Putting the Faux in news

Avedon Carol of the Sideshow blog, points to a Katha Politt article in the Nation about how an Arizona Fox News affiliate tried to intimidate voters and those attempting to register them to vote. Short version? The fox reporter, Natalie Tejeda, claims the students registering to vote in Arizona are committing a felony, and they are not. Let’s not forget the fact that Fox went after a feminist group doing a voter registration driver, ignoring a campus Republican group - who by the way, support the feminist voter registration efforts - doing the same thing. I suppose the local news was just trying for a certain "feel" to they story - telling people what they are doing is wrong, and not so much concerned with whether they are accurate or not. It's hard to be concerned about the facts when you've already decided what they are in advance. Can we make some of these local news reporters wear "Hack" buttons, or is that going too far?

Putting the Faux in news

Avedon Carol of the Sideshow blog, points to a Katha Politt article in the Nation about how an Arizona Fox News affiliate tried to intimidate voters and those attempting to register them to vote. Short version? The fox reporter, Natalie Tejeda, claims the students registering to vote in Arizona are committing a felony, and they are not. Let’s not forget the fact that Fox went after a feminist group doing a voter registration driver, ignoring a campus Republican group - who by the way, support the feminist voter registration efforts - doing the same thing. I suppose the local news was just trying for a certain "feel" to they story - telling people what they are doing is wrong, and not so much concerned with whether they are accurate or not. It's hard to be concerned about the facts when you've already decided what they are in advance. Can we make some of these local news reporters wear "Hack" buttons, or is that going too far?

Bush remix 2004

The networks are considering the many rules set up for tomorrow's debate between President George W. Bush and Senator John F. Kerry. Bush, who's won every debate I've seen him make, will no doubt be called an "underdog" in the debates beforehand by the talking melon-heads. Afterwards, they'll comment on how well he did. Of course, the most important thing is how he performs in a debate. Not say, how he's governed the country for the last four years. As usual the punditry will treat us to talk about the spin and the styles of the campaigns. The actual issues will circle their tiny little heads like will 'o the wisps, insubstantial and serving only to set the election mood.

Bush's acceptance speech from 200 may need some revisions, if only we could go back in time to adjust what he said then...or put in my snarky asides and mean-spirited comments.

...Vice President Gore and I put our hearts and hopes into our campaigns. We both gave it our all. We shared similar emotions, so I understand how difficult this moment must be for Vice President Gore and his family.

He has a distinguished record of service to our country as a congressman, a senator and a vice president.

Nonetheless, he's crazy.

...Tonight I want to thank all the thousands of volunteers and campaign workers who worked so hard on my behalf.

With a special shout-out to Katherine Harris. She's like a brother to me in more ways than you can imagine.

...I am proud to have Dick Cheney by my side, and America will be proud to have him as our next vice president.

And if you are not, f*** you, you are just a major asshole.

Tonight I chose to speak from the chamber of the Texas House of Representatives because it has been a home to bipartisan cooperation. Here in a place where Democrats have the majority, Republicans and Democrats have worked together to do what is right for the people we represent.

If the Dems should step out of line, I'm sure my good friend Tom Delay can have a federal agency track their planes. (applause), I would have to assume would follow

The spirit of cooperation I have seen in this hall is what is needed in Washington, D.C.

Well, the federal democrats aren't fleeing in planes just yet, but give it time.

It is the challenge of our moment. After a difficult election, we must put politics behind us and work together to make the promise of America available for every one of our citizens.

I am optimistic that we can change the tone in Washington, D.C.

Mission accomplished.

I believe things happen for a reason, and I hope the long wait of the last five weeks will heighten a desire to move beyond the bitterness and partisanship of the recent past.

Bitterness, check. Partisanship, check. Desire to move beyond, or, if you will, turn the corner? Check.

Our nation must rise above a house divided. Americans share hopes and goals and values far more important than any political disagreements.

Republicans want the best for our nation, and so do Democrats. Our votes may differ, but not our hopes.

Unless the democrats vote against a bill I want, then that just means they hate our troops. Even if Dick Cheney worked against some of the same bills. Understanding how this makes the Democrats bad and Dick not-bad is part of bi-partisanship.

I know America wants reconciliation and unity. I know Americans want progress. And we must seize this moment and deliver.

Together, guided by a spirit of common sense, common courtesy

Thanks to Dick Cheney's Courtesy Campaign, I would assume

and common goals, we can unite and inspire the American citizens.

Together, we will work to make all our public schools excellent, teaching every student of every background and every accent, so that no child is left behind.

By left behind, I mean left behind in the Godless public schools, and probably Left Behind when the Rapture arrives.

Together we will save Social Security and renew its promise of a secure retirement for generations to come.

It's on my to-do list, highlighted this time.

Together we will strengthen Medicare and offer prescription drug coverage to all of our seniors.

By strengthen, I mean increase the cost of it to seniors. That which is more profitable, is stronger!

Together we will give Americans the broad, fair and fiscally responsible tax relief they deserve.

You'll get $300 bucks! Vote for me! Don't mind the tumbleweeds blowing through your overburdened cities and states, it gives America the feel of the old west.

Together we'll have a bipartisan foreign policy true to our values and true to our friends, and we will have a military equal to every challenge and superior to every adversary.

When I say equal, I mean equal to the tough task of surviving when not given equipment equipment putting their lives at risk. Still superior to every enemy, of course. They need to be, since we'll be dropping them in the midst of many enemies without much of a plan. Plan? Presidents don't plan, we improvise!

Together we will address some of society's deepest problems one person at a time, by encouraging and empowering the good hearts and good works of the American people.

Mostly by cutting back federal bucks for stem cell research. Those cells could grow up to be good hearts!

This is the essence of compassionate conservatism and it will be a foundation of my administration.

These priorities are not merely Republican concerns or Democratic concerns; they are American responsibilities.

During the fall campaign, we differed about the details of these proposals, but there was remarkable consensus about the important issues before us: excellent schools, retirement and health security, tax relief, a strong military, a more civil society.

Well, at least we got...um, we're turning the corner!

We have discussed our differences. Now it is time to find common ground and build consensus to make America a beacon of opportunity in the 21st century.

I'm optimistic this can happen. Our future demands it and our history proves it. Two hundred years ago, in the election of 1800, America faced another close presidential election. A tie in the Electoral College put the outcome into the hands of Congress.

After six days of voting and 36 ballots, the House of Representatives elected Thomas Jefferson the third president of the United States.

The electoral college is essential to Democracy, similar to the separation of Church and State, a Jeffersonian idea, it's the separation of the voter and power.

...Two hundred years have only strengthened the steady character of America.

Nice! Laying the groundwork for the whole "steady leadership in a time of change" meme in 2004!

And so as we begin the work of healing our nation, tonight I call upon that character: respect for each other, respect for our differences, generosity of spirit, and a willingness to work hard and work together to solve any problem.

I have something else to ask you, to ask every American. I ask for you to pray for this great nation. I ask for your prayers for leaders from both parties. I thank you for your prayers for me and my family, and I ask you to pray for Vice President Gore and his family.

I have faith that with God's help we as a nation will move forward together as one nation, indivisible. And together we will create and America that is open,

except to Cat Stevens, the Dixie Chicks, and Alec Baldwin,

so every citizen has access to the American dream

reminding that the American dream is to be free, not necessarily to have a job

; an America that is educated,

in religious schools

so every child has the keys to realize that dream

The dream of pretending evolution didn't happen

; and an America that is united in our diversity and our shared American values that are larger than race or party.

Except for the French, and possibly those scary traveling Syrian musicians if they should look at each other on my plane.

I was not elected

Must...resist..urge..to burst in at this point in speech...

to serve one party, but to serve one nation.

The president of the United States is the president of every single American, of every race and every background.

Unless someone calls my opponent French-looking, which besides being untrue, racist, and utterly stupid, I will have no need to disavow it...

Whether you voted for me or not, I will do my best to serve your interests and I will work to earn your respect.

I will be guided by President Jefferson's sense of purpose

except on that Church-state thing, he was probably drunk when he thought that up

, to stand for principle, to be reasonable in manner, and above all, to do great good for the cause of freedom and harmony.

The presidency is more than an honor. It is more than an office. It is a charge to keep,

an Amazon ranking to bump up

and I will give it my all.

Thank you very much and God bless America.

Html is plain text guys - give it a shot

Chris Seper reports that there's a new group of high tech firms in Cleveland, organizing as the "Downtech Tech 25". The only minus? They don't seem to have a website. And there's only 20 of them.

Provisional Ballots

Ohio is a big swing state this year, and here a potential problem. Let's say you are a registered voter, but when you go to vote your name isn't on the list - due to moving, or a mix-up. You can cast a provisional ballot, which is only counted once it's confirmed you are a bona-fide voter. But in Ohio, if they have a voter cast one of these, they only let them do it at the polling place they should have been registered at in the first place. This means a voter would only be given this information (and how to get a another polling place that they may not be familiar with) if the poll workers have the time to explain and give directions, and are not so busy as to neglect to give full information. Plus, the voter would have to be motivated - when there are sure to be long lines - to drive to another station and wait again in line. So what's wrong with that? It depends on the energy and friendliness of the poll worker, which isn't something we can control very easily, and the energy and patience of the voter. Since their registration records at that point would alright be outdated, it would not be surprising if they went to the wrong polling station to begin with. The end result will be that fewer people will vote, if it seems to be too much of a hassle. I realize 29 other states also do it this way, but just because they do it doesn't mean it's a great idea. Lots of people loved disco music. What advantage is it to make a voter drive around, when his or her ballot will only be counted if she is legit anyway - where they cast ballots shouldn't be the primary concern. If the vote is close, we don't want to be Florida, now do we?

We hate them a little less than you

The Cleveland PeeDee editorial board, such as they are come out with a half-assed position regarding gay marriage in Ohio. They defend the governor's position, whilst trying to be against a more extreme measure proposed by conservative groups to further marginalize gays:

On Feb. 6, Gov. Bob Taft signed into law a bill that states, "A marriage may only be entered into by one man and one woman."

That unambiguous restriction was contained in what came to be known as the Defense of Marriage Act. And though the legislature was widely criticized at the time for engaging in needless social engineering, we support the view that marriage should be a union between members of opposite sexes.

But passage of this clear, concise state law regulating marriage apparently didn't satisfy Citizens for Community Values, a conservative, Cincinnati-based group that is just one procedural step away from qualifying State Issue 1 for the Nov. 2 ballot.

Am I crazy (don't answer that) or their defense of the original act stemming from it being "clear and concise"? That's the best defense for it? It's like praising penmanship. Why is this a good law? Who knows. Apparently more anti-gay laws being put in the Ohio constitution on top of that would be bad, though. The is the PeeDee's way of acknowledging that they, and most of their readers, kind of don't want gays to marry, but pretend like this doesn't mean they dislike gays. They just want to help deny them the same legal and social benefits that Britney Spears and her dancer can get if they should get hitched. Because no matter how skanky or empty headed, Britney simply deserves more consideration than any gay person on planet Earth. Why should I, or anyone else, care if two gay people want to get married? I don't care if my non-gay neighbours are married either. By getting into the game of who is and is not married, Government is walking on the sands of what some religions consider sacred. Although mixing government and religion seems like a great idea (see the Taliban, Pakistan, Iran, Saudi Arabia for some great examples) I think government simply needs to be out of the marriage business. I appreciated the fine line the PeeDee is on, balancing their own prejudices against the need not to offend their liberalish readers too much, I just can't bring myself to care that one bigot thinks another groups of bigots is just too gosh darned bigoted.

Why I do not watch local news

Local TV news reporter Michael O'Mara has a story titled "Is the military bringing back the draft"? He dutifully reports that there is presently no draft, according to the canned responses from the administration. Of course the question isn't whether there is a draft, but whether there will be - I wonder if O'Mara actually believes that if he asks them directly about it, they will say, "yep, there will be a draft, but don't tell anyone!". He calls talk of their being a draft "internet rumors". Of course anyone with a computer could easily find more info, like in this story from the CBC or this one from Newsmax, not exactly a bastion of liberal bias, to say the least. The WKYC story does not address why people are afraid a draft might be in the offing, and simply skims the surface. I shudder to think of the folks getting all their information from local TV news. Will there be a draft? I'm not sure, but the local TV news isn't telling me anything useful about it.

Darcy

Cartoonist Jeff Darcy nails it. I would laugh, but it's not so much what I would call funny as what I would call an embarrassing failure.

Good news is relative

Allawi acknowledged that the past few days have been difficult, marked by the beheadings of two American captives as well as insurgent violence that killed many Iraqis. Still, he painted an optimistic picture, insisting that "14 to 15" Iraqi's 18 provinces are safe.

Isn't that like being proud that 49 out of 50 states are not Mississippi?

If the war is going badly, reboot

International nut-bar, North Korea is unhappy about the latest Tom Clancy video game, which depicts North Korea being invaded.

"Wizard Soft should cancel at once its anti-national plan to distribute games inciting enmity toward the North in South Korea without any consideration, blind with moneymaking," the report said.

Wizard Soft officials were not available for comment Thursday.

North Korea claimed the United States computer-game makers produced video games on the invasions of Afghanistan and Iraq before starting those wars.

I wonder if their spiky haired leader will complain that in "The Sims" when you starve your people they don't respond with parades. Bit it's true the best military plans start with video games. North Korea will probably not be invaded anytime soon, since the US has no plan for how to occupy North Korea (I forgot we don't need plans just "resolve")...Sometimes I think the whole purpose of the government of North Korea is to make the Chinese leadership seem sane and reasonable by comparison.

Based on this video game planning theory, I should now be ready to explore ruins peopled by killer mummies (Tomb Raider), become a deadly army sniper (America's Army), kill evil beasts (Aliens versus Predator), run a small city (SimCity), and fly a plane (Flight Simulator). That last bit may be a bit tricky. Once while I was "flying" to Hawaii, M_ noticed that I ran out of fuel and crashed into the sea. This dampened somewhat her enthusiasm for getting into a plane piloted by me in the future.

The Bone Weaver

Weary of the usual bookstore fare? There’s a book out there to tell you a story you have not heard before, which no reader of John Grisham can say. It's nice to read a first novel that makes you wait impatiently for the author's next work. The Bone Weaver by Victoria Zackheim starts off with neurotic Mimi, an academic mourning the death of her best friend - nearly her only friend. She chafes at what she sees as the insensitivities of her mother Rivka, who barely registers a ripple at the loss her daughter is feeling. Mimi can hardly seem to breathe she so misses the advice that Sarah, the lost friend and sounding board, gave her.

Interspersed with Mimi's life almost totally alone in LA are the stories of Rivka's clan. Rivka's grandmother and family live in a community of Jews forced out of the mainstream of society near Warsaw. The pogroms just beyond the horizon fill one with a sense of dread, given what the coming 20th century will end up doing to the Jews in Poland. But the shtetl village is a living organism.

There is a stark contrast between the Mimi chapters, where she lives a solitary life in modern LA, pushing away one living friend she has, berated by the deceased Sarah in her mind. She thinks of her mother Rivka trying to pry out the tale of her life understand her own.

It was this very silence that was pushing Mimi forward, urging her to uncover and comprehend all those things that her mother refused to tell.

Four generations of women, she thought, and I am the last. Malka, Fredl, Rivka, and me. And not the last to date, but the last ever. An only child, a woman with no children; the end of the line. Malka, Fredl, Rivka, Mimi. Period. If only she could understand why it ended here.

Malka, the great-grandmother to Mimi, dwells in Nowy Zycie, near Warsaw. The clan makes the best of life they can, with hints around the edges of the dangers that gradually close in around them. A book-loving daughter, Fredl, is not pleased to learn she is to be given away in an arranged marriage, but a twist takes the story to places not expected. At times it felt as if the story from Nowy Zycie was utterly alien to Mimi’s modern isolation. But the severely limited choices faced by the elder generations, where they made the best life they could, makes all the more strange Mimi’s inability to decide on a course, given her freedoms. Zackheim manages to capture living inside of not just grief, but shock; Mimi wonders if she has lived half a life, with Sarah living the rest for her. Delving into the past seems to give her something to hold onto.

In Nowy Zycie, Zackheim describes the lives of the clan engagingly, from the great-grandfather extending too much credit to his beleaguered neighbours to Malka worrying over hot embers at night. They plan, they live, they struggle mightily to make their children’s lives happy. The tale becomes so entrancing that the flashes back to modern day LA at times are unwelcome, unless considered as a single thread of life leading to Mimi. As this builds, it gives added gravity to Mimi’s drift, contemplating all the sorrow of her ancestors that have built a wall around her mother.

Rivka emerges in the story and her distance from everyone – her husband included - becomes more understandable against the violent anti-Semitic Russia where she lived. Does Mimi echo Fredl, her grandmother who was lost in grief of her own? It is hard to explain how one woman’s grief could be at all assuaged by the sometimes horrific fates of her female predecessors. Do their dreams and vitality go beyond death, just in memory, and help Mimi move beyond her own losses? Easy answers are not forthcoming – grief is not shown as easy or a puzzle to solve, which is refreshing.

The most distant part of the book for the present-day reader is life in a shtetl community of oppressed Jews in premodern Europe. Victoria Zackheim focuses on the intricacies of their lives, and the basic economics that help. She effectively describes a world almost forgotten, almost erased. Each ordinary thing does not have the feel of a forced history lesson, but gives unique voices a chance to speak, and of course occasionally complain. The flashbacks have an intensity predicated on simple feelings, and events like dinner on the Sabbath with a guest sit you at the table awaiting fate. The emotional toll is grave enough that the actual violence itself is mostly offstage, and nothing compared with the havoc wreaked in the characters you watch grow with the trepidation of a Jewish mom. Tears are to be found here, to be sure.

The story has two timelines, from modern LA to Nowy Zycie. At first I found the jumps between the timelines jarring, but this may be part of the intent. It comes together not in a showy method of revealing secrets, but a complex emotional history. After finishing, it becomes an inescapable thought that the story could only have been told in this manner. The style does not attempt to show off, but the prose builds a set of lives to study that seem unlike anything that was invented, but flawed, fascinating characters. Zackheim writes - very well - I might add - in a way about grief that reflects it directly, being a confused and unfocused, unforgiving state of mind. Mostly from Mimi’s perspective, you are in a place from which you want to escape at times, but cannot find a path. The tale of the prior generations is so full of life it nearly eclipses the horrors they suffer. Finding strength beyond sorrow is a tricky game, and in her first novel she plays it in top form. Nowy Zycie will echo long after you have heard it’s tale, and it’s conclusion.

If elected, I promise no more Wars of 1812

Having solved the federal deficit, crime, war, poverty and disease, the US Congress is seeking ways to allow celebrities to run for President. More specifically, they want the Constitution amended to allow someone who has been a US citizen for 20 years to run for President, not just those born in the US. If Arnold was ever elected, they'd probably make another change to let him run for more than two terms, assuming he remained a Republican. Fun though it may be to screw with the Constitution based on recent issues of People magazine, I would hope the congress has the sense to only alter this most important document in the country (if not the planet) under the most grave of circumstances. Say, if they want to stop gay people from having weddings, because it's vital to all those straight married people, like Elizabeth Taylor, that gays not be allowed to wed. Perhaps it would cause gay molecules to drift into straight people's married bedrooms, and suddenly we'd have a nation of interior designers, and no doctors, lawyers, or people in mismatched socks.

But if this legislation passes, I might just be able to run for President in 2026! If that isn't enough to make you realize it's a bad idea...

Roadside distractions

Jennifer Stewart of the Chronicle Herald reports on weird things by the side of the road back in my home province of Nova Scotia. Some see this as a danger:

Nova Scotia RCMP spokesman Const. Gary Smith said passengers should refrain from pointing out sights to the driver, who has a responsibility to be watching the road.

"There's a passenger and they say, 'Oh, look at that!' Of course the driver takes his eyes off the road and can drift across the centre line and cause a collision," he said.

"We really want to get the message out there that you're operating a motor vehicle, so you have a responsibility to drive with due care and attention."

Something as simple as the leaves changing colour in the fall could tempt drivers, Const. Smith said, so it's even harder to ignore unusual landmarks.

I'm sure Constable Smith thinks driving down a featureless road with an trees on either side for hours keeps you alert, but sadly, it's not the case. I don't think I've heard of any leaf-related fatalities, but people fall asleep at the wheel all the time. The story catalogs a weird set of things that would probably not even fall into the category of roadside attractions - they're too small and transitory. Like near Halifax, at Miller Lake. The highway passes close to the lake, and years ago people noticed a peculiar log that vageuly resembled a dragon head. It was there from at least the 1970's to the 90's, until vandals destroyed it. Now someone painted a log green and put it there, but it's not the same. There was no place to pull over and look at it, it was just a four second landmark to note as you left Halifax.

We should salute those putting actual things to look at for the driver, usually at their own expense and with no expectation of reward. To them, the towns in the US midwest feature massive balls of twice have the equivalent budget of Disney.

In Stewart's story, linked above, she also note the tendency of people to leave crosses and other memoribilia by car crash sites. I've mentioned to M_ that if I ever buy it in a car crash, the last thing I want is for the random-ass piece of road where I ceased to be to be a memorial. "When you think of the curve on the off-ramp with the illegible graffiti, think of me?". No.

Love it or leave it?

Some Cleveland residents say police have a solution to crime for them: move.

Are Cleveland Police actually telling residents to move out of town if they don't like police service?

Some residents of Cleveland's near west side are complaining about police response. Some even say police are telling them to move.

The police for their part say they are not aware of anyone advising residents to move to avoid crime. Anyone noting the dropping population of Cleveland already knows people are moving to the suburbs and taking tax dollars with them, leading to cuts in police. If they are telling people to move, the cops may be angry at the wrong folks. Should they be angry at those fleeing for the burbs? Nope, direct their anger downtown where civic money has gone to fund sports stadiums of dubious economic benefit,and plan more white elephants for downtown like a new convention center.

E-Mail Letters

The PeeDee runs some email letters asking why have we not been attacked by Terrorists again since 9/11/2001. Many of them ask rhetorical questions, or seem to have a need to have rhetorical question asked of them - so I decided to fill this "need".

We are neither safer nor lucky after 9/11. This event was so well planned by George Bush and his Daddy, along with the rest of the Carlyle Group, which includes bin Laden, that we have nothing to fear from another attack.
Hoserme2@aol.com

Do the black helicopters stop circling your house at night long enough for you to hear the UFO's making crop circles in the field?

We are safer because we attacked the terrorists on their turf, rather than relying on defense alone to prevent another attack on ours.

nuclearnomad @sbcglobal.net

Right, we attacked Pakistan, where the Taliban was born, and Saudi Arabia, where the hijackers came from. We didn't? We'll I'm sure whatever we did has convinced all the terrorists to take up knitting instead.

When there is a big fight in the room, all eyes tend to stay on the fight rather than turn toward other mischief. Right now, the fight is in Iraq, and that's where people are looking.

bluelaser2@hotmail.com

Didn't you hear nuclearnomad, above? We're on their turf, fighting in their room. It's a lot like West Side Story.

Why would bin Laden waste the resources when everything is going his way? The war in Afghanistan and Iraq is lost. The former from neglect due to the folly of the latter.

nbh011@cox.net

It may not be lost yet. But what's important isn't how the war is going, it's that God blesses America; it's not important how badly planned these wars were, it's that we need to support the troops by voting for the people who put them in these countries where we can admire their heroism really quite simple. Let's not get bogged down in details, now.

We're lucky. They're not yet ready to strike. But Islamic terrorists are here to stay regardless of who becomes president.

sydell1@sbcglobal.net

No, no, no. They terrorists have clearly decided whether to murder us based on how we'll fund Medicare, gay marriage, and whether we privatize social security or not. We should always be guided by what the terrorists want, i.e. do they want Democrat or Republican in the White House, do they want me to mow my lawn, do they want me to buy the box set of Buffy the Vampire Slayer. These things are so obvious they should be required reading in a new set of understanding terrorism books from your local library. We'll know if you actually read them too. Us not knowing what you read at the library is What the Terrorists Want (c).

Could it be that our "Western culture" has captivated those "sleeper cells" that live among us? After all, if certain people have endless ties to money, and can use that money for whatever purpose, it just may be that they themselves would rather live than die in a country that offers so much.

stormin@core.com

The strip clubs the 9/11 terrorists visited didn't seem to stop them. We cannot lap dance our way out of the fact there are people who simply want to kill us, they must be stopped directly.

The terrorists know that Bush will exploit another attack, just as he's exploiting 9/11.

Mailman1248@cs.com

I hear the terrorists are also concerned about drilling the arctic. Once again, it's key to poll the people who'd love nothing better than to kill us all in our sleep and find out their thoughts on presidential right down to city council elections.

We have removed barriers that kept our intelligence agencies from sharing information, and are aggressively pursuing those who threaten us.

l_wilms@hotmail.com

You must be from the future, where this has happened and some of the 9/11's panels recommendations have happened. Tell me, Future Person, did the next Indiana Jones movie turn out as badly as I feared?

The terrorists are here, hiding in their pretend "churches." All of the localized attacks are simply "testing the waters" to see how far they can get. Once all data is in place, it will be easy to carry out plans of terror.

jkurilec@earthlink.net

Is there a logical fallacy for scare quotes yet? By "pretend", I presume you mean that Islam is not sufficiently based in reality. I think removing all pretense from religion, like "God", would be very innovative. I salute the fact that you can present "facts" pulled directly "out of your ass".

The terrorists are waiting quietly until the government and public let their guards down. I'm afraid it will happen again.

Edwlove3@aol.com

You mean, terrorism will never stop? That's like saying they'll never be an end to crime or war. You've got to think positively, that'll show 'em.

Self-hating Americans despise Bush, ridicule homeland security, scoff at the Patriot Act and dismiss covert anti-terrorism programs, but we're safer.

Jskeese021@aol.com

Self-hating, ridiculing, scoffing. Since the terrorists want us doing all these things they must be wrong. Now, what is the Constitutional Amendment covering these three things? We need to make some changes.

Yes, we're safer and no, it's not luck. It's George W. Bush doing what needs to be done. Saddam is out, bin Laden is scared to death, terrorist organizations are fractured, and our intelligence community is being funded and restructured to work.

george@gthamilton.com

Yes, when it comes to 9/11 type attacks, thank goodness Saddam is out. Talking points are not just for pols anymore.

We are safer because we have a president who cares about doing his job, not just chasing interns.

Dustr72318@aol.com

His job being clearing brush in Texas, whilst ignoring memos saying that Bin Laden is determined to attack American? On second thought I agree. I think George W. Bush should have a job clearing brush. Perhaps we have a way of suggesting his new vocation to him, say, in November.

I would like to believe it has been the power of prayer. I pray for the peace and security of our country every single day. May God truly bless America.

Chatzke@aol.com

Praying is so much more useful than reading memos, and having spies on the ground infiltrating terrorist cells. I say we make Chatzke the new head of the CIA.

I think that the U.S. has just been lucky. Bush's policies are the main reason terrorism has increased as much as it has. The terrorists will just wait until Americans become complacent, until our guard is down, before they strike again.

jandy6635@sbcglobal.net

Probably the reason terrorism has "increased" is not Bush, but the fact the terrorists want everyone to submit to a radical form of Islam, for women to cover all their skin in public, and for Spain to be reconquered by the Moors. I'm curious which of those needs you think we should meet.

The terrorists have our soldiers to attack in Iraq and Afghanistan. They do not have to travel to the United States.

redstone_1953@yahoo.com

That's a little blunt. Can't you just offer up a prayer instead?

We have a cowboy in the White House who is willing to shoot first and ask questions later. That's a language that the bin Laden gang understands.

RudyValent@aol.com

Questions like, "who am I shooting at?". Couldn't agree with you more.

White elephant watch

The ferry between Toronto and Rochester, NY has shut down, being economically unfeasible. But that apparently has not deterred those who want a ferry from Cleveland to Port Stanley, Canada. Among the problems that I've mentioned, is the fact it barely faster than driving to the nearest major city on the Canadian side, London, ON. Plus the fact I'm a bit dubious there's a big crowd of people here in Cleveland and northern Ohio clamoring to go to London. Probably the three major tourist centers for us to visit in Ontario would be Toronto, Niagara Falls, and Windsor with it's casinos. All three places have one thing in common - it would be faster to driver there than take the proposed ferry route. In fact, when you look at a map of Lake Erie, the route seems odd - it skews west to east. The reason is that if it went more or less straight across it would end up much closer to Windsor, Ontario. You might think that would be a good thing, but at that point, driving would clearly be faster - and cheaper. I'm just hoping Cleveland and Cuyahoga County don't invest in this project, which seems to have white elephant stamped all over it, study or no. If it's such a great idea, and it is not, by the way, let private investment jump all over it.

Silly me

I admit I said it

Anyone who believes Bush or Kerry is not, in their own mind, hoping to keep the US safer and strong is, to put it mildly, a bloody idiot.

. Of course this does not preclude the candidates themselves from jumping into this category, for example, Vice President Dick "F-You" Cheney in Iowa:

"It's absolutely essential that eight weeks from today, on Nov. 2, we make the right choice, because if we make the wrong choice, then the danger is that we'll get hit again and we'll be hit in a way that will be devastating from the standpoint of the United States," Cheney told about 350 supporters at a town- hall meeting in this Iowa city.

I now stand ready to eat my words. Apparently the safety of the nation is not the first thing on Cheney's mind, but blatant fear-mongering is. It's hard to see these comments in any other light, than a cynical play on what polls tell them is the president's strongest issue. I'm trying to think of a similar attack in politics, and perhaps the closest is the "Daisy" commercial in the 1964 campaign that implied that Barry Goldwater might bring about a nuclear war. I'm sure the media will chew on this tidbit and wail that "the campaign is becoming very dirty", thus trying to make it seem like both sides are throwing about the same quantity and quality of filth. I think the Vice Prez has not so much taken it to a new level, but shown the truth of their campaign - it's all about fear. I'll eat my words with a bit of BBQ sauce, please.

Update 9/9/2004 11:58 AM: Per the comment from Chas Rich of Sardonic Views, Cheney may be been misquoted: (as pointed out by Michael Totten)

We're now at that point where we're making that kind of decision for the next 30 or 40 years, and it's absolutely essential that eight weeks from today, on November 2nd, we make the right choice. Because if we make the wrong choice, then the danger is that we'll get hit again, that we'll be hit in a way that will be devastating from the standpoint of the United States, and that we'll fall back into the pre-9/11 mind set if you will, that in fact these terrorist attacks are just criminal acts, and that we're not really at war. I think that would be a terrible mistake for us.

According to the White House, it was a typo in a transcript leading to a comma instead of a period between the two statements, linking them perhaps more closely than Cheney intended. However, the sentiment doesn't seem all that markedly different to me.

Shot three times? Them's the breaks.

Feel like you get rough treatment from your in-laws? A guy in Geneva, Ohio, was shot by a jealous man, and they asked his mother-in-law about the shooting.

"He asked for it," said Evelyn Johnson, the victim’s mother-in-law. "You mess with another man’s woman, that’s what happens, you know. "I hate to say it."

Probably her attitude has something to do with the victim having an affair, with the shooter's girlfriend. If getting shot didn't buy him any sympathy from her quarter, he may have a hard time winning her back to his side.

Meryl tracks it down

Further Sunday morning reading led me to Meryl of Yourish.com who researches a an Islamic leader who condemned - sort of - the school killings in Russia. She helpfully points out his other vile utterances, in background missed by the news in the original story. I think most media outfits would benefit from someone like Meryl thinking, looking, and giving us all the reality of the situation.

Grass, greener, etc

Nicholas at Ghost of a Flea unrolls a link-fest with a theme related to Winston Churchill. I'm pretty sure Churchill isn't writing at his blog anymore, since his last post refers to Charlie Parker as still being alive, but nonetheless, there is linkage and reading to be had there. He links to a David Brooks article where Brooks says that John McCain, Arnold, and Rudy were all picked to speak the Republican convention because of bravery. Not, say, because the Republicans and everyone else would rather have the chance to vote for any two of these three than Bush - which is the real reason they were up there. Bill Clinton was a prominent speaker for the Dems of course, which leads to the conclusion that both parties would rather be dating someone else. I think our political parties may need to go on Dr. Phil to be asked "You got yourself a candidate - how's that working out for ya?"

Wizsplat

Kevin of Wizbang imagines (link via David at Better living Through Blogging) John Kerry as President during WWII. Of course, by imagine, I mean creates a straw man out of arguments based on whatever his own thoughts are of Kerry, not on any external reality that you or I might call recognize. Parody is supposed to be funny - but there is a class of partisanship that annoys me. It's the case where a picture is shown of the politician one opposes, non-descript shot, smiling let's say. The person posting said picture of Kerry or Bush reacts in text, horrified, and ascribing some vile thoughts to the person so portrayed. Why? Because they imagine all sorts of evil little asides tied to this object of their irrational reaction. Anyone who believes Bush or Kerry is not, in their own mind, hoping to keep the US safer and strong is, to put it mildly, a bloody idiot. But let's look at exactly what Kevin says.

I apologize if this piece seems a bit incoherent, but I just woke up from a dreadful nightmare and had to write it out as fast as I could before the details faded.

I keep having a nightmare where I'm in "A Clockwork Orange" and being forced to watch films, only instead of ultra-violence it's a loop of the TV show "Full House". But I digress.

President John Kerry was addressing a joint session of Congress. The date was December 8, 1941. I've done my best to recreate his speech below.

Right, the current situation is exactly like WWII. Nice. Was this related to the trial balloon floated last year about how the rebels/terrorists/insurgents in Iraq were just like the Nazi "Werewolves" of post-WWII Germany. Except, of course, of the inconvenient fact the Germans never killed anyone, it's exactly the same. And it would also be the same if, after being attacked by Japan we reacted by partly invading Japan, leaving the emperor in charge of a hostile Japanese military, and then used the bulk of our forces invading Spain, because, you know, they're bad too.

J.

Mr. Vice President, Mr. Speaker, Members of the Senate, and of the House of Representatives;

Yesterday, December 7, 1941 - a date that will be seared - seared - into our nation's memory - the United States was brutally attacked at Pearl Harbor on the island of Hawaii.

The proud members of our Army and Navy were struck by complete surprise. We do not yet have final numbers, but currently it is believed that over two thousand soldiers and sailors lost their lives. Further, several hundred aircraft and many ships - including at least five of our mightiest battleships - were sunk.

We are still gathering information about this cowardly attack, but we believe it was carried out by at least four and possibly as many as six aircraft carriers. We have tentatively identified two of the attackers as the Imperial Japanese Navy vessels Akagi and Soryu.

Didn't Kerry vote for invading Afghanistan, or was I dreaming about that, too? I guess we could call this fan fiction gone wrong?

The American people may rest assured that this cowardly attack shall not go unpunished.

When the first word of the attack came in, I immediately began speaking with other world leaders. Telegrams were immediately sent out to Chancellor Hitler of Germany

Back in the old USENET days, it was thought that an argument had ended and stupidity had begun when the Hitler comparisons began. Ahem. Let me stop here, because once you haul out Hitler, it's not possible to further criticize something for being overblown, foolish, and nonsensical. That alone takes it to that level. Yes, this applies to those wastes of space comparing Bush to Hitler too, they are just as clueless. In the cases of either side using such comparisons, I don't really care who you vote for, the asinine reasons you have in your noggin make me wish I could vote the opposite of both groups.

Headlines that never were...

• Celibate virgin offers nation sex and marriage advice. Nation said to be mulling it over.


• An election in the Middle East outside Israel! No one shows up..


• Al Sadr gives up warlording, joins politics. Said to support states rights, gay marriage amendment. Just kidding.


• Cat that ate the canary now looking a little queasy.


• Truman, in afterlife dimension, finds the buck for the last four years has been passed to him. Said to be somewhat dismayed.

Kerry in Akron Saturday

John Kerry will be in Akron tomorrow, at a rally - and M_ and I are planning to attend to see him in person. Unlike dear old Andrew Sullivan, whom I recalled wrote that he "choked back tears" listening to a State of the Union Speech by Dubya once, we will probably not be so emotionally impacted. I do like Kerry because of his specific policy proposals, and general attitude, but sometimes seeing someone in person can get you though what President Bush calls "the filter". Politians do not make me weep, however, although they do often make me exasperated. If he wins, he will only be the second national leader I met in person, counting the time I played in a trombone in a straw hat for a Jean Cretien rally back in the 90's. In Akron, I won't be wearing a straw hat, as we've sold them all for food due to the economy. Just kidding. We ate them.

Many people believe there is a Media

An AP story on Israel starts with this sentence

This week's suicide attack in Israel has sparked a war of words between Israel and Syria and increased pressure on the Israeli government to finish the West Bank barrier that many Israelis believe saves lives.

(emphasis mine) Huh? As I mentioned here, it isn't something that Israeli's "believe", it's something that is a fact. Will the writer, Steven Gurkin, now say that "many Israeli's believe suicide bombers are attacking them"? It goes on to describe how Hamas claims "responsibility" for suicide bombings, but does not want to be responsible when it comes time for Israeli warplanes to bomb their leaders in Syria back to the murky abyss from whence they came.

President Bush's speech

Saw some of the prez's speech...not too impressed with the lack of detail, but here are some excerpts from the speech...

Mr. Chairman, delegates, fellow citizens, I'm honored by your support, and I accept your nomination for president of the United States.

When I said those words four years ago, none of us could have envisioned what these years would bring.

Unless of course, you had listened to Richard Clarke, or paid particular attention to memos that said Bin Laden was determined to strike the US. But as many have pointed out, Clinton also did not anticipate this, so obviously no one is to blame, right?

We have seen a shaken economy rise to its feet.

Then cough, wheeze, and sit down again, jobless and without health care.

And we have seen Americans in uniform storming mountain strongholds and charging through sandstorms and liberating millions with acts of valor that would make the men of Normandy proud.

And of course the reason they had to bravely do these things were to catch the head of the terrorists who attacked us...or find WMD's in an enemy with more bombable targets. But the specifics are not important, its the idea of liberation that's inspiring. And if we end up mucking up the liberation in the long run due to having the planning skills of a high-schooler writing a paper at 3 AM, don't criticize. Because pointing out how our planning has made life more dangerous for our troops is not supporting our troops.

Since 2001, Americans have been given hills to climb and found the strength to climb them.

Now, because we have made the hard journey, we can see the valley below.

And now we need to repeal some environmental regulations and drill for oil in that valley.

We will build a safer world and a more hopeful America, and nothing will hold us back.

Now what international debacles and economic miseries would have us needing to be more "hopeful"/ Let's think about that. It's always tricky handling that "the past four years sucked, but elect me again and I'll pull a rabbit out of this hat, this time for sure" thing. Hmm better segue to a more popular Republican and get some of his aura to rub off on me...

My father served eight years at the side of another great American, Ronald Reagan.

His spirit of optimism and good will and decency are in this hall and are in our hearts and will always define our party.

Bingo.

I believe every child can learn and every school must teach, so we passed the most important federal education reform in history. Because we acted, children are making sustained progress in reading and math, America's schools are getting better, and nothing will hold us back.

Except for the schools where students are not improving, but by taking away their money, we'll see some real progress.

I believe in the energy and innovative spirit of America's workers, entrepreneurs, farmers and ranchers, so we unleashed that energy with the largest tax relief in a generation.

Personally I seem to recall we used it to pay our increased local taxes - increased due to lessened federal programs. Still, there's probably some energy unleashed from that whole deal in there somewhere.

Because we acted, our economy is growing again and creating jobs, and nothing will hold us back.

The bleeding of jobs is not necessarily spurting like a cut artery...so it either means things are getting better or perhaps we're bleeding out...

I believe the most solemn duty of the American president is to protect the American people.

If America shows uncertainty or weakness in this decade, the world will drift toward tragedy.

This will not happen on my watch.

But if it does, will it be something "none of us could have envisioned"? Anyone with a functioning brain (this may exclude people in PETA, terrorist apologists, and Ted Rall) knows you want to protect America, the election may be a call on whether you are doing so competently enough.

I am running for president with a clear and positive plan to build a safer world and a more hopeful America. I am running with a compassionate conservative philosophy: that government should help people improve their lives, not try to run their lives.

And the best way to not run their lives is by passing a Constitutional Amendment telling them they cannot be married or enjoy any of the legal benefits of marriage. Only by controlling the most important relationship most people make in life can we truly not control their lives. This thought is so beautiful in it's simplicity it should be a Zen coan.

I believe this nation wants steady, consistent,

...unchanging, incumbent, calm, sleepy...

principled leadership. And that is why, with your help, we will win this election.

The story of America is the story of expanding liberty, an ever-widening circle, constantly growing to reach further and include more.

Except marriage for gays, abortions, reading books in the library without being scrutinized, and several rights we haven't figured out how to infringe yet.

To create jobs, my plan will encourage investment and expansion by restraining federal spending, reducing regulation and making the tax relief permanent.

Shorthand for the massive budget cuts in programs that will not, of course, be announced before the election. That would just detract from the steady, consistent, calm feelings Americans want to enjoy.

To create jobs, we will make our country less dependent on foreign sources of energy.

Like oil? In other words, develop alternative fuel sources, increase efficiency, and....er, never mind, I know this is too much to hope for.

And we must protect small-business owners and workers from the explosion of frivolous lawsuits that threaten jobs across our country.

The explosion in insurance company profits will continue, unabated.

We will offer a tax credit to encourage small businesses and their employees to set up health savings accounts and provide direct help for low-income Americans to purchase them. These accounts give workers the security of insurance against major illness, the opportunity to save tax-free for routine health expenses, and the freedom of knowing you can take your account with you whenever you change jobs.

If you have no job....good luck, and don't get sick.

In a new term we will change outdated labor laws to offer comp-time and flex-time. Our laws should never stand in the way of a more family-friendly workplace.

Flipping burgers could be a manufacturing management job, with no overtime pay. What's more family friendly than 60 hours of minimum wage a week?

Because the union of a man and woman deserves an honored place in our society, I support the protection of marriage against activist judges.

My marriage is constantly under attack by gays wanting to marry. This makes so much sense, I am shocked everyone isn't behind this one. The other night during dinner, M_ and I were horrified when a gay couple broke in and tried to force us to use one of their window treatments, and drink cosmopolitans. Our marriage remained steady.

Our strategy is succeeding. Four years ago, Afghanistan was the home base of Al Qaida.

Who was it that led that again? Hmm, I seem to have forgotten. We got Saddam!

And the toughest came on Iraq. We knew Saddam Hussein's record of aggression and support for terror. We knew his long history of pursuing, even using, weapons of mass destruction. And we know that September the 11th requires our country to think differently. We must, and we will, confront threats to America before it is too late.

Smoothly tying September 11th to Saddam, nice.

I believe in the transformational power of liberty. The wisest use of American strength is to advance freedom.

I am mildly concerned, Mr. President, that we cannot invade every dictatorship in the world with very little material support from others. But I'm sure you have plan...Let's see your wrap-up

Like generations before us, we have a calling from beyond the stars to stand for freedom. This is the everlasting dream of America. And tonight, in this place, that dream is renewed.

Now we go forward, grateful for our freedom, faithful to our cause, and confident in the future of the greatest nation on Earth.

May God bless you, and may God continue to bless our great country.

Didn't Falwell and Pat Robertson say God punished us for allowing gays to exist with September 11th? Fickle one, that God.

I think you intend for your policies to succeed, Mr President. I think you want America to have a booming economy, and the Middle East to become more democratic. But after four years I don't think you are going to get it done, and I would have to cite your competency, not your intentions, as the thing giving me the most pause.

Geography Training

Conversation overheard on a train between a commuter who needs to acquaint herself more with these new inventions we have called books, and a lady from India with much more patience than I will ever have, whom I call Patience and call her inquisitor Impatience (P and I).

I: "So you're from India"
P: "Yes."

I: "They used to be British, right?"
P: "India was once a British colony, yes..."

I: "Do they all speak British, or do you have your own language?"
P: "We have our own languages"

I: "Is it all one language, or do you have a few"
P: "There are many different languages throughout the country."

I: "Are they all pretty much the same, like you can understand them all if you know one?"
P: "No"

I: "That's so cool. Are you like, a US citizen?"
P: " Well..."
I:" Or do you have one of those Green Card thingies? Can I see it?"