Monday, February 28, 2005
Photo for libelous add stolen.
AMERICAblog: Because a great nation deserves the truth
For those of you wandering what this is all about, an organization named USA Next has been promoting an ad that "In one version of the USA Next advertisement disseminated widely on the Internet last week, and aired repeatedly by television news programs nationwide, the couple’s image, superimposed with a green checkmark, is side-by-side a picture of a US soldier with a red “X” across it. Below the photos is the phrase “The REAL AARP Agenda.”"
It turns out that USA Next did not get the couple in the ads permission. Now Richard Raymen and Steven Hansen are understandably pissed that their wedding photo is being used to promote homophobia.
Sue. Sue the hell out of them. Sue them out of existence, take their organization as payment and use it to promote your own agenda.
For those of you wandering what this is all about, an organization named USA Next has been promoting an ad that "In one version of the USA Next advertisement disseminated widely on the Internet last week, and aired repeatedly by television news programs nationwide, the couple’s image, superimposed with a green checkmark, is side-by-side a picture of a US soldier with a red “X” across it. Below the photos is the phrase “The REAL AARP Agenda.”"
It turns out that USA Next did not get the couple in the ads permission. Now Richard Raymen and Steven Hansen are understandably pissed that their wedding photo is being used to promote homophobia.
Sue. Sue the hell out of them. Sue them out of existence, take their organization as payment and use it to promote your own agenda.
John Gilmore's Quest to Learn the Laws He Lives Under
Grounded: Millionaire John Gilmore stays close to home while making a point about privacy
John Gilmore, cofounder of the EFF and personal hero of mine, wants to see the law that requires airlines to force him to produce identification to board a plane. He can't. It's classified. That's right. We have /laws/ that we don't even get to know what they are.
John Gilmore, cofounder of the EFF and personal hero of mine, wants to see the law that requires airlines to force him to produce identification to board a plane. He can't. It's classified. That's right. We have /laws/ that we don't even get to know what they are.
Sunday, February 27, 2005
Saturday, February 26, 2005
You've got to be kidding me.
RollingStone.com: FCC Censorship : News
The new $500,000 fine for saying "fuck" on the television or the radio is the same as the maximum fine for illegally testing pesticides... ON HUMANS! You could also cause the wrongful death of an elderly person in a nursing home and have enough left over to cover two dangerous mishaps at nuclear reactors.
Yep that's a good Congress we got us there.
The new $500,000 fine for saying "fuck" on the television or the radio is the same as the maximum fine for illegally testing pesticides... ON HUMANS! You could also cause the wrongful death of an elderly person in a nursing home and have enough left over to cover two dangerous mishaps at nuclear reactors.
Yep that's a good Congress we got us there.
Friday, February 25, 2005
Scary
Times Online - Britain
A BRITISH AIRWAYS jumbo jet carrying 351 passengers was forced to make an emergency landing after an 11-hour transatlantic flight with a failed engine.
The fault occurred on take-off from Los Angeles but the pilot declined all opportunities to land in the US and instead continued on three engines for 5,000 miles to Britain.
The incident happened three days after a European regulation came into force requiring airlines to compensate passengers for long delays or cancellations. Under the new rules, if the pilot had returned to Los Angeles, BA would have been facing a compensation bill of more than £100,000.
Oh sweet irony
News4Jax.com - Money - Adelphia Pulls Plug On Hard-Core Cable Porn:
In the business world of John Rigas porn is immoral. Embezzlement is not.
"Five years ago the company dropped the soft-core porn channel 'Spice' from cable systems in Southern California because company founder John Rigas considered such programming immoral.
Adelphia filed for bankruptcy protection in 2002 after Rigas and others were accused of cheating investors out of billions of dollars."
In the business world of John Rigas porn is immoral. Embezzlement is not.
A better question: What is journalism?
AMERICAblog: Because a great nation deserves the truth
Joe at Americablog on the LA Times coverage of Gannongate.
Joe at Americablog on the LA Times coverage of Gannongate.
"Accidents will happen"
The New York Times > Opinion > Op-Ed Columnist: Thrown to the Wolves
The tragic case of Maher Arar, Canadian citizen, who was seized at Kennedy Airport returning from a Tunisian vacation. After his seizure (arrest would imply he was charged with something which he never was) he was flown to Jordan and then driven to Syria where he was tortured on our behalf. The problem is the Syrians decided he had nothing to do with terrorism. Right now a man who the US government decided was so dangerous that he should be seized and tortured without charges or trial is walking free in Canada.
The biggest joke? The government is seeking to quash a lawsuit by Arar because adjudicating his claims "would involve the revelation of state secrets".
Fuck you Bush administration. Fuck you and die. All of you. You are destroying this country. Congratulations Republican morons that voted for Bush. You're complicit in the destruction of your country. Our beautiful experiment is failing, and it's your fault. The rule of law applies to everyone or it means nothing.
The tragic case of Maher Arar, Canadian citizen, who was seized at Kennedy Airport returning from a Tunisian vacation. After his seizure (arrest would imply he was charged with something which he never was) he was flown to Jordan and then driven to Syria where he was tortured on our behalf. The problem is the Syrians decided he had nothing to do with terrorism. Right now a man who the US government decided was so dangerous that he should be seized and tortured without charges or trial is walking free in Canada.
The biggest joke? The government is seeking to quash a lawsuit by Arar because adjudicating his claims "would involve the revelation of state secrets".
Fuck you Bush administration. Fuck you and die. All of you. You are destroying this country. Congratulations Republican morons that voted for Bush. You're complicit in the destruction of your country. Our beautiful experiment is failing, and it's your fault. The rule of law applies to everyone or it means nothing.
Thursday, February 24, 2005
Propagandagate cartoon
AMERICAblog: Because a great nation deserves the truth
John Aravosis gets a lot of the credit for breaking the Gannon/Guckert story.
John Aravosis gets a lot of the credit for breaking the Gannon/Guckert story.
I'm only gonna say this about this.
CNN.com - Paris Hilton: 'I want to apologize' - Feb 24, 2005
Paris Hilton's Sidekick wasn't cracked by some nefarious superhacker scheme. It was cracked because her password retrieval secret question was "What is your dog's name?". Now I'm certainly not anymore up on pop culture then the next guy, but I do seem to remember her getting a little publicity for losing her pooch and posting a $5000 reward for "Tinkerbell's" return.
Paris Hilton's Sidekick wasn't cracked by some nefarious superhacker scheme. It was cracked because her password retrieval secret question was "What is your dog's name?". Now I'm certainly not anymore up on pop culture then the next guy, but I do seem to remember her getting a little publicity for losing her pooch and posting a $5000 reward for "Tinkerbell's" return.
I'm only gonna say this about this.
CNN.com - Paris Hilton: 'I want to apologize' - Feb 24, 2005
Paris Hilton's Sidekick wasn't cracked by some nefarious superhacker scheme. It was cracked because her password retrieval secret question was "What is your dog's name?". Now I'm certainly not anymore up on pop culture then the next guy, but I do seem to remember her getting a little publicity for losing her pooch and posting a $5000 reward for "Tinkerbell's" return.
Paris Hilton's Sidekick wasn't cracked by some nefarious superhacker scheme. It was cracked because her password retrieval secret question was "What is your dog's name?". Now I'm certainly not anymore up on pop culture then the next guy, but I do seem to remember her getting a little publicity for losing her pooch and posting a $5000 reward for "Tinkerbell's" return.
Somebody else figured out Chris Rock is conservative.
Chris Rock - The William F-ing Buckley of stand-up. By John Swansburg
When Drudge started his hyperactive salivating over Chris Rock as the Oscar host, my first thought was, but Chris Rock's standup is conservative! Someone else agrees.
When Drudge started his hyperactive salivating over Chris Rock as the Oscar host, my first thought was, but Chris Rock's standup is conservative! Someone else agrees.
So the sons of their countries
BBC NEWS | Europe | Bush to press Putin on democracy
former heads of their secret police (Bush's Dad was head of the CIA, Putin's the head of the GRU) sit down to have a good ole discussion on democracy. Hey Bush... physician heal thyself wouldya? Let's undo the damage the (un)Patriot(ic) Act did to democracy before we go telling Russia to get its house in order.
former heads of their secret police (Bush's Dad was head of the CIA, Putin's the head of the GRU) sit down to have a good ole discussion on democracy. Hey Bush... physician heal thyself wouldya? Let's undo the damage the (un)Patriot(ic) Act did to democracy before we go telling Russia to get its house in order.
Wednesday, February 23, 2005
SSA Paid Fleischman-Hillard $1.8 million
Campaigns - CREW
So claims Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington. I don't do much Social Security blogging. I leave that too Josh Martin et al, but this is at the nexus of Propagandagate and the Kill SS movement. CREW is FOIAing the Social Security agency for info on 1.8 million paid out to a PR firm to see if that firm is helping to manufacture the SS crisis.
So claims Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington. I don't do much Social Security blogging. I leave that too Josh Martin et al, but this is at the nexus of Propagandagate and the Kill SS movement. CREW is FOIAing the Social Security agency for info on 1.8 million paid out to a PR firm to see if that firm is helping to manufacture the SS crisis.
Disecting Frank Luntz
Think Progress
nfluential conservative strategist Frank Luntz has produced a 160-page playbook to advance the right-wing agenda. Think Progress cuts through the spin and gives you the tools you need to fight back. Check here for updates throughout the week
Sensible decision for insensible reasons
Broadcast flag "crossed the line" of the FCC's power
A US appeals court said the FCC did not have the power to force device manufacturers to respect the broadcast flag. This is a good thing. The problem is the way the argument is shaped. He basically said that Congress hadn't given the FCC the power to regulate devices just the broadcast spectrum. It's similar to when a judge said that FTC didn't have the power to make the Do Not Call list. What happened about two seconds after that? Congress explicitly granted the FTC the rights it needed to make the Do Not Call list. What's gonna happen now? Well, my guess is Congress will specifically authorize the FCC to regulate devices, and well, fair use will be dead, big media will continue it's monopoly on content, and Big Brother will be that much closer.
A US appeals court said the FCC did not have the power to force device manufacturers to respect the broadcast flag. This is a good thing. The problem is the way the argument is shaped. He basically said that Congress hadn't given the FCC the power to regulate devices just the broadcast spectrum. It's similar to when a judge said that FTC didn't have the power to make the Do Not Call list. What happened about two seconds after that? Congress explicitly granted the FTC the rights it needed to make the Do Not Call list. What's gonna happen now? Well, my guess is Congress will specifically authorize the FCC to regulate devices, and well, fair use will be dead, big media will continue it's monopoly on content, and Big Brother will be that much closer.
Looks like it's my lucky day...
CNN.com - Neighbor: Connery 'made life hell' - Feb 23, 2005
"I'll take 'The Rapists' for $200 Alex. That's 'Therapists' Sean."
It's Sean Connery's turn to get sued by his neighbor.
Story farked as
Manhattan neighbor suing Sean Connery for $30 million for "making his life hell". Lawsuit alleges Connery is "a rude, foul-mouthed, fat old man". Connery responds "Suck it Trebek. Suck it long, and suck it hard.
"I'll take 'The Rapists' for $200 Alex. That's 'Therapists' Sean."
It's Sean Connery's turn to get sued by his neighbor.
Story farked as
Manhattan neighbor suing Sean Connery for $30 million for "making his life hell". Lawsuit alleges Connery is "a rude, foul-mouthed, fat old man". Connery responds "Suck it Trebek. Suck it long, and suck it hard.
On Hunter's Death
Seattle Post-Intelligencer: AP - U.S. Headlines
Am I the only one who could see Thompson, fed up with the pain, grabbing a .45 saying, "Fuck it." and blowing his head off in a decision made in about the time it takes to order a Big Mac?
Am I also the only one who thinks Thompson is not above faking his own death for publicity?
Thompson, 67, shot himself in the head Sunday night with a .45-caliber handgun in the kitchen of his home in the Woody Creek area north of Aspen, Colo. Friends said he had been in considerable pain over the past year after breaking a leg and undergoing hip surgery.
Am I the only one who could see Thompson, fed up with the pain, grabbing a .45 saying, "Fuck it." and blowing his head off in a decision made in about the time it takes to order a Big Mac?
Am I also the only one who thinks Thompson is not above faking his own death for publicity?
Tuesday, February 22, 2005
Daily Drew -- Happy Birthday Drew
Drew turns 30 today. Happy birthday Drew. You have such pretty... eyes. (And she does!)
Monday, February 21, 2005
Sunday, February 20, 2005
Saturday, February 19, 2005
The Fargus Report
The Fargus Report:
Fargus on torture. Good stuff man. Soldier blogger doing his thing, and thinking about what's going on.
"Torture
I found a story on MSNBC about torture, and why it's just not got legs anymore. Let me explain what I mean.
Gonzalez and Chertoff, the Attorney General and Homeland Security nominees, were approved without problem amid allegations of torture, or sanctioning of torture, or knowledge about torture happening.
John Kerry was sharply criticized during his campaign for accusing soldiers 34 years ago of committing atrocities such as torture.
So why is torture all of a sudden not bad anymore? If you can be politically vilified for getting upset about witnessing torture, what does that say about us? If stanch opposition to abortion is more important to Democrats to filibuster than approval of torture, then what does that say about us?
Torture is one of the basest, cruelest, most pointless acts that we can commit, and we condemn it in our enemies. It seems, though, that the same standards do not apply to us. We laud corporate whistle-blowers, or people who point out the failings and corruptions of government, but when somebody has the gall to go out and say that soldiers raped, cut off ears, cut off heads, etc., well, that's the line, isn't it?
We can seemingly admit that our business can become corrupt. We can admit that our government can become corrupt. We can admit that our enemies are bad for raping people, and for mutilating people. We can admit that private citizens are bad for committing acts of torture, such as the couple recently arrested in Utah. Why does this same accountability not extend to members of the military?
I appreciate the sacrifice made by the members of the military, on a very real level. I appreciate the stresses faced by them, and I appreciate that
they do this for the good of the rest of us. I really do appreciate that. But appreciation and worship shoul"
Fargus on torture. Good stuff man. Soldier blogger doing his thing, and thinking about what's going on.
Friday, February 18, 2005
Say it with me
Microsoft warns of future security danger
Homogenous networks are fragile networks. As long as all you people continue to rely on Micro$oft, the Internet will remain a fragile network.
Homogenous networks are fragile networks. As long as all you people continue to rely on Micro$oft, the Internet will remain a fragile network.
:: rogerebert.com :: reviews
Ebert Reviews The Devil in Miss Jones
Apparently Ebert used to review pr0n for the Sun Times. That's a link to his 13 June 1973 review of the Devil in Miss Jones. My my how things have changed. I don't think will see him reviewing "The Violation of Teagan Presley" anytime soon.
Apparently Ebert used to review pr0n for the Sun Times. That's a link to his 13 June 1973 review of the Devil in Miss Jones. My my how things have changed. I don't think will see him reviewing "The Violation of Teagan Presley" anytime soon.
Thursday, February 17, 2005
Wednesday, February 16, 2005
And a world sighs and says "Who cares?"
Yahoo! Sports - NHL - Text of statement by NHL commissioner Gary Bettman
Good luck when you do start back up again 'cause ya know we're not gonna miss you right? You do realize that you will be irrelevant and not covered right? Ok. That's cool. So much for your sport as a mid-major.
Good luck when you do start back up again 'cause ya know we're not gonna miss you right? You do realize that you will be irrelevant and not covered right? Ok. That's cool. So much for your sport as a mid-major.
Guardian Unlimited | Arts news | Original Fawlty Towers goes for £1.5m
Guardian Unlimited | Arts news | Original Fawlty Towers goes for £1.5m
Sweet:) If you've never Fawlty Towers, you've never seen the funniest sit-com ever made.
Sweet:) If you've never Fawlty Towers, you've never seen the funniest sit-com ever made.
Barack in the news
Still the man:
Condi Rice vs. Barack Obama in '08 (otherwise known as the election where the South stayed home).
"While flying on United Airlines from Chicago to Washington on Monday night, Sen. Barack Obama (D-Ill.) was offered the chance to move up to the first-class cabin from his seat in economy. He turned down the flight attendant's gesture, remaining with the commoners and saying: ' 'I'm fine here -- we're going to have a nice discussion,' ' reports our impressed witness, a lobbyist. 'Obviously Washington hasn't gone to his head.' Yet."
Condi Rice vs. Barack Obama in '08 (otherwise known as the election where the South stayed home).
Maybe not
Top News Article | Reuters.com
Iranian state news is reporting that it may have been a fuel tank falling off a jet according to the fark.com rumor mill. Not speaking Farsi (or having access to Iranian State TV for that matter) I must admit I have no f'ing clue what's going on.
Iranian state news is reporting that it may have been a fuel tank falling off a jet according to the fark.com rumor mill. Not speaking Farsi (or having access to Iranian State TV for that matter) I must admit I have no f'ing clue what's going on.
Crap
MSNBC - Unknown aircraft said to fire missile in Iran
At their nuke plant no less. I wonder if we did this directly or through the Israelis (not that it matters much in the end).
At their nuke plant no less. I wonder if we did this directly or through the Israelis (not that it matters much in the end).
Tuesday, February 15, 2005
Anybody else ready to see...
Yahoo! News - Oscar Show Host Chris Rock Stirs Controversy
Chris Rock verbally decapitate Matt Sludge at this years Oscars? Actually I heard that Oscar's are paying to Drudge to stir up shit for the publicity on the off chance that straight people might watch the Oscars this year.
Funniest part. Rock is essentially a conservative.
Boing Boing with the money quote from Gates
Boing Boing: Gates: Denmark supports software patents or we shut down our Danish operation: "If I am to keep my development center in Denmark, I must have clearity on the rights issue. Otherwise I will move to the US, where I can protect my rights,' said Gates according to to Microsoft chief attorney Marianne Wier, who also attended the meeting with Anders Fogh Rasmussen."
Aghast
White House Turns Tables on Former American POWs
This administration does not care about the rule of law one little bit.
This administration does not care about the rule of law one little bit.
Finally Bill Gates does some active evil
Microsoft bent my Danish prime minister
I think the translations a little poor, but Danish newspaper Borsen is alledging that Bill Gates threatened to pull 800 jobs out of the Netherlands if that country opposed software patents in the EU.
Remember software is a way of doing math. Ways of doing math are discovered not created. Things that are discovered are not patentable -- only things that are created are patentable. Copywrong your software if you must, but do not patent it.
I think the translations a little poor, but Danish newspaper Borsen is alledging that Bill Gates threatened to pull 800 jobs out of the Netherlands if that country opposed software patents in the EU.
Remember software is a way of doing math. Ways of doing math are discovered not created. Things that are discovered are not patentable -- only things that are created are patentable. Copywrong your software if you must, but do not patent it.
Monday, February 14, 2005
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