Month: July 2004

Lies

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At a pool party a friend was talking about how Michael Moore’s new movie taught him so much. I sighed, asked what he learned, and cringed as he told me about pipelines through Afghanistan, Saudis leaving while everyone else was grounded, and congressmen who wouldn’t talk about sons and daughters dying in Iraq. He also … Read more

Dewey Wins!!!

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You’ve got to hate the NY(com)Post the way NYC liberals do to really enjoy this total f%$*-up. Since they’ve already taken it down from their site, you’ll have to trust Drudge on this one.

Salvation Movement

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Good and Bad News as usual from Iraq.

Most promising (in a wierd way) is the emergence of the Salvation Movement, which threatens to kill Jordanian militant Abu Musab al-Zarqawi if he doesn’t leave Iraq.

A group of armed, masked Iraqi men threatened Tuesday to kill Jordanian militant Abu Musab al-Zarqawi if he did not immediately leave the country, accusing him of murdering innocent Iraqis and defiling the Muslim religion.

The threats revealed the deep anger many Iraqis, including insurgent groups, feel toward foreign fighters, whom many consider as illegitimate a presence here as the 160,000 U.S. and other coalition troops.

In a videotape sent to the al-Arabiya television station, a group calling itself the “Salvation Movement,” questioned how al-Zarqawi could use Islam to justify the killing of innocent civilians, the targeting of government officials and the kidnapping and beheading of foreigners.

“He must leave Iraq immediately, he and his followers and everyone who gives shelter to him and his criminal actions,” said a man on the video.

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Get Smart.

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Kerry picked Edwards as his running mate. Quite* smart, I think. Being a bit pressed for time, though, I’ll leave it at that. von *In the U.S. sense, not the U.K. sense.

George Washington on Civility.

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The Glittering Eye tackles civility, Founding Father’s style: These rules for civility were found in George Washington’s childhood copybook. . . . . 1 Every action done in company ought to be with some sign of respect to those that are present. 2 When in company, put not your hands to any part of the … Read more

Any minute now?

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I don’t know what rumors Tac’s hearing, but right now the Kerry campaign is keeping mum about the Veep pick. It’s almost certainly going to be announced soon; I still think that it’s going to be Rep. Gephardt.

Arrr.

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I’ve been meaning to link to this site – Safety Sign Builder – as it’s a great way to while away rainy afternoons. Like this one, tanjit. The site requires registration, but it’s free, so why not? Wi’ a curse. Remember, the next International Talk Like a Pirate Day is September 19th, sink and scupper … Read more

A hint to aspiring meteorologists.

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When asked what the weather’s going to be like for the Fourth of July – a holiday that traditionally includes such things as cookouts and fireworks displays – the response of ‘intermittent thunderstorms’, while possibly accurate, does not generally include the concept of ‘over an inch of rain in a steady downpour that will make … Read more

A retraction?

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Yesterday it was reported that Cpl. Wassef Ali Hassoun had been murdered by radical terrorists; today, there was a retraction. AGHDAD, Iraq – An Iraqi guerrilla group denied on Sunday that it put out a statement a day earlier claiming to have beheaded kidnapped Cpl. Wassef Ali Hassoun, leaving the fate of the U.S. Marine … Read more

The Glorious Fourth

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I was going to slap a big picture of the American flag up here, maybe a bald eagle or two, but then I said, “Moe, everybody’s going to be slapping up American flags and bald eagles. Give your readers something different.” So, here goes: the Mudcat Cafe, hosters of the Digital Tradition Folksong Database. Looking … Read more

Derbyshire alert (with apologies to Andy Sullivan)

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This post by Clayton Cramer, while generally on track, contains one of the more idiotic allegations that I’ve ever read. Mr. Cramer apparently believes that there is some sort of “homosexual dominance of the legal system.” No discussion by me; no attack; no “fisking.” It’s not worth it. But let us agree that when one … Read more

Innocent Until Proven Guilty?

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The Saddam Hussein Defense team just got a whole lot stranger:

The daughter of Col. Muammar el-Qaddafi, the Libyan president, will help defend Saddam Hussein in court, a Jordanian lawyer and member of Mr. Hussein’s legal team said Friday.

Aicha Muammar el-Qaddafi, a law professor in her late 20’s, will become part of a Jordanian-based multinational defense team, the lawyer, Ziad al-Khasawneh, said Thursday.

A statement issued Thursday by a charity association led by Ms. Qaddafi said she wanted to guarantee that Mr. Hussein received a fair trial based on “the principle that all accused should be presumed innocent until proven guilty.”

Which got me to wondering something I’m sure our good friends with JD’s can shed some light on. If the Iraqi courts and Iraqi judges indicting Hussein are seen as legitimate enough to try Hussein (as opposed to trying him at The Hague, a la Milosevic), wouldn’t that require a presupposition that the new government is legitimate because Hussein was disposed of legitimately. In other words, Hussein was already presumed guilty.*

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Let Freedom Ring? (II)

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Roger Simon has had a request made to him by the bloggers over at Free Iran: there are going to be protests next week* against the current theocracy ruling Iran, and they’d like some, well, support. As Roger notes, this isn’t a request for military assistance: what they want, and quite frankly need, is some indication that the rest of the world gives a damn. I’ve always thought that the Iranian regime is the best Middle Eastern candidate for being tossed out by a Velvet Revolution, and I hope to God that they succeed. I think that they might – not next week, to be sure, but before too many more years pass.

On the other hand, I’ve confidently – and incorrectly – predicted The Day on at least five different occasions, so my ability to forecast accurately on this topic may be open to question.

Moe

Moe

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It’ll get leaked way beforehand. Guarantee it.

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Senator Kerry’s going to announce his choice for the Veep spot… via an email message to everybody who subscribes to his campaign web site. It’ll be some time in the next three weeks, obviously, and the secret will supposedly be kept until then: “The folks who are going to learn first about my choice are … Read more

Let Freedom Ring? (I)

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It’s the weekend of the Fourth of July – technically, today was the anniversary of the day that independence was declared, but that’s history for you – so a look-see for people around the world still yearning for freedom seems appropriate. First off… Hong Kong, where the populace is getting restless about the way their … Read more

Fafnir Friday: jury duty

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OK, so you really should read Fafnir every chance you get,* but today he’s outdone himself. Here’s just a snippet: FAFNIR: Now Mr Prospective Juror are you familiar with the defendant in this case? IRAQI: Hmmm, what did you say his name was? GIBLETS: Saddam Hussein. IRAQI: I have heard of him now and then, … Read more

Mandatory Marriage for Straights Who Procreate!

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I have had enough! Until the mindless pro-FMA conservatives demand federal legislation that requires mandatory marriage for all straight Americans who procreate—no divorce, no birth out of wedlock, mandatory immediate remarrying if one parent dies, no gray areas at all—this kind of bullshit needs to stop: It’s an ad for publications in Ohio and text … Read more

Guardedly Good News to Sleep On.

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I say ‘guardedly’ because King Abdullah II left himself a good bit of wiggle room, but he’s still showing public support for the new Iraqi government, including the possibility* of troops if necessary. In an interview Thursday with the British Broadcasting Corp. television “Newsnight” program, Abdullah said he wanted to support Iraqi Prime Minister Iyad … Read more

Bringing in the Sheep

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At what point did Karl Rove calculate that George W. Bush must win the religious right in order to get re-elected? Against common sense and good presidential precedent (think FMA), Team Bush has been promising them heaven and earth.

Of course, no mere mortal gives and gives without asking in return eventually:

The Bush-Cheney reelection campaign has sent a detailed plan of action to religious volunteers across the country asking them to turn over church directories to the campaign, distribute issue guides in their churches and persuade their pastors to hold voter registration drives.
Campaign officials said the instructions are part of an accelerating effort to mobilize President Bush’s base of religious supporters. They said the suggested activities are intended to help churchgoers rally support for Bush without violating tax rules that prohibit churches from engaging in partisan activity.

“We strongly believe that our religious outreach program is well within the framework of the law,” said Terry Holt, spokesman for the Bush-Cheney campaign.

But tax experts said the campaign is walking a fine line between permissible activity by individual congregants and impermissible activity by congregations. Supporters of Sen. John F. Kerry (Mass.), the presumptive Democratic presidential nominee, charged that the Bush-Cheney campaign is luring churches into risking their tax status.

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The Soft Bias of High Expectations?

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(Please take note that Professor Bainbridge has update his post; see my two updates at the bottom.) Professor Bainbridge has an interesting post up regarding the effects (or lack thereof) of diversity on workplace productivity. The question is whether diverse teams — mixing people of various ages, races, and demographic backgrounds — are more, less, … Read more

HIV/AIDS Update: Open Thread

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As promised a few days ago, this is a chance to exchange updates on the fight against AIDS. To get the ball rolling, let me share that last night I attended an amazing all-star* talk hosted by the New York Times’s Frank Rich with Larry Kramer, Tony Kushner, Terrence McNally, and Paul Rudnick (have I … Read more

Because God loves Democrats, too.

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Yes, He does. How else to explain Ralph Nader? Ralph Nader Calls Israel a “Puppeteer” 12:30 Jun 30, ’04 / 11 Tammuz 5764 (IsraelNN.com) On Tuesday, as broadcast on the American cable network C-Span, independent presidential candidate and environmental crusader Ralph Nader said the following: “What has been happening over the years is a predictable … Read more