tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-55173952011-04-21T16:23:26.160-05:00Pressure Valve"These are private words addressed to you in public." -- T.S. EliotChrishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15194963798147360997noreply@blogger.comBlogger3391100tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5517395.post-1133972749336854182005-12-07T10:01:00.000-06:002005-12-07T10:26:47.686-06:00Great Advances in Christmas Music Technology(click here for introduction, and here for a word on copyright)Deck the HallsMannheim SteamrollerChip Davis was a junior high school music teacher, turned advertising jingle writer, turned inventor of the "C.P. McCall" character (of "Convoy") fame, when he decided to record himself playing classical music on one of those "synthesizers" that were so Chrishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15194963798147360997noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5517395.post-1133827562629270502005-12-05T17:29:00.000-06:002005-12-05T18:06:02.683-06:00War of the Dian[e/a]s (click here for introduction, and here for a word on copyright) The best Christmas album of last year--hell, of the last several years--is Dianne Reeves' "Christmas Time Is Here" on the Blue Note label. Dianne Reeves is a jazz vocalist of staggering talent, the winner of three straight Grammy awards leading into this album, and she really makes the music shine. Her Chrishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15194963798147360997noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5517395.post-1133746413641881072005-12-04T19:11:00.000-06:002005-12-04T19:33:33.696-06:00Great WTF? Moments in Christmas Music #2(click here for introduction, and here for a word on copyright)Donna and BlitzenBadly Drawn BoyThe terrible Christmas song has become a recurring theme in modern books and movies set at Christmastime -- for instance, I've already talked about how the charming Love Actually features a terrible Christmas song and an artist who becomes popular by his Chrishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15194963798147360997noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5517395.post-1133271992066075982005-11-29T07:08:00.000-06:002005-11-29T07:46:32.120-06:00Great WTF? Moments in Christmas Music(click here for introduction, and here for a word on copyright)Frosty the SnowmanFiona AppleThere are a few great indie rock Christmas compilations (Yuletunes, Maybe this Christmas), and there are an awful lot of tired, pathetic indie rock Christmas compilations (too numerous to name, but certainly including "Maybe this Christmas Tree"). Sony's 2003 "ChristmasChrishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15194963798147360997noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5517395.post-1132695864798875582005-11-22T14:51:00.000-06:002005-11-22T18:54:37.163-06:00The Best Christmas Song of All Time(click here for introduction, and here for a word on copyright)Fairytale of New YorkThe Pogues with Kirsty McCollIn the UK, it's a big deal what song is #1 on Christmas Day -- the BBC plays it up as a sort of contest each year, and it's often a way of measuring what the favorite Christmas music of any given year might be. Becaue the Christmas sales reflect the Chrishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15194963798147360997noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5517395.post-1132617689531130172005-11-21T18:00:00.000-06:002005-11-21T18:04:14.340-06:00Great Christmas Music #5(click here for introduction, and here for a word on copyright)Long Way Around The SeaLowI have come to realize that most people have never heard of some of the Christmas songs I would put in my Top 10. A case in point is "Long Way Around The Sea," by the band Low. I cherish this song like some fans cherish their favorite team's pennant season.Low is one of the foremost "Chrishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15194963798147360997noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5517395.post-1132331767290076922005-11-18T09:50:00.000-06:002005-11-18T13:45:29.496-06:00The Sort of Christmas Music That Invites Debate(click here for introduction, and here for a word on copyright)Santa Claus Go Straight To The GhettoJames BrownPeople of good will (and good taste) cannot disagree that James Brown's 1968 album A Soulful Christmas is one of the best Christmas albums of all time. Nor can they disagree that "Santa Claus Go Straight To The Ghetto" is a great ChristmasChrishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15194963798147360997noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5517395.post-1132262612934970202005-11-17T13:23:00.000-06:002005-11-17T15:23:33.026-06:00The Best Christmas Music(click here for introduction, and here for a word on copyright)Christmas (Baby Please Come Home)Darlene LoveThe year was 1963, and girl-group Svengali Phil Spector was recording a Christmas album to be modestly called A Christmas Gift To You From Phil Spector. They had one "new" song to record, which Phil had written in conjunction with his crack songwriting team of Chrishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15194963798147360997noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5517395.post-1132115810112283522005-11-16T09:29:00.000-06:002005-11-19T10:13:58.916-06:00The Worst Christmas Music(click here for the introduction)Jingle All The WayCrash Test DummiesIn 1993, they had a hit single, "Mmm Mmm Mmm Mmm," which really only caught your attention because of the bizarre bassoprofundo voice of lead singer Brad Roberts.And that was about it, really. Tick, tick, tick... fifteen minutes came and went.The band faded, broke up in 1999, and then re-formed in Chrishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15194963798147360997noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5517395.post-1132119780945938442005-11-15T23:30:00.000-06:002005-11-19T10:13:24.860-06:00A brief note on copyrightThere's a word for posting a nice, clean MP3 of a song on the Internet for anyone to download: "Theft." But at the same time, the Constitution recognizes citizens' right to violate that copyright through "fair use" of that property. I want to provide samples of this music for the purpose of informed comment, and so that people can decide to reward the artist by buying theChrishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15194963798147360997noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5517395.post-1132081915250620382005-11-15T13:15:00.000-06:002005-11-15T15:21:27.800-06:00The Best Christmas Music(see this entry for the introduction)Oy! To The WorldThe KlezmonautsThere are a lot of "stunt" Christmas albums out there: one-note-jokes involving run-of-the-mill Christmas music being played in an uncommon style, such as an "all-reggae" Christmas, or (less seriously) on a kazoo, or on wood shop tools. I’m all in favor of artists doing something different—please, God, doChrishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15194963798147360997noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5517395.post-1131998301513509402005-11-14T20:30:00.000-06:002005-11-14T20:47:16.566-06:00The Best and Worst of Christmas Music(a Christmas countdown of songs that inspire, or that make the baby Jesus cry)It's finally Christmas time, my favorite time of the year."Surely not yet," you say, as you gasp, or gnash your teeth, or softly weep.I have some sympathy for that position.I tend to jump the gun a little bit. Traditionally, the start of Christmas is Black Friday, the day after Chrishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15194963798147360997noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5517395.post-1130386372053211982005-10-26T23:09:00.000-05:002005-10-26T23:12:52.066-05:00On losing the World Series in a sweep because no matter how hard your team fights, they just can't seem to do anythin with the umpteen people they got on base.Aw, nuts.Four million people were exhausted today from staying up and watching the longest game in WS history -- I mean it, the town was good for nothing today -- and they're all gonna be depressed tomorrow.Still proud as hell of our guys, Chrishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15194963798147360997noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5517395.post-1129779124775435782005-10-19T22:31:00.000-05:002005-10-19T22:32:04.783-05:00The Astros win the pennantThe Astros win the pennantOne of the lousiest, most stressful days ever at the office, and it all seems OK right now.Chrishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15194963798147360997noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5517395.post-1129608043710897622005-10-17T22:58:00.000-05:002005-10-17T23:00:43.716-05:00Thoughts on being one pitch away from the World-Frickin'-Series and then Losing It When Albert Pujols, the Personification of Every Person or Thing That Prevents Me From Achieving My Dreams, and Who Looks A Lot Like "The Rock," Knocks the Sh*t Out of the Ball and Sends Us to St. Louis for Game SixAw, hell.Chrishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15194963798147360997noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5517395.post-1127419875605353132005-09-22T15:08:00.000-05:002005-09-22T15:11:15.620-05:00On Being a RefugeeIn its collective mind, Houston is Jesus to New Orleans. We provide rest for the weary, and strength for the downtrodden, at the cost of ourselves. Nearly everyone I know has muttered about a newfound fear of certain parts of town, the Astrodome district, the new slums, filled with the desperate and dispossessed, possessing nothing but memories and a $1,000 Red Cross gift cardChrishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15194963798147360997noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5517395.post-1126743992673792852005-09-14T19:25:00.000-05:002005-09-14T19:26:32.680-05:00NEWS FRICKIN FLASH:Bush asks Condi for permission to take a bathroom break at a UN summit.Pics here and here from Reuters. This is no joke, this is a real photo.I...I am speechless.Chrishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15194963798147360997noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5517395.post-1126715458020122952005-09-14T11:16:00.000-05:002005-09-14T11:30:58.030-05:00I have been comparing the sound quality of XM radio recently, and came to a fairly shocking realization that sound quality standards are not what one would normally think. I have a trusty Delphi "SkyFi" XM radio that I use in the office, but not too long ago XM allowed all its subscibers to use its streaming web radio service for free. ("Free" -- that is, they raised the monthly rate but threw Chrishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15194963798147360997noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5517395.post-1125500456598267102005-08-31T09:55:00.000-05:002005-08-31T10:00:56.606-05:00So long as I'm bothering to post, here's another e-mail exchange that I had a couple of days ago. FROM: Greg, the Atheist Down The Hall"Religious moderation is the product of secular knowledge and scriptural ignorance - and it has no bona fides, in religious terms, to put it on par with fundamentalism." (21) "By their light, religious moderation appears to be nothing more than an Chrishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15194963798147360997noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5517395.post-1125500098455299292005-08-31T09:48:00.000-05:002005-08-31T09:54:58.463-05:00An e-mail I sent today, in response to a short e-mail saying "You have been taking business trips to NOLA lately, this must be very visceral for you." It's been a while since I blogged, but this seemed to be appropriate:I do feel it viscerally, but I have to say that I have no real grounds for claiming a part of this tragedy. It's like watching the strange waves that lap on the shores of a Chrishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15194963798147360997noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5517395.post-1112198242712264552005-03-30T09:44:00.000-06:002005-03-30T09:57:22.713-06:00I'm a sucker for a great, true story. And this is a great, true story. A must-read. MIT usted gringos pendejos or something like that.I wish I had more time to write, to post, to muse about the universe. For instance, I would tell you that Michael Bay's "blog" is hysterical. And filthy. I would tell you that I have become a big fan of the comics "Medium Large" and "Get Your War On." And Chrishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15194963798147360997noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5517395.post-1110317737450555812005-03-08T13:59:00.000-06:002005-03-09T09:03:36.690-06:00The Senate is in the midst of passing the new bankruptcy bill, which will have the effect of drastically limiting Chapter 7 bankruptcies (fresh start) and forcing people to use Chapter 13 instead (payment plans). Much ink has been spilled over the fact that the bill was (literally) drafted by the credit card industry -- the same industry that made a bundle by loosening its credit requirements in Chrishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15194963798147360997noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5517395.post-1110237082185249612005-03-07T17:06:00.000-06:002005-03-07T17:11:22.186-06:00The UN just backed up a truck and dumped a whole load of sadness on my head. They've created some amazingly effective issue advertising on the issue of landmines, which is certainly why the media is reportedly refusing to run the ad. ("Reportedly" meaning "reported in WorldNetDaily," which means caveat emptor.) Too disturbing, meaning "too close to home." 30 seconds; changed my outlook. AndChrishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15194963798147360997noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5517395.post-1110227188434447902005-03-07T14:25:00.000-06:002005-03-07T14:26:28.436-06:00The Doves just backed up a truck and dumped a whole lot of happy on my head.The Doves -- Some Cities.Chrishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15194963798147360997noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5517395.post-1109865740719728272005-03-03T09:40:00.000-06:002005-03-03T10:02:20.723-06:00I was driving in to work this morning, trying to think of how I would describe Archer Prewitt's new album Wilderness, and I discovered that I have been brainwashed by the likes of Pitchfork and Stylus and all the other hipster music-freak websites. I read these damn things because I love music and I love to get recommendations for great new stuff -- which is pretty damn critical these days Chrishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15194963798147360997noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5517395.post-1109712198888436222005-03-01T14:52:00.000-06:002005-03-01T15:23:18.893-06:00Breaking NewsAnd by "breaking news," I mean that the news is broken.Today, the Supreme Court ruled that the Eighth Amendment to the U.S. Constitution prohibits the execution of 16 and 17 year olds. (Fifteen and under was already prohibited under a 1989 decision.) Well you may ask where the Constitution says the words "sixteen and seventeen year olds" in it. The answer is in the Special Chrishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15194963798147360997noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5517395.post-1109600312175750692005-02-28T07:54:00.000-06:002005-02-28T08:18:32.283-06:00Best. Oscars. Ever. And in this, I must disagree with the normally right-on Cintra Wilson, who blasts the ceremony in today's Salon. She's right that the Oscars sucked ass, but I feel strongly that they were 50% less sucky than in recent years. There was a reason to sit through the truly god-awful musical performances and the self-serving speeches and the ridiculous sight of the film Chrishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15194963798147360997noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5517395.post-1108993480152014362005-02-21T07:39:00.000-06:002005-02-21T07:44:40.153-06:00Two celebrities dead this morning: Sandra Dee and Hunter S. Thompson.I'm sure there's a deeper meaning in this, somewhere, somehow.I have to say that the NPR story on Sandra Dee was much kinder than journalism of old. After fondly describing her film successes (and her "struggle with anorexia" -- who knew?) the reporter delicately described her later "battle with alcoholism" and liver disease.Chrishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15194963798147360997noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5517395.post-1107266713919578982005-02-01T08:03:00.000-06:002005-02-01T08:05:13.920-06:00Iraq the Vote
A flashback, courtesy of Kos:
U.S. Encouraged by Vietnam Vote:
Officials Cite 83% Turnout Despite Vietcong Terror by Peter Grose, Special to the New York Times -- Sept. 4, 1967 WASHINGTON, Sept. 3-- United States officials were surprised and heartened today at the size of turnout in South Vietnam's presidential election despite a Vietcong terrorist campaign to disrupt the Chrishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15194963798147360997noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5517395.post-1106835458965532952005-01-27T07:47:00.000-06:002005-01-27T08:17:38.966-06:00Once again, too damn busy to post anything original. But these are worth noting:
Doug Feith, don't let the door hit you in the ass on the way out.
Fafblog on American independence from Europe, the UK, Congress, and the CIA.
Dan Kennedy's list of ways to make reruns more interesting by adding weapons. (Seriously, this may be the funniest thing I've read in a long while.)
New soul singer Chrishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15194963798147360997noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5517395.post-1105568665091167012005-01-12T15:51:00.000-06:002005-01-12T16:24:25.090-06:00Okay, okay, the really interesting thing in Bush's Washington Times interview was not his claim that he doesn't "see how you can be president without a relationship with the Lord," which is what is getting all the play in the hand-wringing lefty blogosphere. (Bush -- who has been repeatedly proven to be hugely ignorant of Judeo-Christian history, theology, and the Bible -- clearly doesn't Chrishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15194963798147360997noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5517395.post-1105546219438393742005-01-12T10:01:00.000-06:002005-01-12T10:10:19.436-06:00I have concluded that the single funniest thing on the Internets these days is fafblog, which is a series of postings by fafnir, giblets and medium lobster. It's a bit of an acquired taste, as all three have a very distinct and peculiar style of writing, but "Sinners In The Hands of an Angry President" is one of the funniest things I've read in a while -- perhaps because I've been engaged in Chrishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15194963798147360997noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5517395.post-1105468837579087722005-01-11T11:33:00.000-06:002005-01-11T12:40:37.603-06:00Exhausting morning with the guy down the hall at my office, a partner at the firm. I enjoy talking with him, but sometimes the conversation can be tiring (once the adrenalin wanes), especially when religion comes up. He has rejected religion, and religiosity, as a defect in the human condition that cripples our understanding. Accordingly, he loves to pose hard questions, to see whether Chrishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15194963798147360997noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5517395.post-1105388590848084702005-01-10T14:12:00.000-06:002005-01-10T14:23:10.846-06:00As a follow-up to my earlier post, I recommend this iTunes iMix. It's called "Straight from the Crate," and it pairs well-known hip-hop songs with the original songs that they sampled. It's a good way of refreshing yourself as to the way the hook sounded in its original context, and comparing what the hip-hop artist has done with it. In some cases, not much. In others, it's become Chrishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15194963798147360997noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5517395.post-1105115464654518312005-01-07T09:18:00.000-06:002005-01-07T10:31:04.653-06:00Music: A Review, A Manifesto, And A Rambling Monologue
Reading the news this morning, I see that the music industry finally managed to increase album sales in 2004. I have certainly done my part to help them, though it seems almost comical that of the Top Ten albums, I own none of them. I don't even respect them. (Evanescence? Ashlee Simpson?) My eleventy-billion albums -- for that is how Chrishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15194963798147360997noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5517395.post-1104866201500470462005-01-04T13:58:00.000-06:002005-01-04T13:16:41.500-06:00Ten Things I Learned Over The Holidays
[and the source of my newfound knowledge]
1. The words "nobody" and "stinky" are really, really funny. [from Jonah]
2. "Snow" is, apparently, defined as a natural phenomenon occurring only when I am not present. [from leaving the steaming, sweltering swamp called Houston just before it got its first snow in decades]
3. The Covenant Carbine is a Chrishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15194963798147360997noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5517395.post-1103146351652867912004-12-15T15:31:00.000-06:002004-12-15T15:32:31.653-06:00I think this is going to be the big holiday hit this year. I'm not normally a fan of boy bands, but this song has everything it takes to become a big, big hit.
Chrishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15194963798147360997noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5517395.post-1102617921116306862004-12-09T13:19:00.000-06:002004-12-09T12:45:21.116-06:00Something that has been intriguing me...
...apropos of nothing, is the way in which individual periods become excised from the flow of history and preserved in amber. A good example is the way that immigrant communities preserve the memories and mores of their former country, whereas the original country continues to grow and evolve. It's a common story. In Houston, the Vietnamese communityChrishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15194963798147360997noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5517395.post-1102518177506608042004-12-08T08:53:00.000-06:002004-12-08T09:02:57.506-06:00A new story broke today. (Salon -- worth watching the ad to read the article.) You'll want to sit down for this one.
1. Greg Ford, a National Guardsman guarding prisoners in Samarra, became outraged at the acts of torture being used on prisoners.
2. He reported this torture to his commanding officer, who refused to accept the report.
3. The next day, he was strapped to a gurney and flownChrishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15194963798147360997noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5517395.post-1101236860832933772004-11-23T13:03:00.000-06:002004-11-23T13:07:40.833-06:00I haven't posted in a while, because my time has been devoted more or less exclusively to work and a side project that will be done in a week or two.
But in the meantime, I have to recommend this piece of writing -- an Iraq vet's story of fighting PTSD and the reaction he got from the people in his Austin neighborhood.
I recommend not only the article itself -- which is powerful, to say the Chrishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15194963798147360997noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5517395.post-1100117509481199862004-11-10T14:08:00.000-06:002004-11-10T14:11:49.483-06:00A friend pointed me to this collection of maps, which attempt to weight the "red" vs. "blue" dynamic by showing the margin of victory and by equalizing the map to show population density.
Once all that has been equalized, you see a purple blob shot through with veins of red and blue.
Definitely not a mandate.
In other news, John Ashcroft fell off his broom. I think I speak for all AmericansChrishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15194963798147360997noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5517395.post-1099924670437411902004-11-08T08:31:00.000-06:002004-11-08T08:37:50.436-06:00I have a lot to say, but I don't have the time in which to sort it all out and make it worth reading.
So in the meantime, I'll just say this -- "The Incredibles" is incredible.
P.S. I don't have "a lot to say" about "The Incredibles." I have a lot to say about other things.
P.P.S. That's not really right either. I do have a lot to say about "The Incredibles." Great voice talent, and CGI Chrishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15194963798147360997noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5517395.post-1099594439828852772004-11-04T13:47:00.000-06:002004-11-04T12:53:59.830-06:00Oh, by the way...
Right after the election comes the proof that the U.S. military stood there and watched helplessly as Iraqis looted a WMD weapons complex. Remember all the protestations from the Bush campaign that it was completely improbable that troops would stand and watch as Iraqis backed up trucks and started loading them?
"Liberal" media my ass. Bastards. Good-for-nothing bastards.
Chrishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15194963798147360997noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5517395.post-1099491902792506632004-11-03T08:23:00.000-06:002004-11-03T08:25:02.793-06:00Oh, and, apropos of nothing, I thought I would mention that Air Canada is coincidentally running a special on one-way airfares to Canada.
Chrishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15194963798147360997noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5517395.post-1099489402868703722004-11-03T07:42:00.000-06:002004-11-03T07:43:22.866-06:00"The American people get the government they deserve, good and hard."
-- H.L. Mencken
Chrishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15194963798147360997noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5517395.post-1099429844852737862004-11-02T14:56:00.000-06:002004-11-02T15:10:44.853-06:00Three Conversations
I had three conversations today worth writing about.
The first was with G, the endearingly off-kilter guy down the hall. He's a lowercase-L libertarian who supports Bush because he believes that Islam is a cancer on the world and that Bush is more likely to try to eradicate it. We have had many conversations about his emphatic atheism, but he told me this morning that he Chrishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15194963798147360997noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5517395.post-1099404223604106522004-11-02T07:52:00.000-06:002004-11-02T08:03:43.606-06:00A Word From The Election Supervisor
"This day I call heaven and earth as witnesses against you that I have set before you life and death, blessings and curses.
Now choose life, so that you and your children may live."
Deuteronomy 30:19
"Choose life" been preempted by the anti-abortion movement and twisted into a context for which it was never intended, so I thought I would do the same.
You Chrishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15194963798147360997noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5517395.post-1099326705994640442004-11-01T10:30:00.000-06:002004-11-01T10:31:45.993-06:00An Open Letter To The Kids Who Stole The Plastic Pumpkin Off My Front Porch
Damn Kids!!!
I'll get you!!!
[shakes fist]
Chrishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15194963798147360997noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5517395.post-1098992475755795122004-10-28T14:34:00.000-05:002004-10-28T14:41:15.756-05:00A Sobering Recommendation
The Economist has made its recommendation, and it recommends Alka-Seltzer.
That's a joke, but not much of one. I enjoy The Economist because its conservative viewpoint is measured and considered, as opposed to the cultural upheaval and jingoism in America. That is to say, its very existence is a stinging rebuke to Fox News. I may not always agree with The Chrishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15194963798147360997noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5517395.post-1098973436305942002004-10-28T09:19:00.000-05:002004-10-28T09:23:56.306-05:00Here's another video for your entertainment. I've been getting a lot of mileage out of it here at the office. (If don't want to download the file (1.2 MB Quicktime), it's George Bush in his second term as Governor, flipping the bird at the television camera and then snorting like Will Ferrell.)
And this is a Kentucky Fried Chicken training tape talking about bacteria.
And here's the thing --Chrishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15194963798147360997noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5517395.post-1098914937311419812004-10-27T17:01:00.000-05:002004-10-27T17:08:57.313-05:00Been busy lately, and Blogger's been acting weird. But I've got two links for you:
1. Mosh, by Eminem. It's a good song, but it's a great video. Eminem channels Fight Club and Grand Theft Auto to create a get-out-the-vote motivator. My libertarian/conservative friend was so appalled by it he actually called it "sedition." That's the kind of thing we need more of these days -- not the Chrishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15194963798147360997noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5517395.post-1098228446807395952004-10-19T18:02:00.000-05:002004-10-19T18:27:26.806-05:00Oh, yeah -- one more post so that the information doesn't fall down the memory hole, as happened with Iraq. (e.g. "We only said that Saddam had programs" when everyone in the administration stated their 100% certainty that he had actual WMDs, ready to fire.)
Bush has flatly declared that he will not request a draft even if there is a national emergency.
To my mind, that has always been the Chrishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15194963798147360997noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5517395.post-1098219737143197732004-10-19T15:50:00.000-05:002004-10-19T16:02:17.143-05:00I'm so busy right now I can't even see straight, but I just had one of those moments of erzatz insight that make it hard to concentrate.
Right now, Houston is disgustingly hot and humid. 92 degrees, and 250% humidity. Yes, that's right -- we live in Atlantis. You can't walk to your car without mold growing on your body. It's absolutely oppressive and awful and enough to make you doubt your Chrishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15194963798147360997noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5517395.post-1098214224312479052004-10-19T14:25:00.000-05:002004-10-19T14:30:24.313-05:00You will, of course, recall that the 9/11 Commission was specifically limited to an investigation of our intelligence agencies. By political fiat, it was prohibited from investigating the Bush administration's own complicity and error.
The CIA got burned by that one-sided "investigation," and it's defending itself.
Robert Scheer has just reported that the CIA has produced a report that Chrishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15194963798147360997noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5517395.post-1097959950463712952004-10-16T15:49:00.000-05:002004-10-16T15:52:30.463-05:00Spooky Story, Just In Time For Halloween
"You want to see something really scary?"
-- Dan Ackroyd, Twilight Zone: The Movie
Just in time for Halloween, comes a story that has scared the ever-livin' crap out of me. I have chills running down my spine, and something close to nausea. I'm genuinely scared.
Here's the story. Read it at your own peril.
And the last lines are truly classic.
Chrishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15194963798147360997noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5517395.post-1097879069339977422004-10-15T17:15:00.000-05:002004-10-15T17:24:29.340-05:00So here's the situation.
You're a Reserves soldier in Iraq. You've got crappy machinery because the Army skimped on spare parts. Your trucks are on the very edge of a breakdown.
You're ordered to make a delivery to a distant city. You know that you will almost certainly be attacked along the way. And you are told that the usual escort of armed Humvees and helicopters will not be Chrishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15194963798147360997noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5517395.post-1097684850677491382004-10-13T11:12:00.000-05:002004-10-13T11:27:30.676-05:00I need a new keyboard
I need a new keyboard. Damn thing broke when my jaw hit it this morning.
You know, you think you've got thick skin, and then you find out about another filthy insider deal tainted by oil money, and you realize that you're still a babe in the woods.
Here's the story.
Naomi Klein explains it better than I could, but here's the short outline:
1. Bush names James Baker toChrishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15194963798147360997noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5517395.post-1097500584668854952004-10-11T08:05:00.000-05:002004-10-11T08:16:24.670-05:00Disturbing Footage
I just saw a particularly disturbing Quicktime movie that someone has assembled out there in Net land, and I recommend it highly for its video content (if not entirely for its message).
It lays Dubya's performance in the 1994 Gubernatorial debate against his performance in the first 2004 Presidential debate, and it is shocking how much less articulate he has become. The Chrishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15194963798147360997noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5517395.post-1097068881474244422004-10-06T08:05:00.000-05:002004-10-06T08:21:21.476-05:00Thoughts on the Debate
Just a few thoughts on the debate last night:
1. Wondering why Edwards made such a big deal about Saddam having nothing to do with 9-11? Obvious, right?
Nope. 42% of all people, and 62% of Republicans, think Saddam Hussein was directly responsible for 9-11. I think Atrios summed it up best when he said that Republicans were "too stupid to breathe." But I'm not Chrishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15194963798147360997noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5517395.post-1096985689352462672004-10-05T08:34:00.000-05:002004-10-05T09:35:07.146-05:00Sometimes I get so tickled I can't stop laughing.
Bush made a spectacle of himself at the debate by leaning heavily on Poland as a member of the Coalition of the Coerced -- "He forgot Poland!" shouted Chimpy, as if he had finally caught the smart kid in an error.
Poland returned the favor by announcing that it is withdrawing from Iraq.
HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA Chrishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15194963798147360997noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5517395.post-1096925407404913882004-10-04T16:25:00.000-05:002004-10-04T16:30:07.403-05:00I would guess if we had gone into Iraq I would still have forces in Baghdad today. We'd be running the country. We would not have been able to get everybody out and bring everybody home.
And the final point that I think needs to be made is this question of casualties. I don't think you could have done all of that without significant additional U.S. casualties. And while everybody was Chrishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15194963798147360997noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5517395.post-1096635029329829862004-10-01T07:46:00.000-05:002004-10-01T07:50:29.330-05:00The Worst Of Outcomes
I think that the debates ended with the worst of all possible outcomes -- from my own narrow view. That is, after watching a shrieking chimp rattle his podium in petulant rage, I can say this:
HOW THE F*CK IS THIS SLACK-JAWED MORON DOING SO WELL IN THE POLLS?!??!
It's the worst of outcomes because it seriously makes me doubt the sanity of 52% of the American public.Chrishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15194963798147360997noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5517395.post-1096565330168711522004-09-30T13:22:00.000-05:002004-09-30T12:28:50.166-05:00There's a lot of excitement about the debates this evening, and I wanted to get my two cents in.
I think that Bush is going to have to look "presidential" -- he can't get flustered or irritated. His base just wants to see him "in control."
In contrast, I think that Kerry is going to have to kick Bush in the nuts, force him to his knees, and make him drink his urine, all while screaming "DRINKChrishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15194963798147360997noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5517395.post-1095992877197143242004-09-23T21:15:00.000-05:002004-09-23T21:27:57.196-05:00Quick Shout-Out
I'm working late at the office, which means that I'm listening to music at a reasonably loud volume. The empty office gets too creepy without some tunes to keep me going. Oh, I'm sorry. It's not "empty." There's the cleaning guy with the 150 db vacuum cleaner that is persistently trying to vacuum the carpet next to my office. I think he's trying to write his name using theChrishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15194963798147360997noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5517395.post-1095782867925700242004-09-21T10:29:00.000-05:002004-09-21T11:07:47.926-05:00The New Star Wars DVDs
A lot of people are wondering about how the new "Star Wars" DVDs stack up, what sort of extras are included, and what Luca$ has done to the films this time. So this is a handy guide to the three films and the changes made by Luca$:
Star Wars
1. In the 1997 "Special Edition," Luca$ changed the Han-Greedo scene so that Greedo shot first, which apparently causes Han to Chrishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15194963798147360997noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5517395.post-1095366905647967832004-09-16T15:25:00.000-05:002004-09-16T15:35:05.646-05:00More on the Back Door Draft
You will recall from earlier postings that the military has been doing everything possible to keep its numbers up despite the Iraq debacle -- including (1) issuing "stop loss" orders so that people are forced to spend a year in Iraq even if they were due to muster out, (2) withdrawing huge numbers of troops from Korea and the European theater for redeployment in "hot Chrishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15194963798147360997noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5517395.post-1095178669338977492004-09-14T11:16:00.000-05:002004-09-14T18:28:00.893-05:00Thought For The Day
It is very hard to look dignified and professional when you have the Black Eyed Peas' "Let's Get Retarded" stuck in your head.
FOLLOW UP, 6:26 p.m.
I've had two folks write comments that imply that I was complaining that I couldn't get the song out of my head. That's not what I meant at all. I like the song; it's really a propriety thing.
Here I am, at the office, in a Chrishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15194963798147360997noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5517395.post-1094920778068490162004-09-11T11:12:00.000-05:002004-09-11T11:39:38.066-05:00The Virus
Some thoughts are a virus. I'm not talking about the thought experiment about "don't think of a white elephant," nor am I spouting the (largely true) neo-conservative line about democracy and capitalism being like viruses that will grow and thrive if permitted a free society in which to do so.
No, I'm saying there are some thoughts that are infectious and hurtful. Information Chrishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15194963798147360997noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5517395.post-1094767439827755422004-09-09T16:16:00.000-05:002004-09-09T17:03:59.826-05:00McClellan Does It Again
Fans of the blog (Hi, Mom!) will remember that a few days ago I celebrated Scott McClellan's amazing new advance in speech and rhetoric, in which he managed to deliver an oral footnote while answering a reporter's question. It was all there in the White House transcript -- McClellan gave an answer that was demonstrably false, but he managed to add on a footnote that Chrishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15194963798147360997noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5517395.post-1094607300108022352004-09-07T20:07:00.000-05:002004-09-07T20:35:00.110-05:00There's No Damn Reason to Make A Big Deal About This One
There's no damn reason to make a big deal about this one. Why should people stand up and take notice of this particular soldier, who fell at noon today, Baghdad time (3:00 a.m. here in the Central time zone)? Strange to think that I was fast asleep then. I was snoring while this man met his maker and made "history."
No name released Chrishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15194963798147360997noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5517395.post-1094582858122459792004-09-07T13:34:00.000-05:002004-09-07T13:47:38.123-05:00Sometimes there is great value in a simple list. Graydon Carter has assembled a simple list of numbers regarding the Bush administration, and it's highly worth your while. It's hard to pick any particular section to highlight, but try this one:
$3m Amount the White House was willing to grant the 9/11 Commission to investigate the 11 September attacks.
$0 Amount approved by George Bush to Chrishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15194963798147360997noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5517395.post-1094224653723309482004-09-03T09:39:00.000-05:002004-09-03T15:15:36.680-05:00Friday in America
It's Friday in America. There are a lot of things to talk about -- the President's speech last night, which was so filled with falsities and innuendo that it has been debunked by that rampaging group of liberal pundits The AP -- but I think we all know that there' s something more important. The "war" on "terror"? The war in Iraq?
No, I'm thinking about our economy. There haveChrishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15194963798147360997noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5517395.post-1094046851835055782004-09-01T08:50:00.000-05:002004-09-01T08:54:11.836-05:00This is the sound of bombing, of something being ill-advised in every possible way. (Full video courtesy of the Washington Post)
This is the sound of the Bush twins making fun of Barbara Bush for believing that "Sex in the City" is "something married people do... (pause) and never talk about."
During that pause, the convention center was deathly silent -- because THE BASE believes that "Sex Chrishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15194963798147360997noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5517395.post-1093877701181721642004-08-30T09:24:00.000-05:002004-08-30T09:55:01.180-05:00What's at stake?
As we go into the Republican National Convention, and a quarter of a million people protest (peacefully!) in the streets, I would like to take a moment to contemplate exactly what's at stake in this election.
It can all be summarized in this jewel of a new story.
The Patriot Act creates the concept of a "National Security Letter," which is essentially a subpoena issued by the Chrishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15194963798147360997noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5517395.post-1093548657135572792004-08-26T14:29:00.000-05:002004-08-26T14:30:57.136-05:00Every once in a while you have to give props to the people that really do it right.
Go, right now, and read "Gus Openshaw's Whale Killing Journal." Gus wants revenge against the whale that killed his family, and he's blogging about it.
Chrishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15194963798147360997noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5517395.post-1093447071718013092004-08-25T09:17:00.000-05:002004-08-25T10:17:51.716-05:00The Swift Implosion of Swift Boat Vets for "Truth"
Since my last blog on the subject of Kerry's military service, the Swift Boat vets have been in the process of a slow collapse. It's been quite a sight. Let's review the bidding:
1. John O'Neill, head of the Swifties, claims that it was absurd for Kerry to even claim that he went to Cambodia. He claimed that any Swift Boat skipper would Chrishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15194963798147360997noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5517395.post-1093443218933472212004-08-25T09:02:00.000-05:002004-08-25T09:13:38.933-05:00The Ultimate In Wish Fulfillment
I finally saw "Kill Bill Vol. 2" this weekend, and came away with the impression that, as good as it was, it was the ultimate fanboy wish-fulfillment fantasy. Let's take the penultimate scene. I'm not letting any cats out of the bag here, because the movie begins with a short monologue in which The Bride explains that she has already killed everyone else and Chrishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15194963798147360997noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5517395.post-1092925190515326132004-08-19T08:52:00.000-05:002004-08-19T09:19:50.516-05:00Amazing New Breakthrough In Speech and Rhetoric
Last night Paul Hamm managed the most amazing comeback in Olympic gymnastic history. World Champion Hamm, who looks like Richie Cunningham's wet dream fantasy body, was ranked 12th after four rotations: a disastrous vault caused him to fall over, on his butt, onto the judge's table. Tres tacky, and great television. But Hamm buckled down and Chrishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15194963798147360997noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5517395.post-1092842742896634662004-08-18T09:32:00.000-05:002004-08-18T10:36:28.943-05:00Olympics and the American Character
No. 48 in a Series
Drawing Excessively Broad Conclusions From Current Events
"Can you see them? Can you see them? Little girls -- dancing for gold."
John Tesh, 1996 Summer Games
As I do every four years, I have dutifully been following the Olympics. I'm always vaguely aware that there is something strange about failing to give a flip about gymnastics for Chrishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15194963798147360997noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5517395.post-1092663459075657852004-08-16T08:18:00.000-05:002004-08-16T08:37:39.076-05:00More on Christmas In Cambodia
My dedicated readers (Hi, Mom!) will remember that I outlined the various Kerry statements regarding his forays into Cambodia. These conflicting statements have been put to Kerry's biographer, Douglas Brinkley, who has carefully reviewed Kerry's wartime diaries.
"On Christmas Eve he was near Cambodia; he was around 50 miles from the Cambodian border. There's no Chrishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15194963798147360997noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5517395.post-1092413381993406922004-08-13T10:51:00.000-05:002004-08-13T11:17:29.613-05:00Meditative Prayer, Of Sorts
I have recently been trying to spend part of each evening in silence and solitude, as part of a "discipline" to still my thoughts in prayer. The idea is to calm my mind and really listen for once -- to listen to see what God has to say. It's really, really, really hard.
Really.
I mean, you never really think about all the things that flit across your mind until Chrishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15194963798147360997noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5517395.post-1092244316234530762004-08-11T12:11:00.000-05:002004-08-11T13:10:43.130-05:00The Curious Case of Kerry In Cambodia
A dispute is brewing over the upcoming book "Unfit for Command," in which the "Swift Boat Veterans For Truth" are contending that Kerry's story of his Vietnam service has holes, omissions, and outright lies. To date, most of the flames have been over whether Kerry deserved the medals that he received in combat, and my view has been that there is a differenceChrishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15194963798147360997noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5517395.post-1088481450066350062004-06-28T22:51:00.000-05:002004-08-11T13:06:26.526-05:00Earlier today, I posted my summary of the five Supreme Court cases that most interest me. Let me know what you think. I think that the media always gets these things ass-backward, so hopefully this will be a little helpful.
With that post, I will be swearing off blogging for a while -- posting on a limited-to-none basis until September. Duty calls, and I need to throw myself completely into a Chrishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15194963798147360997noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5517395.post-1088441322728054742004-06-28T11:40:00.000-05:002004-06-28T22:51:14.890-05:00Thoughts On The Big Supreme Court Rulings
The rulings are tumbling out as the term ends, and I want to give my quick thoughts on them.
They All Know His Name Now
The first is the ruling on my man Dudley Hiibel, rhymes with "bible." You may recall that he was the man who was standing by the side of the road talking to his daughter when a cop drove up to investigate a call that Hiibel had been Chrishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15194963798147360997noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5517395.post-1087924501381189692004-06-22T12:00:00.000-05:002004-06-22T12:15:01.383-05:00Read this essay by Paul Begala. Just do it. It's an exquisitely written defense of the idea of human-rights-based military intervention, and of the need to balance a disgust for the actions of dictators with a different kind of disgust for Dubya's personal failings.
Read it, and then consider Jon Stewart's comment last night on the Bush Doctrine -- you can state the rules that justify a Chrishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15194963798147360997noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5517395.post-1087485570520148742004-06-17T10:11:00.000-05:002004-06-17T10:19:30.520-05:00You savor them, like chocolates. There's part of you that wants to gobble them all up at once, but the higher, better part of your brain wants to extend the pleasure by saving each one for the perfect occasion.
No, I'm not talking about the now-daily revelations that the Bush administration is incompetent, such as today's double-doozies that (1) Rumsfeld ordered a captive be "ghosted" -- held Chrishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15194963798147360997noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5517395.post-1087320810043587102004-06-15T12:12:00.000-05:002004-06-15T12:33:30.043-05:00Check this out, if you haven't seen it. It compares and contrasts the Al Gonzalez torture memo with Bush's own comments on June 26, 2003, the "United Nations International Day in Support of Victims of Torture." It's a great comparison, and it's the perfect backdrop to Steven Colbert's line that "Just because we did these things, doesn't mean that we would do these things."
Oh, and here's ChrisChrishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15194963798147360997noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5517395.post-1087226138251981302004-06-14T10:03:00.000-05:002004-06-14T10:15:38.250-05:00It's official! There will be no culture war over "under God" in time for the election.
The Supreme Court has just ruled that atheist Michael Newdow has no standing to represent his daughter in their challenge to the Pledge of Allegiance. That was always a weak spot in Newdow's position, and thus comes as no surprise in and of itself. But consider this: three justices (Rehnquist, O'Connor, Chrishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15194963798147360997noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5517395.post-1086962285710674692004-06-11T08:33:00.000-05:002004-06-11T08:58:05.710-05:00I joked earlier that it was funny that AG Ashcroft refused to hand over a memo that was instantly released onto the Internet. But as I find out more about the circumstances of that refusal, my blood starts boiling. It's a lot worse than I made it out to be, because I didn't know the extraordinary circumstances involved.
When testifying before the Senate Judiciary Committee, Ashcroft refused toChrishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15194963798147360997noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5517395.post-1086814257385730402004-06-09T13:34:00.000-05:002004-06-09T23:39:43.113-05:00You know, there's something comical when the Attorney General refuses to release a confidential memo to Congress, and then the memo is published on the Internet on the same day. It's the now-famous "torture" memo, in which America's Best and Brightest collect the laws that might apply to a torturer.
Dave asks for an explanation of the memo, and I think I can oblige. It's a long memo and Chrishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15194963798147360997noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5517395.post-1086272490948210092004-06-03T08:59:00.000-05:002004-06-07T10:10:12.976-05:00For those of you following the draft story -- and you damn well should be -- this morning's news caused you to spit out your Cheerios. The Army has just announced a new policy to force soldiers to stay in the Army. If your unit is due to ship out to Iraq in the next ninety days, you can't leave until your entire unit is rotated back to the U.S., plus an additional ninety days for good measure.
Chrishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15194963798147360997noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5517395.post-1085767990621338062004-05-28T12:12:00.000-05:002004-05-28T13:13:10.620-05:00Frickin' Florida.
I hail from Florida originally, as my readership knows -- not because I've ever mentioned it on the blog, but because I strongly suspect that I have personally met each and every one of my readers.
I know Florida. I knew Florida was completely nuts before the 2000 election, when everybody started to talk about how Florida was insane. Hell -- that was old news. I have Chrishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15194963798147360997noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5517395.post-1085614579564557242004-05-26T16:37:00.000-05:002004-05-26T18:36:19.563-05:00Days go by, and no blog. Should I complain about how Dubya's big Iraq speech was long on mispronunciations and short on new ideas? Should I mention that Dubya promised to bulldoze Abu Ghraib even as new reports show that the problem extends far beyond that one building, to every corner of the shadowy Bush gulag system, and far up the chain of command? Should I cackle with glee at news Chrishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15194963798147360997noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5517395.post-1085077884964767592004-05-20T13:25:00.000-05:002004-05-20T13:31:24.963-05:00Whoops! It was all a big misunderstanding!
The Army now says that it never intended to call up the inactive reserves, and has no idea how people would have got that impression. See, they were only reviewing inactive reservists to see which ones had certain essential skill sets. Set aside the fact that the game plan has been documented (see my earlier posts) -- the only reason why they would Chrishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15194963798147360997noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5517395.post-1084994699103614382004-05-19T13:42:00.000-05:002004-05-19T14:24:59.103-05:00I recommend a very good paper published by the U.S. Army War College, in which two scholars (Record and Terrill) compare and contrast Iraq with the Vietnam War. Allow me to summarize it, as interpreted through my biases.
The first portion (regarding military aspects) belabors a point that seems self-evident: the military dimensions of the two conflicts are dissimilar. Vietnam was a much Chrishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15194963798147360997noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5517395.post-1084906780068883662004-05-18T13:17:00.000-05:002004-05-18T13:59:40.066-05:00The bile is rising, like a tide
The military is eating itself.
First came the news that the Army is moving 3,600 infantrymen from South Korea to Iraq. You will recall that: (1) North Korea is a member of the Axis of Evil, (2) with real weapons of mass destruction, (3) which it has threatened to use. Therefore, the only sensible move is to take troops from the Korean border and send them intoChrishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15194963798147360997noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5517395.post-1084760713555254632004-05-16T18:21:00.000-05:002004-05-17T10:46:08.386-05:00After a week
So, after a week of working my ever-lovin' ass off at my real job, I have some time to come up for fresh air and see what's going on over at Abu Ghraib.
Here's the update. Really, here's the update.
This wasn't the work of a few random nutjobs. This was part of a plan, developed by Rumsfeld with his complete knowledge, for the interrogation of Al Qaeda suspects held at Gitmo. Chrishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15194963798147360997noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5517395.post-1083938748945986262004-05-07T09:05:00.000-05:002004-05-07T09:10:10.700-05:00So, perhaps you're looking for a good way to lose weight. I've got just the thing for you! This article in the Guardian is sure to make you vomit.
Problem #1
Our troops are more interested in yanking people off the street to create the impression of success than actual success--
"A unit goes out on a raid and they have a target and the target is not available; they just grab anybody because Chrishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15194963798147360997noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5517395.post-1083852583690796652004-05-06T09:09:00.000-05:002004-05-06T09:18:14.653-05:00Oh, I see. He didn't get to see the pictures.
More on Abu Ghraib.
Today, we find out that Bush had a little sh*t-fit with Rummy over Abu Ghraib. What was the subject of that tantrum?
1. His outrage that such inhumanity was being committed by Americans.
2. His concern that Amnesty International reports were ignored for months.
3. His irritation that Rumsfeld didn't tell him back in Chrishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15194963798147360997noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5517395.post-1083762890575802102004-05-05T08:14:00.000-05:002004-05-05T08:44:21.733-05:00Let's get this straight.
Let's make sure that we understand the timeline here. Abu Ghraib is not a breaking story.
July 2003 -- Amnesty International reports that human rights abuses are going on in Abu Ghraib prison. Their entreaties are ignored by the Bush Administration.
January 2004 -- The Bush Administration is alerted to sadistic torture and human rights abuses in Abu Ghraib prison by Chrishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15194963798147360997noreply@blogger.com