...by nationalizing their oil fields:
"PUERTO PIRITU, Venezuela - Venezuela stripped the world’s biggest oil companies of operational control over massive Orinoco Belt crude projects on Tuesday, a vital move in President Hugo Chavez’s nationalization drive.
"The May Day takeover came exactly a year after Bolivian President Evo Morales, a leftist ally of Chavez, startled investors by ordering troops to seize his country’s gas fields, accelerating Latin America’s struggle to reclaim resources.
“The importance of this is that we are taking back control of the Orinoco Belt which the president rightly calls the world’s biggest crude reserve,” said Marco Ojeda, an oil union leader before a planned rally to mark the transfer."
What's the problem with populist policies? Either they don't work, or take so long to work that the people you claim to defend suffer deeply. Just ask Robert Mugabe. Then again criticizing Zimbabwe might not be such a good idea.
Tuesday, May 01, 2007
I'm Back like Spiderman...
I haven't been this hyped since, well since Heroes came back on the air.
By the way, have you seen the last episode? Sylar is quickly becoming one of the coolest villians in TV history. 
Friday, April 27, 2007
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.
Friday, April 20, 2007
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.
Thursday, April 19, 2007
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.
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.
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.
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.
"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.
"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.
Wednesday, April 18, 2007
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?"
"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?
"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.
"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."
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.
Tuesday, April 17, 2007
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.
"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.
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.
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.
Monday, April 16, 2007
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.
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