If the next Pope isn't Hispanic, the Vatican will slight the MAJORITY of the church. Watch em' elect an Italian.
# of Catholic Italians - vs - # of Catholic Hispanics
or even
# of Catholic Europeans - vs - # of Catholic Hispanics
looks like a "no brainer" to me
April 12, 2005
March 19, 2005
What atheists should know about religion
Many atheists are very hostile toward religion. They consider it a wicked superstition that is holding society back, and that the world would be much better off without it. I would be the last person to say they are wrong, but none of us can deny that there are a lot more believers than non-believers. That's the reason so many atheists also consider believers stupid. They can't understand why so many people would espouse such damaging ideas.
In response to a statement that "Islam's relentless expansion is wrecking the world" I replied "no more than Christianity did in the last thousand years."
When America was founded, Christian women were required to cover their heads. Many European countries went through a period of torture and mutilation for criminals. The West is trying to "help" Islam skip over several hundred years of injustice, religious and political, never realizing that freedom, unearned, is also oppression.
The freedoms we want to give them are the freedoms we earned after years of fighting. Pushing the Iraqis to include women in politics shows the sanctimoniousness of a new convert. Women in the West have been fighting for hundreds of years and still don't have guaranteed slots on the ballot or in office.
You can't learn someone's lessons for them. Much as we may resent it, Christians wrecked the world and now it's Islam's turn. We didn't get our freedom until we were willing to fight and die for it in the long term. If we really want to help Islam we should shut up and let them get on with it.
In response to a statement that "Islam's relentless expansion is wrecking the world" I replied "no more than Christianity did in the last thousand years."
When America was founded, Christian women were required to cover their heads. Many European countries went through a period of torture and mutilation for criminals. The West is trying to "help" Islam skip over several hundred years of injustice, religious and political, never realizing that freedom, unearned, is also oppression.
The freedoms we want to give them are the freedoms we earned after years of fighting. Pushing the Iraqis to include women in politics shows the sanctimoniousness of a new convert. Women in the West have been fighting for hundreds of years and still don't have guaranteed slots on the ballot or in office.
You can't learn someone's lessons for them. Much as we may resent it, Christians wrecked the world and now it's Islam's turn. We didn't get our freedom until we were willing to fight and die for it in the long term. If we really want to help Islam we should shut up and let them get on with it.
March 12, 2005
It's been a while
I've spent the past week building a new case for my computer. I'll post pictures when I'm finished. In the meantime I'll post when I get the time.
In honor of hearing Randy Newman on Prairie Home Companion, here's a special musical feature.
Political Science
by Randy Newman
No one likes us-I don't know why
We may not be perfect, but heaven knows we try
But all around, even our old friends put us down
Let's drop the big one and see what happens
We give them money-but are they grateful?
No, they're spiteful and they're hateful
They don't respect us-so let's surprise them
We'll drop the big one and pulverize them
Asia's crowded and Europe's too old
Africa is far too hotAnd Canada's too cold
And South America stole our name
Let's drop the big one
There'll be no one left to blame us
We'll save Australia
Don't wanna hurt no kangaroo
We'll build an All American amusement park there
They got surfin', too
Boom goes London and boom Paree
More room for you and more room for me
And every city the whole world round
Will just be another American town
Oh, how peaceful it will be
We'll set everybody free
You'll wear a Japanese kimono
And there'll be Italian shoes for me
They all hate us anyhow
So let's drop the big one now
Let's drop the big one now
In honor of hearing Randy Newman on Prairie Home Companion, here's a special musical feature.
Political Science
by Randy Newman
No one likes us-I don't know why
We may not be perfect, but heaven knows we try
But all around, even our old friends put us down
Let's drop the big one and see what happens
We give them money-but are they grateful?
No, they're spiteful and they're hateful
They don't respect us-so let's surprise them
We'll drop the big one and pulverize them
Asia's crowded and Europe's too old
Africa is far too hotAnd Canada's too cold
And South America stole our name
Let's drop the big one
There'll be no one left to blame us
We'll save Australia
Don't wanna hurt no kangaroo
We'll build an All American amusement park there
They got surfin', too
Boom goes London and boom Paree
More room for you and more room for me
And every city the whole world round
Will just be another American town
Oh, how peaceful it will be
We'll set everybody free
You'll wear a Japanese kimono
And there'll be Italian shoes for me
They all hate us anyhow
So let's drop the big one now
Let's drop the big one now
March 02, 2005
Justice for all
The Senate, done with Cabinet nominees, is taking up the judicial. The President's "mandate" includes renominating 20 people who had been blocked by Democrats last term.
Sen. Charles Schumer, a New York Democrat, said, "His (Bush's) renomination of seven of the 10 circuit court judges that we blocked in the last Congress is a thumb in the eye of bipartisanship."
"There is simply nothing to be gained from the president's unfortunate decision to play a game of judicial chicken," Schumer said.
Senate Democrats are threatening to fillibuster, Republicans (who invented the fillibuster) say they'll change the rules to ban the tactic, Democrats then threaten to retaliate and bring the Senate to a near halt with a variety of other procedural moves.
Could this be more misdirection from the White House? I agree that Democrats need to stand up to the President on some of these unqualified nutjobs. What worries me is our representatives are being cast in the role of obstructionists, or whiners by the administration. By doing the right thing, we are playing fretful granny to their dashing hero. Karl Rove said that you win by using your opponents strengths against him. Looks like it works.
The US Supreme Court decided today that John Ashcroft is a bloodthirsty ashcroft for trying to get Lee Boyd Malvo killed. Executing people for crimes committed while under 18 has been declared "cruel and unusual punishment". Families who say thay are being denied closure are advised to find Jesus as their personal savior. He never said anything about "an eye for an eye".
A federal judge has ordered the administration to either charge or release a man held for 2 1/2 years. Jose Padilla, whose capture allegedly thwarted a "dirty bomb" plot, has been held as an enemy combatant since being taken from an airplane. The judge stated "There were no impediments whatsoever to the government bringing charges against him for any one or all of the array of heinous crimes that he has been effectively accused of committing".
At least we're not living in a police state. If we were, maybe Bush would come liberate us.
Another person finally getting his day in court is Ahmed Omar Abu Ali, who allegedly planned to kill the President (I'd settle for Rumsfeld, but I'm not an idealist). The FBI has a confession he claims was tortured out of him in Saudi Arabia. According to some people this guy's whole family is some kind of Islamic Satanic coven bent on the destruction of truth, justice, and the American way. This may get interesting in the future, but for now nobody's proved anything.
Already interesting is the lawsuit against Rumsfeld for permitting torture. The American Civil Liberties Union and Human Rights First filed suit in federal district court in Rumsfeld's home state of Illinois on behalf of eight former detainees who said they were severely tortured. All eight were subsequently released without being charged. I know it sounds silly, but they say that since the Pentagon had a bunch of abuse claims, they should have said, once and of all, "No Torture". Pentagon claims that only a few bad apples were involved just shows that the Army can't control its people. Who should be blamed for that?
Riverbend's new post expresses her fears that recent Shia victories in the election may lead to increased oppression of women in what had been a secular country. She used to have a job, she didn't wear a veil, she didn't need to have a male relative accompany her anytime she left the house. Now she does, or feels pressured to. Her view of the election is worth reading. I don't think she feels liberated yet.
from a FARK.com photoshop contest
Sen. Charles Schumer, a New York Democrat, said, "His (Bush's) renomination of seven of the 10 circuit court judges that we blocked in the last Congress is a thumb in the eye of bipartisanship."
"There is simply nothing to be gained from the president's unfortunate decision to play a game of judicial chicken," Schumer said.
Senate Democrats are threatening to fillibuster, Republicans (who invented the fillibuster) say they'll change the rules to ban the tactic, Democrats then threaten to retaliate and bring the Senate to a near halt with a variety of other procedural moves.
Could this be more misdirection from the White House? I agree that Democrats need to stand up to the President on some of these unqualified nutjobs. What worries me is our representatives are being cast in the role of obstructionists, or whiners by the administration. By doing the right thing, we are playing fretful granny to their dashing hero. Karl Rove said that you win by using your opponents strengths against him. Looks like it works.
The US Supreme Court decided today that John Ashcroft is a bloodthirsty ashcroft for trying to get Lee Boyd Malvo killed. Executing people for crimes committed while under 18 has been declared "cruel and unusual punishment". Families who say thay are being denied closure are advised to find Jesus as their personal savior. He never said anything about "an eye for an eye".
A federal judge has ordered the administration to either charge or release a man held for 2 1/2 years. Jose Padilla, whose capture allegedly thwarted a "dirty bomb" plot, has been held as an enemy combatant since being taken from an airplane. The judge stated "There were no impediments whatsoever to the government bringing charges against him for any one or all of the array of heinous crimes that he has been effectively accused of committing".
At least we're not living in a police state. If we were, maybe Bush would come liberate us.
Another person finally getting his day in court is Ahmed Omar Abu Ali, who allegedly planned to kill the President (I'd settle for Rumsfeld, but I'm not an idealist). The FBI has a confession he claims was tortured out of him in Saudi Arabia. According to some people this guy's whole family is some kind of Islamic Satanic coven bent on the destruction of truth, justice, and the American way. This may get interesting in the future, but for now nobody's proved anything.
Already interesting is the lawsuit against Rumsfeld for permitting torture. The American Civil Liberties Union and Human Rights First filed suit in federal district court in Rumsfeld's home state of Illinois on behalf of eight former detainees who said they were severely tortured. All eight were subsequently released without being charged. I know it sounds silly, but they say that since the Pentagon had a bunch of abuse claims, they should have said, once and of all, "No Torture". Pentagon claims that only a few bad apples were involved just shows that the Army can't control its people. Who should be blamed for that?
Riverbend's new post expresses her fears that recent Shia victories in the election may lead to increased oppression of women in what had been a secular country. She used to have a job, she didn't wear a veil, she didn't need to have a male relative accompany her anytime she left the house. Now she does, or feels pressured to. Her view of the election is worth reading. I don't think she feels liberated yet.
from a FARK.com photoshop contest
February 24, 2005
Project for the New American Century or the Plot for US World Domination
I have mentioned the Project for the New American Century in previous posts, and strongly advise all non-world domination inclined folks to read the evil plot for themselves. To whet your appetite for colonialism, here's some suggestions they offer.
Whatever the respectable motives behind the creation of the International Criminal Court, we should not let those blind us to the fact that the preservation of a decent world order depends chiefly on the exercise of American leadership.
American soldiers under international authority? Never!
Rather than maintain and improve America's nuclear deterrent, the Clinton Administration has put its faith in new arms control measures, most notably by signing the Comprehensive Test Ban Treaty (CTBT). The treaty proposed a new multilateral regime, consisting of some 150 states, whose principal effect would be to constrain America's unique role in providing the global nuclear umbrella that helps to keep states like Japan and South Korea from developing the weapons that are well within their scientific capability, while doing little to stem nuclear weapons proliferation.
What right do 150 nations have to tell us who we can blow up? The cat's out of the bag. Without total world domination, how can we protect freedom?
The strategic success is the end of the Iraq containment policy that required a large U.S. military presence in Saudi Arabia after the 1991 Gulf War. Significant numbers of U.S. forces were tied down in an increasingly hostile country. Their effect, moreover, on Hussein's conduct was dubious. Over the decade, the then-Iraqi leader grew ever more resistant to international demands that he open his country to weapons inspections. The current occupation of Iraq is temporary. By contrast, the containment policy required an endless commitment of forces.
It's important not to get tied down indefinitely in an increasingly hostile country.
Whatever the problems in Iraq, they pale in comparison with the history of Hussein's tyranny.
I wonder if Iraqis agree?
With the January 30 elections in Iraq, the insurgents lost all claims to being a "liberation" movement.
I heard many Iraqis voted because it was the only way to get rid of the Americans.
Islamic activism gained speed throughout the Middle East and has remained--outside of Iraq and now possibly Palestine--the only serious opposition to the vagaries, incompetence, and corruption of princely and dictatorial rule.
Tell it to Iran and Libya.
(It's not at all contradictory for an Egyptian to hope that January 30 will help end President Hosni Mubarak's despised dictatorship and yet feel a bit sickened that it is Shiite Arabs--the black sheep of the Arab Muslim family--who are leading the faithful to a democratic rebirth.) And it is certainly true that the enabling hand of the United States provokes great waves of contradictory passion. It is worthwhile to note that these same emotions are common among the Iraqi Shia: The more religious and nationalistic they are (and the two impulses are quite harmonious among the Shia), the more difficult they find it psychologically to accept their freedom from the Americans. But the Shia have--with the possible exception of the followers of Moktada al-Sadr--gotten over it. So likely will the average non-Iraqi Sunni Arab who wants to see elected leadership in his native land.
Well, we hope they will get over it.
If Ahmad Chalabi gains a position of influence inside the new national assembly, it would be wise for State and the CIA to ensure that any and all officials who were involved in his regular trashings--particularly the trashing of his home--do not serve in Iraq. The Bush administration is going to have a hard time working with and figuring out the Iraqi Shia (it is striking how thin U.S. embassy coverage of the Shia still seems), and it does not need to further antagonize one of the few Iraqis capable of appreciating both the religious and secular sides of the Iraqi Shiite family and who can present his understanding to the Americans in a way they can understand. Ahmad Chalabi may be wrong in his assessments--he has certainly made mistakes in the past--but the Bush administration is doing itself an enormous disservice if it allows the old State-CIA animus against Chalabi to continue any further. Irony is always both bitter and sweet. Tell Langley to live with it before Chalabi has the will and allies to get even.
And how, exactly, would he get that power? Chalabi's a huckster.
Whatever the respectable motives behind the creation of the International Criminal Court, we should not let those blind us to the fact that the preservation of a decent world order depends chiefly on the exercise of American leadership.
American soldiers under international authority? Never!
Rather than maintain and improve America's nuclear deterrent, the Clinton Administration has put its faith in new arms control measures, most notably by signing the Comprehensive Test Ban Treaty (CTBT). The treaty proposed a new multilateral regime, consisting of some 150 states, whose principal effect would be to constrain America's unique role in providing the global nuclear umbrella that helps to keep states like Japan and South Korea from developing the weapons that are well within their scientific capability, while doing little to stem nuclear weapons proliferation.
What right do 150 nations have to tell us who we can blow up? The cat's out of the bag. Without total world domination, how can we protect freedom?
The strategic success is the end of the Iraq containment policy that required a large U.S. military presence in Saudi Arabia after the 1991 Gulf War. Significant numbers of U.S. forces were tied down in an increasingly hostile country. Their effect, moreover, on Hussein's conduct was dubious. Over the decade, the then-Iraqi leader grew ever more resistant to international demands that he open his country to weapons inspections. The current occupation of Iraq is temporary. By contrast, the containment policy required an endless commitment of forces.
It's important not to get tied down indefinitely in an increasingly hostile country.
Whatever the problems in Iraq, they pale in comparison with the history of Hussein's tyranny.
I wonder if Iraqis agree?
With the January 30 elections in Iraq, the insurgents lost all claims to being a "liberation" movement.
I heard many Iraqis voted because it was the only way to get rid of the Americans.
Islamic activism gained speed throughout the Middle East and has remained--outside of Iraq and now possibly Palestine--the only serious opposition to the vagaries, incompetence, and corruption of princely and dictatorial rule.
Tell it to Iran and Libya.
(It's not at all contradictory for an Egyptian to hope that January 30 will help end President Hosni Mubarak's despised dictatorship and yet feel a bit sickened that it is Shiite Arabs--the black sheep of the Arab Muslim family--who are leading the faithful to a democratic rebirth.) And it is certainly true that the enabling hand of the United States provokes great waves of contradictory passion. It is worthwhile to note that these same emotions are common among the Iraqi Shia: The more religious and nationalistic they are (and the two impulses are quite harmonious among the Shia), the more difficult they find it psychologically to accept their freedom from the Americans. But the Shia have--with the possible exception of the followers of Moktada al-Sadr--gotten over it. So likely will the average non-Iraqi Sunni Arab who wants to see elected leadership in his native land.
Well, we hope they will get over it.
If Ahmad Chalabi gains a position of influence inside the new national assembly, it would be wise for State and the CIA to ensure that any and all officials who were involved in his regular trashings--particularly the trashing of his home--do not serve in Iraq. The Bush administration is going to have a hard time working with and figuring out the Iraqi Shia (it is striking how thin U.S. embassy coverage of the Shia still seems), and it does not need to further antagonize one of the few Iraqis capable of appreciating both the religious and secular sides of the Iraqi Shiite family and who can present his understanding to the Americans in a way they can understand. Ahmad Chalabi may be wrong in his assessments--he has certainly made mistakes in the past--but the Bush administration is doing itself an enormous disservice if it allows the old State-CIA animus against Chalabi to continue any further. Irony is always both bitter and sweet. Tell Langley to live with it before Chalabi has the will and allies to get even.
And how, exactly, would he get that power? Chalabi's a huckster.
February 22, 2005
The Buck Stops Here?
In a recent, puckishly titled, article MSNBC states "Rumsfeld plays offense on the Hill". Rumsfeld causes offense on the Hill may be more appropriate. Somehow his testimony before the House and the Senate were scheduled for the same day. The House Armed Services Committee wasn't nearly finished with him yet when he bolted out, across the rotunda, to the Senate Appropriations Committee. Not only was his testimony brief, it was also useless and obstructive.
In his opening statement he implicitly chided Congress for "an increasingly casual regard for the protection of classified documents and information."
Asked about the number of insurgents in Iraq, Rumsfeld replied: "I am not going to give you a number."
Actually, they're being polite. The quote about the number of insurgents was really "I am not going to give you a number for it because it's not my business to do intelligent work." Seriously.
Did he care to voice an opinion on efforts by U.S. pilots to seek damages from their imprisonment in Iraq? "I don't."
Could he comment on what basing agreements he might seek in Iraq? "I can't."
How about the widely publicized cuts to programs for veterans? "I'm not familiar with the cuts you're referring to."
How long will the war last? "There's never been a war that was predictable as to length, casualty or cost in the history of mankind."
In Europe last week, Rumsfeld joked that he was no longer the "old Rumsfeld" who disdainfully referred to France and Germany as "Old Europe."
But Wednesday, he made it clear that the new Rumsfeld would not be a softy. When he scolded Rep. Ellen Tauscher (D-Calif.) by saying she incorrectly described his role, Tauscher inquired: "Is that old Rumsfeld talking to me now?"
"I think so," Rumsfeld said, smiling.
"I'd prefer new Rumsfeld," she requested.
"No, you don't," he said.
When I first read about this at Rude Pundit I was just thinking "What a jerk!". After letting it percolate for a couple days (sorry about that) I started seeing it as a symptom of a real systemic problem. Ultimate decision making power rests with the President (as he loves to remind us). People leaving the administration have spoken of George as being enthusiastic for all kinds of things that end up not happening. "Mars and Onward" for one example. Either he's got a short attention span, he's a really good actor, or he's not really in charge of the ship. The money keeps flowing toward the war, everything else is smoke and mirrors.
Why does George keep Rumsfeld around? If you remember Iran-Contra, you remember that everything came down to "Who knew what, when?". El Presidente needs Rumsfeld, and all the other loose cannons, to act independently and keep him from knowing too much. Rumsfeld depends on people like Brig. Gen. Janis Karpinski for the same service. Once the buck reaches level of Spc. Charles Graner someone should start asking questions. Luckily, this is the era of personal responsibility. I guess Graner's trial and Bush's election are the same thing; an "accountability moment". People think torture is bad, but failing to prevent torture is perfectly understandable. Lets call it "trickle-up accountability".
In his opening statement he implicitly chided Congress for "an increasingly casual regard for the protection of classified documents and information."
Asked about the number of insurgents in Iraq, Rumsfeld replied: "I am not going to give you a number."
Actually, they're being polite. The quote about the number of insurgents was really "I am not going to give you a number for it because it's not my business to do intelligent work." Seriously.
Did he care to voice an opinion on efforts by U.S. pilots to seek damages from their imprisonment in Iraq? "I don't."
Could he comment on what basing agreements he might seek in Iraq? "I can't."
How about the widely publicized cuts to programs for veterans? "I'm not familiar with the cuts you're referring to."
How long will the war last? "There's never been a war that was predictable as to length, casualty or cost in the history of mankind."
In Europe last week, Rumsfeld joked that he was no longer the "old Rumsfeld" who disdainfully referred to France and Germany as "Old Europe."
But Wednesday, he made it clear that the new Rumsfeld would not be a softy. When he scolded Rep. Ellen Tauscher (D-Calif.) by saying she incorrectly described his role, Tauscher inquired: "Is that old Rumsfeld talking to me now?"
"I think so," Rumsfeld said, smiling.
"I'd prefer new Rumsfeld," she requested.
"No, you don't," he said.
When I first read about this at Rude Pundit I was just thinking "What a jerk!". After letting it percolate for a couple days (sorry about that) I started seeing it as a symptom of a real systemic problem. Ultimate decision making power rests with the President (as he loves to remind us). People leaving the administration have spoken of George as being enthusiastic for all kinds of things that end up not happening. "Mars and Onward" for one example. Either he's got a short attention span, he's a really good actor, or he's not really in charge of the ship. The money keeps flowing toward the war, everything else is smoke and mirrors.
Why does George keep Rumsfeld around? If you remember Iran-Contra, you remember that everything came down to "Who knew what, when?". El Presidente needs Rumsfeld, and all the other loose cannons, to act independently and keep him from knowing too much. Rumsfeld depends on people like Brig. Gen. Janis Karpinski for the same service. Once the buck reaches level of Spc. Charles Graner someone should start asking questions. Luckily, this is the era of personal responsibility. I guess Graner's trial and Bush's election are the same thing; an "accountability moment". People think torture is bad, but failing to prevent torture is perfectly understandable. Lets call it "trickle-up accountability".
February 20, 2005
Hunter Thompson Dead
According to his son, he killed himself. Sad, but I can't say I blame him. He'd seen a lot. This scene must have been a disappointment. Kinda like Hemingway.
February 19, 2005
Tour of the Blogosphere
Foreign Affairs Blog is talking about those few bad apples that keep turning up. From threatening kids with dogs to playing the Meow Mix song for hours on end, our boys and girls in uniform just keep taking matters into their own hands. We've got civilians and foreign governments joining the party too. There sure are a lot of loose cannons rolling around. Someone might get hurt.
The Sorest Loser is also talking torture, but from a more personal position with several different prisoner's experiences related. There's one here about a guy who got shipped to Syria, tortured, found innocent, and released. Oops, sorry. Wrong guy. Have a nice day.
The Progressive Blog Alliance Headquarters has some design changes to propose for American Capitalism. "What if the goods and services offered were examined for their benefits and costs to the individuals and the society alike." What if, indeed. Some interesting suggestions, anyway.
The Barking Dingo has some dirt courtesy of AP. Apparently, when Tom Ridge toured swing states before the election, he did so after consulting with Republican pollsters.
Susan Neely, a former assistant homeland security secretary who attended the May 17 session with Luntz and Ridge... (said) "We asked him his impression of how well we were explaining whatever the issues were of the day..."
See, nothing to do with the election at all.
"We don't do politics in the Department of Homeland Security."
Great minds must think alike, beacuse over at tunafishnews I found a psychological analysis of the red/blue divide.
Mammals have two primary drives, these being the survival instinct (get food and shelter, i.e. money) and the reproductive instinct (get laid).The first drive preserves the individual; the second preserves the species.
Conservatives generally like guns and money and 90-hour workweeks and killing animals. Liberals generally like sex and art and statues of naked women and the Family Leave Act.
Label the reproductive instinct blue, and label the survival instinct red, and you will never be very far wrong.
The Talking Dog also has something to add to that discussion. In response to President Bush saying he has not ruled out raising taxes on those who earn more than $90,000 a year to help bolster Social Security's finances, the Dog suggests that Democrats take him up on it.
Once the fortress of tax cuts for the rich solitude starts to break down, its time to sneak in other things-- ok, Mr. President, we can fully fund Halliburton/Bechtel, BUT-- we'll have to roll back the dividend and estate tax deductions... YES-- we'll let you drill in the Arctic-- BUT-- SUV tax credits and mileage requirement exemptions will have to be adjusted, other measures for conservation and green technologies will have to be stepped up INCLUDING PASSAGE OF THE KYOTO TREATY.
We can learn to compromise, or we can tear our government apart.
Last but not least, some interesting billboards have been appearing in Arizona.
The Sorest Loser is also talking torture, but from a more personal position with several different prisoner's experiences related. There's one here about a guy who got shipped to Syria, tortured, found innocent, and released. Oops, sorry. Wrong guy. Have a nice day.
The Progressive Blog Alliance Headquarters has some design changes to propose for American Capitalism. "What if the goods and services offered were examined for their benefits and costs to the individuals and the society alike." What if, indeed. Some interesting suggestions, anyway.
The Barking Dingo has some dirt courtesy of AP. Apparently, when Tom Ridge toured swing states before the election, he did so after consulting with Republican pollsters.
Susan Neely, a former assistant homeland security secretary who attended the May 17 session with Luntz and Ridge... (said) "We asked him his impression of how well we were explaining whatever the issues were of the day..."
See, nothing to do with the election at all.
"We don't do politics in the Department of Homeland Security."
Great minds must think alike, beacuse over at tunafishnews I found a psychological analysis of the red/blue divide.
Mammals have two primary drives, these being the survival instinct (get food and shelter, i.e. money) and the reproductive instinct (get laid).The first drive preserves the individual; the second preserves the species.
Conservatives generally like guns and money and 90-hour workweeks and killing animals. Liberals generally like sex and art and statues of naked women and the Family Leave Act.
Label the reproductive instinct blue, and label the survival instinct red, and you will never be very far wrong.
The Talking Dog also has something to add to that discussion. In response to President Bush saying he has not ruled out raising taxes on those who earn more than $90,000 a year to help bolster Social Security's finances, the Dog suggests that Democrats take him up on it.
Once the fortress of tax cuts for the rich solitude starts to break down, its time to sneak in other things-- ok, Mr. President, we can fully fund Halliburton/Bechtel, BUT-- we'll have to roll back the dividend and estate tax deductions... YES-- we'll let you drill in the Arctic-- BUT-- SUV tax credits and mileage requirement exemptions will have to be adjusted, other measures for conservation and green technologies will have to be stepped up INCLUDING PASSAGE OF THE KYOTO TREATY.
We can learn to compromise, or we can tear our government apart.
Last but not least, some interesting billboards have been appearing in Arizona.
February 17, 2005
February 16, 2005
Friends of America
In light of earlier comments about the cost of the war I present this article. It states that the Pentagon is spending more per soldier than ever before. It also offers this quote from Loren B. Thompson, a military expert with the Lexington Institute.
''The bottom-line problem with the all-volunteer force is you have to convince middle-class people to risk their lives for middle-class pay, so of course the price for each soldier keeps going up,''
Hmmm.
Personally, I'm outraged by the outing of Valerie Plame as a covert CIA operative. I hope Robert Novak goes to prison for it. I also think that whatever administration figures are involved should also go to prison. What any of this has to do with two virtuous reporters who refused to spread the story going to prison I have no idea. I understand the judge already knows the identity of the administration figure, he just wants to ask the reporters some questions about the approach. On the one hand, if journalists don't have confidentiality no one will tell them secrets. On the other hand, this really smells like treason to me. George isn't the only one who's heard of national security. We need to get to the bottom of this. All you eager Gannon snipers get busy.
Way down at the bottom of this article from Rolling Stone comes this startling claim.
David Qualls, who joined the Arkansas National Guard for a year, is one of 40,000 troops in Iraq who have been informed that their enlistment has been extended until December 24th, 2031.
That's no typo. He's suing the government for breach of contract over it. This must be that "backdoor draft" I keep hearing about. "Backdoor draft", "hillbilly armor", it sounds kinda folksy. Next thing you know we'll have "double-wide economics". Living on credit cards.
John Kerry really needs to shut up. A Reuters headline about his backing the president's new "supplemental" spending request for the wars only serves to remind me what a lame candidate he was in the first place.
In one of those stories that make me glad to be a blogger, the US government has actually denied court ordered compensation to US soldiers who were tortured in Gulf War I. That's right. No money for tortured vets. You see, it would have to come from Iraq, and Iraq's our friend now, so they need that money more than some POW types. Not that there's any chance of the nearly $1 billion providing food, water, electricity or anything other than a bulge in some rich man's pocket.
CBS reports that some states are considering doing away with their gas taxes. This move is in response to the wiliness of some people driving unfairly fuel efficient cars. If you don't buy enough gas, the state road improvement fund runs dry. The gas tax would be replaced by a "tax by the mile" system that would require every car to have a gps locator to keep track of mileage. What could possibly go wrong??
Tonight on NPR's Fresh Air, Terry Gross was interviewing Boyden Gray, chairman and founder of the group Committee for Justice, which was formed to promote conservative judicial nominees. I can't get a transcript yet so I will paraphrase the very last exchange of the interview (audio link). Terry asked this guy if, since Bush didn't win the election by much, and he's been saying he wants to be a uniter not a divider, why not stop nominating the type of conservative justices the Democrats always fight. The guy answered that Bush won the election, the Republicans control the Congress, and he didn't see why they should offer concessions to the enemy. That's the word I want to talk about. Enemy.
Who is the enemy? When Boyden Gray talks about enemies, he probably means liberals, maybe Democrats in general. The President talks about enemies a lot. Anyone who isn't with him is against him, remember, so he may have plenty. This is all an extension of the basic human division between rural and urban. Nature rewards respect for tradition, so rural people are more traditional. City life rewards tolerance and the willingness to take risks, so urban people welcome new ideas. It's the basic compromise at the heart of our Constitution.
The Constitution says that no matter where you live, in Montana or in Massachusetts, you are an American. Republican or Democrat, Socialist or Libertarian, we are all working for a better America. Some people may have different ideas about what the problems are or how to fix them, that's ok. As the internet is proving, diversity of ideas is a good thing. The problem is this "enemy" thing. You don't seek compromise with an enemy. There's no point in discussing anything with "them", all "they" believe is a bunch of lies.
Doesn't America have enough enemies right now without making more?
''The bottom-line problem with the all-volunteer force is you have to convince middle-class people to risk their lives for middle-class pay, so of course the price for each soldier keeps going up,''
Hmmm.
Personally, I'm outraged by the outing of Valerie Plame as a covert CIA operative. I hope Robert Novak goes to prison for it. I also think that whatever administration figures are involved should also go to prison. What any of this has to do with two virtuous reporters who refused to spread the story going to prison I have no idea. I understand the judge already knows the identity of the administration figure, he just wants to ask the reporters some questions about the approach. On the one hand, if journalists don't have confidentiality no one will tell them secrets. On the other hand, this really smells like treason to me. George isn't the only one who's heard of national security. We need to get to the bottom of this. All you eager Gannon snipers get busy.
Way down at the bottom of this article from Rolling Stone comes this startling claim.
David Qualls, who joined the Arkansas National Guard for a year, is one of 40,000 troops in Iraq who have been informed that their enlistment has been extended until December 24th, 2031.
That's no typo. He's suing the government for breach of contract over it. This must be that "backdoor draft" I keep hearing about. "Backdoor draft", "hillbilly armor", it sounds kinda folksy. Next thing you know we'll have "double-wide economics". Living on credit cards.
John Kerry really needs to shut up. A Reuters headline about his backing the president's new "supplemental" spending request for the wars only serves to remind me what a lame candidate he was in the first place.
In one of those stories that make me glad to be a blogger, the US government has actually denied court ordered compensation to US soldiers who were tortured in Gulf War I. That's right. No money for tortured vets. You see, it would have to come from Iraq, and Iraq's our friend now, so they need that money more than some POW types. Not that there's any chance of the nearly $1 billion providing food, water, electricity or anything other than a bulge in some rich man's pocket.
CBS reports that some states are considering doing away with their gas taxes. This move is in response to the wiliness of some people driving unfairly fuel efficient cars. If you don't buy enough gas, the state road improvement fund runs dry. The gas tax would be replaced by a "tax by the mile" system that would require every car to have a gps locator to keep track of mileage. What could possibly go wrong??
Tonight on NPR's Fresh Air, Terry Gross was interviewing Boyden Gray, chairman and founder of the group Committee for Justice, which was formed to promote conservative judicial nominees. I can't get a transcript yet so I will paraphrase the very last exchange of the interview (audio link). Terry asked this guy if, since Bush didn't win the election by much, and he's been saying he wants to be a uniter not a divider, why not stop nominating the type of conservative justices the Democrats always fight. The guy answered that Bush won the election, the Republicans control the Congress, and he didn't see why they should offer concessions to the enemy. That's the word I want to talk about. Enemy.
Who is the enemy? When Boyden Gray talks about enemies, he probably means liberals, maybe Democrats in general. The President talks about enemies a lot. Anyone who isn't with him is against him, remember, so he may have plenty. This is all an extension of the basic human division between rural and urban. Nature rewards respect for tradition, so rural people are more traditional. City life rewards tolerance and the willingness to take risks, so urban people welcome new ideas. It's the basic compromise at the heart of our Constitution.
The Constitution says that no matter where you live, in Montana or in Massachusetts, you are an American. Republican or Democrat, Socialist or Libertarian, we are all working for a better America. Some people may have different ideas about what the problems are or how to fix them, that's ok. As the internet is proving, diversity of ideas is a good thing. The problem is this "enemy" thing. You don't seek compromise with an enemy. There's no point in discussing anything with "them", all "they" believe is a bunch of lies.
Doesn't America have enough enemies right now without making more?
February 15, 2005
Today is a good day
For those of you who enjoy those funny animations about the president, here's a site with a bunch of original ones. This parody of Monty Python's Quest For The Holy Grail is my favorite.
There's a followup on the Dubai Shopping Festival. The big prize, 100 kg of gold, was won by a 9 year old Indian girl. Her father works as a timekeeper at a local construction company. The family says the gold won't change anything.
The Talking Dog offers an insiders view of bankruptcy reform.
As regular readers know, one of my prior incarnations was as a consumer bankruptcy lawyer, at one time, working for a variety of lawyers that had me probably involved in more consumer bankruptcy cases than anyone in the New York area.
And in hundreds upon hundreds of cases, the grim scenarios were always the same: a job loss (sometimes, even just the loss of a part time second job), an illness or death of a breadwinner, divorce and its attendant after effects, or sometimes, just accumulation of debts from rising interest rates and flat incomes and rising living expenses.
Bankruptcy "reform" is simply a classic case of redistributive risk: from those most able to bear it, to those least. It's not merely bad, its downright evil.
As I mentioned before, Iraq is missing somewhere in the neighborhood of 9 billion dollars. That's the money that was supposed to rebuild the country. Now it becomes obvious why everything's still a mess. Someone went to the Dubai Shopping Festival. I guess if they won anything, they didn't put it back in the kitty. Now tell me again how there didn't need to be bidding on Iraq reconstruction contracts because Halliburton was the only company that could do the job. Did we really pay Halliburton $1.9 million to guarantee that? I guess since it's not our schools, hospitals, roads, phones, electricity, gasoline, etc. that didn't get paid for, why should we care. Oh, wait, they were overcharging the military for fuel, food, and laundry. Did I mention they get paid way more than the soldiers. That's ok, though, because privatization is the wave of the future. How else can we achieve Rumsfeld's vision of a lighter, faster military? Outsourcing? And isn't it pretty cool, in a gangsta sort of way, to hear about people getting to carry $2 million in wrapped bricks of hundreds. I guess inflation has struck the price of freedom. Surely it didn't used to cost $3.9 billion a month.
There's a followup on the Dubai Shopping Festival. The big prize, 100 kg of gold, was won by a 9 year old Indian girl. Her father works as a timekeeper at a local construction company. The family says the gold won't change anything.
The Talking Dog offers an insiders view of bankruptcy reform.
As regular readers know, one of my prior incarnations was as a consumer bankruptcy lawyer, at one time, working for a variety of lawyers that had me probably involved in more consumer bankruptcy cases than anyone in the New York area.
And in hundreds upon hundreds of cases, the grim scenarios were always the same: a job loss (sometimes, even just the loss of a part time second job), an illness or death of a breadwinner, divorce and its attendant after effects, or sometimes, just accumulation of debts from rising interest rates and flat incomes and rising living expenses.
Bankruptcy "reform" is simply a classic case of redistributive risk: from those most able to bear it, to those least. It's not merely bad, its downright evil.
As I mentioned before, Iraq is missing somewhere in the neighborhood of 9 billion dollars. That's the money that was supposed to rebuild the country. Now it becomes obvious why everything's still a mess. Someone went to the Dubai Shopping Festival. I guess if they won anything, they didn't put it back in the kitty. Now tell me again how there didn't need to be bidding on Iraq reconstruction contracts because Halliburton was the only company that could do the job. Did we really pay Halliburton $1.9 million to guarantee that? I guess since it's not our schools, hospitals, roads, phones, electricity, gasoline, etc. that didn't get paid for, why should we care. Oh, wait, they were overcharging the military for fuel, food, and laundry. Did I mention they get paid way more than the soldiers. That's ok, though, because privatization is the wave of the future. How else can we achieve Rumsfeld's vision of a lighter, faster military? Outsourcing? And isn't it pretty cool, in a gangsta sort of way, to hear about people getting to carry $2 million in wrapped bricks of hundreds. I guess inflation has struck the price of freedom. Surely it didn't used to cost $3.9 billion a month.
We apologise for the technical difficulties
Blogger doesn't seem to want to post my stuff right now. I'll just hope it shows up.
February 14, 2005
The Republican agenda: open and hidden
Most Americans believe in some form of creationism, according to a CBS poll conducted ahead of last November's election. 55% of Americans believed God created humans in their present form and a further 27% believed humans evolved, but God guided the process.
65% of all Americans favoured schools teaching creationism and evolution while 37% wanted creationism taught instead of evolution.
The poll found greater support for teaching creationism among Republican voters - 71% of Bush voters favoured teaching creationism alongside evolution.
Remember the headline asking how so many Americans could be stupid enough to reelect Bush? Here's part of the answer. The punch line is, the administration's plate is full with Iraq, Iran, Europe, Russia, you get the idea. Not in the homeland. The courts will rule on this and that will be the end of it. Bush won't get involved now that the election's over.
Speaking of other concerns, I would like to bring up some old news. Remember when G.W. was running the first time and we all said "He's going to be a puppet for someone, probably his daddy." Well, the real puppet master is called The Project For The New American Century.
Some of the signatories of the official Statement of Principles include William J. Bennett, Jeb Bush, Dick Cheney, Steve Forbes, I. Lewis Libby, Dan Quayle, Donald Rumsfeld, and Paul Wolfowitz. It reads, in part:
we need to increase defense spending significantly if we are to carry out our global responsibilities today and modernize our armed forces for the future;
we need to strengthen our ties to democratic allies and to challenge regimes hostile to our interests and values;
we need to promote the cause of political and economic freedom abroad;
we need to accept responsibility for America's unique role in preserving and extending an international order friendly to our security, our prosperity, and our principles
If you think this sounds harmless, read further. A document titled Rebuilding America's Defences (pdf)
describes peace-keeping missions as 'demanding American political leadership rather than that of the United Nations';
reveals worries in the administration that Europe could rival the USA;
says 'even should Saddam pass from the scene' bases in Saudi Arabia and Kuwait will remain permanently -- despite domestic opposition in the Gulf regimes to the stationing of US troops -- as 'Iran may well prove as large a threat to US interests as Iraq has';
spotlights China for 'regime change' saying 'it is time to increase the presence of American forces in southeast Asia'. This, it says, may lead to 'American and allied power providing the spur to the process of democratisation in China';
calls for the creation of 'US Space Forces', to dominate space, and the total control of cyberspace to prevent 'enemies' using the internet against the US;
hints that, despite threatening war against Iraq for developing weapons of mass destruction, the US may consider developing biological weapons -- which the nation has banned -- in decades to come. It says: 'New methods of attack -- electronic, 'non-lethal', biological -- will be more widely available ... combat likely will take place in new dimensions, in space, cyberspace, and perhaps the world of microbes ... advanced forms of biological warfare that can 'target' specific genotypes may transform biological warfare from the realm of terror to a politically useful tool';
and pinpoints North Korea, Libya, Syria and Iran as dangerous regimes and says their existence justifies the creation of a 'world-wide command-and-control system'.
There's all sorts of evil plans over at the PNAC website. If you want to get paranoid, you should check it out.
Here's some fine political cartoons from Cagle
65% of all Americans favoured schools teaching creationism and evolution while 37% wanted creationism taught instead of evolution.
The poll found greater support for teaching creationism among Republican voters - 71% of Bush voters favoured teaching creationism alongside evolution.
Remember the headline asking how so many Americans could be stupid enough to reelect Bush? Here's part of the answer. The punch line is, the administration's plate is full with Iraq, Iran, Europe, Russia, you get the idea. Not in the homeland. The courts will rule on this and that will be the end of it. Bush won't get involved now that the election's over.
Speaking of other concerns, I would like to bring up some old news. Remember when G.W. was running the first time and we all said "He's going to be a puppet for someone, probably his daddy." Well, the real puppet master is called The Project For The New American Century.
Some of the signatories of the official Statement of Principles include William J. Bennett, Jeb Bush, Dick Cheney, Steve Forbes, I. Lewis Libby, Dan Quayle, Donald Rumsfeld, and Paul Wolfowitz. It reads, in part:
we need to increase defense spending significantly if we are to carry out our global responsibilities today and modernize our armed forces for the future;
we need to strengthen our ties to democratic allies and to challenge regimes hostile to our interests and values;
we need to promote the cause of political and economic freedom abroad;
we need to accept responsibility for America's unique role in preserving and extending an international order friendly to our security, our prosperity, and our principles
If you think this sounds harmless, read further. A document titled Rebuilding America's Defences (pdf)
describes peace-keeping missions as 'demanding American political leadership rather than that of the United Nations';
reveals worries in the administration that Europe could rival the USA;
says 'even should Saddam pass from the scene' bases in Saudi Arabia and Kuwait will remain permanently -- despite domestic opposition in the Gulf regimes to the stationing of US troops -- as 'Iran may well prove as large a threat to US interests as Iraq has';
spotlights China for 'regime change' saying 'it is time to increase the presence of American forces in southeast Asia'. This, it says, may lead to 'American and allied power providing the spur to the process of democratisation in China';
calls for the creation of 'US Space Forces', to dominate space, and the total control of cyberspace to prevent 'enemies' using the internet against the US;
hints that, despite threatening war against Iraq for developing weapons of mass destruction, the US may consider developing biological weapons -- which the nation has banned -- in decades to come. It says: 'New methods of attack -- electronic, 'non-lethal', biological -- will be more widely available ... combat likely will take place in new dimensions, in space, cyberspace, and perhaps the world of microbes ... advanced forms of biological warfare that can 'target' specific genotypes may transform biological warfare from the realm of terror to a politically useful tool';
and pinpoints North Korea, Libya, Syria and Iran as dangerous regimes and says their existence justifies the creation of a 'world-wide command-and-control system'.
There's all sorts of evil plans over at the PNAC website. If you want to get paranoid, you should check it out.
Here's some fine political cartoons from Cagle
February 13, 2005
Pack Tactics and Rugged Individualists
For those who don't spend their lives glued to their computers it may come as some surprise that weblogs (at least some weblogs) are becoming a major media power. Or maybe the major media outlets are spawning weblogs. Anyway, prominent liberal blog Daily Kos investigated, exposed, and gloated over a White House reporter who was really a Republican Party lackey.
You may already know that the bloggers were the first to call Dan Rather on the Bush military service documents that prompted his retirement. Now they've brought down another media giant. Eason Jordan, chief news executive of CNN is stepping down after bloggers jumped on a remark he made about US military killing journalists. Jordan said he was responding to a comment by Rep. Barney Frank of Massachusetts that the 63 journalists killed in Iraq as "collateral damage."
Is this mob justice, or is it public accountability? I know I'm proud of the work done by the people at Kos. Digging in the public domain for information on public personalities seems fair enough. I just don't think the personal attacks are productive. Perhaps public figures need to learn better how to respond to internet attacks. The way it's looking now, anyone could be one good blog attack away from unemployment. "With great power comes great responsibility."
Getting away from the incestuous blog world, students at Dartmouth have constructed a 50' tall pirate ship from snow. Beautiful, isn't she.
Also enjoying the winter are the members of the Alaskan Alpine Club, who are building this.
It's 115' tall. You should check out the site and see how it works.
Benito Martinez says he is 123 years old. Doctors in his native Cuba believe he is four years younger than that. Either way, he is probably the oldest man in the world. Congratulations Benito!
You may already know that the bloggers were the first to call Dan Rather on the Bush military service documents that prompted his retirement. Now they've brought down another media giant. Eason Jordan, chief news executive of CNN is stepping down after bloggers jumped on a remark he made about US military killing journalists. Jordan said he was responding to a comment by Rep. Barney Frank of Massachusetts that the 63 journalists killed in Iraq as "collateral damage."
Is this mob justice, or is it public accountability? I know I'm proud of the work done by the people at Kos. Digging in the public domain for information on public personalities seems fair enough. I just don't think the personal attacks are productive. Perhaps public figures need to learn better how to respond to internet attacks. The way it's looking now, anyone could be one good blog attack away from unemployment. "With great power comes great responsibility."
Getting away from the incestuous blog world, students at Dartmouth have constructed a 50' tall pirate ship from snow. Beautiful, isn't she.
Also enjoying the winter are the members of the Alaskan Alpine Club, who are building this.
It's 115' tall. You should check out the site and see how it works.
Benito Martinez says he is 123 years old. Doctors in his native Cuba believe he is four years younger than that. Either way, he is probably the oldest man in the world. Congratulations Benito!
February 12, 2005
An idea for better elections
In conversation this evening one of my friends mentioned that in New Jersey, where he grew up, they had "crossover" primary elections where people registered in one party could vote in the other party's primary.
My boyfriend replied that the only reason to vote in the other party's primary is to vote against a candidate you don't like.
It got me thinking about the primary system, and how most other countries have such huge lists of names on their ballots. I guess they don't have primaries. I guess they just have a general election and vote on all the candidates for each office. That's what they just did in Iraq. Surely in a place like Italy, with its hundreds of parties, they don't have primaries. Each party probably chooses its candidate or candidates in a small, informal convention, probably without balloons.
Back in America, isn't anyone else curious about how Howard Dean would have done if he had been on the ballot in November? Every election, I have watched my favorite candidates drop out of the race before I even get to vote for them. Iowa and New Hampshire take care of that. How unfair is it that I have to vote for the candidates that they give me. Two states have no business deciding things like that for the rest of us.
Here's my suggestion; don't have primaries. Put eight or ten people on the ballot. Ooh, but what about the Electoral College you may ask. Personally, I'd get rid of that too, but it could work by a simple majority, with electors chosen at meetings by the local parties. Maybe.
Just think how interesting presidential campaigns would become. The debates might be longer, but they'd be more useful, with some of the fringe elements bringing important but unpopular fact to the table. Instead of not being able to tell the Republican from the Democrat, the various branches of the parties would get more exposure. John McCain could run. Competition! Ideas! A real race! You could have a candidate who was pro-life but anti-defense. You could have a candidate who was a fiscal conservative and an environmentalist. You could have a candidate who believes what you believe. You could vote for him or her to be president. How cool would that be?
My boyfriend replied that the only reason to vote in the other party's primary is to vote against a candidate you don't like.
It got me thinking about the primary system, and how most other countries have such huge lists of names on their ballots. I guess they don't have primaries. I guess they just have a general election and vote on all the candidates for each office. That's what they just did in Iraq. Surely in a place like Italy, with its hundreds of parties, they don't have primaries. Each party probably chooses its candidate or candidates in a small, informal convention, probably without balloons.
Back in America, isn't anyone else curious about how Howard Dean would have done if he had been on the ballot in November? Every election, I have watched my favorite candidates drop out of the race before I even get to vote for them. Iowa and New Hampshire take care of that. How unfair is it that I have to vote for the candidates that they give me. Two states have no business deciding things like that for the rest of us.
Here's my suggestion; don't have primaries. Put eight or ten people on the ballot. Ooh, but what about the Electoral College you may ask. Personally, I'd get rid of that too, but it could work by a simple majority, with electors chosen at meetings by the local parties. Maybe.
Just think how interesting presidential campaigns would become. The debates might be longer, but they'd be more useful, with some of the fringe elements bringing important but unpopular fact to the table. Instead of not being able to tell the Republican from the Democrat, the various branches of the parties would get more exposure. John McCain could run. Competition! Ideas! A real race! You could have a candidate who was pro-life but anti-defense. You could have a candidate who was a fiscal conservative and an environmentalist. You could have a candidate who believes what you believe. You could vote for him or her to be president. How cool would that be?
February 10, 2005
Religion rundown
In addition to politics and the music of Frank Zappa, I'm advertising some religious info; so today we'll have a non-denominational rundown of recent religious news stories.
First, of course, that "Main Man" of organized religion, the Pope. The Pope is feeling much better. He rode home from the hospital in the popemobile, and waved to onlookers.
In honor of His Holiness's illness, it's been a slow week in Christian news. First, the inhabitants of an Indian Catholic village are being threatened and attacked by Hindu fundamentalists. Some "holy man" stirring up trouble.
The family of a recently deceased American Indian activist wanted to incorporate some Lakota rituals into her funeral service. The American Indian Baptist Church replied, among other things, "drumming brings the demons." There's not much you can say to that.
Closing out Christianity, a feel-good story about evangelicals becoming environmentally aware.
"While evangelicals are open to being good stewards of God's creation, they believe people should only worship God, not creation," Green said. "This may sound like splitting hairs. But evangelicals don't see it that way. Their stereotype of environmentalists would be Druids who worship trees."
In other big news, Saudi Arabia has elections (sort of). I suppose there's something to be said for starting slowly. Half of the people electing half of the assembly certainly seems slow enough.
From the Daily Star in Lebanon comes this editorial.
Now, however, despite high oil prices, Saudi Arabia faces a population explosion, high unemployment - youth unemployment in particular is worrying - an economy dependent on the petroleum sector, and an ongoing tension between the forces of modernization and globalization on the one hand, and the forces of conservative religious beliefs and social mores born of a still very traditional and even tribal society on the other hand. There are other problems, such as a bloated and unproductive public sector. The private sector, however, is much stronger. Here there is a gap to bridge, and it is a gap made wider by a weak work ethic.
I found a good summary of the Shia/Sunni split in Iraq. It all started the day Muhammad died (intestate, as it were). Shia believe that the husband of Muhammad's oldest daughter, Ali, should be in charge. Sunni were more democratic, wanting to popularly elect their leaders. Much like with the Pope, this resulted in a series of compromises. Eventually 3 of Muhammad's other in-laws were chosen. Unfortunately one of them was from Mecca's powerful Umayyid clan. The Umayyids killed Ali, and the Shia still perform self-flagellation at the yearly festival mourning his death.
The Sunni community makes up 80 percent of the Islamic world, and has historically repressed the minority Shiites, except in Iran. The Sunni Ottoman sultan persecuted the Shiites in Mesopotamia, which would become Iraq. And when Iraq was established by the British after World War I, the persecution continued, though Sunnis were a minority in the new nation. The British found it difficult to deal with the Shiite ayatollahs and virtually excluded them from governance.
Saddam Hussein also mistreated the Shiites after he came to power in 1979. Fearing Shiites' numbers and potential power, he killed their leaders and ignored development of impoverished Shiite areas while lavishing money on Sunni cities. He even launched his war against Iran in 1980, after the Iranian revolution, to prevent Shiite influence from dominating Iraq.
Now the Shia can vote and the Sunni are terrified that they're going to end up living in East Iran.
It looks like they might be right to worry. Some Iraqi Shia muslims want to start using sharia law. Everyone knows that sharia is bad for women, but it's not too good for anyone who isn't the right kind of fundamentalist. On the other hand, it would probably end insurgent violence.
Morocco's minister in charge of Moroccans overseas, Nouzha Chekrouni has called upon the country's women living abroad to correct the image of Islam in the West.
Speaking at a conference on globalization and Muslim women, Chekrouni suggested they cooperate with western feminist movements in order to disseminate Islamic civilization values, correct the image of Islam in western media and dissociate the Muslim women from fanaticism and terrorism.
Malaysia is walking a fine line, trying to get rich on trade without becoming "western." The plan is called Islam Hadhari (civilizational Islam) and was outlined by Premier Abdullah Ahmad Badawi as:
Faith and piety in Allah
A just and trustworthy government
A free and independent People
Mastery of knowledge
Balanced and comprehensive economic development
A good quality of life
Protection of the rights of minority groups and women
Cultural and moral integrity
Safeguarding the environment
Strong defenses
Results have been mixed, while the economy grew by 7.2% last year, income disparities and obesity rates remain serious problems. Consumerism is another rising trend.
I couldn't ask for a better lead-in to a story about a delightful celebration of rampant consumerism in the Islamic playground Dubai.
The Dubai Shopping Festival (DSF) is reaching its climax with nearly $3 million and 100 kilograms of gold up for grabs, in the Gulf emirate's quest to become a leading tourist destination.
This year's DSF featured $27.1 million worth of prizes, with the daily highlights being raffle draws for three luxury cars and five kilograms of gold.
Jewellers have also pooled together for a grand win of $1.3 million worth of gold for one winner on the closing day, when another lucky person will walk away with 10 cars.
But the ultimate will be the lucky name picked for the $2.7 million cash prize.
A Bahraini tourist has reportedly won three cars in this year's festival alone.
They're giving away pounds of gold.
On the forgotten, dark continent of Africa Islam fuels many deplorable acts. A Somali Islamic militant group "liquidated" a British journalist outside her hotel. At the same time, an Iraqi journalist and his 4 year old son were killed in a separate attack.
There's also a religious element to the conflict in Darfur, Sudan. The government was arming and supporting Islamic tribesmen to control unrest in the tribal communities. Apparently, some of the victims are Islamic, too. Another example of why giving people guns doesn't usually result in peace.
Yemen concludes this look at Islam with an incredibly thoughtful and worthwhile editorial.
Yes, temptation may drive many men to assume some inkling of power or sway over the religious persuasions of the constituencies that surround them or share some or all their views on the best way of siding with the Divine. This in turn gives rise to the corruption of the true values that spiritual instinct would regard as anathema to the real purpose of religion and of course the corruption of free minds that are instinctively able to discern in their sub-conscience the difference between right and wrong and good and bad. So, religion is not at fault for many of the calamitous behavior of mankind as some skeptics about religious belief would like to suggest. It is really men, who have mistakenly set themselves on a spiritual pedestal that allows them to make use of religion to further their own mundane aspirations.
I have to stop there or I'll end up quoting the whole thing. It's really good. Read it.
Who ever said Buddhists aren't superstitious.
The authorities of Burma’s military junta, State Peace and Development Council (SPDC) detained the abbot of Payeik-chimyin who was venerated by the ousted “Prime Minister” General Khin Nyunt, and imposed restrictions on two other renowned abbots.
The ruling generals’ soothsayers advised them that great problems could arise from small religious matters, according a civil servant who doesn’t want to be named.
Buddhism is under increasing opposition from Maoists in a number of countries. Even in India. The inhabitants of Bodhgaya, home of the famous bhodi tree under which the Buddah first found enlightenment, are living in peace so far.
Unlike Sikhs, who are rioting over the supposed elopement of two college-age Sikh girls and their Hindu boyfriends. Police have imposed curfew.
A man told the police that the Hindu goddess Durga had appeared in his dreams and asked him to sacrifice a minor if he wanted his problems to go away. So he found a five year old boy and did the deed. Another man must have had the same dream, because he tried to sacrifice his three year old neice but his neighbors stopped him before he could finish.
Right-wing Hindu activists opposed to Pakistan's cricket tour of India were arrested on Thursday making an unsuccessful attempt to damage the pitch at one of the match venues. That's not very sporting of them.
You've heard of praying for peace. Now hear about praying against it.
Israeli rabbis were planning on Sunday to hold special sessions in 100 synagogues to pray for the failure of this week's summit between prime minister Ariel Sharon and new Palestinian leader Mahmud Abbas.
And we mustn't forget the followers of traditional religions. This person in Zimbabwe was apparently born with both male and female sex organs and raised female. She paid a traditional healer to remove the male organs and was competing in junior track and field as a woman. She says she still owed the healer some money for the procedure so he has allowed the organs to grow back. Some people you just don't want to owe money to.
First, of course, that "Main Man" of organized religion, the Pope. The Pope is feeling much better. He rode home from the hospital in the popemobile, and waved to onlookers.
In honor of His Holiness's illness, it's been a slow week in Christian news. First, the inhabitants of an Indian Catholic village are being threatened and attacked by Hindu fundamentalists. Some "holy man" stirring up trouble.
The family of a recently deceased American Indian activist wanted to incorporate some Lakota rituals into her funeral service. The American Indian Baptist Church replied, among other things, "drumming brings the demons." There's not much you can say to that.
Closing out Christianity, a feel-good story about evangelicals becoming environmentally aware.
"While evangelicals are open to being good stewards of God's creation, they believe people should only worship God, not creation," Green said. "This may sound like splitting hairs. But evangelicals don't see it that way. Their stereotype of environmentalists would be Druids who worship trees."
In other big news, Saudi Arabia has elections (sort of). I suppose there's something to be said for starting slowly. Half of the people electing half of the assembly certainly seems slow enough.
From the Daily Star in Lebanon comes this editorial.
Now, however, despite high oil prices, Saudi Arabia faces a population explosion, high unemployment - youth unemployment in particular is worrying - an economy dependent on the petroleum sector, and an ongoing tension between the forces of modernization and globalization on the one hand, and the forces of conservative religious beliefs and social mores born of a still very traditional and even tribal society on the other hand. There are other problems, such as a bloated and unproductive public sector. The private sector, however, is much stronger. Here there is a gap to bridge, and it is a gap made wider by a weak work ethic.
I found a good summary of the Shia/Sunni split in Iraq. It all started the day Muhammad died (intestate, as it were). Shia believe that the husband of Muhammad's oldest daughter, Ali, should be in charge. Sunni were more democratic, wanting to popularly elect their leaders. Much like with the Pope, this resulted in a series of compromises. Eventually 3 of Muhammad's other in-laws were chosen. Unfortunately one of them was from Mecca's powerful Umayyid clan. The Umayyids killed Ali, and the Shia still perform self-flagellation at the yearly festival mourning his death.
The Sunni community makes up 80 percent of the Islamic world, and has historically repressed the minority Shiites, except in Iran. The Sunni Ottoman sultan persecuted the Shiites in Mesopotamia, which would become Iraq. And when Iraq was established by the British after World War I, the persecution continued, though Sunnis were a minority in the new nation. The British found it difficult to deal with the Shiite ayatollahs and virtually excluded them from governance.
Saddam Hussein also mistreated the Shiites after he came to power in 1979. Fearing Shiites' numbers and potential power, he killed their leaders and ignored development of impoverished Shiite areas while lavishing money on Sunni cities. He even launched his war against Iran in 1980, after the Iranian revolution, to prevent Shiite influence from dominating Iraq.
Now the Shia can vote and the Sunni are terrified that they're going to end up living in East Iran.
It looks like they might be right to worry. Some Iraqi Shia muslims want to start using sharia law. Everyone knows that sharia is bad for women, but it's not too good for anyone who isn't the right kind of fundamentalist. On the other hand, it would probably end insurgent violence.
Morocco's minister in charge of Moroccans overseas, Nouzha Chekrouni has called upon the country's women living abroad to correct the image of Islam in the West.
Speaking at a conference on globalization and Muslim women, Chekrouni suggested they cooperate with western feminist movements in order to disseminate Islamic civilization values, correct the image of Islam in western media and dissociate the Muslim women from fanaticism and terrorism.
Malaysia is walking a fine line, trying to get rich on trade without becoming "western." The plan is called Islam Hadhari (civilizational Islam) and was outlined by Premier Abdullah Ahmad Badawi as:
Faith and piety in Allah
A just and trustworthy government
A free and independent People
Mastery of knowledge
Balanced and comprehensive economic development
A good quality of life
Protection of the rights of minority groups and women
Cultural and moral integrity
Safeguarding the environment
Strong defenses
Results have been mixed, while the economy grew by 7.2% last year, income disparities and obesity rates remain serious problems. Consumerism is another rising trend.
I couldn't ask for a better lead-in to a story about a delightful celebration of rampant consumerism in the Islamic playground Dubai.
The Dubai Shopping Festival (DSF) is reaching its climax with nearly $3 million and 100 kilograms of gold up for grabs, in the Gulf emirate's quest to become a leading tourist destination.
This year's DSF featured $27.1 million worth of prizes, with the daily highlights being raffle draws for three luxury cars and five kilograms of gold.
Jewellers have also pooled together for a grand win of $1.3 million worth of gold for one winner on the closing day, when another lucky person will walk away with 10 cars.
But the ultimate will be the lucky name picked for the $2.7 million cash prize.
A Bahraini tourist has reportedly won three cars in this year's festival alone.
They're giving away pounds of gold.
On the forgotten, dark continent of Africa Islam fuels many deplorable acts. A Somali Islamic militant group "liquidated" a British journalist outside her hotel. At the same time, an Iraqi journalist and his 4 year old son were killed in a separate attack.
There's also a religious element to the conflict in Darfur, Sudan. The government was arming and supporting Islamic tribesmen to control unrest in the tribal communities. Apparently, some of the victims are Islamic, too. Another example of why giving people guns doesn't usually result in peace.
Yemen concludes this look at Islam with an incredibly thoughtful and worthwhile editorial.
Yes, temptation may drive many men to assume some inkling of power or sway over the religious persuasions of the constituencies that surround them or share some or all their views on the best way of siding with the Divine. This in turn gives rise to the corruption of the true values that spiritual instinct would regard as anathema to the real purpose of religion and of course the corruption of free minds that are instinctively able to discern in their sub-conscience the difference between right and wrong and good and bad. So, religion is not at fault for many of the calamitous behavior of mankind as some skeptics about religious belief would like to suggest. It is really men, who have mistakenly set themselves on a spiritual pedestal that allows them to make use of religion to further their own mundane aspirations.
I have to stop there or I'll end up quoting the whole thing. It's really good. Read it.
Who ever said Buddhists aren't superstitious.
The authorities of Burma’s military junta, State Peace and Development Council (SPDC) detained the abbot of Payeik-chimyin who was venerated by the ousted “Prime Minister” General Khin Nyunt, and imposed restrictions on two other renowned abbots.
The ruling generals’ soothsayers advised them that great problems could arise from small religious matters, according a civil servant who doesn’t want to be named.
Buddhism is under increasing opposition from Maoists in a number of countries. Even in India. The inhabitants of Bodhgaya, home of the famous bhodi tree under which the Buddah first found enlightenment, are living in peace so far.
Unlike Sikhs, who are rioting over the supposed elopement of two college-age Sikh girls and their Hindu boyfriends. Police have imposed curfew.
A man told the police that the Hindu goddess Durga had appeared in his dreams and asked him to sacrifice a minor if he wanted his problems to go away. So he found a five year old boy and did the deed. Another man must have had the same dream, because he tried to sacrifice his three year old neice but his neighbors stopped him before he could finish.
Right-wing Hindu activists opposed to Pakistan's cricket tour of India were arrested on Thursday making an unsuccessful attempt to damage the pitch at one of the match venues. That's not very sporting of them.
You've heard of praying for peace. Now hear about praying against it.
Israeli rabbis were planning on Sunday to hold special sessions in 100 synagogues to pray for the failure of this week's summit between prime minister Ariel Sharon and new Palestinian leader Mahmud Abbas.
And we mustn't forget the followers of traditional religions. This person in Zimbabwe was apparently born with both male and female sex organs and raised female. She paid a traditional healer to remove the male organs and was competing in junior track and field as a woman. She says she still owed the healer some money for the procedure so he has allowed the organs to grow back. Some people you just don't want to owe money to.
How is China like a giant shark?
giant shark courtesy of snopes.com
I like giant animals.
I was reading this weird story from fark about poisonious caterpillars invading Chinese villages, when suddenly the story jumped from caterpillars to cars. The last three paragraphs on the page are as follows.
Sin Chew Daily reported that more Malaysian Chinese had bought new cars in conjunction with this Chinese New Year compared with last year.
According to report, the Federal Territory Road Transport Department processed about 500 applications per day for new car registration in the week leading up to last year’s Chinese New Year, but this year, the number had increased to more than 600 per day.
It said that JPJ personnel were working overtime for the past week, sometimes till 10pm, to process the huge number of applications.
OK, I'm getting scared now.
February 09, 2005
Enquiring minds want to know
2 viewers complain about Superbowl halftime show
According to a report on Eonline.com, FCC spokeswoman Rosemary Kimball said both complaints were by viewers who were "bored" by McCartney's 12-minute set, during he which he sang Beatles and Wings classics.
Get with the program! You can call the FCC to complain about boring programs.
1-888-CALL-FCC (1-888-225-5322) Monday through Friday, 8 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. ET
I can't believe no one has thought of this before.
According to a report on Eonline.com, FCC spokeswoman Rosemary Kimball said both complaints were by viewers who were "bored" by McCartney's 12-minute set, during he which he sang Beatles and Wings classics.
Get with the program! You can call the FCC to complain about boring programs.
1-888-CALL-FCC (1-888-225-5322) Monday through Friday, 8 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. ET
I can't believe no one has thought of this before.
Karl Rove gets budget increase
EDIT
I just noticed that the top half of this post is missing. That's the part about Karl Rove's promotion to deputy White House chief of staff. I said some clever things about how money must be tight if even Rove has to work two jobs. I don't really remember the rest. Sorry about the mixup.
Bush's former chief speechwriter, Michael Gerson, will become assistant to the president for policy and strategic planning. He will be involved in advancing Bush's "compassionate agenda," such as his faith-based initiative, headed by Jim Towey.
Gerson will also oversee the writing of Bush's major addresses as well, such as the State of the Union address last week. Bill McGurn has become Bush's chief speechwriter.
If he writes good speeches, I'm sure he'll do just fine creating policy and strategy. And he still gets to fuel the Bush speech drinking game with more talk about "freedom" "democracy" "terrorists" and all the rest of the buzzwords you've come to know and love.
It's hard to imagine the president needing to consolidate his power, but there it is. The insiders are closing ranks, leaving the weak and unlucky out in the cold. It's just like he said with the budget, it's "results based". If you promote the agenda, you're ok. If you have the temerity to think you know better than the President of the United States of America, you can take a hike.
I think the comments are back up if anyone wants to leave one.
I just noticed that the top half of this post is missing. That's the part about Karl Rove's promotion to deputy White House chief of staff. I said some clever things about how money must be tight if even Rove has to work two jobs. I don't really remember the rest. Sorry about the mixup.
Bush's former chief speechwriter, Michael Gerson, will become assistant to the president for policy and strategic planning. He will be involved in advancing Bush's "compassionate agenda," such as his faith-based initiative, headed by Jim Towey.
Gerson will also oversee the writing of Bush's major addresses as well, such as the State of the Union address last week. Bill McGurn has become Bush's chief speechwriter.
If he writes good speeches, I'm sure he'll do just fine creating policy and strategy. And he still gets to fuel the Bush speech drinking game with more talk about "freedom" "democracy" "terrorists" and all the rest of the buzzwords you've come to know and love.
It's hard to imagine the president needing to consolidate his power, but there it is. The insiders are closing ranks, leaving the weak and unlucky out in the cold. It's just like he said with the budget, it's "results based". If you promote the agenda, you're ok. If you have the temerity to think you know better than the President of the United States of America, you can take a hike.
I think the comments are back up if anyone wants to leave one.
February 08, 2005
Bush Budget 2005 - What a relief
After that scary post a couple of days ago, I'm glad to say I was wrong. George has it all under control. He's got his finger on the pulse of the nation.
First the good news.
The Bush budget requests $500 millon so the IRS can call every taxpayer to thank them for participating.
The reason that the costs for the continuing operations in Afghanistan and Iraq are not in the budget is because we're leaving.
Medicaide will be the first government agency run entirely on credit cards.
Instead of loitering in after-school programs, children will be forced to go home to play video games.
All veterans will recieve 1 coupon for a free wellness exam from the Cincinnati VA hospital.
The SEC tells the White House "cut our budget, we don't need it." Now that's some fiscal responsibility.
The price of electricity will remain at an all time low.
Even in the midst of all this joy, let us make time for some bittersweet partings.
Hubble will be replaced by an advanced telescope constructed of a makeup mirror duct taped to a digital camera.
Haliburton gets the contract to run Amtrak. Cheney is spending time communing with the ghost of Andrew Carnegie.
And although the debt will increase, the deficit will be cut in half.
Isn't that amazing. Something for everyone.
First the good news.
The Bush budget requests $500 millon so the IRS can call every taxpayer to thank them for participating.
The reason that the costs for the continuing operations in Afghanistan and Iraq are not in the budget is because we're leaving.
Medicaide will be the first government agency run entirely on credit cards.
Instead of loitering in after-school programs, children will be forced to go home to play video games.
All veterans will recieve 1 coupon for a free wellness exam from the Cincinnati VA hospital.
The SEC tells the White House "cut our budget, we don't need it." Now that's some fiscal responsibility.
The price of electricity will remain at an all time low.
Even in the midst of all this joy, let us make time for some bittersweet partings.
Hubble will be replaced by an advanced telescope constructed of a makeup mirror duct taped to a digital camera.
Haliburton gets the contract to run Amtrak. Cheney is spending time communing with the ghost of Andrew Carnegie.
And although the debt will increase, the deficit will be cut in half.
Isn't that amazing. Something for everyone.
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