Is Being a POW a Qualification For Being POTUS?

Aside from what was a horrific experience for John McCain, what does a person gain from being a POW? A knowledge of how to fight the enemy? A knowlege of what torture techniques are used? A knowledge of how to lead a nation?

Ret. Gen. Wesley Clark stated to Bob Schieffer on Face The Nation that being a POW does not equal the qualification to be Preident of the United States. This didn't sit well with Schieffer and - as if a starting pistol had just fired -Rick Sanchez threw out the "swiftboat" word with lightening speed.

Crooks and Liars has the video of the interview.

Then, Michelle Malkin decided that she was ready to chime in. But, lest we forget, this is the same woman who alleged that John Kerry shot himself in Vietnam.



The Malkinites are ever eager to say those that have served in the military are 'heroes' and demand out 'respect'. That is, until those veterans are fed up with being used as sticks to beat people with and they speak their minds. And, when that happens, you start to see that the conservatives only want your input if you're "their kind" of military official.


Below are the comments of people from MichelleMalkin.com. The same people that just recently participated in an event to send care packages to the military. Wonder what they would have to say about on Iraqi veteran that came home and made some statements that they didn't agree with? It's a shame.

On June 30th, 2008 at 11:06 am, Jim M. said: Wesley Clark was removed from command. For an officer in the military, that is an extreme measure and generally dooms any future the officer has.

It is high time General Meyers went public with the reasons for Clark’s removal and expanded on Clark’s “character and integrity” issues he eluded to a few years back. If Clark is being considered for a position in an Obama administration, the voters have every right to know.

On June 30th, 2008 at 11:00 am, prendad said:
Having retired as a senior officer after 27 years in the Navy, including tours in 3 different aviation squadrons, I can say with experience and authority that Wesley Clark is a complete idiot. For a landlubber who has probably only viewed aircraft carriers from afar or on tv, he is not even the least bit qualified to render opinions about Naval Aviation. I noticed his idiocy quite some time ago when he first came upon the political scene, yapping away like some kind of liberal puppy nipping at your trouser legs wanting constant attention. Wesley, you are a disgrace to the miliary that you once served and a foppish fool for your obvious glory-hunting political aspirations. Of course, with these credentials, you are eminently qualified to serve as Obama’s secretary of defense.

On June 30th, 2008 at 10:34 am, JT said:
My dentist was a classmate of Clark’s at West Point. Clark was not well thought of by his classmates in general. While graduating 1st in his class, he only achieved the rank of cadet sgt. by graduation. That exemplifies what his classmates thought of his leadership abilities.

McCain, while being a bit of a scoundrel at the Navel Academy, was well thought of by classmates and looked upon as a leader.

On June 30th, 2008 at 9:15 am, Politicalguano said:
Wesley Clark is now part of the, “throw those military medals over the fence” crowd. Just because a soldier risks his life in combat, is a POW for years, IS ACTUALLY TORTURED as compared to Gitmo lap dances, this means nothing to General Halfwit Clark. Clark would have broken under torture and asked for his mommy and a diaper. Next we’ll hear Clark explain how McCain shot himself down and tortured himself. Just when ya think Clark can’t get any lower, the little @sshole goes and limbos further into the slime. McCain is and has done a lot of things I don’t like, but he is not a leftist coward, and he is a tough SOB who took it on the chin day after day while Jane Fonda and John Kerry partied, got high, and climbed the leftist social ladder by calling our soldiers murderers. BO is a mammas boy and it shows big time. Lets see BO drive an M1A!

This all reminds me a slogan I once heard describing the neo-conservative movement:

They support the troops over there so they don't have to support them over here.

But let's think about this from Clark's standpoint AND the standpoint of those that say this is an 'out of bounds' topic.

Does being a POW equal executive experience?

...And The Winner Is

It appears that the true intensions behind the US-lead invasion of Iraq are beinning to come to light.

BAGHDAD — The Iraqi government opened six oil fields to international bidding Monday as the nation attempts to boost daily production by 60 percent.

The potential participation of big Western companies like BP, Chevron, Exxon Mobil, Shell and Total SA in Iraq's oil industry has been criticized in recent weeks following published reports that several were close to signing no-bid contracts with the Iraqi government.

Those contracts were expected to be announced Monday, but Iraqi Oil Minister Hussain al-Shahristani instead named 35 companies that would be qualified to bid on service contracts for the oil fields of Rumeila, Zubair, Qurna West, Maysan, Kirkuk and Bay Hassan.

"These fields were chosen because their production can be raised in a short time and at a low cost," said al-Shahristani.

All of the fields are currently producing oil, and al-Shahristani said the new contracts would raise Iraq's production by 1.5 million barrels per day. Iraq currently produces 2.5 million barrels per day and hopes to raise that to 4.5 million by 2013.

Greater oil production is key to rebuilding Iraq's devastated infrastructure and delivering energy to the country.

But the lack of security and the absence of a new legislation to manage the industry have hampered development of the oil industry.

More at the Huffington Post

After reading through the article, this portion still didnt' set right with me:

Times also reported that a small U.S. State Department team helped draw up contracts between the Oil Ministry and the five major oil companies. The newspaper quoted a senior State Department official as saying the team provided technical support to an understaffed Iraqi ministry

So, what were the "qualifications" that the comapanies had ot meet?

Is the fact that these contracts are to go into effect after the exeunt of the Bush Administration have anything to do with this?

How is this news going to effect the price of oil now? Are speculators going to leap on this news?

Questions. Questions. Questions that I don't have the answers to.

Another New Mix Is Available

This week's mix is a little more diverse, a bit more "all over the map" in a sense - hense the title of the mix. I'm pleased with it, though I always end up telling myself I can do better. The influences for this mix came from varrying places. Several books that I'm reading played a part, as well as John Digweed's Global Underground : Hong Kong discs.

As always, play often and play loud.

Purgational

Sara Galli - Bamba
DJ Fex - Runway
Tony Rohr - Hold Tight
Megatonic Boys - America ( Veerus & Maxine Divine Mix )
Chelonis R. Jones - Deer In The Headlights ( Radioslave Mix )
Spicelab - Re : Start
Jurge Pappe - Nord
Zoo Brazil - Crysis
Fergie - Anon


Running Time : 00:51:32

Movies That Make You Think : V2.0

Take everything that you've heard about fuel efficiency in cars, how automotive manufacturers are workng on cars running off alternative fuels, the cost of oil, the cost of research and developing these vehicles of the future, of government, and of how we get our information - then watch this:

Who Killed The Electric Car

Sunday Evening Hip Hop Vibes : DJ Jazzy Jeff

Doing that piece on Nas and Bill O'Reilly earlier got me thinking about Hip Hop, what it means, and who is still alive within that culture. One of the first names that popped up in my head was Jazzy Jeff.

Most of us were first exposed to him as that other guy on the Fresh Prince albums. He even had a regular character on the Fresh Prince TV show. But, the bulk of the people that watched that program or listened to the Fresh Prince tapes and CDs from back-in-the-day didn't give much thought to Jeff - and that's sad.

Here's a man that has contributed far more to Hip-Hop than any Master P, or Lil Wayne, or a thousand other record-label creations that have little ( if anything ) to do with Hip-Hop.

Never Before Have CornNuts Been So Very

Sometimes it's hard to believe that I am the age that I am now. No, I'm still not going to tell you. But it's days like this, when I come across an 'entertainment' headline like this, that I feel older. The upside to this is that it's a fantastic movie:

Heathers (20th High School Reunion Edition) DVD

Heathers tells the story of Veronica Sawyer (Winona Ryder), a student at Sherwood, Ohio's Westerburg High. Veronica has managed to become part of "the most powerful clique in school," a group of beautiful girls who all share the same first name… and no, it's not Veronica. Heather Chandler (Kim Walker) is their leader, and she is a force to be reckoned with, reveling in her status and ready to mock and tear others down at a moment's notice.

Having made it in the high school social status sense, Veronica has come to a major realization – she "doesn't really like her friends." In fact, she outright hates the toxic Heather Chandler, and at a college party they attend together, the two finally have it out. At the same time, Veronica meets the mysterious new kid in town – Jason "J.D." Dean, a black trench coat wearing, motorcycle riding loner, who clearly loathes the Heathers, but is very attracted to Veronica. And J.D. has some very specific ideas on how to deal with bullies and jerks at Westerburg, involving poison, guns and bombs.

Now, keeping in mind that if a film like Heathers were released now, it would be lambasted by the media and you would hear words like "Columbine-esque" and that is was "tearing at the very moral fabric of society". Heathers was presented to the world in the late 80s and the social commentary and dark comedic aspects of the scipt weren't wasted on people that were eagerly looking to blame the writer an director for the fact that their 12-year-old daughter got caught smoking during school, or said "fuck you", or allegedly blew the football captain after homecoming.

Despite it's insanely low budget, Heathers speaks speaks on multiple levels about class warfare, suicide, homosexuality, and a society that thinks it has all the answers with a satirical flare that is still hard to match.

The Envy of Every Industrial, Capitalist Democracy

It's amazing how people - given the particular job duties that they are required to perform, how much money they make at said job, and how their willingness to perform these tasks increases their job security - will justify a bad situation. And they do it all with no verifiable facts and are rarely, if ever, questioned.

H/T to Newshounds for the video grab:



So let's examine what a 'great' economic state we are in.

As I've said before, I'm not an economist, but I know when I'm being fed a load of horse excrament. So, here are some facts for this chap that thinks the American economy is just spot-on fantastic as droves of people from the UK and Europe 'flee' to America to take a bite out of what we've got.

1- Unemployment:

THE EMPLOYMENT SITUATION: MAY 2008

The unemployment rate rose from 5.0 to 5.5 percent in May, and nonfarm
payroll employment continued to trend down (-49,000), the Bureau of Labor
Statistics of the U.S. Department of Labor reported today. In May, employ-
ment continued to fall in construction, manufacturing, retail trade, and
temporary help services, while health care continued to add jobs. Average
hourly earnings rose by 5 cents, or 0.3 percent, over the month.

Unemployment (Household Survey Data)

The number of unemployed persons increased by 861,000 to 8.5 million in
May, after seasonal adjustment, and the unemployment rate rose by 0.5 per-
centage point to 5.5 percent. A year earlier, the number of unemployed per-
sons was 6.9 million, and the jobless rate was 4.5 percent. (See table A-1.)

The unemployment rates for adult men (4.9 percent), adult women (4.8 per-
cent), teenagers (18.7 percent), whites (4.9 percent), and blacks (9.7 per-
cent) rose in May. The jobless rate for Hispanics (6.9 percent) was unchanged.
The unemployment rate for Asians was 3.8 percent, not seasonally adjusted.
(See tables A-1, A-2, and A-3.)

2 - An Economic Recession Started in March 2001

NEW YORK (CNN/Money) - The world's largest economy sank into a recession in March, ending 10 years of growth that was the longest expansion on record in the United States, a group of economists that dates U.S. business cycles said Monday.

The National Bureau of Economic Research (NBER), composed of academic economists from Harvard, Stanford and other universities, joined a chorus of economists and investors who were saying that a recession had already begun. The group posted its decision on its Web site.

It ruled that the long expansion ended in March and the nation's tenth recession since the end of World War II began at the same time. The declaration means the longest expansion lasted exactly 10 years. The previous record for uninterrupted economic growth was set in the 1960s, a period of eight years and 10 months lasting from February 1961 to December 1969.

3 - Bush's Tax Cuts Benefit A Small Percentage Of Americans

...Economists and tax analysts have long known that the biggest dollar value of Mr. Bush’s tax cuts goes to people at the very top income levels. One reason is that two of his signature measures, tax cuts on investment income and a steady reduction of estate taxes, overwhelmingly benefit the wealthiest households.

But the Congressional study offers additional insight because it incorporates information about what people paid in 2004, the first year in which taxpayers could take full advantage of the cuts on stock dividends and capital gains.

The study estimates that the effective federal income tax rate, which excludes payroll taxes for Social Security and Medicare, declined modestly for people in the middle- and lower-income categories.

Families in the middle fifth of annual earnings, who had average incomes of $56,200 in 2004, saw their average effective tax rate edge down to 2.9 percent in 2004 from 5 percent in 2000. That translated to an average tax cut of $1,180 per household, but the tax rate actually increased slightly from 2003....

4 - The Dollar is the New Peso

It’s no secret that the dollar is on a downward spiral. Its value is dropping, and the Fed isn’t doing a whole lot to change that. As a result, a number of countries are considering a shift away from the dollar to preserve their assets. These are seven of the countries currently considering a move from the dollar, and how they’ll have an effect on its value and the US economy....

Countries are growing weary of losing money on the falling dollar. Many of them want to protect their financial interests, and a number of them want to end the US oversight that comes with using the dollar. Although it’s not clear how many of these countries will actually follow through on an abandonment of the dollar, it is clear that its status as a world currency is in trouble.

Obviously, an abandonment of the dollar is bad news for the currency. Simply put, as demand lessens, its value drops. Additionally, the revenue generated from the use of the dollar will be sorely missed if it’s lost. The dollar’s status as a cheaply-produced US export is a vital part of our economy. Losing this status could rock the financial lives of both Americans and the worldwide economy.

In the interest of fairness, it should be noted that the above statement appeared in November of last year.

And as far as the statement of people fleeing to come to America because of the economy.....

With a wheezing economy that’s struggling with housing and credit problems - as well as a weak dollar - it’s clear the United States won’t be in the investment spotlight this year.

But don’t despair. Because a trend that has long been talked about - economic decoupling - is finally starting to manifest itself as other world economies, particularly the so-called “BRIC” markets of Brazil, Russia, China and India, have continued to grow even as the U.S. economy has slowed. That means profit opportunities abound for U.S. investors, despite myriad messes on the home front that include a collapsed housing market, a mortgage crisis that turned into a five-alarm credit conflagration, and a plunging greenback that seems to have left its parachute on the airplane that it jumped from.

Some of the profit pathways to play:

- Investors can eschew the U.S. market completely, and pursue profits abroad.

- They can latch onto the U.S.-based members of the “Global Titans” club, companies with their headquarters in America that derive a hefty chunk of their profits from overseas markets.

- Or investors can ferret out U.S. investments that are either immune to some of this country’s current economic afflictions, or that are problem-plagued now, but a good bet for a turnaround later.

You're more often to hear that a fair tax system only "punishes" the successful. Well, that's a nice talking-point to stir-up your base with, but it's really nothing more than that. Sure, people that have worked hard their lives to get where they are deserve to have nice things. But, who's doing the talking here? Who(m) is truly afraid of being 'punished'? Are they talking about the man that struggled as a child in a poor neighborhood in Detroit, managed to go to a great college, became an award-winning chemist, and is now working on a cure for AIDs? Or, are they talking about a man who dropped-out of college, made sure they didn't have to be drafted to fight in Vietnam, and ended up hosting talk-radio show where they continually tell their audience that a fair tax punishes the successful?

NAS vs. Fox"News"

Though the world of hip-hop and rap are often maligned as one-and-the-same, it is apparent that both of these are fantastic 'boogie-men' for Fox"News" and the conservative-right.

I'm not a very big fan of NAS, though some of his older material is quite powerful in it's own right.

From a report by Reuters' Hillary Crosley:

NEW YORK (Billboard) - Seated in a quiet corner of New York restaurant the Spotted Pig, Nas is drinking a glass of rose. He's dressed comfortably in jeans, Velcro-fastened sneakers and a white T-shirt featuring the image of a poster from Muhammad Ali and Joe Frazier's "Thrilla in Manilla" fight. His black Rolls Royce is parked outside and he's awaiting a few cigars from his driver.

In here, the noise surrounding the rapper's new Def Jam album, formerly known as "N--ger," has faded, but Nas is still happy to discuss the grand implications of it all.

NAS drew fire from Fox's own thuggish-ruggish superstar, Bill O'Reilly, when it was announced that he would perform at Virginia Tech at a benefit the following semster after the shooting there in 2007.

Now, it's no shock to anyone that has listened to 'gansta' rap that it can and is quite violent. Some people would argue that this is the root cause of violence in urban society while others would indicated that it is the main factor in the degredation of women in society. While everyone on all sides would love to have a tangible person(s) to pin the blame on, it is important to realize that NAS, and many "artists" like him are no longer the powerful street poets that they once were.

Long gone are the days when NAS, or Jay-Z, or 50 Cent were considered untainted by the corporate system. They are no longer individual voices that speak for the common man. They are, by and large, marketable facets of the music industry. They are compensated well for there violent imagry. They no longer are part of what HIp-Hop is about. They are traded as easily as Vivendi stock - nothing more than another 0 before the decimal in "L.A." Reid's bank account. But, despite the fact that so much of their creative soul has been syphoned away, they occassionally have moments where that fleeting creative flame burns as bright as day one.

"Sly Fox" from NAS' re-titled ablum "Untitled"




Update:

It appears that some people are insisting that this piece is somehow a slight against NAS. They are only partially right, as it would be nice to see that the above clip is indicative of NAS returning to his roots with his records, not trying to conform to a stereotype that the record companies are trying to perpetuate, being cutting-edge rather than cut-and-paste.

Attn: Michelle Malkin Followers: Ed Morrissey Has Your New Talking Points Ready

It's only been within the last few years that I have been active in the 'politcal' realm of social disource. That being said, there are still a few of the 'players' on the opposite team's roster that I am not quite familiar with. This is, for lack of a more appropriate way of describing it, nothing that I should be found at fault for.

The reason that this is true can be seen on several levels. The shear volume of pundits, reporters, bloggers, reactionary prattle-heads, talk-show hosts, and mindless droogies are too vast in number to keep track of them all. But, you can eliminate a large percentage of them simply because they are vomiting-up what they are fed on a daily basis.

Now that that is out of the way, let's take a look at one of the 'feeders' and what they have to say about The McCain's delinquent taxes.

From Michelle Malkin's HotAir site:

After seeing the joy from the Leftosphere over a Newsweek story regarding Cindy McCain and property taxes, I have to shake my head in amusement. They seem very excited that a property held in trust for Mrs. McCain had four years of back taxes due, and somehow equate that to John McCain and the presidential campaign. When one looks into the Newsweek story, it rapidly becomes a nothingburger....

Cindy McCain keeps her finances completely separate from those of her husband in accordance with a pre-nuptial agreement. At her own expense, she set up a trust to house her elderly aunt in a La Jolla condo, which (being from SoCal myself) I can assure readers is a pretty generous gesture. Like most people, she arranged to have property taxes through a third party; most of us have an escrow company making the payments through the mortgage bills, while she had the trust do it. Unfortunately, the trust gave the county the wrong address and didn’t receive the bills to pay them, and didn’t follow up. Since Mrs. McCain doesn’t live at the property, she didn’t know a problem existed.

Once again, we go back to the proto-typical argument that 'I didn't know there was a bill there.'

Ed Morrissey is quick to point out that Cindy McCain's 'trust' was responsible for paying the taxes. This is true. But this doesn't remove the fact that the house is in The McCain's ( that's plural, people ) name.

And yes, you can present the argument that there are other people responsible for paying the bills, but this has been going on for 4 years.

More so than that, this Morrissey character seems to think that there is no fault with regard to Cindy McCain, her 'trust', or her husband AT ALL in this matter. He would prefer to jump right in a talk about Al Franken's tax problems.

I'm not a tax attorney, and don't pretend to understand the tax code, how it applies to everyone - whether you're a comedia-turned-senatorial-candidate or a woman that is heiress to a beer fortune who happens to be married to the guy that is representing the Republican party in this years Presidential election - or what constitues default, delinquency, or both. But, what I do know, is that after reading Morrissey's blog on HotAir, he is quite dismissive of the whole episode.

It's as if he's saying, "Oh, it's not an issue at all. They didn't pay for four years, didn't pay the full amount due, will be delinquent on that by July first, and this doesn't reflect at all on John McCain's ability to lead America or how he and his cabinet would help our struggling economy. Let's talk about something else."

Morrissey is purporting to represent a webiste where Michelle Malkin ( and other bloggers ) have recently come out against a Congresswoman from California ( who just happened to be a Super-Delegate for Hillary Clinton ) for defaulting on her mortgage and taxes. So, why the dismissive stance with regards to McCain?

The question doesn't need to be asked as much as I shouldn't have to answer it. Michelle Malkin, her followers that wait with baited breath, and whomever this Ed Morrissey guy is don't care what McCain does or doesn't do. However, if it somehow affects their bottom-line, their ability to function in the socio-political world, they would be all over it like a desperate man chatting up the last bird after hearing last-call at the local bar.

You see, people like Malkin, Morrissey, and those that they pretend to be aligned with them sold their souls long ago for their 15 minutes of fame. I use the word pretend, because at the end of the day, if you honestly believe that for one second, they would hesitate if told "you either cut ties with your "associtates" or you're gone", then you are far more ill-informed than most.

You might think that I have gotten off track more than once in this piece about Morrissey and how his excuses fall flat - but it's not just about him. It's about the "oh, nevermind that" attitude that is so common-place in politics, in our everyday lives. Far too many people are being lead to use an "easy-response" rather than finding a legitimate answer for issues such as this.

Just Another Reason John McCain Would Make A Horrible President

Is it any suprie that John McCain is a twitching mass of ignorance?

Newsweek has just published a story online about an outstanding tax debt owed by the McCain's on this beachfront condo in La Jolla County California.

Once it was made known that this story was going to be printed, the McCains seemed to think that it was time to pay their outstanding tax debt.

From and update listed on The Huffington Post:

The report notes that the McCains paid the bulk of their back taxes yesterday, but continue to owe additional taxes:

It should be noted that the McCain's own seven homes that are controlled thrugh the 'trust' of Cindy McCain and that the one in La Jolla County was due to go into 'defualt' status on July 1st.

Everyone knows the old 'the check's in the mail' line. And then, there's the 'well, I never recieved a bill' line. It appears that The McCains ( via their surrogates ) are attempting to use both of those lines on the people that are even investigating this story.

But, this doesn't suprise me in the least. This is, after all, the man that recently claimed that the American economy could get a boost if more people sold on EBay.

Sure, if you're rich ( or happen to be rich simply because you dumped your sick wife for a rich sugar-momma ) and you're a politician, you're going to have 'handlers' for just about everything. But, if you are trying to become the next leader of the 'alleged' free world, then it would probably be good form to know whether or not you paid your property taxes or not.

Friday Afternoon Hip Hop Hysteria

The Beastie Boys

If You're Gay, You Can't Support The Troops - Even If You're A Decorated Combat Vet.

"My sexual orientation certainly didn't make a difference when I treated injuries and saved lives in the streets of Baghdad. It shouldn't be a factor in allowing me to continue to serve."

Sargeant Darren Manzella enlisted in 2002 and has been deployed to Iraq twice. He has served openly and told his story to60 Minutes' Lesly Stahl about coming out of the closet to his colleagues and commanding officer, and of serving openly in Kuwait without incident. He was awarded the Combat Medical Badge for treating his fellow soldiers under fire, and also received several other awards recognizing his courage and service.

The Pentagon has discharge Sargeant Manzella not just for being gay, but for proving that being gay and being in the miliary does not hinder your - or your fellow soldier's - ability to serve America.

John McCain recently stated that homosexuals in the military pose a "risk" to the unit that they are assigned to.

With the Republican echo chamber overflowing with the resounding calls of "supporting the troops", it makes one wonder what their definition of 'support' is. Not only that, but they seem to be overtly selective of who's 'support' they will accept.

Sgt. Manzella gave the ultimate support to his fellow soldiers at risk of his own life.

An Air Force Captain, Cholene Espinoza, says of Darren:

“Darren is in a critical field. He’s a medic. His commander needs him. He’s a known quantity. He gets along with others. He does what he’s supposed to. He goes above and beyond. Why do I want to lose Darren?”

See more of Darren's story in his conversations with Lesly Stahl.

Clear Channel : Another Arm of the Republican Party?

It would appear that the monopolistic - and devoutly conservative - Clear Channel has pulled billboard advertisements for comedian/actor Harry Shearer's latest project entitled Songs of the Bushmen



You may not recognize the name, but you may know him as the voice of Flanders on The Simpsons or as Derek Smalls from Spinal Tap. He has been in literally hundreds of film and television programs and is a regular contributor to The Huffington Post.

The cover of the album apparently has angered Clear Channel's advertising agency. Shearer explains:

"Their tone turned from genial salesperson to angry schoolmarm - 'This is unacceptable,' "

Of course, this isn't the first time that Clear Channel has opted to favor more 'conservative' and even 'fringe' interests rather than provide equal time for all parties interested. Last October, they pulled an ad for VoteVets because it:

would conflict with the listeners who have chosen to listen to Rush Limbaugh."

Read more atThink Progress.

Dulles Int'l Airport Customs Sieze Reporter's Laptop - For No Reason

From U.S. News

Returning from a brief vacation to Germany in February, Bill Hogan was selected for additional screening by customs officials at Dulles International Airport outside Washington, D.C. Agents searched Hogan's luggage and then popped an unexpected question: Was he carrying any digital media cards or drives in his pockets? "Then they told me that they were impounding my laptop," says Hogan, a freelance investigative reporter whose recent stories have ranged from the origins of the Iraq war to the impact of money in presidential politics.

The extent of the program to confiscate electronics at customs points is unclear. A hearing Wednesday before the Senate Committee on the Judiciary's Subcommittee on the Constitution hopes to learn more about the extent of the program and safeguards to traveler's privacy. Lawsuits have also been filed, challenging how the program selects travelers for inspection. Citing those lawsuits, Customs and Border Protection, a division of the Department of Homeland Security, refuses to say exactly how common the practice is, how many computers, portable storage drives, and BlackBerries have been inspected and confiscated, or what happens to the devices once they are seized. Congressional investigators and plaintiffs involved in lawsuits believe that digital copies—so-called "mirror images" of drives—are sometimes made of materials after they are seized by customs.

It's a known fact that racial profiling has been/is taking place under the guise of 'national security'. But, as the 'fear' of the unknown grows within those that are members of customs, border patrol, local and state police forces, the risk for ANYONE to have their electronics confiscated increases exponentially.

One of the major issues that this raises, is how this will impact identity theft.

How are we, as American citizens, able to protect that information when confronted by a member of Customs or Homeland Security and asked to relinquish our cellphone, laptop, or PDA?

Our rights are increasingly disappearing.

Accoring to this ruling by the 9th Circuit Court Of Appeals, The Departmenn of Homeland Security has every authority to search ANY electronic device on you without probable cause.

Thursday Night Music Times feat. WEEZER

The first time that I heard this band was my first day of college. I'm not entirely sure why that is even relevant now, but it makes me realize that either this band is starting to get old, or perhaps I am. While both are theoretically plausible, the later seems more apt to happen first.

Never-the-less, Weezer are back and just as awesome as ever:

Kanye Isn't Telling The Truth About Bonnaroo

Well, it appears that Kanye West is relying on his fans being exceedingly ignorant.

After all the blame was thrown at Pearl Jam, the organizers at Bonnaroo - and after all the inane posturing and whining like a little-girl with a skinned knee - the truth finally comes out about why West was late Saturday night.

From the MTV website.

Ush had been in Japan but flew in especially to hold Jeezy down. Later, when the MC was doing his sing-songy delivery — "I put onnnn. I put on for my city! On, on for my city!" — the crowd erupted again when Kanye West came out to perform his part in "Put On."

"You got that big fame, homie, and you just changed, homie/ You can ask big homie, man, the top so lonely," Kanye rapped. The fans responded by shouting out Kanye's ad libs: "So lonely, I, I, I, I-I-I-I-I-I-I!"

"I put on for my city. Tell them catch up!" Jeezy yelled after West's verse. Jeezy then let Kanye give the people a taste of "Can't Tell Me Nothing."

"Two years ago I brought out Jay-Z — this year I brought out Usher and Kanye," Jeezy boasted. "Catch up, n---as! I put on for my city!"

Well, consider this a first ( and perhaps a last ) since I have just used MTV as a credible source of news. But, since Kanye is nothing but a marketing tool created by MTV, it's only fitting that I use said 'news' source.

So, there you have it. Kanye West shifted his set around, THEN went to Atlanta on the night he was scheduled to perform, came back and was like, "why is this not working?!?!?! Why can't you all just make this happen!?!?!?!? I'm Kanye Fucking West!?!?!?!?!? I'm going to blog about this so hard on my Mac AirBook and have all my 'fans' tell me how great I am so that I can feel validated and special!!!!!"

Yeah, you should read those 'comments' on Kanye's blog. Really makes you feel better about yourself knowing that you have your own identity.

A Terrorist Attack Is Good For The Republicans? Really?

Apparently, Charlie Black - John McCain's top adviser - thinks that another terrorist attack on America would be quite beneficial to the Republican cause.

From Fortune magazine:

On national security McCain wins. We saw how that might play out early in the campaign, when one good scare, one timely reminder of the chaos lurking in the world, probably saved McCain in New Hampshire, a state he had to win to save his candidacy - this according to McCain’s chief strategist, Charlie Black. The assassination of Benazir Bhutto in December was an “unfortunate event,” says Black. “But his knowledge and ability to talk about it reemphasized that this is the guy who’s ready to be Commander-in-Chief. And it helped us.” As would, Black concedes with startling candor after we raise the issue, another terrorist attack on U.S. soil. “Certainly it would be a big advantage to him,” says Black.

But, this isn't the first time this has happened. Everytime September 11th comes around, there's likely to be another op-ed that's written about how "another 9/11 will bring the country together".

America’s fabric is pulling apart like a cheap sweater.

What would sew us back together?

Another 9/11 attack.

The Golden Gate Bridge. Mount Rushmore. Chicago’s Wrigley Field. The Philadelphia subway system. The U.S. is a target-rich environment for al Qaeda.

Is there any doubt they are planning to hit us again?

If it is to be, then let it be. It will take another attack on the homeland to quell the chattering of chipmunks and to restore America’s righteous rage and singular purpose to prevail.

So, how does this rationale work? How can a terrorist attack equal something 'good' for the Republicans? John Stewart has the answer.

Download Stewarts mathmatical hypothesis.

I Want One Of These!!!!

Leave it to people with no sense of humor to get all puffed-up and scandalized over this:



From the Associated Press:

RALEIGH, N.C. — Thanks to some text message-savvy grandchildren, North Carolina drivers whose license plates have the potentially offensive "WTF" letter combination can replace the tags for free.

The News & Observer of Raleigh reported Tuesday the state Division of Motor Vehicles has notified nearly 10,000 holders of license plates with the letter combination. Officials learned last year the common acronym stands for a vulgar phrase in e-mail and cell phone text messages.

But this week, the DMV officials got another surprise when they learned the same letters appeared on the agency's own Web site on a sample personalized plate.

"I can't believe it," DMV Commissioner Bill Gore said Monday when told about the online glitch. "Obviously, I didn't know it was there."

Officials are working to remove the sample plate.

The "WTF-5505" used on the Web site's sample plate was the first random letter combination available when DMV switched from blue- to red-lettered plates, officials said. DMV spokeswoman Marge Howell received a sample plate WTF-5506 to use as a prop for news stories about the switch.

A 60-year-old technology teacher from Fayetteville complained about the plate last July after her teenage grandchildren clued her in.

Can't people just learn to not take EVERYTHING in life so seriously?

Thank God For Scarlet Johansen

If you realy need proof that God's work is fucking majestic, look no further than this woman right here.








Aside from being beautiful enough to make a man ( or perhaps even a woman ) do anything to gain her undying affections, she's a fantastic actress. Here's a list of my favorite films of her's:

The Other Boylen Girl

The Prestige

The Black Dahlia

A Love Song For Bobby Long

Lost In Translation

Aw, Kanye, You Poor Thing - Hold On, Let Me Get My Violin Out

What an incredibly self-centered choad.

You remember hearing about Kanye's very late and very abbreviated performance at Bonnaroo just a few weeks ago. Well, here's what Kanye had to say on his blogabout the incident.

I am sick of negative people who just sit around trying 2 plot my downfall... Why???? I understand if people don't like me because I like me or if people think tight clothes look gay or people say I run my mouth to much, But this Bonnaroo thing is the worst insult I've ever had in my life. This is the most offended I've ever been... this is the maddest I ever will be. I'm typing so fucking hard I might break my fucking Mac book Air!!!!!!!! Call me any name you want.... arrogant, conceited, narcissistic, racist, metro, fag whatever you can think of.... BUT NEVER SAY I DIDN'T GIVE MY ALL! NEVER SAY I DIDN'T GIVE MY ALL! THIS SHOWS NO MATTER HOW HARD YOU TRY TO BE GOOD AT SOMETHING THERE WILL BE PEOPLE THERE TO LIE ABOUT YOU AND BRING YOU DOWN! LIKE WAYNE SAYS PLEASE DON'T SHOOT ME DOWN CAUSE I'M FLYING! I'M FUCKING HURT BY THIS ONE. ALL I CARE ABOUT ARE THE FANS. JUST SAY THIS OUT LOUD IN A ROOM FULL OF PEOPLE, "KANYE DOESN'T CARE ABOUT GIVING A GOOD PERFORMANCE." CAN ANYONE HONESTLY SAY THAT ????????? HAS ANYONE EVEN TAKEN THE TIME TO AT LEAST DO THE MATH??? BONNAROO SHOULD HAVE RELEASED A STATEMENT IN MY DEFENSE BUT SINCE THEY HAVEN'T LET'S BREAK DOWN THE WALLS ON THIS TRUMAN SHOW AND LET YOU KNOW WHAT REALLY OCCURRED!!! FOR OVER A MONTH WE WENT BACK AND FORTH ON WETHER OR NOT WE COULD EVEN FIT MY STAGE AT THE FESTIVAL. ONE DAY THEY WOULD SAY YES... WE'D SEND THEM OUR SPECS THEN THEY THEY'D SAY OK... THEN THEY WOULD SEND SPECS BACK THAT DIDN'T FIT THE STAGE. WE WERE OBVIOUSLY DEALING WITH FUCKING IDIOTS WHO DIDN'T REALLY HAVE THE CAPACITY TO REALLY PUT ON THIS SHOW PROPERLY. THEY TRIED 2 GIVE ME A TIME SLOT WERE IT WAS STILL LIGHT OUTSIDE ... I HAVE A FUCKING LIGHT SHOW DUMB ASS, IT'S NOT CALLED GLOW IN THE DARK FOR NO REASON SQUID BRAINS! MY PEOPLE WORKED OUT A COMPROMISED STAGE PLOT AND A 3AM TIME SLOT AND I AGREED. FAST FOWARD TO THE DAY OF THE SHOW. MY PRODUCTION MANAGER TRIED TO LOAD IN FOR 24 HOURS BEFORE I WENT ON STAGE BUT THE FESTIVAL WOULDN'T ALLOW US TO DO ANYTHING UNTILL PEARL JAM LEFT THE STAGE. PEARL JAM ENDED ONE HOUR
LATE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! AT THAT POINT WE'RE RACING AGAINST THE SUN!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! AT 4:20AM DON COMES BACK 2 THE BUS AND TELLS ME, " IT WOULD TAKE 45 MORE MINUTES TO PUT ALL YOUR PYRO IN!" I SAY I HAVE TO GET OUT THERE AS SOON AS POSSIBLE . I HIT THE STAGE AND PEOPLE HAD BEEN THROWING SHIT ON THE STAGE AND HAD ACTUALLY HIT THE JANE SCREEN WITH, I GUESS BOTTLES OR SOMETHING AND HAD BROKEN MY FUCKING SCREEN. REMEMBER WHEN YOU WERE A SHORTY AND WATER WOULD HIT THE TV?????? WHEN I GOT 2 "THROUGH THE WIRE" I STEPPED ON THE FRONT PART OF MY STAGE AND THERE WAS SO MUCH LIQUID ON THE STAGE I COULDN'T MOVE WITHOUT SLIPPING. I HAD TO ADJUST MY WHOLE PERFORMANCE STYLE BECAUSE OF IT. A FEW MORE SONGS IN AND THE SONG WAS ON IT'S WAY UP.. I CUT A FEW SONGS FROM THE SET BECAUSE I WANTED PEOPLE 2 EXPERIENCE STRONGER WHILE THERE WAS STILL SOME DARKNESS TO PERFORM IT IN. I'VE STRUGGLED WITH STRONGER FROM IT'S CONCEPTION. REMEMBER LAST SUMMER WHEN I CANCELED SOME TV APPEARANCES. IT WAS BECAUSE I DIDN'T WANT TO PERFORM STRONGER IN THE DAYTIME. ANYONE WHO CAME TO THE GLOW TOUR CAN UNDERSTAND WHY I WANTED PEOPLE TO SEE IT PROPERLY. IT BROKE MY HEART THAT I COULDN'T GIVE THESE FANS STRONGER IN IT'S GREATEST FORM... BY THE TIME I GOT TO STRONGER IT WAS DAYTIME AND IT BROKE MY HEART. I'M SORRY TO EVERYONE THAT I DIDN'T HAVE THE ABILITY 2 GIVE THE PERFORMANCE I WANTED TO. I'M SORRY... SOMETIMES I GO 2, 3 DAYS W/O SLEEP WORKING ON MY PERFORMANCE... I HAVE TO ICE MY KNEES AFTER EVERY SHOW AND THEY HURT WHEN I WALK THROUGH THE AIRPORT... HAVING AN EXPENSIVE STAGE CUTS MY PAYDAY IN HALF... CALL ME WHAT YOU WANT BUT NEVER SAY I DIDN'T GIVE MY ALL!!!

Also, from a report by the Associated Press:

‘Dealing with ... idiots’
In his blog posting, West said he and the festival organizers (Bonnaroo is put on by Superfly Productions and AC Entertainment) went back and forth for a month on how his stage could fit at the festival. He said it was clear he was “dealing with ... idiots who didn’t really have the capacity to really put on this show properly.”

Weinstein on Wednesday relayed a statement on behalf of the festival that did not specifically address West’s complaints but read: “Our world-class event production team strives to accommodate the needs of every performer.”

West also blamed thrown bottles for malfunctions with his “Jane screen.” (In the concept concert, Jane is the HAL-like disembodied female robotic voice of his spaceship.) But the stage crew appeared to be having difficulty with the screen well before anything was thrown from the crowd.

West’s set was originally scheduled for 8:15 p.m. the night of June 14, but the rapper requested it be moved later in the evening so it was sufficiently dark for his “glow-in-the-dark” performance. But because of the late start, midway through his performance the morning light began to show — revealing a substantially thinned-out audience.

It's one thing to stick to your principles, and a far other more megalomaniacal thing to believe that - in fact - the planets and everyone on them revolves around you.

I'm hoping and praying that the promoters / organizers of Bonnaroo have learned there lesson. You can't please people that act like spoiled 12-year-old kids. And honestly, are you really sprised that It happened this way?

Lunchtime Jams : feat James Zabiela in 7 Parts

Architecture Kicks Ass - Dubai's Moving Skyscrapper

I've always loved architecture.

Some of my favorite structures have been in the vein of Frank Lloyd Wright, but David Fisher @ Dynamic Architecture just took the game to a whole other level. A whole other 'rotating' level.

This is the proposed Dubai 'swirling skyscrapper' that would be completed around 2010.

NEW YORK — An Italian architect said he is poised to start construction on a new skyscraper in Dubai that will be "the world's first building in motion," an 80-story tower with revolving floors that give it an ever-shifting shape.

The spinning floors, hung like rings around an immobile cement core, would offer residents a constantly changing view of the Persian Gulf and the city's futuristic skyline.

A few penthouse villas would spin on command using a voice-activated computer. The motion of the rest of the building would be choreographed in patterns that could be altered over time.

Speaking at a news conference in New York on Tuesday, the building's designer, David Fisher, declared that his tower will revolutionize the way skyscrapers are made _ a claim that might strike some as excessively bold.

Read more here.

Do Higher Ratings = Accurate / Honest Reporting? Of Course They Don't. Just Don't Tell O'Reilly That

A recent ad produced by Fox"News" aims to inflate the already over-stuffed ego of Bill O'Reilly.

The ad joyously boasts:

At 8PM, cable news shows have come and gone, but only one has been #1 for 90 consecutive months: The O'Reilly Factor with Bill O'Reilly"

Fox"News" loves to tout themselves as "fair and balanced" - not giving one side more positive coverage over another. But, O'Reilly seems to take this to another level. His excessive hubris and self-diefication will surely be his undoing one day ( Andrea Mackris almost accomplished this ). He honestly believes that he opperates a 'no spin' zone, where facts are presented and opinion and conjecture are left out.

O'Reilly derives his power from a show that sensationalizes almost everything. He claims that he is 'looking out for you' and that he always has the well-being of children in mind. However, that wasn't the case at all when O'Reilly decided to see how far his cloven-hoof could fit into his mouth when dicussing the Sean Hornbeck kidnapping.

But this is all old news. The only people that honestly care about what O'Reilly has to say are O'Reilly and those in the 70+ demographic that just enjoy the noise of the television while they are sipping their second can of Ensure.

You may find yourself saying, "well, you seem to care what he says."

You are only partially right.

If Bill is going to try and present himself as hosting an honest, accurate, and fair program - and he doesn't - he should be called out on it. If he's just rambling on and on about his ratings somehow validate his skewed reasoning, then he's definately getting called out for it.

His show is a mixture of a violent car wreck and that scene in Pink Flamingos where Divine eats the dog shit. You know it really doesn't have any inherant value and won't enrich yoru life, but you just can't help but stare.

For years, O'Reilly has had it in for Kieth Olbermann and his show Countdown. Kieth has one major thing going for him - Countdown recently overtook The Factor in the key demographic. That's what advertisers want, people in the 25-54 age range watching television, and they know what programs they are watching.

So, we'll let O'Reilly have his little fantasy that he's actually relevant, for now.

Karl Rove vs. The New York Times : Hypocrisy in Action

Apparently, that greasy paint-load that is Karl Rove is upset with the NewYork Times about a story they did about a CIA agent that questioned Khalid Shaikh Mohammed - the alleged September 11th mastermind.

They pure comedy that rests within this righteous indignation is the fact that Rove is seated in the middle of the Valerie Plame Affair. Sure, there are other ancillary characters in the story that are just as much to blame ( ie - Richard Armitage, Robert Novak, "Scooter Libby", and more than likely Dick Cheney ).

Nevermind that the agent mentioned by The Times was never 'udnercover' and had been mentioned in other articles and books. The Times explained that this was a 'judgement call' and provided 'completeness' to the story.

This is all just more standard fodder for the conservative movement. George W. Bush doesn't like the Times so - in turn - all his little droogies have to hate the Times as well. It's all just a game of 'follow-the-leader' on a mass scale.

Here's Rove's discussion on the topic with that self-described 'humble-correspondant' himself - Bill O'Reilly:

Films That Make You Think : V 1.0

Zeitgeist, The Movie

Zeitgeist, produced by Peter Joseph, was created as a nonprofit expression to
inspire people to start looking at the world from a more critical perspective and to understand that
very often things are not what the population at large think they are.

Click to start film.

Biblical Interpretation : Dobson vs. Obama

If I actually take the time to read the bible - or any book for that matter - I'm not going to NOT think about the meaning of it while I'm reading it. You gather your own interpretations from your previous experience, your knowledge of the world, your education. You don't just regurgitate what someone else tells you and claim that you 'know' unequivically that THAT is the truth - a verifiable fact.

If that is the case, how can you prove anything. If you rely on what another person(s) says about the 'meaning' of something, that doesn't make you an individual, it makes you a sheep.

Enter James Dobson. Self-styled consevative-icon, religious zealot and 'leader' of Focus On The Family.






From Rocky Mountain News:

Dobson reserved some of his harshest criticism for Obama's argument that the religiously motivated must frame debates over issues like abortion not just in their own religion's terms but in arguments accessible to all people.

He said Obama, who supports abortion rights, is trying to govern by the "lowest common denominator of morality," labeling it "a fruitcake interpretation of the Constitution."

"Am I required in a democracy to conform my efforts in the political arena to his bloody notion of what is right with regard to the lives of tiny babies?" Dobson said. "What he's trying to say here is unless everybody agrees, we have no right to fight for what we believe."

Of course, Karl Rove ( wasn't he supposed to be leaving politics to go "spend time with his family"? ) has let people know what he thinks of Obama:

"Even if you never met him, you know this guy," Rove said, per Christianne Klein. "He's the guy at the country club with the beautiful date, holding a martini and a cigarette that stands against the wall and makes snide comments about everyone who passes by."

You know, there was a time where people like Rove - and even Dobson - would have gotten away with really speaking their minds, not glossing over them to make them appear 'untarnished' and 'virtuous'. It's not like they can come out and call him an "uppity nigger", but you can almost tell that they want to. And I'm not the only person that can see that.

So let Dobson pretend to be righteous, pius, or whatever it is he claims he represents. No one can tell you what the Bible ( or any book ) truly means. That's for you to find out.

Obama has surely won this round:

[That speech that Dobson criticized urged that] people of faith, like himself, “try to translate some of our concerns in a universal language so that we can have an open and vigorous debate rather than having religion divide us.”

So Now I Guess All Republicans Have PhDs In Economics?

Have you noticed that the closer the election gets, the deeper and more detailed the resumes of the conservative-right get?

What I mean is, there are a lot - I mean a LOT - of people talking about topics that are leaps and bounds above, not only their pay scale, but their intellectual capacity. Of course, you may see this as nothing more than a slight against them - calling them dumb - but do you really want to take your foreign policy advice from a person who's primary foriegn-relations experience is - allegedly - sex tourism?

Better yet, how about economic advice from someone who used to review movies and ruined to ending to Million Dollar Baby for those ignorant enough to pay attention to him?

Well, Micheal Medved has got some sobering financial news for you. Well, that is if you would prefer to have grand generaliztions on the tax code be thrown at you. Oh, and if you make more than $250,000 then this applies to you. Because, as we all know, a fair tax just wouldn'tbe fair, it would be Socialist Economics.

You know, when I hear people like Medved, or Sean Hannity, or Bill O'Reilly lambast any fair taxation system as socialistic 'income redistribution I want to ask them - where do you think your tax dollars go now? How do you think that Social Security has stayed in place for decades? What about Medicare?

I mean, I'm not an economist by any stretch of the imagination, but I know when I'm being mislead or outright lied to.

People in the conservative movement claim that a 'fair' taxation system punishes the 'successful'. How is it punishing anyone to maintain Social Security? The people that are railing against this the most are the ones that are going to start collecting Social Security in the next 10 years ( maybe sooner ). They are putting into a medical system that will hopefully benefit them when they reach the age where they can draw from Medicare.

The only thing that makes all these predictable ramblings horrifying, is that people take them as fact, and not the fear-mongering, opinion-laced, conjecture that it truly is.

Lunchtime Laughs feat. George Carlin's Unique Social Commentary

Nobody, no one, could bring it like Carlin could. He stood alone as one of the comedic greats that could make you see social injustice, inequality, and America ( for all it's traits and flaws ) for what it is and how it affected you.

Conservapedia : The Right-Wing Version of Wikipedia

Karl Rove once told a democratic strategists. "you're allowed to your math, and I'm allowed to THE math." That's pretty much the idea behind Conservapedia, a website that is the 'conservative' alternative to Wikipedia. Apparently it's far too liberally biased and unfit for use as a scholastic learning tool, so Conservapedia was born.

Does the truth have a 'liberal bias'?

On the Conservapedia page, you'll find its rules and guidelines for usage and editing of it entries - what it calls it's "commandments":

Everything you post must be true and verifiable. Do not copy from Wikipedia or elsewhere unless it was your original work.

Always cite and give credit to your sources, even if in the public domain.

Edits/new pages must be family-friendly, clean, concise, and without gossip or foul language.

When referencing dates based on the approximate birth of Jesus, give appropriate credit for the basis of the date (B.C. or A.D.). "BCE" and "CE" are unacceptable substitutes because they deny the historical basis. See CE.

Do not post personal opinion on an encyclopedia entry. Opinions can be posted on Talk:pages or on debate or discussion pages. Advertisements are prohibited.
The operation of unauthorized wiki-bots is prohibited.

Unproductive activity, such as 90% talk page edits and only 10% quality edits to Conservapedia articles, may result in blocking of the account. See the Guidelines for more detail.

Edits which violate these rules will be deleted. Users who violate the rules repeatedly will be blocked. Administrators have discretion to act on matters not specifically mentioned here, such as vandalism and sockpuppets.

Going back the 'the math' statment and how it related to Conservapedia, let's see if they hold true to their own "commandments" in their entry on Barack Obama- one of their more popular search results listed.

Here's the list of 'opinion' statements in relation to him:

Barack Hussein Obama, Jr. (b. Honolulu, August 4, 1961) is the presumptive 2008 nominee of the Democratic Party for president.[1] Obama has served as a freshman Democratic Senator from Illinois for three and a half years. In 2007,Obama was the most liberal Senator.[2] If elected, Obama would be the first Affirmative Action President.

Yes, Obama was born in Hawaii, and he's Democratic and from Illinois, but how can you prove - unequivically - that's he's the most liberal. More-so than that, claiming that he would only become President through Affirmative Action is not just opinion, but patently ridiculous.

They can't even get through one paragraph without injecting opinion and absurdity into - what they are billing as - a teaching tool for children.

Obama claimed to have visited 57 states while campaigning for president of the United States, which of course has only 50 states.[3] .[4]
He could never explain where the false number of 57 came from, but it has been observed that there are 57 Islamic states and Obama was educated at an Islamic grade school while he lived in an Islamic country

Here's mistake #1. There are only 56 Islamic states. True, they were only off by 1, but you see my point.

And it just gets better:

Obama has declared himself to be a Christian, yet never replaced his Muslim name with a Christian one as many do,[5] casting doubt on his politically self-serving claim

Obama wore an American flag lapel pin after 9/11, but later stopped wearing it without adequate explanation.[14] Presumably it would have hurt him with anti-military campaign donors.[15] Recently, he has begun wearing one again, for explained reasons, though it is likely a political pander.

It just goes on and on. But, what did you expect from reactionary, uber-religious, paranoid-delusionals who claim they can teach childrem better than anyone else.

Some of the more searched items on Conservapedia are:

homosexuality

Holywood Values

Professor Values

and Global Warming

The reality of Conservapedia is made all the more frieghtening when you start to realize that many children in America are taught from sources like this. They are instilled with bias, hatred, and fear. They are literally robbed of an individuality for the sake of continuing an ideological cause that approves of segregation, removing the American tennant of freedom of choice, relegates women to nothing more than subserviant beasts, treats homosexuals as abominations ( even though they claim that God has a plan for everyone and "knows" everyone before they are born ), and favors indoctrination over education.

Conservapedia is a literal window into the soul of the religious-right in America and how they plan on desteroying information and our children.

Summer Reading Suggestions : Brotherood of the Diappearing Pants

If you're a political junkie - as I've found myself becoming more and more over the last few years - you've either got your favorite satirical author(s) or your still trying to find them. Al Franken is great, but there's just something missing from his work. Not to demphasize what he has done and continues to do, but I guess Al's just starting to get a little predictable. Right now my two favoirte authors are Joseph Minton Amann and Tom Breuer, authors of -



Here's a brief synopsis.

In the months prior to the 2006 midterm elections, a series of scandals rocked the Republican Party, which helped set the stage for the vigorous undressing that the GOP ultimately received at the hands of Nancy Pelosi and company. Along with the President's own feckless foreign policy, this guilt-by-association helped turn a tsunami tide of public sentiment against the administration and its party. The party was undoubtedly hurt most (at least as far as scandals are concerned) by Congressman Mark Foley's tireless efforts both to establish a national child predator database and to keep his own name off of it. Foley managed to drown an already foundering party — proving for the umpteenth time that when it comes to politics, there's nothing that the public remembers and reacts to quite like a lurid sex scandal. But while Foley's prominence thrust the story into the media spotlight, his is just the tip of a very large, very phallic iceberg. Indeed, there's far more to the conservative creep-fest than the high-profile Foley scandal, Clarence Thomas's Dadaistic come-ons, and Bill O'Reilly's many chickpea-related indiscretions. It's enough, at least, to fill a book.

I just started this book last night and I'm certain I will have it completed tonight.

In an era where far too many people take themselves far too seriously, it's nice to have author's like Amann and Breuer to cut through all the self-agrandization and bullshit in order to put things into perspective.

They are also the authors of:

Fair and Balanced My Ass

Sweet Jesus, I Hate Bill O'Reilly

and they both run Sweet Jesus I hate Bill O'Reilly.com.

Monday Night Music : Global Underground - 10 Minute Mix

Global Underground, for me at least, is synonymous with great DJs and mind-expanding music that is second-to-none. Well, I wouldn't classify Paul Oakenfold as great, but his NYC disc was alright.

For 28 releases on the "main label" and countless others in subsequent series that followed, GU has broadened the range in which DJs and electronic music are seen.

Here are some gems from the GU back catalog in a continuous mini-mix.



1) ficta-eli(james zabiela raveb lizard remix)
2)sissy-i see you (micahs only when im visible mix)
3)spektre-jade
4)lutzenkirchen and toby montana-last night in vegas (paolo mojo remix)
5)ashtrax-future traffic song

Early Evening Political Cartoon Goodness

It's Ann Coulter, Hitler, and Satan in a bizarre-love-triangle.

Enjoy ( courtesy of Supernews )

Some Conservatives Are Far Too Full Of Their Own Shit - Re: Carlin's Passing

It's to be expected - conservatives whine and complain that those on the 'left' aren't as compassionate as they are.

To them, I would say "I don't need your faux compassion, your scripted condolances. Your words mean nothing to me because they are worth nothing."

It appears that Michelle Malkin's jubulantly ill-informed zombie-eque followers are doing their best to give a 'heart-felt' REST IN PEACE to George Carlin, but they simply can't see past their own Republican blinders that the world is in no way the way they are told it is.

Here's a few comments left on Malkin's Hot Air site ( kind of an apt title for a conservative blog, isn't it? )

And the thread is titled "Obligatary" - like "well, I guess we have to do this or we'll look like the ill-spirited, callous prattle-heads that we really are."

He was 71 and had heart problems. It was time. He is fortunate in that he will be remembered. I wonder how many other 70-something unwell people died yesterday and wont be remembered by anyone? It is sad when someone dies…but we all do eventually. No offense meant to anyone, but I just cannot get worked up over this.

HawaiiLwyr on June 23, 2008 at 1:17 PM

This guy should not be eulogized or honored. Look at me, I’m edgy and trendy. I’m saying dirty words that you can’t say on TV. I think Christianity and America are fascist. Then he’ll get his applause from the college idiots and the Bill Maher audience. If that was the counterculture movement, thank God I missed it.

I’m sorry he died, I hope he found the Lord and some peace at the end. But don’t consider him a great.

edbarnes on June 23, 2008 at 3:55 PM

What a bunch of self righteous —-s.

equanimous on June 23, 2008 at 3:17 PM

But, what drives me nuts when someone like this passes is we get hagiography that claims that he’s “brilliant,” or a “genius,” or the “most influential” this or that. Yes, he was funny, yes he entertained, yes he might have influenced other comics…. but he was NOT a great leader and he did not do anything that was so consequential to humanity like curing cancer or what not.

He was just an entertainer and to puff him up as more is just wrongheaded.

Warner Todd Huston on June 23, 2008 at 2:43 PM

This one's just slightly out-of-touch with the neo-conservative thought that if you are or were 'military', then you are great.

Meh.

Served in the Air Force. I guess that’s commendable.

m0nkeyb0y on June 23, 2008 at 1:20 PM

He "guesses" that's commendable?

But this comment( in response to the first one listed here ) is full of WIN. Considering Mr. Keaton has called out one of the Malkinites, i'm sure that his comment will either get scrubed or he'll be banned ( as I was )

It was time for him to die, huh? You know, I was about to respond to you by stating that only a classless scumbag with the heart of dogshit would say anything remotely similar to your rant. That was before I saw your name and realized that you apparently are a lawyer from Hawaii which, by designation, would have rendered my comments simply a regurgitation of the obvious.

DanKenton on June 23, 2008 at 4:23 PM

Now, considering that many conservatives would say that I "cherry-picked" these comments, that would only be partially correct. At the time of the posting of this blog, about 1/4 of the comments say something negative.

The only reason that I bring this up is not merely for the shear predictability of these people, but to illustrate that they are far too full of themselves - so cought up with the sounds of their own voices that they can't possible hear anything that might resemble the voice of reason. Sure, some of Carlin's act was just that, an act. But, I feel that the bulk of it was what he honestly believed. And that, more than anything, made him a far more important American figure than 1000 Michelle Malkin's and her fans could ever pray to be.

So, the next time an excessively vocal, hardline, conservative dies, don't feel like you have to guard your tongue. Speak your mind, it's what Carlin would have done.

Kieth Olbermann vs. Page 6 - Guess Who Wins

It's standard-operating-proceedure for the right-wing media to play fast-and-loose with the facts. When you don't have facts, the only thing left to do is just make it up as you go along.

It was no suprise to many that Page 6 of the NY POST ran a story that Olbermann and Chris Matthews were vying for Tim Russert's job on the day of his funeral.

Well, Olbermann let loose the truth - the kryptonite to the conservative propoganda machine.



You know, the far-right media is rather like a puppy with a new chew toy. They'll flail it about, knawing away, dragging it across the house, until i scarcely resembles its true form.

To falsely accuse an acutal journalist with lies is one thing, but to use the occassion of the death of Tim Russert is beyond unforgivable.

Mid Monday Video Classic : Nine Inch Nails - Broken ( Longform )

Part music video, part snuff-film, all ahead of it's time.

I can remember the first time I saw this. It was before everyone had a DVD player - the copy I came across was on a black, labeless VHS tape. Looking back, it was almost like the tape in the movie "The Ring".

To me, this was Trent Reznor's finest work - not yet to be duplicated.

High Gas Prices and Music : Bet You Haven't Thought About This

When we think about how high gas prices effect the things we buy, we start to get that sinking, sickly feeling in our gullet. Milk goes up, cheese goes up, vegetables, canned-food, snack-crackers, EVERYTHING.

But, what about how high gas prices effect our 'entertainment'?

When you're a major band embarking on a major tour, you might have some ways to compensate. Increase ticket prices, play at fewer venues, scale down your stage-setup so you don't have to use as many touring vehicles. But, when you're a small band - just starting out - you really don't have that many options.

SAN FRANCISCO - Steven Garcia pulled into a Houston gas station recently to fill up the old Dodge van his punk band uses on summer tours.

For months, the 23-year-old singer-guitarist had been budgeting money and booking show dates for Something Fierce’s third tour — but skyrocketing gas prices have put the brakes on those plans.

“Once I ran the numbers it was a ‘There’s no (expletive) way’ kind of moment,” Garcia said. After much hand-wringing and grumbling from bookers who’d scheduled the band to play, Garcia canceled the tour.

More from the source

New Book About Barack Obama To Be Published This Summer : Courtesy Of The Kerry Swiftboat Guys

Sure to be packed with lovely right-wing talking points, a reminder that his middle name is Hussein, and the word "muslim" appearing at least 10 times per page. The lunatic-fringe is going to make certain that you are as afraid of Barack Obama as they want you to be.

The same publisher that distributed the 2004 best-seller that took aim at John Kerry’s Vietnam service is planning a summer release of what’s scheduled to be the first critical book on Barack Obama.

Conservative journalist David Freddoso’s “The Case Against Barack Obama” will offer “a comprehensive, factual look at Obama,” according to Regnery Publishing president and publisher Marjory Ross.

But the book’s subtitle makes clear its perspective: “The Unlikely Rise and Unexamined Agenda of the Media’s Favorite Candidate.”

Ross contends that the mainstream media has offered insufficient scrutiny of Obama and likens the goal of Freddoso’s book to that of “Unfit for Command,” the scathing assessment of Kerry’s war record that rocketed to No. 1 on The New York Times best-seller list.

By highlighting negative aspects of Obama’s record and background, Ross says, Freddoso may compel others to offer more critical coverage of the Democratic nominee.

“I think it’s critically important that the country gets a clear and honest view of who is running and what they stand for — warts and all,” Ross says. “With ‘Unfit for Command,’ like ‘The Case against Barack Obama,’ we believe the media has whitewashed the candidate.”

But unlike the Kerry book, which was co-authored by a fellow Swift Boat veteran and focused exclusively on the Massachusetts senator’s actions in Vietnam and immediately after, “The Case Against Barack Obama” aspires to be a full-length political biography.

More from Politico.com.

A friend of mine and I were discussing the fact that Sean Hannity uses 'racist-style' debating tactics on Hannity & Colmes and his solo show Hannity's America. The topic slowly turned to the fact that Fox"News" fabricate evidence in order to make people into creatures that they are not. We were discussing prospective titles of a project about Fox and we came up with one that was both controversial and frighteningly accurate in reference to Fox.

"If There Weren't Any N*****s, FoxNews Would Invent Some."

I can't stand racism, no matter who it is from. But, for people like Fox, David Freddoso, or anyone to slander, smear, and defame people based on color, creed, or religion is beyond pathetic. I was rather hesitant to even agree that that was an apt title. But upon further examination, I can't think of another title. Racial epithets aren't my style, but when you're talking about Fox"News" and people within the lunatic-fringe that they identify with and even employ, you've got to play dirty sometimes while using the facts.

Monday Morning Music Jumpstart : Evol Intent

Just raw, nasty, other-worldly drum-and-bass that conjures the most greusome of images. Pretty much some of the most intense music on the planet.







And here's an interview with the twisted guys that are Evol Intent

The Happening : Don't Listen To Film Critics

I can't stand film critics. They cling WAY too tightly to these textbook theories of what does or doesn't make a great film.

A film doesn't have to be exactly 120 minutes. Your opening act doesn't have to be 15 minutes and you can kill off your main character at the start of the movie if you want. Black-and-white still works. Your characters don't have to be pretty. And you should always challenge your audience.

That's what M. Night Shyamalan does with his latest film, The Happening.

It's not like any of his other pictures, which is one of the reasons it is great. Far too many people think that a director/writer needs to stick to one specific theme, style, genre, and not deviate from it so that your films are easily understood and easily consumed by the masses. If you're looking for 'cut-and-paste-MTV-style-mass-market-movies, you'd be more apt to enjoy the latest cinematic abortion from McG.

Make no mistake about it, M Night's films aren't for everyone. Not many people enjoyed his children's fairytale "Lady In The Water" and they used that as their marker that his days as a cutting-edge writer/director were over. Sad to say, they were wrong.

The main theme that runs through The Happening is one that the Right-Wing media and many conservative pundits and blow-hards will attempt to use against certian people. That's about the only hint that I will give you aside from the fact that was happens in The Happening is grounded in scientific, natural plausibility.

George Carlin 1937 - 2008

I can clearly remember the first time I ever saw George Carlin.

My dad introduced me to him when I was in 7th grade. My dad and he actually shared a bit of the same non-traditional views on life. Even at that young age, I could identify with what Carlin was saying. It was beyond funny and truer than most words I would ever hear spoken.

Later, as some of you may recall, Carling had a television show in the early 90s.

SANTA MONICA, Calif. (AP) -- George Carlin, the dean of counterculture comedians whose biting insights on life and language were immortalized in his "Seven Words You Can Never Say On TV" routine, died of heart failure Sunday. He was 71.

Carlin, who had a history of heart trouble, went into St. John's Medical Center in Santa Monica on Sunday afternoon complaining of chest pain and died later that evening, said his publicist, Jeff Abraham. He had performed as recently as last weekend at the Orleans Casino and Hotel in Las Vegas.

source


Carlin was a voice of sanity amongst a a cacophonous choir of others. He took everyone to task and attempted to show the world that if you take yourself too seriously you're going to look like a blithering idiot.

He will be missed terribly.

And if you don't believe me, i've got seven words for you:

New Mix Ready for Download : First In Over 2 Years

I'm kind of "particular" when it comes to my music. Some would call me a music-snob, or just a shade "elitist" when it comes to playing or listening to something. I'll be the firs to admit that I have pretty strong opinions when it comes to music. Having studied various forms of music - for as long as I can remember - I have concluded that there is far too much crap out there that people consider "good" music. But, I'm getting off track here.

The following mix is my first for 2008 ( and the first one i've been more than pleased with almost 3 years ). Give it a listen and let me know what you think.

The inspiration for this came from several places. The two most notable would have to be listening to John Digweed ( my favorite DJ for the past 10+ years ), a love of dark music, and the film The Ninth Gate ( directed by Roman Polanski ).

Click to download : The Nine Gates of the Kingdom of Shadows




Tracklisting:

Deeper In Zen - Mystic Atmospheres
Robert Babicz - Basic ( DML Mix )
Gregor Tresher - A Thousand Nights ( Dubfire Dub )
Pig & Dan - Mr. Bannofler
Oliver Hunteman - Paris
The Touch - Heart of the City ( Pig & Dan mix )
Smith & Selway - Total Departure ( Cirez Mix )
King Unique - Hinode ( Fergie Mix )
Ido Ophir - Snorkel ( Dousk Mix )
Popof - My Toys
Workidz - Washmachine
Kingbastard - Cavedweler


Length : 1hr6min11sec

2008 phourdythreamusic

So, You Ever Read Any Aldous Huxley?

You may already know about FISA and how the Bush administration wants nothing more than to give telecommunications companies retroactive immunity against lawsuits. The key word there being "retroactive". You wanna know why? It's because during the course of the alleged "War On Terror" people have been listening to you talk with your grandmother who's in the hospital, exchange gossip about the cute new boy in class, arrange a secret met-up at the mall to get that new dress before that bitch Marsha does, all because you might be talking with a terrorist.

Over the next few weeks and months, civil libertarians and consumer advocates will wage a battle against the telecommunications companies and the Bush administration to preserve some semblance of privacy rights in Americans' communications.

Congress will be considering several versions of bills that will, one way or another, expand government access to phone calls and e-mails. These legislative proposals are complex and in flux, but there are two main issues at the center of the debate that citizens can focus on. One is whether eavesdropping on millions of Americans simultaneously is acceptable. The second is whether communications companies should get a free pass for breaking the law by allowing illegal warrantless surveillance of all Americans' communications.

click the source link to read more.

Sure, surveilance can and is legal - if done through the proper channels. Of course, if you even bring up that argument within a 10 foot vicinity of a conservative, they'll throw their hands in the air and say " OH, we've got to do this without anyone knowing!!!! You want the terrorists to win!!!!! You're anti-american!!!!! *insert latest talking point here*"

Let's get one thing straight, I'm all for pretecting America, but not at the expense of capturing people who aren't terrorists, torturing people in order to gain information that will most likely turn out to be complete useless, throwing more money into Iraq which had ( and still has ) NOTHING to do with what happened Spetember 2001.

The one thing that many people don't seem to realize, is that a terrorist only has to attack once. Then, all they do is sit, wait, watch, occassionaly peeking from the other side of the curtain to say "BOO" and everyone jumps. Sometimes, they don't have to do anything - they just let people like the Bush administration do the rest of the work for them.