imkittymyers at hotmail dot com
Saturday, May 01, 2004
HE’S HOUSEBROKEN
But has he had his shots?
Reading Hugh Hewitt this morning I realized I had forgotten to post the news about Michael Kinsley being named as the editorial and opinion editor of the L.A. Times. By now, there are probably quite a few who have forgotten the weasel, but I haven’t. He was rabidly anti-Reagan. So deep was his loathing for the president that I figured he must have abused several keyboards jack-hammering out his bile. Vanity Fair did a profile on Michael Kinsley in its November ’94 issue. MK’s advice to his colleagues right after Iran-Contra: “It’s a healthy democratic instinct to enjoy seeing the mighty fall, whether the mighty deserve it or not. … Reagan’s comeuppance is democracy’s salvation. … Dry those tears and repeat after me: Ha. Ha. Ha.”
No, I have NOT forgotten this person.
WHERE ARE MY BROS?
Jesse's advice to Kerry: African-American VP
Jackson offered some advice for the presumptive Democratic nominee for president - think about picking an African-American for vice president.
Jackson rattled off the names of African-Americans who have risen through the political ranks with Republican support - Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas, Secretary of State Colin Powell and National Security Advisor Condoleezza Rice.
F’N COWARDS & TRUE HEROES
Scott Ritter: F***ING COWARD
This POS spoke at West High School (Painted Post, NY), which is right down the road from our home. An ultra-left-wing half-vast rag-tag group, known as Peaceful Gatherings, had asked Scotty to speak as part of their educational series titled "Clearing the Fog of War." The backbone of this group are grey-haired 60s leftovers, the “make love not war” crowd, many of whom still worship Almighty Cannabis. I doubt they see the irony in their choice of titles for their “educational series.”
Former weapons inspector 'clears fog' on war in Iraq
He also said the American public was taught to believe Hussein was evil by Bush, though Saddam posed no imminent threat to the United States when the war with Iraq began more than a year ago.
Ritter also commented that the Bush administration used the Sept. 11, 2001 terrorist attacks as a platform for its own issues, such as creating the Patriot Act. The audience groaned at just the mention of the policy.
…
"Why did they attack us?" he asked. "It's because the world doesn't like us."
Ritter, when asked, said he would vote for John Kerry in the upcoming election just to get Bush out of office, though he does not like that Kerry cannot articulate an actual policy against Iraq. Ritter said he endorsed Rep. Dennis Kucinich because, although Ritter does not agree with all his policies, Kuchinich at least has an answer. When Ritter was also asked why he voted for Bush, he said because his opponent, Vice President Al Gore, had lied while Ritter worked as a weapons inspector, and he took it "personally."…
Ritter emphasized that while he is a Marine at heart, he is also a pacifist.
Considering the crowd, the reaction was typical:
"I thought it was great," said Rachel Treichler of Hammondsport. "I was glad to hear him say we should bring the troops out and we should let the Iraqis govern themselves."
Treichler said the only thing she disagreed with Ritter on was who to vote for in the election. She said she will vote for Green Party candidate Ralph Nader.
He’s stooping to donations?
There was a suggested donation of $5 from the visiting public.…
Peaceful Gatherings is a group that dedicates themselves to "peace and justice." For more information, contact Rhonda Morton at 937-9807 or rmorton@stny.rr.com or Gary McCaslin 936-2388 or anniegarymcc@juno.com.
Back on March 28th, Scotty spoke up the road at Cornell U. and lectured about “dereliction of duty”:
Former weapons inspector 'clears fog' on war in IraqRitter was quick to point out that he is not against the concept of war but said he fails to see a need for the current war.
Ritter additionally made the point that President Bush assumes Iraqi President Saddam Hussein has access to weapons of mass destruction. But from his first-hand experience, Ritter argued, it is highly unlikely that Iraq possesses any working nuclear, chemical or biological weapons. "The president has convinced the American people that Iraq has these weapons, thereby posing a threat. Ladies and gentlemen, this is a lie," Ritter said.
…
In his closing, Ritter exclaimed: "Is it unpatriotic to stand up to this war while American heroes are dying in Iraq? No, if you disagree with this war it is the most patriotic thing you can do. It is a dereliction of your duty as an American citizen if you fail to do so."
Notice who sponsored him:
Co-sponsoring the lecture were the Cornell Program Board, the Cornell Arab Association, Watermargin, the Department of Near Eastern Studies and the Cornell Political Coalition.
A TRUE HERO
Tillman was killed saving comrades
He truly died an American hero.
Pat Tillman, the NFL-star-turned-G.I., was awarded a Silver Star yesterday for saving fellow Special Operations soldiers last month from a sneak attack by heavily armed militants in Afghanistan, the military disclosed yesterday.
As a team of Army Rangers was trapped in cavernous terrain and warding off incoming mortars and gunfire, Tillman, 27, led a team up a hill close to a position held by enemy fighters, the U.S. Army Special Operations Command said.
Tillman's team had already made it out of the area but returned when an Army squad trailing them was ambushed.
"As they crested the hill, Tillman directed his team into firing positions and personally provided suppressive fire" with a machine gun to help the other unit, command officials said.
As the battle ensued, "Tillman's voice was heard issuing commands to take the fight to the enemy forces."
The firing soon stopped and the second Ranger team moved to safety - but Tillman was fatally wounded.
The medal for valor in combat honored Tillman's final act of selfless bravery. On Thursday, the Army announced Tillman had been posthumously promoted to corporal from specialist.
In keeping with Tillman's humble ways - he consistently turned down interviews about his decision to leave the Arizona Cardinals for the Army - his family has decided against holding a funeral with military honors. Instead, his widow, Marie, will be presented with a folded American flag, an Army official said. A public memorial service is planned Monday in Tillman's hometown of San Jose, Calif. Another public ceremony is set for next Saturday in Arizona.
May God rest his lovely soul
Friday, April 30, 2004
GOOD NEWS FROM BRAINSTER!
Pat, over at Kerry Haters, has another blog named Brainster, and he has the scoop on the latest poll results. He's reporting that the POLL RESULTS ARE SKEWED! And it ain't good news for Kerry. Check it out!
FEEL THE LOVE
Seattle sign cheers U.S. enemies
Window front on major street: "Victory to the Iraqi Resistance''
As U.S. troops engage radical Islamic insurgents in Iraq, passersby on a major thoroughfare near downtown Seattle this week will notice a sign in a window front that urges: "Victory to the Iraqi Resistance."
DEM DUO DISSES DUBYA IN OVAL OFFICE WALKOUT
In a stunning snub, two Democrats on the 9/11 commission yesterday abruptly walked out in the middle of the Oval Office interview with President Bush and Vice President Dick Cheney.
…
Kerrey dashed to handle a private business matter - lobbying Sen. Pete Domenici (R-N.M.) for more money for his employer, the New School University in Manhattan.
Hamilton bolted so that he could introduce the Canadian prime minister at a ceremonial event at the Woodrow Wilson Center, which employs Hamilton as its director.
…
Yesterday, commissioners questioned Bush and Cheney in front of the Oval Office fireplace for three hours and 10 minutes; afterward, Bush said he answered "every question."
…
Kerrey raised eyebrows even before yesterday's snub, admonishing White House National Security Adviser Condoleezza Rice and repeatedly forgetting her name during a public hearing earlier this month.
…
A recent Fox News poll showed that the commission is seen as a partisan joke by 56 percent of Americans.
POTTY MOUTHS
FCC'S FREE RIDE FOR OPRAH
THE moral arbiters at the FCC have officially declared that Oprah Winfrey is free to describe [BLEEP] and [BLEEP] sex acts on air - but Howard Stern is not. Stern show regular Captain Janks phoned the shock jock yesterday to report that the FCC had sent him a response to his complaint about a recent "Oprah" episode in which an O! magazine editor graphically described the act of "tossing salad." The FCC's deep thinkers said: "We previously found that fleeting and isolated remarks of this nature do not warrant commission action because the complained-of material does not fall within the scope of the commission's indecency prohibition. We reject the claims that this program content is indecent and we need not reach the second element of the indecency analysis." But Stern was recently slapped with a $27,500 fine for a discussion that was remarkably similar to Oprah's. An FCC aide then admitted to The Post that Oprah can cross the line with impunity because she is "beloved" while Stern can be persecuted at will because he's "a lightening rod."
NIXON AT 61%
TAKING ACTION
IN 1972, America was in rotten shape. U.S. forces were being pulled out of Vietnam, and it was clear that in the long term, Communist victory was inevitable. Inflation was spiraling out of control, and the wage-and-price controls imposed by the government to stop it weren't working. Cities were wracked by waves of violent crime never before seen.
Yet the sitting Republican president, Richard Nixon, won 61 percent of the vote in November 1972 against Democratic nominee George McGovern.
...
It's important to remember 1972 when considering the course of events in 2004. Not because the situations are analogous - they're not - but because there's an idea commonly held across the political spectrum that bad news in an election year is automatically a problem for the incumbent president.
The 1972 example suggests just how wrong this idea is - and why John Kerry has an uphill climb against George W. Bush.
HOT! HOT! HOT!
CLINTON PREORDERS ARE HOT
President Bill Clinton's autobiography, "My Life," isn't due out for two months, but preorders already have him rivaling Harry Potter, according to one online
…
He also said he's been staying up until 3 or 4 a.m. to complete the book, which he is writing in longhand.
TODAY'S TOPIC: BOVINES WITH ADD
Dean preps for talkshow
While everything's still in the early talking stages, the former Democratic presidential candidate is mulling the idea of hosting his own syndicated gabfest. …
"The last thing we're going to talk about is politics," Lyttle said. "We'd talk about a myriad of other things instead of politics."
…
"He'd look at things like, What happens if you lose a sibling? What about when you're victimized by not having health care?" Lyttle said, arguing that Dean has the perfect persona for the small screen.
"He's a little bit of Howard Beale, a little Dr. Phil and a little Donahue all rolled into one," he said.
SPIRIT OF AMERICA
A Good Start On the Iraq Homefront
Spirit of America exceeds its fund-raising goals 15-fold.
The photograph [above] was taken at Camp Pendleton, the Marine Corps base 38 miles north of San Diego. It shows Col. Robert Knapp and Spirit of America's Jim Hake in front of the television equipment that was bought with contributions from readers of this newspaper and others. It will be in the air tomorrow, bound for Al Anbar province in Iraq. There, Marines from the First Expeditionary Force will help Iraqis restore seven local TV stations.
The column describing Spirit of America's effort to raise $100,000 for the TV stations appeared in this space 14 days ago. Since then, the following has happened:
Jim Hake, Spirit of America's entrepreneur founder, says they have received $1.52 million. Some 7,000 donations have come from every state, and one from . . . France.
…
Mr. Hake has received five new requests from military in Iraq and also in Afghanistan, the live war that faded from view until Pat Tillman, the former NFL player, was killed there. A Special Forces soldier in Afghanistan requested soccer equipment for a village team: "They compete regionally but have no equipment save a couple of soccer balls." The team's equipment will soon be shipped.
Spirit of America DONATIONS
Thursday, April 29, 2004
"It was definitely guerrilla-like warfare."
Comfort from home helped Scott Smith face danger, loss:
Smith, a member of the Army National Guard's 105th Military Police Company, said his unit faced more than 100 attacks since August while patrolling the dangerous Sunni Triangle region of the war-torn country.
“It was rough ... we didn't know who the enemy was," he said. "It was definitely guerrilla-like warfare."
Now with the unit's year-long mission complete, Smith came home Saturday.
…
Smith, 39, said his unit was based in Kalsu, about 30 miles south of Baghdad. Uprisings were common in the area, with insurgents sometimes planning attacks so the Arab-run Al-Jazeera TV network could videotape the event.
He said his unit had to ward off rocket-propelled grenades and explosives on a regular basis. His unit's mission was to give security to convoys. He said they accompanied 250,000 convoys during his time there.
...
"It was the hardest thing I've ever done in my life," he said. "[It was hard] to be separated from my family, trying to survive and to stay alive on a daily basis. I'm very proud of what I did, but I don't want to do it again if I don't have to. But will I if they ask me? Yes."
This is a hometown guy.
WELL LA DI DA!
MORE OF THE LEFT TURNING ON KERRY? Tina Brown can’t imagine that a lowly WAITER at HER chi-chi Manhattan dinner party would even consider voting for Bush! Check it out at Kerry Haters.
DON'T GO POSTAL, BUT ...
The US Postal Service created a stamp with a picture of Senator Hillary Clinton to honor her achievements as the First Lady of our nation. In daily use it was shown that the stamp was not sticking to envelopes. This enraged Senator Clinton, who demanded a full investigation. After a month of testing, a special presidential commission made the following findings:
*The stamp was in perfect order.
*There was nothing wrong with the applied adhesive.
*People were spitting on the wrong side.
Of course, the US Postal Service only issues stamps commemorating people posthumously.
Thanks to a certain reader!
U.N. BIG WILL TELL ALL ON OILY SCAM
A former manager in the scandal-scarred oil for food program will tell Congress today how top U.N. officials running the program deliberately looked the other way, congressional officials said last night.
Frenchman Michael Soussan, a former program coordinator for the $100 billion fund, is expected to be the star witness of a House International Relations Committee hearing looking into Saddam's gigantic $10.1 billion rip-off.
Committee sources said Soussan, now a New York-area writer, is expected to give the first, under oath, public account from an insider about how top U.N. officials were aware of Saddam's oil smuggling and kickback schemes but chose to let him get away with it.
Allegations surfaced in a Baghdad newspaper earlier this year that Benon Sevan, the director of the program, was among 270 sympathetic international political and financial figures who received sweetheart oil deals from Saddam.
Crap! Now I’ll have to re-think bashing the French! Oops! Nevermind. Look below.
MEL'S PASSION
'PASSION' FIT IN PARIS:
MEL Gibson might be even less popular in Paris than he is in Hollywood. Some French theater owners are refusing to screen "The Passion of the Christ," and the Union of Film Producers has come under fire because it hasn't called for a ban on the picture, according to a report in Variety. The UFP actually issued a statement backing the film's Gallic distributor, a Tunisian named Tarak Ben Ammar, for his "attachment to the freedom of expresion and . . . making the public the only judge of Mel Gibson's direction." That prompted at least one UFP board member to resign in protest. Meanwhile, "Passion" has grossed more than $9 million in France since it was released three weeks ago, proving once again that the public doesn't always agree with the elites who want to "protect" them with censorship.
SENATOR GASBAG
Kerry waiting it out on wind farm report:
Alone among the state's most influential politicians, U.S. Sen. John Kerry says he is not opposed to the offshore wind farm proposed for Nantucket Sound.
…
While Kerry has never said he is in favor of the proposal, he is offering conditional support.
Rhetoric over Cape Wind project gains momentum:
From the October 11, 2002 print edition
However, there are two people both sides wish would speak up on their behalf: U.S. senators Edward M. Kennedy and John F. Kerry.
Although both have endorsed legislation that would require energy companies to increase their use of renewable energy, neither one has publicly embraced the Cape Cod project, which would be the country's first offshore windmill farm. Some critics say this is inconsistent and possibly motivated by their desire not to offend their wealthy constituents who have homes in fashionable areas of Cape Cod and the Islands.
OUR SOLDIERS IN IRAQ
Pat has posted another great flip-flop piece on Kerry at Kerry Haters. The flip-flop dates back to his glory days of the anti-Vietnam War era, when he supposedly camped out with his beloved bros on the Mall in DC during the great protest. Except he didn’t really sleep on the hard ground in a little tent; he snuck off in the night and slept in a Georgetown mansion, possibly in the library which might have looked very much like Kerry’s library now (below).
Wednesday, April 28, 2004
BÂTARDS FRANÇAIS
HOW TO BUY A FRENCH VETO: ‘ANYONE who pines for genuine international multilateralism would do well to follow the bribes now being uncovered in the United Nations' Oil-for- Food scandal.
Why did France and Russia oppose efforts to topple Saddam Hussein's regime? And why did they press constantly, throughout the '90s, for an expansion of Iraqi oil sales? Was it their empathy for the starving children of that impoverished nation? Their desire to stop the United States from arrogantly imposing its vision upon the Middle East?
It now looks like they it was simply because they were on the take. Saddam was their cash cow.’
A FLAG WORTH BILLION$
Charter of the United Nations, June 26, 1945
‘…to reaffirm faith in fundamental human rights, in the dignity and worth of the human person, in the equal rights of men and women and of nations large and small …’
Oil-for-Terror
U.N. Iraq money may have ended up in accounts tied to al Qaeda and the Taliban.
…
'In tallying various leaked lists, disturbing leads and appalling exposés to date, what becomes ever more clear is that Oil-for-Food quickly became a global maze of middlemen, shell companies, fronts and shadowy connections, all blessed by the U.N. From this labyrinth, via kickbacks on underpriced oil and overpriced goods, Saddam extracted, by conservative estimates of the General Accounting Office, at least $4.4 billion in graft, plus an additional $5.7 billion on oil smuggled out of Iraq. Meanwhile, Mr. Annan's Secretariat shrugged and rang up its $1.4 billion in Iraqi oil commissions for supervising the program.
…
Basically, Oil-for-Food was Saddam--just slightly harder to spot, swaddled as he was in that blue U.N. flag.'
WHAT A FLUSH!
DRUDGE …
DEMS TO RALLY BEHIND 'DAY AFTER'; GORE PLANS SPEECH AT 'GLOBAL WARMING' PREMIERE
Tue Apr 27 2004 21:49:37 ET
FOX’s global warming thriller THE DAY AFTER TOMORROW is turning into a political lightening rod.
A rally featuring former VP and environmental advocate Al Gore will be held a couple of blocks away from the pic’s May 24 preem in Gotham and hosted by MoveOn.org, DAILY VARIETY is reporting on Wednesday.
Helmed by director Roland Emmerich, DAY follows the onset of a new Ice Age just three days after the polar ice caps melt. With Emmerich’s penchant for onscreen destruction, the pic includes catastrophic tornadoes touching down in Los Angeles, giant hail in Tokyo and the flooding and freezing of New York.
VARIETY reporter Gabriel Snyder is planning to quote Gore: “THE DAY AFTER TOMORROW presents us with a great opportunity to talk about the scientific realities of climate change. Millions of people will be coming out of theaters on Memorial Day weekend asking the question, ‘Could this really happen?’ I think we need to answer that question.”
FOX spokeswoman Florence Grace said the pic “is meant to entertain audiences with a mix of spectacle and emotion. If it also increases awareness and inspires audiences to take an interest in some of the issues raised in the film, then all the better.”
Developing...
EURO-SMUG
Canada's romance with US military exiles: 'Jeremy Hinzman and Brandon Hughey … are US soldiers gone AWOL in Canada - Private Hinzman, 25, lives in Toronto and Private Hughey, 19, lives in St. Catharines. Both say they can't participate in what they believe is an illegal war.
…
The Canadian Broadcasting Corporation (CBC), not known for objectivity when reporting on the United States, has barely been able to contain its glee over the problems in Iraq.
…
Both men are being represented by the same lawyer, Jeffry House, an American draft dodger who came to Canada in 1970. Mr. House was one of an estimated 30,000 to 60,000 draft dodgers to come here.
…
Both have websites soliciting sympathy and donations. Hinzman's features a letter of support from foreign policy and ethics expert Susan Sarandon. Hughey's promises us good karma if we contact our member of Parliament on his behalf.'
Hinzman and Hughey can remain in O’Canada forever, with pleasure. Canada is a spectacularly beautiful country, but let’s not be coy: the country’s welfare depends upon America’s might. Without America to cover their ass, they couldn’t afford the luxury of arrogance.
However, far be it from a mere American to remind them of their vulnerability when Canada's finest two young singers, Terrence & Phillip, express it best:
AUDIO
Tuesday, April 27, 2004
www.homelessatnyu.com
NYU BOOK WORM: ‘A "homeless" NYU undergrad claims he lived for seven months in the school's main library, without being caught by unsuspecting security guards or administration.
Steve Stanzak, 20, from upstate Waterloo, says he took up residence in the Bobst Library on Washington Square in mid-September because he couldn't afford housing costs on top of his tuition, which comes primarily from student loans.
…
For months, Stanzak said, he washed up in the library's restrooms, grabbing an occasional shower at friends' dorms. He kept his clothes and books in lockers.
…
Recently, Stanzak - who made the dean's list last semester - set up a Web log, www.homelessatnyu.com, to chronicle his secretive squatting.
NYU brass learned of the unorthodox living arrangements after finding the blog, Beckman said.
Asked how the student would have escaped detection by security guards, Beckman noted that the library never closes.’
His blog is no longer at that address, otherwise I would have linked it. And I can't seem to find out why.
AN ENVIRO-WACKO’S WET DREAM
'Plot Summary: In "Independence Day" Roland Emmerich brought you the near destruction of the earth by aliens. Now, in "The Day After Tomorrow" the enemy is an even more devastating force: nature itself. Tornadoes rip Los Angeles; a massive snowstorm pounds New Delhi; hail the size of grapefruit batters Tokyo; and in New York City, the temperature swings from sweltering to freezing in one day. In this special-effects packed, highly anticipated event motion picture, an abrupt climate change has cataclysmic consequences for the entire planet.'
“The Day After Tomorrow” is scheduled for release May 28th.
This reminds me of the 1983 movie “Testament,” with Jane Alexander.
Tagline: Imagine a day like any other. The children are fighting, the refrigerator is humming. Highways are jammed, playgrounds are filled. Everything is perfectly normal... For the very last time.
Summary: Nuclear war in the United States is portrayed in a realistic and believable manner. The story is told through the eyes of a woman who is struggling to take care of her family. The entire movie takes place in a small suburban town outside San Francisco. After the nuclear attack, contact with the outside world is pretty much cut off.
This was a made-for-TV movie, and the teachers in school were instructing parents how to watch this with their children. Some middle-schoolers were so traumatized by what they heard from their teachers … WE’RE GOING TO DIE! … that they had nightmares. From nuclear war to nuclear-like nature. Must be Bush's fault.
BLOGGING NEWS FROM
Blog-Tracking May Gain Ground Among U.S. Intelligence Officials:
… [S]ome analysts say U.S. intelligence and law enforcement officials might be starting to track blogs for important bits of information. This interest is a sign of how far Web media such as blogs have come in reshaping the data-collection habits of intelligence professionals and others, even with the knowledge that the accuracy of what's reported in some blogs is questionable.
Still, a panel of folks who work in the U.S. intelligence field — some of them spies or former spies — discussed this month at a conference in Washington the idea of tracking blogs.
…
China Wants To Block Blogs
The CIA and FBI haven't publicly commented about use of blogs in their work, but many D.C. observers believe both agencies monitor certain blogs.
At least one nation, China, is actively tracking blogs. It's also reportedly trying to block blogs. Several press reports earlier this year said the government shut two blogging services and banned access to all Web logs by Chinese citizens.
Many journalists write blogs and use other blogs to help find sources or verify facts and rumors. Blogs hail from just about any spot on the globe. They can provide first-hand insights into local events and thinking, even in parts of the world where there's little official information.
One example is the "Baghdad Blogger."
In March 2003, as U.S. forces stormed Iraq, one of the few sources on the Iraqi viewpoint was a blog written by a person who turned out to be 29-year-old Iraqi architect Salam Pax, though it's not certain that is his real name.
Some reporters followed his blog daily, which gave gritty insights into how the war was shaking the lives of Iraqis.
The U.S. military never publicly acknowledged Pax, but people at the conference say they believe U.S. military officers read the blog.
Some news organizations valued the blog. Britain's Guardian newspaper was so impressed that it hired Pax in May 2003 to write a biweekly column on life in Baghdad. He's still writing it.
Thanks, Blue!
WELCOME ALPHAPATRIOTS!
Boy, just when I should have been here with the welcome mat out, I was getting my hair cut and picking up my NY Post. I got home and the first thing I noticed was my Ecosystem ranking (right sidebar): I’M A WORM!! Yesterday I was the lowliest of the system, an Insignificant Microbe, and today I’m a worm. What gives? So, I dug around and discovered that AlphaPatriot.com has linked me! A little birdy says Pat at Kerry Haters had something to do with it:) For those of you who haven’t checked out AlphaPatriot, DO SO! You’ll love it. And thank you to one and all.
Your wiggly worm (at least for today),
Kitty
OH WHAT A TANGLED WEB
Bob Kerry once remarked that Clinton was an unusually good liar, this, of course, after years of the Bubba-in-Chief forcing us to parse his every nuance. I didn’t agree. In fact, the first time I had ever even heard of Bill Clinton, in ’92, he was trying to explain why it wasn’t HIS voice on Gennifer Flowers’ tapes. As soon as he opened his mouth, I knew he was lying. Raising a couple of teenagers clues you in quickly.
Then came his “I didn’t inhale,” which was so laughable NOBODY bought that one, least of all his media lemmings. And who could honestly believe in their hearts that he didn’t dodge the draft?
He lied about such insignificant things, too. We all get the equivalent of a few get-out-of-jail-free passes in life when dealing with the truth. So why waste them on such trivia? The point was always character, not adultery or drugs or military service, all of which Clinton had a chance of weathering had he been honest. But he didn’t even try. Instead, he immediately launched into his web of deceit, thereby insulting us, not trusting us to understand. I wouldn’t have voted for him anyway, but at least I would have had a smidgen of respect for him. Clinton, however, didn’t want our respect as much as he wanted our votes. Even though nobody believes him now, unless it fits their purpose, he is generally considered to be a likable hardy-d-har-har-har sort. (gag)
John Kerry is doing a miserable imitation of Bubba. Not only does he suck at lying, he’s not even likable. He’s arrogant, effete and cold, the kind of male who stages a photo-op to buy an athletic support, the kind who marries his wealth and stages philanthropy only during election years and expects to use the rest of us, the hoi polloi, as his personal ATMs (Automatic Tax Machines).
Let’s hope come November the majority of voters will agree.
LONG DAY
JOHN KERRY'S QUIET COLLAPSE: ‘Here's the truth that Democrats don't want to admit and that Republicans are fearful of speaking openly because they don't want to jinx things:
Kerry is a terrible, terrible, terrible candidate.
…
Events over the past week suggest that Bush may win a substantial victory in November, and for this reason alone: Kerry's performance may seriously depress Democratic turnout. Or drive Democrats to vote for Ralph Nader, just as George Bush the Elder's performance in 1992 drove millions of Republicans to vote for Ross Perot.
Guys, you should have gone with John Edwards.’
GOING POSTAL
Democrats rip Cheney's record, tie wife's pregnancy to Vietnam: ‘Democrats began a weeklong attack on Vice President Dick Cheney's record yesterday, with party chief Terry McAuliffe calling him "the last guy who should be lecturing John Kerry" and a Democrat-leaning group suggesting that Mr. Cheney's wife became pregnant to help her husband avoid serving in Vietnam.’
WHAT WMDs?
POISON GAS PLOT: ‘Diabolical al Qaeda terrorists confessed yesterday to plotting to attack the U.S. Embassy and other targets in Jordan with sophisticated chemical bombs that could have wiped out 80,000 people.
…
The authorities said a group of 10 suspects planned to pack the truck bombs with deadly cocktails of 71 lethal chemicals - including blistering agents, nerve gas and choking agents - and then simultaneously crash them into their targets.
A Jordanian government scientist said the well-trained terrorists - who had acquired 20 tons of chemicals - had planned to combine just the right amount of explosives to spread the lethal clouds without destroying the poisonous chemicals.’
LETHAL BLAST IN WMD HUNT: ‘Two U.S. soldiers were killed yesterday in a mysterious explosion at a Baghdad building that was being searched for chemical weapons.
U.S. military teams, including the CIA-led Iraq Survey Group that hunts for weapons of mass destruction, were conducting a raid on a perfume factory when a massive blast erupted shortly after they entered the building.
The raid was part of the U.S. military's intensive search for WMDs.
…
U.S. military spokesman Mark Kimmitt told reporters there was intelligence information that the owners of the building were suspected of manufacturing "chemical agents" at the factory and supplying them to Ba'athist terrorists fighting American forces.
"It was a chemical store from which the owner and his associates were suspected of supplying chemical agents to terrorists, criminals and insurgents. There is also information that these individuals were involved in the production of chemical munitions," Kimmitt said.
…
The mysterious explosion came as the chief of Israel's army revealed his country had information that Iraq modified aircraft for planned chemical weapons attacks against Israel in the event of a U.S. invasion.
"We identified them: drones, Tupolev-16s and Sukhoi. They were specifically fitted for these kinds of missions - dispersing chemical weapons," Lt. Gen. Moshe Yaalon said in an interview with the Yedioth Achronoth newspaper.’
Must be Bush’s fault.
BADA BING, BADA BOOM
'SOPRANOS' DISS ANDY CUOMO: LIKE all good mobsters, "The Sopranos" have a long memory. Two years ago, then-gubernatorial candidate Andrew Cuomo took a poll to see whether New Yorkers thought the popular HBO series was anti-Italian. On Sunday, the Sopranos got even. When Carmela's mother boasted about her cultured Italian friends - Lena and Dr. Russ Fegoli, a retired assistant to the ambassador to the Vatican - the estranged wife of mob boss Tony Soprano was not impressed. Carmela sniffed about the couple: "She of the five-page Christmas card . . . and then on Flag Day, Grandpa Russ shook hands with Andrew Cuomo . . . what an honor.' BFD (Big f- - -ing Deal)!" Cuomo told The Post's Kenneth Lovett it was the mob show's revenge: "I mentioned their name in a poll and they mentioned mine in the show," he laughed.
Couldn't happen to a more deserving fella :)
Monday, April 26, 2004
GET LOST, KERRY
He-e-e's back: ‘John Kerry's campaign strategists are worried. No, not about George W. Bush. Goodness, no. But about another rival. The kind of celebrity who sucks all the air out of a room. He appears, and every head swivels his way. He exerts an almost hypnotic attraction on reporters, pundits, political buffs, television cameras, young interns and old nostalgists, haters and lovers and all those in between . . . .
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‘… Bill Clinton refuses to go. And now, just in time for the Democratic national convention in July, he's coming out with a book and all the attendant foofaraw.
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John Kerry won't stand a chance. Can't you see the caption under their picture when they pose together at the Democratic convention? ("Former President Bill Clinton with unidentified man.")’
Since Paul Greenburg wrote his column, the title has been released.
‘The book, for which Clinton received a reported $10 million to $12 million, will be called "My Life." Knopf is planning a first printing of 1.5 million …’
Will the audio version of his book contain this clip?
STILL STANDIN’ BY HER MAN
Hillary Clinton speaks out at march: ‘Senator Hillary Rodham Clinton said today's March for Women's Lives in Washington will mean nothing if supporters don't back it up by going to the polls in November.
The New York Democrat urged the tens of thousands who gathered to register to vote and encourage others to do the same.
At a breakfast before the rally, Clinton made powerful accusations against the Bush administration.
She said it is filled with people who "disparage sexual harassment laws"’
Hear Bill Clinton explain it :)
Pat invited me to co-blog with him on Kerry Haters because there is just SO MUCH OUT THERE! Take a look to see what I mean.
THICK AS THIEVES
Gorelick Memo Allegedly Impeded Probe of Clinton Fundraising Scandal: This article is so detailed, and fascinating, that deciding upon pull quotes was challenging.
‘A senior U.S. government official has told CNSNews.com that the 1995 memo written by former Assistant Attorney General Jamie Gorelick and currently at issue in the 9/11 Commission's investigation of U.S. intelligence failures, also created "a roadblock" to the probe of the 1996 Clinton re-election campaign fundraising scandal.
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"The Gorelick memo guidelines created a firewall that protected the [Clinton] administration" from the Justice Department's investigation into foreign campaign donations, Leitner said.
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Another DoD official, who requested anonymity, explained in an interview with CNSNews.com that, "the PLA (People's Liberation Army) used front companies to buy U.S. defense high technology and influence in the U.S. government." In many cases, the source said, "the operatives were dealing directly with the White House."’
The Chinese Connection
Johnny Chung with Clinton in 1996 and in 1998.
The Gorelick Rosetta Stone: Scott Jordan sums it up nicely.
‘Has 9/11 Commissioner Jamie Gorelick's famous memo provided the missing link between Chinagate and 9/11?
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To set the stage, recall that Bill Clinton ensured his loyal minions populated the U.S. attorneys' offices nationwide when he fired every last U.S. attorney at the dawn of his administration, then appointed his own.
Next, as we have seen through Jamie Gorelick's startling memo, Clinton saw to it that domestic law enforcement was blinded to foreign intelligence information. He then methodically offered up White House access and key strategic technologies to the highest bidder -- China and Indonesian/Chinese billionaire donors with close ties to China's dictatorial regime.
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John Kerry is today's victorious campaign-donation choice of Chinagate's Huang-linked George Chao-Chi Chu, described as having "unusual access to high-ranking Communist officials in China"
And that is old news, in a way, for in 1996 John Kerry received cash from Johnny Chung and Liu Chaoying, daughter of a powerful Chinese military official, for providing high-level access to federal securities regulators. Kerry's cash came from transfers sent to
Chung on orders from the chief of Chinese military intelligence.’
Democrats to Target Cheney!: They can’t seem to make headway attacking Bush … on the contrary, his numbers remain steady and sometimes inch upwards … so they’re now going to attack Cheney.
‘Sen. John F. Kerry (D-Mass.) and the Democratic Party will open a week-long assault on Vice President Cheney today in hopes that tarring him as promoting secrecy and controversial policies will erode confidence in President Bush.
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Bush aides said they considered it a victory to have Kerry campaigning against Cheney instead of Bush and talking about national security.’
Did you know that Kerry was in the Vietnam War?
‘Democratic National Committee Chairman Terence R. McAuliffe is to give a speech in Washington accusing Bush's campaign of trying "to smear John Kerry's service to America."’
Does Kerry think we’re memory-challenged morons?
‘At the Veterans Memorial Auditorium in Des Moines yesterday, Kerry stuck to his standard speech, save for a brief poke at the Bush administration for declining to show photos of coffins sent back from Iraq with the bodies of soldiers. "We should not hide that from Americans," Kerry said. "If they are good enough to go fight and die, they are good enough to be received home with full honors."’
Since HE brought the subject up, this is how Kerry “honored” his beloved “band of brothers.”
BYOB
MISERY INDEX: They are loathe to admit it, but the humiliating term being used to describe the Dems’ upcoming Boston convention is “low-rent” due to lack of funds.
‘"All of the money is being funneled into the campaign against Bush and the Republicans, there is no money for pyramids of shrimp or open bars with small batch bourbon," says a DNC fundraiser. "We'll leave those kinds of things to our corporate sponsors."’
PAYBACK’S A BITCH
A NOVEL ATTACK ON WOODWARD: Pete Earley was hired by Bob Woodward at the WaPo in 1980. In 1986, Earley was forced to resign with a little help from his “friend,” Woodward. Earley has now written a book whose main character is ‘an arrogant, scheming star reporter for the Washington "Tribune" who broke the Watergate case with the help of an inside source - not Deep Throat, but "the Wizard."’
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‘The character is also a fraud, as portrayed by Earley, who makes the case that Middleton/Woodward never had a Deep Throat - just leaks from the CIA - and invented the mystery man to hype sales of "All the President's Men," his book about Watergate co-written with Carl Bernstein.
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"What has always struck me as odd is the ease with which he betrayed me . . . The guy actually put his arm on my shoulder and said we were going to become great friends - and then, within a few hours, he was trying to get me fired. When I confronted him, he called me naive."’
Sunday, April 25, 2004
WE DON’T DO NUANCE
Wallowing in nuance, Dems lack resolve: ‘The 9/11 Commission? Nobody cares. You can't drive the car when you're staring in the rear-view mirror. And, as those polls showed, if Americans are forcibly plonked in front of that rear-view mirror, they lay more blame on eight years of Clinton administration policy than eight months of Bush administration policy.
WMD? Another dead horse. Whether you were pro-war or anti-war had nothing to do with WMD. Bush thought Saddam Hussein had 'em, but so did the French, Germans and Russians, and they were all anti-war. For most pro-war Americans, the need to whack Saddam was more important than the pretext on which he was whacked. He was unfinished business from Sept. 10. All the rest is footnotes, more rear-view mirror stuff.’
MOORE REVOLTING
A MOORE REVOLTING VIEW OF WAR: FLABBY? Y’gotta be joking!
‘DERANGED documentarian Michael Moore likens the cowards who murder U.S soldiers in Iraq to the colonists who fought in the American Revolution. "The Iraqis who have risen up against the occupation are not 'insurgents' or 'terrorists' or 'The Enemy,' " he writes on his Web site. "They are the REVOLUTION, the Minutemen, and their numbers will grow - and they will win. Get it, Mr. [George W.] Bush?" The flabby filmmaker goes on to say that the UN should stay out of Iraq because Americans who supported the war deserve to see their sons and daughters die in it. "Why should the other countries of this world, countries who tried to talk us out of this folly, now have to clean up our mess? . . . I'm sorry, but the majority of Americans supported this war once it began and, sadly, that majority must now sacrifice their children until enough blood has been let that maybe - just maybe - God and the Iraqi people will forgive us in the end."’
(Yeah, yeah, yeah, I know it’s a phony photo.)
"You don't have to be a Democrat to love New York."
ED KOCH TICKS OFF YIPPIES: Former NY City mayor, Ed Koch, is a Dem even the Republicans like and respect and not just because he’s helping out the RNC for the convention.
‘THE Yippies are so mad at Ed Koch for helping the organizers of this summer's Republican National Convention here, they vow to camp out 24 hours a day in front of his Greenwich Village apartment. "We're so ticked off at Koch for turncoating, we'll be there 'round-the-clock. We want to make it so he won't be able to come home for four days," said Yippie leader John Penley. "We'll probably be arrested." The Yippies, who have been turned down for permits to pitch tents in Tompkins Square Park and East River Park, plan a 24-hour vigil outside Gracie Mansion on Aug. 22, the day before the convention starts. But Koch is their biggest target because he's appearing in billboards saying, "You don't have to be a Democrat to love New York." Another says, "The Republicans are coming. Make nice." The Yippies expect authorities to open Yankee Stadium to hold all the protesters who are arrested, and to call in reinforcements. "We want the National Guard. We're going to give them medical marijuana and massages. We think they're on our side," Penley said. "They don't want George Bush re-elected; then they'd have to go to Iraq."’
HILLARY HEALTHCARE
Man dies after clinic refuses to treat him: A young Canadian collapsed from appendicitis because he didn’t have his health care card with him. How did the hospital determine his condition wasn’t an emergency without examining him first? This is the system Her Royal C wants to stick us with. She, being superior, will have other health care means, and we’ll get stuck with the bill.
‘MONTREAL—A 21-year-old man died of appendicitis after he was refused treatment at an emergency clinic because he didn't have his provincial health card with him.
Gerald Augustin complained of stomach pains on Thursday but the receptionist at the St-André medical centre told him he had to go home to get his health card. He didn't make it back to the clinic in Montreal's east end.
About four hours later, a friend alerted police and called an ambulance for the man, who had a fatal attack of appendicitis in his apartment. He was pronounced dead in hospital.
Rouslene Augustin, administrator at the St-André clinic, said the man had not appeared to have any urgent symptoms when he arrived there.
"If this guy was an emergency case, we would accept him if he had his card or not,"
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In non-emergency situations, patients must provide payment upfront and are later reimbursed by the provincial health insurance board.’
YOUR SEVERANCE PACKAGE, SIR
Laid off? Don't blame Barbie: Dave Barry’s latest of why Big Business isn't perfect; sometimes it sucks.
‘Every now and then, on this crazy planet we call ''Earth,'' you come across a story so darned heartwarming that you need to take a prescription antacid.
This is such a story. …
According to the Mountain Press, the ''severance package'' included a $100 Wal-Mart gift card, a ''Dan River'' cap, a calculator, a plaque and ''three red-headed Barbie dolls.''’
