Sorry Folks...

...but I went on vacation in Jamaica. It was hot, and I got sunburned. Badly. 'Nuff said.

Still trying to put things back together. I should be back on my regular schedule by next week.

Yeah, That'll Work...

So what do you do if you're Sec of Defense and you're overseeing a war in which you're allies are killing everything in eye shot (pun not intended)? Well you scold them of course:

"BAGHDAD, Iraq - Making his third visit in four months to Iraq, Defense Secretary Robert Gates took a decidedly stronger tone as he warned the troubled nation’s leaders that American patience is wearing thin."

Real good Gates, strong leadership. But maybe next time, if you're going to go the scolding route, you might want to let Alec Baldwin speak for you:

"Once again [Iraq] you've made an ass out of me trying to get to the phone! You have insulted me for the last time! I don't give a damm if you're [invaded] or [war torn] or that [Saddam] was a thoughtless pain in the ass who doesn't care about what you [did]. You better be ready Friday the 20th to meet with me!"

Oh yeah, that's the juice right there.

Speaking of the Devil...

Ok, it seems pretty obvious that AG has got to go. Thus it would not be worth my time to post reasons for his resignation. Instead, I think it would be a better rhetorical exercise to think of reasons that he should stay in office, so on that point:

Top five reasons Alberto Gonzales should remain as Attorney General:

5) His wife is really cute.

4) If AG leaves what will Josh Marshall have to talk about?

3) He makes Congress look Bipartisan.

2) Pat Robertson's law school won't have any place to send its graduates.

and the number one reason to leave AG in office...

1) If you throw a minority out of a high government position then Imus has won.

Maybe I'm the One With Issues...

...but was I the only person who laughed hysterically at Alec Baldwin's phone message to his daughter? Yeah, yeah I know--she's 12 or 11 years old and his tone and words probably were inappropriate, but maybe they weren't. You have no idea what passes for normal in that household. Also, as someone who grew up in Harlem I've seen parents become much more violent with their children, on the streets no less, so maybe I'm a bit numb to some rough yelling. Way I figure there's two sides to it:

From Alec's side: Hey, he seems pissed that he's trying to do his parental thing and his daughter's ignoring him. Wouldn't we be all up in arms if he wasn't trying to keep track his daughter? Isn't that what happened to Drew Barrymore? How about Dana Plato? Todd Bridges and the rest of the Different Strokes cast? Including the Gooch. Sometimes kids need a tight leash.

From the daughter's (Ireland) side: Have you heard her dad? He's a loon and he named his daughter Ireland. That ought to be enough to have her taken away.

My judgement: Who cares as long as 30 Rock is on the air. Funniest show out right now besides the Alberto Gonzalez hearings.

If He Keeps This Up...

...maybe we'll forgive him for the 2006 playoffs.

But probably not.

Dirty Shot

Why oh why do I seem to end up on the 'Save McCain' platform I will never know. I don't support him at all, and yet he always seems to end up getting attacked like he's got a bullseye on his back.

Take this report from Huffpo:

"AP
McCain Says He Favors "No Gun Control" After Shootings"

No whoh...that sounds pretty exteme, even for McCain. But let's read further:

"The Arizona senator said in Summerville, S.C., that the country needs better ways to identify dangerous people like the gunman who killed 32 people and himself in the Blacksburg, Va., rampage. But he opposed weakening gun rights and, when asked whether ammunition clips sold to the public should be limited in size, said, "I don't think that's necessary at all.""

So he "opposed weakening gun rights" not ending them and said don't limit the sale of ammunition--that's a far cry from "No Gun Control". And a note to Huffpo, when you put something in quotes it usually means that he actually said it.

By the way, here's title of the same story on MSNBC.com:

"McCain stands firm on gun rights after tragedy/ Senator says Va. rampage doesn't change his view on Second Amendment"

Looks like the liberals have learned a few tricks from FOX on how to spin a story. Regardless it's still a dirty trick. If they want to see McCain say something dumb they could have just waited a few hours for his American Idol audition.

You Get What You Pay For

I support the freedom of the press, and their right to put on the air things that are important to the population of this country, no matter how much those things might upset me. Take for instance NBC's decision to air the photos and videotaped ranting of Cho Seung-Hui, an insane madman who killed more than 30 people to get attention. Cros echoed my feelings when he wrote, "Personally, I think the least we can do is deny him the spotlight to the extent we can, so I'm not watching." But it is the right, and maybe (in this instance) the responsibility of the media to provide access to those images.

And yet...

Katherine Reardon over at Huffpo makes another excellent point when she asks:

"It makes you wonder about normal? When we return to it, what will it look like? Can we ever get back? And if we do, will we find that normal has become bizarre? We can't see the coffins of soldiers coming back from Iraq, but there's no problem seeing the ravings of a murdering maniac repeated on nearly every station, printed in nearly every newspaper. Is that normal?"

Why is it more important to the media to show us the images of the VA massacre but to censor the bodies of the suffering and dying in Iraq, both US troops and Iraqis? Does the answer lie in our politicized media who's pockets are lined with GOP loot? Or does it lie within our American consciousness and the desire to turn our news into an Eli Roth movie where the evil is represented as the "bogeyman"? Something "out there" that is tragic, but can be wrapped up in a simple term like "madman" or "nut"?

Yes, it is the media's responsibility to show us things that are important to our life, but as time has gone by the parental responsibility of the media has melted into an allegiance to the market, and like any child offered tons of candy we greedily eat up the most saccharine images of gore and gossip we can find for the shock value and not enlightenment. Some of it is the media's fault but often the reason lies within ourselves and our desires. Only by demanding more of your news will you every get real journalism, and only be demanding more of your leaders will you ever get real leadership.

Hey Joey!

Why don't you add this to your list of 'disgraceful' people?

They Won't Even Let Them Bury Their Dead

Shiite district struck by suicide bomber as relatives try to retrieve bodies from the morgue:

"BAGHDAD - Grieving relatives retrieved bodies from hospital morgues Thursday, and passers-by gawked at the giant crater left by a market bomb in one of four attacks that killed 183 people on the bloodiest day since the U.S. troop increase began nine weeks ago.

"But violence did not abate Thursday, as a suicide bomber exploded in another mostly Shiite district, killing at least 11 people and wounding 28, police said. The car bomb exploded next to a fuel tanker in Karradah, setting fire to the truck. The death toll was expected to rise."

I'm literally dumbstruck.

NH to Allow Civil Unions

From MSNBC.com:

"CONCORD, N.H. - Governor John Lynch told The Associated Press on Thursday he will sign legislation establishing civil unions in New Hampshire.


"New Hampshire thus will become the fourth state to adopt civil unions and the first to do so without first having a court fight over denying gays the right to marry.

"In an interview, Lynch told the AP the bill is a matter of fairness, conscience and preventing discrimination."

Trying to think of something snarky to say, but I can't. Seems to be this is an advance for civil rights. Good work NH.

A Real American Hero

When we wake up we don't know where the day will take us. Sure, we have some general idea, but, because of the millions of variables interjected into our lives, we cannot predict precisely what will occur. Therefore, it's highly unlikely that on April 16, 2008 VA Tech Professor Liviu Librescu thought he would become a hero, but that's exactly what he became.

In a series of e-mail sent to his wife, Librescu's students told of how he sacrificed his life to hold off madman Cho Seung-Hui at the front door of his classroom so they could escape out of the window:

""He was always, always helping," a tearful Marlena Librescu, 71, said yesterday after a brief funeral service in a Brooklyn chapel. "I can't be surprised because that's who he was.""

Look at that in opposition to what people thought of Seung-Hui:

"I knew when it happened that that's probably who it was. I would have been shocked if it wasn't," Giovanni told CNN, referring to Cho Seung Hui, a 23-year-old senior English major.

In the end the situations surprise us, but it is the innate character of a person that will always shine through. We're spending alot of time trying to understand who Seung-Hui was and what his motivations were, and that is right; but it is just as right that we should also spend just as much time, if not more, trying to understand what made Prof. Librescu do what he did, because unlike the shooter, this hero's actions should be emulated. The ability to look down the barrel of a gun and be unfazed in the midst of certain death seems more awesome than anything that Cho could accomplish with his twin glocks, and insanity. What filled Librescu's heart in that moment is the very essence of what is best in human nature, and that, simply put, is love--a love of his students and a love of life. He is an inspiration for us all.

In Case You Forgot...

...we're still at war in Iraq:

"BAGHDAD - Four large bombs exploded across Baghdad on Wednesday, killing at least 127 people and wounding scores as violence climbed toward levels seen before the U.S.-Iraqi campaign to pacify the capital began two months ago.

"In the deadliest of the attacks, a parked car bomb detonated in a crowd of workers at the Sadriyah market in central Baghdad, killing at least 82 people and wounding 94, said Raad Muhsin, an official at Al-Kindi Hospital where the victims were taken."

In the wake of the VA shootings I find that Sully puts this all in perspective:

"Imagine that this kind of massacre happened every day. Imagine a police force that was far too small to even respond to most of them. Imagine this occurring repeatedly for years until the perpetrators and their accomplices became the de facto power-brokers throughout the land. Imagine the shootings also being accompanied by the brutal torture of victims. Imagine families never having finality on whether their own siblings or parents or children have been murdered or not.

"This is Iraq today. Now think of the justified rage many feel at the VT campus police chief and university president for misjudgments. Now imagine them presiding over several more massacres in the same place. Ask yourself: why do we not feel as enraged by those responsible for security in Iraq? Are those victims not human beings too? Are they not children and mothers and fathers and sons? Are we not ultimately responsible for them, having destroyed the institutions of order in their country?"

The Gun Control Debate...

According to the News, seems alot more people other than Malkin and Reynolds are arguing for a reduction of gun laws:

"A gun-rights advocate said yesterday that if Virginia Tech students and employees had been armed they would have been able to defend themselves against the rampaging killer.

"The only person who is responsible to defend you is you - the police are incapable of defending each and every one of us all the time," said Mike Stollenwerk, 44, co-founder of OpenCarry.org, a Virginia-based gun-rights networking group."

I just wonder if these guys understand that the same rational can be used by Middle Eastern countries (say...Iran) in their attempts to gain nuclear weapons. Sure it sounds nice, but what happens when your campus turns into the OK Corral?

The Legality...

We had a comment here regarding the legality of the weapon purchased by school shooter Cho Seung-Hui:

"I doubt the killer legally owned his guns."

We know that now to be untrue:

"ROANOKE, Va. - John Markell sat in a blue minivan in the parking lot of his ramshackle gun shop yesterday, agonizing over the Glock 19 he sold to the Virginia Tech killer only a few weeks ago.

"Markell, 58, was not there the day Cho Seung-hui bought the 9-mm. handgun from a clerk - but he cashed his check.
"I don't feel I'm responsible, but I just feel terrible he used one of our guns," Markell told the Daily News in a barely audible whisper.

"Markell noted the purchase was legal. The future mass murderer was carefully observed by the clerk who sold the gun and he acted normally.
He showed a Virginia driver's license, his checkbook and his immigration card and was approved by the FBI's instant check crime computer, Markell said."

This is the price of freedom.

Why I love Glenn "Jack Bauer 007" Reynolds

Because he's got references on what to do in mass shootings:

"WHAT TO DO IN MASS SHOOTINGS: Lots of people are emailing and want to talk about this subject. Maybe later. But here's a book on self-defense that some people like. And you can't go wrong with Jeff Cooper's Principles of Personal Defense. And here are some thoughts from the Insta-Wife on the pyschology of self-defense."

Hey Rambo, got any tips how to survive a nuclear war? How about an anthrax attack? By the way, the Word of the People answer to what to do in mass shootings? Cry, wet your pants, and kiss your ass goodbye. If you're still alive after you've done all three then you're a winner.

Things to Get Ready For...

...as more comes out about the VT shooter, Cho Seung-Hui. From Yahoo.com:

"BLACKSBURG, Va. - The gunman suspected of carrying out the Virginia Tech massacre that left 33 people dead was identified Tuesday as a senior English major from
South Korea. But police and university officials offered no clue to his motive.

"Cho held a green card — meaning he was a legal, permanent U.S. resident — and had been in the United States since 1992, federal officials said. Officials said he graduated from a public high school in Chantilly, Va., in 2003.

"His family lives in Centreville, Va., a Washington suburb, but he was living on campus, in a different dorm from the one where the bloodbath began, the university said.

"One law enforcement official said Cho's backpack contained a receipt for a March purchase of a Glock 9 mm pistol. As a permanent legal resident of the United States, Cho was eligible to buy a handgun unless he had been convicted of a felony.

"Investigators stopped short of saying Cho carried out both attacks. But ballistics tests show one gun was used in both, Virginia State Police said.

"And two law enforcement officials, speaking on condition of anonymity because the information had not been announced, said Cho's fingerprints were found on the two guns used in the rampage. The serial numbers on the two weapons had been filed off, the officials said.
Col. Steve Flaherty, superintendent of the Virginia State Police, said it was reasonable to assume that Cho was the shooter in both attacks but that the link was not yet definitive. "There's no evidence of any accomplice at either event, but we're exploring the possibility," he said.

"The gunman's family lived in an off-white, two-story town house in Centreville.

"He was very quiet, always by himself," neighbor Abdul Shash said of the gunman. Shash said the gunman spent a lot of his free time playing basketball, and wouldn't respond if someone greeted him. He described the family as quiet.

"Marshall Main, who lives across the street, said the family had lived in the townhouse for several years.

"According to court records, Virginia Tech Police issued a speeding ticket to Cho on April 7 for going 44 mph in a 25 mph zone, and he had a court date set for May 23."

So what should you expect? Well expect the anti-immigration lobby to claim that this occurred because of immigration. Expect someone to blame the police for not arresting him when he was caught speeding. Expect someone to think that he was North Korean and blame Kim Jong-Il. Expect someone to blame stealth video games like Metal Gear, and Hitman. And don't forget about the Scientologists blaming the psychiatric drug industry. Hey Chris Rock, what do you think?

"Can't a nigga just be nuts?"

Oops, you said the n-word. Now go join Imus in the corner.

The Power of the Gun

I'm not saying this as some one for or against the right to bear arms, but today's tragedy should remind us of what is the consequence of this freedom. I believe the 99.999% of the people who own guns use them properly and responsibly. But of that .001% that literally go mad...well they do a lot of damage. When one talks about our right to bear arms one must also realize that these types of tragedies not only can happen, but will happen.

Va Tech Casuality Count Soars to 33 Dead

From MSNBC.com:

"BLACKSBURG, Va. - A gunman killed 32 people in two shooting incidents Monday at a college in Virginia in one of the deadliest mass shootings in U.S. history. The gunman also was killed, and at least 15 other people were injured.
The shootings, which rang out just four days before the eighth anniversary of the Columbine High School bloodbath near Littleton, Colo., spread panic and confusion at the college, where students and employees angrily asked why the first e-mail warning of the shootings did not go out to them until after the rampage was over."

This is a horrible tragedy, and our condolences go out to those wounded and killed in this rampage.

PS: By the way Klein, if you wanna talk about a disgrace you might want to look at how some other pundits such as Torture-First-Shoot-Second Reynolds and Oaths-Are-Sexy Malkin are spinning this horror into a case against gun control. Now that's something Charlton Heston can really sink his dentures into.

Yglesias on the Duke Scandal

From MY's blog:

"A friend notes, over IM, that "the reason the system worked in the Duke case was because these were upper-middle class white folk with good lawyers." Exactly. I should have said that in the initial post. This is precisely what makes the sense of beseigement, persecution, and systematic abuse that's surrounded this controversy so baffling. Obviously, what happened to those kids wasn't right and I feel bad for them over what they've been through. That said, on the whole prosperous white men are treated very well by the criminal justice system.


"Poor defendants -- especially minority ones -- are railroaded regularly thanks to desperately inadequate legal representation. Nobody speaks up for these people. George W. Bush for years quite literally signed their death warrants. But I don't see any of the Duke-agitators pressing for increased funding of public defenders offices or any other reforms that would address the real systemic problems facing criminal defendants who don't deserve to have the finger pointed at them. The Duke case attracts attention precisely because it's so un-representative of how sexual assault and the criminal justice system play out in the United States. It's a man bites dog story. In the real world, though, we don't demand that attention be paid to the urgent problem of men biting dogs."

I'd like to add something to this. I feel that the above critique of the Duke situation could also be said, nearly verbatim about the Imus situation. In the Duke case the media jumped the shark and turned this into a "war against the white middle-class," and in the Imus situation they turned Imus into the embodiment of racism. Thus if you're for Imus you're for racism and if you're against Imus you're against racism. But, in truth, both situations had less to deal with their starring characters than they dealt with the problems within the system. Getting rid of Imus didn't get rid of racism just like calling the Duke scandal a "war vs. white people" doesn't get rid of the problems in the criminal justice system. All it does is ignore and distract from the real issues, which are complex and call for a real dialogue. Unfortunately that's not what the MSM is interested in.

Oh Joe...

...we've stepped in it again haven't we. Look, I happen to like Joe Klein. Really I do. Alot of liberals dislike Joey because it takes him a while to get his thoughts straight and when he makes snap judgements, well, they can be extra snappy.

Take his comment here for example:

"Michael Moore is a disgrace."

Follow the link:

"The production company of filmmaker Michael Moore has taken ill Ground Zero workers to Cuba to highlight the US's inferior health-care system.

"The stunt was filmed as part of the controversial director's latest documentary, Sicko, which attacks American drug companies and health organisations.

"Moore also wanted to highlight that health care in the communist country is free. Cuban doctors are also said to have developed new techniques for treating lung cancer and other respiratory illnesses."

Look, I'm not defending MM here. I happen to think his movies are illuminating, much like some of Klein's commentaries are illuminating. But personally these guys are probably like every other pundit around who thinks that they are illuminated in the divine light of wisdom. What I do have a problem with is Klein's language, a disgrace? MM is, a) getting Ground Zero workers help where their government has abandoned them, and b) outlining the problems in the American Health industry--problems that we all agree exist. Was it a political move? Sure, but a disgrace? No. Michael Moore may lack tack, but Ted Haggard, now that's a disgrace.

Time to be Put Out to Pasture

John McCain has gone senile. That's the only explanation I have that can explain his seeming disconnect with reality. At first I thought it was Alzheimer's, but now I believe that McCain has come down with an extreme, terminal case of Bushitis, a rare but virulent mental disorder where one gets delusions of victory where there is nothing but abysmal failure. Some famous cases of Bushitis are Michele Malkin, Bill O'Reilly, and Fox News. First we had to deal with his jaunt through an Iraqi market, and now he claims that "...that the buildup of American forces in Iraq represented the only viable option to avoid failure in Iraq." Get it? We haven't failed yet! There's still time! But only if we surge, surge, SURGE! Furthermore, he has no Plan B should a Super Surge not work. But why would he when he's incapable of accepting failure? This would be like me sitting at the 2008 WSOP and saying my best strategy is not getting up from the table even after all my chips are gone.

Perhaps McCain is trying to out Bush, Bush for Bushness because he is stuck in 2000 when Bush used the same "stay the course" tactic (and push polling) to stomp him out of the GOP nomination. Maybe his rational for acting irrational is believing that the people want insanity. After all we elected Bush to a second term after he went into denial about Iraq and Katrina. Maybe McCain believes that we want self-delusion and so he's dishing it out in copious amounts.

But no, McCain hasn't shown that depth of political savvy and, poor man, he seems to be a true believer ready to give the benefit of the doubt to the neocons even when Iraq turns away. Determination is a quality worth emulation but when it degrades into blind stubbornness, especially in someone who has served his country with such honor, it becomes pathetic. Champion race horses are put out to pasture in their golden years, and now it looks like McCain needs to follow that same path.

Shooting Rampage at Va School

From MSNBC.com:

"BLACKSBURG, Va. - A shooting at a Virginia Tech dormitory on Monday left at least one person dead, a state government official with knowledge of the case told The Associated Press. One suspect is said to be in custody, with another suspect still at large.
Meantime, officials said there were seven to eight additional casualties.

"Earlier, the university said on its Web site that a gunman was “loose on the campus.” The advisory said a shooting had occurred at a residence hall and that students should stay in their homes away from windows."

The sad part about this is this wasn't the first time a crazed gunman has roamed VT:

"In August 2006, the opening day of classes was canceled and the campus closed when an escaped jail inmate allegedly killed a hospital guard off campus and fled to the Tech area. A sheriff’s deputy involved in the manhunt was killed on a trail just off campus.
The accused gunman, William Morva, faces capital murder charges."

I would hate to have to work in the admissions department here. But the ROTC program must provide the best in urban warfare techniques.

In All Fairness...

...maybe the German trainer had watched The Warriors the night before and confused Coney Island with the Bronx.

Hat Tip: Cros

Kurt Vonnegut Died Yesterday

From the NYTimes:

Kurt Vonnegut, whose dark comic talent and urgent moral vision in novels like “Slaughterhouse-Five,” “Cat’s Cradle” and “God Bless You, Mr. Rosewater” caught the temper of his times and the imagination of a generation, died last night in Manhattan. He was 84 and had homes in Manhattan and in Sagaponack on Long Island. "

Besides Stephen King, no other writer, and for that matter, man, has had such a greater impact in my life as Kurt Vonnegut. I leaned in college that the novel, as a form of writing, came into creation as a way of emulating reality. In that case no one was as great a novelist as Kurt. That may sound ridiculous if you've read his novels and figure him to be a science-fiction or fantasy writer, and yes his writing certainly shared those attributes. But Vonnegut understood that life and the human condition was so complex, so weird, and so absurd that they can only be expressed through those themes. How else can we understand Hitler, or Pol Pot, or Saddam Hussein, or Henry Kissinger, or George W. Bush? How else can we comprehend the endless, bitter vicissitudes in life? Many people looked to the Bible for answers to these questions but I happened to read Breakfast of Champions and the latter provided a more rational and satisfactory conclusion. This world will be a much more desolate place without him, but fortunately his works, his genius will live on.

And he was in Back To School playing himself. How cool is that?

And in Case You Forgot...

...things still aren't going well in Iraq:

"BAGHDAD, April 13 — An Islamic insurgency group that includes Al Qaeda in Iraq claimed responsibility today for a suicide bomb attack on the Parliament building Thursday that killed one person and wounded 22."

Yes folks, while we get all indignant about Imus being Imus, Al Qaeda remains on the ball penetrating the most defensive area in Baghdad to attack the hollow shell of Iraqi 'democracy.'

“God has rejoiced you Sunnis after seeing those monkey M.P.’s crying and shouting because of the horrible scene they witnessed,” the group said in the statement. “A heroic knight of the Islamic State of Iraq, may God bless its men, went inside the crowd of the infidels of the so-called Parliament on Thursday, April 12, 2007. God has destroyed the crowds of defectors and infidels.” [bold and itz mine]

Right. Let's not be coy about it, the President who couldn't tell a Shia from a Kurd from a Sunni (nor a Saudi from an Afghan, apparently) has placed the US on the Shia side of this sectarian war. (Most of the Iraqi security force is Shia). Not a bad idea considering that if you can't have both might as well get the hearts and minds of one side, except Iran is a Shia dominated country and we're not exactly making buddy-buddy with them. This attack was most likely in reaction to that. But then again in this cluster fu_k that is Iraq if it wasn't the Sunni's that would have attacked it would have eventually been the Shia, or maybe even the Kurds feeling left out of the action.

Now I understand why we spent all weekend on Imus. Racism makes more sense than this. Literally that's a black and white issue.

FEMA! What is it Good For?

Absoultely nothing:

"WASHINGTON - As many as 6 million prepared meals stockpiled near potential victims of the 2006 hurricane season spoiled in the Gulf Coast heat last summer when the Federal Emergency Management Agency ran short of warehouse and refrigeration space, according to agency officials.

"In all, hundreds of truckloads of food worth more than $40 million are being thrown away or scavenged for unspoiled contents to be offered to domestic hunger-relief groups, FEMA officials said. Most of the meals were commercial versions of the military's Meals Ready to Eat, which were ruined despite being engineered to withstand the demands of desert and jungle climates."

Only FEMA could spoil an MRE. Seriously though, what FEMA suffers from is the exact problem the US suffers from, in every aspect: Competent leadership. Competent leadership means saying, "hey--hurricane season's over? Gee, let's give this food away before it spoils!" Hell the night manager of Friday's at least knows enough to let the staff take home the extra helpings of Parmesan-Crusted Sicilian Quesadillas. Um...that sounds good.

A Final, Final Word on Imus...the Corzine Injury Edition

Who would have thought that it would be NJ Gov. Jon Corzine that would pay the price for Imus' hubris? Well at least seatbelt lobbyists will have an new spokesman.

And Imus? Well my friend Henry Mena--talented musician, and songwriter--pretty much sums up how I feel:

"Um, I dunno…

Throughout all those years I argued with and complained to fans of Howard Stern—friends, acquaintances and even my last girlfriend—about his racist and misogynist shtick it never occurred to me that he should be taken off the air. I elected to turn the dial.

The Rev. Jesse Jackson once called New York “Hymietown”. No real fallout from that. The Rev. Al Sharpton has never been called to task for his ultra-divisiveness during the Tawana Brawley affair nor after it was learned she had concocted most, if not all, of her story. So why is Don Imus getting canned? Is it the timing? The close proximity to the Michael Richards incident? Right after her death, didn’t Stern say worse things about Selena and her fans before the body even got cold?

Don’t get me wrong, I’ve never been a fan of Imus’ nor am I defending or excusing him now. The remarks that eventually did him in were racist, misogynist, tasteless and deplorable. But it was a joke. One that I personally did not find amusing but a joke, nonetheless. A suspension was probably in order. Too late. My question is, do we really want to regulate “asshole-ism”? (Yes, I know: it wasn't the government or the FCC that booted Imus, but still…)

O’Reilly, Hannity, Limbaugh etc. spout some nasty stuff on a daily basis that makes my
blood boil. Would I want them off the air? Yes. But as a result of people turning off their radios or turning the dial, realizing by their own conviction that this is nasty, ignorant stuff that should not be supported. Let the public decide. Needless to say I’m not crazy about any group regardless of race, gender, sexual orientation, nationality etc exert undue pressure when offended. This isn’t some City College professor going on to his/her students about the inherent intellectual shortcomings of people of color or how those of the Caucasian persuasion are the root of all evil, is it? (And those guys would probably STILL have their jobs! That’s f’d up.) Now, those are situations worth looking into and taking serious action because of their being within the context of higher learning. But bringing out the heavy guns every time one is offended sets a much worse precedent than letting some jackass make ignorant remarks on the air.

Does anyone really think that the people who enjoy Imus’ show and found these recent remarks humorous have changed their minds over his subsequent firing? Doubt it. All it creates is a climate of resentment and divide. You don’t truly change things with heavy-handed intimidation in my humble opinion. Actually, you do. But only on the surface. And haven’t we had enough of that already?

(I wonder what would’ve happened if Imus had simply said “Hey, it was a joke. Sorry if you got offended but it was a joke. Next.” He showed signs of this sort of attitude when he stated he’d apologized enough and wasn’t gonna do the requisite talk show apology tour that normally accompanies the fallout from these situations.)

By the way, Dick Cheney was finally right about one thing: Watch what you say."

Maybe This Explains It...

...notice that Imus sounds like Anus?

Feeling Ill...

By the way, I've been a bit out of it for the last couple of days and while I've been able to get to work I've been unable to get anything really creative done. Maybe when I feel better I'll have the words to describe how I feel about Imus.

Damm, I'm stuck at my desk for six more hours...some one finish me off...

Alive In Baghdad

When you get sick of the overly politized reporting everywhere you might want to check out Alive In Baghdad. Makes for interesting viewing.

Hat Tip: Yglesias.

Grindhouse...

...best movie ever made. Period. And I'm not just saying that because I got drunk after the movie either.

PS: In all honesty, you really do have to see this if only for the previews.

Don't You Just Hate it When...

...you're trading porn with your buddy and you accidentally give them government secrets?

Peaceful Yet Poignant

American University students protest Karl Rove appearance:

"WASHINGTON -- White House Advisor Karl Rove was the target of a protest on the American University campus Tuesday night, News4 reported.

"Rove was on the campus to talk to the College Republicans, but when he got outside more than a dozen students began throwing things at his car, an American University spokesperson said.

"The students then got on the ground and lay down in front of his car as a protest. The students said security officials picked them up and carried them away so Rove could leave.

"Police said they have dealt with a lot of protests on campus and this one was handled peacefully. No one was arrested."

I guess there are a few people who wouldn't mind seeing him hauled before Congress, huh Ricky?

Hat Tip: Rude Pundit

Obama Bump

Sully's believing. Meanwhile the Wapo shows how Obama excells over Hil.

I'm sure everyone will blame The Ad.

The Good that Pelosi Can Do.

What Bush rejects Israel accepts:

"So let me get this straight. Bush remonstrates dastardly Nancy for her passage through Damascus, at the very time the Israelis are reportedly using her to pass a message to Bashar Assad to help avoid a possible conflagration with the Syrians. Soon, Bush will be telling Bibi Netanyahu or Avigdor Lieberman they're wimps, and to hang Crawford tough against the 'Palis' or such. This is all so pitiable, isn't it? How many more months left of this bungling amateurism and fake machismo do we have left?"

If it doesn't go Boom! Bush no like.

Obama Rakes in the Loot

From TPM:

"Astounding. Obama rakes in $25 million, nearly tying Hillary's record haul.
Update: Obama received contributions from over 100,000 individuals.
Late update: Obama had more donors online than Hillary had in total."

He still has ground to make up in NH.

Gee, What a Nice Jerk

Iran to give UK sailors back as Easter gift:

"TEHRAN, Iran - Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad announced that his government would release the detained 15 British sailors and marines Wednesday as an Easter gift to the British people.



"Iranian state television later showed the British sailors talking to Ahmadinejad at the country's presidential palace apparently minutes before they were to be freed."





What Ahmadinejad didn't mention was that they would all be covered in milk chocolate, wrapped in gold foil and would come filled with a creamy center of anthrax. Seriously, in terms of PR these guys need to hire those GEICO guys. I can see it now:



"Middle East policy: so easy even an Iranian can do it."

And then cut with scenes from 300. Iranians LOVED that movie.

Today's 'News'

Humm this looks interesting...New Jersey's pension fund is nearly broke, Bush is in denial over his enviromental policy, and McCain is changing his fundraising methods. All of these look like solid news articles. Now what's going on over at the NY Post...

Keith Richards snorted his dad's ashes. Well of course he did! He's Keith-friggin-Richards! This is news? WTF!

Cros has more meaningful stories on his site.

Bush V.2.0...

...might be that guy between the two armed soldiers wearing the bulletproof vest who claims that Iraq is 'safe'. Sully is right to question McCain's sanity, while the NYTimes does a more traditional job of making the Senator look foolish:

"A day after members of an American Congressional delegation led by Senator John McCain pointed to their brief visit to Baghdad’s central market as evidence that the new security plan for the city was working, the merchants there were incredulous about the Americans’ conclusions.

“What are they talking about?” Ali Jassim Faiyad, the owner of an electrical appliances shop in the market, said Monday. “The security procedures were abnormal!...“They paralyzed the market when they came,” Mr. Faiyad said during an interview in his shop on Monday. “This was only for the media.”

"He added, “This will not change anything.”"

Dressing up a grave situation to look good for the cameras...does that remind you of anyone?

Oh yeah.

Playing it to a Bust

Sometimes in poker you bluff. You take any two cards and you try to represent a winning hand. It's a nervewracking experience, shooting out chips with absolutely nothing, and the problem is you can't just do it once, or twice, but a truly successful bluff means pushing all your money into the middle knowing that unless you can get your opponent to fold you'll lose in a showdown. When unsuccessful, you're said to have 'played it to a bust'.

Well that's exactly where Bush is at right now.

From MSNBC.com:

"President Bush expressed frustration on Tuesday with the congressional debate on Iraq war spending and accused majority-party Democrats of being “more interested in fighting political battles in Washington than providing our troops what they need.”

"He also chided the Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi for visiting Syria, saying it sent mixed signals to the government of President Bashar Assad.

"Bush, speaking with reporters in the Rose Garden of the White House, renewed his veto threats on both House and Senate spending bills."

It's been a long and tiring hand for both sides but the American public has caught the worse of it. The neoconservatives have lied, cheated, and corrupted the very principals of our Constitution in order to bring us to this point in a war that has no legal basis, and a Middle East policy that boils down to weak rhetoric and bullying. But the tides are turning. We no longer believe that he's holding on to the strongest cards, or the truth for that matter. Walter Reed, the Alberto Gonzalez scandal, Katrina and its aftermath, the evidence that the war is getting worse and not better, and the fact that Osama Bin Laden is still at large are all proof that Bush and his administration is inept and incompetent if not out right criminal.

When Bush walked up to the podium in the Rose Garden today he might as well have leaned over the microphone and said, "All in." And the resounding and immediate answer of the American public is, "We call."