would support a windfall profits tax. That is the center, you fools. WHO ARE YOU AFRAID OF?
--Molly Ivins
Monday, January 23, 2006
Friday, January 20, 2006
Meet Prince Mongo
newtimesbpb.com | News & Features | Bob Norman | The Alien Has Landed | 2006-01-19
He's 333 years old from the planet Zambodia. He says things like, "It's the resurrection of the world. The Earth doesn't have much time left. We're on the second run right now. That painting is the tunnel to life. It won't end until the world ends. Then I will take the people I'm going to save back to Zambodia."
He's also wealthy, lives in a $2 million home, and likes to feed the homeless.
He's 333 years old from the planet Zambodia. He says things like, "It's the resurrection of the world. The Earth doesn't have much time left. We're on the second run right now. That painting is the tunnel to life. It won't end until the world ends. Then I will take the people I'm going to save back to Zambodia."
He's also wealthy, lives in a $2 million home, and likes to feed the homeless.
Wednesday, January 18, 2006
Waterboarding
Ok this has been bugging me for a while. Waterboarding is torture. Lemme lay this one out for you...
Take a 2x4 attach it the face of a restrained prisoner. Take a large amount of water and pour down the board so it hits the face and mouth of a the tortured person. At first they drink, no problem, but the stomach only holds a couple litres of water, so they gasp. Of course there's still water flowing into their face and they pull it into their lungs. Within a minute or two the person feels like they are drowning and browns out. If you keep the water flowing down the board, they will die, but of course that doesn't help the torturer so when they guy passes out, you stop the water, revive and repeat.
We do this.
Now you wanna know how I know it's torture? The 17th century Dutch thought it was torture. You know how I really know it's torture? Mastheading and keel-hauling were considered "lesser tortures".
Mastheading -- take a forty foot length of rope and run it under the prisoners arms and tie it off behind his head. Haul the prisoner up to a spar 50 feet off the deck, tie off the other end of the rope, and push the prisoner off the spar so he free falls to a couple of feet from deck at which point the rope jerks his shoulders against his ears and dislocates both of his shoulders (or possibly breaks his spine if the shoulders hold for some reason).
Keel Hauling -- take a long piece of rope, run it under the width of the ship. Tie the prisoner to the port side of the rope. Get 6 or 8 seaman on the starboard side even with the prisoner. Push prisoner overboard and have seaman heave. The prisoner gets pulled underwater, dragged along the bottom of a hobnailed keel (little nails stick out all over and rip the prisoners flesh on the way by), and haul the prisoner up the other side. Repeat two more times.
See waterboarding was considered worse than those by the Dutch, but we do that. Hell even the 17th century Dutch knew this was torture. Dutch law would allow for torture, but not a confessions compelled by torture. They knew someone would say /anything/ to get that torture to stop so they would not accept a confession obtained in such a way. 500 years ago people knew that this was a useless way to extract information, and we still use it.
Brilliant.
But, but, but mcseywon't somebody think of the children 9/11 changed everything! Oh yeah...
No its not. Get over your fear. It's killing your mind. Let us not aspire to live. Let us not aspire to be great and powerful. Let us aspire to be good -- the rest will follow.
Stop supporting torture and its progenitors. We are better than that.
Take a 2x4 attach it the face of a restrained prisoner. Take a large amount of water and pour down the board so it hits the face and mouth of a the tortured person. At first they drink, no problem, but the stomach only holds a couple litres of water, so they gasp. Of course there's still water flowing into their face and they pull it into their lungs. Within a minute or two the person feels like they are drowning and browns out. If you keep the water flowing down the board, they will die, but of course that doesn't help the torturer so when they guy passes out, you stop the water, revive and repeat.
We do this.
Now you wanna know how I know it's torture? The 17th century Dutch thought it was torture. You know how I really know it's torture? Mastheading and keel-hauling were considered "lesser tortures".
Mastheading -- take a forty foot length of rope and run it under the prisoners arms and tie it off behind his head. Haul the prisoner up to a spar 50 feet off the deck, tie off the other end of the rope, and push the prisoner off the spar so he free falls to a couple of feet from deck at which point the rope jerks his shoulders against his ears and dislocates both of his shoulders (or possibly breaks his spine if the shoulders hold for some reason).
Keel Hauling -- take a long piece of rope, run it under the width of the ship. Tie the prisoner to the port side of the rope. Get 6 or 8 seaman on the starboard side even with the prisoner. Push prisoner overboard and have seaman heave. The prisoner gets pulled underwater, dragged along the bottom of a hobnailed keel (little nails stick out all over and rip the prisoners flesh on the way by), and haul the prisoner up the other side. Repeat two more times.
See waterboarding was considered worse than those by the Dutch, but we do that. Hell even the 17th century Dutch knew this was torture. Dutch law would allow for torture, but not a confessions compelled by torture. They knew someone would say /anything/ to get that torture to stop so they would not accept a confession obtained in such a way. 500 years ago people knew that this was a useless way to extract information, and we still use it.
Brilliant.
But, but, but mcsey
"Is our Congress today in more danger than were their predecessors when the British army was marching on the Capitol? Is the world more dangerous than when we faced an ideological enemy with tens of thousands of missiles poised to be launched against us and annihilate our country at a moment's notice? Is America in more danger now than when we faced worldwide fascism on the march -- when our fathers fought and won two World Wars simultaneously? (ed: huh, you mean a two front war)
"It is simply an insult to those who came before us and sacrificed so much on our behalf to imply that we have more to be fearful of than they. Yet they faithfully protected our freedoms and now it is up to us to do the same."
--Al Gore
No its not. Get over your fear. It's killing your mind. Let us not aspire to live. Let us not aspire to be great and powerful. Let us aspire to be good -- the rest will follow.
Stop supporting torture and its progenitors. We are better than that.
Good Point
"Is our Congress today in more danger than were their predecessors when the British army was marching on the Capitol? Is the world more dangerous than when we faced an ideological enemy with tens of thousands of missiles poised to be launched against us and annihilate our country at a moment's notice? Is America in more danger now than when we faced worldwide fascism on the march -- when our fathers fought and won two World Wars simultaneously (ed: huh, you mean a two front war I think)?
"It is simply an insult to those who came before us and sacrificed so much on our behalf to imply that we have more to be fearful of than they. Yet they faithfully protected our freedoms and now it is up to us to do the same."
--Al Gore
You gotta kidding me?
Media Matters -
CNN reportedly hires radio host Glenn Beck
The librul mee-dee-uh folks at CNN hired a guy that said, "You know, it took me about a year to start hating the 9-11 victims' families?" and on Nick Berg's Dad, "I find this guy [Michael Berg] despicable. Everything in me says that. The want to be a better person today than I was yesterday says he's a dad, he's grieving, but I don't buy that. I'm sorry, I don't buy it. I think he is grieving, but I think he's a scumbag as well. I don't like this guy at all."
Ya... nice.
CNN reportedly hires radio host Glenn Beck
The librul mee-dee-uh folks at CNN hired a guy that said, "You know, it took me about a year to start hating the 9-11 victims' families?" and on Nick Berg's Dad, "I find this guy [Michael Berg] despicable. Everything in me says that. The want to be a better person today than I was yesterday says he's a dad, he's grieving, but I don't buy that. I'm sorry, I don't buy it. I think he is grieving, but I think he's a scumbag as well. I don't like this guy at all."
Ya... nice.
Woman pleaded: I want hitman to kill me
Welcome to Kent Online
A 53-year-old woman was so depressed and desperate to end her life that she agreed to pay a friend to arrange for a hitman to kill her, a court heard.
Christine Ryder ended up handing over a total of £20,000 to Kevin Reeves after he agreed to murder her himself.
But Reeves, 40, of Saltings Road, Snodland, near Rochester, failed to keep his side of the bargain and she shopped him to the police.
Now he has been jailed for 15 months after being convicted of deception.
A judge told the married father: "While it is clear you had no intention of arranging for someone to kill Mrs Ryder and didn’t propose to yourself, you deceived her into believing it would happen."
Tuesday, January 17, 2006
Tuesday, January 10, 2006
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