pibbshow

Wrestle a gun away from a Wal-Mart shoplifter. Your reward: get fired.

2011-02-15T19:28:00.002-05:00

Saw this nugget in The Consumerist today:
Four loss-prevention associates were fired for violating company policy when they wrestled a gun away from a suspected shoplifter - in their own back office. Since Wal-Mart's policy AP09 instructs associates not to engage armed criminals, the store went ahead with the firings, regardless of the result. Crappy, but within their rights.
-X

if Geno's Steaks had police

2009-10-25T19:26:00.004-04:00

Dallas hears you, Joey Vento, and ups the ante.

Dallas police officers issued tickets for "not speaking English" to 39 motorists over 3 years. Turns out the citation in question was only to be used as a Federal violation issued to commercial drivers, but the fact that this exists at all as a driving offense is disturbing.

-P

Dawn Stensland out at Fox29

2009-10-21T21:37:00.006-04:00

Dawn Stensland is out at Fox29 as of year's end, according to her tweet (as reported here by Michael Klein of the Inqy.

That's a shame, because we much prefer Dawn over her replacement and current co-anchor, Kerri-Lee Halkett. Former new anchor Dave Huddleston is co-anchoring the 11:00 PM slot for KYW3, while former sports anchor Don Tollefson is working part time for ESPN 950 (WPEN).

Walter Cronkite

2009-07-17T20:44:00.003-04:00

Walter Cronkite passed away today at age 92. The anchor of the CBS Evening News from 1962 to 1981, Uncle Walter distinguished himself via four major events: President Kennedy's assassination; the Vietnam War, the Space Race, and Watergate. For kids today who didn't know him: people would actually sit down and watch him at 6:30 every weeknight. And people trusted him. That's all you need to know.

Palin quits; Obama animated

2009-07-03T16:44:00.009-04:00

Holy cow. Didn't see this coming, even with a blistering article in next month's Vanity Fair about her background and behavior on the campaign trail last year. Gov. Palin will not seek a second term, and will resign July 26th. While a PAC (SarahPAC) was set up in her name, it's not clear whether funds raised there will go towards paying off her existing legal expenses, or towards a possible 2012 presidential run.

A press release from the Governor's Office noted her accomplishments, including "ushered in ethics reform" and "reduced Alaska's dependence on federal earmarks by nearly 85 percent." Apparently irony is not one of the Deputy Press Secretary's stronger points.

In unrelated news, Disney has unveiled a robotic Obama at Walt Disney World's Hall of Presidents in Orlando.

Lord, if this is a test, I fear I may fail

2009-04-13T22:07:00.003-04:00

Saw two billboards last week in Camden/Pennsauken for Seabrook House, a Philly area rehab center. The one on eastbound NJ Route 38, just east of the 38/70 split, was followed by a billboard for Canal's Liquor: "CHEAP BOOZE AND PLENTY OF IT!" Another Seabrook billboard, southbound on US 130 not too far from the first one, was followed by an ad for Rolling Rock Light. Someone either has a punishing sense of humor...or the placement was just random. Though I'm too much of a cynic to see a coincidence at work here. ;)

-X

Asshole Editors

2009-01-18T19:09:00.001-05:00

Was reading one of Smerconish's columns on philly.com last night. One of the targeted ads at the bottom of the page said:

Get Comfortable with Preparation H

'Nuff said.

-P

Ricardo Montalban, R.I.P.

2009-01-14T18:20:00.003-05:00

Ricardo Montalban, who starred in roles ranging from Indian to suave lover, to Fantasy Island's Mr. Roarke, to Khan Noonien Singh on Star Trek (the original series and the second movie), to The Dynasty spinoff (The Colbys), to Spy Kids 2/3, Kim Possible, and Freakazoid. Not to mention The Naked Gun. And two Planet of the Apes movies. And pitchman for the Chrysler Cordoba and its 'Corinthian leather.' Obit here from LA Times. Montalban was 88, which means this obit's been written for a while.

He tasks me. He tasks me and I shall have him! I'll chase him 'round the moons of Nibia and 'round the Antares Maelstrom and 'round Perdition's flames before I give him up!

I've done far worse than kill you, Admiral. I've hurt you. And I wish to go on hurting you. I shall leave you as you left me, as you left her; marooned for all eternity in the center of a dead planet... buried alive! Buried alive...!

from Star Trek II: the Wrath of Khan (source: IMDB)

That voice. He will be missed.

- P and X

It's all about the O

2009-01-14T18:13:00.003-05:00

As in...
O for President-Elect Obama. Still seems unreal.
O for Oh shit, a political scandal in Illinois! Who'd have thunk it?
O for Oh boy, Bill Richardson bows out from Commerce due to an investigation into his campaign contributions.
O for Oh, I forgot to pay the IRS self-employment taxes when they were due, not to mention that illegal alien I hired as my housekeeper (Tim Geithner, Treasury Secretary nominee).

More to come, I'm sure.

-P

Election Day!

2008-11-03T21:04:00.005-05:00

It's the night before Election Day. And that means....QUESTION TIME!

Senator McCain
Whatever happened to...
Your condemnation of Joe The Plumber, who owes back taxes and agreed with a voter who claimed a vote for Obama is a vote against Israel...your explanation of your wife's addiction problem...Sarah Palin's witchcraft preacher...Sarah Palin

Senator Obama
Whatever happened to...
Tony Rezko...Rev. Wright's hate speech (scratch that - I saw a GOP PAC ad tonight featuring the Ragin' Rev)...A very slight track record as Senator...a vote against banning partial birth abortion...countless spending plans when we can't afford them...the gag you promised to use on Joe Biden...your failure to chain yourself to a cross and declare once and for all that you're not a Muslim out to kill us all.

-X

Over in NJ...
Frank Lautenburg's preserved body is running against Republican Dick Zimmer, who won the endorsement of the Courier-Post. As reported on Philly. com, in their final debate, Zimmer brought up Lautenburg's age, pork, and opposition to Bush's tax incentives:

Lautenburg: "The tax cuts that have been given to the wealthiest among us have helped bring the destruction of the economy," Lautenberg said, later adding: "We've got to talk about tax vouchers for the middle class. That's our job."

Zimmer: "We will kill jobs, we will kill economic growth, we will kill recovery if these tax cuts are allowed to expire."

Of course, Zimmer failed to identify what job growth, economic growth or recovery has taken place since the last round of incentives went out. Other than negative growth, that is. For his part, Lautenburg failed to explain how a brain-dead 130-year old would help New Jersey.

Over in PA...
The big battle other than the Presidential race is for Congress, where Dems Pat Murphy and Joe Sestak are fighting close races for returning to DC.

Oh yeah, make sure to go vote tomorrow. Unless you owe traffic tickets or back taxes. Wait, that would make Joe the Plumber stay home.

-P

Five Foreign Policy Questions for McCain

2008-09-26T20:59:00.003-04:00

1. Will you pursue Bin Laden in Pakistan given that "leaders" there have threatened the safety of US troops who do so?

2. What can we do about expanding the UN to take more of a leadership role so we do not always have to?

3. How do you propose we deal with illegal immigration?

4. Would you appoint Joe Lieberman to your cabinet as Secretary of State?

5. Why would Barack Obama make a good President given his total lack of foreign policy experience?

Five Foreign Policy Questions for Obama

2008-09-26T20:55:00.002-04:00

1. Should the US support NATO membership for Georgia and the Ukraine, even if we invite angering Russia?

2. Should the US militarily defend Georgia and the Ukraine if they are attacked?

3. How do you fix Palestine?

4. How do you fix Mexico other than annexation?

5. Should the US curtail production of Flex Fuel in order to export more corn and grain to ease world hunger?

McCain: Genius to Idiot in 48 hours

2008-09-26T20:40:00.002-04:00

The first Presidential debate starts in roughly 5 minutes. McCain has gone from genius to idiot in 48 hours by doing the following:

1. Suspend the campaign to fix the economy: brilliant! Make yourself look statesman-like and Obama a follower if he does the same, a political hack if he declines. Say you want the debate postponed until an economic fix-it plan is done.

2. Blow off David Letterman because "it's not a time for comedy," but instead of proceeding to DC:
a. Go down the street and do an interview with Katie Couric
b. Go have dinner
c. Stay overnight in NYC
d. Go to a Bill Clinton event, then
e. D'oh! Almost forgot! Have to go to DC!

3. Say nothing in the meeting you called (as opposed to your opponent, who allegedly yelled a lot). Go back on your word after the $700 Billion (with a B) plan falls apart and head to Mississippi. Lower expectations by having your spinners say Obama's a much better debater, even though foreign policy is your expertise.

4. Hope everyone starts asking about what exactly Obama did during his short time in DC too.

McCain campaign ends - FLASH

2008-09-05T10:04:00.007-04:00

Despite a warm reception from delegates in St. Paul, Sen. John McCain announced the end of his presidential campaign on Friday. Aides pointed out to an ashen-faced McCain early this morning that he forget to wear his American flag lapel pin during last night's speech. While he was standing in front of a video of a huge American flag, apparently this did nothing to quell conservative outrage.

"Yeah, I know he was standing in front of a big flag and he was a POW and tortured for years, but since he wasn't wearing his lapel pin, that just ruined it for me. I'm voting for that Muslim guy now." said one man in Grand Island, Nebraska, who cried while watching the speech last night.

The Republicans and their Picks

2008-09-03T20:44:00.007-04:00

Sarah Palin - what an inspiring choice. For comedians, that is. Random notes on a very quick week:

Fox News reported that the McCain camp is getting tired of answering questions about Palin's vetting:

Senior McCain adviser Steve Schmidt said Wednesday the campaign will no longer answer questions about the vetting process.

“This nonsense is over,” he said. “Her selection came after a six-month long rigorous vetting process where her extraordinary credentials and exceptionalism became clear."

Contrast this with The Washington Post story that led off today's stories with details on Palin's meetings with McCain and his campaign officials:

McCain did not speak face to face with Palin until Thursday morning, at his retreat in Sedona, Ariz. He also talked to her by telephone the previous Sunday. McCain had spoken with all of the others on his shortlist over the course of a selection process that went on for several months, but he was least familiar personally with the person he finally chose.

Aides said he went with a gut reaction, but as Michael Smerconish of WPHT-1210 AM noted, what was the rush if this vetting allegedly took place over months?

Equally troublesome are the multiple accounts from Alaskan Republicans who say no one contacted them to go over Palin's background or to assess her qualifications as a VP pick.

Over on Fox News.com, McCain backer Carly Fiorina went off on the media and the Democrats:

“The Republican Party will not stand by while Sarah Palin is subjected to sexist attacks,” said top McCain adviser Carly Fiorina, defending Palin as qualified and declaring women would not “stand for it” when she is subjected to such attacks. “As women, I think all of us are sensitized and outraged when we see sexist treatment.”

Fiorina backed off a bit when asked which allegations specifically were sexist.

Do I have a problem with Palin being a mother of five running for VP? No.
Do I have a problem with Palin's daughter being pregnant? Nope. None of my business. But it's my business if she pushes abstinence-only sex ed on the entire country with such a shitty track record of success. And how 'bout that boyfriend who is being shoved into marriage and got on a flight to St. Paul? Country first? Or political expediency first?

In fact, this pick makes me question whether McCain, who preferred Joe Lieberman and Tom Ridge, but was rebuffed since both are pro-choice, made this pick to put "country first." More like "party first."

Two side notes:

I knew Smerconish was tired this morning when he took a call from a man by saying, "Thank you for your call and your pregnancy," meaning to say "your patience."

When I typed "John" into the post labels field, my choices presented were, in order:
John McCain, John Simm and Pope John Paul II. In other words, a man who hasn't figured out how to use the Internet and whose music choices end in the 1970's; an actor who played a cop transported back to the 1970's, and a Pope who took the papal throne in the 1970's. Coincidence?

- P

Biden: The Safe Choice

2008-08-24T18:03:00.003-04:00

So now that Sen. Barack Obama has picked fellow Sen. Joe Biden (D-DE) as his VP choice...now what?

Biden is not exactly the embodiment of change. He will celebrate his 36th year as a Senator next January. Other than foreign policy and judiciary committee expertise, Biden is known for oopsies and and Barkleyism (no filter between thought and speech). Besides his 1988 plagiarism issues (Neil Kinnock, anyone?), he mentioned Obama as "the first mainstream African-American who is articulate and bright and clean and a nice-looking guy..." Joe didn't hesitate to voice his opinions of Republican candidates, either. On Rudy Giuliani: "There's only three things he mentions in a sentence: a noun, and a verb and 9/11."

But picking an establishment man only goes so far to address criticisms that Obama doesn't know his way around foreign policy or Washington. It nullifies the notion from the primaries that Obama truly wants change. Biden obviously wasn't picked for Delaware's meager electoral vote prize, either. On the plus side, Obama didn't pick Hillary Clinton. Starting off with a candidate who has 40% - 50% negative national approval ratings wouldn't help. Nor would picking Evan Bayh or the female governor from Kansas whose name spells out libel and a few other letters.

So overall - Biden is a safe, white male who will essentially be Obama's Bob Dole: a hatchet man with experience.

Torchwood Spoiler Alert

2008-04-07T22:57:00.005-04:00

SPOILER ALERT! DON'T READ BEYOND THIS IF YOU DON'T WANT TO KNOW WHAT HAPPENS AT THE END OF TORCHWOOD SEASON TWO.

Season Two of Torchwood, the BBC Three spinoff of Doctor Who, has come to an end. As have the lives of two team members. No hints, other than one has an "o" in their first name and the other has a 'w.' Of course, that could mean Owen, Gwen, Toshiko or Ianto. Owen's already dead, but keeps hanging around. Almost as bad as the death scene in "Love for Lydia." Masterpiece Theater fans of a certain age will get that joke. Jack isn't included in that riddle because he can't die. Or can he? Well, he can be killed. Captain John Hart is back, but whose side is he on? All I can say is, a very somber episode.

Another hint courtesy of Wikipedia is that Torchwood will be featured in the last episode of Doctor Who this spring - make that two Torchwoods, as Rose Tyler wraps up her guest tour. Fancy seeing her again. And Martha Jones will make a few more appearances too, including a problem with the vertically-challenged Sontarans.

2008-02-04T20:46:00.000-05:00

While watching Fox News Watch this Saturday, we heard this tease for an upcoming segment:

He's opinionated and he's neutral? How in the world does MSNBC's Keith Olbermann get away with his multiple media roles?

A picture of Olbermann from his "Countdown" show appeared, followed by the "Daily Kos" logo over text. The actual segment criticized Olbermann because he hosted his network's coverage of the State of the Union address, then, while interviewing former presidential candidate Bill Richardson, told Richardson he would have made a good President.

Let's think about this for amount. Simply hosting a State of the Union address does not make one neutral. After all, Brit Hume regularly hosts this coverage on Fox News, and since Hume left ABC News, no one has confused Hume with a neutral party. Hume's colleagues Sean Hannity and Bill O'Reilly have multiple shows.

The segment itself, to my knowledge, never addressed Olbermann's commentary roles other than the one he does for NBC News. Do they consider Olbermann a news anchor? Yes, but we don't. He's anchoring his own show, which is part news and part opinion.

If the argument is the network bills itself as neutral, yet hires people who do liberal commentary elsewhere, that's a valid point. But networks don't hire neutral people to do prime-time shows.

P, X

No Wire Hangers EVER!

2008-01-20T20:11:00.000-05:00

Just because.

Life on Mars: Season Two

2008-01-20T19:55:00.000-05:00

Almost finished with Life on Mars, Season Two. BBC America has been airing the show Tuesday nights at 9:00 PM Eastern, with a repeat of the previous week at 8:00 PM Eastern. As good as Season One, with more hints that Sam isn't where he should be. But does that still mean he's from 2006? Episode 8 this week will clear everything up. My squirrel sense tells me that Sam is messed up no matter where he's from and where he winds up. By the way, there's some excellent fan fic over at Live Journal (for example, Fans of LOM). - X

Attack Ads: That Ominous Voice

2008-01-20T19:45:00.001-05:00

In case you're in a state where there's an early primary or caucus, here's an attack ad to make you smile.

Election 08 - It's Too Damn Early

2008-01-20T19:16:00.000-05:00

Neither of us is convinced we'll see anything good come of the early primaries and caucuses. Mostly the blood-letting will affect interesting candidates who the establishments won't let win (Ron Paul) and those who should have quit long ago (John Edwards). Frank Rich had one of his usual scathing op-ed pieces in the NYT today, bashing Republicans who think Reagan can be resurrected and who think they can win Black votes by claiming "my daddy marched with Dr. King." Of course, some candidates (John McCain) are old enough themselves to have marched with King, though McCain himself was busy at the time overseas trying out different hotels.

One bizarre note: when I was typing this post, I left out the "F" in Frank Rich's name in the labels box. Once I inserted the "F," Blogspot suggested "Freakazoid." As you can see, they look almost identical. - X

Life on Mars

2007-08-29T15:27:00.000-04:00

We've been watching clips of this BBC show over the summer. Pretty cool. The premise involves a Manchester (UK) Detective Chief Inspector who gets hit by a car in 2006 and wakes up in 1973. Is he mad, in a coma, or really back in time? A risky premise for sure, but the show generally pulls it off.

John Simm plays Sam Tyler, who gets thrown (literally) for a loop. The contrast between Tyler's modern-day police tactics and 1973's old school practices are highlighted in each episode. Plus there's a nice Ford Cortina for Tyler's boss to drive.

Sam Tyler: I think we need to explore whether this attempted murder was a hate crime.
Gene Hunt: What, as opposed to one of those I-really-really-like-you sort of murders?

Great stuff. Hopefully season 2 will be on BBC America early next year, since it's done in the UK. It will be remade as an American show, with Boston Legal's David E. Kelley at the helm. A BBC successor show, Ashes to Ashes, will follow in the UK. Filming has already started. This time the unlucky traveler is a female cop, who winds up in 1980.

Larry Craig gets the George Michael treatment

2007-08-29T15:11:00.000-04:00

Maybe Senator Larry Craig (R-ID) just ran out of toilet paper when he was in a Minneapolis airport bathroom. You know, "excuse me buddy - got some TP? Or five ones for a five?"

But if that's true, then why the hand gestures? The peeping? The guilty plea? The agreement is pretty damning. Ugh.

-X

Tom Snyder, RIP

2007-07-30T12:21:00.000-04:00

Tom Snyder passed away at 71. I'll always remember him for Today. and Tomorrow. And the Late, Late Show. One other thing - if any of you remembers "Freakazoid", the Steven Spielberg cartoon that ran the same time as "Animaniacs" and "Pinky and the Brain", Tom was in one episode where people kept getting zapped away by a mad scientist. Snyder was pictured on a talk show where he hosted Pope John Paul II. The Pope was about to speak when Snyder said "Just a minute, Pontiff" and then went to some caller from Iowa and started to reminisce about an old story. Snyder was then zapped away and the Pope just smiled.

A talk show legend who refused to take no for an answer.

-P

Vitter and his escorts (no, not Fords)

2007-07-11T12:42:00.000-04:00

Senator David Vitter (R-LA) admitted to seeing the DC escort service. Nothing wrong there (after all, this IS a capitalist country) except that Vitter blasted Bill Clinton's affair with Monica Lewinsky.

“This was a very serious sin in my past for which I am, of course, completely responsible,” Vitter said in the statement. “Several years ago, I asked for and received forgiveness from God and my wife in confession and marriage counseling. Out of respect for my family, I will keep my discussion of the matter there — with God and them. But I certainly offer my deep and sincere apologies to all I have disappointed and let down in any way.”

Isn't that like the "if I offended anyone, then I'm sorry" excuse we always hear? Let he who is without sin...

...and now the AP is reporting that Vitter enjoyed some hometown cooking, too. Suffice it to say, an ideal candidate to pull weight for Rudy G in his 2008 campaign.

- P and X

Duke Lacrosse - Final Roundup II

2007-07-10T20:02:00.000-04:00

Now that tech support (AKA Peter) is back, we can re-post all sorts of stuff that got blasted by Blogger. A biggie was a look back at the Duke Lacrosse scandal. One of those issues that was buried by most newspapers was the lack of apology by the Duke faculty who signed a "listening statement" last year right after the case became public. Critics charged that the faculty backtracked or were unapolagetic, even after the case began to fall apart. More on the Duke 88 here, here, here, here, and here. That last one won't go anywhere since "this page has been removed." No apology, no nothing.

Mexicans chide US over immigration

2007-07-10T19:54:00.000-04:00

This AP story's headline irritated me recently. Perhaps the wording of it ("Mexicans chide U.S. over immigration") was the reason. Or the total lack of blame on the part of the Mexican government to fix the Mexican economy.

The Rev. Luis Kendziersky, director of a shelter for migrants in the border city of Tijuana, said it appeared senators "are focused more on the political game than on the real needs of the people."

"Of the people." Whose people?

X

Rudy G and consistency

2007-07-10T19:49:00.000-04:00

From the AP back in June:

"Don't expect to agree with me on everything because that would be unrealistic. I don't even agree with me on everything," he said.

Can't say I disagree. but you know every speech or debate appearance MUST mention 9/11.

X

2007-07-10T19:34:00.000-04:00

Blogger has eaten most of my recent posts so I'll try again. Tech support (AKA Peter) has been on vacation with no way to reach him (smart!)

Nice HR contest last night - except Ryan Howard couldn't get out of the 1st round. So much for bringing your own coach to pitch softies.

X Man

Lots of ill wind blowin'

2007-05-20T17:12:00.000-04:00

Funny how some republicans want to ban Ron Paul from future debates because he said our foreign policy might have caused 9-11. Hmm. No, Al-Qaeda killed 300 people because they LIKED our foreign policy but hated our freedom. I'll still go with the poster a few weeks ago on Huffington who asked "why do the tornadoes hate our freedom?" Classic. That, and "we have to fight the tornadoes over there because otherwise they'll come here."

Anyone see the Visa ad where everyone in the deli is going 90 miles an hour, then someone has the audacity to pay with cash and everything crashes to a halt? The tag line is "don't let cash slow you down." I think what they meant to say was "don't let cash slow us down." After all, the customer has the cash in his hand to pay the cashier.

Now that Michael Nutter has essentially clinched the Philly Mayor's race by winning the Democratic Primary, we can look back on how Chaka Fattah blew it. The Congressman has name recognition, connections and had a good opening TV ad about how his family took in black protesters (or something like that) in the 60's. But as the Philadelphia Daily News noted here,

Analyst Larry Ceisler said Fattah seemed to take the race for granted.

"He ran the race like a front-runner, and there was a sense of arrogance," Ceisler said.

And while Fattah brought a coherent program of attacking poverty, consultant [Chris] Mottola said he somehow didn't connect with voters.

"His operating slogan seemed to be, 'I'm here, and aren't you lucky,' " Mottola said. "His words were right, but there was no oomph behind them. You couldn't hear the music."

That, and not being disciplined enough to do fundraising calls every day as Nutter did, sank Fattah. Fattah wound up in third place with 15% of the vote, just 30 votes ahead of fellow U.S. Rep. Bob Brady. I doubt Nutter can make any significant changes, but at least John Street won't be in office for another 4 years.

-P

They Come in Threes: Part Deux

2007-04-27T07:40:00.000-04:00

First Boris Yeltsin. Then David Halberstam. Now Jack Valenti (though to be honest we thought Valenti was already dead).

Duke Lacrosse: A roundup

2007-04-18T15:56:00.000-04:00

From the Raleigh News & Observer. The former players could sue Mike Nifong, the accuser, or Duke. But I doubt any of that would happen.

- P

Imus and Rutgers; Whitlock, Sharpton and Jackson

2007-04-18T15:49:00.000-04:00

Jason Whitlock of the Kansas City Star on the Imus saga:

When I criticized his and Jesse Jackson’s irresponsible and divisive methods of seeking social justice Friday morning, Al Sharpton dismissed the attack by questioning my credibility to lodge a complaint.

“There are always guys that are not in the ring who want to call the fight,” Sharpton said. “You know that going in the ring; you’re going to have critics … You can’t satisfy people who are not in the ring.”

It’s a clever response. It ignores the obvious.

Jesse and Al don’t want anyone else in the ring. They’ve turned the fight for racial equality into a money and fame pit, a place to wrestle for camera time, “consulting” jobs and handshake deals that would make NCAA investigators blush in astonishment.

If people with a modicum of integrity were allowed in the ring and, more importantly, allowed to choose the opponents and the length of the battle, the money would run dry and Jesse and Al would be forced to look for real work.

I guess that all answered the question of what's more offensive:

1. Nappy headed ho's

or

2. So easy, a caveman could do it.

-X

Virginia Tech

2007-04-18T15:45:00.000-04:00

My condolences to the victims at Virginia Tech. And for those of you who say "we need to limit gun purchases to one a month," the killer did wait 30 days between purchases. Just a shame. And as my social worker friend Jill noted, you can't force someone into counseling or therapy, even if it's for their own good.

Proofreading - just do it

2007-04-18T15:43:00.000-04:00

Nice politically-correct full-page ad from Nike in this past Sunday's NYT Sports section about Rutgers and Imus. Unfortunately, the ad spelled the university's name as Rutger's. Oops.

McCain - Condom Nation

2007-03-17T22:04:00.000-04:00

Phillip Sherwall of the Sunday Telegraph (UK), as reported by the Huffington Post:

On the bus, the senator was stumped when asked whether he supported government subsidies for contraception to prevent sexual diseases if abstinence were not being practised.

"I'm sure I have a policy on that. I just need to check what it is," he replied, before seeking illumination from his aides.

Ouch. Not too quick on his feet. I'm sure Rudy would have said something pithy, and much faster.

The New York Times published a tad more of the exchange:

Reporter: “Should U.S. taxpayer money go to places like Africa to fund contraception to prevent AIDS?”
Mr. McCain: “Well I think it’s a combination. The guy I really respect on this is Dr. Coburn. He believes – and I was just reading the thing he wrote– that you should do what you can to encourage abstinence where there is going to be sexual activity. Where that doesn’t succeed, than he thinks that we should employ contraceptives as well. But I agree with him that the first priority is on abstinence. I look to people like Dr. Coburn. I’m not very wise on it.”
(Mr. McCain turns to take a question on Iraq, but a moment later looks back to the reporter who asked him about AIDS.)
Mr. McCain: “I haven’t thought about it. Before I give you an answer, let me think about. Let me think about it a little bit because I never got a question about it before. I don’t know if I would use taxpayers’ money for it.”
Q: “What about grants for sex education in the United States? Should they include instructions about using contraceptives? Or should it be Bush’s policy, which is just abstinence?”
Mr. McCain: (Long pause) “Ahhh. I think I support the president’s policy.”
Q: “So no contraception, no counseling on contraception. Just abstinence. Do you think contraceptives help stop the spread of HIV?”
Mr. McCain: (Long pause) “You’ve stumped me.”
Q: “I mean, I think you’d probably agree it probably does help stop it?”
Mr. McCain: (Laughs) “Are we on the Straight Talk express? I’m not informed enough on it. Let me find out. You know, I’m sure I’ve taken a position on it on the past. I have to find out what my position was. Brian, would you find out what my position is on contraception – I’m sure I’m opposed to government spending on it, I’m sure I support the president’s policies on it.”
Q: “But you would agree that condoms do stop the spread of sexually transmitted diseases. Would you say: ‘No, we’re not going to distribute them,’ knowing that?”
Mr. McCain: (Twelve-second pause) “Get me Coburn’s thing, ask Weaver to get me Coburn’s paper that he just gave me in the last couple of days. I’ve never gotten into these issues before.”

This went on for a few more moments until a reporter from the Chicago Tribune broke in and asked Mr. McCain about the weight of a pig that he saw at the Iowa State Fair last year.

Double ouch. I'm sure he was grateful to deal with a question he was knowledgeable about.

Oscar (1990(?)-2007), RIP

2007-03-11T14:21:00.000-04:00

Oscar never got over Felix's passing, and his own health problems worsened. Here's to a faithful friend.

Felix, 1993-2007

2007-02-02T15:34:00.000-05:00

Rest easy, buddy. I love you.

- X

Ford dead, Saddam to hang

2006-12-29T13:58:00.000-05:00

Pardon Me

2006-12-27T09:52:00.001-05:00

but I just heard Gerald Ford passed away at 93.

-P

Christmas 2006

2006-12-23T20:23:00.000-05:00

So what's new? Since I've been on hiatus awhile.....

I saw these four ads right next to each other on Rockymountainnews.com :
Viagara -35 (100mg) pills
Samsung SP-S4243 42 in. EDTV
Vivd Video Extra Thin 3 Pack
Sunrise Medical Rehab Shower Chair
------------------------------------------
Dennis Prager was o-ffended (think of Bugs Bunny saying it and you'll smile) by Keith Ellison's plan to take his incoming oath of office on the Koran. A sample:

In fact, many of these people argue it will be a good thing because Muslims around the world will see what an open society America is and how much Americans honor Muslims and the Koran.

This argument appeals to all those who believe that one of the greatest goals of America is to be loved by the world, and especially by Muslims because then fewer Muslims will hate us (and therefore fewer will bomb us).

But these naive people do not appreciate that America will not change the attitude of a single American-hating Muslim by allowing Ellison to substitute the Koran for the Bible. In fact, the opposite is more likely: Ellison's doing so will embolden Islamic extremists and make new ones, as Islamists, rightly or wrongly, see the first sign of the realization of their greatest goal -- the Islamicization of America.

When all elected officials take their oaths of office with their hands on the very same book, they all affirm that some unifying value system underlies American civilization. If Keith Ellison is allowed to change that, he will be doing more damage to the unity of America and to the value system that has formed this country than the terrorists of 9-11. It is hard to believe that this is the legacy most Muslim Americans want to bequeath to America. But if it is, it is not only Europe that is in trouble.

When I read this, there were over 1000 comments at Townhall.com. Of course, the conversation wasn't limited to conservative sites. This link had lots of alternative suggestions, including the following:

Dennis Prager, you are moron of the highest order. The point of swearing an oath on the bible is that apparently, if you believe in the bible, it will make your oath more binding. If you're forced to swear an oath on a book that has no relevance to you, then you may as well use a copy of Juggs magazine.

And don't forget Gwyneth Paltrow's comments about the British being far superior dining companions. Compare and contrast with these two examples of British culture.

Merry Christmas, everyone!

-P

Breast feeding gets you booted

2006-11-26T22:53:00.000-05:00

From MSNBC.com:

On Oct. 13, Emily Gillette, 27, of Santa Fe, N.M., was ordered off a Freedom Airlines flight about to take off from Burlington International Airport after a flight attendant asked her to cover up while she was breast-feeding her 1-year-old daughter.

She had been sitting on the New York-bound plane — which was three hours late departing — when she began nursing, prompting the flight attendance to hand her a blanket. When she refused it, the female flight attendant had her removed from the plane, along with her husband and child...

In Portland, Ore., about 40 mothers nursed their infants at Portland International Airport. Some said it's wrong to encourage mothers to cover their breasts and babies while nursing in public. That makes infants hot and interrupts the bonding of mother and child, said organizer Amelia Psmythe. "That's part of the sweetness of breast-feeding that goes along with all the good nutrition," she said.

Let's take it a step further: I think people should be able to fuck in public without covering up. That's part of the sweetness of sex that goes along with all the heavy petting.
-P

"Kramer" racial insult victims seek compensation from Russia's Putin

2006-11-25T19:50:00.000-05:00

These two stories somehow got mixed up and produced the title you see above.

It wasn't a dream

2006-11-25T19:48:00.000-05:00

Did we mention the Democrats will have both the House and the Senate?

And from San Diego County: chaos

2006-11-12T19:25:00.000-05:00

The San Diego Union-Tribune had election-day coverage of lots o' problems with the new voting machines...enough problems that some voters wanted paper ballots, even if they were in Spanish and the voters only spoke English. Good times.

Delaware County follow-up: How Weldon lost

2006-11-12T19:20:00.000-05:00

From the Philadelphia Inquirer:

Weldon didn't handle adversity well, and he got plenty of it. Criticizing Sestak in an interview in April for keeping his home in Virginia, Weldon also appeared to criticize his rival's decision to continue his daughter's treatment for brain cancer in Washington.

Weldon said he called to apologize, but the incident was already speeding through the blogosphere. "You should have seen the e-mails I received," he fumed.

In another misstep, his campaign, expecting a protest, called the police to a campaign event in Springfield Township, Delaware County. The officer found an Eagle Scout taking notes for Sestak.

Weldon made a similar mistake last week, jabbing from the microphones at a man he assumed was monitoring the event for Sestak. The man was a producer for a Japanese television crew. Weldon stepped into the crowd to apologize.

...and from the Delaware County Daily Times:

In the final days, things got nasty. Nearly 600 Sestak lawn signs were dumped out front of the Democrat’s condo in Nether Providence and drivers were greeted Tuesday morning by anti-Weldon graffiti on a Blue Route overpass in Marple. The taggers spray-painted a Soviet Union’s hammer and sickle in the middle of Weldon’s name.

LOL. Nice reference to Weldon's daughter and those Russian clients he lined up for her.

Google: Santorum Bombed

2006-11-07T19:24:00.000-05:00

I Googled "santorum" a few minutes ago and got this:

-P

Lynn Swann: Intercepted...by Republicans

2006-11-07T18:59:00.000-05:00

You know Lynn Swann is having a tough time in the PA Governor's race when you see roadside signs for Rendell/Santorum.

North American Man-Dog Love Association for Santorum

2006-11-07T18:53:00.000-05:00

Vote as if you and your dog's special love depended on it. Because it does.

Thanks to Kate at Cut to the Chase for the photo, at her original post.

Election Day: Thomas Friedman on why Karl Rove thinks you're stupid

2006-11-07T07:21:00.000-05:00

Friedman from Friday's NYT:

Everyone says that Karl Rove is a genius. Yeah, right. So are cigarette companies. They get you to buy cigarettes even though we know they cause cancer. That is the kind of genius Karl Rove is. He is not a man who has designed a strategy to reunite our country around an agenda of renewal for the 21st century — to bring out the best in us. His “genius” is taking some irrelevant aside by John Kerry and twisting it to bring out the worst in us, so you will ignore the mess that the Bush team has visited on this country.

And Karl Rove has succeeded at that in the past because he was sure that he could sell just enough Bush cigarettes, even though people knew they caused cancer. Please, please, for our country’s health, prove him wrong this time.

Let Karl know that you’re not stupid. Let him know that you know that the most patriotic thing to do in this election is to vote against an administration that has — through sheer incompetence — brought us to a point in Iraq that was not inevitable but is now unwinnable.

Let Karl know that you think this is a critical election, because you know as a citizen that if the Bush team can behave with the level of deadly incompetence it has exhibited in Iraq — and then get away with it by holding on to the House and the Senate — it means our country has become a banana republic. It means our democracy is in tatters because it is so gerrymandered, so polluted by money, and so divided by professional political hacks that we can no longer hold the ruling party to account.

It means we’re as stupid as Karl thinks we are.

I, for one, don’t think we’re that stupid...Tuesday we’ll see.

I sure hope we're not that stupid...not like last time.

Citizens United: The New Daisy Ad

2006-11-05T15:53:00.000-05:00

Nice little ad (no, we won't link to it) by Citizens United about how Democrats stopping NSA wiretaps would prevent another 9/11. Of course, the ad ends with the ruins of WTC 1 & 2 with the words "Vote as if your life depends on it. Because it does."

Let's get this straight - a domestic wiretap would be interrupted (after the word bomb has already been mentioned) by the Dems because of lack of probable cause? Don't think so.

And exactly how well did all the superspy stuff work out for the NSA and FBI on September 11? We'll let you decide.

More on Weldon & Sestak

2006-10-29T11:49:00.000-05:00

Got another Weldon flyer yesterday - it summarizes all the other flyers. Interestingly, after blasting Sestak for not knowing anything about the district, the flyer (courtesy of the National Republican Congressional Committee) quotes a letter from Edward Partridge, President of the Board of School Directors of Marple Newton (sic) School district.

I googled that school district with Edward Partidge and couldn't find anything, knowing full well I wouldn't. Why? Because it's the Marple Newtown School District. If they messed that up, what else do they have in their flyers that's wrong?

And here's a letter to the Delaware County Daily Times that notes campaigning in DelCo classrooms isn't limited to "out of touch" Defeatocrats.

-X

Rush smear II

2006-10-28T18:27:00.000-04:00

Rush ignited more controversy when he said that Michael J Fox was either acting or off his meds when he did a 'shaky' campaign ad for a Democrat who supports stem cell research (or as Rush put it, "she wants cloning!").

Of course, Rush was portrayed by most media outlets as cruel and heartless. Accurate. Yet Fox becomes fair game (Parkinson's Disease victim or not) once he jumps into a political ad. And politics can get ugly.

Rush smear I

2006-10-28T18:23:00.000-04:00

Might have heard this incorrectly, or been groggy one morning a few weeks back, but I heard a promo for Riush saying Dems "have mastered the art of the smear - they have lots of lawyers who are hired just to do it, but the Republicans have to wake up, since they believe elections are about ideas - they couldn't smear if you gave them the cream cheese and the bagel."

I nearly drove off the road at that point, remembering Ed Muskie, Willie Horton, Harvey Gantt in North Carolina (the white hands ad by Jesse Helms), Swift Boat vets, pretty much any campaign in the past 20 years...

...and of course, any interview about the 2006 campaigns...

"If you are airing positive ads you are allowing your opponent to get traction when you should be ripping them down," said Carl Forti of the House Republican Campaign Committee. "It's about making your opponent unacceptable." "You usually save some of your best stuff for last," Forti said. "Keep the pedal to the metal until the end."

And did anyone catch Scarborough Country, where two weeks ago they showed a picture of President Bush meeting with noted policy advisors Sean Hannity, Ann Coulter, Michael Medved and others? Sorry, no Rush, but you get the point. I'm sure it wasn't discussing how to be fair and balanced through Election Day.

Curt Weldon + Joe Sestak = a mess

2006-10-28T17:08:00.000-04:00

A little profile of the 7th district race (from the NYT)....

Before things got ugly for Weldon, that is....

From MSNBC:

The FBI is investigating whether U.S. Rep. Curt Weldon used his influence to secure lobbying and consulting contracts for his daughter, two people familiar with the inquiry said Saturday.

The inquiry focuses on lobbying contracts worth $1 million that Weldon's daughter, Karen Weldon, obtained from foreign clients [blogger's note - Russia] and whether they were assisted by the Republican congressman, they said. They spoke on condition of anonymity because of the confidentiality of the criminal investigation.

Last week, the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee mailed fliers to voters in Weldon's district accusing Karen Weldon of getting help from her father on lobbying projects. [blogger's note - why yes, we received those mailings.]

Michael Puppio, Weldon's campaign manager, questioned the timing of the mailing and published reports about the investigation. He accused Democrats of "attempting to smear the congressman and his entire family" in the final weeks of the campaign.

More here
and here.....

And an older post here regarding Weldon's (lack of) military record, an interesting point for such a war hawk.

Bottom line?

Sestak's campaign has harped on Weldon's daughter's lobbying scandal (which might or might not be a big issue, but should be discussed)....but has fallen flat on other attacks:

Weldon took money from defense contractors!
Duh. Most Boeing employees in the district would thank Weldon for using his clout to save the Boeing factory in Ridley Park that makes the V-22 Osprey, even if it's a faulty aircraft that crashes too often and kills our troops. A recorded phone message from a Democratic PAC repeats the same charge about taking money, then casually notes that Halliburton is a defense contractor and they're in trouble. The message never gets around to actually claiming that Weldon took money from Halliburton, but the inference is clearly there.

Weldon took money from Big Oil!
Another duh. Weldon is from Marcus Hook, home to numerous oil refineries and lots of Delaware County jobs. Most of those employees are happy that Weldon has clout.

The dilemma for many DelCo voters is: do you take Weldon, with all his lumps, since he has influence and brings home demonstrated bacon? Or do you cut him loose?

Attacks from Weldon on Sestak are pretty weak but sometimes accurate:

Sestak was fired from his job and was arrogant!
True, but when your flier has multiple quotes and most come from the same article, it's slim. Sestak struck back with an effective TV commercial with Vets for Sestak.

Sestak wants to raise your taxes and bring back (gasp!) the death tax!
True, assuming by "raise your taxes" means eliminating all those tax cut checks that help in the short run but boost the deficit, too.

Sestak doesn't even live in the district (a carpetbagger)!
True. He has a nice big home in Virginia and has a smaller home in Pennsylvania. Like Santorum does.

Sestak is supported by liberal groups like MoveOn.org!
True. And apparently gets most of his generic advertising from them, too.

Sestak didn't vote for President three times!
Wow.

Sestak campaigned in a classroom!
And I guess when Weldon, Santorum and any other elected official shows up in a classroom two weeks before election day, it's just to show the kids how a bill becomes a law - right?

If you're a Democrat, do you just vote Sestak simply to help take back the House? It can't be for any other reason, since Sestak has no track record.

Hmmm. Whitey on the moon.

Paging Problems: Lots of Messages, No Calls for Action

2006-10-08T12:39:00.000-04:00

From MSNBC (and just about every other news outlet):

ABC News reported Friday that [Rep. Mark] Foley also engaged in a series of sexually explicit instant messages with current and former teenage male pages. In one message, ABC said, Foley wrote to one page: "Do I make you a little horny?"

In another message, Foley wrote, "You in your boxers, too? ... Well, strip down and get naked."

-----------------------------
Congressional Republicans knew about this for a year. Wouldn't want to disturb an election cycle. And to the Democrats who found out but said nothing - they obviously wanted to disturb an election cycle.

More from MSNBC:
"abused as a teen"
didn't the Grandstanding Old Party blast that terrorist's lawyers for using that defense at the penalty phase of his trial?

"and he's gay, too" plus "he's entering alcohol rehab"
just for good measure.

"I'm not going to do that," Hastert said when asked by conservative talk show host Rush Limbaugh whether he would resign.

Hastert sought to blame Democrats for leaking sexually explicit computer instant messages between Foley and former pages from 2003.

"We have a story to tell, and the Democrats have -- in my view have -- put this thing forward to try to block us from telling the story. They're trying to put us on defense," Hastert said.

No shit. It's on your watch.

Hispanic Heritage "Month"

2006-10-08T12:37:00.000-04:00

Does anyone else find it funny that Hispanic Heritage Month (Sept 15-Oct 15) includes two months?

Hispanic Americans get parts of two months. Black Americans get one month (the shortest month). Jewish Americans get a week.

Hmmmm.

Musharraf and the stone age threat

2006-10-08T12:29:00.000-04:00

"Bomb them back to the stone age?" From MSNBC:

White House spokesperson Tony Snow said Friday that he did not know what Musharraf had been told by his intelligence chief after the talk with Armitage, but

U.S. policy was not to issue bombing threats. U.S. Policy was to say to President Musharraf: 'We need you to make a choice.' "I don't know," Snow said. "This could have been a classic failure to communicate. I just don't know."

You mean they didn't understand "you're either with us or against us?"

What's funnier - that the bombing threat might have been true? Or that Armitage denied saying it, because he "couldn't back it up?" All I know is, U.S. troops had Bin Laden located and more troops weren't provided to seal the border with Pakistan. And now, Pakistan has declared its side of the border off limits to U.S. troops. Hmmm.

Freedom, by its nature, cannot be imposed.

2006-10-08T12:27:00.000-04:00

One thing sticks out from Bush's UN speech:

Freedom, by its nature, cannot be imposed. It must be chosen.

Apparently the irony escapes him. Or his speechwriter.

Myers: Officially no longer a wife-beater

2006-10-08T12:23:00.000-04:00

We talked about Phillies pitcher Brett Myers back in June, when he smacked his wife on a Boston street. Now his wife has decided to drop the charges:

In a sharply worded statement, District Attorney Daniel F. Conley criticized the judge's decision, which falls during Domestic Violence Awareness Month, saying his office was "deeply disappointed that a Boston Municipal Court judge used his discretionary authority to simultaneously affirm that a man beat his wife on a public street and deny our efforts to hold him responsible."

Kim Myers was quoted as saying therapy helped a lot. No quotes from Brett. He's still a jerk.

-P

RIP Ann Richards

2006-09-16T16:02:00.000-04:00

Former Texas Governor Ann Richards died this week of cancer at age 73. Richards was one of those rare politicians who told it like it was, despite ramifications to her career. A Vice President's son defeated her for relection and no one ever heard from him again.

9/11

2006-09-11T11:25:00.000-04:00

I'm probably going to hell for this, but on 9/11 my first reaction was "that's not fair - they can't do that." My second reaction (after it was confirmed it was hijackers and not an accident) was "now we know how people in the Middle East feel." My third reaction (before the towers fell, and on the assumption that the hijackers had stolen UPS or FedEx planes - surely they couldn't have taken regular commercial airliners) was "since they're crashing planes into things, could they please do us a favor and crash into Veterans Stadium, because it needs to be torn down anyway."

-X

I remember exactly where I was - driving in my car. I had just gotten a haircut since I normally did that Tuesday mornings, and was listening to 610 WIP, the local sports talk station. Pat Croce was being interviewed promoting his latest book, and morning co-host Rhea Hughes was trying to get him off the air. Croce had no clue what was going on. At that point, WIP switched to ABC News. I figured I might as well listen to New York's coverage, so I turned to WABC (770 AM). When I got to work, 1 person had a TV and 1 person had their radio tuned to the news. Rumors were flying that the hijackers were attacking the Federal Aviation Administration building. Then the towers fell. Finally, our boss called us together and let us go home.

The enormity of it all didn't really hit me until the evening, when a TV cameraman walked past a crushed fire department truck, and there was a pool of liquid nearby - I thought it was oil, and then realized it was probably blood. That broke me up.

-P

Natural Selection: Stingray 1, Steve Irwin 0

2006-09-04T15:15:00.000-04:00

Crikey! Steve Irwin, the Croc Hunter, died Monday after a stingray's poisonous tip stung Irwin's chest as he swam off Australia's coast. It's sad to see anyone die, but you can only piss off so many animals (or fish) before something bad happens.

Lieberman: Not looking good

2006-08-08T22:23:00.000-04:00

Senator Joe Lieberman's re-election battle is in trouble. Lieberman trails Ned Lamont 52% to 48% according to the AP as of 9:45 p.m. tonight. And why is Lieberman losing? Not because of his pro-Iraq War stance. No, according to his campaign, it's because of hackers:

On the final day of the race, Lieberman accused his opponent's supporters of hacking his campaign Web site and e-mail system. Campaign manager Sean Smith said the site began having problems Monday night and crashed for good at 7 a.m., denying voters information about the candidate.

"It is a deliberate attempt to disenfranchise voters," Smith said. [emphasis mine]

Oh, please. It's like someone saying they really didn't know where Bush stood on the issues in 2004 and had to go to the GOP web site to obtain clarity before voting. If this was the Colbert Report's Word for the day, the subliminal script on the right side of the screen would read:

They just didn't bus in enough homeless people and pay them to vote for Lieberman.

This was obviously an anti-Lieberman vote more than a pro-Lamont vote. I'd wager a lot of people wouldn't know if they were voting for Ned Lamont or Ned Flanders, just that he was "the other guy." Sort of like having Yes and No levers next to Lieberman's name.

All this may change by morning, but it looks like Connecticut liberals accomplished what Democrats couldn't do to Bush in 2004: completely make an election a referendum on the Iraq War.

-P

Dixie Chicks axe Midwest shows, add Canadian dates

2006-08-08T22:20:00.000-04:00

As expected, The Dixie Chicks cancelled shows due to poor sales in 14 Midwestern cities, and has replaced some of them with Canadian shows. Couldn't have scripted that if I tried.

-P

You Tube all the time

2006-08-08T22:07:00.000-04:00

Did I mention I've been spending a lot of time at You Tube? Too much time.

It amazes me that I can find a 1989 clip of stage-shy XTC on David Letterman, or the Hawaii Five-O theme played by hand farts. Lots of Star Trek stuff, as well as lots of clips from seasons 1 & 2 of the revived Doctor Who series from the BBC.

As I said, too much time.

-P

Men's synchronized swim team barred

2006-08-08T21:35:00.000-04:00

Damn. One possible career path shut down. Fox Sports has the scoop.

Jews in the News

2006-07-30T20:29:00.000-04:00

An Arab gunman opens fire in a Seattle Jewish center, killing one person and wounding others....witnesses say the man shouted 'I am a Muslim American, angry at Israel.'

Meanwhile, actor Mel Gibson was arrested for DUI and made some not-so-unusual remarks:

According to the report, in addition to threatening the arresting deputy and trying to escape, Gibson said, "The Jews are responsible for all the wars in the world," and asked the officer, James Mee, "Are you a Jew?"

Seems like there's an Australian angry at Israel, too. Of course, any Jew who's seen The Passion of the Christ couldn't have missed that message.

After killing over 50 civilians (30 of them children) in their favorite Lebanese target practice city, Qana, Isreal agreed to a 48-hour cease-fire.

Meanwhile, the UN post in El-Khiam that came under "unprovoked" Israeli attack was actually being used as a shield by Hezbollah. The Ottawa Citizen has details:

"A Canadian Forces infantry officer with the Edmonton-based Princess Patricia's Canadian Light Infantry and the only Canadian serving as a UN military observer in Lebanon, Maj. Hess-von Kruedener was no stranger to fighting nearby.

The UN post, he wrote in the e-mail, afforded a view of the "Hezbollah static positions in and around our patrol Base."

"It appears that the lion's share of fighting between the IDF and Hezbollah has taken place in our area," he wrote, noting later it was too dangerous to venture out on patrols.

The e-mail appears to contradict the UN's claim there had been no Hezbollah activity in the vicinity of the strike.

The question of Hezbollah's infiltration of the area is significant because UN Secretary General Kofi Annan, speaking Tuesday just hours after the bombing, accused the Israelis of the "apparently deliberate targeting" of the base near Khiam in southern Lebanon."

What a mess.

-X

Bin Laden and the Wrath of Bush

2006-07-22T12:56:00.000-04:00

Funny Clip from You Tube with Bush speech merged with Khan "he tasks me, so I shall have him" from Star Trek II. What's not funny is that the CIA has closed down its Bin Laden office, so apparently Bin Laden won't be chased 'round Perdition's flames by Bush.

-X

Amtrak - off track

2006-07-22T12:40:00.000-04:00

The Philadelphia Inquirer ran a recent 2-part series on Amtrak (part 1 is here). Among the gems from former Amtrak head David Gunn (who used to head SEPTA here in Philadelphia, plus Metro down in DC):

Throughout his conflict with the administration, Gunn said senior transportation officials repeatedly suggested that Amtrak could revitalize itself by filing for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection - like a bankrupt airline, it could void its labor contracts.

"Oh, I think they felt... somehow, out of the wreckage, would come a new company," Gunn said.

But he said that bankruptcy for Amtrak could have caused a service shutdown - in a way it never would for an airline - because of the nature of the passenger rail business, which is mostly unprofitable and lacks competition....

It has never turned a profit, and requires billions of dollars in government subsidies.

And that is the problem, Gunn said. Because no other company has Amtrak's experience running a national passenger rail service, Gunn said it was highly improbable that any other rail line could have stepped in had Amtrak gone out of business. The airline industry offers no comparison, he said, because its losses are smaller and another airline is always available to take over the business of companies that fail.

When he tried to explain this to Transportation Secretary Norman Mineta, Gunn said he got little response.

"It was like talking to a mannequin," Gunn said of a meeting with Mineta on June 13 last year, the only business meeting he had with Mineta during his 31/2-year term as Amtrak president. "He never showed any intellectual engagement in terms of dealing with the problem."

Ouch.

When British Rail was dissolved in the 1980s, expectations were that private industry could surely do a better job than a government-run enterprise. Results have been almost uniformly bad - train crashes, trains almost always running behind schedule, lack of coordination between the numerous private rail systems, and continued decay of infrastructure.

Would US companies do any better? Probably not. The only profit center is the Northeast Corridor (which is not immune to power failures). Amtrak loses money on scenic but costly long-distance routes elsewhere in the country - what company would buy into those routes just to lose money?

Strikeouts for Troops - check it out, and donate!

2006-07-20T23:14:00.000-04:00

Strikeouts for Troops is our latest link. It's for a good cause. A little background:

Strikeouts for Troops™ is a national project founded by Oakland Athletics pitcher Barry Zito, for the benefit of our war wounded being treated at Walter Reed Army Medical Center, Bethesda Naval Hospital and other military hospitals for injuries received during service in Afghanistan, Iraq and other assignments around the world.

Barry Zito will donate $200 to Strikeouts For Troops for every strikeout he throws during the 2006 season and has invited other baseball players to join him in this effort to help our American Soldiers.

Strikeouts For Troops provides funds for "comforts of home" by helping to make the recovery time for an injured solider a little easier and also assists with travel and housing expenses for their families.

Pitchers and position players both participate, and of course the general public can donate as well.

Participating players with home runs are mentioned daily on Fox Sports Radio's First Team on Fox with Steve Czaban (M-F, 6 AM - 9AM Eastern).

- Peter

Casey vs. Santorum

2006-07-15T19:19:00.000-04:00

Saw and heard some anti-Casey ads yesterday and today. Yesterday's radio ad, on WNTP-990 AM in New Jersey, blasted Casey for favoring amnesty for illegal aliens. Unfortunately for Santorum, the ad appeared during Michael Medved's afternoon show, right after the host pointed out that only about 15% of Americans favor mass deportation, and that about 80 percent of talk-radio listeners favor earned amnesty (and of that 80percent, at least 70 percent consider themselves conservatives). Priceless.

- P

Korean Missiles, Jersey Casinos and Lots of Egos

2006-07-09T20:47:00.000-04:00

North Korea fired seven missiles (which didn't go far), but in far more important news, the Atlantic City casinos are open once again, after New Jersey's budget is approved. What do these events have in common? Men in power with out-of-control egos. While New Jersey Governor Jon Corzine is surely not as evil as "Dear Leader" Kim Jong Il, Corzine's power play in shutting down non-essential state functions for several days last week reeked of the same smell.

From the Trentonian:

The shutdown furloughed 45,000 state workers, including the state casino inspectors who by law must be present in New Jersey’s 24-hour casinos. That forced the gambling halls to close, idling about 36,000 people and turning the bustling casino mecca into a ghost town.

Yet this was not your typical Democratic-Republican showdown over high taxes in New Jersey. Instead, it marked a deep split between Corzine and Assembly Speaker Joseph Roberts Jr over whether to increase Jersey's already high sales tax.

Ugly, ugly, ugly.
-X

Brett Myers: Wife-Beater Scum

2006-06-26T22:22:00.000-04:00

Philadelphia Phillies pitcher Brett Myers assaulted his wife Kim over the weekend in Boston. It was violent enough that multiple witnesses called 911. Normally we'd post this over at Double Technical, since it's sports-related. But since it's an off-field incident, we'll keep it here.

Myers pitched Saturday as scheduled against the Red Sox - no suspension, no leave of absence, no nothing. The Phillies, predictably, announced they really had no comment other than to comment after the case worked its way through the legal system. Myers didn't help by the following:

Asked what he was feeling, what his state of mind was, and whether he was embarrassed by the situation, the 25-year-old pitcher responded: "I'm sorry it had to get public, that's it. Of course, it's embarrassing."

Option One: Do nothing and let Myers pitch. The Phillies did that. Oops.

Option Two: Don't put him out there. And if the Phillies had simply not put Myers out there Saturday? As WIP's Glen Macnow noted on tonight's crossover with Howard Eskin, exactly what wrong would the Phillies have done there? And if the MLB Players Association filed a grievance, exactly what or who would they be supporting? A wife-beater? A wife-beater's right to work? I'm sorry, that's alleged wife-beater. Too bad for Kim Myers it wasn't in public. Oh it was? Right on the street?

Option Three: Suspend Myers without pay. Harsher than suspending him with pay for a certain time period, but who decides when the time period is over? And doesn't Myers have a right to be considered innocent until proven guilty? (never mind the multiple eyewitnesses, they're all Red Sox fans - except for the Phillies employee who also witnessed it).

Newspaper columnist reaction was swift on the issue:

Bill Conlin of the Philadelphia Daily News:

While nobody came right out and blurted, "She probably had it coming," Kim Myers got about as much backing as a Combat Zone hooker caught with a john's wallet. You better believe that if Myers had been denied his lustily booed Fenway start, some would have insisted he was the real victim.

None of this is remotely surprising, however.

While proving that they value the integrity of the five-man rotation over the right of women not to be used as punching bags, the Phillies did not stray an inch from organizational character....

If the Phillies had a real bunker instead of the hypothetical fortress in which they have encapsulated their stonewalls for decades, it would be adorned with signs and slogans.

The centerpiece would look something like a mathematical formula with words to this effect:

No Arrest + No Witnesses + No Media = It Never Happened.

Never happened...

Oh, you might have heard a rumor in a couple of days that something went down between a player and his wife outside the hotel. You might even be able to dig out the entire story, right down to whether the alleged blows were open-hand slaps or fisted right crosses - and how many. Then where do you go with it? Nowhere, that's where. You just file it away with all the rest of the stuff accumulated over time in the bunker behind the stone wall.

Jim Salisbury of the Inquirer:

Myers has been charged with domestic assault and battery and the best he can do is say he's sorry it went public.

Someone needs to speak with this guy.

Myers pleaded not guilty to the charges and has been advised by his legal counsel not to discuss the alleged assault, which happened in front of enough people that "multiple" 911 calls were placed, according to the Boston police report. Maybe Myers believed he'd be admitting guilt if he said he was sorry for what happened, sorry he inflicted pain on his wife.

Whatever the case, he sure sounded pretty bad as he stood in the middle of the visitors' clubhouse at Fenway Park after another Phillies loss and said he was sorry the situation had to go public, as if it would have been any less inexcusable and appalling had it happened in private.

More proof that Myers doesn't get it came when he was asked whether there was anything he wanted to say to the fans.

"Nothing, really," he said. "I gave it my all."

Well, that's good to hear.

More to come I'm sure, and none of it good. Maybe if the Phillies had some backbone, they'd do the right thing. But apparently the fact that Myers was their best pitcher knocked something off kilter in the minds of Phillies President David Montgomery and General Manager Pat Gillick. Better take a long look in the mirror, fellas. God help you if you have wives and daughters.

Olbermann on Coulter

2006-06-19T06:32:00.000-04:00

From Crooks and Liars:

Olbermann: Honestly, if you were Ann Coulter's attorney at a sanity hearing where could you possibly start? Our #2 story on the Countdown, eclipsing even Bill O'Reilly and Malmedy, the Connecticut Screech has continued her assault on 9/11 widows. After calling them "witches who acted as if the terrorist attacks happened only to them" she has now told Reuters news that they are, quote, "professional victims." All as part of the promotion of a book in which she claims *liberals* are, quote, "godless."

[Today Show interview tape]

Let's return to *this* planet. To recap Coulter's argument: The wives of those who died in the worst attack in this nation's history enjoyed their husband's deaths and profited off them, they have politicized 9/11, their positions as widows immunize them from any criticism or debate over their opinions. All of this stated by a commentator much of whose income in the last four and a half years has derived from *her* speeches and writings about the deaths of those same men on 9/11. All this stated by a commentator who has staunchly, repeatedly, and enthusiastically defended an administration that began to politicize 9/11 within a month of the nightmare and has never paused for a moment since. All of this stated by a commentator who has called those who have criticized her and her party "un-American" and now, "godless." All of this stated by a commentator who is bitching that these 9/11 widows can't be criticized while she is writing a book and going on TV and venomously criticizing them.

[Tucker Carlson interview tape, ending with Coulter saying, "these women got paid, they ought to take their money and shut up about it."]

The way Ann Coulter always does when she's criticized.

Ms. Coulter's walk on the swaying tightrope of her own emotional stability did not end there. In her book she also wrote, "And by the way, how do we know their husbands weren't planning to divorce these harpies? Now that their shelf life is dwindling, they'd better hurry up and appear in Playboy..."

Appearing in Playboy and getting divorced -- neither of those being scenarios that Ann Coulter is ever going to have to deal with in *her* life.

Five of the most politically active 9/11 widows, including Kristen Breitweiser and Lorie Van Auken, have responded in a written statement.

[Statement shown]

And lastly, back to my allusion about having to defend Ann Coulter in a sanity hearing, that was inappropriate -- because it was insufficient. Imagine, in fact, defending her on Judgment Day -- and trying to find her soul.

-P

Best of Coulter

2006-06-18T18:27:00.000-04:00

And in case you haven't read Ann Coulter in a while, here's some more of the lady in black, courtesy of the AP.

Ann Coulter and the Happy Widows

2006-06-18T18:11:00.000-04:00

To stir up a little publicity for her new book, Ann Coulter said of some 9/11 widows:

I have never seen people enjoying their husband's death so much.

Atypical or usual Coulter? I think the latter. From the Huffington Post:

LAUER: Do you believe everything in the book or do you put some things in there just to cater to your base?

ANN: No, of course I believe everything.

LAUER: On the 9-11 widows, and in particular a group that had been critical of the administration: "These self-obsessed women seem genuinely unaware that 9-11 was an attack on our nation and acted like as if the terrorist attack only happened to them. They believe the entire country was required to marinate in their exquisite personal agony. Apparently, denouncing Bush was part of the closure process." And this part is the part I really need to talk to you about: "These broads are millionaires, lionized on TV and in articles about them, reveling in their status as celebrities and stalked by griefparrazies.I have never seen people enjoying their husband's death so much." Because they dare to speak out?

COULTER: To speak out using the fact they are widows. This is the left's doctrine of infallibility. If they have a point to make about the 9-11 commission, about how to fight the war on terrorism, how about sending in somebody we are allowed to respond to. No. No. No. We have to respond to someone who had a family member die. Because then if we respond, oh you are questioning their authenticity.

LAUER: So grieve but grieve quietly?

COULTER: No, the story is an attack on the nation. That requires a
foreign policy response.

LAUER: By the way, they also criticized the Clinton administration.

COULTER: Not the ones I am talking about. No, no, no.

LAUER: Yeah they have.

COULTER: Oh no, no, no, no, no. They were cutting commercials for Kerry. They were using their grief to make a political point while preventing anyone from responding.

LAUER: So if you lose a husband, you no longer have the right to have a political point of view?

COULTER: No, but don't use the fact that you lost a husband as the basis for being able to talk about, while preventing people from responding. Let Matt Lauer make the point. Let Bill Clinton make the point. Don't put up someone I am not allowed to respond to without questioning the authenticity of their grief.

LAUER: Well apparently you are allowed to respond to them.

COULTER: Yeah, I did.

LAUER: So, in other words.

COULTER: That is the point of liberal infallibility. Of putting up Cindy Sheehan, of putting out these widows, of putting out Joe Wilson. No, no, no. You can't respond. It's their doctrine of infallibility. Have someone else make the argument then.

LAUER: What I'm saying is I don't think they have ever told you, you
can't respond.

COULTER: Look, you are getting testy with me.

LAUER: No. I think it's a dramatic statement. These broads are millionaires stalked by stalked by griefparrazies? I have never seen people enjoying their husband's deaths so much.

COULTER: Yes, they are all over the news.

Couldn't hurt to have her speak and let people decide for themselves whether she offers cogent points or if she is truly evil. I think the problem is when she does make valid points, she then goes overboard with ad hominem attacks (as do her opponents, don't get me wrong) that detract from her logical opinions. And of course, she just happens to be making a profit blasting these widows, too.

And on radio.....
I listened to an interview Coulter had with Suzanne LaFrankie of WPHT-AM in Philadelphia last week. I kid you not, when Coulter talked about the "old days" of liberal-run media, she said the Big 3 TV networks absolutely killed Goldwater and also wouldn't let people like McCarthy and Nixon have enough time to get their points across. I almost ran off the road at that statement. Joe McCarthy and Richard Nixon were two of the most venal men this nation has known - and Coulter said they didn't have ENOUGH media access? Gag me.

-P

Geno's steaks its case: Order in English

2006-06-18T17:58:00.000-04:00

Philadelphia's Geno's Steaks, long a tourist attraction, recently caused a stir with 2 signs in its front window:

1. This is America: When Ordering Speak English.
2. Management Reserves Right to Refuse Service.

For a little background, see here, here and here.

Owner Joey Vento, whose grandparents came from Italy and spoke halting English, does not discriminate aginst Italians, of course....(from the last article):

But the "Speak English" placards are not aimed at tourists, according to the Ventos.

Vento, in an earlier interview with The Inquirer, recalled summoning an Italian-speaking employee from home to take the order of Italian tourists who had just arrived in the city.

Hee hee. I'm sure the neighboring taco shops would be HAPPY to sell him some $2 tacos. - X

New TV show pilot

2006-06-10T11:07:00.000-04:00

The setting: An island in the South Pacific.

Add the following "would be" characters:
> a poker player (ESPN)
> a soap star (Soap Net)
> a pop singer (Fox)
> a country singer (CMT)
> a mechanic (Speed or MTV)

Plot: Get half the characters to build a home within a week for indigenous peoples AKA island natives, and the other half to makeover an existing home. Enjoy!

Additional Plot: Make the series a cartoon and add the voices of Yakko, Wakko and Dot from Animaniacs.

Memorial Day Thanks

2006-05-29T17:17:00.000-04:00

Take a moment to remember those who gave their lives for the United States, and to remember those who continue to serve. To our soldiers - you have our thanks.

-Peter and Xavier

But what about Canada?

2006-05-22T00:28:00.000-04:00

From Donna at NewsHounds:

[Fox News's Shephard] Smith asked [Attorney General Alberto] Gonzales what about the border to our north and why the president didn't put troops on the border years ago when it didn't matter to his poll numbers? (Comment: I almost fell off my chair on that question) Gonzales responded that they had been looking at the best way to approach the illegal immigration problem for years and they had ramped up border patrol 30% and funding was up 66% since Bush took office (which is probably due to the 1.9 billion just designated for border security in the last spending budget).

As far as the northern border goes he said they looked at it and decided that the southern border was where their attention should be. Then Smith told him if he was a terrorist he'd just come through Canada. Gonzales said they were working with Canadian officials and they've done a lot but America is just not safe yet. He said we're safer than we were on 9/11 but we're not yet safe. (Comment: Whatever that means)

I love Fox News. Looks like Shepard Smith is on the way out with questions like that (and his on-the-scene Katrina reporting - "this IS the perspective") and Brenda Buttner should do more news ([Wall Street] was “not going to let some puny, little traitor, some leaker who went ahead and compromised our national security, take down this, take down our market, take down our country.”)

-Peter

Border Patrol: Help Wanted. Kind of.

2006-05-22T00:24:00.000-04:00

Speaking of putting the National Guard on the border, weren't there plans to have lots of agents a few years ago? There were, but budget cuts forced the number down by nearly 10,000. Thanks to Kate at Cut to the Chase for the link.

Border Lawsuits?

2006-05-22T00:19:00.000-04:00

"If there is a real wave of rights abuses, if we see the National Guard starting to directly participate in detaining people ... we would immediately start filing lawsuits through our consulates," Foreign Secretary Luis Ernesto Derbez told a Mexico City radio station. He did not offer further details.

I'm sorry, what position in our government does Ernesto hold? And why is he dictating US policy? Oh, that's right, he's in that other country that people are fleeing faster than Cuba.

-Xavier

Good fences make good...

2006-05-21T23:55:00.000-04:00

A year ago, I did a post on Mexico objecting to the proposed superfence on our shared border. A lot has changed since then (you may recall a few marches here or there), but the basic arguments for and against open borders remains.

Upon voting for the latest version of the fence, Senator Jefferson Sessions (R-AL) quoted, with no trace of irony, a line from Robert Frost's Mending Wall: "'Good fences make good neighbors.' Fences don’t make bad neighbors."

As David Benjamin observed in Common Dreams.org:

If Sessions had actually read the poem, he would've remembered that his quote is a line repeated mindlessly not by the poem's narrator (Frost), but by his neighbor, who is a fool. Frost's neighbor is stuck in his ways and blind to the reality that the fence keeps nothing out and holds nothing in. It is broken by nature, beseiged by hunters, undone by gravity and sabotaged (seemingly) by elves.

The neighbor is oblivious to Frost’s irony, and so Frost every spring -- magnanimously -- accepts the idiot ritual of mending the useless wall and tolerating the other man’s hand-me-down hogwash about good fences making good neighbors.

The moral of the poem is the opposite of Sen. Session’s assertion. It is that "Before I build a wall I'd ask to know/ What I was walling in or walling out,/ And to whom I was like to give offense."

The real reprise of "Mending Wall" is this: "Something there is that doesn't love a wall."

Terri: A year after

2006-05-21T23:43:00.000-04:00

A Terri Schaivo column worth reading by Michael Smerconish, of 1210 AM and the Philadelphia Daily News, in the form of a letter to his son, Wilson:

I saved a copy of the church bulletin distributed at Mass today as a keepsake, and I'm writing this letter in the hope that you'll keep it attached to the bulletin as an explanation. You see, my name appears in an insert to the bulletin distributed throughout the archdiocese on the day you received communion, and not in a favorable light.

The situation caught me by surprise. It was unsettling to sit in a pew as we prepared for your special moment only to look at the flier and see my name under the banner of a group called Pro Life Union Inc. They mentioned my name in a story about a recent symposium at Penn.

At the invitation of bio-ethicist Arthur Caplan, I participated and posed questions to experts on the subject of death and dying. But the assertion that I was at Penn to "celebrate" the death of a woman named Terri Schiavo was untrue. I found that characterization offensive. While I refused to let it mar your day, it warrants an explanation...

I never looked at Terri's case in the conventional pro-life vs. pro-choice terms. But as the dispute continued, I began to wonder whether the pro-life agenda was to support "life" even in a situation where someone in a permanent vegetative condition would want otherwise.

Terri Schiavo left this earth in 2005. An autopsy showed that she was in a permanent vegetative state, had been for many years and that the cause of her death was brain damage due to anoxic brain injury. An inquiry by a Florida state's attorney found an absence of any evidence that her initial collapse was caused by criminal actions.

I wish my name had not appeared in the church bulletin on the day of your first communion.

I love our church and the fulfillment it has provided each member of our family. But I am your father first, and I am not about to let this moment pass without providing you with a frame of reference for how your dad views the controversy, even though I recognize it will be inappropriate for you to read this for a number of years.

Let no one tell you that your father celebrated any death. Your old man is supportive of self-determination. In the case of Terri Schiavo, I kept saying, "There but for the grace of God go I."

If that outcome should come my way, I certainly don't want some individual or group, pro-life or pro-choice, imposing their view of end-of-life issues on me, or anyone else.

The fact that one such group would proclaim, in a church bulletin on the day of your First Holy Communion, that I celebrated death by my support of Terri Schiavo's right to determine her own fate, tells me all I need to know about this group's lack of respect for individual rights.

They wanted to call this shot for Terri. Well, please don't ever let them decide for me.

Can't say that any better myself, so I won't.

-P

Stop Snitching

2006-04-26T22:36:00.000-04:00

Was pissed off on Sunday when I saw a mother coming out of a restaurant (with her children), wearing a t-shirt that said STOP SNITCHING. Why pissed? Because anyone who wears shirts like that say COMMIT ANY CRIME YOU WANT WITH NO RECRIMINATION. [note - these are often the same people who wear Jesse Jackson t-shirts such as NO JUSTICE, NO PEACE. Ironic but predictable.]

Philadelphia's District Attorney, Lynne Abraham, had enough of people with that approach, filing charges against a father who flat-out told his daughter in court to recant her previous testimony.

Mitch Lipka of the Philadelphia Inquirer sets the stage:

"We want people to come forward. We want people to step up," Temple University law professor Edward Ohlbaum said. "The fact of the matter is that folks don't feel secure on their way to the stand, on the stand, and after the stand."

An example of why is scheduled to play out today in a Philadelphia courtroom in the case of Donte Thomas, 29, who prosecutors say shot and killed Tyreese Gaymon-Allen, 23, in February. Gaymon-Allen cooperated with police and identified the man suspected of killing his cousin, Tyreyk Gaymon, 23, in 2004.

Last month at the trial of two men charged with killing Faheem [Thomas-Childs], six witnesses - including Devonso Lawson's 18-year-old daughter, Taniesha Wiggins - backed away from initial statements police said they had given.

Prosecutors painted Wiggins as a key witness who told police in great detail what she knew of the events that led up to and followed the shooting of Faheem [Thomas-Childs] .

"As compelling and heart-rending a scenario as the original crime, what you're talking about is a father taking a position that he doesn't want his child to end up in the morgue," Ohlbaum said.

...but the Philadelphia Daily News editorial page clearly took one side of the issue:

WE ROUNDLY applaud the arrest of the father who, in open court, told his daughter to lie on the witness stand.

And we can't help but recall Charles Barkley's proclamation, delivered in sneaker ads back in the 1990s: "I am not a role model... Parents should be role models."

Well, Sir Charles, the father in question, now identified as Devonso Lawson, obviously is not a parent one should emulate.

The district attorney's office is more than fed up with witnesses who "go south" - change their testimony during a trial. And Lawson's blatant manner in an emotional, high-profile case involving the murder of innocent 10-year-old Faheem Thomas-Childs crystallized the problem....

[Taniesha Wiggins] wasn't alone in changing her testimony. Six other witnesses went south in the Thomas-Childs case.

We're not big on events "sending a message." But the arrest of Lawson offers a smidgen of satisfaction that deliberate obstruction of the judicial process won't be tolerated.

The code of the street has no place in the court of law.

I agree. Yes, it would be difficult for me to testify knowing I might be killed by a gang. But if I were a parent, what would be worse - the fact that my daughter or son might be killed if she or he testified against a killer? Or if my child was killed and no one came forward to police, leaving my child's killer free to roam the streets and never, ever face justice, and for me to never, ever have closure? - Peter

Deliverance

2006-04-15T21:56:00.000-04:00

Dueling Banjos, in Real player format. Just because.

Duke lacrosse

2006-04-15T20:47:00.000-04:00

Spent the weekend in Durham, NC. The lacrosse rape scandal is still front page news; more details are being leaked on both sides.

On the accuser front:
> The police officer call from the grocery store that revealed the exotic dancer appeared to be passed-out drunk somehow was released to the press. Oops.
> Did you know the exotic dancer led police on a high-speed chase while drunk (at double the state limit) and nearly ran an officer over 4 years ago? No? I'm sure we'll get lots more little nuggets like this one in the coming weeks.
> Rumor de jour: Apparently the accuser and her friend were paid $800.00 and at some point returned to demand more money.

On the "defendants" front (I use quotes since no charges have been filed, therefore 46 Duke lacrosse players should be labeled with that catch-all "person of interest" category:
> Durham police visited Duke dorm rooms this week and attempted to interview several players. Those players who have attorneys made some calls and zzaapp! just like that, interviews over. It's unclear whether any players have actually spoken with police without attorneys present since legal representation was first hired. It's also unclear how long the players' 'code of silence' will continue.
> While race, gender, social strata and violence feature prominently in this case, add one more thing: alcohol. Put over 40 guys in a house with 2 exotic dancers and what do you think you'll get? Trouble.
> At a recent town meeting at NC Central University, where the accuser is a student, one member of the audience claimed that the DNA tests were "fixed" and came out negative because Duke handled them. Uh, no. Those would go through the state crime lab in Raleigh.

For a different perspective, Michael Smerconish had this to say in the Daily News:

The question: The question: What drives this hostility toward athletes? Why a rush to judgment every time a ballplayer is accused of sexual indiscretions?

I say it's the revenge of the nerds. Most journalists would never be chosen for a pickup game of hoops, let alone a varsity sport. So they take perverse pleasure in bringing down the BMOC, however undeserved.

What went on in the Kobe case and at La Salle and now at Duke? The unathletic are getting their chance to vent at those who are. And they crucify these young men with gleeful speed.

While the "victims" are allowed to remain anonymous and aren't prosecuted for their tales, the athletes they accuse don't get the same treatment. These young men are the real victims, no quotation marks needed.

No winners here, just losers. -P

W and his bold leadership

2006-04-02T12:40:00.000-04:00

I enjoyed today's Doonesbury. Reminds me of Sean Hannity. And Hugh Hewitt, among others. Guys, don't break anything as you fall over each other trying to kiss W's ass.
-P

Duke lacrosse rape

2006-04-02T11:55:00.000-04:00

ESPN summarizes the story here of a Black exotic dancer who was allegedly raped by three Duke University lacrosse team members in a private home in Durham, NC on March 13. The woman, who is a student at N. C. Central University (also in Durham), is supported by Durham's district attorney, Mike Nifong. Protestors marched across Duke's campus, to the home of Duke President Richard Brodhead, and to the home where the alleged assault occurred.

The event also sparked protests in Durham, since the story involves issues of assault, rape, racial epithets, class, treatment of women by athletes and Duke vs. Durham.

From Newsweek:

According to Duke Dean of Students Sue Wasiolek, the police information "left many questions unanswered." A week and a half after the incident, police obtained a court order that 46 of the 47 men on the team (all but its one black member) be required to give DNA samples. By now the parents were hearing about the incident, and they began hiring lawyers, who told the young men to remain silent. The three team captains did come forward to deny the allegations to Duke University President Richard Brodhead.

Lots of questions here:

Why was there a 12-day gap between the night of the assault and the suspension of the lacrosse season by Brodhead?

Why is the lacrosse team still allowed to practice pending the outcome of the investigation?

Did the predominantly white team specifically ask for black dancers? If so, would this suggest premeditation?

What work does the Duke Center for Black Culture perform, other than make nice soundbites? If Duke-Durham relations are at the boiling point, it looks like the Center has done nothing of substance to help the Durham community.

Some other observations on Duke and Durham:

Duke is in Durham, but no longer really part of Durham. 85% of the students are from out of state, and most of those are from New York, Connecticut and New Jersey. It's the old Town and Gown problem, but some communities handle the mix better than others.

Duke has gone to great lengths to isolate itself on occasion from Durham. For example, Duke once closed off all streets on Duke property with barricades, and added a little yellow box marked "private street" or "private road" to all street signs leading in to the campus. Why? Because Duke could.

For years, Durham police and Duke officials have minimized legal infractions by Duke athletes. Why should lacrosse be any different?

-P

Illegal Immigration Protests

2006-04-02T11:41:00.000-04:00

Marching....
Thousands of protestors marched from coast to coast this week in favor of illegal immigration. Well, many marched in favor of immigration, period, but by embracing illegal immigrants, they support violation of US law.
-X

Flying the Mexican Flag in Houston....

Reagan High School Principal Robert Pambello was ordered to remove a Mexican flag Wednesday morning that he had hoisted below the U.S. and Texas flags that typically fly in front of his school — a symbol he agreed to fly to show support for his predominantly Hispanic student body.

"It is appropriate to fly the flags of the United States and Texas over schools in the Houston Independent School District, since we are a public entity of the state," HISD spokesman Terry Abbott said. "It would not be appropriate for the school district to advocate allegiance to a country other than the United States. Therefore, it is not appropriate to permit use of school district flagpoles for the purpose of flying flags representing other countries."

Better cancel that St. Patrick's Day parade, too.
-P

Meanwhile, economic issues overshadow the arguments flying back and forth over what do about illegals. Andrew Cassel of the Philadelphia Inquirer writes:

Take the argument over immigrants and employment. One side asserts newcomers take jobs from those who (or whose ancestors) got here first.

The other side counters with the (by now) cliche that immigrants "do the jobs Americans don't want."

Who is right? You won't find the answer on cable TV or radio talk shows. It turns out there's almost no consensus on immigration's impact, even among the learned and dispassionate ranks of economists.

But maybe both sides miss the point.

Here's a way to think about immigrants and the economy that you don't hear in the rhetoric, but that makes a lot of sense. I got it from Berkeley labor economist David Card when he spoke here last year.

Immigrants increase the labor pool, Card said, but the effect isn't mainly to drive down wages for other jobs. Nor is it mainly to do jobs Americans prefer not to do themselves.

Rather, immigrants do work that otherwise would be done by machine, or not at all.

Take the wine industry. In Australia, vineyards are harvested by machines. In California, Mexicans do it.

The same comparisons can be seen from construction to car washes. Abundant labor simply makes it cheaper to hire people than to invest in more machinery.

Does that mean the economy could survive with fewer immigrants? In some areas, probably so.

But immigrants also do valuable jobs that otherwise wouldn't get done at all - because they can't be automated, because labor is too expensive, or because there simply aren't enough eligible bodies to hire.

And besides, too many of them work for Republicans.
-P

Police searches? Only if no dissenters in the house

2006-03-22T21:25:00.000-05:00

SCOTUS issued a wild 5-3 decision today (Justice Alito chilled), ruling that police without a warrant cannot search a house when one resident agrees but another says no. At first blush, it would seem this decision would cause chaos in attempted police searches.

From the San Diego Union-Tribune:

The court's liberal members, joined by centrist Anthony M. Kennedy, said Wednesday that an officer responding to a domestic dispute call did not have the authority to enter and search the home of a small-town Georgia lawyer in 2001 even though the man's wife invited him in.

Janet Randolph called police to the home in Americus, Ga., and over her husband's objections, led the officer to evidence used to charge Scott Randolph with cocaine possession. That charge has been on hold while courts considered whether the search was constitutional.

[Chief Justice John] Roberts wrote his first dissent, a harsh complaint that police may now be helpless to protect domestic abuse victims.

Roberts said that the decision apparently forbids police from entering to assist with a domestic dispute if the abuser whose behavior prompted the request for police assistance objects. Although Roberts has disagreed with other rulings since joining the court in September, it was the first time he wrote his own dissent.

[Justice David] Souter called Roberts' concerns about domestic violence a red herring.

"This case has no bearing on the capacity of the police to protect domestic victims," Souter wrote. "The question whether the police might lawfully enter over objection in order to provide any protection that might be reasonable is easily answered yes."

Of course, this administration is handy at providing the widest possible definition of "reasonableness" - see "Wiretapping, Bush Administration and -"

But also see the key phrase "without a warrant" - we'll assume police with a warrant don't care who agrees to a search, since their consent is irrelevant.

Cindy Sheehan: Time to Go Home

2006-03-19T22:50:00.000-05:00

Cindy Sheehan is a little too much of a commodity at the moment. From the San Francisco Chronicle:

She's averaging just two days per month here [ed. - in California]. The next morning she will fly off again, the surreal star of what is -- depending largely on one's political perspective -- either an epic tragedy or a farce. After stops for protests in New Orleans and Washington, D.C., she will breakfast in Manhattan with actress Susan Sarandon, who is set to portray her in a biopic movie. A crew will film Sheehan for a weekly reality series on the Sundance Channel. Her letters to President Bush inspired "Peace Mom," a one-woman monologue show in London. A memoir is due to her publisher April 1.

Sorry to be harsh, but someone needs to tell her that her 15 minutes are over.

-X

Miss Deaf Texas killed by train

2006-03-14T21:40:00.000-05:00

From MSNBC:

The reigning Miss Deaf Texas died Monday afternoon after being struck by a train, officials said.

Tara Rose McAvoy, 18, was walking near railroad tracks when she was struck by a Union Pacific train, authorities said. A witness told Austin television station KTBC the train sounded its horn right up until the accident occurred.

I'm sorry, but that headline just screams "d'oh!"

-X

On-Star: Useful service, creepy ads

2006-03-14T21:28:00.000-05:00

Is it just me, or is anyone else creeped out by On-Star's radio ads? For those unfamiliar with On-Star, it is a subscription-based service available on GM cars and trucks. If you press the little On-Star button, you can ask for emergency assistance, call for ticket reservations...all sorts of things.

Initial ads were rather funny, with actual calls from people who locked themselves out of their cars, people who ran out of gas, etc. But lately, the ads have taken a more ominous tone, with actual emergency calls from people whose passengers have had heart attacks, drivers who've just been in accidents, and so on. These ads feature screaming, hysterical people in the midst of emergencies.

The point of the ads is that these are precisely the situations where On-Star would be life-saving. At the same time, I don't think people who signed up for On-Star realized their voices would be heard on nationwide radio (I'm sure the authorization is buried somewhere in service's fine print). If it was your mother, your daughter, or your friend, would YOU want their panicked voices available in commercial format for years to come? Seems like a perverse form of emotional porn.

- P

Foreclosures rare in Katrina-hit areas

2006-03-14T21:19:00.000-05:00

Foreclosures have generally been rare in LA and MS areas hit by Katrina. Why? Three reasons: From MSNBC:

In general, homeowners with government-backed loans were allowed to suspend payments for 90 days after the Aug. 29 storm, and that period was extended for another 90 days, bringing it to March 1.

Federal guidelines, which are followed by most large lenders, then gave borrowers another 120 days before foreclosure proceedings could be initiated, bringing it up to July 1, as long as borrowers make a written commitment to work with their lender on bringing their loan up to date.

Two other reasons are based on the condition of the properties:

> Lenders, who are generally reluctant to foreclose on properties to begin with, have concerns over the extent of Katrina's damage

> Homeowners are locked in litigation with insurance companies over homeowner's and flood insurance claims.

Some good news, kind of:

Congress is providing relief that could allow many homeowners to bring their mortgages up to date and rebuild. Under a bill signed into law in December some homeowners in Mississippi can soon apply for grants of up to $150,000 to cover uninsured damages. The future is less certain for homeowners in Louisiana who suffered uninsured damages.

Interesting that Louisiana wasn't mentioned in the description of the December law. Hmmmm.

- P

South Dakota and abortion

2006-03-06T22:23:00.000-05:00

South Dakota, not previously known as a hotbed of issues other than American Indian/Native American rights, is attempting to become the first state to ban abortions outright. From CNN:

The legislation was decried by opponents who said it would particularly impact rape victims and poor women. Currently, a clinic in Sioux Falls is the only place where abortions are provided in South Dakota. The closest alternative is a Planned Parenthood location in Sioux City, Iowa, about 90 miles away.

"It's a sad state of affairs that we have only one choice (for abortion) right now," said Charon Asetoyer of the Native American Women's Health Care Education Resource Center in Lake Andes. "But if you have to go out of state, the cost of making that trip will be prohibitive."

If a rape victim becomes pregnant and bears a child, the rapist could have the same parental rights as the mother, said Krista Heeren-Graber, executive director of the South Dakota Network Against Family Violence and Sexual Assault.

"The idea the rapist could be in the child's life ... makes the woman very, very fearful. Sometimes they need to have choice," Heeren-Graber said.

About 800 abortions are performed in South Dakota each year. Leslee Unruh, president of the Alpha Center, a Sioux Falls pregnancy counseling agency that tries to steer women away from abortion, said most of them do not stem from rape or even failed contraception, but are simply 'conveniences.'

Unruh said she believes most South Dakota women want the state to ban abortion, and many who have had abortions "wish someone would have stopped them."

Gosh, maybe we should just take a poll and resolve the issue that way.

About 15 years ago, Time Magazine had a cover story on why Roe v. Wade was already moot in many rural counties, simply because there was no abortion provider available. Given 15 additional years where there has almost certainly been a further decline in abortion clinics, the "slow road" agenda of pro-lifers becomes clearer. While Operation Rescue does the dirty work of confrontation and murder, pro-life politicians have poked and prodded at the outer reaches of Roe and have gradually confined its scope. As presently constituted, the Supreme Court would seem willing to continue this "slow road" approach.

The wild cards in the debate are now birth control and the "morning after" pill. If the goal is to greatly decrease and/or eliminate abortions, one would think a logical middle ground would be in this area. But after hearing polarizing arguments from both sides, is this really the goal radicals on both sides want to achieve in the larger picture?

Hmmmmmm.....don't think so.
- X

Random numbers on the UAE-US port control debate

2006-03-06T22:17:00.000-05:00

From John Cummings, as reported on Air America Radio's website:

The number of US corporations owned by foreign interests:61,615.
The percentage of US transportation and warehousing corporations owned by foreign entities: 1.16%
The percentage of the US federal debt owned by foreign entities: 53%.

The number of cargo ships that made a port of call in the United States last year: 7,241.
The number of shipping containers received by US ports last year: 9 million.
The percentage of containers inspected by customs and border control: 5%.

The number of domestic airline passengers in 2005:590 million.
The number of bags screened by the TSA each month: 75 million.
The number of bags per day mishandled by US airlines:9,700.

What's interesting is the lack of discussion on how many US ports are operated by other Mideast nations, such as our "good friends" in Saudi Arabia.

Like a good neighbor...(not)

2006-03-06T22:12:00.000-05:00

The current issue of The American Prospect features a cover story on Sen. Rick Santorum (R-PA), whose charity, Operation Good Neighbor, has come under scrutiny for its expenses. Details also from the Philadelphia Inquirer:

Operation Good Neighbor donated about 40% of what it spent. The BBB says such groups should allocate 65%

The foundation's treasurer defended the organization's level of giving. If money set aside for future gifts is counted, she said, 45 percent of the money collected during the period will go toward charity.

"It is important to realize that the foundation does not have the same ability as better-known charities, such as the Salvation Army or or the American Red Cross, to raise money without spending much money to do so," treasurer Barbara Bonfiglio said in a letter posted last night on the charity's Web site.

.........or without so much campaigning to do for its Senator.