just trying to eat my waffles

May 25, 2006

Taylor's AI Audition

As long as we're looking at YouTube videos, take a look at Taylor Hicks's American Idol audition.

I think the coolest thing about Taylor's audition is when Simon asked him why he was there. He does not say, "Because I wanna be the next American Idol," which 99% of the people said.

Simon: Why you here?
Taylor: I want my voice heard.
Taylor: Why?
Taylor: Cuz I feel like I got one.

It's so simple and direct an answer, I can almost imagine the young Elvis Presley saying something like it to Sam Phillips back in the day.

I also love the fact that Taylor was so underestimated during his audition. Paula and Randy liked him, but you know they never imagined he might win. Not after that audition, which really wasn't too good.

Go Taylor! I hope he gets some good songs to sing because he could really become a star if the machine lets him.

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Coolest Thing On The Internets Of The Day

Now this is a really catchy tune I bet you'll be humming all day tomorrow.

h/t to J.D.

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Peter Pumpkin The Spectacular Pumpkin, Episode 34

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Musical Chairs At The CIA

Newsweek has more background on the internal feud that led to Porter Goss's surprise resignation. It's an interesting story that involves a Clinton era fuck-up in Belgrade. Well, Goss thought it was a fuck-up, but CIA thought it wasn't. Goss was chair of the House Intelligence Committee at the time, and the dispute carried over into his short lived DCI term. It sounds like Goss was doomed from the start. When he was appointed to head the CIA, he inherited the same enemies he made as Intelligence Committee chairman. It was just a matter of time before he left or got kicked out.

One wonders why Bush would select Goss to a head an agency where the top guys already had an axe to grind against him. That couldn't have been the plan, since Hayden is now planning to re-hire a guy who quit because of Goss -- as Hayden's new deputy! What a mess.

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Question?

I like how critics say, "well when the Taliban were in power at least there wasn't any opium trade." Of course there wasn't, the Taliban system of law and order was extremely effective because it was extremely brutal. But if you were to suggest that the allied forces use the same brutal methods to stop the resurgence of opium growing, you'd hear, "but that's the only way these poor farmers can earn a living."

So which is it?

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1 Now you just don't worry your pretty little head about all that foriegn policy stuff missy. It's very complicated, and they really don't have time to explain it to you. Now how about some more of that peach cobbler of yours?

Posted by: Pursuit at May 25, 2006 06:32 PM (n/TNS)

2 Who is saying that Afghani opium growing is ok because "that's the only way these poor farmers can earn a living"?

Posted by: will at May 26, 2006 08:35 AM (GzvlQ)

3 There have been a myriad of news stories related to the struggles of the Afghan economy and the re-emergence of the opium trade in a very backwards economy. In these stories, it is not explicitly stated that "that's the only way....." However, the message is implicit in the reporting. Besides, that is not even the larger point Annika was making, which had more to do with applying different sets of standards to groups.

Posted by: Blu at May 26, 2006 11:01 AM (04fPe)

4 Annika, Your point about "critics" is interesting. I've met left-wing moonbats who have told me with a straight face that people in the former Soviet Union were better off under communism and that the folks in Cuba are lucky to live under Castro because they get "free" health-care.

Posted by: Blu at May 26, 2006 12:36 PM (04fPe)

5 He Blu, Your right, Batista was good for the cuban people they had nice fruit stands, and no health care or schools and in my book just like in yours Blu, no health care always trumps commie health care any day. Just as a college degree earned in a freee commie school is worth less than no education at all. Boy, i love your values. Oh, but they couldn't vote for a bunch of corrupt lawyers in cheap suits. That is a problem. Vote for thieves and their flunkies-get an education and health care, hmmm, what to do? So difficult to decide. As for Opium and the Taliban. Annie puts up the strawman and knocks him down with the best of them. Why do we have these silly hypothetical pronouncements about what the other side might say if they were running things instead of actual critism of the foul balless wonders that are current running things?? As for opiunm and the Taliban. I could give two shits what they grow over there. If America has an addiction problem she should solve it by treating addicts and the despair and poverty that creates the cycle of dependence, depression, and so forth, not invade the argirculture of other nations where farmers are just trying to make a buck. We applaud self starters, entrepreneurs, and the spirit of providing a good product that people want. What happened to your fucking free markets and their tireless ability to sort out the wheat from the chaf? Just the other day Casca lifted his knuckles from the pavement to shout "Free markets rule".

Posted by: Strawman at May 26, 2006 04:00 PM (G2Zzw)

6 "Your right, Batista was good for the cuban people they had nice fruit stands, and no health care or schools and in my book just like in yours Blu, no health care always trumps commie health care any day. Just as a college degree earned in a freee commie school is worth less than no education at all." Talk about knocking down a strawman, Strawman. The Cubans live in squalor and in a fucking police-state. So, whose values should be questioned here? BTW, what is it about left-wing rule and totalitarianism? So, they have "free" healthcare and education. So what? Speak the wrong words and you get a bullet in your brain. Castro and that lying, murdering, sadistic coward, Che Guerva, are in the same class as Stalin and Mao. But, hey, I suppose you thought the Cultural Revolution was a good thing. You left-wingers never mind killing a few worthless peasants to "improve" their lives. Gotta break a few eggs to make an omelette and all that jazz. I find it unbelievable that any human being with a conscience could ever even consider making excuses or minimizing the barbarity of Castro and his murderous thugs. Yeah, I suppose people risk their lives trying to escape that island prison because they love living in that communist paradise with its "free" healthcare and education. But it's really not free is it, Strawman? It costs people their liberty and dignity. What don't you get about communism, Straw? This is not the first time you have displayed your utter ignorance of its history and its consequences on real people. I have a suggestion for you: talk to a person who has actually escaped from a totalitarian communist country. Talk to a Cuban who has risked his/her life to get away from Castro's version of hell. Why do you think that when Cubans get here to America that so many of them invest time trying to make changes in their country of origin? Oh, and by the way, my "free markets" are responsible for the freedom, prosperity, and higher quality of life in the Western world. You see, Straw, free markets work. Communism doesn't. Never has. Never will.

Posted by: Blu at May 26, 2006 05:27 PM (04fPe)

7 Blu, Could I request that you link in a few of these stories? I'll put them through the proganda filter.

Posted by: will at May 26, 2006 07:21 PM (h7Ciu)

8 Propogand filter? What do mean, Will? Do you doubt that Cuba is an island prison run by murderous dictator? I'm not certain what your point is. I certainly belive the Cuban refugees have a point of view that has been painted by their experiences. I don't think a propoganda filter is necessary. Aren't you from Florida? If so, have you met many Cuban refugees? What's your perspective?

Posted by: Blu at May 26, 2006 07:34 PM (04fPe)

9 >There have been a myriad of news stories related to the struggles of the Afghan economy and the re-emergence of the opium trade in a very backwards economy. In these stories, it is not explicitly stated that "that's the only way....." However, the message is implicit in the reporting. >Propogand filter? What do mean, Will? I merely mean to examine the articles you reference for the implicit meaning, with said meaning inserted via a propaganda technique. If they are indeed trying to spin a particular line, let's expose them. I was not referring to propaganda on your part, if that's what you were concerned about.

Posted by: will at May 27, 2006 03:40 AM (h7Ciu)

10 BLU, how many people do you know and have spoken with PERSONAlLy that have been to Cuba? I'd venture the number is zero. I have parents who have been there and dozens of friends. SOme for simple travel and sightseeing and some spent months working. Not one of them agrees with your completely propagandized view of the place. NO ONE. Cuba may not be a "free" country like the America where incarseration with out charge is now a fact of life, where the right to travel is now restricted, and the right to critize the government or its members gets you thrown out of public venues and jailed, but it is not a place where speaking out gets you a bullit in the head. Just ant-commie bullshit left over from the cold war. How many people who lived in the Soviet Union have you personally interviewed? Ever travel there? Blu you speak like a man who only knows what he reads. Take my word for it, it is not enough. Cubans come here looking for money. They are not, for the most part fleeing political persecuition. We do have more opportunity and a higher standard of living. We have all the important things people think they need. Plasma TV's, 350hp v8 cars, toaster ovens and microwaves, fast food and laundramats, 125 dollar sneakers, infant mortality higher than Cuba's, lower literacy than Cuba's, fewer doctors per thousand than Cuba, 57 flavors of icecream, and more non-living wage jobs than Cuba. SO explain to me how free markets keep MS operating systems on 90% of computers manufactured, or why free markets have no effect on the drug trade, or how free markets have suceeded in getting us health care? Blu, there are very few free markets because corporate culture knows that collusion and price fixing are an easier way to profit than competition. Read the business section fella, it reads like the police blotter. Every single day two, three, four corporate malfeasance reports. Every day. Enro, aADelphia, Health South, Tyco,AIg, Arthur Anderson, KPMG MArwic, this class action lawfirm last week, thousands a year. There is very little insentive to compete; its too easy to cheat while the public pays the price. Remember the savings and loan debacle and the Bush boy loaning himself money then going belly up?

Posted by: Strawman at May 28, 2006 02:15 PM (G2Zzw)

11 You live in a fantasy world, Straw. The atrocities commited by Castro in Cuba are well-documented. These atrocities continue today. I'm not going to argue with a person unwilling to acknowledge well-established fact. All the evidence is on my side. Period. Maybe next you can argue for the wonderful quality of life in China and North Korea. And, yes, I do read a lot. It's because I'm well-educated. The two are intimately linked. Try it.

Posted by: Blu at May 28, 2006 07:22 PM (04fPe)

12 Blu, Briefly, I have never argued for the wonderful life lived in China, Korea, or even Cuba. But that is not the same as saying there is nothing to reccomend them. Or saying that people are being shot in the street for what they say or that the entire nation, if they all could swim, would be headed for South beach. Life is very tough in the uS for peole of no means and many who come thinking differently find themselves looking homeward. But none of them swim here for the freedom. They swim looking for the money! They are whores not folks pineing for that marvelous day when they can finally cast a vote, they could care less.

Posted by: Strawman at May 30, 2006 07:14 AM (G2Zzw)

13 You have the evidence to back up that last sentence?

Posted by: MarkD at May 30, 2006 09:22 AM (oQofX)

14 MarkD, No more than you have for the standard line; that they are swiming for freedom. And I don't mean a beach sand interview with a bedraggled and sun stroked family who ansewer afiratively to a biased reporter who put the answer to her question in the question. "Oh, Mrs Mendez, it seems that you made this terribly dangerous journey to freedom with your 4 children" Si, senora. " Back to you Bob, hear at South Beach, this is Melissa Reyes with another wonderful story of a families quest for freedom" Cuban's swimming for freedom is an assesment similar to the Iraq invasion planners wish that the Iraqi's will be dancing in the streets throwing flowers. Childish crap that spews from the addled brains of those who's constricted view of America leads them to purile conclusions.

Posted by: Strawman at May 30, 2006 10:01 AM (G2Zzw)

15 "But that is not the same as saying there is nothing to reccomend them. Or saying that people are being shot in the street for what they say or that the entire nation, if they all could swim, would be headed for South beach." You really are ignorant aren't you? First of all, there is definitely nothing to recommend N. Korea - unless starvation is a turn on. Secondly, China and Cuba have routinely executed political dissidents. I won't even bother going into China because if you belive they won't put a bullet in your head in that place you also believe in a flat-earth. Interesting that you think the Cubans are fleeing the island prison for work - after all, Castro has created a worker's paradise that nobody could possibly want to leave because they have "free" healthcare and education. And the communist system produces so many jobs. Now here is the reality, Stawdude: Cubans are fleeing persecution first and foremost. You see, Straw, people really do get killed there for not having the right thoughts. It's been going on for years. More than that, if allowed and accepted by us, that fucking island would be empty. Like all communist systems, only the elite have a decent standard of living. The peasants work to support them. Any idea how many billions Castro is worth, Straw? Yeah, that's billions with a big fucking "B." You fucking rant and rave about CEOs who make "too much." These men and woman run companies that produce products and create jobs and wealth. But you probably aren't the least concerned when a left-wing dictator somehow pockets billions on the backs of the oppressed you people on the Left pretend to care about. Pull your head out of the sand and stop apologizing for a murderous regime and that toxic ideology. It's disgusting and beneath anybody with a conscience.

Posted by: Blu at May 30, 2006 10:36 AM (04fPe)

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Wednesday Is Poetry Day

Today's poem is by Sugawara Takesue no Musume, 11th Century Japanese poetess.

Ah me ah me

Ah, me! Ah, me! My weary doom to labour here in the Palace!
Seven good wine-jars have I - and three in my province.
There where they stand I have hung straight-stemmed gourds of the finest -
They turn to the West when the East wind blows,
They turn to the East when the West wind blows,
They turn to the North when the South wind blows,
They turn to the South when the North wind blows.
And there I sit watching them turning and turning forever-
Oh, my gourds! Oh, my wine-jars!

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May 23, 2006

Coolest Thing On The Internets Of The Day

I star in a movie.

Oh and there's a poem too.

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AI And Badonkadonk

American Idol is the best family show on TV. I'm tired of hearing some folks put it down, because there's a reason it's the number one show. It brings families together twice a week for good old fashioned entertainment that's non-political, non-violent, and safe for viewers of all ages. It's the type of entertainment that hasn't been around since the Muppets got cancelled. Sure it's least common denominator stuff, but I think that's a good thing. We need that sometimes, especially nowadays.

I hope y'all switched over to CBS after American Idol. If you had, (on the West Coast) you would have just caught Carrie Underwood trying to finish her performance of "Jesus Take The Wheel," and getting all choked up. Then about a minute later, she accepted the Academy of Country Music award for Record of the Year. And to think, only a year ago she was pretty much a nobody. It's a nice song, and I'm happy for her. Carrie also won Top New Vocalist.

[By the way, I love any industry awards show where the winners thank Jesus Christ our Lord and Savior. It's a little unorthodox, but hey, entertainers are often non-conformists.]

Next, I hope you didn't miss hunky Trace Adkins trying to keep a straight face while singing "Honky Tonk Badonkadonk" inside a flock of nearly naked showgirls. That was some feat of concentration, although he kept turning around to check out the girls. And CBS kept cutting away from the action on the stage, which got pretty racy.

I also enjoyed watching Gretchen Wilson sing my new favorite song, "Politically Uncorrect," which features the lyrics:

I'm for the preachers who stay on their knees
And I'm for the sinner who finally believes
And I'm for the farmer with dirt on his hands
And the soldiers who fight for this land
And I'm for the Bible
And I'm for the flag
And I'm for the working man
. . .
I'm just one of many who can't get no respect
Politically Uncorrect

Back to AI. I wouldn't be going out on a limb if I predicted that Taylor will win it all. he gave three solid performances, but really impressed me with the last song because the lyrics were so awful. While Katherine tried to do justice to her lame original song, Taylor did his best to make his song fit him. I also think Taylor deserves to win because he just seems like such a nice guy.

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May 22, 2006

Predictions For Tonight's 24 Finale

Jack and Audrey will try to have sex. Audrey will attempt to delay her orgasm until Jack shouts "NOW!" They both finally give up in frustration when they realize Jack is unable to "upload" anything without Chloe's help. Jack will then confront President Logan, shoot him in the leg, and go into hiding. Rocket Romano will then perform emergency first aid, but die in a freak helicopter mishap while helping evacuate the president on Marine One. A guilt-ridden Henderson will return to CTU, revive Tony, and with the help of Barbaro's vet, create a superhuman CTU agent by attaching Tony's head to a robotic body. Finally, a plane will crash somewhere.

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1 What ever happened to the good old days of Peter Pumpkin?

Posted by: shelly at May 22, 2006 08:35 PM (BJYNn)

2 Heh, that's pretty good. I think we could sell that.

Posted by: Casca at May 23, 2006 06:00 AM (rEC2k)

3 I thought it was a pretty decent season finale. Of course, you have to put your sense of reality on hold but that's the fun of it. I was switching back all night between 24, Alias, and the NBA playoffs.(Alias used to be one of my favorite shows, but it really has gone down hill the past couple of seasons. I think it must have to do with Jennifer Garner hooking up with the no talent ass clown, Ben Affleck.) BTW, I think it was Matt with whom I was debating the merits of Dallas. And if I recall I predicted that Dallas would win the Western Conference and eventually the title. Who is laughing now people? The team has a relentless offense and a lot more "D" than people give them credit for.

Posted by: Blu at May 23, 2006 09:12 AM (j8oa6)

4 Blu, Who would have thought it but you and I finally have a strong agreement about something-Ben Afflack, what a stiff. He is the only person who can by comparison make Jennifer Lopez appear to be acting. I was dissapointed that San ANtonio lost but was impressed with the Mav's. SA had no answer for Terry and PArker, who can be as effective as Terry, was clearly not at his best. Could be Tropical Langoria fever has him a bit depleted of his PBF.

Posted by: Strawman at May 23, 2006 03:13 PM (G2Zzw)

5 Looks like we agree on two things, Straw: (1) Ben sucks butt and (2) this year's NBA playoffs have been outstanding. Actually, I was pulling for SA as well, but believed Dallas would beat them. Dallas is the one team every bit as deep as SA. If they get by Phoenix and meet Detroit (or Miami), I think it is that depth that will get them over the hump. I do not, however, look forward to having to watch that little dork, Mark Cuban, celebrate if his team happens to win.

Posted by: Blu at May 23, 2006 03:36 PM (j8oa6)

6 Dallas over Detroit?! Now that's good comedy!

Posted by: annika at May 23, 2006 04:12 PM (LcjFl)

7 You mean the same Detroit team that barely beat a horrible Cleveland team?....you mean that 6-deep team that can barely score 80 points a game? Hey, granted they play great defense. But, they have nobody than can guard Dirk or Josh Howard. (And don't start telling me about Ben Wallace. Yeah, he can block shots at the rim, but he won't even bother Dirk on the perimeter. Wallace will have to take a shot at the German.)They are going to have play a whole lot better than they did against Cleveland to beat Dallas....and that's assuming they can get by Shaq and Wade. We shall see.......

Posted by: Blu at May 23, 2006 04:27 PM (j8oa6)

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May 19, 2006

Coolest Thing On The Internets Of The Day

Spock's crib.

lol: my boy James T. Kirk love dat leftover beef!

Via Victor.

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May 18, 2006

I'll See Your Tat, And Raise You One Digit...

When defending class boundaries gets serious, muhfukka:

Providing an example of the harm that may be done through symbolic gentrification, Halnon cited Wooden and BlazakÂ’s study of San Francisco gutter punks who took drastic measures to defend against "frat boys and pro athletes" who invaded their "symbolic turf" by appropriating body piercing as a style. One group of gutter-punks responded by cutting off their pinky fingers.
"The extremity of such action may be understood as measure of the extreme value of symbolic territory for the socially and economically disenfranchised," notes Halnon.

Via gcruse.

Posted by: annika at 06:54 PM | Comments (10) | Add Comment
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1 OK, I'll go along with that.

Posted by: Casca at May 18, 2006 09:10 PM (2gORp)

2 The study goes on show how the Japanese Yakuza, as a response to having their symbolic turf invaded by San Francisco gutter punks, have now modified the practice of yubitsume so that now entire limbs, usually the left arm, are lopped off in order to expiate various wrongdoings. The dangers of symbolic gentrification, indeed.

Posted by: Cameron at May 18, 2006 09:41 PM (JjpDt)

3 What's a "tat"?

Posted by: shelly at May 19, 2006 03:30 AM (BJYNn)

4 Halnon's a wordy mo-fo, isn't he? I could've summed it up much more succinctly: The extremity of such action may be understood when one considers they're dumb as fucking rocks.

Posted by: Victor at May 19, 2006 04:41 AM (L3qPK)

5 After further consideration, I feel that MY turf has been invaded, and I'd like to return to the Russian practice of knouting. Particularly the part where the nostrils of the invaders are slit and gunpowder rubbed into the forehead with a wire brush. OK, OK, I know, inhumane. How about if we just douche them with some of that dye they put in the moneypacks at the bank? Fit some A4's with spraytanks, and put 'em to work is what I say.

Posted by: Casca at May 19, 2006 06:31 AM (rEC2k)

6 seems strange, but it sounds like something Strawdog would do, defending his turf at the Starbucks.

Posted by: kyle8 at May 19, 2006 03:18 PM (kfPkn)

7 lol

Posted by: Casca at May 20, 2006 04:10 PM (2gORp)

8 To quote Randall Jarrell, "The politics were so vicious, because the stakes were so small."

Posted by: Casca at May 20, 2006 04:11 PM (2gORp)

9 OT: Is this a dry run for a Beslan type attack here? They since have revoked bail. Might be Gitmo time.

Posted by: Radical Redneck at May 21, 2006 07:59 AM (rOuwY)

10 I thought that appropriating a trendy item would result in the trendsetters dropping it like a hot potato. Didn't realize that they'd want to defend their trendiness. I'd better rethink the idea of this 40+ year old overweight person starting to dance badly the next time a volume 11 ghetto blaster is pointed in my direction.

Posted by: Ontario Emperor at May 23, 2006 01:02 PM (bGyIu)

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Peter Pumpkin The Spectacular Pumpkin, Episode 33

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May 17, 2006

Wednesday Is Poetry Day

Three poems by Randy Jackson, via Popwatch:

Yo, yo
Yo, yo.
Yo, yo.
Amazing, amazing.
Loved the jacket.
Loved you.
Amazing.

Yo, baby, Elliott
Yo, baby, Elliott
So check it out, dawg
Elliott
So check it out, man
I hated
Check it out
Did not like the arrangement

Feel the angst in this next one:

Yo, Taylor, man
Yo, Taylor, man
I don't know what's goin' on, man
I don't know if it's me tonight or whatever
But dude, that was completely the wrong song
For me
For you
I didn't get it
It wasn't half as good as the original
It felt like weird karaoke to me
I don't know what's happenin' here
I don't know what's goin' on here

Plus a bonus poem by Paula Abdul:

Even Paris Bennett Gets the Blues
I felt like it was kind of a struggle
For you to find that place
Where you own the stage
Like you always do
Week after week

Beautiful.

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May 16, 2006

I Love This...

Here's an example of media trickery in the choice of headlines. MSNBC (home of the Bush-hatin' tag team: Matthews and Olbermann) chose the following headline for their story on the president's immigration speech last night:

Bush talk of immigrant amnesty divides GOP

You might think, reading that headline, that Bush is in favor of amnesty. Yet nowhere in the story do the writers provide this important quote from the text of the speech, which might provide some important explanatory context to their headline:

[W]e must face the reality that millions of illegal immigrants are already here. They should not be given an automatic path to citizenship. This is amnesty, and I oppose it. Amnesty would be unfair to those who are here lawfully and it would invite further waves of illegal immigration.

Look, I know and you know that Bush's plan amounts to amnesty. But the press is supposed to be accurate and impartial. By crafting an inflammatory and misleading headline, and then "forgetting" to provide Bush's own disclaimer from the very speech that this story is supposed to be about, MSNBC is deliberately trying to pour gas on this GOP fire.

That's another reason why I never watch that channel.

Posted by: annika at 09:13 AM | Comments (21) | Add Comment
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1 Nice catch, Annie. The problem with the MSM is that this sort of crap appears every single day. If it is not a headline, then it is the out-of-context quote. Or it is mixing opinion in with analysis and then pretending that it never happened. On a slightly different subject, I was just watching Snow handle the press for (I think) the first time. He's did a good job. Made a few mistakes that the press guys/gals called him out on. Regardless of any small snafus, he is already more effective than that dork who held the job previously. And related to your post, the MSM journalists were cleary more interested in any perceived GOP split than in what Bush actually proposed. Question: Why doesn't security throw Helen Thomas' fat, old, ugly ass out of the press briefings. She is a fucking embarrassment. (Snow pretty much just laughed at her.) But, now that I think about it, she is the perfect embodiment of the arrogant, liberal media. OK, I've changed my mind, let the old bitch stay.

Posted by: Blu at May 16, 2006 10:09 AM (j8oa6)

2 Good decision Blu, after all, if you could pick your enemies...

Posted by: Casca at May 16, 2006 11:02 AM (rEC2k)

3 Monkey Boy David Gregory has been out with some sort of throat ailment; did he show up today? If so, how was his deportment?

Posted by: shelly at May 16, 2006 01:26 PM (BJYNn)

4 Yeah, Gregory was there asking his loaded questions and feigning righteous indignation each time he felt like Snow didn't answer his question sufficiently. What a prick. The guy is openly hostile. He used to scare the shit out of dork boy. Snow handled him fine.

Posted by: Blu at May 16, 2006 02:05 PM (j8oa6)

5 Annika, Is it the job of the press to be adjuncts to the the WH's ministers of propaganda? Are they to simply report the slight of hand that the speech writers have crafted as if it is truth? Is it really a sign of impartiallity to regurgitate the double talk? Or conversely is it a sign of partiallity to deconstruct it? As you said, we all know it is an amnesty. I really don't get the point you guys always make about the bias of the MSM toward this group of Orwellian thought shapers. ANd that goes for any administration, the press must interpret the bullshit and strip it down to what the proposal will mean in practice. Why would you want them to do less? The WH does the distorting and the press tries to straighten it out. Bias occurs when a reporter does not cut through the bullshit and takes Bush's words at face value. Anybody who wishes to can read the transcript of the remarks. Are you suggesting the GOP is aligned behind Bush on this matter and they dipicted a fire that did not exist? Do you want reporters or tape recorders?

Posted by: Strawman at May 16, 2006 03:37 PM (G2Zzw)

6 "I really don't get the point you guys always make about the bias of the MSM toward this group of Orwellian thought shapers." Are you kidding me, Straw? Study after study completed on the MSM shows extreme Left-wing bias. It is not just an opinion. It is a documented fact. Around 90% of these people vote Democrat. Annika's post is just one example of what goes on everyday. Here an interesting example - (I'm pulling this from memory so my numbers might be slightly off): after the campaign for President in 2004 an analysis was completed on news coverage of candidates. 2/3 of the coverageg of Bush was negative. 1/3 of the coverage was negative towards the Junior Senator from Massachusetts. (BTW, did you know he was a Vietnam veternan?) Have you ever seen the equivalent of the CBS document fraud happen to a Democrat Presidential candidate - days before the fucking election? Indeed, the MSM did everthing it could to discredit the Swift Boat Veterans while playing up the Bush conspiracy therory about being AWOL. The SBV had eye-witness accounts and numerous sources. CBS (and the MSM) had jack shit on Bush. Anyway, this topic is just too easy. The list goes on and on. And it is not just about asking tough questions: It is about what questions you ask and don't ask. It is about how you cherry-pick quotes for articles. It is about how you cherry pick economic statistics to try and convey a negative light on one the best economies in years. If you listened to the MSM, you'd never know that economy now is in many ways far superior to the Clinton years. The MSM doens't deconstruct, Straw. It distorts. And that is why fewer and fewer people take them seriously and choose to get the news from alternative sources. You want Orwellian? Read your fucking New York Times. (How many retractions has the piece of shit had to put out in the last year? Of course, when they do, they are buried on page A32 - bottom of the fold.)

Posted by: Blu at May 16, 2006 04:09 PM (j8oa6)

7 Blu, The swift boaters were bought and paid for by the gop and their history as Liars and partisans was documented back tot he Nixon days. Political operatives every one of them. SO when the press discredits them it is not participating in bias but rather bring the truth to the public. Bush was AWOL and never answered the questions of his service. He clearly got in to avoid VN and was moved to the top of the list due to his family's influence. When did a person's party affiliation become grounds for discrediting their ability to do their job? This is an easy one Blu, every time the gop yells bias you ismple have to look for the lies that are being challenged. Did you know that 2/3 of the country thinks Iraq was an important agent in the 911 attack? Gee, how did a left biased press let that one go by unchallenged? And the other 20-30 lies told by the reich about 911 and Iraq. Yes Blu real lefty press.

Posted by: Strawman at May 16, 2006 04:33 PM (G2Zzw)

8 Interesting that MSM reporters rarely identify their political affiliation publicly - only anonomously. Why do you think that is? After all, if political affiliation doesn't matter, why not be up front? Anyway, you didn't respond to my larger challenge which is well-documented press bias. Your slander of the SBV is hilarious. Their observations were never discredited - only their politics were and by the same MSM who nearly openly pulled for Kerry. And they were not all "political operatives." Their leader was politically active since he left the military, and he never said anything different. Their book, unlike your make-belive stories about Bush being AWOL, are well-documented. Dan Rather wasn't lying was he, Straw? Nah, not that pillar of left-wing propoganda. You wanted so badly for that load of crap to be true, didn't you? The President was AWOL? Really? What military document shows that? AWOL is a real term with real consequences. Perhaps, you can show me where it has been documented that the President was AWOL. As far as I can tell, Bush met all his requirement for service. Can you show differently? No, you can't - and nobody else can either. And that is why David Gregory got himself in a hissy over the subject. He and his pals so badly wanted the make-believe to be true. Anyway, it doesnt' matter. That pompous ass from Massachusetts lost despite having the MSM for cheerleaders. The bottom line is that nothing you write will take away from the well-established facts. You can pretend it is not true and try to establish the exception as the rule but then you are just fooling yourself.

Posted by: Blu at May 16, 2006 04:55 PM (j8oa6)

9 Blu, AWOL, is not correct. He simple didn't continue to completion. What convinces you of the truthfullness of the SBV eye witnesses? ANyway, I want to watch this NOVA on NET right now so I shall withdraw. The bottom line is that it may have been true that the predominatly democratic MSM was convinced that Bush was unqualified and had A bad character and it showed in their coverage. They were right, he has damaged this democracy, damaged our our rule of law, has damaged our relations with the world at large, has damaged our economic health, and has committed impeachable violations of law and has caused the death of by now I think it is fair to say 100 thousand Iraqi's and Amercans. He is the worst ever, a most hateful, henious criminal and I don't really give a fuck if the people who saw him and his crowd for what they were and lobbied for their demise. It was an act of conscience. I only regret they did not do more. It would have saved us all a lot of grief and misery.

Posted by: Strawman at May 16, 2006 05:21 PM (G2Zzw)

10 What flavor Kool-Aid do they give to Straw?

Posted by: shelly at May 16, 2006 06:33 PM (BJYNn)

11 To strawdog, a lousy president like Bush is "the worst ever, a most hateful, heinous criminal" Based on policy disagreements, innuendo, and craptastic conspiracy theories. But a lousy president like Carter, is OK, because he was a well meaning Democrat. And that is EXACTLY the same sort of bias the MSM brings to the table. Like when Newt Gingrich said that we ought to cut all funding to House caucuses and make the legislators pay for them form their own office funds. The WAPO lead with the story "Gingrich wants to cut funding for the Congressional Black caucus" Yeah, technically they were correct, but they were also lying bastards. But any sort of hate, lie, self deceit or illusion is OK if it's against a republican right Straw?

Posted by: kyle8 at May 16, 2006 07:19 PM (4yfd4)

12 Yo Blu, He's a self-loathing pathetic personality who thrives on negative attention. Ignore him. The truth is not in him.

Posted by: Casca at May 16, 2006 10:51 PM (2gORp)

13 Casca, Here is a truth I don't always like to admit: Sometimes I just like to argue :-) Keeps my mind fresh and sometimes I learn something new. But thanks for the advice - arguing in circles for a lengthy period doesn't make much sense. Sometimes that's just hubris kickin' in. And I know that I'm really fucking guilty of that way too much.

Posted by: Blu at May 17, 2006 07:39 AM (wggPU)

14 Kyle1/8th, Why do you refuse to recognize the meaning of my name and reflect some light on your posts? You should by now have looked up what a straw man is after you were told it has meaning beyond the Wizard of Oz. So I'll ask you, if I must, to please stop putting words in my mouth and then railing like a wolverine with its foot in a trap about all the things you say I said that I haven't said. I have never defended Jimmy Carter, I have only, as far as you know, criticized GWB. He is my concern, nobody else. He is all the things I have said and pointing to the failings of JC won't make GWB a good man, a competent man, a truthful man, or a man of any caste above sweeper; he will remain, as his dad knew he would, the ignorant, angry, smirking, foul tempered front man he has always been. Have you ever heard the Lenny Bruce routine called "How Hitler got Started"? Its the GWB story. If you can't find it let me know. And if you think the slaughter of Iraq is a policy difference, and suspending the constutional protections Americans have against government surveillance is inuendo, and the uranium in Iraq was crap conspiracy you are brain dead or Casca went too far into your ear last night.

Posted by: Strawman at May 17, 2006 10:57 AM (G2Zzw)

15 I believe people have made points on all sides of the debate here; yes, the SBV exposed information that would not have otherwise been exposed, though they took a kernel of truth and began wrapping layers of innuendo around it. The MSM (I hope someone will define that more clearly here; does that include Fox?) in regards to CBS, NBC, and ABC does have a liberal bias; that's why I became a Republican many years ago. That being said, the WH and conservative news outlets also twist and distort the news to their ends. One of the most disappointing times of the day for me is when the WH daily press briefing came on CSPAN. Very little content and a lot of misdirection and stonewalling. Fox and the Washington Times don't even try to hide their bias very often. If we are seeking the truth, we will realize that it takes reading both sides to have a more complete picture. Distorted around the edges and blurry, but a more complete picture nonetheless. THAT being said, just like a jury decides who has the best lawyer, public opinion tends to be swayed by the best propagandists, each struggling to etch their scenario into the public's mental perception of reality.

Posted by: will at May 18, 2006 04:28 AM (GzvlQ)

16 Will, I don't read the Washington Times often. I do know, however, that they are very up front about their editorial bias. Fox also is very clear when the are doing a a new analysis show, which is clearly biased or has a slant and when they do straight news. I don't care what slant folks have as long as it is made clear. That is why I get so frustrated with the MSM: They absolutely refuse to acknowledge what is readily apparent to any observer with even half a clue.

Posted by: Blu at May 18, 2006 06:56 AM (04fPe)

17 "and the uranium in Iraq was crap conspiracy you are brain dead" http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/middle_east/3872201.stm You were saying?

Posted by: reagan80 at May 18, 2006 09:00 AM (K9tdw)

18 > I don't read the Washington Times often. I do know, however, that they are very up front about their editorial bias. Do you mean the overall paper's content, or just editorials? Because I see it in the former (especially when I had a subscription). >I get so frustrated with the MSM: They absolutely refuse to acknowledge what is readily apparent to any observer with even half a clue. I'll agree that CBS, NBC, and ABC are often subtle about their biases. Subtle to all but Annika, I should add... > Fox also is very clear when the are doing a a new analysis show, which is clearly biased or has a slant and when they do straight news. I don't care what slant folks have as long as it is made clear. I don't tend to see as clear a distinction at Fox. I also see subtle (or not so subtle, i.e., subliminal "Fox Facts") bias in their 'straight' news. The 'balance' presupposed by having a Hannity and Combs matchup is slewed by the selection of a weak, stereotypical liberal (Coombs). I was able to have a side chat with Phil Keating on this overall topic when he came out to my place for a shoot, and though initially guarded, he was forthcoming on the difficulties of (or reticence to) removing bias. So IMO both sides of the MSM are guilty of the same tendencies (or, more apropos, machinations)

Posted by: will at May 18, 2006 11:29 AM (GzvlQ)

19 Have to take your word for it on the Times. I've never read that paper regularly. The only paper I read somewhat regularly having a "conservative" editorial bias is the WSJ, which is a very different paper than, say, the Washington Times or Washington Post. Regarding FOX, after watching all the major networks plus CNN, PBS, and MSNBC, it seems to me that any FOX bias pales into insignificance. But, I am watching with a clear bias myself, so perhaps I miss it. Whose Phil Keating? (I realize that I could Google, but I'm feeling lazy and would prefer a first-hand description.)

Posted by: Blu at May 18, 2006 12:49 PM (j8oa6)

20 Raygun, I read your link and find it to be irrelavent. We always new this material was in Iraq and we always knew it was NOT bomb grade or anywhere near. Notice how the article calls it "enriched" but does not mention the percentage. The other 1000 sources could be rice sized grains used to treat prostate cancer for all we know or sources for bacterial eradication in food processing, or radio active iodine or barium used for medical tracing. It is all bullshit when you listen to the hyperbolic crap that COndaliar and Chaney spewed to scare the public into a belief that a "mushroom cloud" was a distince possiblity when it absofuckinglutely was not. They lied, they knew they were lying and they did it with bad intentions disguised as good. Ray, were you scared they could make a bomb? Any BTW 1.77 tons of uranium, enriched or not does not even fill 6 5 gal buckets. 1.77 x 2000lbs /8lbs/gal H20 x 19.5sg U =22.6 gal. Getting yellow cake from Niger would have meant nothing yet they made it seem important only to scare people WITH their half truths and lies. Were you scared Ray? Or did you just think it was a good idea to topple Saddam and the consequences be damned.

Posted by: Strawman at May 19, 2006 06:59 AM (G2Zzw)

21 Blu, Phil Keating bio; http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,126333,00.html Where we talked; http://geraldoatlarge.com/blog.php?where_param=blog_id&blog_id=110

Posted by: will at May 22, 2006 04:20 AM (GzvlQ)

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Vice Presidential Gun Safety

Web Loafer has uncovered a historical photograph showing Vice President John Nance Garner during a hunting trip in 1937. The vice president is the one with his gun pointed at another guy. Senator Truman is also among the party.

You may remember that Truman was famous for saying "the buck stops here." Well, this picture shows the origin of that phrase. Vice President Garner's most famous quote was when he described the vice presidency as "not worth a bucket of warm piss."

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May 15, 2006

Coolest Thing On The Internets Of The Day

This is so cute: The Kosher Village People.

[turn speakers on]

h/t Darleen.

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May 14, 2006

Coolest Thing On The Internets Of The Day

Crazy ninja kid jumping over shit.

Via Kevin.

Also, "today's lesson: never mix alkali metals with water."

Right.

Via visitor HH.

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Happy Mother's Day!

Have a great one!

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Bobby Darin

Today is Bobby Darin's birthday. He was born in 1936 as Walden Robert Cassotto. One of the greatest popular music records of all time is Darin's second LP, That's All. My dad had the original vinyl record. I say "had" because I stole it, and now I have it. Of course I can't play it, because I don't have a working record player, but so what. It's a collector's item.

The otherwise lackluster Kevin Spacey movie about Darin's life did a good job of showing how Darin changed from a bobby sox rocker to a Sinatra-esque swinger with the release of That's All. Every song is a gem, especially the most famous single to come off of that album, "Mack The Knife."

Dick Clark begged Darin not to record "Mack," but thankfully he went and did it anyways. Now, its become a jazz standard that even twenty-somethings like myself know by heart. What other song written by a communist (Bertolt Brecht) can you say that about?

On the back of That's All, they reprinted a telegram from Sammy Davis, Jr., which I love:

Really, when you talk about guys who could swing, the name Darin belongs right up there next to Frank and Sammy.

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May 13, 2006

Peter Pumpkin The Spectacular Pumpkin, Episode 32

Come for the comics, stay for the political stuff.

Or come for the political stuff, stay for the comics. Or come for the politics and the comics. stay for the beer. Okay, there's no beer. Do whatever.

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78 queries taking 0.0702 seconds, 305 records returned.
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