Toronto - Day 2

Niagra falls is a big cliff with water pouring over it. Whodathunkit?

Actually.. it's quite a bit bigger than I thought it would be. There are two sides; the American falls, and the Canadian falls. The Canadian falls are much more majestic.



We went on a boat tour, and yes, the blue garbage bag things came in very handy. I'd have been soaked head to toe without it.

We also saw a lot of the country side and so on. It was too warm, and I got too much sun, but over all it was a nice trip. I'm pretty tired, but tonight is Toronto nightlife night, so a quick shower, maybe a short nap, and it's out the door again.

Oh.. and we went by the building with the big advertisement I mentioned yesterday..



It seems that liberalism is working for them. The city has a bunch of environmental ordinances, and it's very clean. For instance, there is a law that says if your car is parked for more than 3 minutes, you have to shut the engine off. There's all sorts of things like that.

First impressions

Well, got my tour tickets and so on, and saw a bit of the city this afternoon.. It's really something to be in an unabashedly liberal city..

For example, walking down the street I spy a huge advert on the side of a building of a woman in a bikini. You won't see anything like that in Dallas.. I didn't have my camera, or I woulda snapped a pic.

*note to self** always take the camera...

But wait.. there's more..

That Liberal or Conservative I posted on Monday.. is of the chief of police for Toronto. He was the first chief to participate in the city's gay pride parade last weekend.. so the answer is LIBERAL!

and more..

The Canadian House of Commons just passed their gay marriage legislation, which is expected to pass the Senate next month. Then it becomes the law of the land in Canada. It's not civil unions, it's the full monty.

It would be a hell of a telecommute, but I think I could live in Toronto.. at least until it gets cold. I don't handle cold weather very well..

Toronto - Day 1

Made it to Toronto. The flight was fine, and after a cab ride to the hotel, I'm online! The picture is the view out the hotel window.

The weather is warm and dreary, but it's supposed to clear up tomorrow. The city looks very nice...

Tonight is a dinner cruise, and tomorrow morning, off to Niagra Falls..

Buh Bye

I'm off for a week - heading to Toronto Canada.. I might post here and there if I have time.. and maybe a pic or two..

Everyone have a nice 4th weekend..

You want fries with that?

ROME - The Roman Catholic Church placed Pope John Paul II on the path to sainthood Tuesday during a joyous ceremony at a Roman basilica — the fastest start to a beatification process in memory for a man many considered a saint long before he died.

The faithful remained silent during the oaths, and some in the crowd wept. But once the cause was declared officially open, applause rang out, Polish and Vatican flags fluttered in the pews and there were chants of "Giovanni Paolo" and "Santo Subito!" or "Sainthood Immediately!"

It's not surprising considering PJP II appointed more saints during his reign than all the other popes combined in the history of the church.

It's trivial now.. just like knighthood in England.. I mean.. Sir Elton John? Christ, the man can wield a boa, but there's no way he could weild a sword.

How about we call him Saint I-refused-condoms-for-AIDS-stricken-Africans-which-contributed-to-the-deaths-of-untold-lives.

Or how about Saint I-contributed-to-the-cover-up-of-untold-numbers-of-child-molestations.

That's a good name..

My House

As viewed from space..

Zombie Dogs

Not kidding.. link:

SCIENTISTS have created eerie zombie dogs, reanimating the canines after several hours of clinical death in attempts to develop suspended animation for humans.

US scientists have succeeded in reviving the dogs after three hours of clinical death, paving the way for trials on humans within years.
Pittsburgh's Safar Centre for Resuscitation Research has developed a technique in which subject's veins are drained of blood and filled with an ice-cold salt solution.

The animals are considered scientifically dead, as they stop breathing and have no heartbeat or brain activity.

But three hours later, their blood is replaced and the zombie dogs are brought back to life with an electric shock.

Plans to test the technique on humans should be realised within a year, according to the Safar Centre.

Traitors

An Army Special Forces soldier died in Afghanistan earlier this month. "Christians" protest at his funeral..

and Karl Rove has the gall to call liberals traitors. A man gave his life, and that's how he is repaid..

Release the lions...

Spooky

The computer reads your mind, here:

Quote of the Day

"I think there is a real risk that the administration underestimates the difficulties. They may agree that failure isn't an option, but this does not mean they will necessarily avoid it." - David Manning, Blair's chief foreign policy adviser in a Downing Street Memo

Cheeta! Cheeta! Ungowa!

So Chimp-in-Chief is going to give a speech tonight, from Fort Bragg. A lot of people seem to be irritated that he's delivering his speech from a military base, as if yet more flag waving and "support the troops" is going to sway public opinion. I don't think it really matters where he gives the speech. It's going to be the same rehashed "stay the course" bs.

I also expect him to use the words "hard" and "understand" quite a few times. If I remember, when I get back from my trip, I'll find a transcript and run a count.

The most important thing to look for.. the continuation of Unka Karl's latest propaganda-fest. Their strategy is to blame "liberals" and hence Democrats as traitors. They are trying to paint anyone that is opposed to their agenda as harming the troops, and so on..

In other news.. I think it's a big deal that Rehnquist didn't announce his retirement. Could it be that he doesn't want Chimpy picking the next justice? Hmmmm..

Liberal or Spawn of Satan?

I report, you decide...

** update **



Yet another fantasy dashed!

Praise Jebus!

Big big news from the Supremos..

WASHINGTON - In a narrowly drawn ruling, the Supreme Court struck down Ten Commandments displays in courthouses Monday, holding that two exhibits in Kentucky crossed the line between separation of church and state because they promoted a religious message.
[...]
"The touchstone for our analysis is the principle that the First Amendment mandates government neutrality between religion and religion, and between religion and nonreligion," Justice David H. Souter wrote for the majority.

"When the government acts with the ostensible and predominant purpose of advancing religion, it violates that central Establishment clause value of official religious neutrality," he said.

That's exactly right. It's a big slap down to the religious right, and a huge victory.

The justices left themselves legal wiggle room on this issue, however, saying that some displays — like their own courtroom frieze — would be permissible if they're portrayed neutrally in order to honor the nation's legal history.

I agree with this also. There is cause to be reasonable.

** update **

It seems that 10 commandment displays are allowed on the grounds, just not in the courthouse itself. That's silly inconsistency.

But as long as the fundis are upset, that's all that matters...

Liberal or Conservative X?

Place your bets..

Weekend Update

The concert last night was fun. I'd like to write a bunch about it, but I'm super busy, and I'm going out of town on vacation on Wednesday. Blogging is going to be light to nonexistent until after the 4th weekend.

But in short, it was loud. Apparently their amps go up to 11.

Oh hell.. some quick thoughts..

Both bands sounded good. Geoff Tate still looks and sounds great. Queensryche's set was about an hour long, and they only did 4 songs post Mindcrime. 3 of them were pretty bad, but Empire was okay. Over all, they did a nice job, and really rocked.

But the BIG news is...



How about that? It's due out in January '06. I have reservations, because, like I said, everything after Mindcrime has pretty much sucked, but who knows?

Priest was very good. Lets be honest - it's all about Rob Halford. His voice isn't as ice pure as it used to be, and he's shouting more now then actually just singing, but he can still hit the high notes, and his voice has a lot of power. He's still got that stage presence as well.

Pet peeve - the end of a song should not take as long as the song itself. You know that thing they do when they basically hold one chord, and keep hitting it while the drummer does his thing.... excruciating..

Ian Hill (bass player) was given a 3 foot space on the stage 30 years ago, and to this day, still does not move from that spot.

I saw an interview with Ian once - and he's kind of timmy-ish. He reminded me of Derek Smalls (played by Harry Shearer) in This is Spinal Tap...

"I feel my role in the band is to be like luke warm water."

It's also pretty amazing how far technology has advanced in PA systems. The vocals were crystal clear, which is unusual at a metal show, and sometimes guitars can be shrill, but they sounded quite good.

But, as I said, it was loud as fuck. I'm used to loud music (trust me), but this was one of those shows where the sound pressure moves the hairs on your arms. You can feel it. The bass and kick drum shake your whole body.

Priest played for about 2 hours, and over all, the song selection was pretty good. Notable by it's absence was Screaming for Vengeance. How they left that out is beyond me, and the newer songs were rather "ya.. okay.. play The Green Manalishi.", which they didn't do either...

It's a bit of a dillema for them I think. They must know that the crowd is there to hear the songs they grew up on. They must know the new music sucks and nobody really gives a shit about it. Still, they've got a new CD, so they have to play tracks from it anyway, right?

But, you know, these guys are in their 50's, and they just fuckin' rock. Any criticism is just nit-picking... now innit?

** update **

Best quote on a t-shirt at the show.. "I haven't got enough middle fingers"

MY MONKEYS

Listen up people, and spread it far and wide.. I do hardly ANYTHING original on my blog. I just rant about topics everyone else is talking about, and post songs now and again..

So the monkey thing belongs to ME! Got that bitches?

Don't make me whip out out my 'leet h@ckzor skillz and bust up yer shit.. You know who you are..

** update **

Okay.. the monkey thing isn't entirely original either.. Atrios started friday cat blogging, but I made it much cooler with monkeys.

** update 2 **

I don't even want to scroll down on my own fuggin blog.. the last monkey picture I posted is horrible.. The monkey thing is supposed to be a break from the depressing shit that goes on day after day in this world, and documentated here. I had stuck "monkey" into google images to find something new for the post, and I pulled up the web site with tons of documentation on research animal abuse, and I couldn't not post it..

It never ceases to amaze me how depraved some people can be.. and it never ceases to amaze me how people can get so bent over the stupidest shit.

The next time you're stuck in traffic, or you get a flat tire, or you're short of money to pay your bills, try and visualize that monkey. Every single one of us is lucky as hell..

** update 3 **

Okay.. I do scroll down to look at the picture of the Spirit of Justice with the jumper cable attached to her tit.. I laugh every time I see it.

Song of the Day

I'm going to see Judas Priest, with Queensryche tonight. These were two hugely influential bands for me in high school and college.

Priest is reformed, with Rob Halford returning to the band. I liked Halford's solo projects a lot, but there's something about old Judas Priest that just rips. I saw Halford a couple years ago and had 2nd row center seats.. Oddly it wasn't a huge mash of people, so I was right smack in front of him.

There is no other rock singer with the presence or power of Rob Halford. His range and intensity is incredible. I stood there awestruck right in front of him, and I could have sworn he picked up on that as he was looking me right in the eyes and blasting out that power.. maybe it was just my imagination.. in any case, he rocked.

The reason he's the metal god is because when he's on stage, he's not performing. That's him. He rides out on the Harley, dressed in full leather, and that is what Rob Halford is all about. Other singers are putting on the show, and you can tell.

Halford also changed the face of metal by coming out. Millions of the most rabid metal heads you can imagine simply adored him, and really didn't care about anything else.

He's one of my heroes..

Queensryche recorded one of the greatest rock albums of all time, Operation Mindcrime. My buddy Perry and I were blown away. The Warning was a little on the "LA metal" side, if you know what I mean, but their third recording, Rage for Order, was far more edgy. They did the vampire thing before vampires were cool. Walk in the Shadows is a standout track off that album.

Then Operation Mindcrime was released, and we couldn't stop listening to it. Finally, a concept album with teeth. It had it all, love, drugs, intrigue, politics, murder. From the first song, to the last, it told a story that would make an awesome big budget Hollywood movie. In fact, I've often thought of writing a novel based on it. Collin Farrel would be the perfect protagonist in the film version.

All the tracks are terrific, but the top song has to be Suite Sister Mary. It's nearly 11 minutes long. So, for your listening pleasure click -->, Suite Sister Mary.

After Mindcrime, Queensryche released Empire, and while it was a commercial success, it was a piece of shit. I think a lot of it's commercial success had to do with Mindcrime. Empire had a few interesting things on it, but it was made for radio 4 minute metal-pop songs. It had the hit ballad Silent Lucidity on it, and that song makes me want to puke. It was NOT vampires, and it was NOT the Lady in Black, and it was NOT heroin induced amnesia with priests getting whacked... it was just crap.

And ever since, Queensryche never recovered. If it wasn't for the resurgence of the big metal bands, like Priest and Maiden, Queensryche would be playing at the Ramada Inn, ala Spinal Tap.

I told them to put Queensryche first, and puppet show last!

After Pink Floyd's The Wall, Rush's 2112, and Queensryche's Operation Mindcrime, there haven't been any concept albums of any consequence. I think that might change with the advent of satellite radio.

I have Sirius in my car, and you can stream it over the internet as well. I was listening yesterday over the net and they played Iron Maiden's Where Eagles Dare, from the Piece of Mind album. I was blown away. I'm a huge Maiden freak, and you simply do NOT hear that kind of track from the early 80's on regular radio. They followed it up with Hendrix's version of All Along the Watch Tower.

That's just fuckin' cool...

Satellite radio is going to change music in a big way. First, it will crush broadcast radio. In 10 years broadcast radio will be gone. Since it's commercial free, they really don't care how long the tracks are. On the "Hard Attack" stream, they often play songs of upwards of 15 minutes. That's how I got turned onto Opeth. They played a track that was 13 minutes long, complex, and skillful. I was amazed.

That's really the kind of music that I'm most turned on by. I've always loved Rush the most because of the complexity of the music, intensity of the lyrics, and shear musical skill. Perry and I got turned on huge to Dream Theatre for that reason. They were virtuosos, and the song writing was very complex and non-linear.

That kind of music died in the middle of the 90's. I do like some of the music today, but it's more like a twinkie - tastes great, but doesn't really do much else for you. With satellite radio, artists won't have to worry about 3 and a half minute hits.

Right now, you only hear that sort of non-linear complexity, and movement oriented songs, in metal, and hard progressive rock. Opeth is the perfect example - I'll post a song soon. Their music does not fold back on itself. It has a theme, and a style, but it's more like a piece of classical music with movements. It does not have verse, chorus, verse, solo, verse chorus, end. It is a stream of sound and music.

The destruction of complexity also caused the death of the guitar solo. They just don't happen anymore. I'm not a big fan of trite solos, but I do like to hear skill from the guitar player and not just ripping power chords with perfect meter.

Anyway.. hope the show is good.. and I'll work on getting back into posting more music - and I'll focus on things most people have never heard before.

Oh.. and Geoff Tate, the singer of Queensryche is gay also. Isn't it odd that both metal bands on a national standium tour have gay singers? I guess Kurt Cobain said it best.. Everyone is gay..

Gonzales = perv

Remember how Attorney General Asscroft directed that the Spirit of Justice cover up her boobies?

Well, new Attorney General Gonzales directed she get naked again. I'm liking him more already..

via Jesus' General:

Also, and update on the Yellow Elephant mission to get young Republican's to enlist in the military. The Washington Bureau has joined the action going to the national young republican convention and asking them why they aren't in the military. Here's some quotes...

"Frankly, I want to be a politician. I'd like to survive to see that," said Vivian Lee, 17, a war supporter visiting the convention from Los Angeles,

Lee said she supports the war but would volunteer only if the United States faced a dire troop shortage or "if there's another Sept. 11."

"As long as there's a steady stream of volunteers, I don't see why I necessarily should volunteer," said Lee, who has a cousin deployed in the Middle East.

"If there was a need presented, I would go," said Chris Cusmano, a 21-year-old member of the College Republicans organization from Rocky Point, N.Y. But he said he hasn't really considered volunteering.

Others said they could contribute on the home front.

"I physically probably couldn't do a whole lot" in Iraq, said Tiffanee Hokel, 18, of Webster City, Iowa, who called the war a moral imperative. She knows people posted in Iraq, but she didn't flinch when asked why she wouldn't go.

"I think I could do more here," Hokel said, adding that she's focusing on political action that supports the war and the troops.

"We don't have to be there physically to fight it," she said.

"I'm in college right now, but who knows?" said Matthew Vail, a 25-year-old from Huntsville, Ala., who works with Students for Bush. He said he might consider enlisting after he finishes his degree at the University of North Carolina, but not until then.

"The bug may get me after college," he said.

I'd like to know why the military recruiters weren't there, explaining that there is a shortage of people enlisting, and there is a great need for them to sign up.

Here's a quote from our favorite freeper, Oxen, when I asked why he's not in the military.

If I was just getting out of high school right now I would be, but that's not the case. I've done things since then that exclude me from joining. I've looked into in, it can't happen.

The ONLY thing I can think of that would prevent a healthy 27 year old from enlisting is being convicted of a FELONY. Either that, or maybe he had some man on man action... but then he could just keep his mouth shut about that one and they'd take him anyway.


Has there ever been a bigger bunch of hypocritical assholes? Then they have the gall to applaud unka Karl when he calls liberals traitors.

Friday Monkey Blogging

Monkeys like this one in biomedical research are under the constant stress of being experimented on or confined to their small cages. All their God-given social life has been taken away; thus what is being done to these monkeys is ungodly, no matter what explanations may be used to try to justify the researchers' actions.

Animal abuse is evil, and in particular the abuse of monkeys world wide is a disgrace.

Monkeys are often used because of their similarities to human beings, but because they are similar to humans, they have reactions similar to humans when subjected to stress, torture, and chemical mistreatment.

It seems to me that research facility employees that abuse animals share a similar trait with sociopathic serial killers; a complete lack of empathy. I think the punishment should be the same.

That picture is probably the mildest one on the web site I pulled it from. It's heart breaking.. I couldn't look through the whole thing..

Jail

Do not pass go, do not collect $200.

Every last one of these assholes, including the kid's parents, need to be put in jail.

This is one of those times I'm going to post the entire article, because it's important to me. The link to the original is here:

For those that read this that don't get it, here are some basic facts.

#1 You don't choose to be gay any more than you choose to be straight.
#2 You cannot become "ex-gay" through any means.
#3 If you claim to be "ex-gay", you're lying and simply resisting your natural urges. You will lead a very unfulfilled and unhappy life.
#4 Anybody who humiliates a child by forcing "treatment" on them should go to jail for child abuse.
#5 Approximately 10% of the population is gay - and there's nothing you can do about that, nor can you stop it from happening in the future.
#6 Well adjusted gay people are glad they're gay, and are proud of it.
#7 The people in #6 don't care if you have a problem with that.
#8 Religious fundamentalists need to be held to account.

Tenn. investigates ex-gay camp
Teen's blog leads to outcry, charges of abuse at unlicensed facility
By EARTHA MELZER | Jun 23, 1:53 PM

The state of Tennessee has begun an investigation in response to allegations of child abuse at Love in Action, a Memphis facility that advertises homosexual conversion therapy for adolescents, according to the state department of health.

K. Daniele Edwards, a spokesperson for Child Services at the Tennessee Department of Health, confirmed an investigation is underway but declined to comment on the details. She noted that she presumes the Love in Action program would require licensing by the state.

Gay activists protested outside an unlicensed 'ex-gay' facility run by Love In Action, which Tennessee officials are investigating to see if teens are being mistreated.

Love in Action is not licensed by the Tennessee Departments of Health, Mental Health, Human Services, Child Services or Education, according to Rachel Lassiter of Gov. Phil Bredesen's communications office.

Refuge, Love in Action's program for adolescents, became the focus of public concern earlier this month after a Bartlett, Tenn., teen who uses the blogger name Zach, posted online entries that say his parents had responded to his coming out as gay by sending him to a religious institution to be converted to heterosexuality.

"Emotional abuse is difficult to prove in the state of Tennessee," said Pamela Dickey, director of the advocacy center for Childhelp USA in Knoxville. "You have to document that the child is undergoing depression or suicidal ideation, that he can't sleep, or can't eat."

Officials from Love in Action had appealed for "tolerance" of their program at a June 16 news conference.

"It is our spiritual conviction that sexual behavior outside of heterosexual marriage is considered wrong in the sight of God," said John Smid, the program's director, who describes himself as "ex-gay," according to a partial transcript of the news conference.

"This program is operated on the will of the guardian or parent. We will work with the minor children as long as they are not overtly distracting to their own program or the program of others," Smid added. "If it is shown that the client is overtly treatment resistant, we will work with the parent towards alternative options for their care and overall relational health."

Blogger E.J. Friedman said that he had been corresponding with Zach via e-mail since March and became alarmed when he saw that Zach had begun to write that his world was coming to an end and that his parents were isolating him.

"When I saw Zach had written in his blog, 'all I can think of is killing my mother and killing myself' I felt that clearly something needed to be said about the program," Friedman said.

No word from teen

Word of Zach's situation quickly spread around the blogosphere. By press time, more than 1,000 messages of support had been posted to Zach's blog and an online petition demanded that he be released from Love in Action. Comedian Margaret Cho contributed a message of support.

But Zach has not posted to his blog since the first week in June and sources contacted by the Blade would not confirm Zach's full name. His parents also could not be identified.

Morgan Fox, 25, who said he was a friend of Zach's, said he believed Zach was in a two-week Refuge program.

Meanwhile, a group called the Queer Action Coalition has begun daily demonstrations in front of Love in Action offices to raise awareness of the dangers of "ex-gay" therapy.

China > America ??

And while I'm still irritated by the Rove thing.. I'd like to say again that I'm disappointed that the American public voted Bush another term (if in fact they did, I have my doubts). Still - why is the discussion being done on their terms?

This is the United States of America. What the fuck is going on?

If you look at most recent British elections, you saw a humbled Tony Blair at least giving the appearance of being honest, and acknowledging the realities of a bad situation.

In the United States - our President is like officer Barbrady. Everything is fine - move along - nothing to see here.

You have to admire their focus. If there's one thing they absolutely refuse to do is show any weakness, or admit any error.

Which, of course, is why the English people now view China more favorably than the United States. Can you imagine that? A scant 60 years from wining a war together that saved their nation, and now the Brit's like communist China better than America.

The Brit's are not the sort of people who like to be lied to, and told everything is going swimmingly. Americans do.

link:

Quotes of the Day

I have two quotes from Peter Daou today. It really amazes me how obvious this is. It's all related to my "branding" topic below.

Rove is saying that millions of Americans are actively working against our own military. He's saying that we coddle terrorists. He's saying we have disdain for the victims of 9/11.

Fuck Karl Rove.. asshole..

I'll keep it simple: I challenge any of those outraged by Durbin to demonstrate that the senator, in his heart of hearts, thinks our troops are Nazis. It's painfully obvious that he was illustrating a point and used a hyperbolic analogy. In Durbin's case the outrage is feigned, and a political tool. It defies common sense to think Durbin actually believes "all US troops are Nazis." Now the same reasoning doesn't hold true for Rove, who expressed a thought that actually is widely held on the right: that liberals can't or won't defend America. Despite the sheer imbecility of it, many on the right really believe it to be true.

Second quote:

I'm devoting much of today's report to Karl Rove's vile comments denigrating half of the American public. My office overlooks Ground Zero, and I'm looking at the gaping footprint as I write this. My wife and I were in New York that day, on our way to the WTC for a morning meeting. A chance phone call dragged on a few minutes too long and most likely saved our lives. I lost friends in the towers, and when I walk past the site, as I do almost every evening, the pain is as real as it was on September 11th, 2001.

I spent my youth in Beirut during the height of Lebanon's civil war, and I fought the Syrian presence in Lebanon long before the "Cedar Revolution." I watched young boys give their lives and mothers cradle their dying children in blood-soaked arms. I've seen more bloodshed, war, and violence, and shot more guns than most of the 101st Fighting Keyboardists combined. I wouldn't presume to question the strength or dignity of a stranger, and I pity those who blithely push the right=strong, left=weak rhetoric. It says far more about their inadequacies than it does about the target of their scorn. Today, Karl Rove took that rhetoric to a new, filthy low.

Liberal

I really gotta hand it to the Republicans. They do know how to use branding. Over the last 20 or 30 years, they've been able to make the word "liberal" into something negative and shameful.

Most people who say "those damn liberals" really have no idea what a liberal is. Most people are liberal, they just don't know it yet.

The uproar over Durbin's comments, and the new Karl Rove campaign against liberals is all just distracting from the real truth of the matter. It is silly the way Durbin's comments were said to put our troops in danger. It's silly to say that Karl Rove should apologize or resign.

I'm sure Rove saw all of this coming, and the entire Republican party was informed that they were to tow the line, unlike the democrats who caved on Durbin’s "gulag" speech.

Here's an idea. The Democrats have truth on their side. Use it. If the Republicans make another baseless allegation, ignore them. It's far better to act as if you can't be bothered with the plebeian. Meanwhile, at every opportunity, hammer home - no WMD's, no link to Al-Quaida, no link to 9/11, no exit strategy.

Use the word "lie" over and over again, and remind people that those lies are resulting in literally thousands of DEAD Americans and many more thousands wounded, some horribly mutilated.

A majority of Americans think invading Iraq was a bad idea, and the prosecution of the war is incompetent. Use that..

In the longer run, do a better job of branding "conservative" as religious, hateful, crazy, bigots. Brand "republican" as elitist corporate ass sucking pond scum. The middle class is dying, and not because the middle is moving to the upper class. People naturally resent the wealthy. Use that.

But I can't stress enough how far an attitude can take you. If you respond to Rove like attacks with an "oh please, I can't be bothered with that", you'll get much better results than looking like the issue hit too close to home.

And for God's sake, stop running from the word "liberal". The Republican's have already tagged that onto "Democrat" so you sure as hell better change the perception of the word.

Mr. & Mrs. Smith

I neglected to mention that I saw Mr. and Mrs. Smith over the weekend. It ranked a 2.5 out of 5 on Tom's scale of improbable plot elements, but 3.5 out of 5 over-all.

The fact of the matter is, Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie are probably my favorite male and females actors. Certainly, that's not because of their performance in this particular movie, but they do work well together. There are a few scenes of comic relief, and I'm sure Pitt could do comedy very well if he wanted. I'm not talking Snatch type comedy, but more along the lines of something you'd see Ben Stiller do.

Is it worth paying to go see? I dunno.. but at the very least worth a DVD rental.

I added 12 Monkeys to my netflix queue. I want to see it again..

By the way.. Tom's scale of improbable plot elements describes my annoyance level at scenes involving things that either could not happen, or would be highly unlikely to happen. I wish all Hollywood producers would run their scripts by me so I could re-write the stupid scenes into something more plausible, without ruining the spirit of the movie.

Smells like Republican Spirit

Just an observation.. but have you ever noticed that when things get bad for them, they trot out 9/11, the flag, the troops, and start bitching about gays?

Terra alert level pink Mr. Sulu!

It's worked before

Karl Rove is directing a new attack on Democrats, and he's participating this time. Don't for a second think that this wasn't well thought out and meticulously planned.

"Liberals saw the savagery of the 9/11 attacks and wanted to prepare indictments and offer therapy and understanding for our attackers," Rove said. "Conservatives saw the savagery of 9/11 and the attacks and prepared for war.... Conservatives saw what happened to us on 9/11 and said we will defeat our enemies. Liberals saw what happened to us and said we must understand our enemies.... No more needs to be said about the motives of liberals," Rove said.

Yes, Rove is saying that Democrats "don't get" 9/11. He is saying that Democrats are motivated by a desire to kill our own troops, and that we excuse the terrorists.

Mr. Rove also said American armed forces overseas were in more jeopardy as a result of remarks last week by Senator Richard J. Durbin, Democrat of Illinois, who compared American mistreatment of detainees to the acts of "Nazis, Soviets in their gulags's, or some mad regime - Pol Pot or others."

"Has there ever been a more revealing moment this year?" Mr. Rove asked. "Let me just put this in fairly simple terms: Al jazzier now broadcasts the words of Senator Durbin to the Mideast, certainly putting our troops in greater danger. No more needs to be said about the motives of liberals."

Isn't that something? He is quite clearly saying that our motives are to put our troops in danger.

The White House agrees with Rove - which is not surprising since I'm sure this was all well planned out..

The White House defended Rove's remarks and accused Democrats of engaging in partisan attacks. Rove, said spokesman Scott McClellan, "was talking about the different philosophies and our different approaches when it comes to winning the war on terrorism."

McClellan is saying "yes, Democrats want to harm our troops and coddle terrorists."

And other Republican's are joining in this coordinated attack:

"Rep. Joe Wilson (R-SHAH), who joined price at the press conference, told Cybercast News Service that it "is just inconceivable and truly incorrigible that in the midst of the war, that the Democratic leaders would be conducting guerrilla warfare on American troops..."

This is quite a desperate maneuver, but unfortunately, it's very effective.

Republican's talk in very stark terms that dumb people can understand. They say "we want to kill terrorists, liberals just think terrorists need therapy." They say "we support the troops. Liberals hate American troops and wish to do them harm."

It's all rather preposterous to thinking people, but a majority of American's are not thinking people. As the post title says, it's worked before. This type of characterization has worked before.

It's possible that they might have gone over the top this time, and it'll be interesting to see how this shakes out in the media coverage.

But - just in case I need to say this. Democrats do want to fight this war on terrorism, but in a smarter and more effective way than the Republicans have done. Frankly, the Republicans have botched it badly.

Do we want to defeat terrorists? Yes, indeed. I've said this countless times, but Republican's/conservatives seem to think it's a zero sum game. You kill one terrorists, and there is one less. It doesn't work like that.

Yes, Democrats want to understand terrorists. That only makes sense. The foundation of defense is a strong military, but we understand that for long term success, the issues that are driving the violence need to be addressed. The Republican's would simply have us "at war" indefinitely... which makes sense when you consider the money that is involved.

But, to say that Democrats are attacking the troops is just weird. It smells of desperation..

While it's noble that the Conservatives "prepared for war", doesn't it seem odd that the country they invaded had nothing to do with 9/11, had nothing to do with WMD's, and had nothing to do with Al-Quaida? That's like invading Sweden after the Japanese attacked Pearl Harbor. Not particularly bright, eh?

Does it need to be stated again that 15 of the 19 hijackers were Saudi Arabian? Do I need to post that picture of Bush holding hands with the Saudi prince again? Should I post the picture of them kissing again?

By the way, just as an aside; Mark Bingham was instrumental in stopping the 4th hijacked plane on 9/11. It looked like the hijackers target was either the capital or the white house. Bingham was a principal in attacking the hijackers, which resulted in the plane crashing in a field instead.

Mark Bingham was gay.

Quote of the Day II

"We have invited our clean young men to shoulder a discredited musket and do bandits' work under a flag which bandits have been accustomed to fear, not to follow; we have debauched America's honor and blackened her face before the world ..." (Mark Twain, "On the Damned Human Race").

While liberals are horrified by the torture and killing of human beings in our custody, conservatives are worried about a flag being burned...

You know what.. fuck them.. that's all I have to say about that..

** update **

Video here of Bill Moyers talking about how the right wing is attempting to destroy the Public Broadcasting System on the Daily Show. He mentions Mark Twain at the end.

via Crooks and Liars:

More Sully

But I still think that, even knowing what we know now, the war was worth it, if only for the potential for Arab democratization that has opened up; and the end of Saddam's brutality.

Easy for him to say when he's not DEAD from participating in a war that was thought to be about WMD's, terrorism, Al-Quaida, and "imminent threats." But - of course it all turns out to be a big pile of shit..

And Sullivan just went on record as saying that had he known all that, he'd still support the invasion. What bullshit.

Besides being illegal to do that, who decides how far it goes? Next is Iran, then Syria.. then maybe a jaunt up to North Korea?

All the while, the right wing cabal (which Sullivan is truly a member) sit behind their computers and type.

Fuck them... I'm sure as hell not going, so I can't ask anybody else to do so.

Hypocrite much?

From the United States "Flag Code", link:

§176. Respect for flag
No disrespect should be shown to the flag of the United States of America; the flag should not be dipped to any person or thing. Regimental colors, State flags, and organization or institutional flags are to be dipped as a mark of honor.

(d) The flag should never be used as wearing apparel, bedding, or drapery. It should never be festooned, drawn back, nor up, in folds, but always allowed to fall free.

Song of the day

The Idiot Son of an Asshole

** update **

The chorus from the song is playing over and over in my head.. gahhhh.. make it stop!

Quote of the Day

Christianity, in it's pure form, can be a beautiful thing. Just like Buddhism and Islam. Unfortunately Christianity has been bastardized and is now something to be scorned and, yes, feared. - John @ Wild Sects

Religion is unique to the human experience. Animals do not have a god. They are just as they are, and if you think that science is correct, human beings share a common biological heritage with every other creature on the planet. So why are human beings so screwed up?

Lets go back to the beginning - the big bang. If you want to talk about a concept of God, that's a credible place to start. It's the only thing that's ever happened that shouldn't have happened.

One basic principle of physics is that matter can neither be created, nor destroyed. Yet, out of that vastness of nothing, there was something. How did that happen? Because there is something in the universe, that implies that there was a beginning of time where nothing became something.

It really is the chicken or the egg problem. If God created the universe, what created God? Religions answer that question by saying there was no beginning of time, and that God always was. That makes God infinite. I think that's taking the easy way out.

Regardless of how you define that initial moment where the perceivable universe we live in burst into existence, that is the only event in history that can be reliably proven to be "divine". Science says it shouldn't have happened and that nothing should exist.

While God may or may not have a beginning time, the universe does have a beginning time. It's approximately 14 billion years ago. That "zero time" was the instant that a nearly infinite number of rules where created that govern the way things behave. It defines the way atomic particles behave. I suspect it even defines randomness, which of course would mean that if randomness is defined, it's not really random.

There has not been a single event in the universe that should not have happened since the big bang, with the possible exception of conscious thought. That's the monkey wrench in the clearly defined universe.

In any case, human beings are a product of that initial rule set, put in motion all those billions of years ago. The behavior and nature of human beings is simply a product of those rules. So, my question is, why religion? Why would you say that any religion is "beautiful"?

Animals, without any God or religion, are far better behaved than human beings. They hunt and kill for food, just the same as human beings do (we hunt at supermarkets mostly). They socialize and procreate, and all that good stuff. The difference is, generally speaking, they don't kill their own kind, and they certainly don't kill for "sport".

Human beings are very good at killing each other. There are entire industries dedicated to crafting tools that make killing each other easy to do.

So, what is the difference between human beings and animals? Animals have conscious thought. They have society. They have procreation. Everything is exactly the same, except for one thing.

Can you guess?

Religion.

So when somebody says that religion can be a beautiful thing, the beautiful parts are things that are biologically inherent in every species on this planet. It seems silly to me that love, and charity, and compassion, are religious issues. They are not. It's simply a result of the rule set put in place at the time of the big bang. They are our nature, not a product of religion.

The things that are not beautiful about religion defines the evil that exists. It is conscious thought of death, destruction, and pain. It is what causes human beings to do the most horrific things.

Then it becomes a simple equation. I've defined the beauty of existence as a part of nature. Therefore, if you subtract that beauty from religion, all you have left in religion is evil.

Does that make sense? I simply don't attribute the beautiful aspects of life and this world to religion. Religion doesn't deserve that, and religion doesn't have anything to do with that.

All religion does is bring death and destruction - and maybe, just maybe, assuages the natural fear that people have that death is truly the end of existence.

So, if you look at scripture, and Jesus says "Love thy neighbor as thyself". I say, DUH! That is simply human nature, and I'm not really sure why you need to tell me that Jesus. I already knew it.

Quite simply, if you remove religion as a concept from this world, does it remove any of the beauty from it? Nope. But it sure as hell does away with a lot of evil.

Vote for me!

City of Frisco Board Openings:

The City of Frisco is accepting applications for individuals interested in volunteering to serve on the following City Boards:

* Board of Adjustments
* Economic Development Corporation
* Community Development Corporation
* Convention & Visitors Bureau
+ Retail Sector
+ Downtown / Frisco Square Sector
+ Hotel Sector
* Housing Authority
* Housing Trust Fund
* Parks & Recreation
* Public Art
* Urban Forestry
* Anti-gay witch hunts

Okay.. I made up that last one.. I'd rather skip right to the "running for Congress" part of my political career. Thank you for your support.

I promise to do my best..

Having been a scout, I couldn't help but read the story on the kid that got lost in Utah. I had one of those "I want to beat my head on my desk" moments when I read this:

The boy said he kept two thoughts in mind, both of them instructions from his parents: Never leave a trail and never talk to strangers. So, when people on horseback appeared on his trail Tuesday, Brennan pulled off the path and out of view until they passed.

"He had in his mind two things to do and that was to stay on the trail and to not talk to strangers and he did that for as long as his little body would possibly let him do that," his mother, Jody Hawkins, said in an interview with CBS' "The Early Show" to be broadcast Thursday.

A little common sense goes a long way.

Not much has really changed in society since I was in scouts in the 70's. At least not as far as crime against children goes. I used to talk to strangers all the time. It was fun. Now the media has people so paranoid that some kid who is lost, hides from would-be rescuers.

It just boggles the mind..

Stupid News

NICOSIA (Reuters) - A snake handler in Cyprus was fighting for his life Tuesday after a king cobra bit the hand that fed him, authorities said.

The hooded snake bit his master when the man, 43, stuck his hand into a cage holding food at a traditional Cypriot religious festival attended by thousands of people Monday evening.

Poison from the king cobra, the longest venomous snake in the world, is highly toxic and can kill within minutes. The man was taken to a hospital where he was placed on a ventilator.

Attacks by king cobras, indigenous to the Indian sub continent and southeast Asia, are rare. Researchers say they strike only if they feel threatened.

We don't need no water

"Ask the men and women who stood on top of the (World) Trade Center," said Rep. Randy (Duke) Cunningham, R-Calif. "Ask them and they will tell you: pass this amendment."

Eeek.. the house passed the "flag burning amendment". I found it amusing to read the quote from our most recent "Liberal or Conservative" contestant... I'm sure he went back to his "friend's" yacht, the "Duke Stir", for some completely heterosexual male bonding..

Still, I can't imagine anyone standing on top of the smoldering ruins of the WTC and thinking to themselves "hey - we need a flag burning Constitutional amendment".

I really don't get it anyway. Shouldn't it be called the blind obedience amendment? That's what it appears to be. So a person burns a flag? That means what?

If this thing actually gets passed by the Senate, and ratified by the states, I'll celebrate by burning a flag. I've never done that before, but I think it will truly be deserved.

(k) The flag, when it is in such condition that it is no longer a fitting emblem for display, should be destroyed in a dignified way, preferably by burning.

Clinton vs. Bush

So, Clinton is slick Willy, but George Bush has "FAMILY VALUES"!!! Keep screaming "FAMILY VALUES" at the top of your lungs. It might make you feel better after you realize:

Today, we know that compassionate conservatism is really just big government and changing the tone means his veto pen is buried under the ground. The last four years, total spending has risen 33 percent - a figure larger than Clinton's two terms combined. Adjusted for inflation, one would have to go back to Lyndon Johnson to find a larger increase. Moreover, real discretionary spending increases in FY2002, FY2003, FY2004 and FY2005 are 4 of the 10 biggest annual increases in the last 40 years.

Sullivan

This is classic Andrew Sullivan:

The real news in the Downing Street memos is not, I think, some non-existent plot to lie to America about the war. The administration genuinely believed Saddam had WMDs, planned to remove him very shortly after 9/11, and made the broader case for democratization long before the war broke out. I agreed with them on all of it, and still do, apart from the obvious fact that we were wrong about the WMDs. But none of this is what is really scandalous about the memos. What's scandalous is that they reveal that the administration had no real plans for running Iraq after victory. Kevin Drum lays out the evidence here and calls it "criminal neglect." He's right. I assumed that this vital war would have enough troops to succeed and that there was a detailed and smart plan for the post-war. I was wrong. In retrospect, I should have been far more aggressive in asking questions about this before the war; and I apologize for negligence in that department. But I trusted in the competence of the Bush administration. When critics say I've changed my tune, they're wrong about my position on the war on terror in principle. I still support it, believe we are still at enormous risk of catastrophe, desperately want to win in Iraq and see the terror-masters in Tehran and Damascus go down. I have simply lost confidence in this administration's capacity to wage it effectively, honestly and morally. In the second term, I've seen nothing that would allow me to feel cheerier. They're all we've got and we have to support them when they do the right thing and hope that they succeed. But hope is not the same thing as confidence. I'm clinging to one even as I've lost all grip on the other.

Boiled down - he's saying that we needed a war against terror (in Iraq?), and he's sorry the Administration bungled it and things didn't go well..

In other words, Andy presupposes the rosy scenario in geopolitics.

The thing is, he doesn't ever learn from having to say "I apologize" over and over. His interpretation of the DSM is exactly the same rosy scenario once again! He continually gives the Bush cabal the benefit of the doubt when every single thing they have done has broken that trust.

The evidence that the Bush administration intentionally lied this country into a war is a mile high. The DSM's are just further confirmation. When a memo explicitly states "intelligence is being fixed", what does he think that means?

Sullivan often writes some really sane things. Most, but not all, of the stuff he writes on gay rights is spot on. I just get this impression of Sully stamping his feet saying "I wish I wish I wish" over and over like some 8 year old the day before Christmas. He wants the best possible outcome in all things, but he refuses to see that it isn't the outcome you have to focus on, it's the process. When the process is fundamentally flawed, the outcome you want will rarely happen.

So, you have competing philosophies. You have the Republican/Conservative philosophy, and the Democrat/Liberal philosophy. I'm a true believer that the Democrat/Liberal philosophy gives a much better chance at the success that Sully is looking for.

The Republican/Conservative philosophy has proven time and again that it's flawed.

Square peg, round hole. Sully keeps beating the square peg as if it's somehow going to fit.

That's what I call being "faith based"; the idea that if you bang at that peg long enough, and wish for it hard enough, it will magically become round and slide right in and fit like a glove.

I also take exception to him urging us to "support them when they do the right thing". To do that would be to give tacit approval to the disaster they've caused. We fight tooth and nail because what is in competition here is not the politics of today, which is already ruined. We're concerned about the politics of tomorrow.

This is such an important issue that we must fight, and never let the Bush style of Republican-ism ever rear it's ugly head again.

We have to be realistic enough to know that we won't have Democratic Presidents from here on out. I can live with a McCain style Republican. Even a Goldwater Republican I could stand for 4 years. The Bush debacle has cost us far too dearly.

Now, Sully, about those terra masters in Tehran and Damascus; how do you propose to "take 'em down!"? Eh?

Damn

I totally missed the boat on this one..

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The United States handed out nearly $20 billion of Iraq's funds, with a rush to spend billions in the final days before transferring power to the Iraqis nearly a year ago, a report said on Tuesday.

One single shipment amounted to $2.4 billion -- the largest movement of cash in the bank's history, said Waxman.

Cash was loaded onto giant pallets for shipment by plane to Iraq, and paid out to contractors who carried it away in duffel bags.

The report, released at a House of Representatives committee hearing, said despite the huge amount of money, there was little U.S. scrutiny in how these assets were managed.

"The disbursement of these funds was characterized by significant waste, fraud and abuse," said Waxman.

Contractors were told to turn up with big duffel bags to pick up their payments and some were paid from the back of pick-up trucks.

One picture shows grinning CPA officials standing in front of a pile of cash said to be worth $2 million to be paid to a security contractor.

Rep. Christopher Shays of Connecticut, a Republican, said the photograph disturbed him. "It looks a little loose to me," he said, of the smiling officials.

"I share your concern," said Bowen.

All told, some 9 Billion, that's BILLION with a B is missing.. They have NO idea where it went.

Who knew they were just giving away palletes of cash?

The whole Iraqi adventure has been the biggest cluster fuck in modern times. The thing that gets me is how brazen the Republicans are in their greed, corruption, and total disregard for anything but their wealth. It just goes to show the power of words. Say "family values" and you can get away with anything.

It also goes to show how fucking stupid I am. Sure, I wouldn't mind being fabulously wealthy, but that isn't going to happen. I've long since realized I'm destined to be relatively poor (that's relative to Republican scum, but relatively rich to say, people living in Somalia).

I was in a car accident in '99, in which my car was totaled. The other insurance company bought me a new car and paid my small medical expenses. I didn't sue for a half million. I figured they compensated me for what I lost, which is what insurance is supposed to do.

I was out of work for a year and I didn't file for unemployment benefits. I figured that's like charity, and I work for the money I make.

But, then I'm just a fag liberal, right? I'm not an evangelical preacher, living in a 10,000 sq ft house, wearing $1500 suits. I'm not a Republican coin dealer who accidentally "loses" 12 million dollars of tax payer money in Ohio. I'm not a Halliburton "contractor" loading up crates of cash into the back of my SUV.

Integrity and honesty count for a lot, but it's hard to remember that sometimes when you read stories like this one.

Secular!

There are two cases pending at the Supreme Court relating to the display of the 10 commandments at public locations. A ruling may come down this week.

It's a big deal. It's very important that the fundi's do not gain any more influence.

Each case is born out of the religious and cultural struggle raging in modern America between radical evangelicals and advocates of the secular state.

The conservative religious right, a strong backer of President George W. Bush, argues that the country is a "Christian" state and decry attempts to deny that heritage.

As we know from actually doing research (right?) that is a bald faced lie. The country is not a "Christian" state, and in fact the opposite is codified via the Treaty of Tripoli. You can see the original text in the national archives if you really want.

Well, I've documented several times that the evangelicals are lying, which really isn't much of a surprise, is it?

The question becomes - do we as a society base our culture on sound principals, morals, and science, or do we base it on improvable doctrine that is thousands of years old, which has no real relevance to the world today?

Remember - only 2 of the 10 commandments are actual laws. Don't steal. Don't kill. Duh!

This is really important.

If the fundi's win this one.. here's what we should do.. find some fundi's, wait for them to eat a shrimp, then beat them to death with large stones. Then, at trial, argue that the Old Testament (where the story of the 10 commandments lives) specifically states that eating shell fish is an abomination, and those that partake must be beaten to death. That's God's law.

Then we can move onto everyone who has had a divorce.. Rush Limbaugh is first..

Top 100 movie quotes

The American Film Institute released their list of the top 100 movie quotes. List here:

My favorites..

6 Go ahead, make my day. SUDDEN IMPACT 1983
10 You talking to me? TAXI DRIVER 1976
12 I love the smell of napalm in the morning. APOCALYPSE NOW 1979
21 A census taker once tried to test me. I ate his liver with some fava beans and a nice Chianti. THE SILENCE OF THE LAMBS 1991
35 You're gonna need a bigger boat. JAWS 1975
61 Say "hello" to my little friend! SCARFACE 1983
68 Here's Johnny! THE SHINING 1980
72 No wire hangers, ever! MOMMIE DEAREST 1981
78 Open the pod bay doors, HAL. 2001: A SPACE ODYSSEY 1968
79 Striker: Surely you can't be serious.
Rumack: I am serious…and don't call me Shirley.
AIRPLANE! 1980

Bolton down the hatches

This is going to get interesting..

WASHINGTON - Reversing field after a meeting with President Bush, Senate Majority Leader Bill Frist said he will continue pushing for a floor vote on John R. Bolton for U.N. ambassador. Frist switched his position after initially saying Tuesday that negotiations with Democrats to get a vote on Bolton had been exhausted.

This will be an extreme embarrassment to Bush if he loses this one..

Quote of the Day

You're like a bad rash that won't go away...........

If you're going to dribble on like that use the trackback.
Oxen | 06.21.05 - 4:06 pm | #

All I wanted to know is why he hasn't joined the military, or at least encouraged his readers to. It's pretty simple.

Progress

I just bought a new DVD/CD reader for my computer to replace the one that hosed my machine last week. It was 21$ + $4 for shipping.

I remember when 3X CD readers were several hundred dollars.. Actually.. I remember a day prior to CD ROMS even existing, but I don't want to go too much further back.

Newegg is a great place to buy stuff on-line..

Operation Yellow Elephant - Update

Jesus' General is amazing.. Of course, it's something of a parody site, but what it does with it's parody is very real. They are very serious about the current mission they have undertaken.

Essentially, J.C. Christian (Jesus' General) has encouraged all his readers, as well as the blog-o-sphere as a whole, to get involved in a very real way.

This "Op" as he likes to call them, is a good one. The National Convention of the Young Republican's is in July, and Crooks and Liars tried to buy a full page ad in the official program. Their ad was rejected....

We are sorry but we must regretfully reject this advertisement. We feel that the tone of the message is too negative.

Here's the ad they wanted in the program:



Isn't that amazing? That kind of message was pushed by the government during WWII to get people to join the military, yet here we have the most ardent war supporters, bright young men and women of the perfect age (basically still kids) for military service, and they refuse to run an ad asking them to enlist.

They refuse to enlist. Why? You'd have to be insane to want to go to Iraq right now. They may be vicious partisan hypocrites, but they aren't stupid.

Actually - what they are, cowards.

** update **



Isn't that neat-o? Here we have the young Republican's with Republican Spokane mayor West. Remember West? He's the "I'm not gay" gay guy that likes to cruise for 18 year olds on-line, while frothing anti-gay rhetoric.

How come those very healthy looking young 'Pubs aren't in fatigues and getting ready to deploy to Iraq?

They are standing in front of an American flag made of balloons, so that means they're really patriotic and all that. I'll bet they have those yellow ribbon stickers on their cars to!

But that's not good enough..

Good drugs man...

Noticed a post at Americablog, which quotes Rush Limbaugh today..

At any rate, the Downing Street memo, the reason it's such an item in the news is because it's what spawned this mock impeachment hearing that took place Thursday night in Washington. This is the thing that was chaired by John Conyers, and this is where all the anti-Semitism came out of the mouths of a bunch of Democrats that participated in this thing, and it's that which Howard Dean has now had to go out and say, "Anti-Semitism, why, that's not part of our party," blah, blah.

This is a great example of right wing spin. Well, spin is a kind word. It's right wing lying.

The facts: a crazy person in the PUBLIC audience was handing out anti-Semitic literature. The Democratic Congressmen later denounced it when it became an issue.

How does Rush Limbaugh go from the facts, to "out of the mouths of a bunch of Democrats"? It wasn't a "mock impeachment hearing", it was a hearing concerning the Downing Street memos, which is exceptionally important.

Well, it's important to me. Doesn't it make sense to investigate whether or not the President of the United States lied this nation into a war?

Everyone who thinks we should NOT investigate that, raise your hand. I'm just curious which among us would prefer to live in a Stalinist nation, rather than an open and self-critical Democracy.

This is important because most people I know are liberal, they just don't know it. There is a "conventional wisdom" in the general public's consciousness that defines Democrats, Republicans, liberals, and conservatives. Those labels are misrepresented in the conventional wisdom because of the tactics of people like Limbaugh, Sean Hannity, Bill O'Liely, and many on the evangelical Christian right.

How did they skew the conventional wisdom? They lied, just as surely as Rush Limbaugh lied this morning. Those that listen to him just assume he's telling the truth, and now all of those people think that the Democratic Congressmen are anti-Semitic.

What a crock of shit. There is no accountability for a talking head beyond ratings. There are no regulations about lying on public airwaves. There are laws regarding slander, but when you slander the Democratic party, that is an indistinct body and it's not actionable.

Personally, I think John Conyers would make a great running mate for Hillary. Imagine that. The Democrats nominate a white woman for President, and a black man for Vice President. Slam dunk..

The Billy Bob's of this nation will go insane..

Another Prediction

Saddam Hussein will be assassinated, or otherwise mysteriously expire before the end of the year.

Saddam, 68, has been jailed under American control at a U.S. military detention complex near Baghdad airport named Camp Cropper, which holds 110 high-profile detainees.

But Shandal alleged that U.S. officials deliberately are trying to limit access to Saddam because they have their own secrets to protect, including funneling money and support to Iraqi leader during his rule.

"It seems there are lots of secrets they want to hide," Shandal said.

"There should be transparency and there should be frankness, but there are secrets that if revealed, won't be in the interest of many countries," he said. "Who was helping Saddam all those years?"

Who was helping Saddam all those years? It's obvious..

Link:

Prediction

Here's another prediction.... terra alert in the next 2 weeks, or a Bin Laden capture.

Things are getting really bad for Chimpy. The press is starting to ask real questions. It won't be long before we have a new vague threat warning, or capture OBL.. or perhaps capture the #3 man in Al-Quaida for the 20th time..

Quote of the Ages

"Judge not, that you be not judged. For with the judgment you pronounce you will be judged, and the measure you give will be the measure you get."

The Common Theme

Reading around the net today, I came to a conclusion as to what causes right wingers.

It is simply a tweak of the golden rule: Do unto others as they do unto you.

It is epitomized by Abu Ghraib, and Gitmo. There is quite an uproar from the wingers regarding Dick Durbin's comments on prisoner abuse. Durbin used words like "gulag" and so on.

The wingers actually like "terrorist" prisons, and they don't have a problem with violating Geneva conventions. They like torturing terrorists, and are not the least bothered with them even being killed.

The justification is always the same: Muslim terrorists are worse.

This is a great exchange between John at Americablog, and a winger.

-----------
First, here's what he sent me:

Can you please post a link to this petition to dump Dick Durbin? We have almost 200 signatures already. With your help, we can get to 1000 in no time at all.

Here's how I responded:

Why in God's name do you think I'd sign on to that? I'm a liberal blogger. It's outrageous what we're doing in Gitmo and Abu Ghraib and elsewhere.

Then he wrote me this:

Just be grateful that you are not Nick Berg. He didnt get filet mignon and a free torah before they sliced his head off for Al-Jezeera audiences throughout the middle-east. Im sure that he would have loved to be a prisoner in Gitmo rather than dead like he is now. If you need a reminder of who Nick Berg was, and what happened to him go to www.michaelsavage.com. And, if you have the stomach for it watch the video of Nick Berg getting his head sliced off while his captors praise ALLAH. Dick Durbin is a LIBERAL IDIOT - probably a lot like you John. Keep supporting Durbin and the DNC, and you will be facing MECCAH 5 times a day that is if they let you keep your head! Happy Blogging John!

So I wrote him this:

Have fun, little child.

Then I got this from him:

Hey John,

Did you watch the video of Nick Berg getting his head cut-off by your terrorist buddies, or are you too scared to watch it?

Nick Berg didn’t have Dick Durbin coming to his defense on the floor of the senate. Nick Berg didn’t have people like you and the ACLU fighting for his rights while they sliced his head off and chanted to ALLAH! Go ahead! I dare you! Watch the video of Nick Berg’s execution! I dare you to watch it! You probably do not have the guts! Watch the video and then get back to me!

Happy blogging,

US CITIZEN and PROUD OF IT!

-------------
See? He's A Merkin!

The main symptom of wingerism is the irrational relation of two isolated incidences. Because Nick Berg was killed by some Islamic terrorists, the implication is that the prisoners in Abu Ghraib and Gitmo are somehow related to that, and therefore deserve very harsh treatment. The disconnect is obvious.

Somehow, the wingers think that liberals and Democrats are anti-American and enjoyed the fact that Nick Berg was executed. They somehow think we don't care that terrorists are killing people, and that we only want to coddle the terrorists.

That could not be further from the truth, but the wingers just aren't smart enough to understand our point of view. They are unable to logically grasp cause and effect, in as much as issues are related, and as issues are NOT related.

For the wingers, they will watch very graphic video, or see very graphic images of violence. They become consumed by the emotional response to that, which is natural, but they are not capable of retaining a sense of logic. Through that twisted sense, they conclude that Dick Durbin and liberals are supporting terrorists.

Many of the prisoners in Gitmo and Abu Ghraib (as well as other detention facilities) are innocent, and quite undeserving of being tortured and killed while in custody. Even those that are involved in terrorist activities must be granted due process of law.

The wingers would say "Why give them due process? They didn't give Nick Berg due process!", which again completely misses the point of unrelated cause and effect. Liberals believe that moral decency is a right that belongs to everyone, and that means everyone regardless.

Wingers believe that if we don't abandon our core principals, we will be invaded and occupied by Muslims, and forced to convert to the Islamic faith. That's not a joke - they actually believe that.

But, then, ask them to turn the thinking around from a Muslim point of view. America did invade a Muslim nation. We are occupying them. Is it a stretch for an Iraqi to believe they will be forced to convert to Christianity?

It's a matter of perspective. What the wingers in America fear most is what is happening to Iraqis, which is why you see "insurgents" blowing themselves up on a daily basis. Unfortunately, the wingers are incapable of looking at the issue from outside their own point of view.

You can see the same exact mentality at nearly all the right wing/freeper sites and blogs. They are -exactly- the same as those they fear, but simply of a different nationality.

It's unfortunate that they don't understand the implication of that type of thinking. This Administration has given away America's right to be a moral judge in the world. We can no longer shame or cajole another nation into ending abuses when we are guilty of it ourselves.

When the United States has not just lowered the bar, but taken the bar away, all bets are off for everyone else as well. It is the end of justice.

Finally, my favorite phrase is that "I'm American, and proud of it!" line. It is always set in the context of American failings. The US Air Force bombs a wedding ceremony, thinking it's a gathering of Iraqi insurgents and you get "I'm proud to be an American!", as if anyone who is disgusted by the lack of judgment and the futility of innocent people dying is "un-American".

A winger would read this and say "If you don't like it, you can just go live in France!", which of course completely misses the point, and just confirms my hypothesis.

But hey.. I'm A Merkin - and I, for one, don't think being "An American" means excusing horrors perpetuated in our names. I think being an American means defending the principals of what that name means - not by drawing a moral equivalence between Islamic terrorists and American values.

The real un-Americans? The wingers of course. They are trying to destroy the moral fabric of this nation by excusing the most horrific acts imaginable.

And of course, that person that wrote to John? A yellow elephant if I ever saw one. Just another idiot who wants to type out his "support the troops" bull shit, but doesn't want to be one of the troops...

** update **

By the way, American soldiers are being asked to buy their own body armor. That's what this administration has done to our military. Link:

Marine Pfc. Jeremy Tod, 19, called home with news that his superiors were urging him and fellow Marines to buy special military equipment, including flak jackets with armor plating, to enhance the prospects of their survival. The message was that such purchases were to be made by Marines with their own money.

"He said they strongly suggested he get this equipment because when they get to Iraq they will wish they had," Tod said. Total estimated cost: $600.

** Update 2 **

Atrios sez:

...just to add, we see versions of this everywhere. For some reasons conservatives believe it isn't actually self-evident that the terrrorist act of capturing/killing/beheading someone is a bad thing, that one must confirm this by pointing it out over and over again. I shouldn't be surprised as most of them also don't think that it's self-evident that it's a bad thing for the policy of the United States of America to be to torture people.

Quote of the Day

I just met with Attorney General Gonzales and right now he is launching a major effort to prosecute the porn industry. He intends to smash these criminal enterprises on the Internet and elsewhere with a special new obscenity strike force. That is the only way to handle hardcore pornographers! - Tony Perkins (Crazy Person)

That's pretty weird, isn't it? I mean, it reminds me of something Trey Parker and Matt Stone would do for South Park.

The Obscenity Strike Force!

I find this odd for a couple of reasons. First of all, porn is legal in the United States. How do you send the Strike Force! after something that is legal?

Not to mention - most people like porn, or at least the personal option to have porn if you want to. It's intended for adults, and most people like the idea that adults can decide for themselves what they like and what they don't like.

Finally, what is it with Republicans and sex? The only reason I ever write about this kind of stuff is because Republicans and Christians are just obsessed with it. Every time you turn around they are raising sexual issues. Try and watch a cartoon and one of them will scream that the animated character is gay. It goes on and on, day after day.

Well, I do know why it is. They are simply not getting enough satisfying sex. You generally don't think about it all that much if you have somebody who rocks your world in the sack.

More exactly, people like Tony Perkins know how to make money. They make money by appealing to a certain base. The base, in this case, is frustrated white people. Tony Perkins may be getting laid every day, and he might not really care about sexual issues. However, he does care about power and money. Therefore, he's smart enough to know that most people have lousy sex lives and he knows that those people hate everyone who has a good sex life.

Send out the Strike Force!

Chimpeach

So, let me ask the Republican's.. the war supporters.. and other assorted Bush supporters a hypothetical question.

Suppose the Downing Street memo is correct. Suppose that the administration did "fix the intelligence" to support the invasion. Suppose there was a concerted effort to lie to the American public about the justification for the war.

Suppose that even more British memos are coming to light that shows the American and British forces were deliberately escalating a bombing campaign - prior to the war.

The advice was first provided to senior ministers in March 2002. Two months later RAF and USAF jets began "spikes of activity" designed to goad Saddam Hussein into retaliating and giving the allies a pretext for war.

The Foreign Office advice shows military action to pressurise the regime was "not consistent with" UN law, despite American claims that it was.

Not "consistent with" UN law is another way of saying illegal, isn't it? If you said "robbing a bank is not consistent with Texas law" that would mean that bank robbery is illegal, right?

Although the legality of the war has been more of an issue in Britain than in America, the revelations indicate Bush may also have acted illegally, since Congress did not authorise military action until October 11 2002.

Isn't that an interesting observation? Why is the legality more of an issue in the U.K. than America? The media has a lot to do with it, but then so does the apathy of the American public.

What if it's all true? What do you do? You like George Bush. You voted for him in the last election. You have "family values", but now you realize that it was all illegal, it was all lies, and there are thousands of people dead.

What do you do?

Democratic congressmen claimed last week the evidence it contains is grounds for impeaching President George Bush.

So.. I'm just asking.. what if it was all true. Do you impeach Bush? Should he go to jail? What about Cheney, and Rumsfeld, and Wolfowitz, and Powell, and Rice? Should they all be put in jail?

Here's a prediction - Bush is going to get impeached and convicted. It would seem to me that most people see the obvious nature of this situation. Most see how obvious it was that Iraq had nothing to do with the attacks on 9/11. Most see how those attacks were used as a smokescreen to invade and occupy a Muslim nation that had nothing to do with 9/11, nor had WMD's, nor posed a threat.

But back to the original question. I'm curious how many people, if they believed the allegations, would still prefer Bush to remain in office, and continue to support him?

Just curious..

Another thing I was just thinking about - is how nice it is to have a blog and be on record, in writing, about various situations going on in the world. I can be caught being wrong, because you can just refer back to the archives and see what my view or prediction was.

The Terri Shiavo situation is a perfect example. Was I right? Yep. Did everything end up the way I thought I would? Check..

So how do I do it? Well, it doesn't take a rocket scientist to figure this stuff out. It's all about Ockham's Razor. The simplest explanation is more likely to be accurrate. That applies to the Iraq war as well.

** update **

When Prime Minister Tony Blair's chief foreign policy adviser dined with Condoleezza Rice six months after Sept. 11, the then-U.S. national security adviser didn't want to discuss Osama bin Laden or al-Qaida. She wanted to talk about "regime change" in Iraq, setting the stage for the U.S.-led invasion more than a year later.

President Bush wanted Blair's support, but British officials worried the White House was rushing to war, according to a series of leaked secret Downing Street memos that have renewed questions and debate about Washington's motives for ousting Saddam Hussein.

In one of the memos, British Foreign Office political director Peter Ricketts openly asks whether the Bush administration had a clear and compelling military reason for war.

"U.S. scrambling to establish a link between Iraq and al-Qaida is so far frankly unconvincing," Ricketts says in the memo. "For Iraq, `regime change' does not stack up. It sounds like a grudge between Bush and Saddam."....

The AP obtained copies of six of the memos (the other two have circulated widely). A senior British official who reviewed the copies said their content appeared authentic.

It would seem that Deep Throat is British this time.. It is also no joke that these offenses are impeachable.

Liberal or Conservative VIV? - Revealed

GOP Congressman Randy "Duke" Cunningham

Okay.. well, I suppose that wasn't a difficult one to guess. But - run of the mill conservatives are boring. I like the really hypocritical ones. They are soooo much more enjoyable to make fun of.

It's even better when loud mouthed anti-gay bigots turn out to be big giant homos themselves!

Elizabeth Birch of the Human Rights campaign (HRC) has been accused of outing a member of Congress by telling the story of an anti-gay congressman who, eight years ago, privately asked her how people know if they are gay, and stated that he had "loved men".

Birch said that the politician held her and Zingale back after the meeting, and when his staff had left, he asked them, "So how do you know?… You know, how do you know if you’re that way?"

Maybe he "loved men" in a manly heterosexual sort of way... but then.. it's not hard to know when you're "that way", is it?

But wait, there's more.. (there always is)

Rep. Randy "Duke" Cunningham, a Vietnam War hero and "top gun" fighter pilot, serves on the House subcommittee that appropriates money for the nation's defense. The California Republican also lives on a yacht berthed on the Potomac that is owned by the president of a local defense firm whose contracts Cunningham has supported.

The relationship between Cunningham and the defense executive, Mitchell J. Wade, does not stop there. Two years ago, Wade bought Cunningham's house in California at a price that turned out to be much higher than it fetched at resale. Wade, who put the property up for sale soon after he bought it, had to swallow a $700,000 loss.

Oh.. but the "relationship" doesn't stop there.. oh no.. that would be just your typical greedy and corrupt Republican..

Wade is also involved in Cunningham's housing situation in Washington. The North County Times of Escondido, Calif., reported yesterday that Cunningham is living at least temporarily on a 42-foot yacht owned by Wade and kept at the Capital Yacht Club. The boat's name: Duke Stir. It could not be determined yesterday whether the name is a reference to the congressman's nickname.

Kinda like Dukester.. LOL

Lets see.. how many manly heterosexual types say they have "loved men", wonders how one knows they are "that way", and lives on a yacht named for you, but owned by another "friend". Hmmm...

I swear, I will mix in liberals into this game because it's becoming too obvious right now..

** Update **

Scott Schramm, the previous owner of "Duke Stir," is the founder of the Potomac Rainbow Cruisers, a gay boating club in DC.

LOL

The F Bomb

It's just a word you know. It's 4 characters strewn together to convey a meaning. It doesn't blow up American service members. It doesn't cause teenagers to abuse drugs. It doesn't cause corporations to lay off employees.

It's just a word, and the meaning you attach to it is the power that you give to it.

And I just got a smear of jelly doughnut on my favorite geek reference guide.. fuck..

** update **

I find it utterly bizarre what some people value in other people. They can be so judgmental over the most irrelevant things.. but in all of the details, they miss the big picture.

Maybe sit down and write a list of things that you will regret on your final day - and see if you can't fix them now.

We're only in this world for a short time.. and it grows shorter by the second..

No WMD's here

Nice editorial from Editor and Publisher. Link:

I remember being very bothered by this incident. Some of the so-called "conservatives" I know found it charming that the President could be so self-effacing.

How many times can we say it? There were no WMD's. There was no link to Al-Quaida. There was no "imminent threat". Every single justification for the war turned out to be a lie, used to rationalize their already planned invasion of a soverign nation.

What there is, is over 1700 dead American service members, and tens of thousands of dead Iraqis.

And a lot of you voted for him knowing that. What does that say?

Oh.. but he's "family values". Well, fuck family values when the bodies start piling up. K?

It occurred on March 24, 2004. The setting: The 60th annual black-tie dinner of the Radio and Television Correspondents Association (with many print journalists there as guests) at the Hilton. On the menu: surf and turf. Attendance: 1500. The main speaker: President George W. Bush, one year into the Iraq war, with 500 Americans already dead.

Now you may recall what happened. President Bush, as usual at such gatherings of journalists, poked fun at himself. Great leeway is granted to presidents (and their spouses) at such events, allowing them to offer somewhat tasteless or even off-color barbs. Audiences love to laugh along with, rather than at, a president, for a change. It's all in good fun, except when it's in bad fun, such as on that night in March 2004.

That night, in the middle of his stand-up routine before the (perhaps tipsy) journos, Bush showed on a screen behind him some candid on-the-job photos of himself. One featured him gazing out a window, as Bush narrated, smiling: “Those weapons of mass destruction have got to be somewhere.” According to the transcript this was greeted with “laughter and applause.”

A few seconds later, he was shown looking under papers, behind drapes, and even under his desk, with this narration: “Nope, no weapons over there” (met with more “laughter and applause”), and then “Maybe under here?” (just “laughter” this time). Still searching, he settled for finding a photo revealing the Skull and Bones secret signal.

Stupid News

FRAMINGHAM, Mass. - A woman searching for aluminum cans in a trash bin was dumped into the back of a garbage truck after the driver emptied the bin without realizing the woman was inside, police said.

Wendy Cobb, 38, avoided major injury after a worker installing carpet nearby heard Cobb's screams and alerted the truck driver, who was about to press the compacting button, the MetroWest Daily News of Framingham reported.

Cobb, who said she's unemployed because of a bad back, said she doesn't collect cans unless she needs gas money. The trash bin was nearly empty so Cobb thought there was a low risk it would be emptied, she said.

Cobb was treated for an ankle injury. She also said she lost a cell phone in the fall Tuesday morning.

Framingham Police Lt. Vincent Alfano said the driver would not be cited. Dennis O'Connor, Central Massachusetts district manager for Waste Management, owner of the trash bin, said Cobb was at fault.

"(The bin) is private property. She was trespassing," O'Connor said. "It's kind of ironic, here she is digging for cans in a Dumpster, but yet she has a cell phone."

Cobb said she's angry with Waste Management and plans to talk to an attorney.

"(Waste Management) tried to get me to sign a waiver to say it was not their fault," Cobb said. "I said, 'No way.'"

Careful what you say

Tim Shortell's colleagues elected him chair of the Brooklyn College sociology department.

Shortly thereafter...

Brooklyn [College] released a two-sentence statement saying that Professor Timothy Shortell declined the election as chair and that the colleges president will be consulting with the department and appropriate members of the administration regarding the future leadership of the department. [Inside Higher Ed, June 8.]

Shortell's controversial essay argues that blind religious faith undermines an individual's capacity for genuine moral agency. His central theme is the rather commonplace observation that people who use a code of "revealed truths" to guide their behavior are shirking the hard work of moral deliberation. The author calls these people "moral retards." Unfortunately, he conflates blind followers of religious dogma with thoughtful believers who reason independently within a religiously-informed framework. But make no mistake, the former really are moral retards. Blind followers of dogma may conduct themselves well if they seize on a sound set of rules, but "just following orders" isn't a moral position, even if you think you're just following orders from God.

He not only deserves the appointment, he should be running the entire college.

While the professor is quite right, blind followers of religious dogma are lazy, the bigger implication is the protections afforded by the first amendment, or lack thereof.

I periodically come across reports of people who are penalized by employers for behavior conducted on their own time. A sales manager at Coors is fired because he is seen drinking Budweiser at a bar on his own time. A professor looses an appointment because of an opinion he writes on an internet site.

Should you be allowed to be critical of your employer on your own time? Most would say no. There is a fine line there.

But being penalized for expressing an opinion that has nothing to do with your job or the company you work for should be illegal. Right?

Well, what if you marched in a KKK rally? Should your employer be allowed to fire you for that?

I believe this issue needs to be addressed, and very clear laws established regarding protections under the first amendment. We are human beings, and we have opinions that we are entitled to.

link:

Common Sense

Ken Grandlund stopped by and dropped a comment in my blog. I haven't read him in a while so went and had a look.

It is apparent to me that I'm the McDonald's of blogging. It isn't substantive. It isn't even good for you. Yet, somehow, it's rather satisfying. Ken is in that other realm. He should be writing books, not blog posts. Easily 4 star.

He has a nice piece on tolerance up. He concludes with:

True tolerance is essential for the progression of society. Tolerance for that which shows the most creative, most ingenious, most inspirational, and most reasonable aspects of humanity should be nurtured and shared, to further to abilities of humanity, to allow us to succeed together as a species.

I say the same thing, but I word it like:

How dare these god damn freak Christians tell me who I can and cannot love? Who is going to be the next target of their hatred? The world will go to hell in a big hurry if we allow extremists on any side to dictate political policy.

I think I even asked if lobotomies were okay yesterday..

There is a reason why my tone is the way it is.. I took a quick stab at explaining that on Ken's blog... what I wrote:

My problem is that I write when I'm angry. For example, after I read what Ottman wrote there [anti-gay propaganda], my first impulse was to go off. I could go and collect a mountain of statistics, documented studies on sexuality, and wrap it all around a nice angry STFU rant.

I do that routinely on my blog.

I have to disagree with Gun-Toting liberal as well. Clearly, we are not making progress towards tolerance as a nation. Just last week, the governor of the state I live in suggested that there are other states that might be more accommodating to me, and perhaps I should leave.

That from the governor of the state of Texas.

In years past, I really didn't think much about the ignorance of people like Ottman. They simply were not a part of my life and could not affect me. Now they do. The 11 state constitutional amendments passed last election, deprived many the right to marry the person of their choice. I am in the same boat. It infuriates me.

They look at me as if I am less than human, simply for being gay. They judge as if they understand a concept that is clearly foreign to them. They make up bogus statistics to reinforce their contention that society has a right to regulate what two consenting adults do in their own home.

That was the essence of Lawrence vs. Texas last summer. That is why Scalia came unglued when the SC struck down sodomy laws.

It is not only the gay issue. It is the war issue, and fiscal issues, and just about every side of politics you can imagine.

I've steadily let go of my ability to calmly state an opinion and write 2000 words of thoughtful material for a blog post. In many respects, that bothers me because I realize that shrill is not persuasive.

But - in the long run, I don't care. Perhaps sometime down the road I could write an analysis without coming unglued, but right now ranting works.

Truly, you have to be part of a group that is thought of as less than human to understand real rage. White heterosexual America has no idea what it's like.

Anyway, if you want to read some thoughtful ideas, have a look at Ken's blog. I'm adding it to my links..

Shhhh.. it's a secret

Off for the weekend, but before I do....

Top 10 secrets revealed in former LA Police Detective Mark Furhman's new book, Silent Witness: The Untold Story of Terri Schiavo's Death.

10. Schiavo lost the will to live when Howard Dean described her as being a white woman.

9. Tom Delay offered to give Terri half of his brain but was told that he couldn't because greedy brown people had already offered theirs.

8. Michael Moore, Jeanine Garofalo, Tim Robbins, and Susan Sarandon pitched in to pay a hit man to murder Schiavo when they learned that she could pinpoint the location of Saddam's WMDs.

7. Michael Schiavo was nowhere near Cambodia on Christmas Eve in 1968.

6. Hillary Klinton beat Vince Foster to death with Terri's comatose body.

5. Jimmy Carter ordered Schiavo to be silenced because she knew about Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez' plan to destroy Galveston Texas with his fleet of Vorgon battle cruisers.

4. Zell Miller's bite was meant to heal not to kill.

3. How phone calls originating from a Fox News studio fueled Schiavo's secret love for Bill O'Reilly.

2. Jeff Gannon performed a medical examination on Schiavo and determined that she could be saved if the ANWR was opened up for oil exploration.

1. Detective Fuhrman reveals that Schiavo was murdered "by her husband, who is secretly a brown person!"


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