A youth minister was charged with assault for allegedly knocking a 16-year-old boy down and kicking him in the groin after taking a head shot from the teen in a dodgeball game.
The boy apologized, authorities said, but Boudreaux pushed him backward, and when the teen got up again, Boudreaux kicked him in the groin and left.
The teen suffered whiplash and post-concussion syndrome and had blood in his urine after being kicked, according to court records.
I can guarantee that nobody ran a background check on this guy before putting him in charge of these children. And you know why? Because he is a Christian, and to these people that is all you have to know about a person to trust them implicitly.
Even though I went through a rigorous background check to get my job, these people would treat me with suspicion based on my lack of religious faith. It would be funny if it were not so sad.
Friday, March 31, 2006
Finally a reason to go back to college!
Okay I don't actually want to attend the college I just want to stand outside the classroom and hit on the women as they leave. Cause I am naughty!
Did you know that the nose has as many nerve endings as the clitoris? I wonder how I can work that into my bedroom repertoire? Because you know I will!
Did you know that the nose has as many nerve endings as the clitoris? I wonder how I can work that into my bedroom repertoire? Because you know I will!
Republican Christians threaten America with God's can of whoopass!
Here are some of the quotes from the lunatic fringe attending the War on Christians and the Values Voter in 2006 conference in Washington.
"I believe the most damaging thing Tom DeLay has done in his life is take his faith seriously in the public office, which made him a target of all those who despise the goals of Christ."
Oh! I thought the most damaging thing he had done was selling his vote to the highest bidder and demonstrating a complete lack of ethics.
"Bush has hurt his own troops very badly with what he's done on immigration," Phyllis Schlafly told me in a room outside the hall. "I think he's really destroying his base with his views on bringing in more guest workers."
Phyllis Schlafly! She is "old school" crazy!
Let's see what is else is on the agenda this evening.
They reminded the audience that they are one judge away from overturning Roe v. Wade. They warned that Christianity is on the verge of being criminalized in America, and they harped on the manifold dangers of the "homosexual agenda."
You see in this forum they don't even pretend that they are not trying to overturn Roe vs. Wade. And I am so pleased to see that they did not forget to attack the gays. But what tool will they use to push this lifestyle, which is gaining more acceptance daily, back in to the closet.
"I don't think so-called GLBT teens are told anything like this" by their school counselors, LaBarbera said. "We need to find ways to bring shame back to those who are practicing and advocating homosexual behavior."
Oh yeah, shame! A tried and true old standby.
But really what can they do to stop America's march toward enlightenment?
"America is no longer good. Unrighteousness, evil, corruption, perversion and death are now standard operating procedure in the United States of America. If we do not put an end to it now, in this moment of divine destiny, then God will and God should judge America."
And if that does not work?
"A spiritual invasion is taking place," Parsley roared to the packed banquet hall on Tuesday morning, drawing out the "a" in invasion. "The secular media never likes it when I say this, so let me say it twice. Man your battle stations! Ready your weapons!" He paused to take a preemptive jab at his critics, his voice going soft and scolding: "They say, 'his rhetoric is so inciting.'" Then he nearly screamed, "I came to incite a riot! Man your battle stations! Ready your weapons! Lock and load!"
I really love these religions of peace. Islam, Christianity, Judaism, they are all just so cuddly.
"I believe the most damaging thing Tom DeLay has done in his life is take his faith seriously in the public office, which made him a target of all those who despise the goals of Christ."
Oh! I thought the most damaging thing he had done was selling his vote to the highest bidder and demonstrating a complete lack of ethics.
"Bush has hurt his own troops very badly with what he's done on immigration," Phyllis Schlafly told me in a room outside the hall. "I think he's really destroying his base with his views on bringing in more guest workers."
Phyllis Schlafly! She is "old school" crazy!
Let's see what is else is on the agenda this evening.
They reminded the audience that they are one judge away from overturning Roe v. Wade. They warned that Christianity is on the verge of being criminalized in America, and they harped on the manifold dangers of the "homosexual agenda."
You see in this forum they don't even pretend that they are not trying to overturn Roe vs. Wade. And I am so pleased to see that they did not forget to attack the gays. But what tool will they use to push this lifestyle, which is gaining more acceptance daily, back in to the closet.
"I don't think so-called GLBT teens are told anything like this" by their school counselors, LaBarbera said. "We need to find ways to bring shame back to those who are practicing and advocating homosexual behavior."
Oh yeah, shame! A tried and true old standby.
But really what can they do to stop America's march toward enlightenment?
"America is no longer good. Unrighteousness, evil, corruption, perversion and death are now standard operating procedure in the United States of America. If we do not put an end to it now, in this moment of divine destiny, then God will and God should judge America."
And if that does not work?
"A spiritual invasion is taking place," Parsley roared to the packed banquet hall on Tuesday morning, drawing out the "a" in invasion. "The secular media never likes it when I say this, so let me say it twice. Man your battle stations! Ready your weapons!" He paused to take a preemptive jab at his critics, his voice going soft and scolding: "They say, 'his rhetoric is so inciting.'" Then he nearly screamed, "I came to incite a riot! Man your battle stations! Ready your weapons! Lock and load!"
I really love these religions of peace. Islam, Christianity, Judaism, they are all just so cuddly.
9 out of 10 British women think that casual sex is immoral. My response: "That's the damn point!"
Nine out of 10 women interviewed in-depth about their views said they thought one night stands were immoral.
The researchers investigating female attitudes to sex and sexuality found most women had more traditional views of casual sex than they expected.
But what they don't tell you is that after several drinks seven out of those nine women had their legs in the air and their panties dangling off of one foot.
The researchers investigating female attitudes to sex and sexuality found most women had more traditional views of casual sex than they expected.
But what they don't tell you is that after several drinks seven out of those nine women had their legs in the air and their panties dangling off of one foot.
Condoleeza Rice admits "thousands of errors in Iraq". Surprisingly "going there" not one of them.
U.S. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice accepted on Friday the United States had probably made thousands of errors in Iraq but defended the overall strategy of removing Saddam Hussein.
Local Muslims and anti-war activists told Rice to "Go Home" when British counterpart Jack Straw earlier led her on a tour of his home town of Blackburn in the industrial northwest, an area which rarely plays host to overseas politicians.
"Yes, I know we have made tactical errors, thousands of them," she said in answer to a question over whether lessons had been learned since the U.S.-led invasion of Iraq in 2003.
"I believe strongly that it was the right strategic decision, that Saddam had been a threat to the international community long enough," she added.
It always seems interesting to me that while this administation can admit that mistakes were made at every step of this debacle, they just cannot bring themselves to admit that the war itself was the biggest mistake.
Until they can do that we will never see any real changes in our dealings with Iraq, or for that matter any other nation like Iran or North Korea.
Local Muslims and anti-war activists told Rice to "Go Home" when British counterpart Jack Straw earlier led her on a tour of his home town of Blackburn in the industrial northwest, an area which rarely plays host to overseas politicians.
"Yes, I know we have made tactical errors, thousands of them," she said in answer to a question over whether lessons had been learned since the U.S.-led invasion of Iraq in 2003.
"I believe strongly that it was the right strategic decision, that Saddam had been a threat to the international community long enough," she added.
It always seems interesting to me that while this administation can admit that mistakes were made at every step of this debacle, they just cannot bring themselves to admit that the war itself was the biggest mistake.
Until they can do that we will never see any real changes in our dealings with Iraq, or for that matter any other nation like Iran or North Korea.
Last nights "Daily Show".
Did anybody watch this last night?What in the hell was Sharon Stone giggling about? She looked like she had lost her mind.
You know when you are a twenty year old ingenue you might be able to bat your eyes and giggle through an interview. But when you are 48 year old has been you might want to beef up the interview with some talking! The dumb bitch just looked stoned out of her gourd last night.
You probably won't be surprised to know I won't be buying a ticket to this "grannie gets her groove on"flick. I have nothing against mature women but I am not paying for the pleasure of watching them get naked. I don't care how much surgery you have had.
Update: I stand corrected. Apparently Sharon Stone is 77 years old. You know she does look pretty good for seventy seven!
US Military now admits it attacked mosque but says they did it as a "warning". Was the warning that they would kill civilian's and then lie about it?
The U.S. military was trying to send a "little reality jab" to radical Shiite cleric Moqtada al-Sadr when American and Iraqi troops raided a Shiite community center and shrine over the weekend, says a top U.S. military official.
The joint assault killed at least 16 people, most of them believed to be tied to Sadr's militia, the Mahdi Army. U.S. officials insist the center was being used as a base for insurgent activities and was not a mosque. But many Iraqis say the complex did indeed include the Shiite equivalent of a mosque, and the raid has drawn harsh condemnation from Shiite politicians and prompted Iraqi President Jalal Talabani, a Kurd, to launch an investigation.
The mayor of Baghdad promptly cut off cooperation with the U.S. Embassy, and Shiite politicians suspended their negotiations to form a new government. The U.S. military has long contemplated taking tougher steps against Sadr and his troublesome militia but has held off in the past because it did not want to antagonize his many fervent supporters. This raid, officials say, was intended as a reminder to Sadr of the U.S. military's reach in Iraq.
So it appears that we no longer give two shits about our integrity as it applies to the Iraqi people. I am completely flummoxed by this incident and all of the tapdancing that our military did in response to the allegations put forth by the Shi'ite victims of this raid.
In the end the Iraqi's were proven to be right and we were caught in a lie. It seems as if we were either completely unaware of how we are being perceived by the Iraqi's or we just don't care what they think anymore. Have we just given up on capturing their hearts and minds?
Every move our military makes seems to create more enemies for us to fight. Is that the plan? To keep this war going as long as possible? I am so damn confused.
The joint assault killed at least 16 people, most of them believed to be tied to Sadr's militia, the Mahdi Army. U.S. officials insist the center was being used as a base for insurgent activities and was not a mosque. But many Iraqis say the complex did indeed include the Shiite equivalent of a mosque, and the raid has drawn harsh condemnation from Shiite politicians and prompted Iraqi President Jalal Talabani, a Kurd, to launch an investigation.
The mayor of Baghdad promptly cut off cooperation with the U.S. Embassy, and Shiite politicians suspended their negotiations to form a new government. The U.S. military has long contemplated taking tougher steps against Sadr and his troublesome militia but has held off in the past because it did not want to antagonize his many fervent supporters. This raid, officials say, was intended as a reminder to Sadr of the U.S. military's reach in Iraq.
So it appears that we no longer give two shits about our integrity as it applies to the Iraqi people. I am completely flummoxed by this incident and all of the tapdancing that our military did in response to the allegations put forth by the Shi'ite victims of this raid.
In the end the Iraqi's were proven to be right and we were caught in a lie. It seems as if we were either completely unaware of how we are being perceived by the Iraqi's or we just don't care what they think anymore. Have we just given up on capturing their hearts and minds?
Every move our military makes seems to create more enemies for us to fight. Is that the plan? To keep this war going as long as possible? I am so damn confused.
Watergate's John Dean will testify at Bush's censure hearing.
John Dean, counsel to President Nixon during the Watergate scandal, is headlining a Senate hearing Friday on whether to censure President Bush for authorizing a domestic wiretapping program as part of the war on terrorism.After The New York Times revealed the program in December, Dean wrote that "Bush may have outdone Nixon" and be worthy not just of censure but impeachment.
"Nixon's illegal surveillance was limited; Bush's, it is developing, may be extraordinarily broad in scope," Dean wrote in a column for FindLaw.com in December.
You know the irony of this is almost too much for me to take.
George Bush is making these Watergate guys very happy. After being saddled for years as the worst President in history, Nixon is being nudged aside by the criminality of President Bush.
That means that all of these guys who shared the blame and the shame of that debacle are getting a chance to say "See? We weren't that bad!".
.
Study pulls the plug on the power of prayer.
A study of more than 1,800 patients who underwent heart bypass surgery has failed to show that prayers specially organized for their recovery had any impact, researchers said on Thursday.In fact, the study found some of the patients who knew they were being prayed for did worse than others who were only told they might be prayed for -- though those who did the study said they could not explain why.
The patients in the study at six U.S. hospitals included 604 who were actually prayed for after being told they might or might not be; another 597 patients who were not prayed for after being told they might or might not be; and a group of 601 who were prayed for and told they would be the subject of such prayer.
This has alway been one of the least logical tenets of religious belief. Even if I were to accept the fact that somewhere in the universe there existed a being possessed of enough power to create our entire reality, that this being would sit around all day answering the millions of prayers sent his way in a constant stream just seems extremely unlikely.
It is flawed thinking in my opinion and the kind of belief that primitive people would cling to in the face of difficulties beyond their comprehension. It would allow these people to resist a feeling of helplessness. It would comfort them. And I believe that is why we have it.
Thursday, March 30, 2006
Vermont is tired of waiting for Congress to impeach Bush, decide to do it themselves.
Leading Democrats in Vermont plan to decide in April whether to urge state lawmakers to petition for President Bush's impeachment using a little-known provision in the rules of the U.S. House.
Democratic committees in at least half of the state's 14 counties have passed resolutions calling for impeachment, citing a rule in "Jefferson's Manual," a book of parliamentary guidelines written by Thomas Jefferson that supplements U.S. House rules.
The anti-Bush movement is "genuinely bubbling up from the grass roots," said Jon Copans, the state party's executive director.
The drumbeat just keeps getting louder and louder. But will it be enough?
Democratic committees in at least half of the state's 14 counties have passed resolutions calling for impeachment, citing a rule in "Jefferson's Manual," a book of parliamentary guidelines written by Thomas Jefferson that supplements U.S. House rules.
The anti-Bush movement is "genuinely bubbling up from the grass roots," said Jon Copans, the state party's executive director.
The drumbeat just keeps getting louder and louder. But will it be enough?
Boy do I know somebody who needs this, and no it's not me!
A DEVICE that can pick up on people's emotions is being developed to help people with autism relate to those around them. It will alert its autistic user if the person they are talking to starts showing signs of getting bored or annoyed.
One of the problems facing people with autism is an inability to pick up on social cues. Failure to notice that they are boring or confusing their listeners can be particularly damaging, says Rana El Kaliouby of the Media Lab at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. "It's sad because people then avoid having conversations with them."
This company will make a mint just selling these in Washington alone. I might have to invest in this company.
One of the problems facing people with autism is an inability to pick up on social cues. Failure to notice that they are boring or confusing their listeners can be particularly damaging, says Rana El Kaliouby of the Media Lab at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. "It's sad because people then avoid having conversations with them."
This company will make a mint just selling these in Washington alone. I might have to invest in this company.
Thursday quotes.
Peace cannot be achieved through violence, it can only be attained through understanding. Ralph Waldo Emerson
An eye for eye only ends up making the whole world blind.
Mohandas Gandhi
Peace hath higher tests of manhood, than battle ever knew.
John Greenleaf Whittier
There is nothing that war has ever achieved that we could not better achieve without it.
Henry Ellis
To sit and do nothing in the face of evil would be a sin beyond redemption.
Gryphen
An eye for eye only ends up making the whole world blind.
Mohandas Gandhi
Peace hath higher tests of manhood, than battle ever knew.
John Greenleaf Whittier
There is nothing that war has ever achieved that we could not better achieve without it.
Henry Ellis
To sit and do nothing in the face of evil would be a sin beyond redemption.
Gryphen
Are we getting news? Or are we just getting more Bush propaganda?
The Bush administration, amid record budget deficits, has been spending huge amounts on advertising and public relations contracts to counter a hostile media environment.
The administration spent $1.62 billion on advertising and public relations contracts over two and a half years. Most of the money was spent by the Defense Department amid its efforts to recruit soldiers for the war in Afghanistan and Iraq.
"The extent of the Bush administration's propaganda effort is unprecedented and disturbing," said Rep. George Miller, California Democrat.
Mr. Miller and other Democrats ordered a study of the administration's PR budget. In January, the Government Accountability Office issued a report that examined the media budgets of seven federal departments.
In all, the seven departments reported a total of 343 media contracts from 2003 to mid-2005. Forty percent of the contracts were with advertising agencies and 38 percent were with media organizations.
Another two percent of the contracts were with "individual members of the media." They were not identified in the report.
How will FOX news survive if they put a stop to this?
I can hardly wait to find out who the "individual members of the media" turn out to be. My guess? Chris Matthews, Daryn Kagan, Joe Scarborough, and every member of FOX news.
The truly horrifying part is that this 1.62 billion is made up of our taxes! That is my money being used to lie to the American people! And even with that huge outlay of money Bush's poll numbers are still in the low 30's!
Is there really any doubt that George Bush is the worst president ever?
The administration spent $1.62 billion on advertising and public relations contracts over two and a half years. Most of the money was spent by the Defense Department amid its efforts to recruit soldiers for the war in Afghanistan and Iraq.
"The extent of the Bush administration's propaganda effort is unprecedented and disturbing," said Rep. George Miller, California Democrat.
Mr. Miller and other Democrats ordered a study of the administration's PR budget. In January, the Government Accountability Office issued a report that examined the media budgets of seven federal departments.
In all, the seven departments reported a total of 343 media contracts from 2003 to mid-2005. Forty percent of the contracts were with advertising agencies and 38 percent were with media organizations.
Another two percent of the contracts were with "individual members of the media." They were not identified in the report.
How will FOX news survive if they put a stop to this?
I can hardly wait to find out who the "individual members of the media" turn out to be. My guess? Chris Matthews, Daryn Kagan, Joe Scarborough, and every member of FOX news.
The truly horrifying part is that this 1.62 billion is made up of our taxes! That is my money being used to lie to the American people! And even with that huge outlay of money Bush's poll numbers are still in the low 30's!
Is there really any doubt that George Bush is the worst president ever?
Bush blames continuing strife in Iraq on Saddam. He also blames global warming on the sun.
Bush countered critics who wonder whether toppling Saddam Hussein caused the current divisions and instability.
"In fact, much of the animosity and violence we now see is the legacy of Saddam Hussein," Bush said. "He is a tyrant who exacerbated sectarian divisions to keep himself in power."
It is typical political trick to blame problems that occur during your term on your predecessor but usually your predecessor is not chained up in a cell somewhere!
Bush simply cannot take responsibility for how screwed up this little "social experiment" has become. The idea that you could deliver democracy on the tip of a spear was a criminally ridiculous idea to begin with.
What a tool!
"In fact, much of the animosity and violence we now see is the legacy of Saddam Hussein," Bush said. "He is a tyrant who exacerbated sectarian divisions to keep himself in power."
It is typical political trick to blame problems that occur during your term on your predecessor but usually your predecessor is not chained up in a cell somewhere!
Bush simply cannot take responsibility for how screwed up this little "social experiment" has become. The idea that you could deliver democracy on the tip of a spear was a criminally ridiculous idea to begin with.
What a tool!
Sunni Arab leader says 1,700 killed since bombing of mosque.
A Sunni Arab leader said on Thursday more than 1,700 Sunnis had been killed in Iraq's sectarian bloodshed since a major Shi'ite mosque was bombed a month ago, but it was unclear how he arrived at the figure.
The spiralling violence between Shi'ites and minority Sunnis, with death squads and militias leaving scores of horribly mutilated corpses in the streets every day, has stoked fears of an all-out sectarian civil war.
If it walks like a civil war and quacks like a civil war, it's a civil war!
The spiralling violence between Shi'ites and minority Sunnis, with death squads and militias leaving scores of horribly mutilated corpses in the streets every day, has stoked fears of an all-out sectarian civil war.
If it walks like a civil war and quacks like a civil war, it's a civil war!
Jill Carroll is free!
Well finally here is some of that good news that everybody keeps wanting to hear out of Iraq.Welcome home Miss Carroll!
Wednesday, March 29, 2006
Another reason Canada does not support the war in Iraq; They are tired of all of the American deserters crossing their borders!
Hundreds of deserters from the US armed forces have crossed into Canada and are now seeking political refugee status there, arguing that violations of the rules of war in Iraq by the US entitle them to asylum.
A decision on a test case involving two US servicemen is due shortly and is being watched with interest by fellow servicemen on both sides of the border. At least 20 others have already applied for asylum and there are an estimated 400 in Canada out of more than 9,000 who have deserted since the conflict started in 2003.
9,000 have deserted? So much for the theory that this war is supported by our fighting men and women. Well yeah I know that are not fighting, they are running, but maybe they would be willing to fight if we had a war that wasn't so completely wrong?
A decision on a test case involving two US servicemen is due shortly and is being watched with interest by fellow servicemen on both sides of the border. At least 20 others have already applied for asylum and there are an estimated 400 in Canada out of more than 9,000 who have deserted since the conflict started in 2003.
9,000 have deserted? So much for the theory that this war is supported by our fighting men and women. Well yeah I know that are not fighting, they are running, but maybe they would be willing to fight if we had a war that wasn't so completely wrong?
What do Moses, Jesus, and Mohammad have in common? Altitude sickness.
There could be a straightforward medical explanation for at least three of the world's major religions. Moses, Mohammed, and Jesus all experienced revelations on mountains, but they were probably just suffering a form of altitude sickness, say a group of Swiss and Israeli neurologists, casting doubt in the process on the very existence of God.
All three felt, heard or saw a presence, experienced lights and felt afraid, say the brain scientists from Lausanne, Geneva and Jerusalem. But so have contemporary mountaineers who are more interested in ice picks and thermal undies than anything mystical - suggesting the dizzy heights may have the effect of turning ordinary mortals into prophets.
What? Do you mean that we have been subjected to these dangerous belief systems because some wandering hippies were suffering from lack of oxygen? Well isn't that special!
You know this idea might not be so far fetched. American Indians have for centuries sent their young men into the mountains to have "visions" before achieving manhood. You add a little peyote and you have a fairly profound life altering experience.
All three felt, heard or saw a presence, experienced lights and felt afraid, say the brain scientists from Lausanne, Geneva and Jerusalem. But so have contemporary mountaineers who are more interested in ice picks and thermal undies than anything mystical - suggesting the dizzy heights may have the effect of turning ordinary mortals into prophets.
What? Do you mean that we have been subjected to these dangerous belief systems because some wandering hippies were suffering from lack of oxygen? Well isn't that special!
You know this idea might not be so far fetched. American Indians have for centuries sent their young men into the mountains to have "visions" before achieving manhood. You add a little peyote and you have a fairly profound life altering experience.
Christians rally the faithful by claiming to be under attack again. Excuse me I have to go reload.
The "War on Christmas" has morphed into a "War on Christians."
Last December, some evangelical Christian groups declared that the religious celebration of Christmas -- and even the phrase "Merry Christmas" -- was under attack by the forces of secularism.
This week, radio commentator Rick Scarborough convened a two-day conference in Washington on the "War on Christians and the Values Voters in 2006." The opening session was devoted to "reports from the frontlines" on "persecution" of Christians in the United States and Canada, including an artist whose paintings were barred from a municipal art show in Deltona, Fla., because they contained religious themes.
"It doesn't rise to the level of persecution that we would see in China or North Korea," said Tristan Emmanuel, a Canadian activist. "But let's not pretend that it's okay."
It sure must suck to be a member of the largest religious group on the planet. To have a controlling influence on the leader of the most powerful country in the world. To have churches that bring in more money annually then every third world country in existence combined. All of this and the promise of eternal glory? My heart is gushing blood for you.
Now I was only joking that I am somebody who attacks Christianity. Unless your definition of attacks mean expressing an alternate point of view, or supporting scientific research, or thinking for myself. If that is the criteria which you use to characterize your attackers then I guess I do qualify.
I don't really see it as an attack however. I see it more as a challenge, a dialogue, a debate. You see to my mind any idea which cannot stand up to the scrutiny of the doubters is not an idea worth having. Debate should strengthen your resolve not diminish it.
I guess that is what makes me the bad guy. I just enjoy thinking far too much for my own good.
Last December, some evangelical Christian groups declared that the religious celebration of Christmas -- and even the phrase "Merry Christmas" -- was under attack by the forces of secularism.
This week, radio commentator Rick Scarborough convened a two-day conference in Washington on the "War on Christians and the Values Voters in 2006." The opening session was devoted to "reports from the frontlines" on "persecution" of Christians in the United States and Canada, including an artist whose paintings were barred from a municipal art show in Deltona, Fla., because they contained religious themes.
"It doesn't rise to the level of persecution that we would see in China or North Korea," said Tristan Emmanuel, a Canadian activist. "But let's not pretend that it's okay."
It sure must suck to be a member of the largest religious group on the planet. To have a controlling influence on the leader of the most powerful country in the world. To have churches that bring in more money annually then every third world country in existence combined. All of this and the promise of eternal glory? My heart is gushing blood for you.
Now I was only joking that I am somebody who attacks Christianity. Unless your definition of attacks mean expressing an alternate point of view, or supporting scientific research, or thinking for myself. If that is the criteria which you use to characterize your attackers then I guess I do qualify.
I don't really see it as an attack however. I see it more as a challenge, a dialogue, a debate. You see to my mind any idea which cannot stand up to the scrutiny of the doubters is not an idea worth having. Debate should strengthen your resolve not diminish it.
I guess that is what makes me the bad guy. I just enjoy thinking far too much for my own good.
US admits it lied about attacking the Shia mosque!
Gen Pace said that the operation had been led by Iraqi special forces, although it included American special forces seeking to track down a Shia terrorist base where kidnap victims were held.
As they approached a large rectangular building they came under heavy fire. "The Iraqi forces themselves went into the main target areas. This is the building inside of which, once they got in there, they found a small minaret and a prayer room … [which] some people are calling a mosque," Gen Pace said.
Holy shit! "Some are calling a mosque"? You mean the people who are muslim and would know what a mosque looks like are calling it a mosque? Why would we trust their judgement?
This marks the second time that General Pace has directly contradicted Rumsfeld. Somebody needs to make him start drinking the kool-aid, he is ruining everything with his damn truth telling.
Well this is truly BUBAR'd now! (Bushed Up Beyond All Repair)
As they approached a large rectangular building they came under heavy fire. "The Iraqi forces themselves went into the main target areas. This is the building inside of which, once they got in there, they found a small minaret and a prayer room … [which] some people are calling a mosque," Gen Pace said.
Holy shit! "Some are calling a mosque"? You mean the people who are muslim and would know what a mosque looks like are calling it a mosque? Why would we trust their judgement?
This marks the second time that General Pace has directly contradicted Rumsfeld. Somebody needs to make him start drinking the kool-aid, he is ruining everything with his damn truth telling.
Well this is truly BUBAR'd now! (Bushed Up Beyond All Repair)
Dillingham Alaska is completely terrorist proof!
This is the Alaskan bush at its most remote. Here, tundra meets sea, and sea turns to ice for half the year. Scattered, almost hidden, in the terrain are some of the most isolated communities on American soil. People choose to live in outposts like Dillingham (pop. 2,400) for that reason: to be left alone.
So eyebrows were raised in January when the first surveillance cameras went up on Main Street. Each camera is a shiny white metallic box with two lenses like eyes. The camera's shape and design resemble a robot's head.
By mid-February, more than 60 cameras watched over the town, and the Dillingham Police Department plans to install 20 more — all purchased through a $202,000 Homeland Security grant meant primarily to defend against a terrorist attack.
I always say that nobody can waste money like an Alaskan!
Oh sure you can laugh, but you just wait until Osama shows up and we catch his ass! We will see who is laughing then!
So eyebrows were raised in January when the first surveillance cameras went up on Main Street. Each camera is a shiny white metallic box with two lenses like eyes. The camera's shape and design resemble a robot's head.
By mid-February, more than 60 cameras watched over the town, and the Dillingham Police Department plans to install 20 more — all purchased through a $202,000 Homeland Security grant meant primarily to defend against a terrorist attack.
I always say that nobody can waste money like an Alaskan!
Oh sure you can laugh, but you just wait until Osama shows up and we catch his ass! We will see who is laughing then!
Lou Dobbs favorite pet peeve is the disaster du jour, making Lou "da man".
I have to give Lou props on this he is no "Johnny come lately", he has been boring me with this issue for years. He often sounded a little obsessive and one note but now he looks like freaking Nostradamus!
Well good for you Lou! Maybe after Lou single handedly solves this issue he can start working to solve that irritating little war.
Well good for you Lou! Maybe after Lou single handedly solves this issue he can start working to solve that irritating little war.
Now this guy is going to hell!
A charity foundation's former accountant, accused of embezzling heart disease research funds to pay an Ohio dominatrix to beat him, pleaded guilty Tuesday to grand larceny and admitted that he stole more than $237,000.
That is a level of immorality that I will never hope to attain. I am such a phony.
That is a level of immorality that I will never hope to attain. I am such a phony.
Tuesday, March 28, 2006
Rumsfeld says they have photographic proof that our soldiers were framed by Shi'ites.
Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld showed photographs taken immediately after the raid, "and clearly you can see all types of armament and other military paraphernalia there," Warner, a Virginia Republican, said.
"I think the sooner those pictures are out, the sooner we can dispel that there was any wrong attack by our forces on a mosque or other buildings," he said.
Donald, Donald, Donald. You just don't get it. There is nothing you can show these people to make them believe you. They don't believe anything we say. Why you ask?
Well it could have something to do with this;
"I think the sooner those pictures are out, the sooner we can dispel that there was any wrong attack by our forces on a mosque or other buildings," he said.
Donald, Donald, Donald. You just don't get it. There is nothing you can show these people to make them believe you. They don't believe anything we say. Why you ask?
Well it could have something to do with this;
- We lied about there being evidence of WMDs in Iraq.
- We lied about not wanting to go to war.
- We lied about what happened at Abu Ghraib.
- We lied about what happened in Fallujah.
We have lied repeatedly and the Iraqis know it. If we are being truthful this time it is just too little, too late. The point is Mr. Rumsfeld that the "Fat Lady" is singing her ass off and you are just not paying attention. The next thing that is going to happen is a massive attack on the American troops. It will be devastating, it will be the end of the debate, and it does not need to happen. We just need to start getting our soldiers out of there today.
Weinberger: A "Bloom County" tribute.
When I read that Caspar Weinberger had passed away this was the first thing that I remembered about him. So do you think I spend too much time reading the funnies? Me neither.
Tom Delay defends the conservatives hateful attitude toward judges.
"Didn't you see the comments of Sandra Day O'Connor and Ruth Ginsburg over the last couple of weeks?" DeLay, R-Texas, asked reporters after a speech to a group of Christian conservatives. "There's still a problem, they don't get it. There are three branches of government. All wisdom doesn't reside in ... people in black robes."Earlier, the former House majority leader told activists he agreed with their premise that there is a "war on Christianity.
"Our faith has always been in direct conflict with the values of the world," DeLay said. "We are, after all, a society that provides abortion on demand, has killed millions of innocent children, degrades the institution of marriage, and all but treats Christianity like some second-rate superstition."
Now that is just an unfair allegation. I don't think that Christianity is a second rate superstition. I think that it is a first rate superstition. Astrology is a second rate superstition.
Shi'ites suspend formation of government over allegations of American led massacre.
Frayed relations between Iraq's Shiite leadership and the American authorities came under increased strain on Monday as Shiite leaders expressed fury over an American-led attack on a Shiite compound and suspended negotiations over a new government.
The raid on Sunday evening that killed at least 16 people also led the governor of Baghdad to announce a halt in cooperation with the United States, and it led Shiite militiamen to brandish their weapons in the streets of eastern Baghdad and declare their readiness to retaliate against American troops.
The suspension of the difficult talks over the formation of a new government prolonged a power vacuum that American and Iraqi officials agree creates a fertile environment for more lawlessness and sectarian violence.
Are these allegations accurate? I have my doubts, but the Iraqi's have already made up their minds.
But Iraqi government officials and political leaders vociferously disputed the American command's version of events, insisting that Iraqi and American troops had raided a mosque, not a fortified office complex, as a political party meeting was under way and unarmed worshippers gathered for evening prayer.
Khudair al-Khuzaie, the spokesman for the Iraq Branch of the Islamic Dawa Party, said he knew of 16 people killed, all of whom were attending a meeting in the party's office at the time of the raid. The office is accessible through a doorway from the mosque's courtyard. Of those killed, he said, 13 were party members and three were civilians.
Jawad al-Maliki, a deputy to Prime Minister Jaafari's Dawa Party, accused the American command of committing "an ugly crime" that "has dangerous political and security dimensions intended to ignite the fire of civil war."
I hear talk of a tipping point. I think that we are well past the tipping point. What can Americans really do at this point to make everything all better? Nothing!
The raid on Sunday evening that killed at least 16 people also led the governor of Baghdad to announce a halt in cooperation with the United States, and it led Shiite militiamen to brandish their weapons in the streets of eastern Baghdad and declare their readiness to retaliate against American troops.
The suspension of the difficult talks over the formation of a new government prolonged a power vacuum that American and Iraqi officials agree creates a fertile environment for more lawlessness and sectarian violence.
Are these allegations accurate? I have my doubts, but the Iraqi's have already made up their minds.
But Iraqi government officials and political leaders vociferously disputed the American command's version of events, insisting that Iraqi and American troops had raided a mosque, not a fortified office complex, as a political party meeting was under way and unarmed worshippers gathered for evening prayer.
Khudair al-Khuzaie, the spokesman for the Iraq Branch of the Islamic Dawa Party, said he knew of 16 people killed, all of whom were attending a meeting in the party's office at the time of the raid. The office is accessible through a doorway from the mosque's courtyard. Of those killed, he said, 13 were party members and three were civilians.
Jawad al-Maliki, a deputy to Prime Minister Jaafari's Dawa Party, accused the American command of committing "an ugly crime" that "has dangerous political and security dimensions intended to ignite the fire of civil war."
I hear talk of a tipping point. I think that we are well past the tipping point. What can Americans really do at this point to make everything all better? Nothing!
John McCain is sniffing Falwell's butt looking for those delicious Fundie votes.
American military hero and Arizona Sen. John McCain will deliver the Commencement message at Liberty University on May 13, at 9:30 a.m., in the Liberty University Vines Center.I can't believe I ever respected this guy. He is living example of how to diminsh your hard earned stature in exchange for the chance at fleeting glory. To go through all that he did and to piss it away like this is heartbreaking.
(They literally cannot wait to start groping each other.)
Russ Feingold's call for censure of Bush makes him the new Democrat "It" boy.
Feingold said his sole purpose was to hold Bush accountable, but he argued that it's also good politics."These Democratic pundits are all scared of the Republican base getting energized, but they're willing to pay the price of not energizing the Democratic base," he said. "It's an overly defensive and meek approach to politics."
Yeah, I would agree that the Democrats need to start showing the size of their balls or they might very well blow this golden opportunity they have to get back both the House and the Senate.
Whip them out boys lets see what you got! For the ladies I will assume that your balls are huge!
Monday, March 27, 2006
All of the money we spent on Homeland Security has been wasted. Nothing stops nuclear materials from crossing our borders.
Undercover investigators slipped radioactive material _ enough to make two small "dirty bombs" _ across U.S. borders in Texas and Washington state in a test last year of security at American points of entry.
Radiation alarms at the unidentified sites detected the small amounts of cesium-137, a nuclear material used in industrial gauges. But U.S. customs agents permitted the investigators to enter the United States because they were tricked with counterfeit documents.
Oh shit!
Radiation alarms at the unidentified sites detected the small amounts of cesium-137, a nuclear material used in industrial gauges. But U.S. customs agents permitted the investigators to enter the United States because they were tricked with counterfeit documents.
Oh shit!
Shi'ites call US murderers and demand they hand over control of security.
Iraq's ruling Shi'ite Islamist Alliance bloc demanded on Monday that U.S. forces return control of security to the Iraqi government after what it called "cold-blooded" killings by troops of unarmed people in a mosque.
"The Alliance calls for a rapid restoration of (control of) security matters to the Iraqi government," Jawad al-Maliki, a senior Alliance spokesman and ally of Prime Minister Ibrahim al-Jaafari, told a news conference.
I mentioned in an earlier post today that the Iraqis were going to believe that we were guilty of this massacre. We have completely lost the last vestige of trust from these people.
We are done.
"The Alliance calls for a rapid restoration of (control of) security matters to the Iraqi government," Jawad al-Maliki, a senior Alliance spokesman and ally of Prime Minister Ibrahim al-Jaafari, told a news conference.
I mentioned in an earlier post today that the Iraqis were going to believe that we were guilty of this massacre. We have completely lost the last vestige of trust from these people.
We are done.
Pastafarians finally have a bible! Good, now I know what to believe.
Is the world ready for The Gospel of the Flying Spaghetti Monster?
Will its revelations — that pirates control global warming, that there's a beer volcano in heaven, and that superstition trumps science every time — overwhelm religious belief for all mankind?
I don't see why not. Is it really any loonier then whatever you believe?
Besides it has pirates! How can you go wrong with pirates?
Will its revelations — that pirates control global warming, that there's a beer volcano in heaven, and that superstition trumps science every time — overwhelm religious belief for all mankind?
I don't see why not. Is it really any loonier then whatever you believe?
Besides it has pirates! How can you go wrong with pirates?
Rove turns on Cheney in CIA leak case.
Karl Rove, Deputy White House Chief of Staff and special adviser to President George W. Bush, has recently been providing information to special prosecutor Patrick Fitzgerald in the ongoing CIA leak investigation, sources close to the investigation say.
According to several Pentagon sources close to Rove and others familiar with the inquiry, Bush's senior adviser tipped off Special Prosecutor Patrick Fitzgerald to information that led to the recent "discovery" of 250 pages of missing email from the office of Vice President Dick Cheney.
Boy this ought to bring a little "zing" to those boring cabinet meetings.
I love it when neo-cons turn on each other. I guess there is no honor among thieves.
According to several Pentagon sources close to Rove and others familiar with the inquiry, Bush's senior adviser tipped off Special Prosecutor Patrick Fitzgerald to information that led to the recent "discovery" of 250 pages of missing email from the office of Vice President Dick Cheney.
Boy this ought to bring a little "zing" to those boring cabinet meetings.
I love it when neo-cons turn on each other. I guess there is no honor among thieves.
I am having a 2004 flashback.
How the hell is this news? I both wrote and read about this little news nugget for weeks! I am so tired of waiting for the rest of the world to catch up to us!
If you really want to know what is going on then visit here or any of the sites on my blogroll, we will bring you up to speed in a heartbeat.
I have to stop writing right now. Zain Verjee is on my televison and I have to concentrate.
If you really want to know what is going on then visit here or any of the sites on my blogroll, we will bring you up to speed in a heartbeat.
I have to stop writing right now. Zain Verjee is on my televison and I have to concentrate.
Did American troops massacre Iraqis in their mosque?
US troops have mounted two raids against Iraqi Shiite forces in Baghdad, killing up to 20 gunmen in a raid on a radical mosque and arresting more than 40 Interior Ministry personnel guarding a secret prison.
Details were sketchy today, but the two operations looked like US strikes against sectarian Shiite militias of the kind the US ambassador has said must be eliminated if Iraq is to form a unity government and halt a slide toward civil war.
Now since this news came out I have heard that this raid was led by Iraqi military and that the Americans stayed in the background for support. The official report also says that Americans did not go into the mosques at any time.
But none of that makes any difference because this is what the Iraqi's are being told;
"The American forces went into Mustapha mosque at prayers and killed more than 20 worshippers," Hazin al-Araji said.
"They tied them up and shot them."
I don't for an instant believe this is true, but it does not matter what I think. It matters very much what the Iraqi's believe, and you know that they believe every negative thing that is said about the Americans.
Details were sketchy today, but the two operations looked like US strikes against sectarian Shiite militias of the kind the US ambassador has said must be eliminated if Iraq is to form a unity government and halt a slide toward civil war.
Now since this news came out I have heard that this raid was led by Iraqi military and that the Americans stayed in the background for support. The official report also says that Americans did not go into the mosques at any time.
But none of that makes any difference because this is what the Iraqi's are being told;
"The American forces went into Mustapha mosque at prayers and killed more than 20 worshippers," Hazin al-Araji said.
"They tied them up and shot them."
I don't for an instant believe this is true, but it does not matter what I think. It matters very much what the Iraqi's believe, and you know that they believe every negative thing that is said about the Americans.
Iraqi doctor killed 35 patients because "I hate the Americans and what they've done to Iraq."
A doctor has admitted killing at least 35 Iraqi police officers and army soldiers by giving them lethal injections, reopening their wounds or engaging in other deadly acts while they were being treated at a hospital in the northern city of Kirkuk, according to Kurdish security sources and Kurdish television.
Kurdish television broadcast on Sunday what it said was the doctor's taped confession, in which he told police that he sympathized with the radical Sunni Arab insurgent group Ansar al-Sunna. He said that the group paid him to kill the men and that he did it because "I hate the Americans and what they've done to Iraq."
Just our presence in Iraq is murderous for its citizens.
What a frightening thought for these Iraqi soldiers to think that even after they are admitted to the hospital their lives might still be in danger.
Kurdish television broadcast on Sunday what it said was the doctor's taped confession, in which he told police that he sympathized with the radical Sunni Arab insurgent group Ansar al-Sunna. He said that the group paid him to kill the men and that he did it because "I hate the Americans and what they've done to Iraq."
Just our presence in Iraq is murderous for its citizens.
What a frightening thought for these Iraqi soldiers to think that even after they are admitted to the hospital their lives might still be in danger.
Sunday, March 26, 2006
Have you seen it?
Voilà ! In view, a humble vaudevillian veteran, cast vicariously as both victim and villain by the vicissitudes of Fate. This visage, no mere veneer of vanity, is it vestige of the vox populi, now vacant, vanished, as the once vital voice of the verisimilitude now venerates what they once vilified. However, this valorous visitation of a by-gone vexation, stands vivified, and has vowed to vanquish these venal and virulent vermin vanguarding vice and vouchsafing the violently vicious and voracious violation of volition. The only verdict is vengeance; a vendetta, held as a votive, not in vain, for the value and veracity of such shall one day vindicate the vigilant and the virtuous. Verily, this vichyssoise of verbiage veers most verbose vis-à -vis an introduction, and so it is my very good honor to meet you and you may call me V. People should not be afraid of their governments. Governments should be afraid of their people.
The revolution has begun.
Please ignore the 30 headless bodies and remember there is no civil war in Iraq!
The bodies of 30 beheaded men were found on a main highway near Baquba this evening, providing more evidence that the death squads in Iraq are becoming out of control.
If that doesn't convince you that the danger in Iarq is out of control, then maybe this will do the job;
Iraqi army troops were waiting tonight for American support before venturing into the insurgent-infested area to retrieve them.
"It's too dangerous for us to go in there alone," an Iraqi Army commander, Tassin Tawfik, said.
Do you understand that? It is too dangerous for the Iraqi army to go and investigate the beheadings! But the right wing hate machine is all over little Lara Logan for not getting out there and finding the "good" news to report so that Americans can continue to believe the president's bullshit!
"Hey Lara, now you step over the those headless bodies and you find us some kids playing ball or some schools being opened right this minute! We need to start showing some good news or else the administration is going to pull a Dan Rather on our ass! And if somebody starts shooting at you out there, you make sure you turn those cameras off before you die so that there is no film of that "bad news."
If that doesn't convince you that the danger in Iarq is out of control, then maybe this will do the job;
Iraqi army troops were waiting tonight for American support before venturing into the insurgent-infested area to retrieve them.
"It's too dangerous for us to go in there alone," an Iraqi Army commander, Tassin Tawfik, said.
Do you understand that? It is too dangerous for the Iraqi army to go and investigate the beheadings! But the right wing hate machine is all over little Lara Logan for not getting out there and finding the "good" news to report so that Americans can continue to believe the president's bullshit!
"Hey Lara, now you step over the those headless bodies and you find us some kids playing ball or some schools being opened right this minute! We need to start showing some good news or else the administration is going to pull a Dan Rather on our ass! And if somebody starts shooting at you out there, you make sure you turn those cameras off before you die so that there is no film of that "bad news."
Has George Bush started World War lll?
Eric Haney, a retired command sergeant major of the U.S. Army, was a founding member of Delta Force, the military's elite covert counter-terrorist unit. He culled his experiences for "Inside Delta Force" (Delta; $14), a memoir rich with harrowing stories, though in an interview, Haney declines with a shrug to estimate the number of times he was almost killed. (Perhaps the most high-profile incident that almost claimed his life was the 1980 failed rescue of the hostages in Iran.)
Q: What's your assessment of the war in Iraq?
A: Utter debacle. But it had to be from the very first. The reasons were wrong. The reasons of this administration for taking this nation to war were not what they stated. (Army Gen.) Tommy Franks was brow-beaten and ... pursued warfare that he knew strategically was wrong in the long term. That's why he retired immediately afterward. His own staff could tell him what was going to happen afterward.
We have fomented civil war in Iraq. We have probably fomented internecine war in the Muslim world between the Shias and the Sunnis, and I think Bush may well have started the third world war, all for their own personal policies.
You know just when I think I have heard the most depressing assessment of the Iraq conflict that is possible I hear something like this. The guy's credentials make him impossible to ignore.
Q: What's your assessment of the war in Iraq?
A: Utter debacle. But it had to be from the very first. The reasons were wrong. The reasons of this administration for taking this nation to war were not what they stated. (Army Gen.) Tommy Franks was brow-beaten and ... pursued warfare that he knew strategically was wrong in the long term. That's why he retired immediately afterward. His own staff could tell him what was going to happen afterward.
We have fomented civil war in Iraq. We have probably fomented internecine war in the Muslim world between the Shias and the Sunnis, and I think Bush may well have started the third world war, all for their own personal policies.
You know just when I think I have heard the most depressing assessment of the Iraq conflict that is possible I hear something like this. The guy's credentials make him impossible to ignore.
The war in Iraq is a success! Well at least according to "the Onion".
"Over the last month, the Iraqis have been fighting like you wouldn't believe," said Rumsfeld in a press conference at the Pentagon. "New Iraqis are joining the war every day—so many, in fact, that we don't know where they all came from. It's almost as if they came out of nowhere."
"The scope and intensity of the combat in Iraq is such that I believe the presence of American forces in the country will no longer be required to help the Iraqi people plummet into meaningless violence," Rumsfeld added.
Very funny in a kind of a sad way.
"The scope and intensity of the combat in Iraq is such that I believe the presence of American forces in the country will no longer be required to help the Iraqi people plummet into meaningless violence," Rumsfeld added.
Very funny in a kind of a sad way.
Are you a hippie!
I am 38% Hippie.
I need to step away from the tie-dye. I smell too good to be a hippie and my dad is probably a cop. Being a hippie is not a fashion craze, man. It was a way of life, in the 60’s, man. Is this the Iraqi version of My Lai
Khalaf, a 33-year-old security officer guarding oil pipelines, saw a US helicopter land near his home. American soldiers stormed out of the Chinook and advanced on a house owned by Khalaf’s brother Fayez, firing as they went.
Khalaf ran from his own house and hid in a nearby grove of trees. He saw the soldiers enter his brother’s home and then heard the sound of women and children screaming.
“Then there was a lot of machinegun fire,” he said last week. After that there was the most frightening sound of all — silence, followed by explosions as the soldiers left the house.
Once the troops were gone, Khalaf and his fellow villagers began a frantic search through the ruins of his brother’s home. Abu Sifa was about to join a lengthening list of Iraqi communities claiming to have suffered from American atrocities.
According to Iraqi police, 11 bodies were pulled from the wreckage of the house, among them four women and five children aged between six months and five years. An official police report obtained by a US reporter for Knight Ridder newspapers said: “The American forces gathered the family members in one room and executed 11 people.”
If you are too young to remember My Lai, or they haven't yet covered it in your history class, then you need to go here. The fact is that the My Lai massacre energized the Vietnam anti-war movement and made it almost impossible for the American public to accept that what we were doing in Vietnam was for the benefit of the Vietnamese.
It is possible that Abu Sifa will serve as the same flashpoint in this conflict. There have been many other episodes that might also have served the same function. Such as this one, or this one, or even this one. Any of these examples of American soldiers killing or brutalizing Iraqis could have served to make Americans cringe in disgust at what is being done in their names to the citizens of Iraq. But the majority of us don't hear this news.
The terrible fact is that war is a horrible business carried out by individuals who find their humanity slipping away the longer they stay in that environment. You or I cannot fathom the type of hate that makes Americans treat people in this manner. I would postulate however that if we were placed in the same type of environment we might find ourelves, at the very least, excusing some of these behaviors ourselves if not actively joining in.
The indictment by the Bush administration that the media is not looking for the good news is a blatant attempt to hide from us what is really happening. I say that if we knew even a fraction of just how terrible things are over there for the Iraqi's and our own troops we would rise as one and demand that they return immediately. We would be far less concerned with the potential war that might break out amongst the Iraqis after our departure then the terrible things that are happening today on our watch. At least the humanity of our fighting force might be preserved.
(By the way though Americans might not be completely aware of just how bad the abuses have been, the Iraqis are not so insulated. They are privy to every terrible transgression committed on the Iraqi women prisoners and the murder of their people by American forces. That is why we really have no choice but to leave if there is every going to be any hope of a peaceful Iraq. And the idea that they are going to work with the USA after what we have done to them is laughable.)
Khalaf ran from his own house and hid in a nearby grove of trees. He saw the soldiers enter his brother’s home and then heard the sound of women and children screaming.
“Then there was a lot of machinegun fire,” he said last week. After that there was the most frightening sound of all — silence, followed by explosions as the soldiers left the house.
Once the troops were gone, Khalaf and his fellow villagers began a frantic search through the ruins of his brother’s home. Abu Sifa was about to join a lengthening list of Iraqi communities claiming to have suffered from American atrocities.
According to Iraqi police, 11 bodies were pulled from the wreckage of the house, among them four women and five children aged between six months and five years. An official police report obtained by a US reporter for Knight Ridder newspapers said: “The American forces gathered the family members in one room and executed 11 people.”
If you are too young to remember My Lai, or they haven't yet covered it in your history class, then you need to go here. The fact is that the My Lai massacre energized the Vietnam anti-war movement and made it almost impossible for the American public to accept that what we were doing in Vietnam was for the benefit of the Vietnamese.
It is possible that Abu Sifa will serve as the same flashpoint in this conflict. There have been many other episodes that might also have served the same function. Such as this one, or this one, or even this one. Any of these examples of American soldiers killing or brutalizing Iraqis could have served to make Americans cringe in disgust at what is being done in their names to the citizens of Iraq. But the majority of us don't hear this news.
The terrible fact is that war is a horrible business carried out by individuals who find their humanity slipping away the longer they stay in that environment. You or I cannot fathom the type of hate that makes Americans treat people in this manner. I would postulate however that if we were placed in the same type of environment we might find ourelves, at the very least, excusing some of these behaviors ourselves if not actively joining in.
The indictment by the Bush administration that the media is not looking for the good news is a blatant attempt to hide from us what is really happening. I say that if we knew even a fraction of just how terrible things are over there for the Iraqi's and our own troops we would rise as one and demand that they return immediately. We would be far less concerned with the potential war that might break out amongst the Iraqis after our departure then the terrible things that are happening today on our watch. At least the humanity of our fighting force might be preserved.
(By the way though Americans might not be completely aware of just how bad the abuses have been, the Iraqis are not so insulated. They are privy to every terrible transgression committed on the Iraqi women prisoners and the murder of their people by American forces. That is why we really have no choice but to leave if there is every going to be any hope of a peaceful Iraq. And the idea that they are going to work with the USA after what we have done to them is laughable.)
Condoleeza Rice and the pre-war lies.
I have watched Condi-sleeza Rice on two news programs today.
First she lied to Tim Russert on "Meet the Press".
And then later I watched her lie to Wolf-man Blitzer on "Late Edition".
I looked away from the screen during the "Late Edition" to eat my egg whites and had to look back because I was almost convinced I was watching the same interview from "Meet the Press". She repeated her talking points verbatim. Here they are, cause I know you want to know.
First she lied to Tim Russert on "Meet the Press".
And then later I watched her lie to Wolf-man Blitzer on "Late Edition".
I looked away from the screen during the "Late Edition" to eat my egg whites and had to look back because I was almost convinced I was watching the same interview from "Meet the Press". She repeated her talking points verbatim. Here they are, cause I know you want to know.
- No Saddam did not have anything directly to do with 9-11.
- If you believe the planes striking the twin towers was the only important thing we learned on that day then you are naive.
- Sure, all of the past information that the White House provided turned out to be false (Wmd's in Iraq, Al Quaeda's connection to Saddam, the small cost of the war, the minimal loss of American life) but the information we are providing now is absolutely correct. Trust us.
- The Iraqi's are much better off today then they were under Saddam because they have hope. (I assume hope that they make it through the day)
- No she is not running for President.
- No she is not taking the Football Commissioners job.
- No her hair is not composed of a top secret polymer that protects her head against negative information from news outlets not under administration control (like FOX news).
Okay I made that last one up, so it still might be true.
Clinton opponent now saying she isn't crazy she just has a stupid sense of humor.
McFarland in a statement issued Saturday by her campaign said she was only joking.
"This is a perfect example of what is happening in American politics. One misinterpreted joke and your opponents are smearing you in the press," her statement said. "I continue to believe that we can be better than that. But, I've got to tell you, it's not easy."
Uh huh.
Here is what the Republican opponent for her parties nomination had to say about her explanation.
McFarland's chief rival for the GOP nomination to take on Clinton in this year's Senate race, former Yonkers Mayor John Spencer, said he was also at the event and heard the former Reagan-era Pentagon official make the remarks. "She wasn't trying to be funny," Spencer told The Associated Press on Saturday. "And, no one laughed."
Ooops! Hard to defend aganst when your own party calls you cuckoo. Hmm I am in the mood for some Coa Coa Puffs.
"This is a perfect example of what is happening in American politics. One misinterpreted joke and your opponents are smearing you in the press," her statement said. "I continue to believe that we can be better than that. But, I've got to tell you, it's not easy."
Uh huh.
Here is what the Republican opponent for her parties nomination had to say about her explanation.
McFarland's chief rival for the GOP nomination to take on Clinton in this year's Senate race, former Yonkers Mayor John Spencer, said he was also at the event and heard the former Reagan-era Pentagon official make the remarks. "She wasn't trying to be funny," Spencer told The Associated Press on Saturday. "And, no one laughed."
Ooops! Hard to defend aganst when your own party calls you cuckoo. Hmm I am in the mood for some Coa Coa Puffs.
The Bush administration's attack on the media is backfiring.
The administration's charge that the media is only focusing on the negative news coming out of Iraq has really angered the news outlets. They are, as a group, discussing this issue and challenging the notion that they are hiding on hotel balconies instead of going out into Iraq to find the "good news".I am watching CNN's "Reliable Sources" and Lara Logan (who is pictured to the left) became very animated when she was asked the question of whether or not they are only covering negative news. She said that she could not get out into the community without the military protecting her. She addressed the fact that she has faced criticism from both sides about how she has covered the stories in Iraq. She also said that she has tried to cover the opening of new schools and been told she could not do that because then the insurgents might blow it up. It does not sound at all like this is the fault of the media.
Laura Ingram, serving as a mouthpiece for the Bushies, has been leading the charge against the MSM and saying that it is either lazy journalism or left leaning news reporting. But the news agencies are not taking these charges lying down. I have seen every major news network, and most of the cable outlets, go on the offensive and talk about the horrific stories that they are not showing to the American people.
I believe that adminstration will live to regret poking the news media with a stick. They have clearly pissed off the very people who provide the information that we see on our televisons. The war is already unpopular and I believe that if the MSM take off the gloves they will destroy what little credibility the adminstration might still retain.
This could also translate into more aggressive coverage of the illegal wiretapping issue, the border control controversy, the pre-war WMD issues, the administration infighting, and so on.
I have a feeling that this tactic came directly from Karl Rove's desk and I think it was a fatal blunder. I know that they believe this will energize their base but I doubt very seriously that their base is is still large enough to get their poll numbers up, or can to significantly help to get the Republicans elected in 2006.
(By the way is Lara Logan a hottie or what? Damn!)
Saturday, March 25, 2006
What will you be reincarnated as?
I took the test and apparently I am coming back as a Zebra! I don't know if that is good or not but this is what the website said to soften the blow;
Only 23% of people will be reincarnated as a higher form of life than you.
Remain honorable in this life, and you can expect to be rewarded in your next life.
Only 23% of people will be reincarnated as a higher form of life than you.
Remain honorable in this life, and you can expect to be rewarded in your next life.
Tal Afar which served as Bush's example of progress in Iraq begs to differ with him.
Bush said this week that Tal Afar has become "a free city that gives reason for hope for a free Iraq" after U.S.-led forces freed it from al Qaeda militants in a 2005 offensive.
"I say that Bush is 100 percent a liar because the city of Tal Afar has become a ghost town rather than the example Bush spoke about," said Ali Ibrahim, a Shi'ite Turkmen laborer.
This is why this administration is so angry at the media. Because no matter how hard they try to paint a smile on the face of Iraq the facts just come along and wipe that smile right off!
Have you noticed that Bush never says "I think that things in Iraq are getting better"? He always says he "believes" things are improving. That is because he does not pay attention to the negative news. He just continues to cling to the fact that God sent him to liberate the Middle East, so things just have to work out.
Our president has no grasp of reality and doesn't want any of us to have one either. It just makes it too hard to get us to listen to his lies. And there have been so many lies.
"I say that Bush is 100 percent a liar because the city of Tal Afar has become a ghost town rather than the example Bush spoke about," said Ali Ibrahim, a Shi'ite Turkmen laborer.
This is why this administration is so angry at the media. Because no matter how hard they try to paint a smile on the face of Iraq the facts just come along and wipe that smile right off!
Have you noticed that Bush never says "I think that things in Iraq are getting better"? He always says he "believes" things are improving. That is because he does not pay attention to the negative news. He just continues to cling to the fact that God sent him to liberate the Middle East, so things just have to work out.
Our president has no grasp of reality and doesn't want any of us to have one either. It just makes it too hard to get us to listen to his lies. And there have been so many lies.
War profiteering in the Bush family.
As President Bush embarks on a new effort to shore up public support for the war in Iraq, an uncle of the chief executive is collecting $2.7 million in cash and stock from the recent sale of a company that profited from the war.
A report filed with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission shows that William H.T. Bush collected a little less than $1.9 million in cash plus stock valued at more than $800,000 as a result of the sale of Engineered Support Systems Inc. to DRS Technologies of New Jersey.
The $1.7 billion deal closed Jan. 31. Both businesses have extensive military contracts.
How delightful that the Bush family benefits from the American blood being spilled on the sands of Iraq. This is a level of evil that I can barely wrap my mind around.
It just makes the allegations by Charlie Sheen, and those like him, seem even more possible. Is there nothing they would not do to make money?
A report filed with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission shows that William H.T. Bush collected a little less than $1.9 million in cash plus stock valued at more than $800,000 as a result of the sale of Engineered Support Systems Inc. to DRS Technologies of New Jersey.
The $1.7 billion deal closed Jan. 31. Both businesses have extensive military contracts.
How delightful that the Bush family benefits from the American blood being spilled on the sands of Iraq. This is a level of evil that I can barely wrap my mind around.
It just makes the allegations by Charlie Sheen, and those like him, seem even more possible. Is there nothing they would not do to make money?
25,000 evangelical youth gather to take on pop culture. Pop culture says "bring it on"!
More than 25,000 evangelical Christian youth landed Friday in San Francisco for a two-day rally at AT&T Park against "the virtue terrorism" of popular culture, and they were greeted by an official city condemnation and a clutch of protesters who said their event amounted to a "fascist mega-pep rally."
"Battle Cry for a Generation" is led by a 44-year-old Concord native, Ron Luce, who wants "God's instruction book" to guide young people away from the corrupting influence of popular culture.
Military metaphors abound in Luce's descriptions of the struggle. He tells young people of how "an enemy has launched a brutal attack on them." At a pre-Battle Cry rally Friday afternoon on the steps of City Hall, Luce told his mostly teenage audience that "terrorists of a different kind" -- advertisers -- were targeting them and that they were "caught in the middle of the battle."
"Are you ready to go to battle for your generation?" he asked, and the young people roared "yes!" and some waved triangular red flags flown from long, medieval-looking poles.
Boy, Christians sure like declaring war on things don't they? I am impressed that these young people are fired up about something, and I do find some things in pop culture to be a little over the top. I am not sure that attacking the problem in this way is the solution to trying to bring more morality to our culture. I also rarely find anything in religion to be very moral.
Truthfully in my mind this appears to just be trading the mind control used by advertisers for the mind control used by fundamentalists. If I had my choice it would be MTV and Nike shoes.
And yes I am aware that my seat in hell just got moved closer to the flames.
"Battle Cry for a Generation" is led by a 44-year-old Concord native, Ron Luce, who wants "God's instruction book" to guide young people away from the corrupting influence of popular culture.
Military metaphors abound in Luce's descriptions of the struggle. He tells young people of how "an enemy has launched a brutal attack on them." At a pre-Battle Cry rally Friday afternoon on the steps of City Hall, Luce told his mostly teenage audience that "terrorists of a different kind" -- advertisers -- were targeting them and that they were "caught in the middle of the battle."
"Are you ready to go to battle for your generation?" he asked, and the young people roared "yes!" and some waved triangular red flags flown from long, medieval-looking poles.
Boy, Christians sure like declaring war on things don't they? I am impressed that these young people are fired up about something, and I do find some things in pop culture to be a little over the top. I am not sure that attacking the problem in this way is the solution to trying to bring more morality to our culture. I also rarely find anything in religion to be very moral.
Truthfully in my mind this appears to just be trading the mind control used by advertisers for the mind control used by fundamentalists. If I had my choice it would be MTV and Nike shoes.
And yes I am aware that my seat in hell just got moved closer to the flames.
Hillary's Republican challenger is a paranoid schizophrenic.
A Republican challenger to Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton is bizarrely claiming that the former first lady has been spying in her bedroom window and flying helicopters over her house in the Hamptons, the NEW YORK POST reported in a frontpage splash on Saturday.
Former Reagan-era Pentagon official Kathleen "KT" McFarland stunned a crowd of Suffolk County Republicans on Thursday by saying:
"Hillary Clinton is really worried about me, and is so worried, in fact, that she had helicopters flying over my house in Southampton today taking pictures," according to a prominent GOP activist who was at the event.
"She wasn't joking, she was very, very serious, and she also claimed that Clinton's people were taking pictures across the street from her house in Manhattan, taking pictures from an apartment across the street from her bedroom," added the eyewitness, who is not involved in the Senate race.
Suffolk County Republican Chairman Harry Withers, who hosted the reception in East Islip, confirmed McFarland's paranoid statements.
"Yes, she said that," Withers told the POST.
I think that we all can agree that the bitch is crazy!
The Republicans just cannot find a sane person willing to run against Senator Clinton.
Former Reagan-era Pentagon official Kathleen "KT" McFarland stunned a crowd of Suffolk County Republicans on Thursday by saying:
"Hillary Clinton is really worried about me, and is so worried, in fact, that she had helicopters flying over my house in Southampton today taking pictures," according to a prominent GOP activist who was at the event.
"She wasn't joking, she was very, very serious, and she also claimed that Clinton's people were taking pictures across the street from her house in Manhattan, taking pictures from an apartment across the street from her bedroom," added the eyewitness, who is not involved in the Senate race.
Suffolk County Republican Chairman Harry Withers, who hosted the reception in East Islip, confirmed McFarland's paranoid statements.
"Yes, she said that," Withers told the POST.
I think that we all can agree that the bitch is crazy!
The Republicans just cannot find a sane person willing to run against Senator Clinton.
Friday, March 24, 2006
Chris Matthews decides to become a reporter again and get out the truth.
"Well I am just going to stick to this point that the president led us in there with the background music of American culture. Everybody was led to believe that we were getting payback, we were avenging what happened on 9/11 and that we are going to get them. Vice President Cheney said we are going to attack terrorism at its base. Over and over the language was, this is where it came from, in fact most recently the President suggested that it was always the hot pursuit, like a new York police chase, we chased them back into their country. We pursued the terrorists back to Iraq and it's all nonsense.
The reason there are terrorists in Iraq today like Zarqawi is we created the opening by blowing the country apart. From the beginning it's been not true. Now you can't prove motive and you can't prove somebody lies, but from the beginning everything about how they've got WMD's, they are a threat to us, they are going to bomb us with a nuclear weapon, this country is going to be an easy liberate, it's going to be a cake walk. As Cheney said as recently as ten months ago the insurgents are in their last throws.
Everything that is said is not true. And right to the end here, here we are now and it's not a civil war and when Allawi the prime Minster is saying it is a civil war and here is the president quoting his own people that it's not a civil war. I mean the denial has been continuous. So you really can't count on the administration to tell you what is going on. That is just the fact. You've got to check it out.
By the way, the president said this week that he wants the whole truth about what is going on in Iraq, the whole truth and that the media isn't telling the whole story. I'll tell you what we are not telling. We are not showing pictures of the twenty five hundred bodies coming back because they won't let us show the pictures. They don't want the whole truth out and that's the fact."
Wow!
Now Chris has a long way to go to earn my viewership back but this is certainly a good start.
More science news to piss off the Creationists. I just love doing that!
A hominid skull discovered in Ethiopia could fill the gap in the search for the origins of the human race, a scientist said on Friday.
The skull appeared "to be intermediate between the earlier Homo erectus and the later Homo sapiens," Sileshi Semaw, an Ethiopian research scientist at the Stone Age Institute at Indiana University, told a news conference in Addis Ababa.
Boy that fossil record just keeps on filling up doesn't it?
So how are you Creationists doing? Still just the one book?
The skull appeared "to be intermediate between the earlier Homo erectus and the later Homo sapiens," Sileshi Semaw, an Ethiopian research scientist at the Stone Age Institute at Indiana University, told a news conference in Addis Ababa.
Boy that fossil record just keeps on filling up doesn't it?
So how are you Creationists doing? Still just the one book?
82% of Americans agree with Charley Sheen that the government is lying about 9-11. My tinfoil hat is speechless.
Okay if you have been living under a rock you might not know that Charlie Sheen said on an interview show that he felt that there was something fishy about the government's version of what happpened on 9-11. You can read the interview here.Now I will admit to having some difficulty with the governments story myself. But it just seemed so looney to imagine that the government would be capable of pulling off such a huge deception that I put my own doubts on the back burner. I am just as distrustful of this White House as the next guy (unless the next guy is Charlie Sheen), but I just have not been convinced that there is enough evidence to suggest a conspiracy.
But if it turns out that there is, then I owe Mr. Sheen a huge apology.
(By the way "Two and a half men" is my favorite show! I love it!)
Canadians are going to go clubbing tomorow. Oh I am sorry, I meant clubbing baby seals.
Canada says a total of 325,000 harp seal pups can be shot or clubbed to death this year. The first stage of the hunt, which takes place on ice in the Gulf of St. Lawrence on Canada's East Coast, will account for just over 90,000 animals.
Hunters usually take between five and eight days to meet their quota but officials say the ice is much more broken up than usual and the seals are very scattered.
"It will be slower ... this will drag on," said Roger Simon of the federal fisheries ministry.
I am not a real man apparently because I find this abhorrent.
Hunters usually take between five and eight days to meet their quota but officials say the ice is much more broken up than usual and the seals are very scattered.
"It will be slower ... this will drag on," said Roger Simon of the federal fisheries ministry.
I am not a real man apparently because I find this abhorrent.
V for Vendetta is the Bush administration's worst nightmare!
This is quite literally the most powerful movie I have ever seen!
This movie, in my opinion, has more then lived up to the hype surrounding it. There were several times that I found myself choking up and shaking my head at how it illustrates through allegory the terrible situation that faces our country today. It drags the evil that lives in our country out from its hiding places and shines the bright light on it as it shrivels beneath our naked gaze.
I believe that if every American were to watch this movie that the Bush administration would be finished tomorrow!
If you haven't seen it then drop everything and go to see it. If you have seen it then tell your friends and family to buy their tickets. This movie will do wonders in getting a dialogue started and people really talking about things that they may have been too uncomfortable to address before.
I am a long time movie lover and I will go on record as saying that this is the most important movie I have ever seen!
The Wachowski brothers are the Gods of cinema.
This movie, in my opinion, has more then lived up to the hype surrounding it. There were several times that I found myself choking up and shaking my head at how it illustrates through allegory the terrible situation that faces our country today. It drags the evil that lives in our country out from its hiding places and shines the bright light on it as it shrivels beneath our naked gaze.
I believe that if every American were to watch this movie that the Bush administration would be finished tomorrow!
If you haven't seen it then drop everything and go to see it. If you have seen it then tell your friends and family to buy their tickets. This movie will do wonders in getting a dialogue started and people really talking about things that they may have been too uncomfortable to address before.
I am a long time movie lover and I will go on record as saying that this is the most important movie I have ever seen!
The Wachowski brothers are the Gods of cinema.
Barbara Bush's charity begins and ends with her own family.
Former first lady Barbara Bush donated an undisclosed amount of money to the Bush-Clinton Katrina Fund with specific instructions that the money be spent with an educational software company owned by her son Neil.Is it any surprise with such useless humans beings for sons that the mother would also be a selfish bitch?
Rumsfeld says troops will still be in Iraq in 2009.
US Defence Secretary Donald Rumsfeld said today US forces may still be in Iraq in 2009 to train Iraqi troops but sought to avoid "speculating about specific numbers or on specific dates".
Anybody think the insurgents will have given up trying to kill our soldiers by then? Nope, me neither. As long as we are there will be under attack and being forced to take Iraqi lives. The killing will never stop as long as Americans are on Iraqi soil.
Anybody think the insurgents will have given up trying to kill our soldiers by then? Nope, me neither. As long as we are there will be under attack and being forced to take Iraqi lives. The killing will never stop as long as Americans are on Iraqi soil.
Lawmakers demand to know why we are building permanent bases in Iraq.
Even as military planners look to withdraw significant numbers of U.S. troops from Iraq in the coming year, the Bush administration continues to request hundreds of millions of dollars for large bases there, raising concerns over whether they are intended as permanent homes for U.S. forces.
Questions on Capitol Hill about the future of the bases have been prompted by the new emergency spending bill for military operations in Iraq and Afghanistan, which overwhelmingly passed the House of Representatives last week with $67.6 billion in funding for the war effort, including the base money.
Although the House approved the measure, lawmakers are demanding the Pentagon explain its base plans and have unanimously passed a provision blocking the use of funds for basing agreements with the Iraqi government.
"It's the kind of thing that incites terrorism," Rep. Ron Paul, R-Texas, said of long-term or permanent U.S. bases in countries such as Iraq.
Don't you just love how the administration doesn't even try to hide what they are doing anymore? No? Yeah I don't love it either. Want to love it even less? Read this part;
The administration is seeking $348 million in base construction money as part of its 2006 emergency war funding bill. The Senate has not yet acted on the request.
You know everytime I see one of these huge expenditures I can't help imagining how that money could be spent on things that we desperately need in this country. All of the new schools, benefits programs, homeland security, border security, space research, and my favorite, universal health care.
I can only hope that these lawmakers will start to listen to their contituents and refuse to finance anymore of these insurgent attracting military bases.
Questions on Capitol Hill about the future of the bases have been prompted by the new emergency spending bill for military operations in Iraq and Afghanistan, which overwhelmingly passed the House of Representatives last week with $67.6 billion in funding for the war effort, including the base money.
Although the House approved the measure, lawmakers are demanding the Pentagon explain its base plans and have unanimously passed a provision blocking the use of funds for basing agreements with the Iraqi government.
"It's the kind of thing that incites terrorism," Rep. Ron Paul, R-Texas, said of long-term or permanent U.S. bases in countries such as Iraq.
Don't you just love how the administration doesn't even try to hide what they are doing anymore? No? Yeah I don't love it either. Want to love it even less? Read this part;
The administration is seeking $348 million in base construction money as part of its 2006 emergency war funding bill. The Senate has not yet acted on the request.
You know everytime I see one of these huge expenditures I can't help imagining how that money could be spent on things that we desperately need in this country. All of the new schools, benefits programs, homeland security, border security, space research, and my favorite, universal health care.
I can only hope that these lawmakers will start to listen to their contituents and refuse to finance anymore of these insurgent attracting military bases.
George Bush's childlike approach to the question of "Good and Evil" in the Middle East is creating a very complex problem.
It is sometimes convenient, for purposes of rhetorical effect, for national leaders to talk of a globe neatly divided into good and bad. It is quite another, however, to base the policies of the world's most powerful nation upon that fiction. The administration's penchant for painting its perceived adversaries with the same sweeping brush has led to a series of unintended consequences.
For years, the president has acted as if Al Qaeda, Saddam Hussein's followers and Iran's mullahs were parts of the same problem. Yet, in the 1980s, Hussein's Iraq and Iran fought a brutal war. In the 1990s, Al Qaeda's allies murdered a group of Iranian diplomats. For years, Osama bin Laden ridiculed Hussein, who persecuted Sunni and Shiite religious leaders alike. When Al Qaeda struck the U.S. on 9/11, Iran condemned the attacks and later participated constructively in talks on Afghanistan. The top leaders in the new Iraq — chosen in elections that George W. Bush called "a magic moment in the history of liberty" — are friends of Iran. When the U.S. invaded Iraq, Bush may have thought he was striking a blow for good over evil, but the forces unleashed were considerably more complex.
I can remember being a young child and being drawn to the simplistic depiction of good and evil in my superhero comic books. The villian always had some complex scientific method of destroying the planet and the hero just came in swinging. He destroyed the intellectual pursuits of the villain with pure brute force. So simple, so satisfying, so immature!
I have long ago left behind those ridiculous expectations of identifying the good from the bad. I have learned that people are never that easy to categorize. There is some good and bad in almost everyone.
Now I would never allow a child who did not understand the complexities of the human psyche to determine our national policies. They would not be able to accept that people who were not like themselves would be trustworthy. Different is bad to children.
George Bush is a child. He deals with the world like a child. He lies, and sticks to that lie just like a child. He ignores reality like a child. He imagines monsters in his closet like a child. He plays with our military like it was a set of toys. He just does not respond to the problems of this world as an adult would.
I lay a lot of the blame for this at the feet of the supposed grown-ups in the administration. I remember feeling much calmer about the presidency of George Bush when he chose Dick Cheney and Colin Powell to be part of his cabinet. I knew that both of these men were experienced political veterans and surely they would help keep the boy-king grounded. That did not happen. It appeared that Colin Powell tried to perform that function but he was shouted down by the opportunists who saw this simpleton as a conduit for spreading their influence thoughout the world.
George Bush is ultimately going to be blamed for this horrible foregn policy but I think there is plenty of blame to go around. Plenty of blame.
For years, the president has acted as if Al Qaeda, Saddam Hussein's followers and Iran's mullahs were parts of the same problem. Yet, in the 1980s, Hussein's Iraq and Iran fought a brutal war. In the 1990s, Al Qaeda's allies murdered a group of Iranian diplomats. For years, Osama bin Laden ridiculed Hussein, who persecuted Sunni and Shiite religious leaders alike. When Al Qaeda struck the U.S. on 9/11, Iran condemned the attacks and later participated constructively in talks on Afghanistan. The top leaders in the new Iraq — chosen in elections that George W. Bush called "a magic moment in the history of liberty" — are friends of Iran. When the U.S. invaded Iraq, Bush may have thought he was striking a blow for good over evil, but the forces unleashed were considerably more complex.
I can remember being a young child and being drawn to the simplistic depiction of good and evil in my superhero comic books. The villian always had some complex scientific method of destroying the planet and the hero just came in swinging. He destroyed the intellectual pursuits of the villain with pure brute force. So simple, so satisfying, so immature!
I have long ago left behind those ridiculous expectations of identifying the good from the bad. I have learned that people are never that easy to categorize. There is some good and bad in almost everyone.
Now I would never allow a child who did not understand the complexities of the human psyche to determine our national policies. They would not be able to accept that people who were not like themselves would be trustworthy. Different is bad to children.
George Bush is a child. He deals with the world like a child. He lies, and sticks to that lie just like a child. He ignores reality like a child. He imagines monsters in his closet like a child. He plays with our military like it was a set of toys. He just does not respond to the problems of this world as an adult would.
I lay a lot of the blame for this at the feet of the supposed grown-ups in the administration. I remember feeling much calmer about the presidency of George Bush when he chose Dick Cheney and Colin Powell to be part of his cabinet. I knew that both of these men were experienced political veterans and surely they would help keep the boy-king grounded. That did not happen. It appeared that Colin Powell tried to perform that function but he was shouted down by the opportunists who saw this simpleton as a conduit for spreading their influence thoughout the world.
George Bush is ultimately going to be blamed for this horrible foregn policy but I think there is plenty of blame to go around. Plenty of blame.
America and Afghanistan share shame of religious intolerance.
Nevada National Guard Sgt. Patrick Stewart gave his life for his country when the Chinook helicopter he was in was shot down in Afghanistan in September.
But those wishing to honor Stewart, who should have his name on the memorial wall at the Northern Nevada Veterans Memorial Cemetery in Fernley, 34 miles east of Reno, would have a difficult time doing so.
The space reserved for Stewart, right next to Chief Warrant Officer John Flynn, his comrade from Sparks who also died in the attack as part of Operation Enduring Freedom, is vacant.
Stewart was a follower of the Wiccan religion, which is not recognized by the Department of Veterans Affairs for use in its cemeteries.
"It's completely blank," Roberta Stewart said, pointing to her husband's place on the memorial.
She said she had no idea the pentacle could not be used on her husband's memorial plaque until she had to deal with the agency after the death of her husband.
"It's discrimination," she said. "They are discriminating against our religion.
Okay I admit that this is not in the same category as what is happening in Afghanistan. But it is discrimination nonetheless. If we are to be a country of religious freedom then how can we justify not extending it to this religion which is arguably much, much older then Christianity, or even Judaism.
The real problem with the Wiccans is that they have been portrayed as Witches and Satanists by Christianity. This is really a case of a dominate religion villifying another belief system. Is that something that we in this country should allow?
I know that it appears that I have been on an anti-religious tear as of late but I hope that most of you can see that it is not religion that I am so frustrated with, it is hypocrisy cloaking itself in religious garb. I just hate hypocrisy!
To find one religion more worthy then another is the very definition of religious intolerance. If we accept one, we must accept all.
But those wishing to honor Stewart, who should have his name on the memorial wall at the Northern Nevada Veterans Memorial Cemetery in Fernley, 34 miles east of Reno, would have a difficult time doing so.
The space reserved for Stewart, right next to Chief Warrant Officer John Flynn, his comrade from Sparks who also died in the attack as part of Operation Enduring Freedom, is vacant.
Stewart was a follower of the Wiccan religion, which is not recognized by the Department of Veterans Affairs for use in its cemeteries.
"It's completely blank," Roberta Stewart said, pointing to her husband's place on the memorial.
She said she had no idea the pentacle could not be used on her husband's memorial plaque until she had to deal with the agency after the death of her husband.
"It's discrimination," she said. "They are discriminating against our religion.
Okay I admit that this is not in the same category as what is happening in Afghanistan. But it is discrimination nonetheless. If we are to be a country of religious freedom then how can we justify not extending it to this religion which is arguably much, much older then Christianity, or even Judaism.
The real problem with the Wiccans is that they have been portrayed as Witches and Satanists by Christianity. This is really a case of a dominate religion villifying another belief system. Is that something that we in this country should allow?
I know that it appears that I have been on an anti-religious tear as of late but I hope that most of you can see that it is not religion that I am so frustrated with, it is hypocrisy cloaking itself in religious garb. I just hate hypocrisy!
To find one religion more worthy then another is the very definition of religious intolerance. If we accept one, we must accept all.
Thursday, March 23, 2006
Arkansas science teachers are not allowed to use the "E" word.
This is an e-mail sent to a reporter from an Arkansas science teacher.
Teachers at his facility are forbidden to use the “e-word” (evolution)
with the kids. They are permitted to use the word “adaptation” but only to refer to a current characteristic of an organism, not as a product of evolutionary change via natural selection. They cannot even use the term “natural selection.” Bob feared that not being able to use evolutionary terms and ideas to answer his students’ questions would lead to reinforcement of their misconceptions.
But Bob’s personal issue was more specific, and the prohibition more insidious. In his words, “I am instructed NOT to use hard numbers when telling kids how old rocks are. I am supposed to say that these rocks are VERY VERY OLD ... but I am NOT to say that these rocks are thought to be about 300 million years old.”
Why, why, why!
The explanation that had been given to Bob by his supervisors was that their science facility is in a delicate position and must avoid irritating some religious fundamentalists who may have their fingers on the purse strings of various school districts. Apparently his supervisors feared that teachers or parents might be offended if Bob taught their children about the age of rocks and that it would result in another school district pulling out of their program. He closed his explanatory message with these lines:
“So my situation here is tenuous. I am under censure for mentioning numbers. … I find that my ‘fire’ for this place is fading if we’re going to dissemble about such a basic factor of modern science. I mean ... the Scopes trial was how long ago now??? I thought we had fought this battle ... and still it goes on.”
Oh! That is why.
So once again schools are forced to dumb down their curriculum to keep from offending people clinging to their ancient superstitions. I feel so bad for these kids. Unless they attend a bible college they are going to be confronted by real science. Can you imagine how embarrassing it would be sitting in a college classroom and having to ask for clarification of a scientific fact that your classmates all learned while in elementary school?
I try so hard to be tolerant of people who have opinions different then my own, but come on! All of this smacks of desperation! If discovering new information places your belief system in jeopardy then perhaps it is time to get a new one. I hear Scientology is always looking for new members.
I am just trying to be helpful.
Teachers at his facility are forbidden to use the “e-word” (evolution)
with the kids. They are permitted to use the word “adaptation” but only to refer to a current characteristic of an organism, not as a product of evolutionary change via natural selection. They cannot even use the term “natural selection.” Bob feared that not being able to use evolutionary terms and ideas to answer his students’ questions would lead to reinforcement of their misconceptions.
But Bob’s personal issue was more specific, and the prohibition more insidious. In his words, “I am instructed NOT to use hard numbers when telling kids how old rocks are. I am supposed to say that these rocks are VERY VERY OLD ... but I am NOT to say that these rocks are thought to be about 300 million years old.”
Why, why, why!
The explanation that had been given to Bob by his supervisors was that their science facility is in a delicate position and must avoid irritating some religious fundamentalists who may have their fingers on the purse strings of various school districts. Apparently his supervisors feared that teachers or parents might be offended if Bob taught their children about the age of rocks and that it would result in another school district pulling out of their program. He closed his explanatory message with these lines:
“So my situation here is tenuous. I am under censure for mentioning numbers. … I find that my ‘fire’ for this place is fading if we’re going to dissemble about such a basic factor of modern science. I mean ... the Scopes trial was how long ago now??? I thought we had fought this battle ... and still it goes on.”
Oh! That is why.
So once again schools are forced to dumb down their curriculum to keep from offending people clinging to their ancient superstitions. I feel so bad for these kids. Unless they attend a bible college they are going to be confronted by real science. Can you imagine how embarrassing it would be sitting in a college classroom and having to ask for clarification of a scientific fact that your classmates all learned while in elementary school?
I try so hard to be tolerant of people who have opinions different then my own, but come on! All of this smacks of desperation! If discovering new information places your belief system in jeopardy then perhaps it is time to get a new one. I hear Scientology is always looking for new members.
I am just trying to be helpful.
Good news: Afghanistan might not find Christian convert guilty and then put him to death! Not so Good news: They might decide he is crazy instead.
The trial of a man facing the death penalty for converting to Christianity might be dropped on the grounds of his "mental instability", officials have said, as Afghanistan provoked international criticism over the case.
Rahman reportedly confirmed to the court that he had converted while working for a Christian aid agency in Pakistan at the end of the 1980s and told the judge he had "no regrets" about his decision.
However, a spokesman for Afghanistan's Supreme Court, Wakil Omar, told journalists yesterday: "As far as I've noticed and been told, he might have a mental problem. If he is proved mentally ill, then he wouldn't be tried."
I have my own theories on religious belief and sanity, but I am just going to keep them to myself. I am just not sure that this really qualifies as a win for religious tolerance. To find that somebody is potentially insane if they do not adhere to the same religion that you do just seems at least as intolerant as arresting somebody and threatening them with death if they convert to a differing religion.
I know that many of you are going to take umbrage at this comparison, but to me it is like saying that your hallucination of a flying giraffe is perfectly fine while your friend's hallucination of a polka dot unicorn is just plain nuts! There is just no way to challenge somebodies mental capacity concening religious belief without calling into question your own faculties.
Unless you are a Scientologist. I mean those people are absolutely bananas!
Rahman reportedly confirmed to the court that he had converted while working for a Christian aid agency in Pakistan at the end of the 1980s and told the judge he had "no regrets" about his decision.
However, a spokesman for Afghanistan's Supreme Court, Wakil Omar, told journalists yesterday: "As far as I've noticed and been told, he might have a mental problem. If he is proved mentally ill, then he wouldn't be tried."
I have my own theories on religious belief and sanity, but I am just going to keep them to myself. I am just not sure that this really qualifies as a win for religious tolerance. To find that somebody is potentially insane if they do not adhere to the same religion that you do just seems at least as intolerant as arresting somebody and threatening them with death if they convert to a differing religion.
I know that many of you are going to take umbrage at this comparison, but to me it is like saying that your hallucination of a flying giraffe is perfectly fine while your friend's hallucination of a polka dot unicorn is just plain nuts! There is just no way to challenge somebodies mental capacity concening religious belief without calling into question your own faculties.
Unless you are a Scientologist. I mean those people are absolutely bananas!
Are the Red states turning Blue? I am beginning to think so, how about you?
InsiderAdvantage/Majority Opinion Research is now conducting an ambitious public-opinion survey of the entire South. The region is crucial to Republican hopes of holding on to their congressional majority and to many governorships.
The final, comprehensive results of the poll weren't yet complete when this column was filed. Over 4,000 interviews have been conducted, however -- enough to render persuasively alarming news for the GOP.
For example, in the populous states of Florida and Georgia, more respondents want the Democrats to control Congress next year than they do the Republicans.
President George W. Bush won both states in 2004, and yet he now has higher disapproval ratings than approval ratings. In Georgia, his disapproval rate approaches 50 percent. In Florida, it's 55 percent.
I have not held out much hope that the light of reason would shine down on our southern brethren. They have seemed unable to conprehend just how dangerous this president is and have supported him well after much of the country were entertaining serious doubts. To read now that the south has shaken off its fog is very good news indeed.
Will this translate into Democrats winning Senate and House seats in these heavily Republican states? I am not yet convinced. But it is only March and we have many more months of bad news coming out of Iraq, more challenges to the illegal wiretapping making headlines, and Republican corruption trials to help turn the tide even more. So all in all I am feeling pretty optimistic.
The final, comprehensive results of the poll weren't yet complete when this column was filed. Over 4,000 interviews have been conducted, however -- enough to render persuasively alarming news for the GOP.
For example, in the populous states of Florida and Georgia, more respondents want the Democrats to control Congress next year than they do the Republicans.
President George W. Bush won both states in 2004, and yet he now has higher disapproval ratings than approval ratings. In Georgia, his disapproval rate approaches 50 percent. In Florida, it's 55 percent.
I have not held out much hope that the light of reason would shine down on our southern brethren. They have seemed unable to conprehend just how dangerous this president is and have supported him well after much of the country were entertaining serious doubts. To read now that the south has shaken off its fog is very good news indeed.
Will this translate into Democrats winning Senate and House seats in these heavily Republican states? I am not yet convinced. But it is only March and we have many more months of bad news coming out of Iraq, more challenges to the illegal wiretapping making headlines, and Republican corruption trials to help turn the tide even more. So all in all I am feeling pretty optimistic.
America does not trust me. Hey!
American’s increasing acceptance of religious diversity doesn’t extend to those who don’t believe in a god, according to a national survey by researchers in the University of Minnesota’s department of sociology.
Even though atheists are few in number, not formally organized and relatively hard to publicly identify, they are seen as a threat to the American way of life by a large portion of the American public. “Atheists, who account for about 3 percent of the U.S. population, offer a glaring exception to the rule of increasing social tolerance over the last 30 years,” says Penny Edgell, associate sociology professor and the study’s lead researcher.
“It seems most Americans believe that diversity is fine, as long as every one shares a common ‘core’ of values that make them trustworthy—and in America, that ‘core’ has historically been religious,” says Edgell. Many of the study’s respondents associated atheism with an array of moral indiscretions ranging from criminal behavior to rampant materialism and cultural elitism.
Edgell believes a fear of moral decline and resulting social disorder is behind the findings. “Americans believe they share more than rules and procedures with their fellow citizens—they share an understanding of right and wrong,” she said. “Our findings seem to rest on a view of atheists as self-interested individuals who are not concerned with the common good.”
I feel that saying Atheists are less moral then their religious counterparts is like saying Baptists are going to heaven and Catholics are not. Or that Jews killed Jesus and are destined to go to hell. It is hateful and unbelievably intolerant in this day and age.
I can only speak for myself because I don't belong to any Atheist group or organization (I am also a lifelong non-conformist). However I find myself usually much more ethical then the people around me. I never steal. I never cheat. I do not lie. I never cause harm to people who are not actively trying to harm me. I do not want to destroy religion I just don't want religious people to tell me how to live my life.
The idea that religious people are by definition more moral then non-religious people is demonstrably untrue. There are Catholic priests raping alter boys, Muslims blowing people up, Protestants cheating on their wives, Baptists abusing their children, Hindu's killing a mentally ill person for damaging a statue, Episcopals descriminating against homosexuals, and so on.
The idea that you can determine somebodies character by their faith is ridiculous. It is also harmful. If you don't trust me does that mean you place less value on my life? Am I not as worthwhile a person as the person sitting next to you in the church pew? Are we living in a caste system?
In my opinion the reason that this prejudice still exists is because it is the lie propogated by the religious leaders of these churches. In order to keep their flock attending they continue to point out how superior they are to the rest of the world. And they are especially superior to anybody who does not accept the Lord as their savior. Yep we just suck!
Now let me tell you how my immoral little mind functions.
Even though atheists are few in number, not formally organized and relatively hard to publicly identify, they are seen as a threat to the American way of life by a large portion of the American public. “Atheists, who account for about 3 percent of the U.S. population, offer a glaring exception to the rule of increasing social tolerance over the last 30 years,” says Penny Edgell, associate sociology professor and the study’s lead researcher.
“It seems most Americans believe that diversity is fine, as long as every one shares a common ‘core’ of values that make them trustworthy—and in America, that ‘core’ has historically been religious,” says Edgell. Many of the study’s respondents associated atheism with an array of moral indiscretions ranging from criminal behavior to rampant materialism and cultural elitism.
Edgell believes a fear of moral decline and resulting social disorder is behind the findings. “Americans believe they share more than rules and procedures with their fellow citizens—they share an understanding of right and wrong,” she said. “Our findings seem to rest on a view of atheists as self-interested individuals who are not concerned with the common good.”
I feel that saying Atheists are less moral then their religious counterparts is like saying Baptists are going to heaven and Catholics are not. Or that Jews killed Jesus and are destined to go to hell. It is hateful and unbelievably intolerant in this day and age.
I can only speak for myself because I don't belong to any Atheist group or organization (I am also a lifelong non-conformist). However I find myself usually much more ethical then the people around me. I never steal. I never cheat. I do not lie. I never cause harm to people who are not actively trying to harm me. I do not want to destroy religion I just don't want religious people to tell me how to live my life.
The idea that religious people are by definition more moral then non-religious people is demonstrably untrue. There are Catholic priests raping alter boys, Muslims blowing people up, Protestants cheating on their wives, Baptists abusing their children, Hindu's killing a mentally ill person for damaging a statue, Episcopals descriminating against homosexuals, and so on.
The idea that you can determine somebodies character by their faith is ridiculous. It is also harmful. If you don't trust me does that mean you place less value on my life? Am I not as worthwhile a person as the person sitting next to you in the church pew? Are we living in a caste system?
In my opinion the reason that this prejudice still exists is because it is the lie propogated by the religious leaders of these churches. In order to keep their flock attending they continue to point out how superior they are to the rest of the world. And they are especially superior to anybody who does not accept the Lord as their savior. Yep we just suck!
Now let me tell you how my immoral little mind functions.
- I want justice for all people.
- I do not want to impose my will on anybody.
- I am suspicious of any group who identifies themselves as superior to any other group.
- I trust science over faith.
- I consider myself a lifelong student and find myself constantly altering my opinion based on new information.
- I do not impose my values on other people especially the children who I work with. I often avoid questions concerning God and heaven so as not to confuse them concerning their own beliefs.
- I do not think less of people who are religious, I just think they are wrong. I assume they think I am wrong as well.
- I have spent many years studying religions and find the subject constantly fascinating.
See? I am not so scary. I am just like you. Except different.
Republican Arlen Specter says White House is breaking the law.
A vocal Republican critic of the Bush administration's eavesdropping program will preside over Senate efforts to write the program into law, but he was pessimistic Wednesday that the White House wanted to listen.
"They want to do just as they please, for as long as they can get away with it," Senate Judiciary Chairman Arlen Specter, R-Pa., said in an interview with The Associated Press. "I think what is going on now without congressional intervention or judicial intervention is just plain wrong."
So correct me if I am wrong but if the Senate is going to write a law allowing these wiretaps, then doesn't that prove that they are currenlty illegal? And if they are currenlty illegal then hasn't this administration been breaking the law since 2001?
And if Russ Feingold wants to hold this president accountable for breaking this law he is hurting America? You know I am still learning about how the this government works, but so far my feeling is that it just doesn't!
"They want to do just as they please, for as long as they can get away with it," Senate Judiciary Chairman Arlen Specter, R-Pa., said in an interview with The Associated Press. "I think what is going on now without congressional intervention or judicial intervention is just plain wrong."
So correct me if I am wrong but if the Senate is going to write a law allowing these wiretaps, then doesn't that prove that they are currenlty illegal? And if they are currenlty illegal then hasn't this administration been breaking the law since 2001?
And if Russ Feingold wants to hold this president accountable for breaking this law he is hurting America? You know I am still learning about how the this government works, but so far my feeling is that it just doesn't!
Go here to listen to the GOP attack on Russ Feingold. It is both hateful and deceptive.
They really beat that terrorism horse to death don't they?
So an attack on George Bush is an attack on our freedom? So if I remember my math classes correctly that would mean:
Bush + Democratic doubts = loss of freedom.
However:
Bush + illegal wiretaps = more freedom.
Uh...uh...that a....makes sense? You know I was never very good in math.
Here let me try this one more time:
America - George Bush = Getting our fucking country back!
So an attack on George Bush is an attack on our freedom? So if I remember my math classes correctly that would mean:
Bush + Democratic doubts = loss of freedom.
However:
Bush + illegal wiretaps = more freedom.
Uh...uh...that a....makes sense? You know I was never very good in math.
Here let me try this one more time:
America - George Bush = Getting our fucking country back!
Dick Cheney's "tour rider".
A "tour rider" is the list of demands that rock groups usually have written into their contracts about what kinds of foods and beverages can be backstage and what special amenities they demand in their hotel suites. The Smoking Gun got their hands on Dick Cheney's demands from hotels.
While the vice president's requests are pretty modest (no extract-the-brown-M&M demands here), Cheney does like his suite at a comfy 68 degrees. And, of course, all the televisions need to be preset to the Fox News Channel.
Well we cannot be surprised by his viewing choices now can we? No wonder these guys don't respond to bad news, they never get it!
While the vice president's requests are pretty modest (no extract-the-brown-M&M demands here), Cheney does like his suite at a comfy 68 degrees. And, of course, all the televisions need to be preset to the Fox News Channel.
Well we cannot be surprised by his viewing choices now can we? No wonder these guys don't respond to bad news, they never get it!
George Bush begs Iraq to form a government because they are making him look bad.
A delegation of U.S. senators in Baghdad on Tuesday expressed American impatience with Iraqi leaders' failure, three months after an election, to form a government that could help contain the conflict.
Bush joined that chorus, saying Iraqis had turned out in the millions to vote and expect their leaders to act.
"The people have spoken. And now it's time for a government to get stood up .... That's what the people want. Otherwise they wouldn't have gone to the polls, would they have?" he asked.
You know I would like to take a shot at answering George's question. Does the fact that these people voted mean that they are committed to forming an American style democratic government? No, not necessarily!
Haven't you ever started a project and found it too hard or too unfulfilling to complete? Or have you ever done something that everybody else was doing without being completely convinced it was a good idea? Yeah me too.
Now do you remember what was happening on the days that the polls were open? Nothing!
The towns were locked up tight. There were no cars allowed on the roads. The military was everywhere. The television was full of the news that today was the day to go vote for a new Iraq. What else was there to do?
These people were not taking time out of their busy days to get to the polling places. They did not have to fight traffic or try to get home in time to get dinner started. They had nothing else to do but vote that day. Is it any wonder that they may have voted but not been convinced that that was going to solve all of Iraq's troubles?
The problem here is that George Bush is a simpleton. He has no idea what other cultures, or for that matter other Americans, might think is important or the right thing to do. He still has blinders on and is so convinced that democracy will solve every problem that he just cannot fathom the fact it might fail. Or more pointedly, that it is failing.
Bush joined that chorus, saying Iraqis had turned out in the millions to vote and expect their leaders to act.
"The people have spoken. And now it's time for a government to get stood up .... That's what the people want. Otherwise they wouldn't have gone to the polls, would they have?" he asked.
You know I would like to take a shot at answering George's question. Does the fact that these people voted mean that they are committed to forming an American style democratic government? No, not necessarily!
Haven't you ever started a project and found it too hard or too unfulfilling to complete? Or have you ever done something that everybody else was doing without being completely convinced it was a good idea? Yeah me too.
Now do you remember what was happening on the days that the polls were open? Nothing!
The towns were locked up tight. There were no cars allowed on the roads. The military was everywhere. The television was full of the news that today was the day to go vote for a new Iraq. What else was there to do?
These people were not taking time out of their busy days to get to the polling places. They did not have to fight traffic or try to get home in time to get dinner started. They had nothing else to do but vote that day. Is it any wonder that they may have voted but not been convinced that that was going to solve all of Iraq's troubles?
The problem here is that George Bush is a simpleton. He has no idea what other cultures, or for that matter other Americans, might think is important or the right thing to do. He still has blinders on and is so convinced that democracy will solve every problem that he just cannot fathom the fact it might fail. Or more pointedly, that it is failing.
Wednesday, March 22, 2006
Hindus are not as passive as I thought. If you break one of their statues they will kill your ass!
Worshippers at a famous shrine in an upmarket shopping district of Bangkok beat a 27-year-old man to death yesterday after he destroyed a statue of a Hindu deity with a hammer.
Thanakorn Pakdeepol, who police said had a history of mental illness, was killed by worshippers after he broke into the Erawan shrine and used a hammer to shatter a four-headed statue of Brahma.
Wow! Killing a mentally ill person, that is a peaceful religion!
Thanakorn Pakdeepol, who police said had a history of mental illness, was killed by worshippers after he broke into the Erawan shrine and used a hammer to shatter a four-headed statue of Brahma.
Wow! Killing a mentally ill person, that is a peaceful religion!
Pentagon plans for dealing with civil war in Iraq. But I thought that was just the media making stuff up!
Military officials tell NBC News the first objective, however, is to head off a civil war. The U.S. military hopes to keep Iraqi security forces from taking sides in the sectarian violence by pressuring the Iraqi government to crack down on any rogue elements within the police or military.
The second option: U.S. forces could again be sent into combat against sectarian militias, which military officials say would require an increase in the number of American soldiers and Marines in Iraq.
And the last resort, if violence is spinning out of countrol: Military officials say they would also have to consider the possible withdrawal of American forces.
So let me get this straight. Our first plan is to hope that it does not happen. Our second plan is to send more Americans in to kill the Iraqi's who do not want to play ball with their invaders. And the third plan is to run for it when it becomes too dangerous to stay.
And what kind of Iraq will we be running away from? What do we say to the rest of the world if we start a fire and then run away so that we don't get burned? I hate this war! I hate the fact that we allowed ourselves to be involved in something so obviously destined to fail!
But what do we do now? I hate it when the Republicans turn to the Democrats and ask them if they want to "cut and run". No they don't want to cut and run. They don't want to leave the Iraqi's in a mess that was caused by Americans. The fact is there is no good answer! There is no way to get out of this situation cleanly. Nobody, whether Republican or Democrat, can possibly find a way to hit the reset button and undo all the damage that we have caused.
To me the best thing to do is get out as soon as possible. To move our troops out of harms way, perhaps using John Murtha's plan to move the troops to the periphery in the hopes that the Iraqi's will start solving some of these problems on their own. From there we can start to bring the soldiers home.
Look Iraq is broken! We broke it and we will never be able to fix it directly. Someday we might be able to offer them some support without trying to influence their culture in any direct way. We owe them at least that much. We owe them far more then we can ever repay.
The second option: U.S. forces could again be sent into combat against sectarian militias, which military officials say would require an increase in the number of American soldiers and Marines in Iraq.
And the last resort, if violence is spinning out of countrol: Military officials say they would also have to consider the possible withdrawal of American forces.
So let me get this straight. Our first plan is to hope that it does not happen. Our second plan is to send more Americans in to kill the Iraqi's who do not want to play ball with their invaders. And the third plan is to run for it when it becomes too dangerous to stay.
And what kind of Iraq will we be running away from? What do we say to the rest of the world if we start a fire and then run away so that we don't get burned? I hate this war! I hate the fact that we allowed ourselves to be involved in something so obviously destined to fail!
But what do we do now? I hate it when the Republicans turn to the Democrats and ask them if they want to "cut and run". No they don't want to cut and run. They don't want to leave the Iraqi's in a mess that was caused by Americans. The fact is there is no good answer! There is no way to get out of this situation cleanly. Nobody, whether Republican or Democrat, can possibly find a way to hit the reset button and undo all the damage that we have caused.
To me the best thing to do is get out as soon as possible. To move our troops out of harms way, perhaps using John Murtha's plan to move the troops to the periphery in the hopes that the Iraqi's will start solving some of these problems on their own. From there we can start to bring the soldiers home.
Look Iraq is broken! We broke it and we will never be able to fix it directly. Someday we might be able to offer them some support without trying to influence their culture in any direct way. We owe them at least that much. We owe them far more then we can ever repay.
Chiropractor's are practicing voodoo medicine. I already knew that.
The researchers said they looked at all studies evaluating the benefits of spinal manipulation for period pain, colic, asthma, allergy and dizziness - as well as back and neck pain up to 2005.
It was found the data did not show spinal manipulation was effective for any condition - except for back pain where it is superior to sham manipulation, but not better than conventional treatments.
The researchers said that, as spinal manipulation had been linked to mild side effects in around half of patients, such as temporary stiffness, and - much more rarely - strokes brought on by damage to the vertebral artery in the back, it was not something which should be used instead of other therapies.
I have long been somebody who had serius doubts about Chiropractic medicine. I had a back injury when I was in my early twenties and was sent to a chiropractor. I went to the man with some stiffness and a dull pain, I left with excruciating back pain and was bedridden for a week.
I have never gone back and have dealt with my occasional back problems with heating pads and rest. I would never go back no matter how much pain I was in.
And the idea that these guys can cure asthma by adjusting your back is how the rest of us locate the moron in the room.
It was found the data did not show spinal manipulation was effective for any condition - except for back pain where it is superior to sham manipulation, but not better than conventional treatments.
The researchers said that, as spinal manipulation had been linked to mild side effects in around half of patients, such as temporary stiffness, and - much more rarely - strokes brought on by damage to the vertebral artery in the back, it was not something which should be used instead of other therapies.
I have long been somebody who had serius doubts about Chiropractic medicine. I had a back injury when I was in my early twenties and was sent to a chiropractor. I went to the man with some stiffness and a dull pain, I left with excruciating back pain and was bedridden for a week.
I have never gone back and have dealt with my occasional back problems with heating pads and rest. I would never go back no matter how much pain I was in.
And the idea that these guys can cure asthma by adjusting your back is how the rest of us locate the moron in the room.
President Bush is "double dog daring" us to stay in Iraq.
I am watching the third day in a row of George Bush's desperate attempt to get the American people to support his criminal war.
I can feel your pity.
I have noticed an interesting tactic beside the one of accusing the media of only bringing Americans bad news. Bush's new ploy is the same used on elementary playgrounds across the country. He is accusing us of being chicken. He is saying that the only way we can lose in Iraq is if we chicken out.
"Hey you, jump into that yard with the growling dog. What? Are you chicken?"
No we are not chicken. We are intelligent. We know that continuing to stay in Iraq will not bring peace to that region. We know that to continue to sacrifice American lives in Iraq will not ensure our safety over here. We know that we were lied to about the reasons for going to war and that staying there will not make the lie turn into the truth. We are making our mistake worse everyday.
We are not chicken George Bush. Are you? Are you terrified that we will discover that you lied to us on purpose? Are you afraid that we will understand that you do not care about Americans? Are you afraid that you will go down in history as the worst president that America has ever had? Well George I am here to tell you that fear will be born out. You are the worst president that this country has ever had! And we know it!
I can feel your pity.
I have noticed an interesting tactic beside the one of accusing the media of only bringing Americans bad news. Bush's new ploy is the same used on elementary playgrounds across the country. He is accusing us of being chicken. He is saying that the only way we can lose in Iraq is if we chicken out.
"Hey you, jump into that yard with the growling dog. What? Are you chicken?"
No we are not chicken. We are intelligent. We know that continuing to stay in Iraq will not bring peace to that region. We know that to continue to sacrifice American lives in Iraq will not ensure our safety over here. We know that we were lied to about the reasons for going to war and that staying there will not make the lie turn into the truth. We are making our mistake worse everyday.
We are not chicken George Bush. Are you? Are you terrified that we will discover that you lied to us on purpose? Are you afraid that we will understand that you do not care about Americans? Are you afraid that you will go down in history as the worst president that America has ever had? Well George I am here to tell you that fear will be born out. You are the worst president that this country has ever had! And we know it!
UN Weapons Inspector Scott Ritter: "I'm here to tell you right now the CIA knew that there were no weapons of mass destruction."
"The foundation of our involvement in Iraq is as corrupt as you can possibly imagine," Ritter said. "We went to war on a lie."
He compared himself to the detective character Columbo. Ritter said he thought it was his job to uncover the truth in Iraq and find weapons of mass destruction during the 1990s.
"So when you hear that 'we believe there were weapons of mass destruction in Iraq,' I'm here to tell you right now the CIA knew that there were no weapons of mass destruction," he said.
No matter how much this adminstration wants to continue to propagate their lies it will not help them. There are just too many truth tellers like Scott Ritter who are not afraid to speak truth to power. These are the real heroes.
He compared himself to the detective character Columbo. Ritter said he thought it was his job to uncover the truth in Iraq and find weapons of mass destruction during the 1990s.
"So when you hear that 'we believe there were weapons of mass destruction in Iraq,' I'm here to tell you right now the CIA knew that there were no weapons of mass destruction," he said.
No matter how much this adminstration wants to continue to propagate their lies it will not help them. There are just too many truth tellers like Scott Ritter who are not afraid to speak truth to power. These are the real heroes.
Florida links teacher's pay raises to students test scores. Florida is full of idiots!
A new pay-for-performance program for Florida's teachers will tie raises and bonuses directly to pupils' standardized-test scores beginning next year, marking the first time a state has so closely linked the wages of individual school personnel to their students' exam results.
The effort, now being adopted by local districts, is viewed as a landmark in the movement to restructure American schools by having them face the same kind of competitive pressures placed on private enterprise, and advocates say it could serve as a national model to replace traditional teacher pay plans that award raises based largely on academic degrees and years of experience.
Gov. Jeb Bush (R) has characterized the new policy, which bases a teacher's pay on improvements in test scores, as a matter of common sense, asking, "What's wrong about paying good teachers more for doing a better job?"
There is so much wrong with this idea you know it had to come from a Bush!
What kind of cookie cutter children will will be the result of an education focused on high test scores to the exclusion of other school activites. Where would the future artists come from? Who would wasted their time taking band? Who would waste their English credits taking a creative writing course?
And what would this do to the teachers style of educating? Would the teacher be relaxed and friendly toward the children? Or would it be much more likely they would be stressed and focused on bringing up those test scores? How would they deal with the classic underachiever in their classroom? Would they try to get the kid transferred to somebody elses class? I mean this kid could keep them from providing for their own family!
Some of my very best memories form school were with those eclectic teachers who had a unique method of teaching. The one who brought her guitar to class and sang songs during rainy days when we could not go out for recess. The one who was fascinated with the paranormal and constantly told us stories of strange events around the planet. Or the one who spent most of the class telling hysterical personal stories that vaguely related to the subject. (I got an A in his class which was on a fairly difficult subject.)
These wonderful people taught me more then how to pass a test. They taught me how to be a person. A person who remains, to this day, a student still seeking knowledge and personal growth.
It seems that this new testing criteria is designed to create a world of buttoned down, no nonsense conservatives. And that is a world that holds no attraction for me.
I want to live in a world that is populated with snowflakes, each one different and unique and special. I don't have to enjoy the company of everyone but I appreciate the fact that they provide a differing set of values or knowledge then myself. It makes the world so much more interesting. Don't you think so?
The effort, now being adopted by local districts, is viewed as a landmark in the movement to restructure American schools by having them face the same kind of competitive pressures placed on private enterprise, and advocates say it could serve as a national model to replace traditional teacher pay plans that award raises based largely on academic degrees and years of experience.
Gov. Jeb Bush (R) has characterized the new policy, which bases a teacher's pay on improvements in test scores, as a matter of common sense, asking, "What's wrong about paying good teachers more for doing a better job?"
There is so much wrong with this idea you know it had to come from a Bush!
What kind of cookie cutter children will will be the result of an education focused on high test scores to the exclusion of other school activites. Where would the future artists come from? Who would wasted their time taking band? Who would waste their English credits taking a creative writing course?
And what would this do to the teachers style of educating? Would the teacher be relaxed and friendly toward the children? Or would it be much more likely they would be stressed and focused on bringing up those test scores? How would they deal with the classic underachiever in their classroom? Would they try to get the kid transferred to somebody elses class? I mean this kid could keep them from providing for their own family!
Some of my very best memories form school were with those eclectic teachers who had a unique method of teaching. The one who brought her guitar to class and sang songs during rainy days when we could not go out for recess. The one who was fascinated with the paranormal and constantly told us stories of strange events around the planet. Or the one who spent most of the class telling hysterical personal stories that vaguely related to the subject. (I got an A in his class which was on a fairly difficult subject.)
These wonderful people taught me more then how to pass a test. They taught me how to be a person. A person who remains, to this day, a student still seeking knowledge and personal growth.
It seems that this new testing criteria is designed to create a world of buttoned down, no nonsense conservatives. And that is a world that holds no attraction for me.
I want to live in a world that is populated with snowflakes, each one different and unique and special. I don't have to enjoy the company of everyone but I appreciate the fact that they provide a differing set of values or knowledge then myself. It makes the world so much more interesting. Don't you think so?
Is your child a whiny little brat? Well you have a budding conservative on your hands. That sucks for you!
The whiny kids tended to grow up conservative, and turned into rigid young adults who hewed closely to traditional gender roles and were uncomfortable with ambiguity.
The confident kids turned out liberal and were still hanging loose, turning into bright, non-conforming adults with wide interests. The girls were still outgoing, but the young men tended to turn a little introspective.
You know I have never doubted that Liberals are far superior to Conservatives. I mean there is evidence everywhere.
The confident kids turned out liberal and were still hanging loose, turning into bright, non-conforming adults with wide interests. The girls were still outgoing, but the young men tended to turn a little introspective.
You know I have never doubted that Liberals are far superior to Conservatives. I mean there is evidence everywhere.
- Liberals are happier and more comfortable in their own skins. Conservatives are uptight and rigid in their social interactions. Until they get drunk. Then they are just idiots.
- Liberals have a more inventive sex life and enjoy intimacy much more. Conservatives are ashamed of their animal urges and have to rush to church to ask forgiveness for their sinful desires.
- Liberals enjoy nature and the beauty of the world around them. Conservatives only enjoy nature when they have it's head mounted on their wall.
- Liberals have open minds and enjoy learning new things. Conservatives react to differing viewpoints with suspicion and only listen until they can effectively form their rebuttal, which they shout at the other person until they are cowed into keeping their opinions to themselves.
- Liberals can admit they made a mistake and find such times to be a learning experience. Conservatives refuse to accept that they have made an error in judgment and will defend their positions regardless of what evidence exists to dispute it.
- Liberals are focused on helping others and find joy in putting a smile on the faces of their friends and neighbors. Conservatives are focused on helping themselves to the property of their friends and neighbors, and enjoy taking advantage of their fellow man.
Now I know that you might read the above and find it slanted in favor of Liberals. But if you do then you are clearly a conservative and have accidentally stumbled onto a site that is only going to provide you with information that will make you feel defensive and angry toward me. However I am happy that you visited with me and hope that you will take the opportunity to read some of my earlier posts with an open mind.
Don't be afraid, we will not hurt you or send you to an illegal war. We will give you more affordable health insurance and balance the budget. Aren't we lovable?
Tuesday, March 21, 2006
Bush says withdrawal from Iraq will be up to future presidents.
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