UnCurious George

Michael F. Scheuer wrote a wonderful piece in the Washington Post today. Scheuer's piece illustrates and illuminates the controversy surrounding ex-CIA chief George Tenet. "George Tenet has a story to tell. With his appearance tonight on "60 Minutes" and the publication of his new memoir, "At the Center of the Storm," the former director of central intelligence is out to absolve himself of the failings of 9/11 and Iraq. He'll sell a lot of books, of course, but we shouldn't buy his attempts to let himself off the hook." (Washington Post) Seems like he knew something that fell upon clinically deaf ears. Maybe this is all part of their vigorous propaganda machine.

Here is the piece:
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/04/27/AR2007042702052.html

Selective Memory

This is a clip of Gonzales not recalling our Constitutional Right of Habeas Corpus.


CNN reported today that,"A small group of student protesters, including one wearing a black hood and an orange jumpsuit, heckled Attorney General Alberto Gonzales as he posed with old classmates Saturday during their 25-year Harvard Law School reunion." Apparently the protest began during a group photo,"When the photographer was getting everybody set up and having people say 'cheese,' the protesters yelled: 'say torture, instead,' 'resign' and 'I don't recall,"' said Nate Ela, a protester and third-year student." Gonzales should resign simply because he is an embarrassment to our country. The president's lap dog spent most of his recent Senate hearing unable to remember important details of his actions as the Attorney General. Sounds to me like Gonzales is taking a cue out of the Reagen playbook. Perhaps years from now his wife will reveal to us he has Alzheimer's and we can feel guilty for holding him accountable.


Here is the article:

http://www.cnn.com/2007/EDUCATION/04/29/harvard.gonzales.ap/index.html

Stephen Hawking Floats!

According to the Cambridge Evening News, "GENIUS physicist Stephen Hawking has experienced weightlessness in a zero gravity flight. The Cambridge University professor, who is an expert on gravity, found out what it is like to be an astronaut when he took part in the 90-minute flight from Kennedy Space Center in Florida yesterday (Thursday, 26 April). " No jokes here. This man is a f--king genius. This man cannot move or speak on without aide. This man gets to float nearly weightless. I feel happy for Stephen Hawking. He wrote a brilliant book that was made into a trippy movie called "A Brief History of Time". He was also on "The Simpsons". There is also a spoof rap record out there entitled "MC Hawking: A Brief History of Rhyme".

Here's the Article:

http://www.cambridge-news.co.uk/news/city/2007/04/27/a506d69a-e059-4f5f-af34-cd9ec5a642f4.lpf

Stephen Hawking Bio:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stephen_Hawking

MC Hawking website:

http://www.mchawking.com/

Film Czar Jack Valenti Dead at 85

Jack Valenti, "was an influential American lobbyist and a long-time president of the Motion Picture Association of America. During his 38 year tenure in the MPAA, he was generally regarded as one of the most influential pro-copyright lobbyists in the world." (Wikipedia) Jack was the boogie man in the nightmares of all you sinful illegal movie downloaders. The boogie man is dead.

Here is his bio:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jack_Valenti

Trivia: Jack was around when LBJ was sworn in after Kennedy's assassination, coincidence or conspiracy? Jack is the guy to the left of the man with the bowtie.

Condi Is One Sly Fox

Cnn reported that in response to a request to appear before Congress,"Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice said Thursday she has already answered the questions she has been subpoenaed to answer before a U.S. congressional committee and suggested she is not inclined to comply with the order."

I mentioned in a previous post (I'll Leave It Up To Your Imagination) that we should give the Secretary of State the opportunity to respond to Congress before we past judgement. Now I smell something rotten in Denmark. Why hide behind a carefully written letter when one's honest statements would surely satisfy any inquiring minds? Is this a Democratic witch hunt/fishing expedition? Either way who cares. There is blood in the water and the sharks are hungry.

Here is the article:

http://www.cnn.com/2007/POLITICS/04/26/rice.subpoena.ap/index.html

Job Opening: American Female Cable News Journalist - No Fatties

I found this interesting website that concentrates on certain aspects of female Fox News journalists. http://www.girlsoffoxnews.com/ I wonder how many highly qualified women never get an opportunity to have a national voice because of their physical "limitations".

So It Comes To This

For those of you not obsessed with Fox News, this is Michelle Malkin. Ms. Malkin is "an American columnist, blogger, author and political commentator. She is a social and political conservative. She makes frequent guest appearances on national syndicated radio programs and on television networks such as MSNBC, Fox News Channel, and C-SPAN. As well as her written blog, she posts regular video blogs. Her syndicated column appears in nearly 200 newspapers nationwide." (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Michelle_Malkin)

It is so sad that this is what passes as a respected member of our American journalistic community. We have serious problems in this country and no serious forum in which these problems can be debated. This video sums up the maturity level of the people who are our supposed experts in political punditry. Our nation has turned the news into entertainment and we all suffer for it.

Oh yeah, she's a crappy cheerleader too.

Pepsi Presents "Broward County, Florida"

When I day dream about the future I imagine hover boards, sex robots, and the ihuman (the inevitable fusion between ipod and man). Unfortunately according to the Florida Sun-Sentinal the future seems to be a place where large corporations own entire towns, states, countries, and perhaps even the world. Maybe I'm exaggerating, yet I have a horrible feeling that this is how that nightmare begins,"Naming a Broward County park after a potato chip or soda maker might be hard for county commissioners to swallow. But they said Tuesday they have little choice, given the Legislature's plans to cut local property taxes." Seems tax problems lead to the selling out of entire state counties. Would anyone like to take a walk through McDonald's Park and chill next to the Taco Bell fountain.

Here's a link:
http://www.sun-sentinel.com/news/local/broward/sfl-cnaming25apr25,0,1144326.story?coll=sfla-news-broward

UPDATE (4/27/07):

The above link no longer works. In fact the entire article was removed from the sun-sentinel website.

Here is the Google cached copy of the missing article:

http://209.85.165.104/search?q=cache:RbheBlCDKjQJ:www.sun-sentinel.com/news/local/broward/sfl-cnaming25apr25,0,1144326.story+broward+commissioners+selling+naming+rights&hl=en&strip=1

UPDATE (5/15/07) The original Sun Sentinel site is back up.

Inspiration For Jerri Blank

Amy Sedaris takes this lady and plays her up perfectly. "Strangers with Candy" was one of the best TV shows ever produced. I advise all that haven't seen it to find an episode somehow and be prepared to laugh pretty damn hard.

Here's a link with more info about the show:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Strangers_with_Candy

Inspiration for Jerri Blank Continued

I'll Leave It Up To Your Imagination

I'm glad to see that some of the people who messed up our adventure in imperialism are being called on their miscalculations. "A House committee Wednesday (4/25/07) subpoenaed Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice to find out what she knew about the 2003 claim that Iraq sought uranium from the African country of Niger." (CNN) If you and I mess up on the job once too many times the boss inevitably fires our asses. I hope no one starts to bitch and moan about a Democratic witch hunt against Republicans. This is politics baby, there was a time when politicians would actually dual each other to the death. Let's hear what the Madam Secretary has to say; she has to be better at testifying to Congress than Attorney General Gonzalez.

"You could call me Aaron Burr from the way I'm dropping Hamiltons." (SNL, Lazy Sunday)

Here is the link:

http://www.cnn.com/2007/POLITICS/04/25/rice.subpoena/index.html

I'll Be On The First Galactic Cruiser

It was reported today that, "European astronomers have found the most Earth-like planet outside our solar system." It's slightly humorous imagining all the wacky sci-fi scenarios presented in the article. "You could have a birthday party every 13 days because that's how fast this new planet circles its sun-like star." I guess I would be around 758 years old if I lived there. Sort of makes clear our flimsy handle on things like time. Anyway I thought this was the least depressing of all the news reports out there today.

Here's a link:

http://www.cnn.com/2007/TECH/space/04/25/habitable.planet.ap/index.html

AddMe - Search Engine Optimization

Kurt Vonnegut - So It Goes

1922 — 2007

With the death of Mr. Vonnegut ( on Aprill 11th) comes this mean spirited obituary from FOX NEWS. For all those not in the know Mr. Vonnegut was the man. He wrote words that cut right to the core of our foibles and hypocrisy. In other words he was one of the greats in the American literary canon. I am personally saddend by FOX's treatment of this man's death.

Here is a bio:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kurt_Vonnegut

Explanation of the term "Literary Canon":

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Literary_canon

Spaced - From the makers of "Shaun of the Dead" and "Hot Fuzz"

Originally aired on the BBC

Monty Python - International Philosophy

Lenny Bruce

He died for our sins.

TV on the Radio - Wolf Like Me

News Flash! Human Beings Lie

Cnn reported today that, "The brother of Army Ranger Pat Tillman told a House panel on Tuesday that the military tried to spin his brother's 2004 death to deflect attention from emerging failings in the Afghanistan war. " I feel sad for the Tillman Family. Yet at the same time I can't help but feel annoyed. This story is about one of the most fundamental of human flaws; lying to protect one's own intrests. I recognize that many would respond to that with, "But some individuals should be held more accountable for their actions than others dependent on thier position with in our society." To which I would retort, "Bulls--t." Nothing in this world makes any individual inherently better than anyone else, not education, not social standing, not race, not gender, not a highly respected position in buisness or government, NOTHING. Social Darwinism was a lie. We all have lied when it suited us. Anyone who says otherwise is lying. It's a vicious cycle.

Here is the link:

http://www.cnn.com/2007/POLITICS/04/24/tillman.hearing/index.html

The Strokes w/ Regina Spektor - Modern Girls

Pharcyde - Otha Fish

The Pipettes - Pull Shapes

Beyond the Valley of the Dolls

The inspiration for The Pipettes' video "Pull Shapes".

Fratellis - Whistle for the Choir

The Roots - Seed 2.0

Kings of Leon - The Bucket

Some Things Never Change

I found the lack of progress in this situation to be frightening. "College-educated American women working full time earn dramatically less than male colleagues in the same field even just one year out of university, according to a new report." (MSNBC, 4/23/07) Equality is something that has to be fought for. Sometimes legislation is not enough to turn the tide of inequality.

Here is the article:

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/18274861/

Mr. Bush, Tear Down This Wall

Here is something that makes the skin crawl. Seems that the U.S. military in Iraq is intent on walling off a section of Baghdad in order to curb sectarian violence. Whether or not this makes good strategic sense the symbolic power of a "wall" will continue to erode what is left of the goodwill Iraqi's have toward the United States. Images of the Berlin Wall pop into mind and nothing good can come of that. It's one thing if an action makes strategic sense, but to the majority of us who are not schooled in urban warfare this looks bad. A large number Iraqi's took to the streets to protest the idea. The Iraqi prime minister did not seem too enthusiastic when he found out. Weird.

Here is a link to the CNN report:

http://www.cnn.com/2007/WORLD/meast/04/23/iraq.main/index.html

Palm Beach Post - Letter to the Editor (4/23/07)

If Our Grief Is Unbearable, Imagine Iraqis' Daily Pain

My heart goes out to the families of those who lost loved ones in Virginia. Senseless violence brings about a pain that is impossible to describe. Yet these moments can bring an element of clarity that is too important to ignore. I apologize in advance if anyone thinks that the comparison I'm about to make is insensitive.
The United Nations stated that 34,452 Iraqi civilians died in 2006. That works out to 94 violent deaths a day. I ask my fellow countrymen to think about the pain, heartache and insecurity that the deaths in Virginia have caused us to feel. Now, imagine that pain tripled every day for a year. This is not meant to equate any individual or nation with the troubled man responsible for the horror in Virginia. I just felt that this was an opportunity for Americans to perhaps relate to Iraqis who are feeling every day what we feel today.

RICK PORTUGUEZ
Palm Beach Gardens

http://www.palmbeachpost.com/opinion/content/opinion/epaper/2007/04/23/a15a_edletters_0423.html