Christopher Hitchens explains the outrageousness that was the Valerie Plame/Joe Wilson affair.
As many observers noted way back in the middle of this mess, most notably Byron York at National Review, there was nothing there.
Well, that's not exactly correct because the people who were accusing the administration of a vendetta knew all along that it wasn't true. Along the way an investigation was instigated into a crime that was never committed.
It is now clear--as if it wasn't before--that many in the media are out to get the administration, not to report the news. This would be laughable perhaps if there wasn't so much at stake. But it is apparent that no one in the media is going to answer for this stuff in any meaningful way.
The New York Times publishes sensitive intelligence information and what is done to punish them? Nothing. Hopefully the NSA leaker will be prosecuted. But one wonders where the sanity is in any of this.
Tuesday, August 29, 2006
RE: This is why everyone.....
I think the metaphor of you in a whorehouse is perfect. I can't imagine anyone else I know being better at spending money on "pet projects" (pork?) in a whorehouse than you. I'll bet there are other things you're good at, but I just wanted to point out how great you'd be at buying hookers.
This is why everyone should have listened to me
Apparently its worthwhile to look at gov't spending when one pary controls both houses of Congress and the Presidency. You know, 'cuz Republicans have been spending money like me at a whorehouse (or some other applicable metaphor). The argument goes that one party controls gov't like that it is more apt to get its pet projects (also known as pork) though; ie, wasting more money.
My response? Duh. I've been saying that for a while now.
Republicans are just as much power hungry whores as are Democrats. Except Ron Paul.
My response? Duh. I've been saying that for a while now.
Republicans are just as much power hungry whores as are Democrats. Except Ron Paul.
Saturday, August 26, 2006
Pirating
I see he has, oddly, pirated the symbol of Bourbon France as well as adopted an interesting--to be kind--constitutional theory about lobbying.
Friday, August 25, 2006
Yeeeeaarrrrrgh!
So if I lived in Iowa, I'd vote for this guy. He's running for Congress as a pirate. Like the "Arrrrgh, Matey" kind of pirate. Check him out. He's pretty stellar.
Wednesday, August 23, 2006
Deric's Football Message
Here it is; the spacing and formatting got messed up--sorry. I really hope you can all make it. If not, we'll do the draft-by-proxy thing as needed.
-----------------------------------------
To: "Brandon Roberts", carathers@hotmail.com, ihatebutter@hotmail.com, elarson13@yahoo.ie
Hey all. Greetings and crap like that... Here is what I see as our roster this year. Eric Larson, Miles Larson, Mike Carathers, John Tedesco, Kris Stanya, Brandon Roberts, Mark Thut, Jarrod Bottomley, Brian Tedesco, Matt George, Nick Hoffman, Chad Landsettle. Everyone please look in the'To:' line and if you notice that a name is not represented here forwardthis to them.
The drills: E$'s house again. Friday Sept. 1st. Rule revisions,additions, etc. " " " . Saturday Sept. 2nd. OSUv. NIU. as well as the draft. This will likely be a long day then eh? Same as last year.
Understanding that we are nowscattered all over the country, many will be hard pressed to attend. Send someone with a sheet of your requests, suggested rule changes, your amount of beer, and anything else that represents their views. Equipment: Beer or other drinks of choice. (bring enough tosatisfy your addiction level). Grillable meats. There is a Marc'sgrocer, within walking distance which generally has great brat prices. If you plan on arriving before the end of normal grocery hours, you canbuy them there, as well as the beer. Game day: Unfortunately our first game is the following Thursday which will force me to be ultra punctual with the entry of teams, andyou to check y'alls roster ASAP. I will have them entered as soon as I can get them in I promise. Trophy: I have noticed that we are the only FF league on theplanet that has no hardware. The first year the winner was to receive adrink from everyone in the league which I'm sure didn't happen, and thenwe seem to have fallen away from such rewards. Please consider whatwould be reasonable and affordable compensation for league dominance. $10/team winner take all/75%; gift certificate to build-a-bear; 3 Cases of canned goods? whatever people like. God I love you all, and Football is Darn fine as well... Toodles, andplease reply ASAP whether you will be in attendance, or involved in the league at all...
-----------------------------------------
To: "Brandon Roberts"
Hey all. Greetings and crap like that... Here is what I see as our roster this year. Eric Larson, Miles Larson, Mike Carathers, John Tedesco, Kris Stanya, Brandon Roberts, Mark Thut, Jarrod Bottomley, Brian Tedesco, Matt George, Nick Hoffman, Chad Landsettle. Everyone please look in the'To:' line and if you notice that a name is not represented here forwardthis to them.
The drills: E$'s house again. Friday Sept. 1st. Rule revisions,additions, etc. " " " . Saturday Sept. 2nd. OSUv. NIU. as well as the draft. This will likely be a long day then eh? Same as last year.
Understanding that we are nowscattered all over the country, many will be hard pressed to attend. Send someone with a sheet of your requests, suggested rule changes, your amount of beer, and anything else that represents their views. Equipment: Beer or other drinks of choice. (bring enough tosatisfy your addiction level). Grillable meats. There is a Marc'sgrocer, within walking distance which generally has great brat prices. If you plan on arriving before the end of normal grocery hours, you canbuy them there, as well as the beer. Game day: Unfortunately our first game is the following Thursday which will force me to be ultra punctual with the entry of teams, andyou to check y'alls roster ASAP. I will have them entered as soon as I can get them in I promise. Trophy: I have noticed that we are the only FF league on theplanet that has no hardware. The first year the winner was to receive adrink from everyone in the league which I'm sure didn't happen, and thenwe seem to have fallen away from such rewards. Please consider whatwould be reasonable and affordable compensation for league dominance. $10/team winner take all/75%; gift certificate to build-a-bear; 3 Cases of canned goods? whatever people like. God I love you all, and Football is Darn fine as well... Toodles, andplease reply ASAP whether you will be in attendance, or involved in the league at all...
Boy, ya got me....
Apparently, these people do.
And no, I guess you don't need to respond. In lieu of any argument, I'll have to assume "statist" is another one of those wilfully manipulable, ill-defined, sophistical buzzwords of convenience, like "judicial activist."
Tuesday, August 22, 2006
Hand-raising and what not
I did not receive the football email, and I cannot top Slaps's hand-raise. georgeb@wlu.edu
That aside, I take it from your statism post that you have secured a job or are trying to secure one on a university English faculty (one of the few places where it is believed there are people in this country who look to and trust in GWB as our capital L Leader).
Come on e-money... Do I really need to respond?
That aside, I take it from your statism post that you have secured a job or are trying to secure one on a university English faculty (one of the few places where it is believed there are people in this country who look to and trust in GWB as our capital L Leader).
Come on e-money... Do I really need to respond?
Monday, August 21, 2006
FOOTBALL!!!!!
Just to get everyone in the proper mindset for football season here is a series of clips of some great hits from the past. And it concludes with the greatest hit EVER (hint: it involves L.T. and that gasbag Joe Theisman). What could be better than grown men beating the hell out of each other every week? The answer? Nothing. Woot!
Saturday, August 19, 2006
On "statism"....
Yeah, I've been out for a while, so I'm gonna need you to define that word for me. You probably don't mean "intolerant of dissent," "a proclivity to run around accusing political opponents of treason," "dogmatic, if not evangelical faith in the transcendent moral virtue of the state," "willingness to relinquish personal liberties so The Leader can 'keep us safe,'" "tendency to ascribe divine qualities to said Leader," or any stuff like that. You mean affirmative action and food stamps, don't you?
Fantasy Football Returns
Sorry I haven't chimed in for a while...been busy. We're rounding up the usual suspects for fantasy football once again. If you are one and you didn't get my brother's e-mail yet, raise your hand. Questions or concerns should be forwarded as soon as possible. I hope to see all of you.
Friday, August 11, 2006
Thursday, August 10, 2006
Re: South Paws Rule
It's sad what people get paid to do.
This just in: Statistics show that short, hairy men are 79% more likely to have to beat off women with a stick than their tall, hairless counterparts.
Or the exact opposite.
This just in: Statistics show that short, hairy men are 79% more likely to have to beat off women with a stick than their tall, hairless counterparts.
Or the exact opposite.
Wednesday, August 09, 2006
South Paws Rule
Interesting news for awesome men like myself.
The Man holding everyone down apparently uses his left hand.
The Man holding everyone down apparently uses his left hand.
Re: Leiberman
I was pulling for Leiberman to win the nomination in '04 as well. No suprise he lost in '04. He really showed some character in that race by bucking the venemous anti-war types and made up for the whoring he did as the VP candidate in 2000. He has been a little weak in this race since he had to confront the criticism from the left and woo lefties.
A little more suprising he lost yesterday. He will have a difficult time running as an independent, but he does have some momentum going in the last few weeks despite the loss.
This is certainly bad for the Democrats. They have fewer and fewer reasonable people in their ranks the more this stuff happens. There is a constituency for hard left politics, but it can't be a majority in this country. It is in large part geographically isolated to the coasts and large cities and demographically isolated to aging radicals and dumb kids who haven't made any money or started families yet.
It will be interesting to see what happens if Joe wins. Will he feel free to be even less statist-liberal and more hawkish? Or will he feel the need to get back in good graces with his party? Will they take him back? This depends in part on who takes the reigns of the party in the next few years. If the Clintons take the party back, Joe will likely be taken back no matter what. If the Deaniacs and lefties continue to gain ground, Joe might be an independent for a long while.
A little more suprising he lost yesterday. He will have a difficult time running as an independent, but he does have some momentum going in the last few weeks despite the loss.
This is certainly bad for the Democrats. They have fewer and fewer reasonable people in their ranks the more this stuff happens. There is a constituency for hard left politics, but it can't be a majority in this country. It is in large part geographically isolated to the coasts and large cities and demographically isolated to aging radicals and dumb kids who haven't made any money or started families yet.
It will be interesting to see what happens if Joe wins. Will he feel free to be even less statist-liberal and more hawkish? Or will he feel the need to get back in good graces with his party? Will they take him back? This depends in part on who takes the reigns of the party in the next few years. If the Clintons take the party back, Joe will likely be taken back no matter what. If the Deaniacs and lefties continue to gain ground, Joe might be an independent for a long while.
Joe-mentum
Bert:
Do you really think Leiberman is going to lose in CT? I say no way. If anything, this just hurts Democrats in the long run, as Leiberman will no longer be part of their party (officially). In the Pres primarys for the last election, I was pulling for Leiberman, despite knowing a Jewish guy is not going to be elected President any time soon. Anyway, that's my $.02
Do you really think Leiberman is going to lose in CT? I say no way. If anything, this just hurts Democrats in the long run, as Leiberman will no longer be part of their party (officially). In the Pres primarys for the last election, I was pulling for Leiberman, despite knowing a Jewish guy is not going to be elected President any time soon. Anyway, that's my $.02
Friday, August 04, 2006
More Whining about an Estate Tax Cut
The minimum wage/estate tax cut bill, thankfully, failed to go to a vote in the Senate.
E.J. Dionne, like me, is happy about this, but for the opposite reason. He whines about the estate tax cut being an example of "the central goal of the currently dominant forces of politics: to give away as much as possible to the truly wealthy." Of course he doesn't explain how letting people keep their own money is giving away money to the wealthy.
The whining is not because the Republicans pulled some fantastic, hypocritical prank. The bill would have passed if it had reached the floor. Liberals are just mad because they will be the loser here. It was a good political move that will hurt the Democrats. The Democrats prevented the minimum wage from being increased simply because of the estate tax cut. Despite all the crying, Americans are not offended by the thought of an estate tax cut. So the Democrats now have to explain why they didn't raise the minimum wage, which means crying about how the Republicans are just out to help the rich. Nothing new here.
This whining is drowned by Dionne's glee over his prediction of the collapse of conservatism. He, disingenuously, praises conservatives like Bill Buckley and George Will and National Review only because they are currently discontented with the Republican leadership. He predicts a Democrat victory in November. While the Democrats will likely be marginally victorious, the election will not signal the end of the conservative movement and its replacement by a resurgent liberalism. As vulnerable as the Republicans are, the Democrats have not offered up any reason to vote for them other than Bush-hatred. They continue to adhere to the stale statism of the last sixty years just adding some anti-Americanism to the mix. This is not a winning platform.
E.J. Dionne, like me, is happy about this, but for the opposite reason. He whines about the estate tax cut being an example of "the central goal of the currently dominant forces of politics: to give away as much as possible to the truly wealthy." Of course he doesn't explain how letting people keep their own money is giving away money to the wealthy.
The whining is not because the Republicans pulled some fantastic, hypocritical prank. The bill would have passed if it had reached the floor. Liberals are just mad because they will be the loser here. It was a good political move that will hurt the Democrats. The Democrats prevented the minimum wage from being increased simply because of the estate tax cut. Despite all the crying, Americans are not offended by the thought of an estate tax cut. So the Democrats now have to explain why they didn't raise the minimum wage, which means crying about how the Republicans are just out to help the rich. Nothing new here.
This whining is drowned by Dionne's glee over his prediction of the collapse of conservatism. He, disingenuously, praises conservatives like Bill Buckley and George Will and National Review only because they are currently discontented with the Republican leadership. He predicts a Democrat victory in November. While the Democrats will likely be marginally victorious, the election will not signal the end of the conservative movement and its replacement by a resurgent liberalism. As vulnerable as the Republicans are, the Democrats have not offered up any reason to vote for them other than Bush-hatred. They continue to adhere to the stale statism of the last sixty years just adding some anti-Americanism to the mix. This is not a winning platform.
Thursday, August 03, 2006
Watch this:
Whenever I'm depressed or pissed off I watch this and always laugh. Its never not funny.
Kids being kids
I suppose if this is what kids have to deal with for being kids I understand now.
Also, I agree with Elton. I need some crazy gender-bending glam rock.
Also, I agree with Elton. I need some crazy gender-bending glam rock.
Wednesday, August 02, 2006
WaPo
It boggles my mind how things like this are frequently printed in one of the most-read newspapers in the country.
I will agree, however, that many Republicans are only concerned with keeping power and not governing. Or, at least their brand of responsible governing means acting like a Democrat.
But this partisan nonsense is nearly Dowd-like.
First, the author assumes without argument that an increased minimum wage is a moral imperative. Apparently opposing an increase in the minimum wage makes one a "Dickensian grotesque". Wait, actually just being a Republican might make you a Dickensian grotesque.
Second, cutting the estate tax is a similar moral outrage, and Republican's are evil Machiavellians for tying this to a minimum wage increase. Good God man! It's called compromise. Legislators have been doing it since the dawn of legislatures!
Finally, these same evil Republicans wield a far-right ideology that is allowing the "corporate welfare state" to crumble and global warming to turn the planet to "toast".
This guy doesn't even know what "far-right ideology" is if he thinks the big-government, big-spending, out-democrat-the-democrats Republicans are far right. Elect me and some other real right-wingers and we'll make this pantywaste cry.
No. I take that back. Let's elect this guy. Low-paying entry jobs will start at $15 an hour and afford 17-year-olds and illegal immigrants lavish lifestyles. The planet will cool down with the stroke of a pen. Candy and nuts will rain from the sky.
I will agree, however, that many Republicans are only concerned with keeping power and not governing. Or, at least their brand of responsible governing means acting like a Democrat.
But this partisan nonsense is nearly Dowd-like.
First, the author assumes without argument that an increased minimum wage is a moral imperative. Apparently opposing an increase in the minimum wage makes one a "Dickensian grotesque". Wait, actually just being a Republican might make you a Dickensian grotesque.
Second, cutting the estate tax is a similar moral outrage, and Republican's are evil Machiavellians for tying this to a minimum wage increase. Good God man! It's called compromise. Legislators have been doing it since the dawn of legislatures!
Finally, these same evil Republicans wield a far-right ideology that is allowing the "corporate welfare state" to crumble and global warming to turn the planet to "toast".
This guy doesn't even know what "far-right ideology" is if he thinks the big-government, big-spending, out-democrat-the-democrats Republicans are far right. Elect me and some other real right-wingers and we'll make this pantywaste cry.
No. I take that back. Let's elect this guy. Low-paying entry jobs will start at $15 an hour and afford 17-year-olds and illegal immigrants lavish lifestyles. The planet will cool down with the stroke of a pen. Candy and nuts will rain from the sky.
Cindy Garrison
I'd say we fight over her, but she's just gonna rape and kill the winner anyways. Or maybe kill then rape. Either way, there's no real winner. Except her, I guess.
Tuesday, August 01, 2006
More BSG
OK, OK this is the last I'll say about BSG for a while. But I watched the 1st episode last night. ANd it was great. Not much in the way of politics, but I will say this, hopefully to draw Bert in: The enemy (the Cylons, in case you didn't know) utilize terrorist tactics against the humans. And the humans have to decide how to defend themselves against these attacks (attacks that seemingly involve both hiding behind civilians and killing civilians). Good stuff. I don't want to spoil anything in case you do start watching. So do it.
Pornstar
Yeah. You know, I think Kris and I saw that on one of the HBO specials we stayed up to watch. They can be very informative.
At any rate, at least she's basically prostituting herself out in the open, which is more than I can say for most political figures. Plus, I like her campaign slogan: "For the Bare and Honest Truth." Although I expect her campaign to fail, desptite the fact that her boobs don't fit through the limo's sunroof (I suggest you all go look at her campaign galleries), if there's one place she stands a chance, it's gotta be in the home of good, ol Las Vegas. Also, I like that she's the new face republicans. If she wins maybe I'll go republican. It'd be a little less embarassing having a pornstar associated with the party than the current faces.
At any rate, at least she's basically prostituting herself out in the open, which is more than I can say for most political figures. Plus, I like her campaign slogan: "For the Bare and Honest Truth." Although I expect her campaign to fail, desptite the fact that her boobs don't fit through the limo's sunroof (I suggest you all go look at her campaign galleries), if there's one place she stands a chance, it's gotta be in the home of good, ol Las Vegas. Also, I like that she's the new face republicans. If she wins maybe I'll go republican. It'd be a little less embarassing having a pornstar associated with the party than the current faces.
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