Friday, January 25, 2008

God Appoints Lucifer Head of Religious Studies

No wait...that's not it, it's "The State Department will name [disgraced, lying, cheating, incompetent, war-pornographer and] former World Bank chief Paul Wolfowitz to head a high-level advisory panel on arms control and disarmament.

Just when you think your brain has been completely turned to mush, the sledgehammer comes down again and finds one tiny piece that can still feel the pulverizing.

The gross incompetence aside, and it's a voluminous aside, some really smart and informed people have serious questions about his girlfriend regarding national security.

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Tuesday, January 22, 2008

Talking Points Memo: Veracifier

The TPM crew is asking people who appreciate their work to subscribe to their Youtube videos. Done.

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Jose Padilla and American Justice

The Big Bad Wolf, or at least one of his high guards, one of the people that Bush and Company decided were evil and powerful enough that we and the world need pay the costs of all out war, and also a guy who was detained without any charges being brought against him and sat in Guantanamo for nearly four years, much of it in solitary confinement, was just sentenced to 17 years and 4 months in prison in an American court.

MIAMI (AP) — Convicted terrorism conspirator Jose Padilla, once accused of plotting with al-Qaida to blow up a radioactive "dirty bomb" in a major city, was sentenced Tuesday to 17 years and four months in prison on charges that don't mention those initial allegations.

[...]

Padilla's arrest was initially portrayed by the Bush administration as an important victory in the months immediately after the September 11, 2001, terrorist attacks, and later was seen as a symbol of the administration's zeal to prevent homegrown terrorism. Prosecutors repeatedly invoked al Qaeda and Osama bin Laden in the criminal case


We could have been through with this guy in 2003. With our dignity intact.

More here, and and here.

And here, concerning Padilla's case against torture guru John Yoo.

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Breaking: Jose Padilla Gets 17 Years

More in a sec.

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Monday, January 21, 2008

Saturday, January 19, 2008

Clinton, King, Johnson - Moyers

Bill Moyers shares some insights on a misused Clinton quote, and the historic teamwork of Martin Luther King, Jr. and President Lyndon Johnson.

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Religious Test for President?, II

Late Update: Thanks, AC. And - Jose Padilla sentenced to 17 years. [End update...link fixed]

Updating the last post, I took the risk and clicked on the ad. This ad:



It goes to a Web site promoting a film called Article VI: The Movie:

Article VI was created by directors Bryan Hall and Jack Donaldson of Living Biography Media. The film documents Hall’s experience as he travels around the country engaging people in a lively discussion about faith in politics. Hall encounters unique viewpoints from political pundits, religious leaders, historians, and everyday citizens.


The film was produced by - wait for it - Hugh Hewitt. In support of Mitt Romney.

I smell instant classic.

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Should There Be a Religious Test For President?

I realize it's just an ad, but that, posed as a poll question, was the banner ad at the Drudge Report a few seconds ago. I just had to make a note of it, and grab it.



I just wish they'd included a box for "Kill me now."

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Thursday, January 17, 2008

Sadie's Got Her New Dress On

Heard this tonight on KRRM, The Cream of Country Music, the best country music station that I've ever listened to. (They have a Cowboy Poetry hour, if that gives you an idea of what they're like.) It goes out to Sage Meadows, and Sexy Dave Hampton of the New Autonomous Folksingers, and their Sadie.



Also heard a song that had the line "I wrote a Dear John letter to my John Deere tractor..." - which is now my favorite song.


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Michael Ledeen Reviews Liberal Fascism

Ouch.

More here.

* Post edited in January 2010. One link was dead and the Daily show video didn't work. Dang these internets.


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John McCain Experiments on Unborn Children

Someone called and told me so.

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Porn Star Fired After "N-word" Slur

Oh lordy, I love the Onion. (Adult content.)

Wednesday, January 16, 2008

Bad Astronomy On the Photo of Mercury

Cool stuff from an astronomy freak.

MESSENGER_mercury3

Do you see that circular feature to the upper right, slightly lighter in color than the surrounding plains? That’s Caloris Basin, the Basin of Heat. It’s called that because when Mercury reaches perihelion, that spot is close to being aimed right at the Sun. It’s one of the worsts spot on Mercury to live, if you’re considering a winter home there. Caloris Basin (formed in some ancient and very large impact) is over 1300 kilometers across — roughly as big as Texas. The mountains ringing it are 2 km high.


Here's a closeup.

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Saturday, January 12, 2008

Any Major Dude Will Tell You

Steely Dan, 1996. They couldn't (or wouldn't) capture that sweet acoustic opening, but it's a great version nonetheless. (I don't know if there are other version floating around of this, but this has been on Youtube only since November of 2007, and it's only been viewed just over a thousand times.)



Lyrics:

I never seen you looking so bad my funky one
You tell me that your superfine mind has come undone

CHORUS:
Any major dude with half a heart surely will tell you my friend
Any minor world that breaks apart falls together again
When the demon is at your door
In the morning it won't be there no more
Any major dude will tell you

Have you ever seen a squonk's tears? Well, look at mine
The people on the street have all seen better times

CHORUS

I can tell you all I know, the where to go, the what to do
You can try to run but you can't hide from what's inside of you

CHORUS


Squonk.

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Jonah Goldberg Got a Book Deal

This guy tells us how.

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Friday, January 11, 2008

Marion Jones is in Jail, Scooter

For a much smaller crime than yours:

But she suffered a spectacular fall from glory last October, admitting lying to a federal investigator in November 2003 when she denied using performance-enhancing drugs.

She admitted using a steroid between September 2000 and July 2001.

Tearful apology

Jones, now 32, also pleaded guilty to lying to federal investigators in 2003 about a separate cheque fraud case involving her former boyfriend, sprinter Tim Montgomery, the father of her son, Monty.


Libby:

In United States v. Libby, the jury convicted Libby on four of the five counts in the indictment: one count of obstruction of justice; two counts of perjury; and one count of making false statements to federal investigators.[6] Libby is "the highest-ranking White House official convicted in a government scandal since National Security Adviser John Poindexter in the Iran-Contra affair two decades ago.


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Mike Huckabee is Satan

My God, what an asshole:

Mr Huckabee has faced grave doubts about his foreign policy experience, his greatest vulnerability, but got one of the biggest cheers of the night when asked about the incident last week when Iranian boats swarmed US navy ships in the Strait of Hormuz.

Asked whether the American commanders on the scene were right in not attacking the Iranian boats, Mr Huckabee said he backed their decisions, before warning Iran: "Be prepared, first, to put your sights on the American vessel. And then be prepared that the next thing you see will be the gates of Hell, because that is exactly what you will see after that."


I have grave doubts about his experience as a friend, brother, husband, father, and decent human being, period. And a Christian. Jesus.

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Wednesday, January 09, 2008

Not Safe For Work...Baseball

Really: Not Safe For Work (or children of anybody I know).

This is possibly the best baseball video in the history of the sport. Or at least the funniest.


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Sunday, January 06, 2008

You Need a Podshow

Here's one: Mamzilla & the Mighty Nips.

Thanks, Nips.

Go on over. Subscribe on iTunes or whatever's your fancy. It only takes a second and the "random music, laughter, stories and gossip by two wacky young ladies" (from British Columbia) is time well spent.

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Saturday, January 05, 2008

Folksinger News: Brian Cutean

One of the special ones. One of the special Texas ones.

Find QTN here, and here (CDBaby), and on his MySpace page. Listen. Enjoy.

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Friday, January 04, 2008

Soldier/Blogger Killed in Iraq

Army Major Andrew Olmsted wrote a post earlier this year, in case he was killed. Sounds like a truly wonderful guy.

Last dispatch, and a photo, here at the Rocky Mountain News, where he also blogged.

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