Or, perhaps it's the HanKerryan Senator:
One of three newly discovered Vietnam War documents shows Hanoi's communist regime encouraged the U.S. anti-war movement's new strategy in the early 1970s of urging members to run for public office, a path John Kerry took when he vied for a congressional seat in 1972.
Hanoi said it maintained "relations" with an anti-war group closely tied to Kerry that sought "to eliminate reactionary candidates and plant progressive people in the Senate and House of Representatives," according to a "circular" issued in December 1971 and captured by U.S. troops the following May.
The document, noting that the U.S. anti-war movements have received "assistance and guidance" from Vietnamese communist delegations, outlines the strategy of the radical U.S. group People's Coalition for Peace and Justice, or PCPJ. That organization was tied to Kerry through Al Hubbard, a coordinating PCPJ member who also served as executive director of Vietnam Veterans Against the War while the future senator was its national spokesman and an executive committee member. The PCPJ also shared office space and conducted joint activities with the VVAW.
And don't think Hanoi won't cash in the chit if Kerry wins Tuesday.
Sunday, October 31, 2004
Crazy for Kerry...And Proud of It
George Soros let's us know what it takes to be a Kerry man:
"I fancied myself as some kind of god....If the truth be known, I carried some rather potent messianic fantasies with me from childhood, which I felt I had to control, otherwise they might get me in trouble.
"It is a sort of disease when you consider yourself some kind of god, the creator of everything, but I feel comfortable about it now since I began to live it out."
“Next to my fantasies about being God, I also have very strong fantasies of being mad. In fact, my grandfather was actually paranoid. I have a lot of madness in my family. So far I have escaped it.”
Right George, you're just spending millions trying to elect a man who was a traitor to his country three decades ago:
...the date of the posted discharge, Feb. 16, 1978. This was six years after Kerry's six-year (1966-1972) commitment to the Navy ended. The anti-war detractor of our military did not re-up for another six-year term in 1972, so why the delay of his discharge? The only logical conclusion is that the 1978 honorable discharge was a second discharge given to replace an earlier undesirable discharge under less-than-honorable conditions, as unfit for military service.
....[Jimmy] Carter's first act as president was a general amnesty for draft dodgers and other war protesters. Less than an hour after his inauguration on January 21, 1977, while still in the Capitol building, Mr. Carter signed Executive Order 4483 empowering it. By the time it became a directive from the Defense Department in March 1977 it had been expanded to include other offenders who may have had general, bad conduct, dishonorable discharges, and any other discharge or sentence with negative effect on military records.
The really crazy people are those who agree with you.
"I fancied myself as some kind of god....If the truth be known, I carried some rather potent messianic fantasies with me from childhood, which I felt I had to control, otherwise they might get me in trouble.
"It is a sort of disease when you consider yourself some kind of god, the creator of everything, but I feel comfortable about it now since I began to live it out."
“Next to my fantasies about being God, I also have very strong fantasies of being mad. In fact, my grandfather was actually paranoid. I have a lot of madness in my family. So far I have escaped it.”
Right George, you're just spending millions trying to elect a man who was a traitor to his country three decades ago:
...the date of the posted discharge, Feb. 16, 1978. This was six years after Kerry's six-year (1966-1972) commitment to the Navy ended. The anti-war detractor of our military did not re-up for another six-year term in 1972, so why the delay of his discharge? The only logical conclusion is that the 1978 honorable discharge was a second discharge given to replace an earlier undesirable discharge under less-than-honorable conditions, as unfit for military service.
....[Jimmy] Carter's first act as president was a general amnesty for draft dodgers and other war protesters. Less than an hour after his inauguration on January 21, 1977, while still in the Capitol building, Mr. Carter signed Executive Order 4483 empowering it. By the time it became a directive from the Defense Department in March 1977 it had been expanded to include other offenders who may have had general, bad conduct, dishonorable discharges, and any other discharge or sentence with negative effect on military records.
The really crazy people are those who agree with you.
Saturday, October 30, 2004
Final Fairmodel Says...
Bush landslide
With the release of the NIPA data on October 29, 2004, all the actual economic data are available for the vote prediction. The actual values (as of October 29, 2004) of GROWTH, INFLATION, and GOODNEWS are 2.9 percent, 2.0 percent, and 2, respectively.
Given that the actual economic values are close to the values used for the previous vote prediction, the current vote prediction is little changed. The new economic values give a prediction of 57.70 percent of the two-party vote for President Bush rather than 57.48 percent before.
With the release of the NIPA data on October 29, 2004, all the actual economic data are available for the vote prediction. The actual values (as of October 29, 2004) of GROWTH, INFLATION, and GOODNEWS are 2.9 percent, 2.0 percent, and 2, respectively.
Given that the actual economic values are close to the values used for the previous vote prediction, the current vote prediction is little changed. The new economic values give a prediction of 57.70 percent of the two-party vote for President Bush rather than 57.48 percent before.
Why Didn't Osama Just Post It Directly to Semi-Daily Journal?
Osama channels the usual suspects:
Bush is still practicing distortion and misleading on you, and obscuring the main reasons and therefore the reasons are still existing to repeat what happened before.
and
we saw the oppression of the American Israeli coalition on our people in Palestine and Lebanon
and
We didn't find difficulty dealing with Bush and his administration due to the similarity of his regime and the regims in our countries. Whish half of them are ruled by military and the other half by sons of kings and presidents
and
[George HW Bush] was feeling jealous [the Saudi royal family] were staying for decades in power stealing the nations finances without anybody overseeing them. So he transferred the oppression of freedom and tyranny to his son and they call it th e Patriot Law to fight terrorism. He was bright in putting his sons as governors in states and he didn't forget to transfer his experience from the rulers of our region to Florida to falsify elections to benefit from it in critical times.
and
we never thought that the high commander of the US armies would leave 50 thousand of his citizens in both towers to face the horrors by themselves when they most needed him because it seemed to distract his attention from listening to the girl telling him about her goat
and (off camera)
Bin Laden pointed to the millions of pounds of explosives dropped on Iraqi children as bush his son had done, as he said to remove an old agent and install a new agent to help instealing the oil of iraq.....He talked about President Bush and that the emergency law requires more money.
Bush is still practicing distortion and misleading on you, and obscuring the main reasons and therefore the reasons are still existing to repeat what happened before.
and
we saw the oppression of the American Israeli coalition on our people in Palestine and Lebanon
and
We didn't find difficulty dealing with Bush and his administration due to the similarity of his regime and the regims in our countries. Whish half of them are ruled by military and the other half by sons of kings and presidents
and
[George HW Bush] was feeling jealous [the Saudi royal family] were staying for decades in power stealing the nations finances without anybody overseeing them. So he transferred the oppression of freedom and tyranny to his son and they call it th e Patriot Law to fight terrorism. He was bright in putting his sons as governors in states and he didn't forget to transfer his experience from the rulers of our region to Florida to falsify elections to benefit from it in critical times.
and
we never thought that the high commander of the US armies would leave 50 thousand of his citizens in both towers to face the horrors by themselves when they most needed him because it seemed to distract his attention from listening to the girl telling him about her goat
and (off camera)
Bin Laden pointed to the millions of pounds of explosives dropped on Iraqi children as bush his son had done, as he said to remove an old agent and install a new agent to help instealing the oil of iraq.....He talked about President Bush and that the emergency law requires more money.
Friday, October 29, 2004
The Zen Master of Poor Timing
Put on this earth to amuse the Academy, Dr. Paul Krugman does not disappoint:
Al Qaqaa illustrates in a particularly graphic way the failures of Mr. Bush's national security leadership. U.S. soldiers passed through Al Qaqaa, a crucial munitions dump, but were never told that it was important to secure the site. If administration officials object that they couldn't have spared enough troops to guard the site, they're admitting that they went in without enough troops. And the fact that these explosives fell into unknown hands is a perfect example of how the Iraq war has worsened the terrorist threat.
The Academy read today's NY Times column a few minutes after hearing Major Austin Pierson tell a news conference at the Pentagon that he, and his 24th Ordnance Co. took approximately 250 tons of captured enemy ammunition, including "plastic explosives" (aka RDX) out of the Al Qaqaa weapons dump in April 2003 and destroyed it by blowing it up.
That was his job. To keep captured enemy weapons from falling into hands of people who would use it against American and allied forces. Furthermore the area surrounding Al Qaqaa was pacified. There were few Iraqis on the scene, and those who were, were very respectful of the Americans. There were no hostilities at that time and place.
Another officer who was also there at the time stated that it wouldn't have been possible for Iraqis to move 370 tons of anything out of Al Qaqaa without the army noticing. Which they didn't.
Without a doubt, the Kerry campaign, and its auxilliaries, are the most inept group ever to run for President.
Al Qaqaa illustrates in a particularly graphic way the failures of Mr. Bush's national security leadership. U.S. soldiers passed through Al Qaqaa, a crucial munitions dump, but were never told that it was important to secure the site. If administration officials object that they couldn't have spared enough troops to guard the site, they're admitting that they went in without enough troops. And the fact that these explosives fell into unknown hands is a perfect example of how the Iraq war has worsened the terrorist threat.
The Academy read today's NY Times column a few minutes after hearing Major Austin Pierson tell a news conference at the Pentagon that he, and his 24th Ordnance Co. took approximately 250 tons of captured enemy ammunition, including "plastic explosives" (aka RDX) out of the Al Qaqaa weapons dump in April 2003 and destroyed it by blowing it up.
That was his job. To keep captured enemy weapons from falling into hands of people who would use it against American and allied forces. Furthermore the area surrounding Al Qaqaa was pacified. There were few Iraqis on the scene, and those who were, were very respectful of the Americans. There were no hostilities at that time and place.
Another officer who was also there at the time stated that it wouldn't have been possible for Iraqis to move 370 tons of anything out of Al Qaqaa without the army noticing. Which they didn't.
Without a doubt, the Kerry campaign, and its auxilliaries, are the most inept group ever to run for President.
6 Impossible Things To Believe Before Voting For John Kerry
Red Queen-like, one would need a lot of practice before swallowing a Kerry Presidency. First, one would have to believe that past behavior is not a good predictor of future behavior.
Then one would have to believe that all these men are lying in 5 videos (thanks to Beldar for the alert).
Unless, one is prepared to accept as the next Commander in Chief, a fellow whose previous military career was one of gross dereliction of duty, falsification of official military records, failure to serve out his six year obligation (he served 3 years) as well as cutting and running after only 1/3 of the way through his Vietnam tour. And meeting with and aiding the enemy during the last few years of the war.
If you're able to accept that, then g'wan; Fly Under the Bridge. But don't be surprised when you hit a seagull or two along the way.
Then one would have to believe that all these men are lying in 5 videos (thanks to Beldar for the alert).
Unless, one is prepared to accept as the next Commander in Chief, a fellow whose previous military career was one of gross dereliction of duty, falsification of official military records, failure to serve out his six year obligation (he served 3 years) as well as cutting and running after only 1/3 of the way through his Vietnam tour. And meeting with and aiding the enemy during the last few years of the war.
If you're able to accept that, then g'wan; Fly Under the Bridge. But don't be surprised when you hit a seagull or two along the way.
Thursday, October 28, 2004
Dumb As a Post...At Semi-Daily Journal
In response to the fact that no one has come forward to say they'd seen the HMX and RDX at Al Qaqaa when the 3rd Infantry or 101st Airborne was there in early April, the usual dimwits point to some newsies who appear to be even dumber:
Using GPS technology and talking with members of the 101st Airborne Division, 5 EYEWITNESS NEWS has determined the crew embedded with the troops may have been on the southern edge of the Al Qaqaa installation, where the ammunition disappeared.
For any posters from SDJ who have wandered over here: 5 Eyewitness News doesn't even know if they were at Al Qaqaa. And it wasn't "ammunition" that is claimed to have disappeared.
The news crew was based just south of Al Qaqaa, and drove two or three miles north of there with soldiers on April 18, 2003.
During that trip, members of the 101st Airborne Division showed the 5 EYEWITNESS NEWS news crew bunker after bunker of material labelled "explosives." Usually it took just the snap of a bolt cutter to get into the bunkers and see the material identified by the 101st as detonation cords.
"We can stick it in those and make some good bombs." a soldier told our crew.
Using GPS technology and talking with members of the 101st Airborne Division, 5 EYEWITNESS NEWS has determined the crew embedded with the troops may have been on the southern edge of the Al Qaqaa installation, where the ammunition disappeared.
For any posters from SDJ who have wandered over here: 5 Eyewitness News doesn't even know if they were at Al Qaqaa. And it wasn't "ammunition" that is claimed to have disappeared.
The news crew was based just south of Al Qaqaa, and drove two or three miles north of there with soldiers on April 18, 2003.
During that trip, members of the 101st Airborne Division showed the 5 EYEWITNESS NEWS news crew bunker after bunker of material labelled "explosives." Usually it took just the snap of a bolt cutter to get into the bunkers and see the material identified by the 101st as detonation cords.
"We can stick it in those and make some good bombs." a soldier told our crew.
Quite a scoop! You can make bombs with detonation cords and explosives.
Soldiers who took a 5 EYEWITNESS NEWS crew into bunkers on April 18 said some of the boxes uncovered contained proximity fuses. There were what appeared to be fuses for bombs. They also found bags of material men from the 101st couldn't identify, but box after box was clearly marked "explosive."
Imagine that. Explosives in a weapons depot.
...."We weren't quite sure what were looking at, but we saw so much of it....
And none of it labelled as IAEA secured apparently. None of the pictured explosives is. Nor as HMX or RDX, which is what we need evidence of.
Good grief, I couldn't make up stupidity this gross.
Wednesday, October 27, 2004
Senator Wildly Indignant about Nearly Everything
Al Capp had an acronym for anti-war protesters, back in the days when John Kerry was just another smart-aleck liar swelling the crowds. It also brings to mind something Tom Wolfe said in his graduation day speech at Boston University in 2000:
Starting in the early twentieth century, for the first time an ordinary story teller, a novelist, a short story writer, a poet, a playwright, in certain cases composers, in certain cases artists, could achieve a tremendous emminence by taking on a moral indignation about some subject without any intellectual effort whatsoever.
Suddenly you are elevated to a plane from which you can look down upon ordinary people.
Conversely--this fascinates me--conversely, if you are merely a brilliant scholar, merely someone who has added immeasurably to the sum of human knowledge and the powers of human insight, that does not qualify you for the emminence of being an intellectual.
I’ll give you an example, right across the river... there’s the amazing figure of Noam Chomsky.
Noam Chomsky on his own did an extremely brilliant thing: he’s a linguist, he’s a scientist, and a scholar. He figured that speech, grammar, the human capacity to record in memory is literally physically built into the human nervous system. It is not something learned, it is built.
That is why a child can take a new word like"chair" and immediately drop it into a sentence at the age of two, can say, "my doll fell off the chair," with a subject, a predicate, and objects and all the rest.
It’s only in our time, the end of the twentieth century, the beginning of the twenty-first, that neuro scientists have the instruments by which they are beginning to prove that Noam Chomsky was right. A brilliant, brilliant human being.
Did anyone call him an intellectual merely because he was one ofthe most brilliant people in the United States?
No. When did he become an intellectual?
When he finally spoke out about something he knew absolutely nothing of: the war in Vietnam.
When he denounced the war in Vietnam, suddenly Noam Chomsky became a leading American intellectual.
One of the things that I find really makes it worth watching all the AcademyAwards, all the Emmys, all those awards ceremonies, is to see the fact that today actors and television performers have discovered the fact that, if you become indignant this elevates you to the plane of "intellectual."
It is a fact, incontrovertible. It’s never been contradicted by experience or history, and watch these awards ceremonies from now on with this in mind: that when an actor or a television performer rises up to the microphone at one of these awards ceremonies and expresses moral indignation over something, he is illustrating Marshall McLuhan’s dictum that moral indignation is the standard strategy for endowing the idiot with dignity.
And listening to John Kerry the last couple of days indignantly criticizing the U.S. Army for not finding one-tenth of a percent of the ammunition they did find and destroy, makes it incontrovertible that it's now the standard strategy of the idiot on the campaign trail, too.
Starting in the early twentieth century, for the first time an ordinary story teller, a novelist, a short story writer, a poet, a playwright, in certain cases composers, in certain cases artists, could achieve a tremendous emminence by taking on a moral indignation about some subject without any intellectual effort whatsoever.
Suddenly you are elevated to a plane from which you can look down upon ordinary people.
Conversely--this fascinates me--conversely, if you are merely a brilliant scholar, merely someone who has added immeasurably to the sum of human knowledge and the powers of human insight, that does not qualify you for the emminence of being an intellectual.
I’ll give you an example, right across the river... there’s the amazing figure of Noam Chomsky.
Noam Chomsky on his own did an extremely brilliant thing: he’s a linguist, he’s a scientist, and a scholar. He figured that speech, grammar, the human capacity to record in memory is literally physically built into the human nervous system. It is not something learned, it is built.
That is why a child can take a new word like"chair" and immediately drop it into a sentence at the age of two, can say, "my doll fell off the chair," with a subject, a predicate, and objects and all the rest.
It’s only in our time, the end of the twentieth century, the beginning of the twenty-first, that neuro scientists have the instruments by which they are beginning to prove that Noam Chomsky was right. A brilliant, brilliant human being.
Did anyone call him an intellectual merely because he was one ofthe most brilliant people in the United States?
No. When did he become an intellectual?
When he finally spoke out about something he knew absolutely nothing of: the war in Vietnam.
When he denounced the war in Vietnam, suddenly Noam Chomsky became a leading American intellectual.
One of the things that I find really makes it worth watching all the AcademyAwards, all the Emmys, all those awards ceremonies, is to see the fact that today actors and television performers have discovered the fact that, if you become indignant this elevates you to the plane of "intellectual."
It is a fact, incontrovertible. It’s never been contradicted by experience or history, and watch these awards ceremonies from now on with this in mind: that when an actor or a television performer rises up to the microphone at one of these awards ceremonies and expresses moral indignation over something, he is illustrating Marshall McLuhan’s dictum that moral indignation is the standard strategy for endowing the idiot with dignity.
And listening to John Kerry the last couple of days indignantly criticizing the U.S. Army for not finding one-tenth of a percent of the ammunition they did find and destroy, makes it incontrovertible that it's now the standard strategy of the idiot on the campaign trail, too.
Stupid Democrat Election Tricks III
Wrapping up their concession of Florida early, the Democrats move on to what they're really good at:
Democrats in Florida already are pursuing nine election-related lawsuits, accusing state election officials of conspiring to disenfranchise minority voters. Led by the Florida Democratic Party, the People for the American Way, the American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees and the AFL-CIO, the lawsuits target, among others....
Mr. Bush's campaign manager, Ken Mehlman, yesterday predicted that Mr. Kerry would employ "fraud, intimidation and lawsuits" in an attempt to overturn a Bush victory on Tuesday. He said if Democrats lose at the ballot box, they would use lawyers "to try to shoehorn a victory."
"What you're seeing is an attempt, through lawsuits and through intimidation, by Democrats to convert their allies' registration fraud into voter fraud on Election Day," he said. "What you're going to see is an attempt by them, regardless of what the outcome is, to say: 'It's unfair. We're going to sue.' "
Democrats. The party of the kindergarten.
Democrats in Florida already are pursuing nine election-related lawsuits, accusing state election officials of conspiring to disenfranchise minority voters. Led by the Florida Democratic Party, the People for the American Way, the American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees and the AFL-CIO, the lawsuits target, among others....
Mr. Bush's campaign manager, Ken Mehlman, yesterday predicted that Mr. Kerry would employ "fraud, intimidation and lawsuits" in an attempt to overturn a Bush victory on Tuesday. He said if Democrats lose at the ballot box, they would use lawyers "to try to shoehorn a victory."
"What you're seeing is an attempt, through lawsuits and through intimidation, by Democrats to convert their allies' registration fraud into voter fraud on Election Day," he said. "What you're going to see is an attempt by them, regardless of what the outcome is, to say: 'It's unfair. We're going to sue.' "
Democrats. The party of the kindergarten.
Stupid Democrat Election Tricks II
Not content to gin up voter registrations for Mary Poppins and Dick Tracy, some try vehicular mayhem:
OCTOBER 27--A Florida man has been charged with attempting to run over controversial Republican congresswoman Katherine Harris with his Cadillac. According to the below Sarasota Police Department report, Barry Seltzer, 46, told cops that he was simply exercising his "political expression" when he drove his car at Harris and several supporters, who were campaigning last night at a Sarasota intersection. Seltzer--pictured at right in a booking photo--allegedly drove up on a sidewalk and headed directly for Harris before swerving "at the last minute." Harris told officers that "she was afraid for her life and could not move as the vehicle approached her," according to the report. For his part, Seltzer--who's a registered Democrat--told cops, "I intimidated them with the car. They were standing in the street." He added, "I did not run them down, I scared them a little!" That explanation did not stop investigators from arresting Seltzer for aggravated assault with a deadly weapon, a felony.
Nice touch, that: " controversial Republican congresswoman".
OCTOBER 27--A Florida man has been charged with attempting to run over controversial Republican congresswoman Katherine Harris with his Cadillac. According to the below Sarasota Police Department report, Barry Seltzer, 46, told cops that he was simply exercising his "political expression" when he drove his car at Harris and several supporters, who were campaigning last night at a Sarasota intersection. Seltzer--pictured at right in a booking photo--allegedly drove up on a sidewalk and headed directly for Harris before swerving "at the last minute." Harris told officers that "she was afraid for her life and could not move as the vehicle approached her," according to the report. For his part, Seltzer--who's a registered Democrat--told cops, "I intimidated them with the car. They were standing in the street." He added, "I did not run them down, I scared them a little!" That explanation did not stop investigators from arresting Seltzer for aggravated assault with a deadly weapon, a felony.
Nice touch, that: " controversial Republican congresswoman".
Stupid Democrat Election Tricks I
So firmly Democrat that Republicans can't get elected there. So inept they can't even stuff their own ballot boxes:
The Broward County Supervisor of Elections Office pointed a finger at the U.S. Postal Service on Tuesday for nearly 60,000 missing absentee ballots, but took the blame for having a phone system that was being overwhelmed by calls from frustrated voters.While the post office denied responsibility for the missing ballots, Broward County commissioners, anxious to avoid another failed election, offered to send county employees to help with the phones. Dozens of employees could begin assisting the elections office today to answer telephone calls and to process voters at the 14 early voting sites.
....Just six days away from the general election, the Supervisor of Elections Office has fielded hundreds of complaints from people that have yet to receive their absentee ballot. Countless more have been unable to get through to election officials to complain or get their questions answered."
I tried for the last week or so to call the elections office and it's just busy continually," said Paula Zubatkin, 70, whose four-week-old request for an absentee ballot has gone unanswered. "I want to vote."
Election officials also said they launched an investigation and found that many of the missing ballots -- 58,000 of them -- were sent on Oct. 7 and Oct 8. The problem, they say, lies with the post office.
"That is something beyond our control," Deputy Supervisor of Elections Gisela Salas said. "We really have no idea what's going on. It's just taken an extraordinary amount of time. I would really encourage people to use early voting."
....
Broward election officials say they are overwhelmed. Their phone lines were never equipped to handle the volume of calls they have experienced, they say, and they blame their limitations on the confined spaces within the county administration building."It's a real, real problem," Salas said.
County officials say the elections office, which oversees more than 1 million voters, has 158 available lines. But throughout the day, voters who call the office are greeted by busy signals or filled voicemails.
"They're inundated, they're inundated," Salas said. "My phone mail is constantly full. I clear my voice mails twice a day and I have 30 each time."
The Broward County Supervisor of Elections Office pointed a finger at the U.S. Postal Service on Tuesday for nearly 60,000 missing absentee ballots, but took the blame for having a phone system that was being overwhelmed by calls from frustrated voters.While the post office denied responsibility for the missing ballots, Broward County commissioners, anxious to avoid another failed election, offered to send county employees to help with the phones. Dozens of employees could begin assisting the elections office today to answer telephone calls and to process voters at the 14 early voting sites.
....Just six days away from the general election, the Supervisor of Elections Office has fielded hundreds of complaints from people that have yet to receive their absentee ballot. Countless more have been unable to get through to election officials to complain or get their questions answered."
I tried for the last week or so to call the elections office and it's just busy continually," said Paula Zubatkin, 70, whose four-week-old request for an absentee ballot has gone unanswered. "I want to vote."
Election officials also said they launched an investigation and found that many of the missing ballots -- 58,000 of them -- were sent on Oct. 7 and Oct 8. The problem, they say, lies with the post office.
"That is something beyond our control," Deputy Supervisor of Elections Gisela Salas said. "We really have no idea what's going on. It's just taken an extraordinary amount of time. I would really encourage people to use early voting."
....
Broward election officials say they are overwhelmed. Their phone lines were never equipped to handle the volume of calls they have experienced, they say, and they blame their limitations on the confined spaces within the county administration building."It's a real, real problem," Salas said.
County officials say the elections office, which oversees more than 1 million voters, has 158 available lines. But throughout the day, voters who call the office are greeted by busy signals or filled voicemails.
"They're inundated, they're inundated," Salas said. "My phone mail is constantly full. I clear my voice mails twice a day and I have 30 each time."
Max Sez: "G'wan, Fly Under the Bridge...You Know You Want To."
Economist Derangement Syndrome (EDS) rears its sad head:
We are here to help. We seek a sane conservative movement. We will always be cursed by the company of conservatives in the U.S. If the Nation is to endure, we need them to be led by able persons of good will, capable of working in concert with Democrats to solve problems.
We also have a not exactly sympathetic interest in explaining why John Kerry is a good Republican.
A Republican like Clifford Case, Frank Church, or Lowell Weicker, presumably. Here's the gist of Mad Max's song and dance:
Republican support for Kerry will pull him towards the Center, alienating the left. The left will be moved to consider new political institutions giving rise to wholesome progressive agitation -- Teamsters and turtles, together again. Unlike the Ralph Nader one-man unparty. You Republicans believe such a movement can never succeed, so you have no risk in indulging it. So my interest is clear. The only way the left can reconstitute is when it is relieved of the burden of playing outrider for the Corporate Democratic Party. A resurgent CDP will remind the left that it never gets sh*t when the CDP is in power.
Alternatively, rejecting Kerry and facilitating his defeat clears the way for Hillary in 2008. She will keenly take advantage of budding Bush debacles in Iraq, the economy, and other screw-ups we are confident he will devise. She will be aided by her rehabilitated hubby, for whom age and the passage of time will reduce the significance of the Monica thing.
Beat Kerry, and you bring back the Clintons. Boo!!! Wouldn't that be a scary commercial.
It doesn't seem to have occurred to Max that there's a good reason Hillary didn't run this time. She knows Bush is unbeatable with the economic numbers he's got.
No incumbent has ever lost a bid for re-election with an economy humming like this one. Never. That's why Kerry and his cronies are reduced to making up stories about missing explosives and The Mysteries of the Bush Flight Logs.
That, and because they're stupid.
We are here to help. We seek a sane conservative movement. We will always be cursed by the company of conservatives in the U.S. If the Nation is to endure, we need them to be led by able persons of good will, capable of working in concert with Democrats to solve problems.
We also have a not exactly sympathetic interest in explaining why John Kerry is a good Republican.
A Republican like Clifford Case, Frank Church, or Lowell Weicker, presumably. Here's the gist of Mad Max's song and dance:
Republican support for Kerry will pull him towards the Center, alienating the left. The left will be moved to consider new political institutions giving rise to wholesome progressive agitation -- Teamsters and turtles, together again. Unlike the Ralph Nader one-man unparty. You Republicans believe such a movement can never succeed, so you have no risk in indulging it. So my interest is clear. The only way the left can reconstitute is when it is relieved of the burden of playing outrider for the Corporate Democratic Party. A resurgent CDP will remind the left that it never gets sh*t when the CDP is in power.
Alternatively, rejecting Kerry and facilitating his defeat clears the way for Hillary in 2008. She will keenly take advantage of budding Bush debacles in Iraq, the economy, and other screw-ups we are confident he will devise. She will be aided by her rehabilitated hubby, for whom age and the passage of time will reduce the significance of the Monica thing.
Beat Kerry, and you bring back the Clintons. Boo!!! Wouldn't that be a scary commercial.
It doesn't seem to have occurred to Max that there's a good reason Hillary didn't run this time. She knows Bush is unbeatable with the economic numbers he's got.
No incumbent has ever lost a bid for re-election with an economy humming like this one. Never. That's why Kerry and his cronies are reduced to making up stories about missing explosives and The Mysteries of the Bush Flight Logs.
That, and because they're stupid.
Tuesday, October 26, 2004
Your Man a Nattering Nabob of Negativism?
Here's a therapy website Democrats might want to visit before the next election (it's too late for this one):
When I am negative or pessimistic I:
What irrational thinking leads me to be pessimistic or negative?
Life should be simpler.
When I am negative or pessimistic I:
look at the worst side of a situation.
take the opposing view in any positive conversation.
turn all conversations into griping, complaining, or bitching sessions.
complain about the inequities of life.
get bitter over how people treat me - now and in the past.
put down new, creative and inventive ideas as impossible.
lonely, abandoned, and isolated.
incompetent, ignorant, and useless.
defeated, beaten down, and lost.
betrayed, cheated, and unwanted.
like a wimp, a loser, an outcast.
defiant, rebellious, and attacking.
As a result of my being pessimistic or negative I:
don't accept alternative solutions to problems.
am not a ``fun'' person to be around.
enjoy a "yes, but'' mentality.
What irrational thinking leads me to be pessimistic or negative?
Life should be simpler.
Life should be fair.
Life should be easy.
Why can't life be easier on me?
No matter how good a person I try to be, I always get screwed in the end.
Trick or Treat?
Remember those stories of razor blades hidden in apples that circulate amongst school children every Halloween? Well, it looks like John Kerry actually got one...from some people wearing journalist's costumes:
News of missing explosives in Iraq -- first reported in April 2003 -- was being resurrected for a 60 MINUTES election eve broadcast designed to knock the Bush administration into a crises mode.
Jeff Fager, executive producer of the Sunday edition of 60 MINUTES, said in a statement that "our plan was to run the story on October 31, but it became clear that it wouldn't hold..."
Elizabeth Jensen at the LOS ANGELES TIMES details on Tuesday how CBS NEWS and 60 MINUTES lost the story [which repackaged previously reported information on a large cache of explosives missing in Iraq, first published and broadcast in 2003].The story instead debuted in the NYT. The paper slugged the story about missing explosives from April 2003 as "exclusive."
An NBCNEWS crew embedded with troops moved in to secure the Al-Qaqaa weapons facility on April 10, 2003, one day after the liberation of Iraq. According to NBCNEWS, the explosives were already missing when the American troops arrived. [Our emphasis]
It is not clear who exactly shopped an election eve repackaging of the missing explosives story.
The LA TIMES claims: The source on the story first went to 60 MINUTES but also expressed interest in working with the NY TIMES... "The tip was received last Wednesday."
News of missing explosives in Iraq -- first reported in April 2003 -- was being resurrected for a 60 MINUTES election eve broadcast designed to knock the Bush administration into a crises mode.
Jeff Fager, executive producer of the Sunday edition of 60 MINUTES, said in a statement that "our plan was to run the story on October 31, but it became clear that it wouldn't hold..."
Elizabeth Jensen at the LOS ANGELES TIMES details on Tuesday how CBS NEWS and 60 MINUTES lost the story [which repackaged previously reported information on a large cache of explosives missing in Iraq, first published and broadcast in 2003].The story instead debuted in the NYT. The paper slugged the story about missing explosives from April 2003 as "exclusive."
An NBCNEWS crew embedded with troops moved in to secure the Al-Qaqaa weapons facility on April 10, 2003, one day after the liberation of Iraq. According to NBCNEWS, the explosives were already missing when the American troops arrived. [Our emphasis]
It is not clear who exactly shopped an election eve repackaging of the missing explosives story.
The LA TIMES claims: The source on the story first went to 60 MINUTES but also expressed interest in working with the NY TIMES... "The tip was received last Wednesday."
Just Vox, Baby
John Kerry picked a fight with the wrong economist (Andrew Samwick):
On the campaign as of late (see Senator Kerry's speech in Wilkes-Barre on Tuesday and a press release and its background material from the same day), there are several examples of what I will politely refer to as "poor form." ....
As the press release starts enumerating "facts," it states:
George Bush’s Plan Costs $2 Trillion – According to His Own Advisers
The plan in question is a version of Model 2 presented by the President's Commission to Strengthen Social Security. .... It is not a plan that the President has endorsed. Calling it "George Bush's plan" is inaccurate.
....The press release misrepresents an illustration as an endorsement. Were we really supposed to write about the economics of reforming Social Security through personal accounts without providing an example of such a plan?
Prof. Samwick quotes the Kerry press release:
George Bush’s economic advisers analyzed one and only one Social Security plan: Plan 2 put forward by his Social Security. [sic--where's the proofreader for this campaign?]
And responds:
That would be a tough one for them to verify. I know that they didn't call me to ask me how many plans I analyzed. To clear up any of their confusion, I can attest personally that I analyzed numerous Social Security plans during my time at CEA. We only used one for the purpose of illustration. ....
It is also misleading to label this as "Plan 2 put forward by his Social Security" Commission. As the ERP clearly states, we have assumed 100 percent participation in the accounts for the purpose of illustration, so that no one would be able to say that we had understated the changes in deficit or debt that could result. Taking up the accounts is voluntary, so an assumption about take-up has to be made. ....
Plan 2 put forward by the Commission would more accurately use the 2/3 participation rate. The Kerry campaign can have its $2 trillion in nominal costs over 10 years, but it also has to then agree that everyone would opt for personal accounts. Not a very good assumption for them to maintain while saying personal accounts are a bad idea. Which would they like?
Logic not being the strong suit of Senator Kerry, I doubt he'll get an answer. There's much more that anyone interested in the Social Security problem should read for themselves. The professor begins his wrap-up with:
Every quote in that press release is selectively excerpted to confuse the reader about the key issues with the Commission's plan, the President's association with it, the ERP's discussion of it, and CBO's analysis of it. There is also nothing in the Kerry speech that provides anything more than boilerplate about what the Senator would do to reform the system. (Start reading after the criticisms of the President--not all of which are inaccurate--with the statement, "John Edwards and I have a real plan to cut the budget deficit in half and protect Social Security." Tell me if you see a plan.)
Of course, there is no plan. Just as Kerry has no plan to prosecute the War on Terror. He's simply an egomaniac who has convinced himself he deserves to be President. What's sad is that he seems to have convinced about 40% of American voters he is right.
On the campaign as of late (see Senator Kerry's speech in Wilkes-Barre on Tuesday and a press release and its background material from the same day), there are several examples of what I will politely refer to as "poor form." ....
As the press release starts enumerating "facts," it states:
George Bush’s Plan Costs $2 Trillion – According to His Own Advisers
The plan in question is a version of Model 2 presented by the President's Commission to Strengthen Social Security. .... It is not a plan that the President has endorsed. Calling it "George Bush's plan" is inaccurate.
....The press release misrepresents an illustration as an endorsement. Were we really supposed to write about the economics of reforming Social Security through personal accounts without providing an example of such a plan?
Prof. Samwick quotes the Kerry press release:
George Bush’s economic advisers analyzed one and only one Social Security plan: Plan 2 put forward by his Social Security. [sic--where's the proofreader for this campaign?]
And responds:
That would be a tough one for them to verify. I know that they didn't call me to ask me how many plans I analyzed. To clear up any of their confusion, I can attest personally that I analyzed numerous Social Security plans during my time at CEA. We only used one for the purpose of illustration. ....
It is also misleading to label this as "Plan 2 put forward by his Social Security" Commission. As the ERP clearly states, we have assumed 100 percent participation in the accounts for the purpose of illustration, so that no one would be able to say that we had understated the changes in deficit or debt that could result. Taking up the accounts is voluntary, so an assumption about take-up has to be made. ....
Plan 2 put forward by the Commission would more accurately use the 2/3 participation rate. The Kerry campaign can have its $2 trillion in nominal costs over 10 years, but it also has to then agree that everyone would opt for personal accounts. Not a very good assumption for them to maintain while saying personal accounts are a bad idea. Which would they like?
Logic not being the strong suit of Senator Kerry, I doubt he'll get an answer. There's much more that anyone interested in the Social Security problem should read for themselves. The professor begins his wrap-up with:
Every quote in that press release is selectively excerpted to confuse the reader about the key issues with the Commission's plan, the President's association with it, the ERP's discussion of it, and CBO's analysis of it. There is also nothing in the Kerry speech that provides anything more than boilerplate about what the Senator would do to reform the system. (Start reading after the criticisms of the President--not all of which are inaccurate--with the statement, "John Edwards and I have a real plan to cut the budget deficit in half and protect Social Security." Tell me if you see a plan.)
Of course, there is no plan. Just as Kerry has no plan to prosecute the War on Terror. He's simply an egomaniac who has convinced himself he deserves to be President. What's sad is that he seems to have convinced about 40% of American voters he is right.
Monday, October 25, 2004
Bush's Band of Brothers Step Up To the Plate
Contrast the difference in the respect of the men who risked their lives alongside Lt Geo. W. Bush, with those who skippered with John Kerry:
LT. COLONEL BENNY WHITE
Student Pilot in George W. Bush's Class 70-04
REMEMBERING GEORGE W. BUSH . . . I went to USAF Pilot Training with George W. Bush at Moody AFB in 1969. He was in the National Guard and I was a Marine. We were both serving our country. After flight school George went to Texas and flew with the Air National Guard. I went to Vietnam and flew 250 combat missions over North and South Vietnam, Laos and Cambodia. I was shot at on almost every mission by missiles and anti-aircraft fire. I was serving my country and so was George Bush.
Very few people who were in the military during the Vietnam era actually went into Vietnam and fewer still were in actual combat and fewer still were digging foxholes and crawling around through the jungles with a knife in their teeth and a bandolier of ammunition wrapped around their body. No matter what job we had, we were serving our country. We weren't avoiding the draft and we didn't escape the draft to go to school in England and we weren't protesting before Congress or in the streets of our cities. We were serving our country.
AN INTERVIEW WITH LT. PAUL REPP
Adam Makos: How about the Vietnam War? The thought of the Vietnam War must have been on your minds quite a bit in ’68 and ’69?
Paul Repp: Oh, absolutely, oh, yes. Because probably 67% of our assignments were in airplanes that first you would go get qualified and checked out in the airplane, and once you were checked out, then you would be heading to Vietnam for at least a year or 100 missions, whichever came first. And George’s unit, there were some ADC, which is Air Defense Command, which he fell under, Guard units, that were sent over to Vietnam to fly. His unit did not get chosen. But there was the anticipation that everyone would go to Vietnam sooner or later.
MAJOR GENERAL CARL SCHNEIDER (Ret.)
....flying more than his share of cold war missions along the southern border of the United States. His objective was to identify bombers from the Soviet Union who probed our defenses constantly in that area. If ordered, he would have taken offense action against any invading force, a mission that he was fully qualified and capable of performing. Had a war been initiated by the USSR, he would have been in the first line of defense.
Lt. Bush would have been eager to go to Vietnam if his unit had been "Federalized" and ordered to an active combat zone (just as the guard and reserve units are now performing so well in the war in the Middle East).
BRUCE HENRY Student Pilot in George W. Bush's Class 70-04
REMEMBERING GEORGE W. BUSH:We started Undergraduate Pilot Training with 75 students and graduated 53. We flew for 1/2 the day and were in class the other 1/2 for 53 weeks. The supersonic T-38 was a challenge to fly especially during formation acrobatics and instruments. It had a roll rate of over 360 degrees/second and was very unforgiving if you got low and slow on final turn.
George was a good stick and I would guess he finished somewhere in the top 1/2 of the class but I don't know for sure. I do know that he was the 1st guy in our section to solo in the T-38. I remember that because I was the 2nd.
COLONEL THOMAS LOCKHART
George W. Bush arrived at Moody AFB, Georgia, for undergraduate pilot training (UPT) in 1968 as a member of the Texas Air National Guard. I was assigned as one of his Instructor Pilots. The atmosphere at this training base was somber and dead serious, as the student pilots were all either going to Vietnam or subject to being called up for combat duty as members of a Guard or Reserve unit.
George W. Bush put himself totally into the task of becoming the best aviator in the class. His unit flew Century Series jet fighters, which required the best pilots. There was no room for error, as these airplanes were unforgiving, and the price for a mistake was often the pilot's life. George W. Bush appeared to have that "fighter pilot attitude" from our first meeting. This attitude can best be described as: "I can handle the situation--regardless of the odds." He was extremely competitive and eager to learn every thing about his machine and the enemy's tactics. He was quick to pick up the flying skills necessary to maneuver an aircraft into a position to shoot down an enemy aircraft.
LT. COLONEL BENNY WHITE
Student Pilot in George W. Bush's Class 70-04
REMEMBERING GEORGE W. BUSH . . . I went to USAF Pilot Training with George W. Bush at Moody AFB in 1969. He was in the National Guard and I was a Marine. We were both serving our country. After flight school George went to Texas and flew with the Air National Guard. I went to Vietnam and flew 250 combat missions over North and South Vietnam, Laos and Cambodia. I was shot at on almost every mission by missiles and anti-aircraft fire. I was serving my country and so was George Bush.
Very few people who were in the military during the Vietnam era actually went into Vietnam and fewer still were in actual combat and fewer still were digging foxholes and crawling around through the jungles with a knife in their teeth and a bandolier of ammunition wrapped around their body. No matter what job we had, we were serving our country. We weren't avoiding the draft and we didn't escape the draft to go to school in England and we weren't protesting before Congress or in the streets of our cities. We were serving our country.
AN INTERVIEW WITH LT. PAUL REPP
Adam Makos: How about the Vietnam War? The thought of the Vietnam War must have been on your minds quite a bit in ’68 and ’69?
Paul Repp: Oh, absolutely, oh, yes. Because probably 67% of our assignments were in airplanes that first you would go get qualified and checked out in the airplane, and once you were checked out, then you would be heading to Vietnam for at least a year or 100 missions, whichever came first. And George’s unit, there were some ADC, which is Air Defense Command, which he fell under, Guard units, that were sent over to Vietnam to fly. His unit did not get chosen. But there was the anticipation that everyone would go to Vietnam sooner or later.
MAJOR GENERAL CARL SCHNEIDER (Ret.)
....flying more than his share of cold war missions along the southern border of the United States. His objective was to identify bombers from the Soviet Union who probed our defenses constantly in that area. If ordered, he would have taken offense action against any invading force, a mission that he was fully qualified and capable of performing. Had a war been initiated by the USSR, he would have been in the first line of defense.
Lt. Bush would have been eager to go to Vietnam if his unit had been "Federalized" and ordered to an active combat zone (just as the guard and reserve units are now performing so well in the war in the Middle East).
BRUCE HENRY Student Pilot in George W. Bush's Class 70-04
REMEMBERING GEORGE W. BUSH:We started Undergraduate Pilot Training with 75 students and graduated 53. We flew for 1/2 the day and were in class the other 1/2 for 53 weeks. The supersonic T-38 was a challenge to fly especially during formation acrobatics and instruments. It had a roll rate of over 360 degrees/second and was very unforgiving if you got low and slow on final turn.
George was a good stick and I would guess he finished somewhere in the top 1/2 of the class but I don't know for sure. I do know that he was the 1st guy in our section to solo in the T-38. I remember that because I was the 2nd.
COLONEL THOMAS LOCKHART
George W. Bush arrived at Moody AFB, Georgia, for undergraduate pilot training (UPT) in 1968 as a member of the Texas Air National Guard. I was assigned as one of his Instructor Pilots. The atmosphere at this training base was somber and dead serious, as the student pilots were all either going to Vietnam or subject to being called up for combat duty as members of a Guard or Reserve unit.
George W. Bush put himself totally into the task of becoming the best aviator in the class. His unit flew Century Series jet fighters, which required the best pilots. There was no room for error, as these airplanes were unforgiving, and the price for a mistake was often the pilot's life. George W. Bush appeared to have that "fighter pilot attitude" from our first meeting. This attitude can best be described as: "I can handle the situation--regardless of the odds." He was extremely competitive and eager to learn every thing about his machine and the enemy's tactics. He was quick to pick up the flying skills necessary to maneuver an aircraft into a position to shoot down an enemy aircraft.
A Little Worried About How The Election Is Playing Out, Are We?
MSNBC employee reveals his breeding--pace, George Bernard Shaw-- by how he conducts himself in an argument:
LAWRENCE O‘DONNELL, MSNBC SR. POLITICAL ANALYST: ....The fact of the matter is that.... John O‘Neill‘s own sources, like Larry Thurlow, turned out to be nuts. ....
It‘s one of the many lies that the book advances. To me, the most interesting lie, John O‘Neill, that I would submit to you that you should is, you make a lying claim....
That‘s a lie, John O‘Neill. Keep lying. It‘s all you do. ....
Lies. ....
....Which is not in John O‘Neill‘s book, because it‘s a lie. ....
That‘s a lie. It‘s another lie. That‘s a lie.
....Absolutely lie.
....You lie in that book endlessly....
....You lie about documents endlessly. .... You‘re just lying about it.
....And you lied about Thurlow‘s Bronze Star. You lied about it as long as you could until “The New York Times” found the wording of what was on the citation that you, as a lying writer, refused to put in your pack-of-lies book.
.... Disgusting, lying book.
.... You have no standards, John O‘Neill, as an author. And you know it. It‘s a pack of lies. You are unfit to publish.
....Lies.
.... He just lies. He just spews out lies.
.... you liar. Point to his name, you liar.
.... You just spew lies.
.... I hate lies.
....They‘re proven lies....O‘Neill is a liar. He‘s been a liar for 35 years about this. And he found other liars to...
.... Everybody who was on that boat with Kerry says all of this stuff is a lie.
.... They are lying somewhere.
....Just tell me the initials, you liar.
.... Creepy liar.
... liar who makes things up.
....because you want the lie. That‘s how you make your....
BUCHANAN: ....Here to look at the very latest polls and see what they mean is pollster Frank Luntz. And still with us is mercurial MSNBC political analyst Lawrence O‘Donnell.
....
FRANK LUNTZ, POLLSTER: Well, I‘m afraid to comment, because, Lawrence, who I like very much and I enjoy his company, is probably going to call me a liar five times.
(LAUGHTER)
BUCHANAN: Five?
LUNTZ: I have got to tell you something.
I will be very grateful 10 days from now when this election is over, because all this yelling and screaming and this intensity of hatred from one side to another is out of control. And I have got to tell you, in walking the streets of either swing states like Iowa or Ohio, or New York, L.A., people have just had it with all the yelling and all the—it‘s crap. It‘s too much.
Which I'm sure is all George W. Bush's fault for being a divider, not a uniter.
LAWRENCE O‘DONNELL, MSNBC SR. POLITICAL ANALYST: ....The fact of the matter is that.... John O‘Neill‘s own sources, like Larry Thurlow, turned out to be nuts. ....
It‘s one of the many lies that the book advances. To me, the most interesting lie, John O‘Neill, that I would submit to you that you should is, you make a lying claim....
That‘s a lie, John O‘Neill. Keep lying. It‘s all you do. ....
Lies. ....
....Which is not in John O‘Neill‘s book, because it‘s a lie. ....
That‘s a lie. It‘s another lie. That‘s a lie.
....Absolutely lie.
....You lie in that book endlessly....
....You lie about documents endlessly. .... You‘re just lying about it.
....And you lied about Thurlow‘s Bronze Star. You lied about it as long as you could until “The New York Times” found the wording of what was on the citation that you, as a lying writer, refused to put in your pack-of-lies book.
.... Disgusting, lying book.
.... You have no standards, John O‘Neill, as an author. And you know it. It‘s a pack of lies. You are unfit to publish.
....Lies.
.... He just lies. He just spews out lies.
.... you liar. Point to his name, you liar.
.... You just spew lies.
.... I hate lies.
....They‘re proven lies....O‘Neill is a liar. He‘s been a liar for 35 years about this. And he found other liars to...
.... Everybody who was on that boat with Kerry says all of this stuff is a lie.
.... They are lying somewhere.
....Just tell me the initials, you liar.
.... Creepy liar.
... liar who makes things up.
....because you want the lie. That‘s how you make your....
BUCHANAN: ....Here to look at the very latest polls and see what they mean is pollster Frank Luntz. And still with us is mercurial MSNBC political analyst Lawrence O‘Donnell.
....
FRANK LUNTZ, POLLSTER: Well, I‘m afraid to comment, because, Lawrence, who I like very much and I enjoy his company, is probably going to call me a liar five times.
(LAUGHTER)
BUCHANAN: Five?
LUNTZ: I have got to tell you something.
I will be very grateful 10 days from now when this election is over, because all this yelling and screaming and this intensity of hatred from one side to another is out of control. And I have got to tell you, in walking the streets of either swing states like Iowa or Ohio, or New York, L.A., people have just had it with all the yelling and all the—it‘s crap. It‘s too much.
Which I'm sure is all George W. Bush's fault for being a divider, not a uniter.
Go Past Ronald Reagan Square...Turn Left At The Orgy....
No wonder the Poles are always naming things after the victor in the Cold War [thanks to Scrivener for the alert]:
The organisers of an erotic fair in the Polish capital said Thursday they would defy an order from the mayor's office and go ahead and stage a "test" for the woman who can carry out a sex act with as many men as possible.
The hosts of the four-day "Eroticon" festival, taking place for the fifth year running, would not reveal time or place for the competition, but promised to beat the world sex record.
"The contest will take place," said Krzysztof Garwatowski....
"Last year, the fair attracted more than 11,000 visitors. With all this publicity the mayor has generated for us, we hope to do even better this year," ....
...the Eroticon festival includes some 20 stands offering adult films, books and slinky feminine lingerie in red and black.
A plastic surgeon's practice offers men the chance to extend their penises. The more shy can obtain information in privacy on their site, www.penis.com.pl, and discover a "novelty in Poland": an instrument to lengthen the penis.
At the end of the glass and aluminium exhibition hall, rousing music accompanies erotic shows.
Poland, where more than 90 percent of the population is Catholic, is a conservative society but pornography and sexual services are openly on sale.
"Everyone has the right to act as they choose. We are in a free country. Happily, the mayor of Warsaw does not have the power to stop us," a man in his forties who said he was visiting the fair "out of curiosity" told AFP.
Poland is a member of the Coalition of the Willing.
The organisers of an erotic fair in the Polish capital said Thursday they would defy an order from the mayor's office and go ahead and stage a "test" for the woman who can carry out a sex act with as many men as possible.
The hosts of the four-day "Eroticon" festival, taking place for the fifth year running, would not reveal time or place for the competition, but promised to beat the world sex record.
"The contest will take place," said Krzysztof Garwatowski....
"Last year, the fair attracted more than 11,000 visitors. With all this publicity the mayor has generated for us, we hope to do even better this year," ....
...the Eroticon festival includes some 20 stands offering adult films, books and slinky feminine lingerie in red and black.
A plastic surgeon's practice offers men the chance to extend their penises. The more shy can obtain information in privacy on their site, www.penis.com.pl, and discover a "novelty in Poland": an instrument to lengthen the penis.
At the end of the glass and aluminium exhibition hall, rousing music accompanies erotic shows.
Poland, where more than 90 percent of the population is Catholic, is a conservative society but pornography and sexual services are openly on sale.
"Everyone has the right to act as they choose. We are in a free country. Happily, the mayor of Warsaw does not have the power to stop us," a man in his forties who said he was visiting the fair "out of curiosity" told AFP.
Poland is a member of the Coalition of the Willing.
Draft Beer...
...Not soldiers, because we don't need to today anymore than we did when Ronald Reagan was fighting the Cold War. [Thanks to Don Boudreaux at Cafe Hayek]
...can we maintain an all-volunteer force or even expand it? The answer is that we've already done this. Today's military has about 1.43 million active-duty members and another 900,000 reserves. The smallest it has been in the last 54 years is 1.38 million, and that was in 1999, according to the Department of Defense. Today's military is small by historic standards, especially relative to U.S. population. As recently as 1990, according to the Defense Department, there were 2.04 million people on active duty. Though President H.W. Bush had planned to shrink this to 1.6 million by 1996, President Clinton took it further, shrinking it to the current 1.4 million. In other words, our military is relatively small because policy-makers in the preceding two administrations chose to make it small.
If necessary, the military can expand. Just as any business can expand its workforce voluntarily, so can the military. ....
David R. Henderson is a research fellow with the Hoover Institution and an economics professor at the Naval Postgraduate School in Monterey. Economist Christopher Jehn, vice president for government programs at Cray Inc., was U.S. assistant secretary of defense for force management and personnel from 1989 to 1993.
Which raises the question of why the NY Times resident economist hasn't thought this through as well.
...can we maintain an all-volunteer force or even expand it? The answer is that we've already done this. Today's military has about 1.43 million active-duty members and another 900,000 reserves. The smallest it has been in the last 54 years is 1.38 million, and that was in 1999, according to the Department of Defense. Today's military is small by historic standards, especially relative to U.S. population. As recently as 1990, according to the Defense Department, there were 2.04 million people on active duty. Though President H.W. Bush had planned to shrink this to 1.6 million by 1996, President Clinton took it further, shrinking it to the current 1.4 million. In other words, our military is relatively small because policy-makers in the preceding two administrations chose to make it small.
If necessary, the military can expand. Just as any business can expand its workforce voluntarily, so can the military. ....
David R. Henderson is a research fellow with the Hoover Institution and an economics professor at the Naval Postgraduate School in Monterey. Economist Christopher Jehn, vice president for government programs at Cray Inc., was U.S. assistant secretary of defense for force management and personnel from 1989 to 1993.
Which raises the question of why the NY Times resident economist hasn't thought this through as well.
Sunday, October 24, 2004
It Shall Be a Crime To Drink Small Beer
When even Mo knows you're a wuss, your goose is cooked:
Tromping about in a camouflage costume and toting a 12-gauge double-barreled shotgun that shrieked "I am not a merlot-loving, brie-eating, chatelaine-marrying dilettante," the Democratic nominee emerged from his shooting spree with three fellow hunters proclaiming, "Everybody got one, everybody got one," showing off a hand stained with goose blood.
[snip]
The senator is desperately trying to prove his regular-guydom. He's using more contractions and dropping G's, T's and N's... and he drank Budweiser with his male aides while watching a Red Sox game, when you know he was dying for an imported beer.
Heineken....Just like JFK I.
Tromping about in a camouflage costume and toting a 12-gauge double-barreled shotgun that shrieked "I am not a merlot-loving, brie-eating, chatelaine-marrying dilettante," the Democratic nominee emerged from his shooting spree with three fellow hunters proclaiming, "Everybody got one, everybody got one," showing off a hand stained with goose blood.
[snip]
The senator is desperately trying to prove his regular-guydom. He's using more contractions and dropping G's, T's and N's... and he drank Budweiser with his male aides while watching a Red Sox game, when you know he was dying for an imported beer.
Heineken....Just like JFK I.
Who's Afraid of Privatized Social Security?
Not those manly Canucks, eh?
Yes, the land of government health care has a partially privatized retirement system. It used to be that:
...it's we Yanks who are the hosers in retirement systems, eh?
...there is a first tier welfare payment from general tax revenues available to the truly poor.
The second tier relies on 6% of earned incomebetween $3,500 and $38,000 going into "Social Security" to earn a maximum of$750 per month in retirement.
Which leaves the third tier to actual investment. And the government encourages it.
Which is still the case, but they expanded the role of the private sector:
The CPP Investment Board was created by an Act of Parliament on December 4, 1997. Directors were appointed to the board in October of 1998 and the first meeting was held in November of that year.
In March of 1999, we began receiving funds from the Canada Pension Plan and invested these in stock index funds. Later that year, the board appointed a president and chief executive officer.
The management team was put into place during 2000 and 2001. Several key policies and procedures were approved by the board including the business plan, investment strategy and the risk management policy.
In 2001, we began to expand our investments by entering the private equity market.
We at the Academy have been over into the future. And it looks like it works.
Yes, the land of government health care has a partially privatized retirement system. It used to be that:
...it's we Yanks who are the hosers in retirement systems, eh?
...there is a first tier welfare payment from general tax revenues available to the truly poor.
The second tier relies on 6% of earned incomebetween $3,500 and $38,000 going into "Social Security" to earn a maximum of$750 per month in retirement.
Which leaves the third tier to actual investment. And the government encourages it.
Which is still the case, but they expanded the role of the private sector:
The CPP Investment Board was created by an Act of Parliament on December 4, 1997. Directors were appointed to the board in October of 1998 and the first meeting was held in November of that year.
In March of 1999, we began receiving funds from the Canada Pension Plan and invested these in stock index funds. Later that year, the board appointed a president and chief executive officer.
The management team was put into place during 2000 and 2001. Several key policies and procedures were approved by the board including the business plan, investment strategy and the risk management policy.
In 2001, we began to expand our investments by entering the private equity market.
We at the Academy have been over into the future. And it looks like it works.
Saturday, October 23, 2004
Dumbassy...Thy Name Is REASON
North Carolina State's Craig Newmark alerts the Academy to this year's most puerile political analysis. Lowlights being:
John Perry Barlow... songwriter for the Grateful Dead ...and a Berkman Fellow at Harvard Law School:
....I’m embarrassed for my country that in my entire voting life, there has never been a major-party candidate whom I felt I could vote for.
Be very embarrassed, pal. But not for your country.
Richard Epstein-- professor of law at the University of Chicago:
....As far as I can tell, the debate thus far has borne no relation to the important issues facing the nation...except Vietnam.
....2000 vote: I can’t remember.
Most embarrassing vote: Since I don’t remember who I vote for from one election to the next....
Sure, Dick. And we can't remember when your shot at a Supreme Court nomination disappeared either.
Charles Paul Freund---senior editor at Reason:
2004 vote: I’m still thinking about it.
We wouldn't say that you were, exactly.
Nat Hentoff---nationally syndicated columnist:
....I can’t vote for Bush, who supports Ashcroft’s various "revisions" to the Bill of Rights, since our liberties are what we’re supposed to be fighting for. ...Kerry, I think he’s an empty suit....Nader last time. But he wants to pull the troops out of Iraq, which would lead to a state of nature like Thomas Hobbes had; it would be disastrous. ....
Favorite president: ....FDR was the one who laid out a "second bill of rights," with economic freedoms like a right to decent housing.
You say you read REASON, Nat? You believe we're supposed to be fighting for "our liberties", and your favorite President was the guy who didn't believe that Japanese-American citizens had the right to peacefully reside in their own decent homes that they'd paid for themselves, in their own country.
Camille Paglia--- professor of humanities and media studies:
2004 vote: John Kerry. In the hope that he will restore our alliances and reduce rabid anti-Americanism in this era of terrorism when international good will and cooperation are crucial.
So, your favorite talk show host is no longer Rush Limbaugh? You gave up NFL football?
Steven Pinker---Professor of Psychology at Harvard and author of The Blank Slate:
2004 vote: Kerry. The reason is reason: Bush uses too little of it. In the war on terror, his administration stints on loose-nuke surveillance while confiscating nail clippers and issuing color-coded duct tape advisories.
We at The Academy join Prof. Pinker in being appalled at those in positions of authority who employ reason frivolously.
Michael Shermer---publisher of Skeptic magazine:
2004 vote: John Kerry. .... Most important, he’s a serious cyclist who wears the yellow "LiveStrong" bracelet in support of Lance Armstrong’s cancer foundation and Tour de France win.
Can we supersize your order of Freedom Fries, Mike?
R.U. Sirius---former editor-in-chief of Mondo 2000:
2000 vote: Even though I ran as a write-in candidate myself, I wound up voting for Nader because I thought he gave such rousing and impressive speeches.
That, and you didn't know how to spell Serious.
Cathy Young---columnist for the Boston Globe.
2004 vote: That’s a little private, don’t you think? Whichever way I answer, half my friends won’t talk to me anymore.
1993: 17.6%
1994: 18.1%
1995: 18.5%
1996: 18.9%
1997: 19.3%
1998: 20.0%
1999: 20.0%
2000: 20.9%
2001: 19.8%
2002: 17.9%
2003: 16.5%
John Perry Barlow... songwriter for the Grateful Dead ...and a Berkman Fellow at Harvard Law School:
....I’m embarrassed for my country that in my entire voting life, there has never been a major-party candidate whom I felt I could vote for.
Be very embarrassed, pal. But not for your country.
Richard Epstein-- professor of law at the University of Chicago:
....As far as I can tell, the debate thus far has borne no relation to the important issues facing the nation...except Vietnam.
....2000 vote: I can’t remember.
Most embarrassing vote: Since I don’t remember who I vote for from one election to the next....
Sure, Dick. And we can't remember when your shot at a Supreme Court nomination disappeared either.
Charles Paul Freund---senior editor at Reason:
2004 vote: I’m still thinking about it.
We wouldn't say that you were, exactly.
Nat Hentoff---nationally syndicated columnist:
....I can’t vote for Bush, who supports Ashcroft’s various "revisions" to the Bill of Rights, since our liberties are what we’re supposed to be fighting for. ...Kerry, I think he’s an empty suit....Nader last time. But he wants to pull the troops out of Iraq, which would lead to a state of nature like Thomas Hobbes had; it would be disastrous. ....
Favorite president: ....FDR was the one who laid out a "second bill of rights," with economic freedoms like a right to decent housing.
You say you read REASON, Nat? You believe we're supposed to be fighting for "our liberties", and your favorite President was the guy who didn't believe that Japanese-American citizens had the right to peacefully reside in their own decent homes that they'd paid for themselves, in their own country.
Camille Paglia--- professor of humanities and media studies:
2004 vote: John Kerry. In the hope that he will restore our alliances and reduce rabid anti-Americanism in this era of terrorism when international good will and cooperation are crucial.
So, your favorite talk show host is no longer Rush Limbaugh? You gave up NFL football?
Steven Pinker---Professor of Psychology at Harvard and author of The Blank Slate:
2004 vote: Kerry. The reason is reason: Bush uses too little of it. In the war on terror, his administration stints on loose-nuke surveillance while confiscating nail clippers and issuing color-coded duct tape advisories.
We at The Academy join Prof. Pinker in being appalled at those in positions of authority who employ reason frivolously.
Michael Shermer---publisher of Skeptic magazine:
2004 vote: John Kerry. .... Most important, he’s a serious cyclist who wears the yellow "LiveStrong" bracelet in support of Lance Armstrong’s cancer foundation and Tour de France win.
Can we supersize your order of Freedom Fries, Mike?
R.U. Sirius---former editor-in-chief of Mondo 2000:
2000 vote: Even though I ran as a write-in candidate myself, I wound up voting for Nader because I thought he gave such rousing and impressive speeches.
That, and you didn't know how to spell Serious.
Cathy Young---columnist for the Boston Globe.
2004 vote: That’s a little private, don’t you think? Whichever way I answer, half my friends won’t talk to me anymore.
We're guessing most normal people would consider that to be a blessing, Cathy.
Hokay, libertarians: You want small government, you say. Put these numbers in your bongs and smoke em:
Taxes as a share of GDP (source: CBO):
1992: 17.5%1993: 17.6%
1994: 18.1%
1995: 18.5%
1996: 18.9%
1997: 19.3%
1998: 20.0%
1999: 20.0%
2000: 20.9%
2001: 19.8%
2002: 17.9%
2003: 16.5%
Friday, October 22, 2004
Teresa Motto Lotto
The FLUBA is an equal opportunity feedback source. So, we look for First Lady bumper stickers .
In the category; They Said You Wuz High Class:
Born in Mozambique and schooled in Switzerland
The French will love her
inherited an estate
garden-loving billionairess
owns five luxury homes and a private plane
The category; Weirder Than Eleanor and Hillary Combined:
just more excitable
"too crazy to be first lady"
an object of fascination
"bonkers"
The Flying Squirrel
The category; Policy Wonk:
Washington will be more active
pro-choice and pro-homosexual rights
what a Kerry administration would bring
Kerry does listen to Teresa
running the salon
going to be controversial, which is good
she'll speak up
Category; The Social Graces:
not going to do what Mrs. Carter did
'don't think they're going to serve grits' -- Smith Bagley
have to have these stupid dinners
spirited and eclectic
doesn't like to "be bossed around"
knows where the brains are
One of her close friends is Ari Kopelman
from such trustworthy labels as Armani
only tacked on her husband's name
Finally--and the FLUBA's favorite--the category; And Plenty of It Please...We're Portuguese:
"cheeky" and "sexy"
likes to stay up late
wine-drinking
She's a real sensualist
Blowsy hair, brassy mouth
multilingual
by far the only thing to enjoy
What we're hungry for
green tea and Portuguese pound cake
[Deserving special emphasis:]
shared a ski instructor
In the category; They Said You Wuz High Class:
Born in Mozambique and schooled in Switzerland
The French will love her
inherited an estate
garden-loving billionairess
owns five luxury homes and a private plane
The category; Weirder Than Eleanor and Hillary Combined:
just more excitable
"too crazy to be first lady"
an object of fascination
"bonkers"
The Flying Squirrel
The category; Policy Wonk:
Washington will be more active
pro-choice and pro-homosexual rights
what a Kerry administration would bring
Kerry does listen to Teresa
running the salon
going to be controversial, which is good
she'll speak up
Category; The Social Graces:
not going to do what Mrs. Carter did
'don't think they're going to serve grits' -- Smith Bagley
have to have these stupid dinners
spirited and eclectic
doesn't like to "be bossed around"
knows where the brains are
One of her close friends is Ari Kopelman
from such trustworthy labels as Armani
only tacked on her husband's name
Finally--and the FLUBA's favorite--the category; And Plenty of It Please...We're Portuguese:
"cheeky" and "sexy"
likes to stay up late
wine-drinking
She's a real sensualist
Blowsy hair, brassy mouth
multilingual
by far the only thing to enjoy
What we're hungry for
green tea and Portuguese pound cake
[Deserving special emphasis:]
shared a ski instructor
Vroom, Vroom...Eat My Mulch
The Fly Under the Bridge Academy prefers maintaining a stable of landscape experts on its campus, but to each his own:
PART of the fun of living in suburbia is one-upping the neighbors - not just keeping up with the Joneses, but showing them who's boss, too. That mind-set has been a boon to the Magic Circle Corporation and its top-of-the-line lawnmower: the Dixie Chopper Xtreme Mowchine XT3200-72.
"Do you want bragging rights?" asks the sales brochure for the machine, a $10,200 behemoth that can clip an entire football field in a little more than nine minutes. "This mower," it continues, "will make you the envy of your competition."
By "competition," the company means the people on the other side of the hedgerow.
Magic Circle, privately held and based in Coatesville, Ind., has long prided itself on designing the speediest mowers money can buy. The company's founder, Art Evans, was a semiprofessional drag racer before settling into the lawn care business.
.... The mower has a 32-horsepower engine, and its top speed is just 15 miles per hour.
But compared with other high-end competitors, the Xtreme Mowchine is a beast. For example, the John Deere X595 Special Edition, which costs $14,149, is outfitted with a 24-horsepower engine and tops out at 8.5 m.p.h. Little wonder that mowers featuring Dixie Chopper engines are popular on the lawn-mower racing circuit, which culminates on Nov. 6 with the Sta-Bil North Carolina Turf Classic in Shelby, N.C.
....Fortunately for Magic Circle, the human ego doesn't always mature in sync with the body. As long as there are neighbors to trump, there will be customers willing to spend 10 grand for bragging rights.
PART of the fun of living in suburbia is one-upping the neighbors - not just keeping up with the Joneses, but showing them who's boss, too. That mind-set has been a boon to the Magic Circle Corporation and its top-of-the-line lawnmower: the Dixie Chopper Xtreme Mowchine XT3200-72.
"Do you want bragging rights?" asks the sales brochure for the machine, a $10,200 behemoth that can clip an entire football field in a little more than nine minutes. "This mower," it continues, "will make you the envy of your competition."
By "competition," the company means the people on the other side of the hedgerow.
Magic Circle, privately held and based in Coatesville, Ind., has long prided itself on designing the speediest mowers money can buy. The company's founder, Art Evans, was a semiprofessional drag racer before settling into the lawn care business.
.... The mower has a 32-horsepower engine, and its top speed is just 15 miles per hour.
But compared with other high-end competitors, the Xtreme Mowchine is a beast. For example, the John Deere X595 Special Edition, which costs $14,149, is outfitted with a 24-horsepower engine and tops out at 8.5 m.p.h. Little wonder that mowers featuring Dixie Chopper engines are popular on the lawn-mower racing circuit, which culminates on Nov. 6 with the Sta-Bil North Carolina Turf Classic in Shelby, N.C.
....Fortunately for Magic Circle, the human ego doesn't always mature in sync with the body. As long as there are neighbors to trump, there will be customers willing to spend 10 grand for bragging rights.
A Chuck Knox Kinda Gal
Inmate Martha Stewart, plays the legal cards she's been dealt:
The appeal contends that although Ms. Stewart was not charged with insider trading, suggestions by prosecutors that she had received an illegal tip before she sold nearly 4,000 shares of ImClone Systems stock "colored the entire trial.''
The Securities and Exchange Commission filed a civil complaint against her for insider trading, which is still pending.
The appeal says that Judge Miriam Goldman Cedarbaum, who presided over the trial, allowed the misperception to continue with an "erroneous refusal to clarify for the jury what the trial was and was not about, as well as erroneous evidentiary rulings that prohibited Stewart from defending herself.''
[snip]
Her lawyers also argue that a tape recording of Mr. Bacanovic answering questions asked by government investigators was treated as testimony at the trial, although the defense had no opportunity to cross-examine him. The appeal cites a ruling by the Supreme Court in a case, Crawford v. Washington, which came three days after Ms. Stewart's trial ended, and maintains that such statements cannot be used to determine the truthfulness of other witnesses.
[snip the obligatory vignettes of Martha in stir]
On work detail, which all inmates must do, Ms. Stewart has "thrown herself into the physical chores that she's been assigned, and done them well,'' Mr. Dellinger said.
In his conversations with her, which lasted most of a day, "she didn't complain about missing anything,'' he added. "She plays the hand she's dealt, good and bad.''
The appeal contends that although Ms. Stewart was not charged with insider trading, suggestions by prosecutors that she had received an illegal tip before she sold nearly 4,000 shares of ImClone Systems stock "colored the entire trial.''
The Securities and Exchange Commission filed a civil complaint against her for insider trading, which is still pending.
The appeal says that Judge Miriam Goldman Cedarbaum, who presided over the trial, allowed the misperception to continue with an "erroneous refusal to clarify for the jury what the trial was and was not about, as well as erroneous evidentiary rulings that prohibited Stewart from defending herself.''
[snip]
Her lawyers also argue that a tape recording of Mr. Bacanovic answering questions asked by government investigators was treated as testimony at the trial, although the defense had no opportunity to cross-examine him. The appeal cites a ruling by the Supreme Court in a case, Crawford v. Washington, which came three days after Ms. Stewart's trial ended, and maintains that such statements cannot be used to determine the truthfulness of other witnesses.
[snip the obligatory vignettes of Martha in stir]
On work detail, which all inmates must do, Ms. Stewart has "thrown herself into the physical chores that she's been assigned, and done them well,'' Mr. Dellinger said.
In his conversations with her, which lasted most of a day, "she didn't complain about missing anything,'' he added. "She plays the hand she's dealt, good and bad.''
Thursday, October 21, 2004
He Was FLYING Under The Influence...
Yeah, yeah...that's the ticket. He was FUI.
Perhaps on the way back from the 1972 Halliburton Christmas party in Saudi Arabia, in his Stealth F-102. The same plane his father later used to fly to Paris in October 1980 to meet with Iranian diplomats. Yeah, yeah.
The Fly Under the Bridge Academy's anonymous, but well-placed sources indicate we should expect desperate Democrat operatives to leak--to whichever network anchor has any credibility left--late next week, a new outrage over Lt Geo. W. Bush's Texas ANG career.
Details are sketchy, but reports of highly amusing questions have been floated, out of the Pacific Northwest, to some former pilot colleagues of the President.
Betting is heavy for Friday, October 29th.
Developing....
Perhaps on the way back from the 1972 Halliburton Christmas party in Saudi Arabia, in his Stealth F-102. The same plane his father later used to fly to Paris in October 1980 to meet with Iranian diplomats. Yeah, yeah.
The Fly Under the Bridge Academy's anonymous, but well-placed sources indicate we should expect desperate Democrat operatives to leak--to whichever network anchor has any credibility left--late next week, a new outrage over Lt Geo. W. Bush's Texas ANG career.
Details are sketchy, but reports of highly amusing questions have been floated, out of the Pacific Northwest, to some former pilot colleagues of the President.
Betting is heavy for Friday, October 29th.
Developing....
Landsburg Sez; Kerry Is So Wacky On Taxes
Which some other Econ Phds can't seem to understand, given their crude prejudices:
...to the effect that the measure of fairness in a tax cut is the the percentage change in an individual's tax liability. So if your tax is cut from $100 to $50, and Bill Gates' is cut from ten million to seven million, you have been the beneficiary of an injustice done to Bill Gates.
Why does he do this? Maybe because he's a dick? I don't know.
I venture the "dick" is closer to home, Max. Steve Landsburg is being a professional economist when he compares income taxes to incomes, and sees that if Bill Gates is paying $7 million in taxes on an income that is less than 140,000 times (and it most certainly is less than that) the income of the person paying only $50--and Gates is not receiving 140,000 times the benefits from government--then: Yes, that's unfair under many definitions of the term.
Not that it takes a Phd in economics to see it.
...to the effect that the measure of fairness in a tax cut is the the percentage change in an individual's tax liability. So if your tax is cut from $100 to $50, and Bill Gates' is cut from ten million to seven million, you have been the beneficiary of an injustice done to Bill Gates.
Why does he do this? Maybe because he's a dick? I don't know.
I venture the "dick" is closer to home, Max. Steve Landsburg is being a professional economist when he compares income taxes to incomes, and sees that if Bill Gates is paying $7 million in taxes on an income that is less than 140,000 times (and it most certainly is less than that) the income of the person paying only $50--and Gates is not receiving 140,000 times the benefits from government--then: Yes, that's unfair under many definitions of the term.
Not that it takes a Phd in economics to see it.
Glass Houses...Stones...NOT
Senator Joe Biden, who graduated from the University of Delaware in 1965 as a C student, somehow managed to get into Syracuse University Law School in the midst of the heaviest fighting of the Vietnam War, graduating in the bottom 10% of his class, had this to say while campaigning for Hanoi John:
Sen. Joe Biden rallied supporters for John Kerry's presidential campaign Tuesday with a blistering attack on Bush administration policies that he said hurt retirees and working-class Americans.
Biden criticized the administration's prescription drug policies and their impact on consumers. "He is brain dead,"
Speaking of which, we all remember the fun back in 1988:
In 2003, Biden was urged by many of his supporters to join the Democratic field of candidates for president. However, Biden declined the offer, deciding to devote his time to the senate rather than the campaign trail. Biden had made one previous attempt for the presidency, in 1988. Biden dropped out of the race amidst controversy, as he was found to have plagiarized a speech from British Labour party leader Neil Kinnock, and then was found to have also engaged in plagiarism in law school. He was also hospitalized suffering from a brain aneurism around this time period.
Sen. Joe Biden rallied supporters for John Kerry's presidential campaign Tuesday with a blistering attack on Bush administration policies that he said hurt retirees and working-class Americans.
Biden criticized the administration's prescription drug policies and their impact on consumers. "He is brain dead,"
Speaking of which, we all remember the fun back in 1988:
In 2003, Biden was urged by many of his supporters to join the Democratic field of candidates for president. However, Biden declined the offer, deciding to devote his time to the senate rather than the campaign trail. Biden had made one previous attempt for the presidency, in 1988. Biden dropped out of the race amidst controversy, as he was found to have plagiarized a speech from British Labour party leader Neil Kinnock, and then was found to have also engaged in plagiarism in law school. He was also hospitalized suffering from a brain aneurism around this time period.
Jailhouse Jelly
Thanks to Eugene Volokh we have the latest in cell block cuisine:
Martha stirs up tasty prison treats
Newspaper report says the incarcerated domestic diva picked crab apples to cook up 'illegal' jelly.October 20, 2004: 11:44 AM EDT
NEW YORK (CNN/Money) - Imprisoned domestic diva Martha Stewart may again be caught in a "jam," according to a report published Wednesday.
The New York Post, citing an unnamed inmate at the Alderson, W.Va., minimum-security prison camp for women, reported that the guru of good living spent some time last week picking crab apples from trees on the camp grounds and used them to cook up sweet jelly.
Martha stirs up tasty prison treats
Newspaper report says the incarcerated domestic diva picked crab apples to cook up 'illegal' jelly.October 20, 2004: 11:44 AM EDT
NEW YORK (CNN/Money) - Imprisoned domestic diva Martha Stewart may again be caught in a "jam," according to a report published Wednesday.
The New York Post, citing an unnamed inmate at the Alderson, W.Va., minimum-security prison camp for women, reported that the guru of good living spent some time last week picking crab apples from trees on the camp grounds and used them to cook up sweet jelly.
The ManKerryan Candidate?
No, not Meryl Streep and Denzel Washington. Angela Lansbury and Laurence Harvey in 1962.
The plot revolves around a Korean War hero who was captured, and brainwashed, by North Korean and Chinese Communists. The hero and his band of brothers are returned to America as sleeper agents with a nefarious (and convoluted) assignment to place a candidate favorable to Communists, in the White House.
Students of irony will enjoy the role a bottle of Heinz ketchup plays.
Let's think about the Axis of Evil. One of its three members is still Communist, and with (possibly) nuclear weapons, more dangerous than ever. Would they have a secret way to influence a Kerry Administration [salt over shoulder] to act in their favor?
Not through brainwashing (he's done that to himself).
How about extortion?
Young husband John Kerry apparently gave up the habit of keeping a diary, after returning from Vietnam. At least he didn't share any entries from his honeymoon in France with Douglas Brinkley. Kerry has never revealed what he discussed with the Vietnamese Communists in Paris. Nor have the Communists.
Yet.
Would a President Kerry want evidence of youthful treason leaked from North Korean and Vietnamese Communist intelligence sources with access to Le Duc Tho and Madame Binh's reports?
Would nuclear weapon and missile seller North Korea want a President Kerry to go easy on their customer Iran? Or pull American troops out of one time customer Iraq?
Does it even matter what Kerry did in Paris in the 70s? He'd have no way to authoratatively rebut forged documents from that era (and CBS News and Nightline don't care much about authenticity anyhow). They could threaten President Kerry with almost anything. True or not.
Has not John F. Kerry, by his actions 34 years ago, unwittingly made himself into a sleeper agent for Communists?
The plot revolves around a Korean War hero who was captured, and brainwashed, by North Korean and Chinese Communists. The hero and his band of brothers are returned to America as sleeper agents with a nefarious (and convoluted) assignment to place a candidate favorable to Communists, in the White House.
Students of irony will enjoy the role a bottle of Heinz ketchup plays.
Let's think about the Axis of Evil. One of its three members is still Communist, and with (possibly) nuclear weapons, more dangerous than ever. Would they have a secret way to influence a Kerry Administration [salt over shoulder] to act in their favor?
Not through brainwashing (he's done that to himself).
How about extortion?
Young husband John Kerry apparently gave up the habit of keeping a diary, after returning from Vietnam. At least he didn't share any entries from his honeymoon in France with Douglas Brinkley. Kerry has never revealed what he discussed with the Vietnamese Communists in Paris. Nor have the Communists.
Yet.
Would a President Kerry want evidence of youthful treason leaked from North Korean and Vietnamese Communist intelligence sources with access to Le Duc Tho and Madame Binh's reports?
Would nuclear weapon and missile seller North Korea want a President Kerry to go easy on their customer Iran? Or pull American troops out of one time customer Iraq?
Does it even matter what Kerry did in Paris in the 70s? He'd have no way to authoratatively rebut forged documents from that era (and CBS News and Nightline don't care much about authenticity anyhow). They could threaten President Kerry with almost anything. True or not.
Has not John F. Kerry, by his actions 34 years ago, unwittingly made himself into a sleeper agent for Communists?
The Curse of the A-Rod
1995-2000: Alex Rodriguez, surrounded by potential Hall of Famers; Randy Johnson, Edgar Martinez, and Ken Griffey Jr., the Mariners fail to reach a World Series.
2001: Free agent Alex Rodriguez, after assuring the Seattle Mariner fans that money wouldn't determine his destination, signs with the Texas Rangers for $250 million. Texas immediately goes to the bottom of the standings. The Seattle Mariners win a record 116 games.
2004: After aborting a trade to the Boston Red Sox, Rodriguez finds a home at third base in Yankee Stadium. The Red Sox accomplish the unheard of; regrouping from a 3-0 deficit, they win the final four games, and take the American League pennant. Now await a National League opponent in the 2004 World Series.
Coincidence?
2001: Free agent Alex Rodriguez, after assuring the Seattle Mariner fans that money wouldn't determine his destination, signs with the Texas Rangers for $250 million. Texas immediately goes to the bottom of the standings. The Seattle Mariners win a record 116 games.
2004: After aborting a trade to the Boston Red Sox, Rodriguez finds a home at third base in Yankee Stadium. The Red Sox accomplish the unheard of; regrouping from a 3-0 deficit, they win the final four games, and take the American League pennant. Now await a National League opponent in the 2004 World Series.
Coincidence?
Just Another Working Girl
"Real job", like what? Teresa's official biography doesn't exactly give one confidence that she is familiar with punching a time clock when the whistle blows:
After studying at the University of the Witwatersrand in South Africa and the University of Geneva, she moved to the United States and got a job working for the Trusteeship Council of the United Nations. In 1966, she married Senator John Heinz whom she met when they were graduate students and with whom she had three sons. Shortly after celebrating their 25th wedding anniversary in 1991, she lost her husband in a plane crash.
Turning down offers to seek election to her husband's Senate seat to take care of her sons, family and professional responsibilities, she became chairman of The Howard Heinz Endowment and the Heinz Family Philanthropies.
Hmm. Imagine Human Resources processing that application. A Mrs. Heinz has forwarded her resume for consideration in connection with a position with the Heinz enterprises.
Must have been a brutal interview.
After studying at the University of the Witwatersrand in South Africa and the University of Geneva, she moved to the United States and got a job working for the Trusteeship Council of the United Nations. In 1966, she married Senator John Heinz whom she met when they were graduate students and with whom she had three sons. Shortly after celebrating their 25th wedding anniversary in 1991, she lost her husband in a plane crash.
Turning down offers to seek election to her husband's Senate seat to take care of her sons, family and professional responsibilities, she became chairman of The Howard Heinz Endowment and the Heinz Family Philanthropies.
Hmm. Imagine Human Resources processing that application. A Mrs. Heinz has forwarded her resume for consideration in connection with a position with the Heinz enterprises.
Must have been a brutal interview.
Wednesday, October 20, 2004
The Indiscreet Smarm of a Booboisette
Hadassah Lieberman would never have made this mistake:
In an interview published Wednesday, USA Today asked the wife of Democratic candidate John Kerry if she would be different from Laura Bush as a first lady.
"Well, you know, I don't know Laura Bush. But she seems to be calm, and she has a sparkle in her eye, which is good," Heinz Kerry said. "But I don't know that she's ever had a real job — I mean, since she's been grown up. So her experience and her validation comes from important things, but different things."
Heinz Kerry said she sees her age as a benefit — she is 66 and Bush 57. "I'm older, and my validation of what I do is a little bit bigger — because I'm older, and I've had different experiences. And it's not a criticism of her. It's just, you know, what life is about," she said.
Laura Bush worked in public schools in Texas from 1968 to 1977, the year she married George W. Bush.
In a statement issued Wednesday, Heinz Kerry said: "I had forgotten that Mrs. Bush had worked as a school teacher and librarian, and there couldn't be a more important job than teaching our children. As someone who has been both a full-time mom and full-time in work force, I know we all have valuable experiences that shape who we are. I appreciate and honor Mrs. Bush's service to the country as first lady and am sincerely sorry I had not remembered her important work in the past."
John and Teresa....Made For Each Other
In an interview published Wednesday, USA Today asked the wife of Democratic candidate John Kerry if she would be different from Laura Bush as a first lady.
"Well, you know, I don't know Laura Bush. But she seems to be calm, and she has a sparkle in her eye, which is good," Heinz Kerry said. "But I don't know that she's ever had a real job — I mean, since she's been grown up. So her experience and her validation comes from important things, but different things."
Heinz Kerry said she sees her age as a benefit — she is 66 and Bush 57. "I'm older, and my validation of what I do is a little bit bigger — because I'm older, and I've had different experiences. And it's not a criticism of her. It's just, you know, what life is about," she said.
Laura Bush worked in public schools in Texas from 1968 to 1977, the year she married George W. Bush.
In a statement issued Wednesday, Heinz Kerry said: "I had forgotten that Mrs. Bush had worked as a school teacher and librarian, and there couldn't be a more important job than teaching our children. As someone who has been both a full-time mom and full-time in work force, I know we all have valuable experiences that shape who we are. I appreciate and honor Mrs. Bush's service to the country as first lady and am sincerely sorry I had not remembered her important work in the past."
John and Teresa....Made For Each Other
Jimmy and Chris Do History
Memories seem to be a bit tricky for a former President:
MATTHEWS: Let me ask you the question about—this is going to cause some trouble with people—but as an historian now and studying the Revolutionary War as it was fought out in the South in those last years of the War, insurgency against a powerful British force, do you see any parallels between the fighting that we did on our side and the fighting that is going on in Iraq today?
CARTER: Well, one parallel is that the Revolutionary War, more than any other war up until recently, has been the most bloody war we‘ve fought.
Hmm, that doesn't seem right somehow:
American Revolutionary War, 1775-1783, Combat [deaths]: 4,435
U.S. Civil War, 1861-1865, Union: Combat [deaths]: 110,070
Confederate: Combat [deaths]: 74,524
World War I, 1917-1918, Combat [deaths]: 53,513
World War II, 1941-1945, Combat [deaths]: 292,131
Korean War, 1950-1953, Combat [deaths]: 33,651
Vietnam War, 1964-1975, Combat [deaths]: 47,369
"Operation Iraqi Freedom"
As of September 25, 2004, Combat [deaths]: 791
MATTHEWS: Let me ask you the question about—this is going to cause some trouble with people—but as an historian now and studying the Revolutionary War as it was fought out in the South in those last years of the War, insurgency against a powerful British force, do you see any parallels between the fighting that we did on our side and the fighting that is going on in Iraq today?
CARTER: Well, one parallel is that the Revolutionary War, more than any other war up until recently, has been the most bloody war we‘ve fought.
Hmm, that doesn't seem right somehow:
American Revolutionary War, 1775-1783, Combat [deaths]: 4,435
U.S. Civil War, 1861-1865, Union: Combat [deaths]: 110,070
Confederate: Combat [deaths]: 74,524
World War I, 1917-1918, Combat [deaths]: 53,513
World War II, 1941-1945, Combat [deaths]: 292,131
Korean War, 1950-1953, Combat [deaths]: 33,651
Vietnam War, 1964-1975, Combat [deaths]: 47,369
"Operation Iraqi Freedom"
As of September 25, 2004, Combat [deaths]: 791
But Jimmy is just getting warmed up:
MATTHEWS: ....Do you think as an historian you would have foreseen, had you been president, the nationalistic fight of those people in Iraq once we got in there?
CARTER: Well, I think almost any reasonable person who knew history would say that you can‘t go into an alien environment and force by rule of arms by forcing the people to adopt a strange concept.
If you don't count Afghanistan, Germany, Japan, that is.
And also when we were so destructive in going into Iraq with tens of thousands of innocent civilians killed....
In fact, we used precision bombs to minimize innocent civilian casualties. Which is why there are still people fighting as insurgents against coalition forces now. We didn't destroy entire cities, as we did in Germany and Japan. There were probably fewer than 10,000 (singular) civilian deaths in Iraq. There is no authorative source for civilian casualties except for:
Since the Saddam Hussein regime was overthrown in May, 270 mass graves have been reported. By mid-January, 2004, the number of confirmed sites climbed to fifty-three. Some graves hold a few dozen bodies—their arms lashed together and the bullet holes in the backs of skulls testimony to their execution. Other graves go on for hundreds of meters, densely packed with thousands of bodies.
"We've already discovered just so far the remains of 400,000 people in mass graves," said British Prime Minister Tony Blair on November 20 in London.
We're not doing too well with either colonial history or last month's, are we. How about, say, The Carter Years:
MATTHEWS: ....When you look back on when 50 Americans were taking hostage by the Iranian so-called students....
CARTER: Well, from the first day the hostages were taken, I had two major and unshakable goals in mind that never changed. One was that we would protect the integrity and interest of my country, and that every hostage would come home safe and free.
And eventually, after 444 days, we achieved on both those goals.
After a mere 444 days. And after the scary Ronald Reagan had been inaugurated they were freed, you mean.
I wonder how many votes for John Kerry this little performance garnered. Surely there must be some who are nostalgic for the days when we became the Great Satan, pulled the rugs out from under our allies in Iran and Nicaragua, were over our inordinate fear of Communism--though, heck, a guy could sure learn a lot about the Soviet Union in 24 hours in Afghanistan, heh, heh--got to wait in gas lines, watch retail prices rise 13% annually, pay 21% interest rates....
Tuesday, October 19, 2004
FLUBA's Favorite Saboteur
According to the Washingon Times: Tina Brown, former editor of Vanity Fair, the New Yorker, and Talk magazine who writes a column now for The Washington Post, tells of a fashionable party of beautiful people in New York where the host handed out ballots and announced the winner at the end. "The surprise in that gathering was not the 133 votes cast for Sen. Kerry but the 20 for President Bush," she writes. "Eyes narrowed and swiveled among the guests seated at the long trestle tables as a surreptitious hunt went on for the secret saboteurs."
Freud....Sigmund Freud (II)
Al Gorzerra doeth project too much, wethinks:
"I'm convinced that most of the president's frequent departures from fact-based analysis have much more to do with right-wing political and economic ideology than with the Bible," Gore said in a speech at Georgetown University.
"It is love of power for its own sake that is the original sin of this presidency," he said.
....
"The essential cruelty of Bush's game is that he takes an astonishingly selfish and greedy collection of economic and political proposals and then cloaks them with a phony moral authority....
"Truly, President Bush has stolen the symbolism and body language of religion and used it to disguise the most radical effort in American history to take what rightfully belongs to the American people and give as much of it as possible to the already wealthy and privileged," he said.
"rightly belongs to the American people"? You mean like their incomes? That they work for?
Remind me again, which party is all for taking more away from the American people.?
Remind me also, which candidate recently, publicly told an American citizen that he had a moral obligation to use taxpayer's money for purposes they strongly disapproved?
Not to mention, which guy selfishly contested an election result in 2000, delaying the inevitable transition for a month for the love of power?
"I'm convinced that most of the president's frequent departures from fact-based analysis have much more to do with right-wing political and economic ideology than with the Bible," Gore said in a speech at Georgetown University.
"It is love of power for its own sake that is the original sin of this presidency," he said.
....
"The essential cruelty of Bush's game is that he takes an astonishingly selfish and greedy collection of economic and political proposals and then cloaks them with a phony moral authority....
"Truly, President Bush has stolen the symbolism and body language of religion and used it to disguise the most radical effort in American history to take what rightfully belongs to the American people and give as much of it as possible to the already wealthy and privileged," he said.
"rightly belongs to the American people"? You mean like their incomes? That they work for?
Remind me again, which party is all for taking more away from the American people.?
Remind me also, which candidate recently, publicly told an American citizen that he had a moral obligation to use taxpayer's money for purposes they strongly disapproved?
Not to mention, which guy selfishly contested an election result in 2000, delaying the inevitable transition for a month for the love of power?
Bad Hair Day
Really bad. Unless you believe you haven't wrapped up the metrosexual vote.
And even then, I'm not sure his compact matches his bag.
And even then, I'm not sure his compact matches his bag.
"strategy of denial in the face of these realities"
The classic definition of an economist is someone who is trained to evaluate alternative uses of scarce resources. Recently a genuine professional has begun blogging, and it isn't good news for those formerly respected in the profession, who have moved on to partisan hackery (albeit, well paid hackery).
Professor Samwick has three posts skewering the NY Times resident former economist for truly unprofessional analysis propagated upon the ignorant readership of that paper. It is well deserved criticism, and simply unanswerable (though that hasn't stopped some from trying).
Today's Krugman column will offer Samwick another opportunity. As it does the Fly Under the Bridge Academy. It begins by criticizing George W. Bush for being unrealistic about the federal budget, and then makes a comparison:
It's exactly the same when it comes to the draft. Mr. Bush's claim that we don't need any expansion in our military is patently unrealistic; it ignores the severe stress our Army is already under. And the experience in Iraq shows that pursuing his broader foreign policy doctrine - the "Bush doctrine" of pre-emptive war - would require much larger military forces than we now have.
Which is a textbook example of the logical fallacy of the false analogy. Whether or not the United States needs to increase its military manpower, is beside the point. It's hard to believe Krugman is so stupid as not to realize this. As even a television newsman realizes it. We need to evaluate alternative methods increasing the military, to determine if it requires the reinstitution of the draft. And a brief look at the 30+ year history of our current all volunteer army makes Krugman's claim out to be every bit as bogus as his claims about the unemployment rate.
The draft was ended in 1973, along with the Vietnam war. At which time we downsized from the 3.5 million men and women in uniform at the peak of the fighting, to about 2.4 million by 1985. The implosion of the Soviet Union allowed George HW Bush to further reduce force levels to about 1.7 million by 1992. Bill Clinton further reduced it to about 1.4 million--which is where we are today.
And Paul Krugman's Kandidate is merely calling for an increase in force of 40,000. In a country with approximately 50 million people in the prime soldiering ages 18-30. Does a professional economist really not understand that it would merely be a matter of increasing recruiting efforts and perhaps a slight increase in pay and benefits?
And if Bush really does want to expand the military to pre-Clintonian levels, that history strongly suggests that we can do it within the strictures of market forces? Hard to believe Krugman doesn't.
Professor Samwick has three posts skewering the NY Times resident former economist for truly unprofessional analysis propagated upon the ignorant readership of that paper. It is well deserved criticism, and simply unanswerable (though that hasn't stopped some from trying).
Today's Krugman column will offer Samwick another opportunity. As it does the Fly Under the Bridge Academy. It begins by criticizing George W. Bush for being unrealistic about the federal budget, and then makes a comparison:
It's exactly the same when it comes to the draft. Mr. Bush's claim that we don't need any expansion in our military is patently unrealistic; it ignores the severe stress our Army is already under. And the experience in Iraq shows that pursuing his broader foreign policy doctrine - the "Bush doctrine" of pre-emptive war - would require much larger military forces than we now have.
Which is a textbook example of the logical fallacy of the false analogy. Whether or not the United States needs to increase its military manpower, is beside the point. It's hard to believe Krugman is so stupid as not to realize this. As even a television newsman realizes it. We need to evaluate alternative methods increasing the military, to determine if it requires the reinstitution of the draft. And a brief look at the 30+ year history of our current all volunteer army makes Krugman's claim out to be every bit as bogus as his claims about the unemployment rate.
The draft was ended in 1973, along with the Vietnam war. At which time we downsized from the 3.5 million men and women in uniform at the peak of the fighting, to about 2.4 million by 1985. The implosion of the Soviet Union allowed George HW Bush to further reduce force levels to about 1.7 million by 1992. Bill Clinton further reduced it to about 1.4 million--which is where we are today.
And Paul Krugman's Kandidate is merely calling for an increase in force of 40,000. In a country with approximately 50 million people in the prime soldiering ages 18-30. Does a professional economist really not understand that it would merely be a matter of increasing recruiting efforts and perhaps a slight increase in pay and benefits?
And if Bush really does want to expand the military to pre-Clintonian levels, that history strongly suggests that we can do it within the strictures of market forces? Hard to believe Krugman doesn't.
Monday, October 18, 2004
Satisfied Republicans for Bush-Cheney 2004
So now we know why New Yorkers need votergasms:
Of those involved in a committed relationship, who is very satisfied with their relationship?Republicans — 87 percent; Democrats — 76 percent
Who is very satisfied with their sex life? Republicans — 56 percent; Democrats — 47 percent
The poll analysis also reveals who has worn something sexy to enhance their sex life:Republicans — 72 percent; Democrats — 62 percent
When asked whether they had ever faked an orgasm, more Democrats (33 percent) than Republicans (26 percent) said they had.
Among the factors that impact the survey results is that more men identify themselves as Republicans and men are more likely to say they are sexually satisfied and enjoy sex "a great deal." Also, Democrats are more likely to be women; and the poll results show that women are more likely to fake orgasms.
But women are less likely to have "worn something sexy", than Dick Cheney?
Of those involved in a committed relationship, who is very satisfied with their relationship?Republicans — 87 percent; Democrats — 76 percent
Who is very satisfied with their sex life? Republicans — 56 percent; Democrats — 47 percent
The poll analysis also reveals who has worn something sexy to enhance their sex life:Republicans — 72 percent; Democrats — 62 percent
When asked whether they had ever faked an orgasm, more Democrats (33 percent) than Republicans (26 percent) said they had.
Among the factors that impact the survey results is that more men identify themselves as Republicans and men are more likely to say they are sexually satisfied and enjoy sex "a great deal." Also, Democrats are more likely to be women; and the poll results show that women are more likely to fake orgasms.
But women are less likely to have "worn something sexy", than Dick Cheney?
Turkey and the Straw
In a debate this week-end in Spokane, Washington, for that state's open Senate seat, Moron in Tennis Shoes [and incumbent Senator] Patty Murray explained how she has worked to "end our dependence on foreign oil" by pointing to this bit of pork:
Helped fund Straw-to-Energy project in Spokane, WA: In the Fiscal Year (FY) 2004 Energy and Water Appropriations Bill, Senator Murray helped secure $750,000 for the Straw-to-Energy initiative. The demonstration project will help utilize new technologies to convert waste, excess grass, or wheat straw into value-added energy.
Peppermint Patty pointing out that if we could just get more taxpayer dollars into the hands of Eastern Washington farmers the energy crisis could be solved.
No, we are not making this up. We heard it with our own ears this morning thanks to KTTH Radio's Dan Sytman. Which means the Academy has a Dumbassy nomination:
In the category....Our Senatorial Team Will Spot You 60 IQ Points and Still Bring Home the Bacon....the nominee is....the Voters of the State of Washington
Helped fund Straw-to-Energy project in Spokane, WA: In the Fiscal Year (FY) 2004 Energy and Water Appropriations Bill, Senator Murray helped secure $750,000 for the Straw-to-Energy initiative. The demonstration project will help utilize new technologies to convert waste, excess grass, or wheat straw into value-added energy.
Peppermint Patty pointing out that if we could just get more taxpayer dollars into the hands of Eastern Washington farmers the energy crisis could be solved.
No, we are not making this up. We heard it with our own ears this morning thanks to KTTH Radio's Dan Sytman. Which means the Academy has a Dumbassy nomination:
In the category....Our Senatorial Team Will Spot You 60 IQ Points and Still Bring Home the Bacon....the nominee is....the Voters of the State of Washington
Had He Been Reading LFUTB....
Chris Wallace would have known the correct number was 2.4 million:
LOCKHART: .... what he has said is we've already got what amounts to a back- door draft....
But I think he made a valid point, which is if we're going to continue this go-it-alone policy where we push our allies away and say we can do everything unilaterally, and we have commitments and we're overstretched, then we have to figure out where the troops are going to come from.
....
WALLACE: But the senator himself talks about increasing the size of the military by 40,000 troops.
LOCKHART: Sure.
WALLACE: The fact is, the military now is at 1.4 million overall. Back in the '80s, it was at 2.1 million.
So couldn't you, in fact, have an all-volunteer army, an increase, and never have to have a draft?
And he would also know that John Kerry's extra 40,000 troops is 260,000 short of the number the Clinton Administration cut from 1993-2000. Leaving George W. Bush with a much smaller military than his father had to fight Gulf War I.
Thanks to Democrats.
LOCKHART: .... what he has said is we've already got what amounts to a back- door draft....
But I think he made a valid point, which is if we're going to continue this go-it-alone policy where we push our allies away and say we can do everything unilaterally, and we have commitments and we're overstretched, then we have to figure out where the troops are going to come from.
....
WALLACE: But the senator himself talks about increasing the size of the military by 40,000 troops.
LOCKHART: Sure.
WALLACE: The fact is, the military now is at 1.4 million overall. Back in the '80s, it was at 2.1 million.
So couldn't you, in fact, have an all-volunteer army, an increase, and never have to have a draft?
And he would also know that John Kerry's extra 40,000 troops is 260,000 short of the number the Clinton Administration cut from 1993-2000. Leaving George W. Bush with a much smaller military than his father had to fight Gulf War I.
Thanks to Democrats.
Saturday, October 16, 2004
We Were Rude For Not Returning the Favor
John F'n Kerry graciously apologizes to the Cheneys.
Which requires reciprocity:
Dick and Lynne Cheney: "Since John Edwards was kind enough to say such warm things about our family, we'd like to return the compliment. We think it just wonderful that a man with millions of dollars of hard earned commissions to his name--who with all that money and his great hair--could have dumped his wife and gotten any babe he had eyes for. But he chose to stay married to a blimp who inhales Wendy's triple bacon cheeseburgers, biggie fries and biggie drinks."
To JFK II: "It's great you managed to avoid (mostly) one of your hero, JFK I's, character flaws; serial adultery. Heck, you even went the extra mile to make an honest woman of Teresa, by getting the Church to annul your marriage to your first wife--delegitimizing your two daughters' births--so you and Teresa could marry as Catholics and, as faithful husband and wife, promote abortion with taxpayers' money."
Which requires reciprocity:
Dick and Lynne Cheney: "Since John Edwards was kind enough to say such warm things about our family, we'd like to return the compliment. We think it just wonderful that a man with millions of dollars of hard earned commissions to his name--who with all that money and his great hair--could have dumped his wife and gotten any babe he had eyes for. But he chose to stay married to a blimp who inhales Wendy's triple bacon cheeseburgers, biggie fries and biggie drinks."
To JFK II: "It's great you managed to avoid (mostly) one of your hero, JFK I's, character flaws; serial adultery. Heck, you even went the extra mile to make an honest woman of Teresa, by getting the Church to annul your marriage to your first wife--delegitimizing your two daughters' births--so you and Teresa could marry as Catholics and, as faithful husband and wife, promote abortion with taxpayers' money."
Friday, October 15, 2004
The Academy Has Another Nominee
We at Fluba have been in a state of breathless anticipation since we read:
Think About What This Means. Think Hard
...WASHINGTON — The Bush administration will delay major assaults on rebel-held cities in Iraq until after U.S. elections in November, say administration officials, mindful that large-scale military offensives could affect the U.S. presidential race.
Although American commanders in Iraq have been buoyed by recent successes in insurgent-held towns such as Samarra and Tall Afar, administration and Pentagon officials say they will not try to retake cities such as Fallujah and Ramadi -- where insurgents' grip is strongest and U.S. military casualties could be the greatest -- until after Americans vote in what is likely to be a close election."
When this election's over, you'll see us move very vigorously," said one senior administration official involved in strategic planning, speaking on condition of anonymity."Once you're past the election, it changes the political ramifications" of a large-scale offensive, the official said. "We're not on hold right now. We're just not as aggressive...
Think about what this means. Think hard. Think very hard.
The generals say we should move now. Moving now gives us the greatest chance of victory at the lowest likely cost. Moving later gives us a lesser chance of victory at a higher cost in terms of our soldiers' lives. But moving later is helpful to the Bush-Cheney campaign.
Impeach George W. Bush. Impeach Richard Cheney. Impeach them now.
Posted by DeLong at October 10, 2004 09:26 PM
Ah, and when we did, Professor, we knew what was about to happen:
Marines Pound Zarqawi Sites in Fallujah
BAGHDAD, Iraq — U.S. warplanes pounded the insurgent stronghold of Fallujah ... on Friday, a day after the city's leaders suspended peace talks and rejected the Iraqi government's demands to turn over terror mastermind Abu Musab al-Zarqawi....
U.S. troops detained Fallujah's top negotiator in the peace talks, witnesses said. Khaled al-Jumeili, an Islamic cleric, was arrested as he left a mosque after Friday prayers in a village about 10 miles south of Fallujah, they said.
[big snip]
In Friday's operations at Fallujah, two Marine battalions were trying to "disrupt the capabilities of the anti-Iraqi forces," said Maj. Francis Piccoli, spokesman for the 1st Marine Expeditionary Force.
"The operations were designed to target the large terrorist element operating in the area of Fallujah," the U.S. command said. "This element has been planning to use the holy month of Ramadan for attacks."
Targets hit included several key planning centers, a weapons storage facility, two safe houses, a meeting site and several illegal checkpoints used by the al-Zarqawi network, the U.S. military said.
We at the FLUBA knew we had another Dumbassy nominee on the line. In the category, Fish Fish Fish, Hook, Line, Sinker...J Bradford DeLong.
Think About What This Means. Think Hard
...WASHINGTON — The Bush administration will delay major assaults on rebel-held cities in Iraq until after U.S. elections in November, say administration officials, mindful that large-scale military offensives could affect the U.S. presidential race.
Although American commanders in Iraq have been buoyed by recent successes in insurgent-held towns such as Samarra and Tall Afar, administration and Pentagon officials say they will not try to retake cities such as Fallujah and Ramadi -- where insurgents' grip is strongest and U.S. military casualties could be the greatest -- until after Americans vote in what is likely to be a close election."
When this election's over, you'll see us move very vigorously," said one senior administration official involved in strategic planning, speaking on condition of anonymity."Once you're past the election, it changes the political ramifications" of a large-scale offensive, the official said. "We're not on hold right now. We're just not as aggressive...
Think about what this means. Think hard. Think very hard.
The generals say we should move now. Moving now gives us the greatest chance of victory at the lowest likely cost. Moving later gives us a lesser chance of victory at a higher cost in terms of our soldiers' lives. But moving later is helpful to the Bush-Cheney campaign.
Impeach George W. Bush. Impeach Richard Cheney. Impeach them now.
Posted by DeLong at October 10, 2004 09:26 PM
Ah, and when we did, Professor, we knew what was about to happen:
Marines Pound Zarqawi Sites in Fallujah
BAGHDAD, Iraq — U.S. warplanes pounded the insurgent stronghold of Fallujah ... on Friday, a day after the city's leaders suspended peace talks and rejected the Iraqi government's demands to turn over terror mastermind Abu Musab al-Zarqawi....
U.S. troops detained Fallujah's top negotiator in the peace talks, witnesses said. Khaled al-Jumeili, an Islamic cleric, was arrested as he left a mosque after Friday prayers in a village about 10 miles south of Fallujah, they said.
[big snip]
In Friday's operations at Fallujah, two Marine battalions were trying to "disrupt the capabilities of the anti-Iraqi forces," said Maj. Francis Piccoli, spokesman for the 1st Marine Expeditionary Force.
"The operations were designed to target the large terrorist element operating in the area of Fallujah," the U.S. command said. "This element has been planning to use the holy month of Ramadan for attacks."
Targets hit included several key planning centers, a weapons storage facility, two safe houses, a meeting site and several illegal checkpoints used by the al-Zarqawi network, the U.S. military said.
We at the FLUBA knew we had another Dumbassy nominee on the line. In the category, Fish Fish Fish, Hook, Line, Sinker...J Bradford DeLong.
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