imkittymyers at hotmail dot com
Saturday, August 28, 2004
Y’GOTTA KNOW WHEN TO HOLD UP
Something tells me Bush holds all the aces
By Mark Steyn
At the beginning of the year, Thomas Lifson, who was at Harvard Business School with George W Bush, made an interesting observation about the President. He notes that young George "was a very avid and skillful poker player" when he was a Business Administration student and that "one of the secrets of a successful poker player is to encourage your opponent to bet a lot of chips on a losing hand. This is a pattern of behavior one sees repeatedly in George W Bush's political career.”
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My sense is that the Swiftvets have changed the dynamics of the race. With the candidate's retro braggadocio on ice for the foreseeable future, the Kerry campaign late on Friday revived that old favourite, the Vast Right-Wing Conspiracy, releasing a flow chart full of multi-coloured arrows showing that Texas Senator Kay Bailey Hutchison is a "close friend" of Merrie Spaeth, a public relations consultant to Swift Boat Veterans for Truth. Yawn.
The fact is, even if Kerry was a Republican, these Swift boat guys would be hounding him. In a culture where "ABB" is now media shorthand for "Anyone But Bush", you would think the press would recognise these fellows for what they are: the ABK constituency.
Meanwhile, "Bush hatred" - another losing hand the Democrats put too many chips on - has peaked, and any saggy nudists or trust-fund anarchists who succeed in pulling off some camera-worthy stunt in Manhattan this week will only be boosting the President.
Friday, August 27, 2004
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GEARING UP
8 There will be enough of the 2-legged variety without the 4-leggers.
RODENT ROUNDUP
MADISON Square Garden is trying to keep some uninvited delegates from taking over. The site of the Republican National Convention is currently filled with glue traps to deal with an apparent rodent problem. One visitor was caught when she put a can of soda under her chair. Another inadvertently stepped in a trap while on a visit to the arena. "Have you ever tried to get one of these off?" our source asked. Representatives for the Garden had no comment.
8 I doubt this seriously.
DREAM TEAM
IT'S surely a case of wishful thinking on their part, but some Republicans are spreading the rumor that the GOP's national convention will actually have some excitement when Dick Cheney announces he's stepping down as vice president because of his health. This far-fetched scenario would supposedly lead to a dramatic floor fight orchestrated for the nation's prime-time TV audience and a "Draft McCain" movement to end with John McCain, a bigger war hero than John Kerry (and very popular with swing voters), as President Bush's running mate.
8 This does my heart good, not to mention the dogs’ hearts.
MTA police dogs will be sporting bulletproof vests today for the first time, after a Manhattan doctor donated the protective gear so the pooches will be safer when on anti-terror duty.
Speaking of the 2-legged variety …
PLAZA KOOKS INN TROUBLE
Four activists who hung a huge banner on the front of the swanky Plaza hotel yesterday in an early protest of the Republican National Convention face up to 25 years in prison because a cop was severely hurt during the quartet's roundup
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Thies [the group's spokesman], who is also communications director for city Councilman David Yassky, said one of the activists had warned the sergeant not to remain on the skylight because it was cracked, but claimed Diaz [the cop] ignored the warning.
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Because of Diaz's injury, the four activists who hung the sign were charged with first-degree assault — which carries a maximum prison sentence of 25 years — as well as reckless endangerment, criminal trespass, conducting an unlawful street show, unlawful posting of an advertisement, and failing to obtain a license to hang a sign larger than 75 feet.
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Robert Mlandinich, a spokesman for the Sergeants' Benevolent Association, blasted Thies for his role as spokesman for the group, saying "this man is representing an organization that is conducting illegal actions, and in this particular case it led to violence."
"Anybody involved in city government or on the city payroll should not be involved in activities that put the public or law enforcement personnel in harm's way."
Thursday, August 26, 2004
ROUNDUP
Brother! More blogging problems today.
8 Déjà vu all over again:
Sexual assault lawsuit filed against William Kennedy Smith
A former personnel assistant to Chicago doctor William Kennedy Smith filed a lawsuit Wednesday accusing the nephew of the late John F. Kennedy of sexually assaulting her inside his North Side home in 1999.
The suit, filed in Cook County Circuit Court Wednesday afternoon, names Smith as the defendant and seeks in excess of $50,000. The plaintiff's attorney, Kevin O'Reilly, could not be reached for comment.
In December of 1991 Smith was acquitted of rape and battery charges following a televised trial in West Palm Beach, Florida.
8 Senator Lord Flaunt-it-boy:
BESPOKE SAILOR
IF John Kerry is elected president, he will certainly be the best-dressed chief executive in the nation's history. A dandy who met Kerry at a 1971 reception in Minneapolis before a Eugene McCarthy-headlined antiwar rally noticed that Kerry was wearing custom-made shoes from the London shop of John Lobb. "Are those Lobb?" our source asked. "Yes," confirmed Kerry, who was also wearing bespoke gray flannel trousers below his military-issue khaki shirt and his dog tags. Our dapper source also suspects Kerry had his dress whites tailored on Savile Row because, "Even admirals don't have uniforms that well cut."
8 Just in time for the Republicans’ pleasure during the convention:
GOV AIDE BACKS KERRY SATIRE
A NEW off-Broadway political parody backed by a longtime Republican operative looks to skewer John Kerry and all those who support him.
"John F. Kerry: He's No JFK," billed as a "proudly partisan parody," is set to open a limited week-and-a-half run on Sept. 1 at the Kirk Theater on West 42nd Street.
Show insiders told The Post's Kenneth Lovett that it opens with a Sen. Hillary Clinton character reading from a Kerry tome before commenting that she, too, is familiar with "Faking History" — a reference to her "Living History" autobiography.
8 Mmm mmm mmm!
EXTRA DUTY FOR 'RESCUE ME'
AFTER setting the rat ings charts ablaze, Denis Leary's cable drama "Rescue Me" has been picked up for a second season.
FX has renewed the show about New York City firemen, asking for at least 13 additional episodes. The series is filmed on location around New York City and draws about 9.5 million viewers over the course of its five airings each week.
Wednesday, August 25, 2004
LAST CALL
8 Mark Steyn, always on target.
John Kerry's real 'band of brothers'
The story now is not John Kerry's weird secret-agent fantasies but the media's willingness to act as elite guardians of them. They're his real "band of brothers," happy to fish him out of their water, even if their credibility sinks in the process
8 Stephen Green, a.k.a. vodkapundit, comments on the possible result of the MSM putting all of its eggs into the Kerry basket.
The Big Angry
I don't pretend to know which candidate is going to win this election. But if what we're seeing today is indicative, I do know this much: If Bush wins, come November 3 we're going to witness the Mother of All Hissy Fits.
8 Another note from Chris at KerryWaffles:
Run with this. A really good scandal that will give your readers a break from the Vietnam/Kerry stuff. This will kill him in Ohio and affect the union vote if it gets out. Plus, AFL CIO gets dragged into the Heinz Center/Kerry campaign collusion net.
8 Meeeeooow hisss spit!
PETA CLAWS OUT FOR CINDY
PEOPLE for the Ethical Treatment of Animals has declared war on former comrade Cindy Crawford over her decision to model fur. As we reported last week, Crawford, who appeared in a PETA ad in the early '90s, recently signed on as the new face of Blackglama's "What Becomes a Legend Most" campaign. "Perhaps they should change the slogan to, 'What Becomes a Has-Been Most?' " PETA's Dan Mathews snarled to PAGE SIX's Jared Paul Stern. "Cindy has become a laughingstock." Tomorrow night, PETA plans a protest outside her husband Rande Gerber's Whiskey Bar in Los Angeles. PETA plans to screen a clip of animals being tortured at a fur farm and brandish posters of Crawford's PETA ad with "Sellout" pasted across it. Similar demonstrations are planned for Gerber bars in New York, Boston, Chicago, Houston, Las Vegas and New Orleans. Crawford's rep, Annett Wolf, fumed: "This is so unfair. She's not pretending to be anything she isn't. It's so outrageous . . . Cindy was never a PETA spokesperson nor has she taken a stand against fur. She was never in a PETA campaign. All she did was one photo as a favor to Todd Oldham."
8 Happy Birthday, Sean Connery!
Someone who makes me go Mmmmmm!
Sweet dreams ...
A VIETNAM DOCUMENTARY WORTH SEEING
Veteran hopes movie will paint true picture of Vietnam
Gary Roush knew who he was when he returned to Painted Post after his service in the Vietnam War. He knew what he had done there, and he knew what he stood for.
But few others understood his experience.
Over the years, big-budget, blockbuster Hollywood movies and heart-wrenching news stories tried to tell the story of Vietnam soldiers. But they got it wrong, Roush said.
"Being a Vietnam veteran, I'm very skeptical of Hollywood and the news media because Hollywood and the news media have gotten it wrong," Roush said.
Movies like "Platoon" and other box-office successes scandalized soldiers' efforts and highlighted the lost souls who emerged from the war, Roush said.
So when film directors Patrick and Cheryl Fries of Arrowhead Film & Video in Austin, Texas, approached Roush several years ago about a documentary on the UH-1 Huey helicopter and the lives it touched, he again was unsure of their motives.
"I was very skeptical about whether they had the right intentions," he said.
Roush served in Vietnam in 1968-69 as a Chinook helicopter pilot with the 242nd Assault Support Helicopter Company. He earned a bronze star and 17 air medals. He has researched the Vietnam War for the past 18 years and provided detailed information to many organizations and thousands of individuals nationwide.
Over the course of several years of pre-film preparations, during which time Roush became the film's historian, he built a trust with the directors.
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"In The Shadow of the Blade," featuring American participants in the Vietnam War and their families, will be shown at 7 p.m. Friday at the Corning Museum of Glass auditorium.
The Wings of Eagles Discovery Center in Big Flats will host the free event. Mike Hall, executive director the discovery center, and Roush will make opening remarks.
The screening is the New York premiere of the film, a dramatic 100-minute documentary that won "Best of Show" and "Gold Documentary " honors at the 2004 WorldFest International Film Festival last spring.
It will be released on DVD and video on Veteran's Day this year.
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"The reason I'm such a stickler for accuracy is because it's become fashionable to be a Vietnam veteran," he said.
Some Vietnam veterans even have bought into the Hollywood versions of themselves, Roush said. Unlike movie portrayals, most veterans of Vietnam went on to lead proud, productive lives, he said.
Roush found it difficult to land a job after the war because many employers balked at his veteran status, he said. But he finally got a job with Corning Inc. as a shift foreman in the Oneonta plant. He worked his way up the corporate ladder and retired 31 years later as corporate travel manager in 2002.
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They thought the documentary validated their service.
"It doesn't show Vietnam veterans as victims. It shows some sad stories but it accurately displays who we are, what we were and what we became," he said.
Tuesday, August 24, 2004
LAST CALL
8 I trust their judgment:
LAURA DUCKS DIDDY PHOTO-OP
"I'm not really sure why they didn't want her to pose with him, but maybe it has something to do with his scandalous past. For whatever the reason, Laura Bush's people did not want her photo taken with him."
8 Janet Jackson is really desperate for attention:
VAST RIGHT-NIPPLE CONSPIRACY
JANET Jackson claims the George Bush White House used her notorious "wardrobe malfunction" to distract the country from the war in Iraq.
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"I truly feel in my heart that the president wanted to take the focus off of him at that time, and I was the perfect vehicle to do so at that moment . . . I mean, it's a bunch of bulls- - -. When you see [Michael Moore's] 'Fahrenheit 9/11,' it just confirms it."
8 The latest from Chris at KerryWaffles:
Call this page Kerry Knee Deep in Shiite. Covers the legitimate voice comment, Kerry's Iranian backers and funding, and Al Sadr's Iranian backers and funding. Wanted to give people an insight that being a traitor isn't skin deep with Kerry; it goes clear to the bone. Background audio is the Kerry Legitimate Voice interview....
By the way, this has got to be a record for Chris and his website. How many days have you been up without being shut down? Congratulations!
8 Not good. Not good a’tall:
Probe after journalist smuggles fake bomb on British plane
According to the Sun, Britain's top-selling daily newspaper, reporter Anthony France, 31, was employed by private contractor Aviance despite giving bogus references and bank details.
The newspaper published Tuesday photographs France took of himself with the fake bomb in the hold of the Thomas Cook flight bound for Mallorca when he was left alone by supervisors for five minutes last week.
Although the fake bomb's components set off the metal detector, France was apparently waved through after telling staff steel toecaps had activated the alarm.
8 roberto, at DynamoBuzz, reports:
Three Cheers for Alice Cooper
And roberto is THE place for all things McGreevey, the juiciest scandal New Joi-zee has seen in a while, and believe me, that’s saying something!
“BRAGGING IS FOR DRUNKS”
Ralph Peters find “three big problems” with Kerry.
HEROES DON'T SHOUT
By Ralph Peters
John Kerry lied. Without remorse. To advance his budding political career. He tarnished the reputation of his comrades when the military was out of vogue.
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John Kerry doesn't show a trace of integrity. Those constant flip-flops to suit the prevailing political winds are more troubling to military folks than many of the issues themselves.
Integrity matters to those in uniform. You have to be able to depend on the guy in the next foxhole — or swift boat. Trust is more important than any technology.
And John Kerry just doesn't seem trustworthy.
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Real heroes (and I've been honored to know some) never portray their service in grandiose terms, telling TV cameras that they're reporting for duty. Real heroes may be proud of the sacrifices they offered, but they don't shout for attention.
This is so profoundly a part of the military code of behavior that it cannot be over-emphasized. The rule is that those who brag about being heroes usually aren't heroes at all. Bragging is for drunks at the end of the bar, not for real vets. And certainly not for anyone who wishes to trade on his service to become our commander-in-chief.
ARROGANCE MEANS NEVER SAYING YOU’RE SORRY
NONE OF IT'S FAIR
By John Podhoretz
Kerry became famous not because he served with valor in Vietnam, but because he came home and spat on his fellow veterans in his famous testimony before the Senate in 1971.
If life were fair, Kerry would even now be begging forgiveness from the Swift Boat Veterans for Truth for accusing them and some 3 million Vietnam veterans of "crimes committed on a day-to-day basis" while they were fighting for their country. There is precedent for such behavior.
In the late 1980s, a one-time anti-war activist named David Ifshin went to John McCain and asked his forgiveness. Ifshin had traveled to Hanoi at the invitation of the North Vietnamese government and broadcast anti-American propaganda that was heard by McCain and other American POWs rotting away in the Hanoi Hilton. McCain and Ifshin became close friends.
Monday, August 23, 2004
BITS’N’PIECES
8 The NY Daily Snooze has an E-Poll. You can only vote once:
Did John Kerry earn his war medals fair and square?
8 Update from Michael Wison on his movie “Michael Moore Hates America”:
I've had a lot of emails asking about when the film will be out. We've promised it by the end of summer, and summer ends in late September. We'll make it by then. Also, I'll be screening a cut at the American Renaissance Film Festival in Dallas on September 12. So come on down, y'all, and check it out. Oh, and while we're at it, we're also booked for the SMAASH Festival, right here in my hometown of Minneapolis in October.
8 And now for something completely different:
Bruce Willis dancing shirtless in a gay bar in Germany.
STILL AVAILABLE
For those of you who would like a copy of Kerry’s book, The New Soldier, there are three copies at alibris.com. Not cheap, but available:
2 copies at $2,502.95 (Canadian seller)
1 copy at $727.95 (American seller)
A search on eBay turned up a couple in the $200+ range.
