Consistency is the last refuge of the unimaginative. - Oscar Wilde
I was wishing that Billy Crystal was the Oscar host. But Chris Rock did crack my up when he joked about by "being a cashier at the Gap and you're 70 trillion short in the till." He was talking about George Bush coming into office with a budget surplus and now all the money is missing. He followed up with a riff about The Gap starting a war with Banana Republic over tank tops, only to discover that Banana Republic doesn't make tank tops. Very funny jokes in front of a billion people.
I've started to pay more attention to privacy items. For one, my wife's identity was stolen a few years ago, and the thieves took over $50,000, plus opened driver's licenses and passports in her name throughout the Northeast. Second, I've blithely gone through life showing ID without thinking about it until I've heard some intellectual arguments in the past couple years about privacy rights in the US. So, this story struck me as an interesting take on the government requiring ID to board an airplane when no law exists to have a national ID. From The Pittsburgh Post-Gazette:
John Gilmore's splendid isolation began July 4, 2002, when, with defiance aforethought, he strolled to the Southwest Airlines counter at Oakland Airport and presented his ticket.
The gate agent asked for his ID.
Gilmore asked her why.
It is the law, she said.
Gilmore asked to see the law.
Nobody could produce a copy. To date, nobody has. The regulation that mandates ID at airports is "Sensitive Security Information." The law, as it turns out, is unavailable for inspection.
Semidi has a rundown of the latest Ann Coulter craziness in a piece titled Ann Coulter: Serial Liar. That's some great reading about a woman who's as crazy as a fox.
In a scary turn of HIV and AIDS statistics, HIV cases have doubled over the last decade among blacks while holding steady for whites. Newsday reports:
The HIV infection rate has doubled among blacks in the United States over a decade while holding steady among whites - stark evidence of a widening racial gap in the epidemic, government scientists said Friday.Since neither blacks nor gays generally vote Republican, the Bush Administration will continue to ignore the statistics and the science. In fact, I halfway expect the evangelicals to stand up and use their old, sick "fornicators and sodomites deserve what happens to them" argument for letting this health epidemic go underfunded.
The findings were released at the 12th Annual Retrovirus Conference, the world's chief scientific gathering on the disease. Thursday evening, research was presented on the aggressive HIV strain recently discovered in a Manhattan patient. His doctors, led by Dr. David Ho at Rockefeller University, said the strain has disturbing traits that help it quickly progress to AIDS while resisting drug treatments: It grows well in the lab, unlike most drug-resistant strains, and it causes cells that it infects to clump together, allowing them to kill other cells.
For the Dutch readers of iFlipFlop comes this hilarious website called dumpjeschatje.nl (dump your sweetie). This is a really funny one. It's a 50 Ways to Leave Your Lover kind of site, with downloadable breakup letters and graphic scenarios of how to get rid of him/her before the summer holidays roll around. There are even breakup e-cards available (warning NSFW). For those of you who don't read Dutch, it's still funny and worth a look. You'll get the idea.
CNN reports that the Kansas AG is invading women's privacy with impunity:
TOPEKA, Kansas (AP) -- The Kansas attorney general is demanding abortion clinics turn over the complete medical records of nearly 90 women and girls, saying he needs the material for an investigation into underage sex and illegal late-term abortions.He says he wants to do it to "protect children." Of course, he means zygotes, which are "children" to him. The hell with them or their rights once they're born.
The man-on-dog Senator's Social Secutity poll is located on the left side of the page towards the bottom. Go to the link below and answer the question. You will get the results to date after you vote. This is a great opportunity to let Senator Santorum know how we feel!!
I found this story on Attytood today about a camera found from a couple who were swept away in the tsunami. Very scary photos, indeed, of the tsunami bearing down on a person; and the wave ultimately engulfing the couple taking the pictures.
I read this yesterday on Philly. Incredible duplicity from George Bush. Friends, this is what The Big Lie is. Who's going to call him on this one?
"This notion that the United States is getting ready to attack Iran is simply ridiculous. Having said that, all options are on the table," Bush said.Tag: George Bush
This was on Kos about Senator Rick Sanotrum's townhall on Social Security. The College Republicans are supposed to be the smart ones:
[B]efore the event, Philly DFA began chanting "Hey-hey, ho-ho, Rick Santorum has got to go!" Local college Republicans, who are just about the only Republicans in West Philly, responded with a chant that beautifully was captured live by CNN: "hey-hey, ho-ho, Social Security has got to go!" I love it when the other side does your campaigning for you!
Inside the hall, the biggest applause line of the event was generated early on when Santorum asked a rhetorical question about demographics and funding: "what happens in 2008?" Before he could answer his own question, someone shouted "Bush leaves office," and the room went wild.
I found this on One Good Move. Funny essay about Jeff Gannon / Jim Guckert. Some of the questions Jeff Gannon never got to ask from the piece titled Leave Jeff Gannon Alone!:
QUESTIONS JEFF GANNON NEVER GOT TO ASKTag: Jeff Gannon
"In the early 1940's, Nancy Pelosi, Harry Reid and turncoat Jim Jeffries murdered six million Jews and untold numbers of homosexuals. How do work with these obviously insane assassins to pass laws that will only help the American people? And could you also address why misguided Jews, Negroes and Gays blindly support the Democratic party."
"Senator Ted Kennedy said the 3,000 innocents who died on September 11 were little Eichmanns, and probably were all having secret affairs that would make their spouses crap their pants if they knew about them. With this Hate America First crowd, how can you ever successfully deliver democracy and freedom to those being tortured by tyrants around the world who are supported by liberal college professors in an academic community that teaches the blessings of Marxism and Christ-killing?"
"People say you said the reason you went in to Iraq was because of the WMD, Iraq's dangerous ties to Al Qaeda, and impending nuclear attacks from Iraq, obviously applaud the rape rooms of Saddam, when we all know you went in to bring freedom to the forsaken Iraqi people. Comment?"
"There are rumblings that Hillary Clinton may run for President in 2008. Will your administration bring out the fact that she slept with the entire membership of every Harvard fraternity AND sorority? And is there room in the budget to resurrect the Whitewater scandal to find out why she killed Vince Foster? I mean, if she did. Could you also comment on the size of her calves?"
The former UN weapons inspector, Scott Ritter, says the Bush Administration plans to invade Iran in June. I'm sure you've all noticed that Iran is firmly in the news cycle and Iraq is out. Hmmm. From the article:
Scott Ritter, appearing with journalist Dahr Jamail yesterday in Washington State, dropped two shocking bombshells in a talk delivered to a packed house in Olympia's Capitol Theater. The ex-Marine turned UNSCOM weapons inspector said that George W. Bush has "signed off" on plans to bomb Iran in June 2005, and claimed the U.S. manipulated the results of the recent Jan. 30 elections in Iraq.Tag: Iran
Etherealgirl has a very interesting piece about the 40th anniversary of the assassination of Malcolm X. She includes a beautiful portrait and several resources. It's well worth thinking about the sacrifices the man made and the effects he's had on all of us.
He refused to answer reporters questions about his past behavior, he said, even though it might cost him the election. Defending his approach, Mr. Bush said: I wouldnt answer the marijuana questions. You know why? Because I dont want some little kid doing what I tried.Look kids, you can smoke dope, learn to lie bigtime, and still be president of the United States. Bush is pictured here with his favorite cousin, Mary Jane Bush.
Hunter Thompson killed himself yesterday. Gonzo to the end. Here's to the crazy ones.
Kos has the summary. It's not good for Georgie Boy. Doper. Evangelical shill. Alcoholic. See kids, anbody can grow up and be president. George Bush did; you can too.
Just when you think you've heard the last of the Abu Ghraib scandal (George Bush and Donald Rumsfeld want it that way), we hear that there are mock execution photos available. Alberto Gonzalez was heard singing a version of Elvis's That's alright, mama.
For a little fun do this Google search on Google Maps: Miserable failure in Washington D.C. See where the miserable failure lives.
Roy Spencer writes in World warms to Kyoto, but research will save the day, "One small step for man, one giant leap backward for mankind. That's how Wednesday's official start of the Kyoto Protocol, an international treaty that aims to limit global warming, should be greeted." So true. 2005 has started as the warmest year on record. And 3 of the last 5 years have had record high worldwide temperatures. What's Kyoto spelled backwards? George Bush.
Hmmm. The BBC reports that a large explosion happened in southern Iran this morning. Do you notice all the hullabaloo about Iran now? News coverage? Increasingly hostile rhetoric from George Bush and Condi Rice? My sense is that we're going to be hearing about a lot more "unexplained explosions" in Iran soon. Scary.
George Bush and Company thought they were so clever -- just hold elections and, Volia!,Iraq becomes a free and democratic country. Not so fast. From Iraq Winners Allied With Iran Are the Opposite of U.S. Vision:
When the Bush administration decided to invade Iraq two years ago, it envisioned a quick handover to handpicked allies in a secular government that would be the antithesis of Iran's theocracy -- potentially even a foil to Tehran's regional ambitions.Tag: Iraq
But, in one of the greatest ironies of the U.S. intervention, Iraqis instead went to the polls and elected a government with a strong religious base -- and very close ties to the Islamic republic next door. It is the last thing the administration expected from its costly Iraq policy -- $300 billion and counting, U.S. and regional analysts say.
Hardbeatnews, WASHINGTON, D.C., Tues. Feb. 15, 2005: President George Bush yesterday urged members of the U.S. Congress to renew an act, which allowed for secret proceedings in immigration cases against some Caribbeans, bolstered the surveillance of the FBI and increased use of material witness warrants to hold suspects incommunicado for months.
Valentine's Day is supposed to be a happy day. But in case anyone needs a laugh and is not all that charmed with the day, here's a site called Be My Anti-Valentine. One that made me laugh out loud: You'll do.
See Condi Lie. Lie Condi Lie. Condi Lies-a-Lot
Although then national security adviser Condoleezza Rice wrote a March 22, 2004 column in The Washington Post that "No al-Qaeda threat was turned over to the new administration," a newly declassified document [image below the fold] tells the story.Lots more reading with incriminating documents in full view. Republicans called John Kerry a flip-flopper and it worked. Condi Lies-a-Lot is going to stick.
Read Andy Borowitz's clever satire titled Flintstones Are 'Way Too Gay,' which includes this line: Fred and Barney should be banned because they are virtually inseparable, are never seen wearing pants and live together in the suggestively-named town of Bedrock, complains a conservative activist.
From the powerful piece by Susan Meyer titled Outsourcing Torture in The New Yorker:
The extraordinary-rendition program bears little relation to the system of due process afforded suspects in crimes in America. Terrorism suspects in Europe, Africa, Asia, and the Middle East have often been abducted by hooded or masked American agents, then forced onto a Gulfstream V jet, like the one described by Arar. This jet, which has been registered to a series of dummy American corporations, such as Bayard Foreign Marketing, of Portland, Oregon, has clearance to land at U.S. military bases. Upon arriving in foreign countries, rendered suspects often vanish. Detainees are not provided with lawyers, and many families are not informed of their whereabouts.The US government's "extraordinary rendition" program sweeps in, kidnaps people, and sends them to countries like Syria to be "questioned." It can happen to you, folks, if your name is on the wrong list.
This Welsh rugby fan was really dedicated to his team. Look at this story titled Well, at Least He Won't Be Fathering More Fans. Note to Evangelical Republicans: I would suggest this as an oath of fealty to George Bush's win in November.
The story is just being revealed, but Kuwaiti prisoners say they were tortured while in detention at Guantanomo Bay, Cuba and while they were held in Afghanistan. A lawyer for the group charges that prisoners were strung up by their hands or feet and beaten with chains until they passed out. Several were stripped naked and taunted by female guards. At least one was sodomized.
Wow. Every day Google comes out with something cool. Google maps is the latest fun gadget.
WASHINGTON President Bush's austere spending plan for next year represents a stark reckoning with some of his own expensive past choices, from cutting taxes to going to war in Iraq.
Josh calls Dick Cheney and the Bush Administration to task about their Social Security "crisis":
Look what we hear from the administration's own collective mouth. Their solution to the problem does nothing to solve the problem -- not me saying it, them saying it. However, it does cost trillions of dollars. In fact, it will cost -- by their own estimation -- much more over the next 20 years than it would to keep Social Security going strong for the next 75 years.Talking Points Memo is rightly named. This is required reading for the Social Security (or, as George Bush calls it, ShowShull Security)hoax that the Bushies are pulling on unwitting Americans.
At what point does this proposed policy collapse under the weight of its own ridiculousness?
If you want to read about real turmoil in this world, look at this MSF-USA report titled The 10 Most Underreported Humanitarian Stories of 2004. And instead of genuinely helping these people, George Bush & Co. are spending $200 billion to "make the world free of terror." These stories tell of the real terror in this world: crushing poverty and rampant disease.
Here's a very good compilation of Super Bowl ads. My Philadelphia Eagles lost by 3 points last night and I have that same kind of feeling I had on November 2. I'm just hoping that the Patriots don't claim they have a Super Bowl Mandate.
Eagles 7, Patriots 7. Whew! Tied at halftime. Should be a barn burner.
Atrios and Ntodd have a great idea. A little friendly Super Bowl wager with the proceeds going to local charities. I put my $50 in the pot. From the post on Eschaton:
I suggest we choose a charity for each team. If the Pats win, all us betting on the Eagles have to donate to the American Friends Service Committee (Ntodd's choice).Great idea, guys. Fly, Eagles, Fly.
I'm going local. If the Eagles win, all you New England losers have to donate your bet to Project Home.
Karl has some fun stuff posted on Philly Future today. One is a compilation of Super Bowl picks (EAGLES!) and another is a look at Wing Bowl Mania. E-A-G-L-E-S
I found this State of the Union Parsing Tool on Oliver Willis, who offered these stats from this very cool site.
Mayor John Street will announce plans to make Philadelphia a Wi-Fi digital city on February 9.
Neff said Philadelphia Mayor John F. Street will announce the wireless business plan Feb. 9 at the city's Independence Center. The plan will call for construction of the citywide network to begin midyear 2005 and finish by the end of summer 2006, Neff said. When completed, the network will cover about 135 square miles, she said.
"Our goal is to cover the entire city of Philadelphia with wireless broadband access at low rates so every person, business and visitor will have an opportunity have access to wireless broadband anywhere in the city," Neff said. She added that Philadelphia is on track to become what she called a "digital city," and that ubiquitous wireless broadband would enhance the city's economy.
Alberto Gonzalez was confirmed as Attorney General by a vote of 60-36. Now the man who advocated torture as an interrogation technique in memos to George Bush is our top law enforcement officer. Condi Rice, who lied about WMD and shunned the world community, was sworn in as Secretary of State. Paul Bremer, who mangled his job in Iraq and now seems to have "misplaced" $9 billion, was awarded the Medal of Freedom. Does anyone have the feeling that apocalypse is already here?
Do you ever wonder where all this lawlessness comes from in Abu Ghraib? Why the rest of the world thinks we're corrupt and unethical? Look at the words of General James Mattis, who said:
"Actually, it's quite a lot of fun to fight; you know, it's a hell of a hoot. I like brawling; it's fun to shoot some people."Guess what happened? He was "counseled" on his choice of words. Counseled. Donald Rumsfeld was responsible for setting a tone that resulted in torture at Abu Ghraib and George Bush won't accept his resignation. Gen. James Mattis says "It's fun to shoot some people" and he gets counseled. How do we teach children right from wrong when the leaders of the United States of America don't even seem to be able to offer and example of what's right?
In the context of Afghanistan, he said men who slapped around women for not wearing a veil had no manhood and it was fun to shoot them.
....and I say, "The third time's a charm." Donald Rumsfeld says he offered to resign twice, and George Bush said, "Stay." Nice. Note to George Bush: Denial is not a river in Africa.
