....but hey, do what you want....you will anyway.
Wednesday, April 30, 2008
Meanwhile, In the Middle East
Bush is trying to get an Israeli/Palestinian agreement for his legacy, sending Condi again and again in his stead (presumably because they can at least understand what she's saying), and on the other hand, sending warships to the Gulf to "remind Iran of US power".Source
Do You Have A Bridge To Go With That?
I've been somewhat occupied with other things lately, but I did hear snippets on NPR of a spat brewing between Barack Obama and the Rev. Wright. Apparently, the Rev has gone too far. I heard him say Obama says what he says because he's a politician. True, of course. And after that, Obama came out and "renounced" the Rev, in particular for saying recently that the U.S. government was involved with creating the AIDS virus to attack minorities. Now, Obama calls that claim "outrageous", which it is not. It may be questionable, but it is certainly not outrageous. I don't think it's any secret that the U.S. military has conducted (and probably is still conducting) research into chemical and germ warfare that specifically targets a unique population according to genetic markers. But more to the point, would Obama have us believe that this is the first time Rev. Wright has spoken out about this idea? That's been a controversial claim for years, and I can't believe that Wright has not previously publicly put forth his views on it. Obama is just now finding out? I smell fish.
....but hey, do what you want....you will anyway.
Monday, April 28, 2008
Why We Need Independent Media
The New York Times first reported on Sunday that the Defense Department was giving information to retired officers serving as pundits for various media organizations in order to garner favorable media coverage.Some of these retired officers saw their access to key decision-makers as possible business opportunities for the defense contractors they represent, according to the newspaper. The story also alleged that the officers who did not repeat the Bush administration's official line were denied further access to information.
[...]
The Defense Department has temporarily stopped feeding information to retired military officers pending a review of the issue, said Robert Hastings, principal deputy assistant secretary of Defense for public affairs.
[...]
Hastings said he is concerned about allegations that the Defense Department's relationship with the retired military analysts was improper.
Temporarily, at least. It's not like they haven't been doing it for a long time, but apparently it takes a major newspaper article for them to find a conscience.
....but hey, do what you want....you will anyway.
Support Our Troops
A spokeswoman for U.S. Sen. Elizabeth Dole said Dole’s staff is contacting Fort Bragg and Pentagon officials today in response to a just-posted YouTube video that depicts soldiers living in deplorable conditions in a base barracks.The YouTube video shows paint peeling and falling from exposed pipes in the barracks, mildewed ceilings and showers, a toilet seat torn in half and a soldier standing on a sink trying to unplug a bathroom drain. Sewage appears to cover the bathroom floor.
The video was made by Edward Frawley, the father of a sergeant in the 82nd Airborne Division who returned from Afghanistan on April 13 and is among the soldiers now living in the barracks.
[...]
The Army arranged a news conference at 2:30 p.m. today to respond to the video.
Frawley said his son, Sgt. Jeff Frawley, a member of Charlie Company’s 2nd platoon, lived in the remote mountains of Afghanistan near the Pakistan border for most of his deployment. Frawley said his son went eight weeks without a shower and just as long without outside contact.
“These solders spent 15 long, hard, difficult months in some of the most remote, dangerous areas of the mountains of Afghanistan,” Frawley says in the video. “They didn’t complain, they just did their job. Now you are going to see what we did for them when they returned home.”
Here is the link to the video: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=46vYZFU1Dew
If You're Going to San Francisco
Be sure to wear some tin foil in your hair. A lot has changed in California since I lived in San Francisco back in the 70s and early 80s. Not all for the better either.
California has taken another step towards creepy police statehood, with an expansion of the use of DNA. From 2009, DNA will be collected – and kept forever – from anyone who is arrested, even if they are not convicted, and it will be used to identify not only actual criminals but people who share some genetic markers with criminals (i.e., relatives).
It’s a brave new world.
....but hey, do what you want....you will anyway.
Speaking of Dropping Out
Democratic Party Chairman Howard Dean said Monday that either Hillary Rodham Clinton or Barack Obama must drop out of the Democratic presidential race after the June primaries in order to unify the party by the convention and win the election in November.But Dean didn't say which candidate should drop out, only that it should happen after primary voters have been to the polls.
Dean said that "none of the so-called party elders I talked to" think the contest should go until the convention. "I agree with that," Dean said.
Because this is a democracy, and anybody can run for president.
....but hey, do what you want....you will anyway.
Saturday, April 26, 2008
Sin City
I didn't mean to just drop out unannounced. I had to attend a conference in Vegas that was held at Harrah's. The hotel website said the rooms had internet access. When I got there, laptop in tow (extra hassle through the airport), they said, "There's internet in your room, but you won't be able to use it. Ask at the business center." It turns out you can get access for $12 per day (plus tax, I'm sure). TV wasn't even free - not even local channels or the news. You are there to gamble, duckies, not to hang out in your room. I didn't think I had anything worth $12 a day to post. I don't recommend Harrah's. It seemed exceptionally smokey. And in my room there was hair and spattered urine on the toilet under the ring. Gross.
....but hey, do what you want....you will anyway.
Tuesday, April 22, 2008
McSame Irony
You will hardly notice the difference if McCain goes to the White House.
Standing before a nearly shuttered factory pocked with broken windows, John McCain on Tuesday urged Americans to reject the "siren song of protectionism" and embrace a future of free trade.[...]
"A person learns along the way that if you hold on — if you don't quit no matter what the odds — sometimes life will surprise you," McCain said in a speech at Youngstown State University after meeting the five remaining workers at Fabart, a steel-fabricating factory that had more than 100 employees a few years ago.
....but hey, do what you want....you will anyway.
Speaking of CNN
People, Please
CNN Personality Arrested in New York in Allegedly Bizarre Circumstances
....but hey, do what you want....you will anyway.
Nixon Daughter Supports Obama
[Julie Nixon] Eisenhower has contributed the maximum amount allowed during the primary season to [Barack] Obama's campaign.
....hey, do what you want....you will anyway.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
