Sunday, November 30, 2003
US Army 46, Iraqi terrorist scumbags 0
The army missed 3 extra points but otherwise dominated in rout of Iraqi scum attempting to ambush a convoy carrying the new Iraqi money. The special teams will be working hard this week to avoid another letdown, as the score should have been a 49-0 rout.
Seriously, the Hussein loyalists, many wearing the uniform of the old Fedayeen militia, had a well planned coordinated ambush but got their asses handed to them by the fine fighting soldiers of 4th Infantry division.
An Iraqi Currency Exchange (ICE) party with "a very significant amount" of new, non-Saddam Iraqi dinar notes was being escorted by a U.S. military unit of 100, with M1A1 tanks and Bradley armored vehicles. Apache attack helicopters were also called.
"It was a well-organized and complex ambush, but they obviously picked the wrong convoy to attack. They could not have known," the source told Fox News.
The sand fleas proved to be no match for our troops and their firepower. It was nice to finally get some big points on the scoreboard.
The army missed 3 extra points but otherwise dominated in rout of Iraqi scum attempting to ambush a convoy carrying the new Iraqi money. The special teams will be working hard this week to avoid another letdown, as the score should have been a 49-0 rout.
Seriously, the Hussein loyalists, many wearing the uniform of the old Fedayeen militia, had a well planned coordinated ambush but got their asses handed to them by the fine fighting soldiers of 4th Infantry division.
An Iraqi Currency Exchange (ICE) party with "a very significant amount" of new, non-Saddam Iraqi dinar notes was being escorted by a U.S. military unit of 100, with M1A1 tanks and Bradley armored vehicles. Apache attack helicopters were also called.
"It was a well-organized and complex ambush, but they obviously picked the wrong convoy to attack. They could not have known," the source told Fox News.
The sand fleas proved to be no match for our troops and their firepower. It was nice to finally get some big points on the scoreboard.
Prime example of why I hate Wal Mart
My reasons are not political. My biggest reason is that I despise the herd mentality of the customers, as displayed when they trampled a woman in FL over a $29 DVD player.
ORANGE CITY, Fla. — A mob of shoppers rushing for a sale on DVD players trampled the first woman in line and knocked her unconscious as they scrambled for the shelves at a Wal-Mart Supercenter
Patricia VanLester had her eye on a $29 DVD player, but when the siren blared at 6 a.m. Friday announcing the start to the post-Thanksgiving sale, the 41-year-old was knocked to the ground by the frenzy of shoppers behind her.
That's why I avoid that place
"She got pushed down, and they walked over her like a herd of elephants," said VanLester's sister, Linda Ellzey. "I told them, 'Stop stepping on my sister! She's on the ground!'"
Ellzey said some shoppers tried to help VanLester, and one employee helped Ellzey reach her sister, but most people just continued their rush for deals.
"All they cared about was a stupid DVD player," she said Saturday.
It's more about Walmart shoppers than Walmart itself. On the rare occasions I do go, it is early in the morning on the weekday, lest I too get trampled by the cattle drive of trash of all sorts.
Paramedics called to the store found VanLester unconscious on top of a DVD player, surrounded by shoppers seemingly oblivious to her, said Mark O'Keefe, a spokesman for EVAC Ambulance.
She was flown to Halifax Medical Center (search) in Daytona Beach, where doctors told the family VanLester had a seizure after she was knocked down and would likely remain hospitalized through the weekend, Ellzey said. Hospital officials said Saturday they did not have any information on her condition.
"She's all black and blue," Ellzey said. "Patty doesn't remember anything. She still can't believe it all happened."
Ellzey said Wal-Mart officials called later Friday to ask about her sister, and the store apologized and offered to put a DVD player on hold for her.
Wal-Mart Stores spokeswoman Karen Burk said she had never heard of a such a melee during a sale.
"We are very disappointed this happened," Burk said. "We want her to come back as a shopper."
Given the herd mentality, she'll probably go back. As for me, I will be just down the road a little further at Target, which has nicer clientele and nicer products. Plus a pitbull with a red circle around its eye kicks the ass of a stupid smiley face any day of the week.
My reasons are not political. My biggest reason is that I despise the herd mentality of the customers, as displayed when they trampled a woman in FL over a $29 DVD player.
ORANGE CITY, Fla. — A mob of shoppers rushing for a sale on DVD players trampled the first woman in line and knocked her unconscious as they scrambled for the shelves at a Wal-Mart Supercenter
Patricia VanLester had her eye on a $29 DVD player, but when the siren blared at 6 a.m. Friday announcing the start to the post-Thanksgiving sale, the 41-year-old was knocked to the ground by the frenzy of shoppers behind her.
That's why I avoid that place
"She got pushed down, and they walked over her like a herd of elephants," said VanLester's sister, Linda Ellzey. "I told them, 'Stop stepping on my sister! She's on the ground!'"
Ellzey said some shoppers tried to help VanLester, and one employee helped Ellzey reach her sister, but most people just continued their rush for deals.
"All they cared about was a stupid DVD player," she said Saturday.
It's more about Walmart shoppers than Walmart itself. On the rare occasions I do go, it is early in the morning on the weekday, lest I too get trampled by the cattle drive of trash of all sorts.
Paramedics called to the store found VanLester unconscious on top of a DVD player, surrounded by shoppers seemingly oblivious to her, said Mark O'Keefe, a spokesman for EVAC Ambulance.
She was flown to Halifax Medical Center (search) in Daytona Beach, where doctors told the family VanLester had a seizure after she was knocked down and would likely remain hospitalized through the weekend, Ellzey said. Hospital officials said Saturday they did not have any information on her condition.
"She's all black and blue," Ellzey said. "Patty doesn't remember anything. She still can't believe it all happened."
Ellzey said Wal-Mart officials called later Friday to ask about her sister, and the store apologized and offered to put a DVD player on hold for her.
Wal-Mart Stores spokeswoman Karen Burk said she had never heard of a such a melee during a sale.
"We are very disappointed this happened," Burk said. "We want her to come back as a shopper."
Given the herd mentality, she'll probably go back. As for me, I will be just down the road a little further at Target, which has nicer clientele and nicer products. Plus a pitbull with a red circle around its eye kicks the ass of a stupid smiley face any day of the week.
Friday, November 28, 2003
But the soldiers loved his visit
The New York Post does a good job of reporting on Bush's visit. Instead of asking policy wonks from think tanks, America-hating leftists and the other usual suspects, they interviewed quite of few of the soldiers that were visited by Bush:
Pfc. Stephen Henderson, 19, of Inglewood, Calif., an Army infantryman, was delighted by the visit. "I've never been so surprised," he said. "I had no idea, not a clue. I feel uplifted. I almost forgot I was even here."
Staff Sgt. Gerrie Stokes Holloman, 34, of Baltimore, who is stationed in Wiesbaden, Germany, with the 1st Armored Division, and away from her husband Michael and sons, Andrew, 10, and Marcus, 6, said the president's visit was "great."
"It shows that he cares about us and is thinking about us," she said. "It's not easy being here. Every day you're over here, you feel depressed anyway. But it's especially hard on a holiday and this is the kickoff of the holidays."
The New York Post does a good job of reporting on Bush's visit. Instead of asking policy wonks from think tanks, America-hating leftists and the other usual suspects, they interviewed quite of few of the soldiers that were visited by Bush:
Pfc. Stephen Henderson, 19, of Inglewood, Calif., an Army infantryman, was delighted by the visit. "I've never been so surprised," he said. "I had no idea, not a clue. I feel uplifted. I almost forgot I was even here."
Staff Sgt. Gerrie Stokes Holloman, 34, of Baltimore, who is stationed in Wiesbaden, Germany, with the 1st Armored Division, and away from her husband Michael and sons, Andrew, 10, and Marcus, 6, said the president's visit was "great."
"It shows that he cares about us and is thinking about us," she said. "It's not easy being here. Every day you're over here, you feel depressed anyway. But it's especially hard on a holiday and this is the kickoff of the holidays."
More evidence the Left hates Amercia
The Washington Post "analyzes" Bush's visit to the troops in Iraq and gets their potshots in on the Prez:
they (Bush's critics) said the visit may come to reinforce their view that the administration has led the United States into a lonely occupation of Iraq without an obvious exit strategy.
Bush's entourage was fitted with ballistic vests, and the plane came in with neither running lights nor cabin lights, parking on a dark landing strip. "The message to the Iraqis is Bush doesn't think their country is secure," said Sidney Blumenthal, a former adviser to Clinton. "It underscores the insecurity, and it conveys insularity."
There are certain parts of the US where Bush would be well advised to wear ballistic vests. Anyway, it's not as if the donks are lining up to go visit our troops in Iraq.
"The fact that it's on Thanksgiving is a little bit contrived, but I don't have any problem with it," said Michael O'Hanlon, a defense analyst at the Brookings Institution and a frequent critic of the president's Iraq policy. "It's politics the way it's supposed to be, in a sense."
What other frigging day was he supposed to visit? These treasonous bastards are damn lucky we are in a democracy, or there would be a purge and these slime would be first in line to the gulag.
The Washington Post "analyzes" Bush's visit to the troops in Iraq and gets their potshots in on the Prez:
they (Bush's critics) said the visit may come to reinforce their view that the administration has led the United States into a lonely occupation of Iraq without an obvious exit strategy.
Bush's entourage was fitted with ballistic vests, and the plane came in with neither running lights nor cabin lights, parking on a dark landing strip. "The message to the Iraqis is Bush doesn't think their country is secure," said Sidney Blumenthal, a former adviser to Clinton. "It underscores the insecurity, and it conveys insularity."
There are certain parts of the US where Bush would be well advised to wear ballistic vests. Anyway, it's not as if the donks are lining up to go visit our troops in Iraq.
"The fact that it's on Thanksgiving is a little bit contrived, but I don't have any problem with it," said Michael O'Hanlon, a defense analyst at the Brookings Institution and a frequent critic of the president's Iraq policy. "It's politics the way it's supposed to be, in a sense."
What other frigging day was he supposed to visit? These treasonous bastards are damn lucky we are in a democracy, or there would be a purge and these slime would be first in line to the gulag.
Thursday, November 27, 2003
Giving Thanks
I am blessed and very thankful for my many blessings:
- My baby boy, who has changed my life for the good in so many ways
- My wife, who has made the last 3 years of my life so very wonderful
- My parents who brought me into this world and did a good job of raising me
- My dad, a tough yet tender man who worked in the steel mills and provided for us
- My mom, who always is there to congratulate or console
- My brother and all police officers that keep us safe
- My in laws, who are all that I could ask for
- My dog, who is always excited to see me and is both loving and laughable
- My grandfathers, uncles, cousins and all veterans who gave us freedom
- My freedom to worship my Lord and Savior in Mother Church
- My freedom to write this blog
- My job which is rewarding on many levels
- My friends who are quick to share a laugh, a beer, an opinion
Anyone or anything I have forgotten is by accident, thank the Lord for the many blessing I have been given.
I am blessed and very thankful for my many blessings:
- My baby boy, who has changed my life for the good in so many ways
- My wife, who has made the last 3 years of my life so very wonderful
- My parents who brought me into this world and did a good job of raising me
- My dad, a tough yet tender man who worked in the steel mills and provided for us
- My mom, who always is there to congratulate or console
- My brother and all police officers that keep us safe
- My in laws, who are all that I could ask for
- My dog, who is always excited to see me and is both loving and laughable
- My grandfathers, uncles, cousins and all veterans who gave us freedom
- My freedom to worship my Lord and Savior in Mother Church
- My freedom to write this blog
- My job which is rewarding on many levels
- My friends who are quick to share a laugh, a beer, an opinion
Anyone or anything I have forgotten is by accident, thank the Lord for the many blessing I have been given.
Wednesday, November 26, 2003
Rest in Peace
An Orange County deputy succumbed to his injuries after being struck by a car while assisting at an accident scene.
Deputy James Weaver, 37, died at Orlando Regional Medical Center on Monday night, a day after he was struck while responding to a call involving an overturned truck.
Rest in Peace, and may the Lord bless and keep you and your family.
An Orange County deputy succumbed to his injuries after being struck by a car while assisting at an accident scene.
Deputy James Weaver, 37, died at Orlando Regional Medical Center on Monday night, a day after he was struck while responding to a call involving an overturned truck.
Rest in Peace, and may the Lord bless and keep you and your family.
Democrats crumling before united and disciplined GOP
If the Washington Post says the Dems are in trouble then how bad must it really be for them? This article about how the GOP stole Medicare away from the Dems is a good one, especially considering it comes from Pravda on the Potomac. Sample quote:
For some, the experience was another milepost in the process of coming to terms with life outside of power. That old friend of many decades, the muscular AARP, entered the Medicare battle -- on the other side. The wily and experienced Sen. Edward M. Kennedy (D-Mass.) had his pocket picked. It was humiliating.
"It's an odd dynamic," said Eric Hauser, a strategist on the party's liberal wing. "When I came to Washington in the mid-'80s, the idea that Democrats ran things was just like the sun coming up in the east. Now, with each passing year, Democrats are less relevant."
If the Washington Post says the Dems are in trouble then how bad must it really be for them? This article about how the GOP stole Medicare away from the Dems is a good one, especially considering it comes from Pravda on the Potomac. Sample quote:
For some, the experience was another milepost in the process of coming to terms with life outside of power. That old friend of many decades, the muscular AARP, entered the Medicare battle -- on the other side. The wily and experienced Sen. Edward M. Kennedy (D-Mass.) had his pocket picked. It was humiliating.
"It's an odd dynamic," said Eric Hauser, a strategist on the party's liberal wing. "When I came to Washington in the mid-'80s, the idea that Democrats ran things was just like the sun coming up in the east. Now, with each passing year, Democrats are less relevant."
Tuesday, November 25, 2003
Parent of the year candidates
The first one is a followup to yesterday's story about the woman throwing a knife that became lodged in the skull of a 6 month old boy. She was throwing the knife at her boyfriend but missed and struck her infant son.
The court documents indicate that in a taped interview with state police, Hoffman admitted to throwing the knife at her live-in boyfriend while her child was in the room at about 1:10 p.m. Sunday. According to the affidavit of probable cause, Hoffman was in the kitchen preparing food when her boyfriend approached her from behind and pulled down the sweatpants she was wearing.
"As (her boyfriend) was walking away she threw a butter knife at him," the papers said. The knife did not hit the man, but instead became lodged in the head of her 61/2-month-old son, who was in the kitchen in a baby walker at the time, according to the papers.
The first one is a followup to yesterday's story about the woman throwing a knife that became lodged in the skull of a 6 month old boy. She was throwing the knife at her boyfriend but missed and struck her infant son.
The court documents indicate that in a taped interview with state police, Hoffman admitted to throwing the knife at her live-in boyfriend while her child was in the room at about 1:10 p.m. Sunday. According to the affidavit of probable cause, Hoffman was in the kitchen preparing food when her boyfriend approached her from behind and pulled down the sweatpants she was wearing.
"As (her boyfriend) was walking away she threw a butter knife at him," the papers said. The knife did not hit the man, but instead became lodged in the head of her 61/2-month-old son, who was in the kitchen in a baby walker at the time, according to the papers.
Monday, November 24, 2003
More evidence of our weak judicial system
A woman was arrested after throwing a knife that became lodged in the head of a 6 month old infant.
A Kennerdell woman was arrested Sunday following an incident in which she allegedly threw a knife that became lodged in a child's head.
Samantha C. Hoffman, 23, was placed in the Venango County jail late Sunday after she failed to post 5 percent of $20,000 bail, police said.
According to state police, Hoffman "recklessly/ carelessly threw a knife that hit the victim in the head and became embedded."
5% is
$1000!!!! She critically injures a child and for $1000 could have slept in her own bed? What the hell is wrong with this system?
The child, who was reportedly 6 months old, was listed in critical condition at Children's Hospital in Pittsburgh late Sunday.
If any hospital can save the child, that one can. Thoughts and prayers go out to the child.
A woman was arrested after throwing a knife that became lodged in the head of a 6 month old infant.
A Kennerdell woman was arrested Sunday following an incident in which she allegedly threw a knife that became lodged in a child's head.
Samantha C. Hoffman, 23, was placed in the Venango County jail late Sunday after she failed to post 5 percent of $20,000 bail, police said.
According to state police, Hoffman "recklessly/ carelessly threw a knife that hit the victim in the head and became embedded."
5% is
$1000!!!! She critically injures a child and for $1000 could have slept in her own bed? What the hell is wrong with this system?
The child, who was reportedly 6 months old, was listed in critical condition at Children's Hospital in Pittsburgh late Sunday.
If any hospital can save the child, that one can. Thoughts and prayers go out to the child.
Saturday, November 22, 2003
There are more stupid people than I thought
Michael Jackson supporters held vigils supporting the gloved one.
LOS ANGELES - Michael Jackson fans held candlelight vigils around the world Saturday to support the pop megastar as he faces allegations of child molestation.
As far as causes go, it's hard to think of any less worthy of support than a celebrity pedophile that finally couldn't buy his way out of a jam.
Faisal Malik, 29, a Los Angeles fan who helped organize a gathering near Jackson's star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame, said he believes the performer is innocent. "No other entertainer ever has opened his house so much to people," Malik said in a telephone interview. "True charity comes from the heart."
Mr. Malik also believes in the tooth fairy and Santa Claus. Michael's charity seems to come from his loins, not his heart.
Rallies were scheduled through the weekend in more than a dozen cities, including New York, Budapest and Rome. Others were planned over the next week in China and Australia.
I didn't know NAMBLA had so many chapters world wide.
Jackson surrendered to Santa Barbara County authorities on Thursday after an arrest warrant was issued alleging that he committed lewd or lascivious acts with a child under 14. Authorities have said they expect to file formal charges sometime after Thanksgiving.
After posting $3 million bail, Jackson flew to Las Vegas, where he had been working on a video. But his attorney, Mark Geragos, told the Los Angeles Times he planned to meet with Jackson at the star's Neverland ranch near Santa Barbara on Saturday.
Judging by the search warrants, he was working on some videos back at Neverland also. This sicko will soon be bunking with some product of a prison weight room.
In Paris, about 60 fans gathered on the Champs Elysees and marched through crowds of shoppers to the Arc de Triomphe. They held candles and banners with slogans of support and sang "We Are the World," the 1985 African famine relief anthem written by Jackson and Lionel Richie. "It's really hard for us," said Pascale Hatot, a 37-year-old fan from the suburbs of Paris. "I haven't been able to sleep or eat for three days."
Pascale also hasn't bathed for 3 days. Oh wait, he's *spit*French*spit*, he probably hasn't bathed in 6 months. 60 fans!?!?!?! 60 freaks in a city of 3 million and that makes world news? We are the World is a crappy song anyway, Do they Know it's Christmas was/is a much better song for famine relief.
Supporters in Rome gathered at the foot of the Spanish Steps just after darkness fell. They held candles and a sign in Italian that read: "Michael: Accused but not guilty!" "There is an interest to see him fall as a man and as an artist," said Fabrizio Basili, a 30-year-old man from Rome who wore a black shirt bearing the image of Jackson's face. "His album 'Number Ones' came out with some of his great hits, and the same day the accusations came and this is why we're suspicious."
Yup, it's all one big conspiracy to "see him fall as a man and as an artist." We've got terrorists to vaporize, I think persecuting Jacko is pretty far down the list of things to do. Plus I'm not sure he is a man, and his music lately has sucked, so how hard to we have to try to "see him fall"?
Media reports have said Jackson's alleged victim is a 12- or 13-year-old cancer survivor who visited him at Neverland, where the singer was known to hold sleep-overs for children and share his bed with youngsters.
Stuart Backerman, a spokesman for the Jackson family, said the pop star was feeling "very positive" despite the allegations against him.
45 year old men don't share their beds with 12 year olds. I'm feeling positive too, I pretty positive that Jacko can't buy his way out of this jam.
"He's fine. He's fighting mad, that's what he is. He's outraged at these allegations. But he is doing fine," Backerman said Saturday. Backerman said Jackson had received hundreds of supportive e-mails and was buoyed by his fans' loyalty. "Michael Jackson has said in the past that his fans are his most precious resource. Clearly, the demonstrations around the world reinforce his long-standing feelings for his fans," Backerman said. "He's grateful."
He's particularly grateful for 12 and 13 year old boys who are his fans. Have fun keeping house for some 300 pound monster named Tiny that benches about 450 lbs.
Michael Jackson supporters held vigils supporting the gloved one.
LOS ANGELES - Michael Jackson fans held candlelight vigils around the world Saturday to support the pop megastar as he faces allegations of child molestation.
As far as causes go, it's hard to think of any less worthy of support than a celebrity pedophile that finally couldn't buy his way out of a jam.
Faisal Malik, 29, a Los Angeles fan who helped organize a gathering near Jackson's star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame, said he believes the performer is innocent. "No other entertainer ever has opened his house so much to people," Malik said in a telephone interview. "True charity comes from the heart."
Mr. Malik also believes in the tooth fairy and Santa Claus. Michael's charity seems to come from his loins, not his heart.
Rallies were scheduled through the weekend in more than a dozen cities, including New York, Budapest and Rome. Others were planned over the next week in China and Australia.
I didn't know NAMBLA had so many chapters world wide.
Jackson surrendered to Santa Barbara County authorities on Thursday after an arrest warrant was issued alleging that he committed lewd or lascivious acts with a child under 14. Authorities have said they expect to file formal charges sometime after Thanksgiving.
After posting $3 million bail, Jackson flew to Las Vegas, where he had been working on a video. But his attorney, Mark Geragos, told the Los Angeles Times he planned to meet with Jackson at the star's Neverland ranch near Santa Barbara on Saturday.
Judging by the search warrants, he was working on some videos back at Neverland also. This sicko will soon be bunking with some product of a prison weight room.
In Paris, about 60 fans gathered on the Champs Elysees and marched through crowds of shoppers to the Arc de Triomphe. They held candles and banners with slogans of support and sang "We Are the World," the 1985 African famine relief anthem written by Jackson and Lionel Richie. "It's really hard for us," said Pascale Hatot, a 37-year-old fan from the suburbs of Paris. "I haven't been able to sleep or eat for three days."
Pascale also hasn't bathed for 3 days. Oh wait, he's *spit*French*spit*, he probably hasn't bathed in 6 months. 60 fans!?!?!?! 60 freaks in a city of 3 million and that makes world news? We are the World is a crappy song anyway, Do they Know it's Christmas was/is a much better song for famine relief.
Supporters in Rome gathered at the foot of the Spanish Steps just after darkness fell. They held candles and a sign in Italian that read: "Michael: Accused but not guilty!" "There is an interest to see him fall as a man and as an artist," said Fabrizio Basili, a 30-year-old man from Rome who wore a black shirt bearing the image of Jackson's face. "His album 'Number Ones' came out with some of his great hits, and the same day the accusations came and this is why we're suspicious."
Yup, it's all one big conspiracy to "see him fall as a man and as an artist." We've got terrorists to vaporize, I think persecuting Jacko is pretty far down the list of things to do. Plus I'm not sure he is a man, and his music lately has sucked, so how hard to we have to try to "see him fall"?
Media reports have said Jackson's alleged victim is a 12- or 13-year-old cancer survivor who visited him at Neverland, where the singer was known to hold sleep-overs for children and share his bed with youngsters.
Stuart Backerman, a spokesman for the Jackson family, said the pop star was feeling "very positive" despite the allegations against him.
45 year old men don't share their beds with 12 year olds. I'm feeling positive too, I pretty positive that Jacko can't buy his way out of this jam.
"He's fine. He's fighting mad, that's what he is. He's outraged at these allegations. But he is doing fine," Backerman said Saturday. Backerman said Jackson had received hundreds of supportive e-mails and was buoyed by his fans' loyalty. "Michael Jackson has said in the past that his fans are his most precious resource. Clearly, the demonstrations around the world reinforce his long-standing feelings for his fans," Backerman said. "He's grateful."
He's particularly grateful for 12 and 13 year old boys who are his fans. Have fun keeping house for some 300 pound monster named Tiny that benches about 450 lbs.
Why SHOULD I watch network TV?
18 to 34 year old men are tuning out to network television. As a 33 year old, I can agree with that. There are few shows to interest me. The only network shows I watch with regularity are CSI, the Law and Orders, Cold Case, and Without a Trace. As for the rest of it, screw 'em!
"There's no reason to watch," said Michael Kingsley, 30, of New York, who makes exceptions for "24," "NYPD Blue" and "The Simpsons." "There's nothing really engaging out there."
And this from an executive:
"Some of the programming just sucked," NBC Entertainment President Jeff Zucker admitted at a recent panel discussion.
What am I watching? My wife and I watch Law and Order reruns on TNT and USA. I watch A&E and the History Channel quite frequently, as well as PBS if they are doing something cool like the Jazz or Blues series. The one station here does news at 10pm, we watch that regularly as it is too hard to make it to 11pm and there isn't much on anyway. The few times I have watched ALias I have liked it, especially since Jennifer Garner is easy on the eyes.
The networks have chosen shows that are poison to the 18-34 year old male demographic, now they have to live with it. I'm tired of the "Rachel and Ross circus" on Friends. Survivor is stupid. No straight man will watch Will and Grace or any other gay-themed show. Nobody with a brain watches Whoopi. No man watches Judging Amy unless forced by his wife. Shows featuring fat guys married to hot women (King of Queens) eventually run out of jokes after 2 years.
18 to 34 year old men are tuning out to network television. As a 33 year old, I can agree with that. There are few shows to interest me. The only network shows I watch with regularity are CSI, the Law and Orders, Cold Case, and Without a Trace. As for the rest of it, screw 'em!
"There's no reason to watch," said Michael Kingsley, 30, of New York, who makes exceptions for "24," "NYPD Blue" and "The Simpsons." "There's nothing really engaging out there."
And this from an executive:
"Some of the programming just sucked," NBC Entertainment President Jeff Zucker admitted at a recent panel discussion.
What am I watching? My wife and I watch Law and Order reruns on TNT and USA. I watch A&E and the History Channel quite frequently, as well as PBS if they are doing something cool like the Jazz or Blues series. The one station here does news at 10pm, we watch that regularly as it is too hard to make it to 11pm and there isn't much on anyway. The few times I have watched ALias I have liked it, especially since Jennifer Garner is easy on the eyes.
The networks have chosen shows that are poison to the 18-34 year old male demographic, now they have to live with it. I'm tired of the "Rachel and Ross circus" on Friends. Survivor is stupid. No straight man will watch Will and Grace or any other gay-themed show. Nobody with a brain watches Whoopi. No man watches Judging Amy unless forced by his wife. Shows featuring fat guys married to hot women (King of Queens) eventually run out of jokes after 2 years.
Thursday, November 20, 2003
More Jacko nonsense
I'm sick of this circus already, and the more Jacko and his people speak the more they tick me off, such as a quote from this story . Some family friend/hanger-on is asked for some "insight" as to how Michael is doing:
"He feels he's been wrongly accused and he's going to fight this tooth and nail," Manning said. "He's at war right now and he's going to use any weapon he has to fight these charges."
When did Jacko join the marines and head over to Baghad or Tikrit? He is not "at war" and that statement is an insult to all of our fine fighting troops who ARE at war. He is a sick perverse creature who finally found a victim he couldn't buy off, in a state that passed laws specifically because of his $20 million dollar purchase of silence the last time a boy accused Jacko of molestation. Even if he is innocent, what moron, after having already been investigated for molestation, continues to prublicly proclaim how he shares a bed with prepubescent boys (from a story in Foxnews.com):
In a television documentary broadcast earlier this year, Jackson said he had slept in a bed with many children.
"When you say bed, you're thinking sexual," the singer said during the interview. "It's not sexual — we're going to sleep. I tuck them in. ... It's very charming, it's very sweet."
Real sweet. We'll see how "sweet" it is to be tucked in by some monster lifer that benches 400 pounds and hasn't seen a woman in 10 years, and it will probably be very sexual.
I'm sick of this circus already, and the more Jacko and his people speak the more they tick me off, such as a quote from this story . Some family friend/hanger-on is asked for some "insight" as to how Michael is doing:
"He feels he's been wrongly accused and he's going to fight this tooth and nail," Manning said. "He's at war right now and he's going to use any weapon he has to fight these charges."
When did Jacko join the marines and head over to Baghad or Tikrit? He is not "at war" and that statement is an insult to all of our fine fighting troops who ARE at war. He is a sick perverse creature who finally found a victim he couldn't buy off, in a state that passed laws specifically because of his $20 million dollar purchase of silence the last time a boy accused Jacko of molestation. Even if he is innocent, what moron, after having already been investigated for molestation, continues to prublicly proclaim how he shares a bed with prepubescent boys (from a story in Foxnews.com):
In a television documentary broadcast earlier this year, Jackson said he had slept in a bed with many children.
"When you say bed, you're thinking sexual," the singer said during the interview. "It's not sexual — we're going to sleep. I tuck them in. ... It's very charming, it's very sweet."
Real sweet. We'll see how "sweet" it is to be tucked in by some monster lifer that benches 400 pounds and hasn't seen a woman in 10 years, and it will probably be very sexual.
Tuesday, November 18, 2003
Gee, like this surprised anyone
The police raided Michael Jackson's home today, apparently based on allegations he molested a 12 year old. Like THAT would surprise anyone. Well, it surprised ONE person:
News of the raid came as a "complete surprise" to Jackson, a source close to the pop star told Foxnews.com's Roger Friedman.
I wonder if he is really that delusional. Well, some of his supporters are:
After word of the search spread, a motley array of Jackson supporters hastily arranged a press conference in Las Vegas Tuesday afternoon.
One woman, Donna Green, said she was a big Jackson fan who had gotten the chance to meet and speak with the singer several times over the years. She was simply there to show her support, she said, and wore a button calling for an end to the "child abuse circus."
"We love him very much," she said. "He's the nicest man I've ever met. He's not this weird person they make him out to be." She said the timing of the raid struck her as "convenient" since it coincides with the release of his latest album, "Number Ones."
Then there is this winner:
Uri Geller, a psychic and paranormalist who is a longtime friend of Jackson's, told Fox News that if the allegations are of a sexual nature, he could not believe they were true.
"I'm a father myself and I would never associate myself with anyone who would do anything with a child," said Geller, describing Jackson as "gullible, innocent, maybe a little confused ... but I would never believe he would sexually abuse a child."
If he is a psychic, how come he didn't tell Jacko the cops were coming? If Jacko is guilty, throw him in a cell and throw away the key. They are going to have a hard time protecting his bad self in the lock up.
The police raided Michael Jackson's home today, apparently based on allegations he molested a 12 year old. Like THAT would surprise anyone. Well, it surprised ONE person:
News of the raid came as a "complete surprise" to Jackson, a source close to the pop star told Foxnews.com's Roger Friedman.
I wonder if he is really that delusional. Well, some of his supporters are:
After word of the search spread, a motley array of Jackson supporters hastily arranged a press conference in Las Vegas Tuesday afternoon.
One woman, Donna Green, said she was a big Jackson fan who had gotten the chance to meet and speak with the singer several times over the years. She was simply there to show her support, she said, and wore a button calling for an end to the "child abuse circus."
"We love him very much," she said. "He's the nicest man I've ever met. He's not this weird person they make him out to be." She said the timing of the raid struck her as "convenient" since it coincides with the release of his latest album, "Number Ones."
Then there is this winner:
Uri Geller, a psychic and paranormalist who is a longtime friend of Jackson's, told Fox News that if the allegations are of a sexual nature, he could not believe they were true.
"I'm a father myself and I would never associate myself with anyone who would do anything with a child," said Geller, describing Jackson as "gullible, innocent, maybe a little confused ... but I would never believe he would sexually abuse a child."
If he is a psychic, how come he didn't tell Jacko the cops were coming? If Jacko is guilty, throw him in a cell and throw away the key. They are going to have a hard time protecting his bad self in the lock up.
Monday, November 17, 2003
Liberal condescension towards Limbaugh and his listeners
The Atlanta Urinal and Constipation has this piece trying to explain the popularity of Limbaugh. It just oozes with liberal condescension:
Today's scheduled return of Rush Limbaugh to the famed "golden microphone" of his national bully pulpit invites us to ponder the reasons for the remarkable success of his kind of radio programming. Liberals have made numerous unsuccessful attempts to create an equally popular propaganda vehicle for the other side of the ideological spectrum. What they may lack is the element of simplicity.
What they lack are the elements of common sense and truth.
Limbaugh's message is usually resoundingly and blessedly simple. (One should not assume that simplicity and truth are synonymous here.) His genius lies in reducing rather complex issues into deceptively straightforward terms. For example, the challenge of crafting environmental policies that balance legitimate economic considerations with a responsible awareness of the finitude of natural resources is dismissed as the neurotic hand wringing of tree hugging "environmentalist whackos."
For many us the environmentalists are "wackos", particularly the ones that burn new houses and SUV's, and cost jobs with their policies.
Any examination of gender inequities is spurned as the fascist agenda of "Feminazis." And so forth with every potentially thorny issue with which his listeners might otherwise have to wrestle.
Not true, Rush only blasts the extreme fringes in his diatribes.
Such concreteness and black-and-white certitude is psychologically appealing to a number of people. In an increasingly complicated world that presents the richness but also the challenges of all kinds of diversity, such a clear-cut gospel can seem like good news indeed.
Limbaugh's listeners are only too glad to circle their electronic wagons, protected by unequivocal truths, insulated from pesky nuances and grayish shades of meaning. They've got it totally right.
This is where I am starting to feel insulted. There are many of us who hold certain truths to be unequivocal: cheating is cheating, one must love our country; we don't stand for the fudging of the truth and treasonous attitudes of the Clintons, Daschles, and Kennedys of the world. We don't need someone to tell us the meaning of "is".
They live in the right country whose perpetually pure motives and universally good intentions are obvious to everyone, except for a handful of "limousine-liberal" whiners. They are even righter than right if they happen to be the correct kind of American -- Republican, Caucasian and preferably male.
That's right, us evil white men are at it again.
But their certitude consigns them to what psychoanalyst Erik Erikson called the state of psychic foreclosure. Foreclosed persons are easily attracted to the beguilingly simple, one-size-fits-all belief systems of powerful others that they adopt as their own so as to avoid the sometimes lonely rigors of personal searching. The foreclosed are the ready disciples of demagogues in every age.
Social psychologists also point to the normal, near-universal need for "social comparison," the tendency to check out our impressions -- say, of a movie or, better yet, an ambiguous scene such as a bar fight or car accident -- by instinctively comparing notes with other observers. Our hope is to confirm our own impressions and opinions in an effort to make the world feel more stable, less random. It's reassuring to be reading from the same page as others.
I have a degree and took psychology and I understand what he is saying. However, the answer is simpler than all this babble: many people hear Rush espouse the traditional values with which we were raised.
Limbaugh's brand of talk radio provides a pathologically intense version of this wish to be singing from the same hymnal. Crucial to this phenomenon is the absence of any real controversy during the broadcast. There are constant sparks of apparent conflict that make for engaging entertainment as he shadowboxes (with one hand tied behind his back, of course) with select sound bites of Hillary Rodham Clinton or Ted Kennedy.
Note that there are never any actual guests on the program; guests, even conservative ones, risk obscuring simple truths with inconvenient facts or alternative hypotheses.
There are seldom any real disagreements between the host and the already converted choir to which he bombastically preaches. Their collective nickname says it all -- they are the well-scrubbed ranks of "ditto-heads" -- people who can be counted on to shout "amen," who have little to add but a grateful and admiring "ditto."
The callers are what make the show work, both those that agree with Rush and those that disagree. Even those that usually agree with him are not afraid to blast him when they feel his wrong. An example of this was prescription drug coverage, Rush's listeners were in disagreement with him.
Sadly, the trade-off seems to be worth it for them. What they sacrifice in terms of individuality and intellectual integrity is seemingly more than offset by the potent narcotic of reassuring simplicity. Many of them probably also derive a sense of inclusion and pseudo-intimacy via this electronic fraternity of kindred spirits. Consider the somewhat pathetic character, Marty, who checks in daily with his radio "buddy," Sean Hannity, a Limbaugh clone. There are plenty of other Martys out there who regularly light up the call boards of right-wing talk jocks -- among them G. Gordon Liddy, Matt Drudge and Laura Ingraham -- who unabashedly mimic the Limbaugh formula of ideological simplicity.
What's more, callers may get a sense of derivative celebrity and charisma from seeming to hang out -- if only for a minute or two -- with a mega-rich and politically powerful figure like Limbaugh. They get a chance to feel real smart when the master seems to agree with them, failing to see that it is actually they who are agreeing with him. Further, they are mindlessly agreeing with the powerful economic interests he insidiously represents.
That's perhaps the most maddening, diabolically clever thing about his show, the faux populism that persuasively claims to be looking out for the little guy, all the while touting policies that tilt tax codes and regulatory policies further in favor of him and his kind.
To cite but one example, the privileged need not fear any thoughtful scrutiny of the conceivable wisdom of maintaining some kind of inheritance tax as long as Limbaugh can keep referring to it as an unnatural "death tax." With such an engaging apologist, the rich are home free. As Limbaugh is wont to say, "Now listen, you people, it's really quite simple."
So those of us that listen are incapable of thinking for ourselves hoping for our 2 minutes of quality time to make our miserable lives bearable. I find that the majority of Rush listeners I know are college educated and pretty bright people. We are capable of thinking for ourselves. I am an avid listener to Rush but I am capable of disagreeing with him. I think what is at work is that liberals are so used to their followers being in utter agreement with them that they can't fathom that there are 20 million people listening to Rush every day that can't stand liberals and liberalism.
The Atlanta Urinal and Constipation has this piece trying to explain the popularity of Limbaugh. It just oozes with liberal condescension:
Today's scheduled return of Rush Limbaugh to the famed "golden microphone" of his national bully pulpit invites us to ponder the reasons for the remarkable success of his kind of radio programming. Liberals have made numerous unsuccessful attempts to create an equally popular propaganda vehicle for the other side of the ideological spectrum. What they may lack is the element of simplicity.
What they lack are the elements of common sense and truth.
Limbaugh's message is usually resoundingly and blessedly simple. (One should not assume that simplicity and truth are synonymous here.) His genius lies in reducing rather complex issues into deceptively straightforward terms. For example, the challenge of crafting environmental policies that balance legitimate economic considerations with a responsible awareness of the finitude of natural resources is dismissed as the neurotic hand wringing of tree hugging "environmentalist whackos."
For many us the environmentalists are "wackos", particularly the ones that burn new houses and SUV's, and cost jobs with their policies.
Any examination of gender inequities is spurned as the fascist agenda of "Feminazis." And so forth with every potentially thorny issue with which his listeners might otherwise have to wrestle.
Not true, Rush only blasts the extreme fringes in his diatribes.
Such concreteness and black-and-white certitude is psychologically appealing to a number of people. In an increasingly complicated world that presents the richness but also the challenges of all kinds of diversity, such a clear-cut gospel can seem like good news indeed.
Limbaugh's listeners are only too glad to circle their electronic wagons, protected by unequivocal truths, insulated from pesky nuances and grayish shades of meaning. They've got it totally right.
This is where I am starting to feel insulted. There are many of us who hold certain truths to be unequivocal: cheating is cheating, one must love our country; we don't stand for the fudging of the truth and treasonous attitudes of the Clintons, Daschles, and Kennedys of the world. We don't need someone to tell us the meaning of "is".
They live in the right country whose perpetually pure motives and universally good intentions are obvious to everyone, except for a handful of "limousine-liberal" whiners. They are even righter than right if they happen to be the correct kind of American -- Republican, Caucasian and preferably male.
That's right, us evil white men are at it again.
But their certitude consigns them to what psychoanalyst Erik Erikson called the state of psychic foreclosure. Foreclosed persons are easily attracted to the beguilingly simple, one-size-fits-all belief systems of powerful others that they adopt as their own so as to avoid the sometimes lonely rigors of personal searching. The foreclosed are the ready disciples of demagogues in every age.
Social psychologists also point to the normal, near-universal need for "social comparison," the tendency to check out our impressions -- say, of a movie or, better yet, an ambiguous scene such as a bar fight or car accident -- by instinctively comparing notes with other observers. Our hope is to confirm our own impressions and opinions in an effort to make the world feel more stable, less random. It's reassuring to be reading from the same page as others.
I have a degree and took psychology and I understand what he is saying. However, the answer is simpler than all this babble: many people hear Rush espouse the traditional values with which we were raised.
Limbaugh's brand of talk radio provides a pathologically intense version of this wish to be singing from the same hymnal. Crucial to this phenomenon is the absence of any real controversy during the broadcast. There are constant sparks of apparent conflict that make for engaging entertainment as he shadowboxes (with one hand tied behind his back, of course) with select sound bites of Hillary Rodham Clinton or Ted Kennedy.
Note that there are never any actual guests on the program; guests, even conservative ones, risk obscuring simple truths with inconvenient facts or alternative hypotheses.
There are seldom any real disagreements between the host and the already converted choir to which he bombastically preaches. Their collective nickname says it all -- they are the well-scrubbed ranks of "ditto-heads" -- people who can be counted on to shout "amen," who have little to add but a grateful and admiring "ditto."
The callers are what make the show work, both those that agree with Rush and those that disagree. Even those that usually agree with him are not afraid to blast him when they feel his wrong. An example of this was prescription drug coverage, Rush's listeners were in disagreement with him.
Sadly, the trade-off seems to be worth it for them. What they sacrifice in terms of individuality and intellectual integrity is seemingly more than offset by the potent narcotic of reassuring simplicity. Many of them probably also derive a sense of inclusion and pseudo-intimacy via this electronic fraternity of kindred spirits. Consider the somewhat pathetic character, Marty, who checks in daily with his radio "buddy," Sean Hannity, a Limbaugh clone. There are plenty of other Martys out there who regularly light up the call boards of right-wing talk jocks -- among them G. Gordon Liddy, Matt Drudge and Laura Ingraham -- who unabashedly mimic the Limbaugh formula of ideological simplicity.
What's more, callers may get a sense of derivative celebrity and charisma from seeming to hang out -- if only for a minute or two -- with a mega-rich and politically powerful figure like Limbaugh. They get a chance to feel real smart when the master seems to agree with them, failing to see that it is actually they who are agreeing with him. Further, they are mindlessly agreeing with the powerful economic interests he insidiously represents.
That's perhaps the most maddening, diabolically clever thing about his show, the faux populism that persuasively claims to be looking out for the little guy, all the while touting policies that tilt tax codes and regulatory policies further in favor of him and his kind.
To cite but one example, the privileged need not fear any thoughtful scrutiny of the conceivable wisdom of maintaining some kind of inheritance tax as long as Limbaugh can keep referring to it as an unnatural "death tax." With such an engaging apologist, the rich are home free. As Limbaugh is wont to say, "Now listen, you people, it's really quite simple."
So those of us that listen are incapable of thinking for ourselves hoping for our 2 minutes of quality time to make our miserable lives bearable. I find that the majority of Rush listeners I know are college educated and pretty bright people. We are capable of thinking for ourselves. I am an avid listener to Rush but I am capable of disagreeing with him. I think what is at work is that liberals are so used to their followers being in utter agreement with them that they can't fathom that there are 20 million people listening to Rush every day that can't stand liberals and liberalism.
New York's dangerous schools
It's bad enough to deal with the guns, drugs, and crime in NYC schools; now we learn that City building inspectors slapped public schools with 2,646 "hazardous" violations this year, many of which pose potential dangers to students, reports obtained by The Post show.
Great, now parents have to worry about your kids falling out of windows, tripping on craters in the playground, or being trapped in a fire due to fire doors being bolted shut:
Some of the 1,200 buildings are firetraps because of padlocked and broken doors and blocked access to exits, the inspectors said. About 30 percent of all the violations issued, 786, concerned breaches to fire-safety prevention.
Don't yell "fire!" at PS 25 (787 Lafayette Ave.) in Brooklyn. Inspectors said the stage exit doors in the auditorium were bolted shut from the outside and ordered officials to remove the "severe" hazard.
A total of 768 violations were issued to schools for crumbling conditions inside buildings, including damaged walls, missing ceiling tiles and exposed beams, chipped paint and sunken gym floors. Inspectors were disturbed to see broken and unsafe windows in some schools and issued 67 notices for Department of Education officials to fix them.
It's bad enough to deal with the guns, drugs, and crime in NYC schools; now we learn that City building inspectors slapped public schools with 2,646 "hazardous" violations this year, many of which pose potential dangers to students, reports obtained by The Post show.
Great, now parents have to worry about your kids falling out of windows, tripping on craters in the playground, or being trapped in a fire due to fire doors being bolted shut:
Some of the 1,200 buildings are firetraps because of padlocked and broken doors and blocked access to exits, the inspectors said. About 30 percent of all the violations issued, 786, concerned breaches to fire-safety prevention.
Don't yell "fire!" at PS 25 (787 Lafayette Ave.) in Brooklyn. Inspectors said the stage exit doors in the auditorium were bolted shut from the outside and ordered officials to remove the "severe" hazard.
A total of 768 violations were issued to schools for crumbling conditions inside buildings, including damaged walls, missing ceiling tiles and exposed beams, chipped paint and sunken gym floors. Inspectors were disturbed to see broken and unsafe windows in some schools and issued 67 notices for Department of Education officials to fix them.
Liberal Urban Legends
HBO is showing the adaptation of the AIDS play Angels In America. The NY Times reviews it and furthers the urban legend that President Reagan and the Republicans did nothing to help. This is part of the liberal catechism, along with the widening gap between rich and poor that allegedly happened during "12 years of Republican rule" and other things that are supposedly the fault of Reagan.
HBO is showing the adaptation of the AIDS play Angels In America. The NY Times reviews it and furthers the urban legend that President Reagan and the Republicans did nothing to help. This is part of the liberal catechism, along with the widening gap between rich and poor that allegedly happened during "12 years of Republican rule" and other things that are supposedly the fault of Reagan.
Saturday, November 15, 2003
How snipers are trained
I like this story about sniper school at Fort Benning.
Some snipers in Vietnam were reluctant to pull the trigger after scoping in on an unsuspecting enemy, said Powell. But he said he lost one of his best friends in combat, so "I didn't have any problem with it."
This generation of snipers says much the same thing. "If you have to [shoot], you're killing someone bad," Hector said. "It doesn't bother me."
I like this story about sniper school at Fort Benning.
Some snipers in Vietnam were reluctant to pull the trigger after scoping in on an unsuspecting enemy, said Powell. But he said he lost one of his best friends in combat, so "I didn't have any problem with it."
This generation of snipers says much the same thing. "If you have to [shoot], you're killing someone bad," Hector said. "It doesn't bother me."
Corruption in the Palestinian Authority
I know, we are all shocked that Arafat and his cronies are embezzling the funds they get.
According to a recent study by the International Monetary Fund of Palestinian public finances, the President's Office annually consumes eight percent, or $74 million, of the Palestinian Authority's published budget. Of that sum, some $40 million is spent on wages; the rest is for Yasser Arafat to dispose as he pleases.
I know, we are all shocked that Arafat and his cronies are embezzling the funds they get.
According to a recent study by the International Monetary Fund of Palestinian public finances, the President's Office annually consumes eight percent, or $74 million, of the Palestinian Authority's published budget. Of that sum, some $40 million is spent on wages; the rest is for Yasser Arafat to dispose as he pleases.
The dilemma for Vladimir Putin
It seems that arresting Russia's best known businessman wasn't the great idea it seemed just a few weeks ago:
« home
DOUGLAS DAVIS:
--------------------------------------------------------------------------
Capitalism with a Stalinist faces
When the compact figure of Vladimir Putin strode onto the world stage after his success in the 2000 presidential elections, a tremor of anxiety passed through the collective body of Western leaders.
Gone was the boozy, bumbling, free-wheeling Boris Yeltsin, clown-prince of post-Soviet Russia who had unaccountably found himself in the box seat at the historic moment when his country was rolling up the Communist empire.
The new leader of the new Russia was his polar opposite. A former KGB colonel, Putin was the identikit Soviet-style apparatchik: hard-eyed, unsmiling, tightly disciplined. And he had a black-belt in judo to prove it.
The high-achieving Putin, who rose to prominence from the rat-infested slums of St Petersburg, is still obviously uneasy at the media spotlight that relentlessly picks out his slight form and follows his every move.
But Putin’s moves have been carefully orchestrated and exquisitely choreographed. While he remains reluctant to permit a smile to crack his stony façade, he has demonstrated that he is a fast learner.
American and European leaders were soon jostling to embrace their new best friend as he set about convincing the West that he was committed to continue carrying Russia down the path of democracy and upholding the principles of the free market.
But all that changed abruptly on October 25 when Russia’s most powerful political figure ordered the arrest of its most powerful economic figure.
As Mikhail Khodorkovsky was bundled off his private Tupolev 154 jet at a remote Siberian airport on that cold and misty morning three weeks ago, a new chapter in Russia’s turbulent history was being opened.
October, of course, is the season for revolution in Moscow, and just as the 1917 revolution sent an echo around the world, the 2003 revolution has raised the specter of a return of the bad old Soviet ghosts.
For those who wanted to believe that Russia was on the cusp of a new, democratic, free-enterprise destiny, the timing of Putin’s challenge to the small band of mostly Jewish oligarchs could hardly have been worse.
After all, the Moscow market had just hit a record high and the credit-rating agency Moody’s had, for the first time, just conferred investment-grade status on Russia. Not least, elections for the Duma were scheduled for December and presidential elections for next March.
Iu decision to arrest Khodorkovsky, the multi-billionaire former head of the Yukos oil empire, was an election ploy designed to woo the masses who loathe the oligarchs, it has badly misfired. The arrest sent the value of Russian stock plummeting 15 points in one day and, simultaneously, raised dark fears among the business and political classes abroad about the wisdom of investing in Russia and of trusting Putin.
Now what Putin? You tick off some of your countrymen by letting him go, or you can try him and lose out on billions of investments.
It seems that arresting Russia's best known businessman wasn't the great idea it seemed just a few weeks ago:
« home
DOUGLAS DAVIS:
--------------------------------------------------------------------------
Capitalism with a Stalinist faces
When the compact figure of Vladimir Putin strode onto the world stage after his success in the 2000 presidential elections, a tremor of anxiety passed through the collective body of Western leaders.
Gone was the boozy, bumbling, free-wheeling Boris Yeltsin, clown-prince of post-Soviet Russia who had unaccountably found himself in the box seat at the historic moment when his country was rolling up the Communist empire.
The new leader of the new Russia was his polar opposite. A former KGB colonel, Putin was the identikit Soviet-style apparatchik: hard-eyed, unsmiling, tightly disciplined. And he had a black-belt in judo to prove it.
The high-achieving Putin, who rose to prominence from the rat-infested slums of St Petersburg, is still obviously uneasy at the media spotlight that relentlessly picks out his slight form and follows his every move.
But Putin’s moves have been carefully orchestrated and exquisitely choreographed. While he remains reluctant to permit a smile to crack his stony façade, he has demonstrated that he is a fast learner.
American and European leaders were soon jostling to embrace their new best friend as he set about convincing the West that he was committed to continue carrying Russia down the path of democracy and upholding the principles of the free market.
But all that changed abruptly on October 25 when Russia’s most powerful political figure ordered the arrest of its most powerful economic figure.
As Mikhail Khodorkovsky was bundled off his private Tupolev 154 jet at a remote Siberian airport on that cold and misty morning three weeks ago, a new chapter in Russia’s turbulent history was being opened.
October, of course, is the season for revolution in Moscow, and just as the 1917 revolution sent an echo around the world, the 2003 revolution has raised the specter of a return of the bad old Soviet ghosts.
For those who wanted to believe that Russia was on the cusp of a new, democratic, free-enterprise destiny, the timing of Putin’s challenge to the small band of mostly Jewish oligarchs could hardly have been worse.
After all, the Moscow market had just hit a record high and the credit-rating agency Moody’s had, for the first time, just conferred investment-grade status on Russia. Not least, elections for the Duma were scheduled for December and presidential elections for next March.
Iu decision to arrest Khodorkovsky, the multi-billionaire former head of the Yukos oil empire, was an election ploy designed to woo the masses who loathe the oligarchs, it has badly misfired. The arrest sent the value of Russian stock plummeting 15 points in one day and, simultaneously, raised dark fears among the business and political classes abroad about the wisdom of investing in Russia and of trusting Putin.
Now what Putin? You tick off some of your countrymen by letting him go, or you can try him and lose out on billions of investments.
Thursday, November 13, 2003
The Emperor has no clothes
A great piece in the Jerusalem Post tells of the impending collapse of the Saudi royal family:
One is at a loss to seek throughout history a comparably brazen, stupid, and criminal combination of theft, waste, oppression, obscurantism, hypocrisy and belligerency. Morally, economically, and socially - it is predestined to collapse.
A great piece in the Jerusalem Post tells of the impending collapse of the Saudi royal family:
One is at a loss to seek throughout history a comparably brazen, stupid, and criminal combination of theft, waste, oppression, obscurantism, hypocrisy and belligerency. Morally, economically, and socially - it is predestined to collapse.
A good judge
We often rightly criticize the bad judges out there; I am proud to praise
Bedford County (PA) Judge Daniel Howsare.
A convicted child molester reportedly dying of cancer will not be released from prison early so he can spend his last days with his family, a judge ruled.
Bedford County Judge Daniel Howsare yesterday ruled that he could not release John Chalfont Sr. from prison to die at home and that he was receiving adequate medical care in prison.
"I have no authority to release people from prison for humanitarian reasons," Howsare said. "If that's the case, then eight or 10 other people should be released for the same reason."
Chalfont Sr., 62, of Bedford, is serving 2 1/2 to 5 years in state prison for his March 2001 conviction for assaulting a 7-year-old girl.
Die a slow painful death you evil bastard.
We often rightly criticize the bad judges out there; I am proud to praise
Bedford County (PA) Judge Daniel Howsare.
A convicted child molester reportedly dying of cancer will not be released from prison early so he can spend his last days with his family, a judge ruled.
Bedford County Judge Daniel Howsare yesterday ruled that he could not release John Chalfont Sr. from prison to die at home and that he was receiving adequate medical care in prison.
"I have no authority to release people from prison for humanitarian reasons," Howsare said. "If that's the case, then eight or 10 other people should be released for the same reason."
Chalfont Sr., 62, of Bedford, is serving 2 1/2 to 5 years in state prison for his March 2001 conviction for assaulting a 7-year-old girl.
Die a slow painful death you evil bastard.
Wednesday, November 12, 2003
A good opinion piece about Iraq
This good column from the Guardian is interesting in that it points out that perhaps the US needs to be less idealistic about democracy in Iraq and more imperial, how the British used to be:
None the less, I suggested, there is a fundamental difference between the British and the American approach. While the Americans, for reasons connected with their own past, seek to solve the Iraqi problem by encouraging the development of democracy, the British, with their long experience of colonial campaigning and their recent exposure to Irish terrorism, take a more pragmatic attitude.
They recognise that Iraq is still a tribal society and that the key to pacification lies in identifying tribal leaders and other big men, in recognising social divisions that can be exploited, and in using a mixture of stick and carrot to restore and maintain order.
This good column from the Guardian is interesting in that it points out that perhaps the US needs to be less idealistic about democracy in Iraq and more imperial, how the British used to be:
None the less, I suggested, there is a fundamental difference between the British and the American approach. While the Americans, for reasons connected with their own past, seek to solve the Iraqi problem by encouraging the development of democracy, the British, with their long experience of colonial campaigning and their recent exposure to Irish terrorism, take a more pragmatic attitude.
They recognise that Iraq is still a tribal society and that the key to pacification lies in identifying tribal leaders and other big men, in recognising social divisions that can be exploited, and in using a mixture of stick and carrot to restore and maintain order.
A great article about a veteran
The always dependable Steve Dunleavy, friend of the little guy, has a great piece about a Vietnam vet.
Veterans Day is many things to many people, and former Recon Cpl. Macauley doesn't need a calendar for his nightmares. "I think most veterans hope and pray that the general public, who the fighting men and women in the armed services guaranteed to protect, do their own thinking and not see this as a Veterans Day sale in a department store."
The always dependable Steve Dunleavy, friend of the little guy, has a great piece about a Vietnam vet.
Veterans Day is many things to many people, and former Recon Cpl. Macauley doesn't need a calendar for his nightmares. "I think most veterans hope and pray that the general public, who the fighting men and women in the armed services guaranteed to protect, do their own thinking and not see this as a Veterans Day sale in a department store."
Teens drive fast and gamble and drink and do drugs
There is a study out in the Gainesville Sun stating that teens that drive fast are prone to other vices, like gambling and doing drugs.
I drove fast as a teen (and still do) and never had any bookies on my speed dial. I have news: teens drive fast. That is a fact that will keep me up at night when my son is old enough to drive. It's something to do with testosterone, us guys are going to drive fast. Unfortunately, bad things can happen at high speeds. I knew all of the studies, saw pictures of bad accidents. My dad's best friend owns a towing company and I saw the cars towed in from fatalities, I could see the blood on the dashboard. Guess what? From 16 until about 22 I felt that I was immortal and invincible (and given enough tequila, invisible). I'm not condoning this behavior, I'm just pointing out the absurdity of this study.
There is a study out in the Gainesville Sun stating that teens that drive fast are prone to other vices, like gambling and doing drugs.
I drove fast as a teen (and still do) and never had any bookies on my speed dial. I have news: teens drive fast. That is a fact that will keep me up at night when my son is old enough to drive. It's something to do with testosterone, us guys are going to drive fast. Unfortunately, bad things can happen at high speeds. I knew all of the studies, saw pictures of bad accidents. My dad's best friend owns a towing company and I saw the cars towed in from fatalities, I could see the blood on the dashboard. Guess what? From 16 until about 22 I felt that I was immortal and invincible (and given enough tequila, invisible). I'm not condoning this behavior, I'm just pointing out the absurdity of this study.
Tuesday, November 11, 2003
Veteran's Day
Today is Veteran's Day, originally Armistice Day as it was on this day in 1918 that the Great War, World War I, came to an end. Please remember the sacrifices of our veterans on this day. Some stories for your consideration:
This story about Jewish Veterans and the contributions of Jews to our military
Veterans greet returning soldiers at BWI airport
Infuriating story of a widow getting the runaround by the VA
Today is Veteran's Day, originally Armistice Day as it was on this day in 1918 that the Great War, World War I, came to an end. Please remember the sacrifices of our veterans on this day. Some stories for your consideration:
This story about Jewish Veterans and the contributions of Jews to our military
Veterans greet returning soldiers at BWI airport
Infuriating story of a widow getting the runaround by the VA
Sunday, November 09, 2003
A good laugh
For those of us that are sick of those supposedly motivational posters I present you The Demotivators courtesy of despair.com. Funny stuff! Example:
For those of us that are sick of those supposedly motivational posters I present you The Demotivators courtesy of despair.com. Funny stuff! Example:
Saturday, November 08, 2003
Another shining example of union behavior
A Chicago based union had 9 of its member arrested for torching theaters of 3 big movie theater chains.
Members of the Chicago-area movie projectionists union used crude smoke bombs in 20 occupied theaters in 10 states from New York to Texas to force three national theater chains to give them better contracts or hire union workers, federal prosecutors alleged Friday.
The 14-count indictment alleges that the nine men--all but one of them Chicago-area residents--traveled to theaters owned by chains that did not employ union members in their Chicago-area projection booths. At the theaters, they would plant plastic cups or bags filled with brake fluid and chlorine pellets that would chemically react, smoking and sending off noxious fumes at first, then in many cases bursting into flame, the indictment says.
That sounds like an act of terrorism to me, let's treat these scum like terrorists. Existing laws probably don't carry a strong enough penalty, and giving these idiots 50 year sentences might deter other friends of the working man.
Officials said the use of the chemical smoke bombs, which take a short while to begin flaming, allowed the suspects time to leave theaters. The attacks took place while patrons were at the theaters, including seven in Chicago suburbs, and thousands of people had to be evacuated from theaters in the 20 incidents. They were meant to send a "violent message" that the theater chains should employ union workers on the union's terms, prosecutors said.
If the unions supported the Republicans, the union thugs would justly be called the terrorists they are. They are using violence against innocent people to try to influence policy.
None of the fires appears to have caused serious injuries, though several people were treated at hospitals. The most high-profile incident occurred Aug. 15, 1998, when 4,000 people had to be evacuated and at least 21 were injured at Sony theaters at Broadway and 68th Street in New York City.
"To sort of take credit" for the incidents, the alleged arsonists would leave either CD covers from an album by the group Chicago or ads for shows playing at Chicago theaters, said U.S. Atty. Patrick Fitzgerald in the news conference announcing the indictments. The investigation is continuing.
"Organized labor has no business engaging in organized arson," Fitzgerald said.
Maybe not, but it sure has committed other crimes throughout the last 100 years, including murder, arson, assault, corruption, bribery, and other felonies.
At the time of the arsons, the union was having disputes with the targeted theater chains, AMC Entertainment Inc. of Kansas City, Mo.; Cinemark USA Inc. of Plano, Texas; and the companies that later merged to form Loews Cineplex Entertainment Corp. of New York. The motivation of the attacks recalled allegations that have dogged the Motion Picture Projectionists, Operators and Video Technicians Local 110 almost since its creation in 1915, tied the union to Chicago's mob and made members targets of several federal investigations over the years.
A proud tradition of 88 years of violence
Those indicted included Albin C. Brenkus, the $93,000-a-year business manager of the union, as well as six other union members and two men allegedly promised jobs in the union.
Prosecutors said the plot began in early 1998, when Brenkus, 60, of Willowbrook allegedly gave chlorine pellets to Kent Dickinson, 52, of Bonfield, Ill., another member of the union, and met with union member Joseph Marjan, 29, of Riverdale, and others to explain how to make the incendiary devices.
Brenkus and Carl A. Covelli, 48, of Westchester, Keith J. Dutton, 48, of Chicago, and Peter J. Lipa, 48, of Wonder Lake, all union members, were arrested Friday. The four made court appearances before Magistrate Judge Sydney Schenkier in mid-afternoon, though Schenkier ordered them jailed until a detention hearing Monday.
Attorneys for most of the defendants either were unavailable or refused comment Friday. As he left court, Dutton said the charges were not true. Later his attorney, Vincent Pagano, said the fact that the investigation lasted five years shows "this is a weak case."
Two other defendants, Michael Rossi, 44, of Ingleside, and Peter Macari, 40, of Plainfield, were sentenced to prison earlier this year on state charges in connection with the baseball bat beating of the manager of a Melrose Park Cinemark Theater at his home in Elmhurst in August 1999.
Fine upstanding citizens, one and all.
Attorneys for Marjan and Dickinson were negotiating their surrender, and prosecutors are contacting military authorities about Gregory J. Tortorello, formerly of Bloomingdale, who is serving in the Army at Ft. Stewart, Ga.
Another person, called Individual A, also is alleged to be involved in the conspiracy. Officials would not identify him.
Federal authorities investigated the arsons starting with the March 29, 1998, hits on AMC theaters in Warrenville and South Barrington. At the time police said they had no suspects, but the union had voiced its objection to non-union labor running the theaters' projectors.
The attacks ended Aug. 20, 1999, with one in Merriam, Kan., against a Cinemark theater.
Try the soldier in whichever court, military or civilian, that gives him the harshest sentence. He needs to learn that we need to fight terrorism, not participate in it.
Penalties could be as much as 20 years on arson conspiracy counts; 5 years for interstate travel counts; and 10 years on an obstruction of justice count leveled against Brenkus in an incident in which he allegedly told Marjan to lie to federal investigators when a grand jury investigation began. The FBI, the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, the Elmhurst Police Department and the DuPage County state's attorney's office assisted in the investigation.
These penalties are nice, but as I said earlier, throw in some terrorism charges and put them away for life. I come from a union state, and am the son of 2 union members. Unions were created for a good purpose, as the owners of the steel mills, coal mines, textile mills, and other industries treated their employees very inhumanely. Organized labor now seems to have outlived its usefulness.
A Chicago based union had 9 of its member arrested for torching theaters of 3 big movie theater chains.
Members of the Chicago-area movie projectionists union used crude smoke bombs in 20 occupied theaters in 10 states from New York to Texas to force three national theater chains to give them better contracts or hire union workers, federal prosecutors alleged Friday.
The 14-count indictment alleges that the nine men--all but one of them Chicago-area residents--traveled to theaters owned by chains that did not employ union members in their Chicago-area projection booths. At the theaters, they would plant plastic cups or bags filled with brake fluid and chlorine pellets that would chemically react, smoking and sending off noxious fumes at first, then in many cases bursting into flame, the indictment says.
That sounds like an act of terrorism to me, let's treat these scum like terrorists. Existing laws probably don't carry a strong enough penalty, and giving these idiots 50 year sentences might deter other friends of the working man.
Officials said the use of the chemical smoke bombs, which take a short while to begin flaming, allowed the suspects time to leave theaters. The attacks took place while patrons were at the theaters, including seven in Chicago suburbs, and thousands of people had to be evacuated from theaters in the 20 incidents. They were meant to send a "violent message" that the theater chains should employ union workers on the union's terms, prosecutors said.
If the unions supported the Republicans, the union thugs would justly be called the terrorists they are. They are using violence against innocent people to try to influence policy.
None of the fires appears to have caused serious injuries, though several people were treated at hospitals. The most high-profile incident occurred Aug. 15, 1998, when 4,000 people had to be evacuated and at least 21 were injured at Sony theaters at Broadway and 68th Street in New York City.
"To sort of take credit" for the incidents, the alleged arsonists would leave either CD covers from an album by the group Chicago or ads for shows playing at Chicago theaters, said U.S. Atty. Patrick Fitzgerald in the news conference announcing the indictments. The investigation is continuing.
"Organized labor has no business engaging in organized arson," Fitzgerald said.
Maybe not, but it sure has committed other crimes throughout the last 100 years, including murder, arson, assault, corruption, bribery, and other felonies.
At the time of the arsons, the union was having disputes with the targeted theater chains, AMC Entertainment Inc. of Kansas City, Mo.; Cinemark USA Inc. of Plano, Texas; and the companies that later merged to form Loews Cineplex Entertainment Corp. of New York. The motivation of the attacks recalled allegations that have dogged the Motion Picture Projectionists, Operators and Video Technicians Local 110 almost since its creation in 1915, tied the union to Chicago's mob and made members targets of several federal investigations over the years.
A proud tradition of 88 years of violence
Those indicted included Albin C. Brenkus, the $93,000-a-year business manager of the union, as well as six other union members and two men allegedly promised jobs in the union.
Prosecutors said the plot began in early 1998, when Brenkus, 60, of Willowbrook allegedly gave chlorine pellets to Kent Dickinson, 52, of Bonfield, Ill., another member of the union, and met with union member Joseph Marjan, 29, of Riverdale, and others to explain how to make the incendiary devices.
Brenkus and Carl A. Covelli, 48, of Westchester, Keith J. Dutton, 48, of Chicago, and Peter J. Lipa, 48, of Wonder Lake, all union members, were arrested Friday. The four made court appearances before Magistrate Judge Sydney Schenkier in mid-afternoon, though Schenkier ordered them jailed until a detention hearing Monday.
Attorneys for most of the defendants either were unavailable or refused comment Friday. As he left court, Dutton said the charges were not true. Later his attorney, Vincent Pagano, said the fact that the investigation lasted five years shows "this is a weak case."
Two other defendants, Michael Rossi, 44, of Ingleside, and Peter Macari, 40, of Plainfield, were sentenced to prison earlier this year on state charges in connection with the baseball bat beating of the manager of a Melrose Park Cinemark Theater at his home in Elmhurst in August 1999.
Fine upstanding citizens, one and all.
Attorneys for Marjan and Dickinson were negotiating their surrender, and prosecutors are contacting military authorities about Gregory J. Tortorello, formerly of Bloomingdale, who is serving in the Army at Ft. Stewart, Ga.
Another person, called Individual A, also is alleged to be involved in the conspiracy. Officials would not identify him.
Federal authorities investigated the arsons starting with the March 29, 1998, hits on AMC theaters in Warrenville and South Barrington. At the time police said they had no suspects, but the union had voiced its objection to non-union labor running the theaters' projectors.
The attacks ended Aug. 20, 1999, with one in Merriam, Kan., against a Cinemark theater.
Try the soldier in whichever court, military or civilian, that gives him the harshest sentence. He needs to learn that we need to fight terrorism, not participate in it.
Penalties could be as much as 20 years on arson conspiracy counts; 5 years for interstate travel counts; and 10 years on an obstruction of justice count leveled against Brenkus in an incident in which he allegedly told Marjan to lie to federal investigators when a grand jury investigation began. The FBI, the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, the Elmhurst Police Department and the DuPage County state's attorney's office assisted in the investigation.
These penalties are nice, but as I said earlier, throw in some terrorism charges and put them away for life. I come from a union state, and am the son of 2 union members. Unions were created for a good purpose, as the owners of the steel mills, coal mines, textile mills, and other industries treated their employees very inhumanely. Organized labor now seems to have outlived its usefulness.
Eating ain't cheating, or is anyone straight in NH anymore?
First there was the gay anti-bishop Vicki Gene Robinson in New Hampshire. Now, there is this case where the NH Supreme Court ruled that lesbian sex isn't adultery. In the justice's defense, the state laws didn't define sex so the judges went with Webster's definition which includes the word "intercourse". FL, GA, and SC have redefined their adultery definition to include homosexuals. The worst part of this is that the husband can't use his wife's infidelity against her, so he'll probably be screwed. Even the gays wanted the court to rule that, as anyone not wearing a judicial robe can see, cheating is cheating.
First there was the gay anti-bishop Vicki Gene Robinson in New Hampshire. Now, there is this case where the NH Supreme Court ruled that lesbian sex isn't adultery. In the justice's defense, the state laws didn't define sex so the judges went with Webster's definition which includes the word "intercourse". FL, GA, and SC have redefined their adultery definition to include homosexuals. The worst part of this is that the husband can't use his wife's infidelity against her, so he'll probably be screwed. Even the gays wanted the court to rule that, as anyone not wearing a judicial robe can see, cheating is cheating.
First do no harm????
I came across this story in the Miami Herald, a story of doctors using drugs for conditions unrelated to the drugs' original intent.
On Sept. 17, 2002, Snyder gave birth to two healthy girls. Within days, however, her lungs filled with fluid, her heart began to fail and she was told she might need a heart transplant. She recovered, but she's been told she can never have a baby again. Her heart wouldn't stand the strain.
Terbutaline is an asthma drug, and the Food and Drug Administration hasn't approved its use to prevent premature labor. The FDA has warned doctors that the treatment is "potentially dangerous" and may not be effective. Snyder said her doctor never told her about the warning or that the FDA had approved terbutaline only to treat asthma.
So the doctors are making this stuff as they go along? Read more examples:
Doctors are giving their patients epilepsy drugs for depression and hot flashes and to help them lose weight. They use antidepressants to treat premature ejaculation and pain, and powerful antipsychotics for insomnia and attention deficit disorder. High blood-pressure pills are prescribed for headaches and anxiety; antibiotics are used to treat viruses.
There seems to be some major violations of the Hypocratic oath here. Are they just making it up as they go along? Here is one doctor's opinion:
"I think experiment is too good a word," said Thorp, a professor of obstetrics at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. "It implies observation, measurement, alteration — that you're actually conducting science. Clinical crap-shoot would probably be better."
I think I'll tell my doctor to go to Vegas if he wants to shoot craps. It appears that we, the patients, need to make sure we know what our doctors are doing. That also means checking that medical consent form very closely:
Last year, 63 percent of the more than 392,000 prescriptions for terbutaline pills were for pregnant women, despite pharmaceutical company labels that warn against the asthma drug being used this way.
Snyder's medical records from Matria include signed consent forms that say, among other things, that some of the treatments being prescribed by her doctor may involve the use of drugs "outside of their labeling." Only after having congestive heart failure, Snyder said, did she learn what those cryptic words meant.
While her heart has improved enough that she doesn't need a transplant, Snyder, 30, said her doctors had told her she couldn't have more children; pregnancy would be too dangerous for her heart. Snyder and her husband, Chris, had wanted to have more children. Because they used in vitro fertilization to have their twins, they have other frozen embryos. Now, those embryos remain in limbo.
"I hate terbutaline. I hate what they did," Chris Snyder said.
I guarantee I will be checking the wording of my consent forms from now on. No longer will I just sign off without actually reading it.
I came across this story in the Miami Herald, a story of doctors using drugs for conditions unrelated to the drugs' original intent.
On Sept. 17, 2002, Snyder gave birth to two healthy girls. Within days, however, her lungs filled with fluid, her heart began to fail and she was told she might need a heart transplant. She recovered, but she's been told she can never have a baby again. Her heart wouldn't stand the strain.
Terbutaline is an asthma drug, and the Food and Drug Administration hasn't approved its use to prevent premature labor. The FDA has warned doctors that the treatment is "potentially dangerous" and may not be effective. Snyder said her doctor never told her about the warning or that the FDA had approved terbutaline only to treat asthma.
So the doctors are making this stuff as they go along? Read more examples:
Doctors are giving their patients epilepsy drugs for depression and hot flashes and to help them lose weight. They use antidepressants to treat premature ejaculation and pain, and powerful antipsychotics for insomnia and attention deficit disorder. High blood-pressure pills are prescribed for headaches and anxiety; antibiotics are used to treat viruses.
There seems to be some major violations of the Hypocratic oath here. Are they just making it up as they go along? Here is one doctor's opinion:
"I think experiment is too good a word," said Thorp, a professor of obstetrics at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. "It implies observation, measurement, alteration — that you're actually conducting science. Clinical crap-shoot would probably be better."
I think I'll tell my doctor to go to Vegas if he wants to shoot craps. It appears that we, the patients, need to make sure we know what our doctors are doing. That also means checking that medical consent form very closely:
Last year, 63 percent of the more than 392,000 prescriptions for terbutaline pills were for pregnant women, despite pharmaceutical company labels that warn against the asthma drug being used this way.
Snyder's medical records from Matria include signed consent forms that say, among other things, that some of the treatments being prescribed by her doctor may involve the use of drugs "outside of their labeling." Only after having congestive heart failure, Snyder said, did she learn what those cryptic words meant.
While her heart has improved enough that she doesn't need a transplant, Snyder, 30, said her doctors had told her she couldn't have more children; pregnancy would be too dangerous for her heart. Snyder and her husband, Chris, had wanted to have more children. Because they used in vitro fertilization to have their twins, they have other frozen embryos. Now, those embryos remain in limbo.
"I hate terbutaline. I hate what they did," Chris Snyder said.
I guarantee I will be checking the wording of my consent forms from now on. No longer will I just sign off without actually reading it.
Reap what you sow
Now it's Saudi Arabia's turn to bear the brunt of terrorist attacks. Maybe if they didn't coddle and fund the terrorists this wouldn't happen. How does it feel?
Now it's Saudi Arabia's turn to bear the brunt of terrorist attacks. Maybe if they didn't coddle and fund the terrorists this wouldn't happen. How does it feel?
Thursday, November 06, 2003
Home Run!
The one saving grace of the leftist trash paper here in Gainesville is the editorial cartoonist Jake Fuller. His cartoon today completely captures the idiocy of the county commission here which refuses to build roads to handle the traffic.
The one saving grace of the leftist trash paper here in Gainesville is the editorial cartoonist Jake Fuller. His cartoon today completely captures the idiocy of the county commission here which refuses to build roads to handle the traffic.
Wednesday, November 05, 2003
Vacancy on death row in Georgia
GA executed a man convicted of murdering a woman back in 1975.
JACKSON -- Convicted killer James Willie Brown was executed Tuesday for the 1975 rape and murder of a woman he met in an Atlanta nightclub.
Brown, the third man put to death by lethal injection in Georgia this year, died at 8:32 p.m., after a delay of more than an hour while the U.S. Supreme Court considered his case.
Rehnquist: "Anybody care?"
O'Connor: "They don't execute people in Europe. We should be more like Europeans, their laws are much better than ours"
Scalia: "Whatever, you commie. Let him die"
Rehnquist: "Since you lefties don't care about him since he is a while male, I say we let him die. We've only talked about this for 10 minutes, let's wait before saying no, let them think we actually deliberated."
The court denied his late appeal, as the 11th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals and U.S. District Judge J. Owen Forrester had done earlier in the day.
Strike 1! Strike 2! Strike 3! You're out!!!
Lawyers for Brown had argued unsuccessfully that their client should not be executed because he suffered from paranoid schizophrenia.
Impending death should make somebody paranoid.
On Friday the state Board of Pardons and Paroles rejected Brown's clemency pleas.
Just not his day!
The execution process started at 8:25 p.m. and lasted seven minutes. Brown, who appeared emotionless throughout, declined to make a last statement or have a final prayer said for him.
His arms strapped down and a white sheet covering him to his chest, Brown lay motionless, his eyes open, on a hospital-like bed tilted so his face was visible to witnesses. As the lethal chemicals took effect, he closed his eyes and stopped breathing.
Gwinnett County District Attorney Danny Porter sat on the first row of witnesses, who watched through a glass partition from an adjoining room.
About 4 p.m. Brown ate his final meal, a foot-long chili dog with trimmings, french fries, a dill pickle, strawberry ice cream and a 7UP.
There's a show for the Food Network: "Last Meals". Martha Stewart might be going to Club Fed for a while, she could host. Maybe Emeril, he could joke about the electric chair and "kicking it up a notch."
The 55-year-old Gwinnett County man was the 33rd person executed in Georgia since the U.S. Supreme Court reinstated the death penalty in 1976. He was the 11th to die by lethal injection since 2001, when the Georgia Supreme Court declared the electric chair cruel and unusual punishment, and the first person executed in the state since Carl Isaacs in May.
6 whole months without an execution??? Pick it up there Georgia!
Brown met Brenda Sue Watson, a topless dancer, on May 12, 1975, at the What It Is lounge on Peachtree Street, according to testimony. The couple went to the Mark Inn lounge in Stone Mountain, where they ate dinner, drank and played pinball.
Brown later took Watson to an old logging road in Gwinnett County near the DeKalb County line. He bound her with nylon cord, raped, sodomized and suffocated her.
Brown had served prison time for a previous rape and was wanted by DeKalb authorities for another killing when he was arrested in Watson's death.
So this guy is a real piece of garbage that should not have been breathing air to begin with, a creature that had already committed rape and murder. Gotta love that revolving door justice system.
A fellow jail inmate who testified against Brown at his trial recanted her story. Anita Jean Tucker told jurors that Brown advised her to act insane in order to win exoneration. But Tucker later said she lied because she hoped to get a lighter sentence in exchange for her testimony.
Whatever. Give her the needle too while we have it out.
The execution was opposed by Georgians For Alternatives to the Death Penalty, which maintained a vigil outside the Georgia Diagnostic and Classification Prison in Jackson, where death row inmates are held and executions carried out.
Eight protesters held signs condemning the execution. The coordinator of the group, Jennifer Nutton, held a sign reading, "Execution is not the cure for mental illness."
8 protesters. 8 friggin protesters and they get a mention??? And Miss Nutton, execution cures lots of things. Mr Brown isn't suffering from his mental illness anymore, is he?
Nutton said, "I think James Brown is mentally ill. I think it is unjust to execute someone who is mentally ill."
Amnesty International's Laura Moye said three of Watson's aunts asked the parole board to commute Brown's sentence to life in prison without possibility of parole.
I think it's unjust to rape and kill, but nobody seems to be protesting that. I like the condemned's own brother's take on the situation:
Brown's brother, Harold, who lives in Lawrenceville, has said that his brother was not mentally ill but a mean man who deserved his fate.
GA executed a man convicted of murdering a woman back in 1975.
JACKSON -- Convicted killer James Willie Brown was executed Tuesday for the 1975 rape and murder of a woman he met in an Atlanta nightclub.
Brown, the third man put to death by lethal injection in Georgia this year, died at 8:32 p.m., after a delay of more than an hour while the U.S. Supreme Court considered his case.
Rehnquist: "Anybody care?"
O'Connor: "They don't execute people in Europe. We should be more like Europeans, their laws are much better than ours"
Scalia: "Whatever, you commie. Let him die"
Rehnquist: "Since you lefties don't care about him since he is a while male, I say we let him die. We've only talked about this for 10 minutes, let's wait before saying no, let them think we actually deliberated."
The court denied his late appeal, as the 11th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals and U.S. District Judge J. Owen Forrester had done earlier in the day.
Strike 1! Strike 2! Strike 3! You're out!!!
Lawyers for Brown had argued unsuccessfully that their client should not be executed because he suffered from paranoid schizophrenia.
Impending death should make somebody paranoid.
On Friday the state Board of Pardons and Paroles rejected Brown's clemency pleas.
Just not his day!
The execution process started at 8:25 p.m. and lasted seven minutes. Brown, who appeared emotionless throughout, declined to make a last statement or have a final prayer said for him.
His arms strapped down and a white sheet covering him to his chest, Brown lay motionless, his eyes open, on a hospital-like bed tilted so his face was visible to witnesses. As the lethal chemicals took effect, he closed his eyes and stopped breathing.
Gwinnett County District Attorney Danny Porter sat on the first row of witnesses, who watched through a glass partition from an adjoining room.
About 4 p.m. Brown ate his final meal, a foot-long chili dog with trimmings, french fries, a dill pickle, strawberry ice cream and a 7UP.
There's a show for the Food Network: "Last Meals". Martha Stewart might be going to Club Fed for a while, she could host. Maybe Emeril, he could joke about the electric chair and "kicking it up a notch."
The 55-year-old Gwinnett County man was the 33rd person executed in Georgia since the U.S. Supreme Court reinstated the death penalty in 1976. He was the 11th to die by lethal injection since 2001, when the Georgia Supreme Court declared the electric chair cruel and unusual punishment, and the first person executed in the state since Carl Isaacs in May.
6 whole months without an execution??? Pick it up there Georgia!
Brown met Brenda Sue Watson, a topless dancer, on May 12, 1975, at the What It Is lounge on Peachtree Street, according to testimony. The couple went to the Mark Inn lounge in Stone Mountain, where they ate dinner, drank and played pinball.
Brown later took Watson to an old logging road in Gwinnett County near the DeKalb County line. He bound her with nylon cord, raped, sodomized and suffocated her.
Brown had served prison time for a previous rape and was wanted by DeKalb authorities for another killing when he was arrested in Watson's death.
So this guy is a real piece of garbage that should not have been breathing air to begin with, a creature that had already committed rape and murder. Gotta love that revolving door justice system.
A fellow jail inmate who testified against Brown at his trial recanted her story. Anita Jean Tucker told jurors that Brown advised her to act insane in order to win exoneration. But Tucker later said she lied because she hoped to get a lighter sentence in exchange for her testimony.
Whatever. Give her the needle too while we have it out.
The execution was opposed by Georgians For Alternatives to the Death Penalty, which maintained a vigil outside the Georgia Diagnostic and Classification Prison in Jackson, where death row inmates are held and executions carried out.
Eight protesters held signs condemning the execution. The coordinator of the group, Jennifer Nutton, held a sign reading, "Execution is not the cure for mental illness."
8 protesters. 8 friggin protesters and they get a mention??? And Miss Nutton, execution cures lots of things. Mr Brown isn't suffering from his mental illness anymore, is he?
Nutton said, "I think James Brown is mentally ill. I think it is unjust to execute someone who is mentally ill."
Amnesty International's Laura Moye said three of Watson's aunts asked the parole board to commute Brown's sentence to life in prison without possibility of parole.
I think it's unjust to rape and kill, but nobody seems to be protesting that. I like the condemned's own brother's take on the situation:
Brown's brother, Harold, who lives in Lawrenceville, has said that his brother was not mentally ill but a mean man who deserved his fate.
I don't know how single parents do it
I'm Mr. Mom this week, as my wife is on a business trip until Friday evening. Our son is almost 5 months, and taking care of him by myself is making me respect single parents, this is tough! On top of things, he has a cold. 26 hours into this and I haven't screwed him up yet, he is watching lots of videos and eating alot, I figure the fuller he is the better he wil sleep. My mom and my mother in law are checking in to make sure the house is still standing, it's pretty funny.
I'm Mr. Mom this week, as my wife is on a business trip until Friday evening. Our son is almost 5 months, and taking care of him by myself is making me respect single parents, this is tough! On top of things, he has a cold. 26 hours into this and I haven't screwed him up yet, he is watching lots of videos and eating alot, I figure the fuller he is the better he wil sleep. My mom and my mother in law are checking in to make sure the house is still standing, it's pretty funny.
Good website
My friend Bobby tipped me off to this great website, a great place for conservative news and debate.
My friend Bobby tipped me off to this great website, a great place for conservative news and debate.
If it's Wednesday.....
......it must be time for another trip into Frank J's world. This week Rumsfield visits the gang at Fox and Friends. You may wish to put down your beverage.
......it must be time for another trip into Frank J's world. This week Rumsfield visits the gang at Fox and Friends. You may wish to put down your beverage.
Stupid human tricks
2 teenagers climbed onto the roof of the Orange park Mall and the one boy set himself on fire allegedly imitating the show "Jackass". Not featured in this article are interviews with the boy's parents, who when interviewed on the local news blamed the whole thing on MTV and that terrible Jackass show, etc, etc. I watched Looney Tunes and the 3 stooges growing up, and I knew that bowling balls don't bounce off of my head, and that I really can't survive falling off a cliff like Wile E Coyote.
2 teenagers climbed onto the roof of the Orange park Mall and the one boy set himself on fire allegedly imitating the show "Jackass". Not featured in this article are interviews with the boy's parents, who when interviewed on the local news blamed the whole thing on MTV and that terrible Jackass show, etc, etc. I watched Looney Tunes and the 3 stooges growing up, and I knew that bowling balls don't bounce off of my head, and that I really can't survive falling off a cliff like Wile E Coyote.
Monday, November 03, 2003
See, gun control works
Handguns are illegal in Washington, DC. It should be the safest city in America, right? Wrong!!!! DC has the highest homicide rate in the country and is third overall in violent crime, behind the urban paradises of Detroit and Baltimore. The 7th police district, which includes a hellhole of a neighborhood called Anacostia, had 52 homicides last year. For comparison, San Diego had 47 homicides FOR THE ENTIRE CITY!!!
Handguns are illegal in Washington, DC. It should be the safest city in America, right? Wrong!!!! DC has the highest homicide rate in the country and is third overall in violent crime, behind the urban paradises of Detroit and Baltimore. The 7th police district, which includes a hellhole of a neighborhood called Anacostia, had 52 homicides last year. For comparison, San Diego had 47 homicides FOR THE ENTIRE CITY!!!
Dammit, will someone notice our boycott?
Seems that the boycott of Hershey isn't going so well. Various black groups are boycotting Hershey over minority contracts. Are the contracts for companies doing business with Hershey? Hell no, that would make sense. The black ministers are bitching because Harrisburg Airport's expansion didn't award 30% of its contracts to minority owned firms. HIA did exceed the federal requirement of 6%, awarding 14% of its contracts to minority owned firms. Not addressed in this article is that the ministers are mad because minorities other than blacks got contracts.
Seems that the boycott of Hershey isn't going so well. Various black groups are boycotting Hershey over minority contracts. Are the contracts for companies doing business with Hershey? Hell no, that would make sense. The black ministers are bitching because Harrisburg Airport's expansion didn't award 30% of its contracts to minority owned firms. HIA did exceed the federal requirement of 6%, awarding 14% of its contracts to minority owned firms. Not addressed in this article is that the ministers are mad because minorities other than blacks got contracts.
I have a great nephew
We went trick or treating Friday night; it was my me, my wife, my 4 month old son (in an adorable frog costume), my brother in law, his wife, and 2 sons, aged 7 and 5. When we were done we went to my in laws, and they were giving out candy until it ran out. At that point my 5 year old nephew volunteered to give out his candy. His reasoning: "Santa is watching and I want to be a good boy!" He is adorable!
We went trick or treating Friday night; it was my me, my wife, my 4 month old son (in an adorable frog costume), my brother in law, his wife, and 2 sons, aged 7 and 5. When we were done we went to my in laws, and they were giving out candy until it ran out. At that point my 5 year old nephew volunteered to give out his candy. His reasoning: "Santa is watching and I want to be a good boy!" He is adorable!
Saturday, November 01, 2003
Thank God for this jury
Here in Gainesville a police officer was acquitted of manslaughter for shooting to death a drunk and high driver that tried to run him over.
A not-guilty verdict for former Gainesville Police Officer Jimmy Hecksel was greeted with a shout of "yes" from his defense attorney as the jury's decision in the weeklong manslaughter trial was announced late Friday.
I am just happy that the jury was not swayed the politically correct prosecution and the bleeding heart rag of a newspaper here in Gainesville (owned by the NY times, surprise, surprise).
The six-person jury returned its verdict at about 6:45 p.m. after about 3 1/2 hours of deliberation in the shooting death of University of Florida student Corey Rice.
If someone is not currently enrolled and taking classes, how do you call them a student? The media has consistently portrayed this drunk driver as a poor college student gunned down by the jack-booted police, but that is not the case. He was not taking classes, was extremely intoxicated from alcohol and marijuana, and tried to back over an officer.
If convicted, Hecksel, 32, could have faced a maximum of 15 years in prison.
Prosecutors had argued Hecksel was not justified in firing shots at the Rice, 30, when he pulled away from a traffic stop in northwest Gainesville. But the ex-officer, fired from the Police Department following an internal investigation of the shooting, maintained he was in fear for his life from Rice's moving car. Toxicology tests showed Rice had alcohol and marijuana in his system.
I am so happy that officer Hecksel was acquitted, as he was defending himself. A quote from the article sums up that night very well:
In his closing statement, Ferro disagreed with the state's characterization of the incident as a routine traffic stop. Knocking the state's description that Rice did nothing overtly aggressive, Ferro said, "When somebody leads a police officer on a wild chase, that officer is in danger."
"The only one responsible for what happened in this is Corey Rice, as hard as that is for some people to accept."
Here in Gainesville a police officer was acquitted of manslaughter for shooting to death a drunk and high driver that tried to run him over.
A not-guilty verdict for former Gainesville Police Officer Jimmy Hecksel was greeted with a shout of "yes" from his defense attorney as the jury's decision in the weeklong manslaughter trial was announced late Friday.
I am just happy that the jury was not swayed the politically correct prosecution and the bleeding heart rag of a newspaper here in Gainesville (owned by the NY times, surprise, surprise).
The six-person jury returned its verdict at about 6:45 p.m. after about 3 1/2 hours of deliberation in the shooting death of University of Florida student Corey Rice.
If someone is not currently enrolled and taking classes, how do you call them a student? The media has consistently portrayed this drunk driver as a poor college student gunned down by the jack-booted police, but that is not the case. He was not taking classes, was extremely intoxicated from alcohol and marijuana, and tried to back over an officer.
If convicted, Hecksel, 32, could have faced a maximum of 15 years in prison.
Prosecutors had argued Hecksel was not justified in firing shots at the Rice, 30, when he pulled away from a traffic stop in northwest Gainesville. But the ex-officer, fired from the Police Department following an internal investigation of the shooting, maintained he was in fear for his life from Rice's moving car. Toxicology tests showed Rice had alcohol and marijuana in his system.
I am so happy that officer Hecksel was acquitted, as he was defending himself. A quote from the article sums up that night very well:
In his closing statement, Ferro disagreed with the state's characterization of the incident as a routine traffic stop. Knocking the state's description that Rice did nothing overtly aggressive, Ferro said, "When somebody leads a police officer on a wild chase, that officer is in danger."
"The only one responsible for what happened in this is Corey Rice, as hard as that is for some people to accept."
