Dings, Dents and Dog Poop

Laura Billings gets all weepy about the Vast Right Wing Conspiracy. This has to be a joke, right?

I wonder if this is truly true?

Reuters says that there are reports now being checked by the US military that Abu Musab al-Zarqawi has been captured. If these reports are true, I would suggest that he be turned over to the Iraqis to have his heart and mind separated, so to speak.

Something like this, I would suppose.

Even in a country ravaged by 15 months of war, the scene was horrific: a woman's head had been placed on a box containing the ashes of her cremated body. This was her punishment for working as an interpreter for US forces in Iraq.

Important Announcement

It was discovered today that Blogspot.com and Blogger.com are NOT idiot-proof nor have they received anti-moron innoculations. When I ran into the debacle with my MSN Passport account, I immediately changed the EmailMe! and Write Me! links on this page to a Yahoo email address. While congratulating myself on my mental prowess and quick reaction time, I failed to note that, in both links, I keyed in markenmexico.yahoo.com. That is . as in DOT, you big dummy, where it should be @ as in AT. I think I have the problem fixed now.

UPDATE: Innoculations has only two "n's", one towards the front and another towards the rear, in case you really cared.

Bright Sunshine Today in Toronto

While cruising around the net, today ( I dislike the term "surfing), I found this fellow, who, while appearing to be a bright chap and a very logical thinker, may also have a suicidal bend to his character. His name is Salim Mansur and he is a professor of political science at The University of Western Ontario. He also writes a column for The Toronto Sun which appears on alternate Thursdays. This is what may get him into trouble.

Here is a sampling of his last few column titles with links;

Reagan: A regular guy ( Jun 11 )

Buying 'ethnic' votes ( Jun 8 )

Democracy: The devil is in the details ( May 27 )

Beheading, prison abuses can't be linked ( May 13 )

The U.S. has been true to its mission ( May 8 )

U.S. torturers will be brought to justice ( May 6 )

Canadian politics reek of anti-U.S. stench is his latest column and is the one I linked to in this post's title. I sent him an appreciative email which included the advice to head for Port Huron before he gets himself shot. What with Sharia law being slowly but surely implemented in Canada, I fear that getting shot would be welcome compared to what those people prefer which is the separation of one's mind from one's body, so to speak.

Visit the links and read what Mr. Mansur has to say. Hey! I just thought of something. Maybe there will be an opening in the Political Science Department at The University of Minnesota some day, like when Fidel dies.

UPDATE

Prof. August Nimtz, Jr. of the University of Minnesota, mentioned prominently in my "Village Idiot" post yesterday, is the proud author of "Class Struggle Under 'Empire': In Defence of Marx and Engels", published in Issue 96 of the International Socialism Journal, 2002.

Ooookay.

I also found his course syllabus for "Political Development", fall semester, 2000, UofM, which included the following:

Castro: "Address to Group of 77 South Summit Conference"
Nimtz: "Marxism (2nd Edition)
Che Guevara: "Address to the Tricontinental Conference"
Nimtz: "Marxism" (1st Edition)
Clark and Barnes: "The Politics of Economics: Che Guevara and Marxist Continuity"
Nimtz and Prevost: "Cuban Revolution is alive and doing as well as can be expected"

Double ooookay.

Professor Nimtz seems to spend an inordinate amount of time in support and praise of Fidel, Raul, Che, Elian (or rather, his forced return to Cuba), Marx, Engels, etc. No doubt during those long and harsh Midwestern winters the dreams of palm trees swaying in the warm ocean breezes on the beach at Havana attract Prof. Nimtz to even further exertions in adulation of that failed and irrelevant dictatorship somewhere off the coast of Florida.

I think "irrelevant" is the keyword here.

STEYN STRIKES

OK, enough doom and gloom. We were having a good weekend, remember? So, I offer this from the irrepressible Mark Steyn on Bill and Sir Edmund Hillary Rodham Clinton.

If I were the big spenders at Knopf, I'd have said: "Look, we understand that a politician with legal difficulties has to say things like 'inappropriate encounter.' And, if you want to write a memoir in dead pol-speak, that's OK, we'll pay you 20,000 bucks. But for 10 mil do us a favor and lay off the 'I had an inappropriate encounter' stuff. Shoot for more of 'The shaft of light from the dying sun through the Oval Office window caught the swell of her bosom as she slid the extra-large pepperoni across the desk. I knew it was wrong. I'd penciled in that evening for bringing peace to Northern Ireland, but what the hell, the two sides of that troubled island's sectarian conflict were separated by as deep a divide as the plunging cleavage now beckoning from her low-cut angora sweater. Ulster could wait.' "

Hilarity rules!

HEY, VILLAGE, I FOUND YOUR IDIOT!

I knew the weekend was going too well to be true. I should have stayed at Winds of Change when I got there. This is Saturday, their good-news day. But, nooooo, I had to continue cruising around the net until I stumbled on this piece of, well, crapola.

It would seem that this fellow, August Nimtz, a professor of political science at the University of Minnesota and member of the Minnesota Cuba Committee, has a few thoughts on real democracy. That is, the "real" democracy as practised by Fidel Castro and his brother, Raul.

I will excerpt a bit of this tripe for you.

Two related and bogus premises...One is that Washington has something to teach Cubans about democracy and, second, that there is a democratic deficit on the Caribbean island.

No deficit of democracy on the island, eh? So, bright and early Monday morning, any Cuban who so desires may launch an opposition political party and attack the rulers of the island by exposing their shortcomings and failings? This same person can then campaign against the rulers openly, post signs supporting his position, recruit supporters who will, by telephone and personal visits, seek support from the populace? And then take out advertisements in the free (oops, we haven't gotten there yet, patience, patience) press to denounce the aforementioned rulers and their policies? And have slobbering political science professors such as Mr. Nimtz write and have published in the free press attacks accusing the rulers of imperialism, lack of democracy, second rate health and educational programs, aching poverty in every city, town and village, bloodthirsty executions, and lack of a living wage paid? And this person and his supporters and the political science professor and the newspaper editor all would remain free to say anything they want to say and have printed anything they wish and remain out of prison?

I agree that gross human rights violations are commonplace in Cuba -- in the U.S.-occupied Cuban territory of Guantanamo!

Ah, yes, no political prisoners in Fidel's utopia of freedom. No torture, no kangaroo court executions, either.

The social gains that the Cuban people enjoy, as in education and health care, are possible because they possess political power -- in other words, real democracy. Precisely because U.S. workers lack such power, their social wages continue to erode.

Social gains? Education and health care? OK, the average life span of a Cuban has been increased from 35 to 40 years, congrats! (I know that's not true, but I couldn't help myself.) And education? Wow, let's count the latest Cuban Nobel winners in medecine, chemistry, economics, physics, etc. What? There aren't any? Tell me it's not true! And US workers "social" wages continue to erode. In relation to what? And what are "social" wages, exactly? How do US wages, social or otherwise, compare to those of the Cuban worker? And now that I think of it, "Cuban worker"? Working where? Working at the auto assembly plant? The steel mill? The Havana Wal-mart?

Finally, as the Amnesty International Web site confirms, three executions did take place in 2003, but they were carried out against armed hijackers, not political "dissidents."

Not dissidents? I agree that they were armed hijackers, but their plane was not aimed at an office tower. It was aimed at the tarmac of Miami International Airport. It was an escape, a flight to avoid abject poverty and hopelessness, a band of refugees. For this, they paid with their lives.

Briefly, the 1993 indictment against Raul Castro was based on testimony of a member of the Medellin drug cartel, and there was never any evidence to sustain an actual indictment. Further, the 1987 convictions in Miami of 17 drug traffickers with alleged connections to Cuba and Raul Castro is simply innuendo.

Hmm, we have a "1993" indictment but not an "actual" indictment. I'll check with Prof. Volokh and Prof. Bainbridge for an explanation as to the difference. And who would have testified against Raul concerning his ties to drug trafficking? Mother Teresa, Jesse Ventura, Garrison Keillor? If I am in the dock, any and all testimony against me is innuendo, yessireebob, you betcha.

One final remark, albiet in the interrogatory mood: Mr. Nimtz, could you have written a piece like this, modified to be anti-Castro and pro-USA, and had it published in Cuba? Go there. Try it. We'll see you on the outside in about, oh, thirty years.

Note to self: NO posting after the second Cuba Libre.

UPDATE! UPDATE!

I received another missive from MSN tech support. Much more encouraging. I quote (without their permission, but it is so nice that I'm sure that they won't mind).

Hotmail Customer Support wrote:
Dear Mark,

Thank you for writing back to MSN Hotmail Technical Support about your address book.

I regret for the delay in responding to your e-mail.

Mark, in order to assist you further I would require some more information from you. Please respond to this e-mail with the following information.

- Do you want to transfer your contacts from your old account to the new one?
- What do you refer to unanswered e-mail?

- Are you missing some of your contact addresses?

We are eager to resolve your issue on hand and look forward to receive your e-mail with the above requested information.

Sincerely,

Sirisha
MSN Hotmail Technical Support Representative).

And my slobbering response?

Dear Sirisha,
If you can fix all this for me, I shall light a candle for you in my personal sanctuary located in an isolated forest in central Mexico (well, actually, its a bar). Specifically,

(well, blah, blah, blah, a lot of highly technical terms, descriptions and instructions to Microsoft as to exactly what they need to do. I left out enough detailed technical instructions so that they would not feel completely useless.)

It sounds like you are going to help me. I have not yet opened a new account. Tell me when to GO!
Sincerely,
Mark in Mexico (Mark A. Moore)
PS.: Visit markinmexico.blogspot.com for blow-by-blow description of this issue

Heh, heh, see how I managed to cleverly insert a plug for the ol' blog? Imagine if every Microsoft employee visited my blog just once daily in order to update themselves on the latest technical developements in this now bipartisan effort to recover my missing Hotmail data. Why, I'd be hotter than, say, a well known Hollywood mystery novelist and screenwriter.

Sirisha is such a sexy name, too, don't you think?

Tune in tomorrow, same time, same station, for the latest developments in this rapidly heating relationship between Siri...uh, I mean, MSN and Mark in Mexico.

Party Poopers!


Final ---------1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 R H E
NY Mets -----0 2 0 6 0 0 1 0 0 9 12 0
NY Yankees- 0 0 2 1 0 0 0 0 0 3 06 1
W:A.Leiter(3-2) L:B.Halsey(1-1)
HR: NYM- C.Floyd (8) NYY- G.Sheffield (11), H.Matsui (14)

Well, Boston got shelled slightly worse;

Final -----------1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 R H E
Philadelphia ---0 2 0 5 0 0 2 0 0 9 13 0
Boston ---------0 0 1 0 0 0 0 1 0 2 14 4
W:R.Madson(5-2) L:B.Arroyo(2-7)
HR: PHI- J.Thome (26) BOS- None

Michelle is gagging.

A GOOD WEEKEND...SO FAR, ANYWAY

The blogosphere is replete with hilarity today.

There's This: Dick Cheney finally gets real ("Go f**k yourself") with Sen. Patsy Leahy. You can hit about any link anywhere and find this story, but this is as good as any.

From Hugh Hewitt:
Here's the transcript of a great exchange between Neil Cavuto and the Vice President on the confrontation with Leahy:

NC: "What happened?"

"VP: "You could say we had a little floor debate in the United States Senate."

NC: "I heard it was more than a debate."

VP: "Well, it was, I expressed myself rather forcefully. Felt better after I had done it."

NC: "Alright. Did you use the "F" word?"

VP: "Ahhh, that's not the kind of language I usually use."

NC: "The reports were that you did."

VP: "That's not the kind of language that I ordinarily use."

NC: "So what did you tell him?"

VP: "I, ah, I expressed my, ah, dissatisfaction with Senator Leahy."

NC: "Over his comments about you and Halliburton?"

VP: "No. It was partly that, it was partly also it had to do with, ahh, he is the kind of individual who will make those kinds of charges and then come act as though he's your best friend, and I expressed in no uncertain terms my views of his conduct, and walked away."

NC: "Did you curse at him?"

VP: "Probably." (laughter by the VP)

NC: "Do you have any regrets?"

VP: "No. I said it. And I..."

NC: "So let me understand. He comes up and he sees you, says 'Mr. Vice President,' and he's a little nice, shakes your hand, and then what do you do, lit into him?

VP: "Ah. Expressed my unhappiness with the way he conducted himself. Part of the problem here is that instead of having this substantive debate over important policy issues, ah, he had challenged my integrity, and I didn't like that, but most of all I didn't like the fact that after he'd done so, then he wanted to act like, ah, now things are peaches and cream, and I informed him of my view of his conduct in no uncertain terms, and as I say, I felt better afterwards."

NC: "Alright. Now they say you broke decorum for normally a Senate or Congressional session. Technically, I guess, it wasn't in session."

VP: "No we weren't in session. What we were doing was waiting to take our pictures, our official Senate photos, and I go up and sit in the chair as president of the Senate and preside."

NC: "What was reaction from the crowd?"

VP: (Vice President laughing) "I think a lot of my colleagues felt that, ah, what I said badly needed to be said. That it was long overdue."

NC: "Pretty feisty guy, aren't you?"

VP: "Well, I am usually calm, cool, and collected, and ordinarily I don't express myself in strong terms, but I thought it was appropriate here."

Appropriate indeed. And long overdue. After listening to Leahy serially slander numerous judicial nominees, then John Ashcroft last week and the Vice President this week, it was to Dick Cheney's great credit that he let the small man from the small state know what most Americans think of such Uriah Heep-like conduct.

Then, there's this:

Israeli-made bullets bought by the U.S. Army to plug a shortfall should be used for training only, not to fight Muslim guerrillas in Iraq and Afghanistan, U.S. lawmakers told Army generals on Thursday.

from MyWay via Goldstein, et al. Hmm, now the Congress purports to tell the Armed Forces what ammo is to be used where to shoot whom. Rep. Maxine Waters was heard to comment,"What!! Using jew-bullets to maim and kill those nice little brown boys over there in Eeraq? What the F**K? What are those #@**%@#jew#@#@%**zionist#%&@|"@#protocols@##$%&**monkeys@#@#$%&**pigs@#@#%$&$*#sonofa*@#$ Eezrayleez a'gonna think of next?

As I said, hilarity rules. Oh, and per Goldstein, Michele Malkin is running a contest to see how many ways that Mr. Cheney could have used to tell Patsy Leahy to go f**k himself without using any profanity. This has spawned an orgy of insult submissions. My favorites, so far;

"I am enclosing two tickets to the first night of my new play, bring a friend - if you have one."
- George Bernard Shaw to Winston Churchill

"Cannot possibly attend first night, will attend second - if there is one."
- Winston Churchill, in reply

and

Suppose you were an idiot and suppose you were a member of Congress. But I repeat myself.
- Mark Twain

OH THIS JUST KEEPS GETTING BETTER AND BETTER

I received a reply from MSN about my Passport account problems. A nice fellow named Elmer says that he understands my frustration and is here to help me solve my problems. His suggestion? Open a new Hotmail account.

I replied, "Well, that's just great, Elmer. Sure, I can open a new account, but what about my address book, unopened or unread mail, my folders and email history, etc.?"

I await his response.

In the meantime, the email links on this page will get you to me. I have received several emails from visitors to this page, including a certain lady in Wisconsin (concerning movies), a certain lady in Vassar, MI (concerning personal stuff) and a certain gentleman in New Jersey (concerning Guanajuato). I had not yet replied to your emails and now cannot because I have lost your addresses. If you see this, please contact me at

markenmexico@yahoo.com

Be careful, that is mark En mexico, not mark In mexico

Thank you for your support, your feelings, your sympathy, your blah blah blah boy am I really pissed about this!

HOTMAIL DISASTER

My Hotmail (NET Passport) account has been blocked. According to the MSN report that I received, someone has been trying, one too many times, to access my account with the wrong password. I am directed to a page to "re-set" my password. Said page doesn't work, and every other method I have tried has met with similar success. I sent an irate message to MSN and am awaiting their no doubt prompt reply.

In the meantime, last night I scrambled to open a Yahoo email account and to change the "Email Me!" and "Write Me!" links on this page from Hotmail to Yahoo. I cannot access Messenger nor my Address Book, either.

NEW INVOCATION AT OPENING SESSIONS OF CONGRESS

Ssssuuuunnnn Myuuuuuuung Mooooooonnnn
Ssssuuuunnnn Myuuuuuuung Mooooooonnnn
Ssssuuuunnnn Myuuuuuuung Mooooooonnnn

This 3-line chant must be repeated 4 times while wearing a 50cm x 50cm +/-.5cm piece of Heavy Duty Reynolds Wrap atop one's head. Barefoot. Standing on right foot only. Mouth agape. Ears atwitch. Eyes arolled. Mouth afroth. Toes acurl.

I'll bet those terrorists are ashaking now. We'll put the fear of Moon into'em.

THEY'VE FINALLY GONE COMPLETELY INSANE

A Korean immigrant and his wife (who just happen to be mega- millionaires or perhaps billionaires, who just happen to own The Washington Post and United Press International) are feted in a ceremony in which they are crowned (literally, one crown each), as Mr. and Mrs. The Messiah. Said fete takes place in Washington D.C., at the Dirksen Senate Office Building, is attended by at least a dozen members of Congress, one of whom, Rep. Danny K. Davis (D), IL, cruises around in white gloves, carrying one of the crowns on a pillow, prior to said messiahnation. The name of the senator who, by rule, must sponsor such events in the Dirksen building, remains a mystery, no one wishing at this time to reveal his/her name.

I don't believe this, you say. Well, try here, here or here, if you like.

I don't know about you, but this strikes me as more than a bit, ummm, odd, don't you think? What is not odd at all are the desperate denials and furious backpedaling from those involved. "I know nuss-iiing, I see nuss-iiing, I hear nuss-iiing", said Sargeant Schultz, no, wait, that was various members of Congress when trapped, like rats on a sinking ship, by questioning reporters.

I think they should all be locked up before they truly hurt someone, or themselves. Maybe we should all be locked up for voting them into office in the first place.

ON A ROLL
I read this guy occasionally, but today he is SMOKIN'. To wit:

On the accusation that RWR contributed to Latin American poverty;

Whatever the continent’s fate, it won’t include a return of the puffed-up bemedalled El-Presidentes-For-Life, like General Juan Velasco Alvarado of Peru, who abolished Christmas and banned Donald Duck.

(from me - banned Donald Duck? Is that guy still alive?)

On the Irish, the Canadians, RWR, et al;

But John Kerry still thought it worth passing himself off as Irish for two decades (he’s not; he’s of Jewish extraction, but for reasons best known to him buried that and played up the Oirish).

On "Americans don't get Europe";

If you think that Spanish election result is a disgrace, look down the road two or three years, to the next election cycle, in France, Belgium, the Netherlands. In the US, psephologists speculate on the impact of Ralph Nader’s two or three per cent. Think about an election where 20% of the voters are a culturally unassimilated Muslim bloc. If Washington has a hard time getting any useful contribution to the war from Europe now, you do the math five years hence. The incompatible buddy-cop routine works in Starsky & Hutch, but America and Europe have stretched the formula way beyond breaking point. It can’t be put back together.

The writer is Mark Steyn and deserves your (and my) daily attention.

And then beheading begat beheading, which begat beheading, which...

"So it goes with the Religion of Peace: An eye for an eye, a tooth for a tooth, a head for a head". OTB

This from Reuters via OTB:

Afghans Behead Taliban in Revenge for Beheadings

Afghan soldiers beheaded four Taliban fighters after guerrillas cut off the heads of an Afghan interpreter for U.S.-led forces and an Afghan soldier, a government commander said on Tuesday.
The interpreter and the soldier were beheaded after becoming separated from a patrol of Afghan and U.S.-led foreign troops in the Arghandab district of the southern province of Zabul on Monday night, Namatullah Tokhi, commander of the government’s 27th division in the province, told Reuters. He said government troops later captured and killed four Taliban guerrillas in the same way. "They cut off their heads with a knife, so when our forces arrested four Taliban, we cut off their heads too."

Zabul and adjoining southern provinces have been the scene of bloody clashes between Taliban guerrillas and U.S.-led and government forces since U.S.-led forces overthrew the Taliban in late 2001. Taliban fighters have beheaded government soldiers in the past, but it is the first time government forces in Zabul have admitted doing the same, marking the escalation of a brutal conflict that has claimed more than 800 lives since last August.

The Taliban and their Islamic militant allies, including al Qaeda, have declared a holy war against U.S.-led forces and consider foreign and local aid workers legitimate targets as well as foreign and government soldiers and officials.

If'n yuh cain't beat'em, join'em...I guess.

Eeeeee-Hawwwww! Ride'em, cowgirl!

In the WSJ today, just posted at shortly after 11 this morning. This lady gets her spurs into Kofi, et al, and I mean really deep.

Really important reading, for everyone. After reading this speech by Anne Bayefsky, delivered to the conference on Confronting Anti-Semitism: Education for Tolerance and Understanding, I had to wonder about who the attendees might be. Anyone from any member of the Arab League? How many members of OPEC were present? Did the French representative hang his head in shame? Was he even a little uncomfortable? Was he even there?

The following comments come with the caveat that I may not know what the hell I am talking about.

She says that anti-Semitism (notice as you peruse various news media reports, blogs and commentators these days how often the first "S" in anti-Semitism is no longer capitalized) was not included in the 1965 UN treaty on racial discrimination. On the face of it, why would it be included? Judaism is not a race, it is a religion. Now, having said that, it would be interesting to see exactly what was included in this treaty as "racial discrimination".

And "...cross-amputation of right hand and left foot"?. Why do we even try to talk to these people? To paraphrase "Pulp Fiction", just get medieval on their ass.

Note To Professor Bainbridge

I can't seem to find any reference to the term "SOL" in any legal dictionary.

French Nazi hunter encourages Jews to leave France
Jerusalem Post, by ETGAR LEFKOVITS

Six decades after the end of the Holocaust, the prominent French Nazi-hunter Serge Klarsfeld said this weekend that French Jews would be best off leaving the country. "One of the lessons of the Holocaust is that even if you want to fight against a wave of anti-Semitism, the best [thing] is to leave if you can,"

Good idea. Come to the United States where you can actually fight against this type of thing. Not only that, you can don a uniform and strike back at these clowns. That is something that we do.

"Last night my heart was filled with love and prayers, but today it is filled with hatred. Last night I was not a racist, but today I feel racism toward Islamic beliefs. Last night Islamics had a chance to speak up for Paul Johnson, but today it was too late. Today Islamics better wake up and start thinking about tomorrow."

Sign in the yard of the house next door to the home of Paul M. Johnson, Little Egg Harbor Township, New Jersey, according to The New York Times.

This about says it all for me.

Corrections

I made at least two errors in my Open Letter to Andrew Sullivan.
First, I referred to Sen. Frank Laufenberg as Ralph. He may make you want to raaalph, but that is not his name.
Secondly, I replaced the adjective "no" with the verb "know". Know, that's not right, it was know with no. I don't no. Know one can accuse me of knot desiring accuracy. My noledge of English sometimes approaches the level of a wiknow, high on who noes what. There are know more errors to report at this time.

I'll have a McEverything, please.
Uh, make that two.

UPDATE: Several readers note this headline from The Onion: Michael Moore Kicking Self For Not Filming Last 600 Trips To McDonald's. Heh.

via Instapundit

ANDREW SULLIVAN

Andrew Sullivan. My, my, my. What to think? What to do? What to write?

I wrote the following Open Letter To Andrew Sullivan this morning over a span of four hours in my blog, then at the exact instant that I clicked "Publish This Blog", my crummy Mexican ISP disconnected me and I lost it all. Ah, well, live and learn. I will have to write my postings now in Word and then copy and paste so that, if anything untoward happens in the future, I don’t have to rewrite the whole G** d*** thing, as I am now about to try to do. Here goes nuthin’.

OPEN LETTER TO ANDREW SULLIVAN

Dear Mr. Sullivan,
I am writing this letter to you as a posting in my blog, markinmexico.blogspot.com. I am writing it as a person who is bitterly disappointed, although not too surprised. I began visiting your blog because of your commentary on the pressing issues of the day. However, your blog has become more and more oriented toward three issues of late, and what you have done in the last 24 hours more or less follows that pattern. These three issues are; 1. Abu Ghraib 2. Big government (whatever that is in this post-9/11 age) 3. Gay Issues

I have had a chance to review the blogosphere tonight and you have certainly created a stir. I hope that it is not as fatal for you as was that of The Daily Kos. Kos tried to rationalize, then hide it, then defy all. He has now nearly disappeared. I believed that you were on a significantly higher plane than that of Kos. Now, I am not so sure. Please understand that I do not intend to join the "piling on" now occurring all over the net. I would merely like to point out some facts that I think, no, I hope, that you have missed.

Let’s take a look at your blog today as I read it at 9:00 this morning, when I first began writing this letter.
Post #1: THE INVISIBLE MAN - Abu Ghraib
Post #2: MAKE THIS KID AN AMERICAN - Feel good story
Post #3: JONAH ON BUSH (AND ME) - Big government, Gay issues, Abu Ghraib
Post #4: THE BEST RESPONSE - Big government
Post #5: THE MARRIAGE THING - Gay Issues
Post #6: WHAT IS SEXY? - Gay issues

OK, 6 posts of which 5 were dedicated to your three issues. That would be 83%. Of the five, all are anti Bush. Let’s count lines (big media claims fairness, but puts their stories on page 1 while the "other" stories go on page 44. You have only the one page, so we’ll count lines, instead).

Post #1: THE INVISIBLE MAN - 27 lines
Post #2: MAKE THIS KID AN AMERICAN - 4 lines
Post #3: JONAH ON BUSH (AND ME) - 54 lines
Post #4: THE BEST RESPONSE - 35 lines
Post #5: THE MARRIAGE THING - 51 lines
Post #6: WHAT IS SEXY? - 45 lines

That makes a total of 216 lines either written or quoted, of which 4 are unrelated to your three issues and are, therefore, not anti Bush. That is an anti Bush ratio of 98%, 49-1. I thought you were still thinking. Seems to me you made up your mind, a long time ago according to what I read from Jonah Goldberg last night.

Allow me to examine each issue and perhaps point out a few things to you.

ABU GHRAIB
Rules were broken, people should be punished, and they are getting theirs now. Lord a’mighty, drop it already. The things that went on in Abu Ghraib were minor compared to daily occurrences in prisons all over the United States and pale by comparison to what happens in prisons every day, every day, in Paris, Berlin, Cairo, Riyadh.

Try this. Find out the name of a widow of a serviceman killed in Iraq. Better yet, get off your ass and go pay her a visit. Ask her this, "Ma’am, if you had been given the choice between losing your husband and the father of your babies and humiliating a suspected terrorist/militant/fighter by making him wear a pair of panties on his head, which would you have chosen? OK, what if it was believed that physical torture, such as electric shocks to the genitals, removing fingernails forcibly, drilling teeth, etc. was required to save your husband’s life so that he could be standing here now and holding one of them (point to the babies, here) instead of you holding both of them? Uh huh, I see. Now, what if the prisoner’s death resulted from the extraction of information which would have enabled these babies’ father, (insert name of dead American citizen soldier here), to have come home to them?"

I think I know and you know what her answer would be.

BIG GOVERNMENT
You like to compare Mr. Bush with Mr. Reagan, Mr. Clinton, et al. In fact, Reagan is your hero. Well, he is my hero, too. However, his administrations committed a list of illegal, incompetent, immoral, stupid acts as long as my arm. So what? That is what governments do. History alone can judge whether all these bad things are outweighed by the good things, if any. Governments act, you write, we bitch.

Are budget deficits a good thing? No, of course not. Just what the hell was Mr. Bush supposed to do? This guy got whacked, immediately after taking office, with two of the biggest blows ever suffered by a newly elected president; the "dot com bubble" bursting and then 9/11. I know, I know, I have heard it all: he knew, he should have known, he should have acted, he should have done this and that and that over there. I’m sorry, governments don’t work that way, not from the smallest village council in upstate New York to the gargantuan government of China. When does the traffic light get installed on the corner? After the child gets killed, never before. That’s what governments do. We scream, we rant, we rave, we recriminate. That’s what citizens do (when they can do so without having their tongues cut out, ears cut off, shot, hung, burned, stoned, imprisoned).

You need to remember FDR. He entered office fully aware of the economic disaster because it occurred well before his election. He was as prepared to handle it as could be expected under the circumstances. What did he do? He turned the federal government into the gigantic bureaucracy that it is today. Why? Was it because it was his lifelong ambition? Was it because he was too stupid to have thought of a better way? Did it come to him in a dream or from some swami? He did it because it was the only way it could be done. The Germans, in the same mess, opted for Adolph Hitler. The French, in the same predicament, opted for leadership that later became the Vichy government. Forests have been sacrificed to record the critiques of FDR. I say that he got us through the worst economic disaster in history and then, only halfway through this, at best, he had to guide us through the biggest war of all time.

So Mr. Bush is faced, first with an economic disaster, and then with an attack on the mainland United States for the first time since 1812. What does he do? What would you have done? He chopped taxes to stimulate the economy, sent out the most powerful armed force on earth, the most powerful ever seen, to sally forth and deal a little justice for 3000+ innocents and try to assure that it not happen again, and designed and effected the largest reorganization of the federal government since Harry Truman. What was the ONLY way possible to have done this? He used the same tool that FDR used. The good credit standing of The United States government.

Do seniors need a Medicare drug plan? Of course they do. Is it expensive and going to become more so? Of course it is. Is it the very best plan that could have been written? Of course not. I defy you to find one single law or act or entitlement that is the very best that could have been written. Is it the best that could have been IMPLEMENTED? Probably so. This is politics, remember? Was FDR a politician? Washington? Lincoln? Jefferson? Reagan? Washington is politics. Tel Aviv is politics. Without politics, Washington, D.C. and Tel Aviv don’t exist and London is just a collection of haberdasheries. Get real. All this cost a lot of money, money the federal government did not have. Ergo, deficits. So what? We’ll clean up the mess later, like we have always done. For right now, we are a hell of a lot safer than we were on 9/10. And seniors buy drugs a little cheaper...I think.

GAY ISSUES
This is the crux of the matter, is it not? It is a sticky situation for you, I will admit. Personal issues always are. I am a Catholic who was raised a Methodist. I believed at one time that homosexuality was a sin. I still find it abhorrent and wish that it did not exist and would just go away. However, it exists, which the foul mouthed Lucianne Goldberg cannot accept. And contrary to that cretin whose email you reprinted yesterday, who seemingly cannot muster the brain waves or energy to do a little research, it did NOT originate with homosexuals. If he were to, he might discover that HIV originated in monkeys who infected African hunter-gatherers when they were killed and butchered for food. He might further discover that the infection was passed into the gay population, FROM THE HETEROSEXUAL population at some point and at some time that no one knows for sure, and exploded because no one knew what the hell it was. Bisexuals and drug addicted needle sharers then spread it into the heterosexual population on several continents. But it originated, in humans, in a heterosexual population in Africa. One could logically argue that it was only a matter of time before it spread from that heterosexual population to others, gays or no. How could it not? So much for that jerk.

My position on gay rights is, to paraphrase Dennis Miller, as follows; I could care less if two guys decide to marry each other, but if some asshole decides to blow himself up along with their wedding party, I expect my government to take action against that person, preemptively. There now, you know from where I come.

Please think about this for a moment and then answer the question as honestly as you can. What is the single biggest problem with the Democratic party? I’ll answer to save you some time. Special Interests. The Democratic party has pandered, repeat, PANDERED, to so many special interest, fringe, splinter, far out groups for so many years that no one can remember what, if anything, it truly stands for these days. Why? Why, votes, of course. All for votes. Politics...politics...politics. That is all it is, ever has been and ever will be. Do you truly think that John Kerry, Teddy Kennedy, Frank Laufenburg, et al really give two sh*ts about you and your loved one? They want your vote. They shower you with attention and loving care until after the election, then go on about their business as though you don’t exist. Has the Republican party ever engaged in such reprehensible tactics? Strom Thurmond, Dixiecrats, and we won’t talk about that anymore.

Do you seriously believe that Mr. Bush intends to pursue this half-assed, bone-headed constitutional amendment, outlaw any and all abortion and continue to restrict stem cell research? After his reelection, he, Santorum and the rest of those who really do not permit the opening of a bible to blind them to reality will allow these measures and proposed measures to die the slow death that they deserve. However, they will go through the motions because the evangelical right votes also, just like the gays. Politics. You expected that Mr. Bush would pander to you like the Democrats do, to a few million gays, and risk alienating 50 million evangelical born again Christian folk? What are you, nuts? You can’t count?

I CONCLUDE

"This comes down to a fundamental compact between a government and the people. From all the evidence we see so far, the Bush administration has violated that compact, allowed America's hard-won reputation for decency and fairness to be tarnished, and compromised the moral integrity of the war on terror. What is their explanation?"

This is the most reprehensible thing you have ever written, worthy of Ted Rall, Michael Moore and their ilk. We’ve lost the moral integrity of the war on terror? Ridiculous! Oh, OK. War’s over. We lost. Prepare to die, painfully. Don’t like that? OK, continue the fight, but now from an immoral position. It is now an immoral war. How long before we can expect an invasion from a coalition of the willing under a UN flag to save the rest of the world from our immoral war?

"All the evidence we see so far..." You must be truly blind. We have crushed and destroyed the second most brutal, repressive government on the planet (#1 North Korea is on the list), arrested and imprisoned a vile genocidal maniac, installed a representative government in a place that has NEVER had one, stopped who knows how many planned mass death dealing missions from occurring on our soil, and all the while been digging ourselves out of a horrendous economic slump. That was supposed to be accomplished cleanly, antiseptically, efficiently, without error or miscalculation or controversy or the occasional bone-headedness? Upon what planet do you normally reside? It surely is not this one.

"What is their explanation?" If I were Mr. Bush, here would be my explanation. "These actions were taken to save American lives. Such actions, as we speak, continue to be taken to save American lives, and, if I deem it necessary in the future, I will not hesitate to order that such actions be repeated to save American lives." Then I would call all my people together and tell them, "Get me some professionals to handle this, and if word of their activity becomes public, you’re ALL fired."

You do what you must do. If you choose to allow your personal issue to overshadow the huge issues that affect the other 299,999,999 American citizens, then I think that that is, at best, selfish, and, at worst, callous and irresponsible. I think it would be a real shame and the thought saddens me.

YANKEES WIN...THUH-UH-UH-UH YANKEES WIN!

The Yanks beat Arizona again last night. Their record is now 42-21 or .667 on the season. At the rate that they are winning, they'll surely finish at .700 to .750 on the year. They'll win somewhere between 113 and 122 games. WOW!

Boston lost (Schilling got shelled), so they drop 5 1/2 back. I think the rout is on.

Hall of Famer #1 - Jeter - hit HR #9, Hall of Famer #2 - Williams - hit HR #9 and Hall of Famer #3 - Rodriguez - hit HR #15.

The House That Ruth Built sits quietly happy tonight.

How Do You Feel?

This post from Not a Fish makes me angry. How about you?

"I hope Charles Johnson, Michael Totten, and 'zombie' don’t mind my borrowing this photo. I printed it out yesterday and stuck it on the wall in my office this morning, where only I could see it. Today I sat with the man holding the sign, occasionally glancing at him while I worked, trying to understand.

‘SMASH THE JEWISH STATE’, he says. Smash the Jewish State. I’ve been rolling those words on my tongue and looking at the man’s image looking back at me.

He’s wearing a nice green golf shirt with a pocket. My dad likes a pocket in his shirts too, so he can have his sunglasses and other things handy. This person also has things in his pocket, just like my dad.

He’s also wearing a nice, good quality cap. It looks green, but it could be gray. I’d like to think it’s green and that he’s matched the colors. The cap looks like it has a little red five-pointed star pinned on it. Someone on Michael Totten’s comments said that he doesn’t look like a lefty, whatever that means, but doesn’t that star mean he’s a communist? I thought communists wanted to make the world a better place.

It looks like he’s made the sign himself, and attached it to the placard with clips. I wonder if he goes to a lot of demonstrations and changes the signs according to the subject on hand? That’s a very tidy, organized thing to do.

You know, physically, he reminds me of someone else. Someone I was just thinking about this year on Remembrance Day for the fallen of Israel’s wars. Guy called Yossi. He used to be in my class. I can’t remember how he was killed, but I remember not being surprised. He was the type of guy who was always ready to help, who carried the girls’ backpacks when they were tired on school trips. He was an innocent who really believed in things. And he was the type of guy who would think nothing of volunteering for the really dangerous stuff.

The appearance of the man in the photo is probably similar to how Yossi, my old classmate, would have looked had he been fortunate enough to reach fifty. He didn’t make it to twenty-six. But maybe our green-clad friend here could have learnt something from him about kindness, about industriousness, and about trying to make the world a better place. Oh, and about smiling at the camera. Yossi would have smiled at the camera, no doubt about it.

And he would never have been holding a sign saying anything like that.

Everything about the harmless-looking gentleman in the photo, in his green or gray cap, even his serious, committed expression, is in such sharp contrast with the viciously violent, hateful sentiment expressed on his little sign.

Smash the Jewish State. Smash the Jews in it. Smash my nine-year-old daughter. Smash her little collection of Bratz dolls, lovingly collected one by one. Smash our three-month-old kitten. Smash my great grandmother’s Shabbat candlesticks. Smash Ronit’s new baby with her dark skin and bright eyes, suckling milk from her mother’s breast in the shade of the tree. Smash Doctor Assuline, who helped bring her into this world. Smash Luda, who washed the room after mother and daughter had been wheeled away, and Hameed, who built the crib her parents bought for her when they bought her home from the hospital.

Smash the memory of my dead classmate, look-alike of one hate-filled American protester.

What did we do to this tidy, organized, serious man to make him hate us so much that he wants to smash us?

I suppose he will tell you he isn’t an anti-Semite.

posted by Imshin"

Yeah, not an anti-Semite. I can say, as a Christian, a WASP, yet, "Jesus Christ!"

What kind of person is this? I can't show the photo because I am on a cheapy cheapy blog site carrier, but I wish I could. The description of this gentleman is not very accurate (tidy, organized, serious), I'm sorry. I cannot describe how utterly American, middle class, WASP-ish, non-descript, feller-next-door, fix-yer-plumbing, teach-the-clarinet-to-your-daughter, here-is-how-you-throw-the-fastball, this guy is. What the HELL is he thinking, doing?

What is "Smash the Jewish State"? First of all, what is "SMASH?" Crush it with ground troops, tanks, rockets, bombs? OK, by whom? Well, forget that. There ain't nobody handy and able.

And then, what is the Jewish State? Well, Imshin says it better than I ever could. What is "State"? It's people, persons, human beings, just like mom, dad, sis, bro', cousins, nephews, friends, neighbors, the people you just saw on the street. Crush them? Are you sure? Are you really sure that you want that done?

I realize that I speak from the high ground. The United States of America does not, at this time, sweat the "crush them" rhetoric. It is we, lo contrario, who are more likely to do the crushing. I cannot imagine what it would be like to live under the kind of every single day pressure under which must live Imshin and all of her family, friends, neighbors, children, loved ones.

Imshin, I love you and yours and, Democrat or Republican, I don't believe that you will ever be abandoned by the most powerful state that has ever inhabited this earth. Hang in there!

Christ, that sounded hollow, but what else could I say?

Ann Althouse Is Right

I consider "The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance" to be one of the top five "blackest" movies of all time. The other four, which you might wish to view, are; "The Ox-Bow Incident", with a very young Henry Fonda in a supporting role, "Touch of Evil", with Orson Welles at his darkest and a young Charlton Heston playing a Mexican police officer, "Apocolypse Now, Redux" (which I am sure you have seen), and the blackest movie ever made (and one I am also sure you have seen), "Taxi Driver". I am not a lawyer, but the mistrust in lawyers and the law in general are pervasive throughout these films. Not disrespect, but mistrust.

In "Liberty Valance", one good guy accompanies the other good guy's body to his burial, while the bad guy has been dispatched years before. (I always have wondered what Tom did with his life after shooting Liberty Valance, contrary to his beloved "code of the West", and losing the girl.)

In "Ox-Bow", the only good guy gets murdered by vigilantes and the really bad guy self-administers justice, while the rest live with their guilt for the rest of their lives.

In "Touch of Evil", a former good guy has become a bad guy, a really bad guy, while his long sufering love and longer suffering partner recreate themselves as inherently good, right at the end.

In "Apocolypse", the good guy (or is he the bad guy) gets chopped up, while the other good guy (or is he really the bad guy) does the chopping.

In "Taxi Driver", the good guy is the bad guy, or vice versa, whichever comes first. This movie had a shock ending that I could not believe, to the point that I laughed out loud in the theater when I first saw it. When the tape became available (this was before DVD), I bought it immediately to watch it again to see if it truly ended the way I remembered it. Yep, the deranged maniac is considered the hero.

I would guess that, of all the movies listed above, you have seen neither "The Ox-Bow Incident" nor "Touch of Evil". Make it a point to see them.

NO PORN? SAY IT AIN'T SO.

This is a day that I never thought I would see. I just checked my Hotmail "Junk Mail" box for the third time today and found that it contained ten messages, not one of which, repeat, NOT ONE OF WHICH, was pornographic in nature. What a disapoin... er... I mean, what a pleasant surprise. This is the first time in my lifetime (and all previous lifetimes)that I have emptied the "Junk Mail" box and not dumped at least 75% porn.

I would like to hear from anyone out there who has experienced the same aberration, but I won't stay up late waiting.

REALLY?

End discrimination, say Muslims

Herald Sun (AU), by Mark Dunn (via News Forum Home Page)

"ISLAMIC groups say anti-terrorism laws discriminate against Muslims and should be scrapped. 'It is clear that the anti-terrorism legislation based in this country . . . has (focused on) one section of the community only -- Muslims,' says an open letter signed by 25 Australian Muslim organisations and sent to all federal MPs. 'It is concerning that only Muslims have been arrested and only organisations linked to Muslims have been proscribed.'"

The Herald Sun in Australia thoughtfully provides an email window for comments by readers. I have rewarded the Herald Sun by taking advantage of their kind invitation, to wit;

"You folks seem to be pretty good at taking care of your own problems, but please allow an American to suggest a possible answer to the Muslim organizations mentioned in your article.

NO SHIT!
When did a Jew last blow up a nightclub full of tourists?
When did a Catholic last blow up an embassy and kill over 200 Muslims?
When did an Eastern Orthodox Christian last pilot a boatload of explosives against the side of a ship?
When did a Buddhist last shoot a pregnant mother and then execute her four little girls at point-blank range?
When did a Hindu last blow himself up along with a busload of school children?
When did an Aborigine last fly an airplane into a crowded office tower?

Whom do you think we should be watching?"

Nice response, don't you think? I shall await my Pulitzer.

GREAT DAY!

A dear old friend of mine sent me an email, out of the blue. I haven't spoken to her since Christmas past, and haven't seen her or her husband for a couple of years. Their story is one of those that you read about or hear about, but it never happens to you. Their names are Mike and Donna Davis.

After they had been married for awhile and had decided to have a baby, they discovered that they could not. She began fertility treatments of various kinds with various doctors, clinics, experts, etc., but nothing worked. I know they went through this for at least 2 years, maybe more, before they gave up began discussing adoption.

Guess what? Boom! Pregnant. (Perhaps I should say, Bang! Pregnant.) They now have 2 sons, named Michael, named after I don't know whom, and a 4 month old named Anthony, named, of course, in honor of yours truly. How could anyone be happier for them than me?

They live in Vassar, MI (where?) in a beautiful home on 7 acres in the country. They are having their anual pig-roast the last week in July and have asked me to announce that the entire world is welcome. (first come, first served, BYOB) I asked her today how the pig feels about all this and she replied that he had not been consulted and was not likely to be.

Great hearing from you, Donna, and we'll keep in touch. I am sure that she will now be a frequent visitor to Mark in Mexico (hint, hint) and will be a frequent commenter, also.


UPDATE: Mike and Donna issue a special invitation to the 1.5 billion Chinese citizens who, as always, are especially welcome to the pig-roast (first come, first served, BYOB).

UPDATE II: Mike and Donna asked me to be sure and announce that Taliban and Sadr terrorists may attend only if they are dead, but not yet buried (first come, first served, BYOB).

RONALD REAGAN - RIP

There will be millions of words written about this man in the next few days by writers far more skilled than I. However, this being my blog, I guess that I can write whatever I want, no?

I voted for RR with some trepidation. An ex-actor? Even though he had been president of the Screen Actors Guild (can you imagine that liberal leftist bastion electing someone like him today?) as well as governor of California. I must admit that when the Ayatollah Khomeini released the hostages 24 hours before RR was sworn in, I breathed a sigh of relief. I failed to understand why Carter was allowed to be the one who welcomed them back in Germany, when it had to be obvious to all why they had been released. Fear. I had failed as yet to understand for whom I had voted. A gentleman. A real gentleman. A gentleman of the type that we had not had in the White House since, perhaps, General Eisenhower (and his actions toward President Truman on inauguration day were less than generous). A gentleman who would grant the defeated incumbent a little grace as he left office, without that first hint, ever, of I-told-you-so, or, look-what-I-did.

Grace. I like that word associated with RR. I like the sound and feel of it with regards to his demeanor, his actions, his beliefs, his legacy. Grace. Graceful. Full of grace. Amazing grace. Gracious. Graciously. With grace.

I read an poignant story some years ago. While he was still able, he took long walks away from his little ranch with his Secret Service escort. He passed by an outdoor basketball court each day, and liked to stop and shoot a few hoops with some kids that he always found there. He did not remember that he had been there the day before with those same kids, even when gently reminded of it by a Secret Service agent. For some reason, the kids never questioned why this old guy wanted to introduce himself and learn ther names, every day, again and again. The reporter, or whomever recounted this story, I can't remember now, said that the kids seemed to realize that he was someone special, and treated him with great deference and patience. Unusual for kids. Grace.

I will forever believe, perhaps because I want to believe, that it was principally he who brought the Soviet Union to its knees. I like to tell my friends and acquaintances, despite an occasional answering guffaw, that RR simply began using our most powerful weapon against the Soviets. He started writing checks. Strategic Defense Initiative needs a few billion? OK, here you go. I like to imagine the virtual round-the-clock meetings inside the Kremlin, struggling to respond. Well, we can take a little from here and a little from there, and, after weeks of agonizing toil, they matched it. RR just wrote a check, then went to lunch. When he was told that, well, it may require a few more billion, Hey, OK, here it is. Need any more, just let me know, I'll be at lunch. More agonizing hours, days, weeks of sweat and worry inside the Kremlin, until they had again scratched out enough to match him. Then he is informed, well, maybe its more of a challenge than we thought and will require even more billions than our last estimation. Oh? Hmm. Well, alright, here is another check for whatever you need, and keep up the good work. After the usual round of non-stop, round the clock agony in the Kremlin, they realized that they had no more with which to match him. Bottom of the ninth, two outs, full count. Strike three.

I suppose that the scenario that I like to think happened, did not, in fact, really happen. But who knows for sure? I imagine him pondering at great length as to what we might have to use against the evil empire that they didn't have and to which they could not respond. Nukes? No, they've got them, and more. Tanks?. Likewise. Planes and ships and rockets and guns and bombs and men? Nope, they've gottem all, twofold. How about money? Ah, there we go. Money they don't have. OK, We'll just spend them into obscurity. And he did.

In the millions of words that are being written now and will be written about him in the future there will be, no doubt, many that are less than generous. To those who write such words I say this. In 100 years, school children will be studying Ronald Reagan's life, times and deeds. Will anyone even remember your names?

IQ TEST

Please take the following IQ test to determine whether you are generally cognizant, more or less aware, at least half awake, playing with a full deck, no bricks shy of a load, in like Flynn, right way Corrigan and in the right camp, or, unfortunately, no longer living.

Please be advised that this is a single elimination exam. If you fail to successfully answer all questions correctly, you are either; A) a total moron, or B) a left leaning - commy pinko - weak kneed - lilly livered - slack jawed - knee jerk - Massachusetts based - overly nuanced - flag sneering - trollodite Dodger fan, or C) unfortunately, no longer living.

PART I
Fill in the Blanks, using the clues provided to help you appear less than totally hopeless:

Still searching for their first win in the month of June, the ____________(famous for baked beans) _________(color) __________(smelly footwear) play the middle game of a three-game set this evening against the Kansas City Royals at Kauffman Stadium.

With the ______(ain't old) _______(Duke of, had 10,000 men) _____________(Mason-Dixon, north of) catching fire in recent weeks, the _____(color) ______(smelly footwear) have picked a bad time to cool off, losing four in a row and six of their last eight.

On Friday night the _____(smelly footwear), now a season-high 3 1/2 games behind the ________(Car 54) __________(B-29's) for first place in the American League East, came up on the short end of a 5-2 decision in the series opener.

Part II
Multiple guess, using clues thoughtfully not provided:

This team has won 4 straight and is in first place by 3 1/2 games and has the best record in baseball.
New York Knicks
New York Rangers
Confederate States of America
New York Cosmos
New York Yankees
New York Titans

This team has lost 4 straight, 6 of their last 8, and trail by 3 1/2 games.
Boston Bruins
Boston Braves
Democratic National Committee
Boston Red Sox
Boston Red Soxx
Boston Marathon

Please submit all completed exams upon completion after you have completed them to Michelle at A Small Victory. For your convenience, no link is provided, but you might just find one over there on the left. No, your other left.

Good Luck!

No Volume Discount?

Finally, the Seattle Post-Intelligencer prints something worth reading. This is the story of some moron from Bangladesh, the husband of a Bangladeshi U.N. consular official, who ran up a $129,626.00 (U.S. dollars, coin of the realm, Eagles, Washingtons, greenbacks, smackers, bucks, whacks, smackeroos, shekels) at the New York topless club Scores. And now, demonstrating his rapid assimilation into American culture, has sued to get his money back.

The story states, "Chaudhury claims even after he became "obviously intoxicated" at the club on Oct. 23, 2003, staffers continued plying him with drinks and "took advantage of his intoxicated state.""

However, not everyone in his party was that stupid. "Three people who went to the club with Chaudhury left after a couple of hours. Chaudhury kept partying for another five hours, the suit said - thanks to employees who kept serving him drinks and admitted him to a private room."

Uh, let's see. I go into a topless club, order drinks and ask for a private lap dancing room. What do they say to me? "Sorry, sir. We only sell shoes here."?

To help put this into some perspective for you, "His bill for the night came to $129,626, which Scores charged on four of Chaudhury's credit cards, according to his lawsuit in Manhattan's state Supreme Court. That's enough to buy 6,500 5-minute lap dances, without tip."

6500 5-minute lap dances, without tip. After 32,500 minutes of lap dancing, I'd be without more than just the tip.

To be perfectly fair to the Bangladeshi marathoner, this is the second time in two weeks that there have been Scores to settle (heh heh). A stud-puppy from Switzerland has also sued Scores for the return of $28,000.00 that he blew (what?) at Scores, while "spending 'like a rock star'", according to a club spokesperson.

One has to wonder, does our government send idiots like this to other countries (at least since Joseph Kennedy was recalled)

Who's our ambassador to Fiji?
What did he know and when did he know it?
The people demand answers.

NO RELATION!! NO RELATION!!

Roger Simon (link at right) gives me a hat tip, then supposes if I am related to Michael (3 scoops, please) Moore. Phtooey!

No relation. And not related to that true right wing warhawk, ace radioman and marathon commenteer, John Moore, either.

When I saw the info (in the posting below) this morning, then read Andrew Sullivan, and keeping fairly current with Roger and the folks that visit his blog, Belmont, Lileks, Kaus, et al, I began to wonder. What will it take for the truth of what we have really accomplished in the Middle East to come out and be available to all of the people, all of the time?

I sometimes feel like we are part of a priveleged few who manage to see and discuss the truth amongst ourselves, but that the average Joe, you know, the guy that votes, doesn't have that advantage. He gets ABC-NBC-CBS-PBS-NYT-LAT-WaPo. The various blog polls that are floating around tell us of 100,000 visits here and 200,000 visits there, but what about the 100,000,000 or so other people?

I guess we just keep digging, reporting, blogging, commenting and maybe screaming a little, too. Especially when somebody like Joseph (see Roger Simon's comments)shows up with a silly question about a position (anti-terrorist czar?) that does not exist.

It does seem to be a bit discouraging, though. Am I too much gloom and doom? As was asked by someone last week, "Are they really that smart?" Has the Bush reelection team truly laid a cunning, devious, Machiavellian (sp.?) trap for the Demos and the mainstram media?

I hope so.

Ouch! I stepped on my d**k. No! You stepped on my d**k!

The vast right wing conspiracy theorists, already cracked, are beginning to fall completely apart. Do I hear "Humpty Dumpty"?

When Bush-Bashers Collide

First, from Michael (where's my pork chop?) Moore;

"According to a movie review by the BBC, one of the film's "chief accusations is Bush allowed planes to pick up 24 members of the bin Laden family and fly them out of the U.S. in the days following the attacks - when all other aircraft were grounded."

"So here is Bush trying to deal with everything on Sept. 11, 12 13th, you know. You remember, everybody remembers the total state of chaos and people, just everyone, all of us, discombobulated by the whole thing, and he had the time to be thinking -- what can I do to help the bin Ladens right now," Moore told Pacifica radio last October.

"And all of these elaborate plans were made, because [the Saudis] were spread out throughout the country, to be able to pick them up, get them to Boston and then get them to Paris," Moore said.

"While we are being told that the hunt is on for Osama bin Laden, what is really going on is when you got 24 bin Ladens here, (a disputed number) you know, none of them are asked for any kind of help. None of them are interrogated, and they are given the royal red carpet treatment in the days after September 11th. My question is why? What is really going on here?" Moore asked.

But Moore's film relies in part on Clarke's original comments, the ones he has now contradicted."


Then from Richard (just kidding) Clarke;

"Clarke's sworn testimony before the 9/11 Commission in March, describing how the FBI approved the flights for the bin Ladens and other Saudis to leave the U.S., may have strengthened that premise. But Clarke's interview with The Hill newspaper, published on May 26, contradicted that previous testimony.

The decision to approve the flights, Clarke admitted last week, had been his own. The request "didn't get any higher than me," he told The Hill .

"On 9-11, 9-12 and 9-13, many things didn't get any higher than me. I decided it in consultation with the FBI," Clarke said of the plane flight carrying bin Laden's relatives.

"I take responsibility for it. I don't think it was a mistake, and I'd do it again," he added."

What are Barbara Boxer and Charles Schumer saying now?