Irritating Archives
Conservative Match
I saw this ad today on a conservative blog:
Um, yeah. Those liberal guys. Because >50% of American males can all be completely written off, with one click of the mouse and one wave of the hand. Because that's how we grow our intellect: not by engagement, but by changing the channel.
By the way, honey: if you are a conservative and your boyfriend is bashing conservatives, then your relationship's biggest problem is communication, not politics.
Stupid PETA
Apparently PETA is outraged about Alaskan Girl Scouts trapping beavers, even though the girls are taught about why it's important for flood and tree control to stop beavers from having their way. PETA doesn't seem to understand that animals do stupid things to themselves, and that some animals are actually detrimental to the entire ecology around them.
This reminds me of that time the eco-warriors at Cornell "freed" a cow in a research lab that had open access to staircases, etc. down which the cow would almost certainly have fallen and killed itself. Stupid people acting brashly for blind causes - hilarity ensues.
Creator of Life
In this article about President Bush's approval of the anti-abortion bill, he is quoted as saying:
"This right to life cannot be granted or denied by government, because it does not come from government -- it comes from the creator of life," the president said, receiving another lengthy standing ovation.
I couldn't agree with him more - the creators of life, namely the mother and father, are naturally blessed the choice of whether or not to bring that life into the world. Oh, wait... he's not talking about some monotheistic creation myth here, is he?
Clearchannel
'Nuff said. This is a nice primer about ClearChannel. It contains nuggets of interesting information for those acquainted with this entity, however. Excerpt:
On the other hand, Clear Channel has not been opposed to all forms of political organizing. In 2003 the company paid for pro-war rallies around the country to support the invasion of Iraq as well as for a 33,000-pound tractor to smash a collection of Dixie Chicks CDs, tapes and other paraphernalia, at an event in Louisiana, because the bands had the arrogance to protest against the war.
England losing measles immunity
A flawed study sparked the fragile kindling of parental neurosis to create this public health nightmare blaze. Please, please vaccinate your kids!
Saving Private Lynch
We all know that Jessica Lynch's rescue was not really the stuff of legend. What *is* legendary is just how much of a production the military made of it. Check out this BBC article for some interesting insights.
Witnesses told us that the special forces knew that the Iraqi military had fled a day before they swooped on the hospital.
Dr Uday was surprised by the manner of the rescue
"We were surprised. Why do this? There was no military, there were no soldiers in the hospital," said Dr Anmar Uday, who worked at the hospital.
"It was like a Hollywood film. They cried 'go, go, go', with guns and blanks without bullets, blanks and the sound of explosions. They made a show for the American attack on the hospital - action movies like Sylvester Stallone or Jackie Chan."
There was one more twist. Two days before the snatch squad arrived, Harith had arranged to deliver Jessica to the Americans in an ambulance.
$400 billion?!?!
Telemarketing is a $400 billion dollar business?? Maybe this guy is just a few orders of magnitude off...
OK, last W slam for the night
A Pentagon insider writes about his disillusionment with the way the current administration handles intelligence and matters of war: link
Groupthink. Defined as "reasoning or decision-making by a group, often characterized by uncritical acceptance or conformity to prevailing points of view," groupthink was, and probably remains, the predominant characteristic of Pentagon Middle East policy development. The result of groupthink is the elevation of opinion into a kind of accepted "fact," and uncritical acceptance of extremely narrow and isolated points of view.
The result of groupthink has been extensively studied in the history of American foreign policy, and it will have a prominent role when the history of the Bush administration is written. Groupthink, in this most recent case leading to invasion and occupation of Iraq, will be found, I believe, to have caused a subversion of constitutional limits on executive power and a co-optation through deceit of a large segment of the Congress.
Losing the peace
The situation in Iraq is degenerating rapidly into anarchy.
Senior Islamic clerics have condemned the campaign of direct action - but at the same time they speak well of its impact, claiming that all vice offends the deeply held principles of Islam.
There were some limitations in Saddam's Iraq - alcohol could only be sold warm and by Christians, and be drunk at home; cinemas could not show pornography. But for all that it remained a broadly secular society.
Now the clerics are endorsing the setting up of mosque committees, the brief of which appears to have been directly lifted from Saudi Arabia's and the Taliban's ministries for the promotion of virtue and the prevention of vice.
Women have also been told to return to wearing the traditional hejab head dress.
California Democrats
(From John:) Unaware that a live microphone was broadcasting their words around the Capitol, Assembly Democrats meeting behind closed doors debated prolonging California's budget crisis for political gain.
Assemblywoman Jackie Goldberg said if the budget crisis were extended, it could improve chances for a ballot initiative that would make it easier for the Democrats to raise taxes by lowering the threshold for passage from two-thirds to 55 percent.
The selling of the war
The New Republic has a thoroughly damning article about the lies behind the Bush administration's push for war with Iraq. (Thanks to Dave Baer for the link.) It's three pages long but well worth the read; it covers the build-up to war and demonstrates how vital pieces of intelligence were either fabricated, distorted, or ignored as the administration tried to sell the war to the public.
A second TNR article, however, argues that the war in Iraq is justified because Saddam was bad and would have continued pursuing nuclear capability, and ultimately it's a winning strategy to bring an Arab democracy to the Middle East.
My problem with the Iraq War is that regardless whether the latter article's thoughts are correct, such issues were never the topic of debate. Moreover, we have reasonably convincing evidence that the administration willfully, intentionally, and systematically lied to the American public about Saddam's arsenal and nuclear/WMD capability. This is incredibly distressing for two reasons, which I will state as questions:
(1) Does the administration think the American public does not or can not be consulted on critical matters of policy? Perhaps a serious discussion about the future of the Middle East, long-term domestic security, our moral imperative for regime change, etc. was deemed above the heads of most people and unsuited for the soundbyte-based, talking/shouting-head format that characterizes most news TV today?
(2) Did the administration have some third, ulterior motive in pushing for war with Iraq? If not, then why, in the aftermath of the war and in the midst of accusations of misleading the public, doesn't the administration boldly and righteously proclaim the principles cited in the second TNR article as the real reasons for Iraq?
Why were we lied to? Are we still being lied to? These questions sound rhetorical but they absolutely are not. It is the duty of the President to protect the American people and execute policy to that end; if he must conceal information for the purposes of national security, so be it; but if he has waged a campaign throughout the government to misrepresent his policies and motivations to the public, he has an obligation to explain himself.
"It breaks my heart"
An interview with Chris Hedges, a reporter from the New York Times and author of "War Is A Force That Gives Us Meaning". He was booed off stage and his speech cut short at Rockford College's commencement. Reading stuff like this makes you wonder why we make kids read Lord of the Flies at all.
"You know, as I looked out on the crowd, that is exactly what my book is about. It is about the suspension of individual conscience, and probably consciousness, for the contagion of the crowd for that euphoria that comes with patriotism. The tragedy is that - and I've seen it in conflict after conflict or society after society that plunges into war - with that kind of rabid nationalism comes racism and intolerance and a dehumanization of the other. And it's an emotional response. People find a kind of ecstasy, a kind of belonging, a kind of obliteration of their alienation in that patriotic fervor that always does come in war time.
As I gave my talk and I looked out on the crowd, I was essentially witnessing things that I had witnessed in the Plaza de Mayo in Argentina or in squares in Belgrade or anywhere else. Crowds, especially crowds that become hunting packs are very frightening. People chanted the kind of cliches and aphorisms and jingoes that are handed to you by the state. "God Bless America" or people were chanting "send him to France" - this kind of stuff and that kind of contagion leads ultimately to tyranny, it's very dangerous and it has to be stopped.
I've seen it in effect and take over countries. But of course, it breaks my heart when I see it in my country."
"We do not apologize"
"What do you want your professors to feel when you call them up?"
"Threatened!"
This story reports on the rising tide of upstart conservative newspapers on college campuses.
Do the people who start these things just feel righteous anger, or do they have some other axe to grind? It seems like one could engage campus silliness through other means.
I think slogans like "We do not apologize" speak volumes about the people who feel compelled to go to these special incubators. If you got something to say, say it, don't flaunt it.
Fasting and Prayer
The House of Representatives is "talking about a national day of humility, prayer and fasting to seek guidance from God during a time of war and terrorism."
But wait! I thought God was using terrorism to punish us for all our sins as a nation! I think if a good, nationwide, week-long fast doesn't solve our problems, we should try a nice old-fashioned witch dunking ceremony, or at least burn a few pagans. If all else fails, we can ship American kids out to Iraq for another children's crusade.
dixie chicks
Perhaps it's not tactful to say you're "sorry" that the POTUS is from your home state, especially if that state is Texas (as in the "don't-mess-with" variety) (as in the "shoot first, drill for awl second, help your son run for office last" variety). But what really strikes me about this CNN report on radio stations' censoring the Dixie Chicks is this quote:
"The emotion of the callers telling us about their fathers and sons and brothers who are overseas now and who fought in previous wars was very specific."
The logic being that if your friend or relative has been sent overseas to fight an inadequately justified war, you should fully support the man who sent them over there to be gassed in the desert (and who personally stands to make out like a bandit after the war is won).
Furthermore, if one of your friends or relatives has fought in a previous war, presumably for the cause of preserving the American principles of freedom and independence and self-determination, you should blindly and automatically support whatever the president does. Even if he uses words like "misunderestimate". Even if he looks like a chimp.
Depressing Oil Numbers
This Washington Post editorial has some interesting numbers regarding the economics of the latest increases in gasoline costs.
ARRRRGGGGGG
What IS it about retail management types that makes them such dicks? Why do things like this happen in the United States of America?
Since all sorts of people are getting flak for wearing peace t-shirts and displaying peace signs, I'd like to see if the opposite extreme illicits the same sort of corporate response. Go into a mall with signs that say: "I'm a Patriot: Bomb the Crap out of those Iraqi Women and Children! Stop the births of future terrorists!" Or wear a shirt that says: "NUKE THE MIDDLE EAST". Or "Hey there Mr. Muslim, Meet Mr. M-16! Go USA!"
If I then get thrown out for wearing such violent pro-war shirts, then I will resort to wearing loud shirts proclaiming that my opinion is exactly in line with (what corporate/retail managerial types) perceive as the average, non-controversial stance: "WHO CARES ABOUT WAR, I WANT MY ESPN. NUKE THE DOVES AND THE HAWKS."
You gotta keep 'em se-par-rated
"Pope urges fast for quick resolution of Iraq conflict"
"Four teachers accused of casting Ebola spell are stoned to death"
Felony SSL
The Register has an excellent op-ed about an inconspicuous crypto clause in the "Domestic Security Enhancement Act of 2003". If cryptography of any sort is used in committing a crime, it's a 5 year felony. Under this proposed act, if you claim too few deductions on your tax return and you e-file over SSL, you're in trouble.
Reminds me of post-columbine
CNN reports that a Michigan student was given the choice of removing an anti-Bush shirt or going home.
So rather than talking to the boy and having a rational dialog about why Bush is not an international terrorist and why it's absurd to compare the president of the United States with the dictator of Iraq, the so-called "educators" at the school merely amplify the boy's message by sending him home and creating a media event.
This kid seems like he could be a promising advocate for reason if only his head weren't so filled with anti-war rhetoric.