The ant works hard in the withering heat all summer long, building his house and laying up supplies for the winter. The grasshopper thinks heâs a fool and laughs and dances and plays the summer away. Come winter, the ant is warm and well fed. The grasshopper has no food or shelter, so he dies out in the cold.
MORAL OF THE STORY: Be responsible for yourself!
MODERN VERSION:
The ant works hard in the withering heat all summer long, building his house and laying up supplies for the winter. The grasshopper thinks heâs a fool and laughs and dances and plays the summer away.
Come winter, the shivering grasshopper calls a press conference and demands to know why the ant should be allowed to be warm and well fed while others are cold and starving. CBS, NBC, and ABC show up to provide pictures of the shivering grasshopper next to a video of the ant in his comfortable home with a table filled with food. America is stunned by the sharp contrast. How can this be, that in a country of such wealth, this poor grasshopper is allowed to suffer so?
Kermit the Frog appears on Oprah with the grasshopper, and everybody cries when they sing, "Itâs Not Easy Being Green." Jesse Jackson stages a demonstration in front of the antâs house where the news stations film the group singing, "We shall overcome." Jesse then has the group kneel down to pray to God for the grasshopperâs sake. Tom Daschle & John Kerry exclaim in an interview with Peter Jennings that the ant has gotten rich off the back of the grasshopper, and both call for an immediate tax hike on the ant to make him pay his "fair share."
Finally, the EEOC drafts the "Economic Equity and Anti-Grasshopper Act," retroactive to the beginning of the summer. The ant is fined for failing to hire a proportionate number of green bugs and, having nothing left to pay his retroactive taxes, his home is confiscated by the government.
Hillary gets her old law firm to represent the grasshopper in a defamation suit against the ant, and the case is tried before a panel of federal judges that Bill appointed from a list of single-parent welfare recipients. The ant loses the case.
The story ends as we see the grasshopper finishing up the last bits of the antâs food while the government house he is in, which just happens to be the antâs old house, crumbles around him because he doesnât maintain it. The ant has disappeared in the snow. The grasshopper is found dead in a drug related incident and the house, now abandoned, is taken over by a gang of spiders who terrorize the once peaceful neighborhood.
MORAL OF THE STORY: What? Whatâs a "moral"? Morals sound like judgemental statements made by "the man" and his minions. Weâre free. We donât allow such crude harmful divisions anymore, man. Up with everyone! Down with morals! And take those "values" and "rules" with you too, you fossils! Die! Weâre Free!
#1
.com, that is awesome. Absolutely hilarious - I was laughing the whole time, and my roommates got a big laugh out of it, too.
Still, at the same time, it's so true it's sad. Watch for that to be the version I'll tell my children some day, while I remember the good old days when the world made sense . . .
Posted by: The Doctor ||
04/07/2004 22:40 Comments ||
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#2
Glad to see we're adhering to real news articles here unless they're posted by a twisted ass who just rolled off of his 15 year old rent girls in Thailand! PS Dumbass--you're quoting a FRENCH fable by La Fonataine
Posted by: Not Mike Moore ||
04/07/2004 22:52 Comments ||
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#3
I'll vouch for .com any day asswipe. sorry you refound the bookmark
Posted by: Frank G ||
04/07/2004 22:54 Comments ||
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#4
the distinction is....(drumroll please).... a sense of humor...which is why it doesn't work for you
Posted by: Frank G ||
04/07/2004 22:55 Comments ||
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#5
You are really hung up on pedophilia. Have you seen a specialist, yet? I can recommend a Federal Corrections Officer or FBI Agent, if you need a referral.
As for the source of the fable, you're just a fount of pointlessness, aren't you! All of us have acces to Google, 'tardo. As for why I posted it, well I heard Skeery explain his "economic plan" today. I finally stopped laughing when I realized it was late in the Rantburg Day and would be a good time to post a slightly different fable than his asinine joke.
BTW, why haven't you offed yourself, yet? It obviously really sucks to be you and a normal person in your state of disrepair, er, despair would've eaten Drano, by now.
Posted by: Frank G ||
04/07/2004 23:06 Comments ||
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#8
NMM's a trip. When he shows up he drops a turd every 5 minutes, +/- 3, like a rabbit. Check the posting times - I think he's due for another colon spasm about now... ;-)
#9
well, you can defend the site, no doubts - just got off the phone with Alaska Paul (always informative, but no fatwas tonite), and I've gotta get dinner served - nite!
Frank
Posted by: Frank G ||
04/07/2004 23:13 Comments ||
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#10
.com, shouldn't there be a part where the ant gets called a cockroach?
Posted by: Super Hose ||
04/08/2004 1:18 Comments ||
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#11
SH - That's prolly in Jesse's version of "We Shall Overcome"...
Australian judges granted a husband's wish that his wife's jail term be reduced after she was convicted of trying to hire a hitman to kill him. Canadian Gerry Skura, 51, told the court he had forgiven his wife, Marie, and wanted her sentence cut so their family could be rehabilitated. The court heard Marie, 37, also a Canadian, had tried to kill her husband by poisoning his food, giving him sleeping tablets and setting fire to his bedroom.
Sounds like Marie wants out of this relationship. She also just can't seem to get a handle on this murder thing.
It heard Marie had become homesick after the family moved from Canada to Melbourne in 2001 when Gerry, an executive with a grain company, took up a new job with the firm. She had affairs, drank heavily and gambled away nearly 60,000 dollars (46,000 US) and was arrested after paying an undercover police officer posing a hitman 25,000 dollars to kill her husband.
If at first you don't succeed, try, try again. Then hire outside help. Poor Marie can't even get that right.
Marie stood to gain 280,000 dollars from an insurance payout. She pleaded guilty and was sentenced last July to seven years' jail with a minimum of four-and-a-half years.
Seven years, that's it? Memo to self, stay out of Australia, might give the wife ideas.
The Victorian Court of Appeal ruled Wednesday the sentencing judge had not given enough weight to Gerry Skura's victim impact statement.
I guess her trying to kill him, let's see, 1, 2, 3, FOUR TIMES didn't have much impact on Gerry either.
Justice Tim Smith said the crime deserved heavy punishment but the sentence should also aide rehabilitation. "Here the victim, her husband has forgiven her, wants to help her rehabilitation and save the family," Smith said. The court cut the maximum term to six years with a minimum of three.
Gerry seems to be trying for a Darwin Award.
Posted by: Steve ||
04/07/2004 12:53:48 PM ||
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#1
im thinking he still dont get it. hope it work out for them.
Muck - toasting bread doesn't bother you, does it? You're into the PETA thing, but what about plants, huh? Bread -> flour - wheat -> plant -> living thing...
They've "proven" (Kirlian photography, heh) plants "feel" and experience "pain" when cut. So what's the difference? What color is your aura?
And I'll bet we eventually find that air and water are sentient - just on a level we can't yet detect. What are we going to do? Live on Love - like the incredibly idiotic Gerry Skura above?
Methinks you have some deep thinking to do, son. Your PETA stance is wide open to charges of mindlessly following the latest do-gooder crowd - without understanding even a small fraction of the truth. Have you been duped? Are you a tool of those who lead because they've found a bunch of lost children who will follow? The world is not the black and white simplisme set of circumstances you perceive. You'll have to do some intellectual stretching, here. Take your time - I don't want you to suffer a mental sprain.
You should check out the comedy of The Firesign Theater. In one skit, the Principal of More Science High is speaking at a pep rally and sez, "As our flounder founder said, 'Show them a light and they'll follow it anywhere!'" Have you seen the light, Mucky? Or have you seen the LIGHT? Tough questions, grasshopper. Tough world. ;-)
#6
Now, now, Anon - you see the comment is directed to our pal Mucky. I think he needs to examine his pro-PETA stance by looking beyond the obvious, the pedestrian, the conventional. Tis time for Muck to face himself in the mirror and dig deep.
And if your ever SCREAM AT ME again, I'll hunt you down and kill your puppy. Put him in a blender, I will! ;-)
tu- Too Late! You're really referring to that funny-looking mold on the brown bread, I know. Lol!
Anon - I eat what I like, unlike Mucky. Your posts make no sense - care to elaborate? If you're just playing, then make it your kitty or baby duck, instead of your puppy. If you're not kidding, then make it your wife or girlfriend -- unless you're like Marie and I'd be doing you a favor. Heh, so what's yer beef, Anon? Are you a player or a 'tard?
#15
SH - Re: Ship/Muck - I agree... they never post closer than 1:00 apart - I've watched. Of course now he'll stack 2 windows up and hit both submits within a sec or two, lol!
#10
Next time that I'm at Friendly's, I'll ask for white meat. :-)
Posted by: Super Hose ||
04/07/2004 16:58 Comments ||
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#11
I tried it it's very nice don't know if can get them in the US but try one if you can get them. Bourbon flavour sounds good or rum flavoured maybe with chocolate
"The Guardian reports Glees' warning that 'The extent to which radical Islamic ideas are brewing in UK universities will 'come as shock' to people in years to come.'"
Let's re-write that a bit:
"Al-Guardian is gleeful regards 'The extent to which radical Islamic ideas are brewing in UK universities.'
There. Truth.
Prof. Glees should be give an open-ended free ticket on the Liberation Underground Railway so he can escape to freedom should the purveyors of Conventional Wisdom, Euro-style, ever close in on his location. Heads up, Prof!
#2
According to Glees, some academics took their affection for communism further still: He famously claimed that many British academics were in the pay of East Germany's notorious Stasi secret police.
Who are they (and their US counterparts) in the pay of now?
#4
I see interesting signs that the British are becoming radicalized by the war on terror. The Jerusalem post has a report that Blair is the first Euro leader to support Sharon's disengagement plan. This surprised me because Blair's Labour party is anti-Israeli as part of their anti-American program/mindset.
Posted by: Phil B ||
04/07/2004 20:44 Comments ||
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EFL without comment
The pagan community is furious that vandals daubed more than 70 of the Rollright Stones on the Oxfordshire/Warwickshire border with yellow gloss paint. Estimates for cleaning up the Neolithic circle, are now put at between £30,000 and £100,000. The Pagan Federation is to offer £1,000 to help police find the vandals. Karin Attwood, spokeswoman for the federation, said that the pagan community was doing everything in its powers to find those responsible. Mrs Attwood, who is also a member of the trust overseeing the ancient site, told BBC News Online: "I know that the whole of the pagan community is reeling from this one. Itâs comparable to someone doing something like this to Canterbury Cathedral or the Wailing Wall. It is regarded as a very important place for pagans."
Mrs Atwood said the attack, which was discovered on Thursday, 1 April, had been the talk of pagan websites. "If the power of magic and the power of prayer works the people who have done this should start to feel very uncomfortable," she said. The circle has been used for wedding and baby-naming ceremonies and other celebrations. The circle, which could date back to as early as 2500 BC, boasts important examples of lichen said to date to about 1100. Conservation experts from English Heritage, who helped restore stones at Avebury, were brought in to assess the damage. Site manager Dohn Prout told BBC News Online that it could take up to 25 weeks for the restoration to be carried out. He said there was the possibility that the price of admission to the site might have to be increased to raise funds for the work. He said: "It will be a serious amount of money. Whoâs going to pay for it, I donât have a clue." I have a guess and it rhymes with back-sprayers
Posted by: Super Hose ||
04/07/2004 2:41:37 AM ||
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boasts important examples of lichen said to date to about 1100 In that case we need to get the UN involved, in order to start a worldwide campaign to save the Lichens!
Posted by: Phil B ||
04/07/2004 2:49 Comments ||
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#2
It was probably Muslims. The stones probably remind them of pigs or something and cause them to get their panties in a bunch. Next, they'll be demanding to have the stones removed because they're so offensive, and of course the Brit government will happily oblige.
Posted by: Infidel Bob ||
04/07/2004 8:41 Comments ||
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#3
Quite rightly so.
Posted by: Howard UK ||
04/07/2004 8:48 Comments ||
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#4
"If the power of magic and the power of prayer works the people who have done this should start to feel very uncomfortable," she said.
I imagine they feel just fine, then.
Posted by: Robert Crawford ||
04/07/2004 9:01 Comments ||
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#5
"So you see, Inspector, all you have to do now is arrest all the toads in the neighborhood..."
Posted by: Fred ||
04/07/2004 10:10 Comments ||
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#6
"If the power of magic and the power of prayer works the people who have done this should start to feel very uncomfortable"
They don't, and you are a joke. That's why they painted yer rocks.
#7
I'd start my investigation with ex-sergeant majors, they tend to have a fixation with painting rocks.
Posted by: Steve ||
04/07/2004 10:59 Comments ||
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#8
im not understaning whats funy about this. pagan is an old and peaceful religion and shuld have respect like other. i thought we care about freedom of religion. it is hipocrisy to get mad at taliban blowing up hindu statues of gods but not something holy to others. remeber a prayer and spell can have as much power as a fatwa you guys always wory about.
#9
Honestly Muck4doo, if spells were so effective and every prayer were answered, then why hasn't your large intestine leapt straight up through your neck and throttled your brain by now?
Posted by: Robert Modean ||
04/07/2004 13:05 Comments ||
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#10
mr. modean did your use prayer or spell or fatwa?
#11
Be nice now, BH ... I stopped saying things like that after the guy who had sex in St. Patrick's Cathedral (NYC) died of a heart attack at age 38 :P
*comes out as a Deist*
Posted by: Edward Yee ||
04/07/2004 14:12 Comments ||
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#12
I don't do Fatwa's, and really I just tried the spell. Let me review is with you and maybe you can tell me where I'm going wrong:
The spell required a picture of you, the blood of a black cock, and an offering of wine made from grapes picked during a full moon. Of course I had to substitute for the items that weren't readily available. So I used some KFC extra crispy instead of rooster blood, a bottle of MD 20/20 from the Qwiki Mart (bonus - a wino was standing outside with his ham pressed up against the window, so I figure the full moon thing is on), and this was the best I could come up with for a picture of you Muck4Doo. Do you think making the KFC extra crispy was a bad move?
Anyhoo, here's my attempt at a prayer:
LORD in the name of thy most holy servant St. Attila, the bludgeoner of idotarians, I do most humbly beseech THEE to encourage the greater intestine of THY lowest creation known as Muck4doo, to, in THY grace and mercy, jump straight through his neck and, in the goodness of time, throttle that brain which YOU have given him in evidence of YOUR infinite capacity for mirth and, by THY grace, punishing his naughtiness in THY sight.
Amen.
Posted by: Robert Modean ||
04/07/2004 14:26 Comments ||
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#13
that picture isa not me but at least your not use this rong picture. this picture look more like me. also you need substitute chicken for tofu. what im not understand is why you bother gathering materials if your going to do prayer instead.
Heavy drinking at a fire festival, sounds like a recipe for a Screaming Class "A" Fire - a shipboard term.
Posted by: Super Hose ||
04/07/2004 20:28 Comments ||
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#19
I always like having a few pagans in the platoon, let them miracle up shit w/chicken bones from the chow hall. Can't be too choosey I always say, plus I always liked to keep all the bases covered just in case.
#20
A favorite song from Spinal Tap keeps playing over and over in my mind.
Posted by: Super Hose ||
04/07/2004 22:35 Comments ||
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#21
Estimates for cleaning up the Neolithic circle, are now put at between £30,000 and £100,000. Doesn't that sounds kinda steep for stripping paint off of rocks? Is the UNESCO going to do the work?
Posted by: Super Hose ||
04/07/2004 22:37 Comments ||
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The U.S. Coast Guard detained 35 Dominican and Peruvian migrants trying to reach Puerto Rico on Tuesday, officials said. A police boat stopped a yawl with 38 people on board, but three jumped overboard and swam three miles to shore, Coast Guard Lt. Eric Willis said.
Swam the three miles? Does PR have an Olympic swim team?
Some of the migrants told officials the three men who jumped overboard were in charge of smuggling them from the Dominican Republic.
Ah, I get it now, they're sharks. Three miles, no problem, just catch the old scent of money in the water.
Police handed the 35 migrants to the Coast Guard and they will be repatriated, officials said. The Coast Guard has intercepted 3,052 Dominican migrants since January, already more than double the 1,469 for all 2003.
Posted by: Steve White ||
04/07/2004 12:24:54 AM ||
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3 miles my ass. it's hard enough swimming 250 yards to qualify for scuba diving.
#2
Yall are kidding, right? I did the 1 mile and 5 mile swims when I was a kid in the Boy Scouts - Lake Texarkanna - in consecutive summers. Merit badges, man, a 11 / 12 yr old's sex drive. heh.
#7
Shamu, you open your mouth and I'll power wash your teeth with 100 psi of algified, straight stream, Geauga Lake H2O. Homey don't play that pet the tongue gag.
Posted by: Super Hose ||
04/07/2004 22:41 Comments ||
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Slogans of Struggle Issued
Pyongyang, April 7 (KCNA) -- The Information Department of the Central Committee of the National Democratic Front of South Korea Whew, thatâs a mouthful! How do they get it on their letterhead?
on March 31 made public slogans of struggle to shatter the plot of the United States and rightist conservative forces to scuttle the April "general election" in south Korea, according to the internet site Kuguk Jonson. Apparently, the NorKs Johnson is on the web
The slogans called for resolutely checking the plot of the U.S. and rightist conservative forces to scuttle the "general election" and shattering the U.S. plot to postpone it through all-people resistance. Calling for turning the "general election" into a scene of judgment to put an end to the U.S. interference in the internal affairs of south Korea, the slogans appealed to the voters to conclude the struggle against the "impeachment" with a victory in the "general election". No not "public slogans of struggle!" Oh, the humanity!
#1
The Information Department of the Central Committee of the National Democratic Front of South Korea
Whew, thatâs a mouthful! How do they get it on their letterhead?
on March 31 made public slogans of struggle to shatter the plot of the United States and rightist conservative forces to scuttle the April "general election" in south Korea, according to the internet site Kuguk Jonson.
Now, where have I heard that speaking style before? *thinks hard* Aha! Leftist liberal Trolls predicting the downfall of the United states from the gangster rabble from Fajullah (insert pagan prayers and offerings imploring for the miracle that needs to appear between those two events).
#2
So they had an in-house slogan writing contest? yeah, that'll show 'em! Hope the unveiled slogans communicated the message--- whatever the hell it was--- better than the story, but probably not.
#5
Where "translate" means make sense of it? Not me, man!
Regards the "s" in south Korea, that's easy - they're saying there's only one Korea - the south isn't really separate; it's an artificial political designation - and imposed by us running dog imperialists, of course!
Via Drudge:
Never one to underestimate his own talents, Italian Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi gave himself another pat on the back Wednesday for squashing the "big fat slugs" who run the show in Brussels. "Weâve won a great battle... we have managed to make those big fat European slugs take steps forward," with the adoption of an EU plan on transport, he said. The Italian leader was hitting back after being pummelled for the past few days in Brussels. The European Commission, headed by Berlusconiâs arch-rival Romano Prodi, served Italy with an "early warning" over the countryâs budget deficit, which has edged dangerously close to the EU limits. Does it matter that France and Germany have done precisely that in each of the last three years witout repercussions? Probably not.
Prodi, the leftwing opposition leader who is widely expected to challenge Berlusconi in 2006 elections, also snapped at Italyâs current role in Iraq, saying the country would withdraw its troops if the center-left was in power. Just like Zappy; birds of a feather...
Berlusconi backers in Rome snarled at the commissionâs budget warning, calling it a dark plot by Prodi to boost his elections chances. "Yeeeeeaaaaarrrr! We snarl at your budget warning!"
But Berlusconi himself, already on a campaign warpath ahead of European Parliament elections in June, snapped back. "If there is one dedicated European, then itâs me. I have always been. And if there is one European country, itâs Italy. This absolutely does not mean that itâs impossible to criticize those who occupy posts for which they are unqualified," he said, without naming any names.
[SLAP-P-P!!] "Here you are Mr. Prodi, it took some doing but we managed to retreive your face."
Well, actually, there are lots of European countries, thatâs why, oh, never mind...
During his own campaigning, Berlusconi has vowed to lower taxes -- a promise that cannot have fallen on deaf ears in Brussels, which fears Italy will exceed budget deficit limits imposed by the Growth and Stability Pact. Brussels bureaucrats - never saw a tax they didnât like!
The suspected terrorists who died in last weekend's suicide blast had planned another major attack in Madrid, possibly during this week's Easter celebrations, a court official said Wednesday.
Police also fear Saturday's explosion that may have killed seven suspects and the subsequent arrests of other suspects could stir another cell of militants to mount a 'jihad,' or holy war, in Spain, said the official, who spoke on condition of anonymity.
A Spanish judge, meanwhile, jailed two more suspects on terrorism charges, a court official said.
Seventeen persons are now charged and in jail in the case.
The two questioned Wednesday by National Court Judge Juan del Olmo were Moroccans Rachid Adli and Abdelila el-Fouad. Both were jailed on terrorism charges.
El-Fouad was arrested last Friday at the border in Ceuta, a Spanish enclave on Morocco's northern coast. Adli was detained Tuesday in Madrid. Earlier, the court had erroneously reported that he had been arrested in Illescas, a town south of the capital.
Of the 17 in custody, six have been charged with mass murder, the rest with collaborating or belonging to a terrorist group. Thirteen of the total are Moroccan.
The March 11 attacks on four commuter trains left 191 people dead and more than 1,800 injured.
In the suicide blast Saturday, the court official said, explosives and other evidence found in the apartment indicated the suspects planned an imminent follow-up to the March 11 attacks.
Police also found a substantial amount of money, including a roll of notes worth $604 on the body of one of the militants.
Fearing more attacks, the government ordered unprecedented security measures this week, when millions of Spaniards pack trains, planes and highways for holiday travel.
On Tuesday, prosecutor Olga Sanchez asked Del Olmo, the investigating magistrate, to issue four more international arrest warrants. No information was available on those suspects.
Del Olmo last week issued a similar warrant for six suspects.
The government previously said three of those six were among at least five suspected terrorists who blew themselves up Saturday as special forces prepared to storm their apartment in the suburb of Leganes, south of Madrid. The court official said Wednesday that police now believe that recovered body parts belonged to seven people.
Police also are looking for three people who may have fled the apartment before the blast and are hiding out near Madrid, the newspaper El Pais reported. They may include one or more of the people sought in del Olmo's warrants, the paper stated.
Authorities believe ringleader Sarhane Ben Abdelmajid Fakhet, of Tunisia, and Moroccan Jamal Ahmidan -- described as his right-hand man and the person who rented the house where the bombs used March 11 allegedly were assembled -- were among those killed Saturday.
Posted by: Dan Darling ||
04/07/2004 11:59:25 AM ||
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Don't arrest them, they'll get mad...
Police also fear Saturday's explosion that may have killed seven suspects and the subsequent arrests of other suspects could stir another cell of militants to mount a 'jihad,' or holy war, in Spain, said the official, who spoke on condition of anonymity.
Perfect. Now they're scared that if they do anything about it, the Islamo-fascists will get angry. Maybe the Spaniards should just disband their police, judicial system, and military and be done with it...
Lawmakers narrowly ousted Lithuania's scandal-ridden president Tuesday for abuse of office, ending the Baltic state's worst political crisis since it gained independence from Moscow. The ouster of President Rolandas Paksas in a secret ballot came less than three weeks before the country joins the European Union on May 1. The 47-year-old former stunt pilot lost three separate votes in the 141-member parliament by closer-than-expected margins. Before they voted, Paksas asked lawmakers: "Do a few mistakes of mine justify the process of impeachment?"
Guess the answer is "yes".
Parliament wasn't swayed, passing all three accusations against Paksas: that he illegally arranged citizenship for one of his chief financial backers, businessman Yuri Borisov; that he divulged state secrets; and that he used his office for financial gain. The accusations stemmed from Borisov's role in Paksas' campaign, including, government reports found, that the Russian was linked to organized crime. Borisov, who denied any wrongdoing, donated $400,000 to the campaign last year. Afterward, Paksas helped Borisov get Lithuanian citizenship, although it was later revoked. The charge of divulging state secrets was tied to Paksas' apparent warning to Borisov that he was being watched by state security agents. The third involved his role in the privatization of a building company. The scandal emerged in October after a government report linked Paksas to Borisov, who police assert has ties to Russia's mafia. Parliament launched impeachment proceedings weeks later.
Deputies passed the first charge by 86-17, the second 86-18 and the third 89-14. To pass, 85 votes were needed. Other deputies either weren't present or did not vote. The former Soviet republic joined NATO last week and Paksas opponents said Lithuania risked losing the trust of both NATO and the EU had the scandal-ridden Paksas stayed on. "Lithuania's partners in NATO and the EU were expecting such outcome - impeachment," said lawmaker Gediminas Kirkilas. "Today we have done what we had to do." Parliament Speaker Arturas Paulauskas - an ardent Paksas foe - became the acting president. New elections will be held within 60 days.
Posted by: Steve White ||
04/07/2004 12:14:51 AM ||
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"It wasn't like that 10 years ago. This year, I believe [President Jacques] Chirac even invited German troops to take part in the march past.
"It seems all wrong to be marking the liberation in that way."
The understatement of the year.
Posted by: Rafael ||
04/07/2004 0:16 Comments ||
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""I think we should have stopped after 50 years," said Lt Col Terence Otway, who commanded the 9th Parachute Btn as it attacked a crucial German battery at Merville, near Caen, shortly after midnight on June 6, 1944.
"In 1994, we were celebrating the liberation of the French from the Germans."
The guy makes a valid point. It's a memorial to the dead who liberated Europe, not a celebration of the future rise of a new Franco/German controlled EU - whose leaders joyously spit in the faces of the country that helped to free them.
I'm guessing that if he wasn't 90, he'd go to honor the dead, but he probably feels the lack of respect afforded by those countries to our soldiers renders the "honor" of the event meaningless and unworthy of his 90 year old effort.
Stop being hypocritical please. The analog to the fall of Saddam is May, 8 ie end of war. D-Day is about people being killed for the liberation of Europe. Inviting the people who killed them is grossly improper. Anyway, only the leaders of the countries who made 99% of the dying ie USA, UK, Canada had the right to extend an invitation. Chirac has lost an occasion to shutup. You too.
Posted by: Infidel Bob ||
04/07/2004 11:05 Comments ||
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#10
JFM> "Inviting the people who killed them is grossly improper"
I somehow think that in any future celebrations of the start of the invasion of Iraq, some Iraqi leaders will also be invited, even though it was mostly Iraqis that were killing Americans.
Infidel Bob> The modern-day Germans are glad that Hitler got defeated. Deal.
Posted by: Infidel Bob ||
04/07/2004 11:55 Comments ||
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#12
Having been in Germany a little and knowing at least a few Germans, Aris is right -- modern-day Germans are horrified at what their fathers/grandfathers did (yes, yes, I know the Ossies aren't fully reconstructed). But the Germans I know are resolute in ensuring that Germany never, ever again does anything that approaches what the Nazis did.
Posted by: Steve White ||
04/07/2004 12:39 Comments ||
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#13
Steve
Having been in Germany and having met the most lovable people I have ever met I still stand on my position. However lovable they are, whatever horror they feel, their place is not at D-Day ceremonies. They can be present at Victory over Nazism (and peace) but not at D-Day.
Aris
Read again slowly. Do it five hundred times until you undarstand. This is about D-Day not about the end of the war who is usually something positive (peace), even for the losing side. It is about people getting killed. And now read also this a five hundred times: Chirac can invite who he pleases at ceremonies for Verdun, he cannot extend invitations at D-Day, and certainly not do it from its own initiative, unilaterally.
#14
JFM> I said: "I somehow think that in any future celebrations of the start of the invasion of Iraq, some Iraqi leaders will also be invited, even though it was mostly Iraqis that were killing Americans."
So YOU read it again, as often as you need to in order to understand it. You talked about the start of an invasion, I talked about the start of an invasion. Cheers!
WASHINGTON (CNN) -- John Kerry has hired an Internet-savvy Democrat to run his presidential campaignâs online communications, a move that raises new questions about the link between his campaign and the independent groups that run TV ads on his behalf.
Zach Exley, the director of special projects for the MoveOn PAC, is going to the Kerry campaign to become its director of online communications and organization.
Exley also worked during the Democratic presidential primary for Howard Dean, helping Dean set up his web-based organization.
Since Kerry became the presumptive Democratic presidential nominee in early March, the MoveOn PAC has spent more than $2.5 million on TV ads that attack President Bush.
But under the new campaign-finance law, those efforts cannot be coordinated with the Kerry campaign. Yeah... right.....
A MoveOn statement said Exley and the staff of all MoveOn entities have agreed that they will not be in contact through the election period to avoid the appearance of coordination, "even though federal election rules permit some forms of communication." We wont talk to each other! I promise! (just send notes...)
MoveOn has spent roughly $17 million on ads since it started running its "misleader" campaign against Bush last year. Few know that âmisleaderâ actually describes the ads and not the ad target....
Republicans said Exleyâs move reinforces their accusations that Kerry and his Democratic allies are circumventing the McCain-Feingold campaign finance law they fought so hard to enact. (GOP challenges anti-Bush ads)
"Itâs another example of the coordination between MoveOn.org and the Kerry campaign that is illegal under campaign finance law," a Bush campaign official said.
"The Media Fund and MoveOn are functioning as Kerryâs slush fund, a shadow Democratic Party thatâs illegally using soft dollars."
MoveOn became the subject of controversy early this year when it posted two ads on its Web site that compared Bush to Adolf Hitler. The ads were submitted to the group as part of a contest to produce anti-Bush commercials, and Republican Chairman Ed Gillespie said Exley dismissed Republican complaints about them with a barnyard expletive.
"In addition to the obvious questions his hiring raises about further illegal coordination between the Kerry campaign and MoveOn.org, you have to wonder what hiring someone who considers Hitler comparisons to be legitimate political discourse says about the Kerry campaign," Gillespie said in a statement issued Wednesday. Why are you suprised? This didnât cause a tremor on my suprise meter from Hanoi John .....
#2
Surprise meter didn't budge, but the pissed meter is pegged.
Posted by: Robert Crawford ||
04/07/2004 20:20 Comments ||
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#3
This doesn't surprise me in the least. Coming from the Dims who at this point must beleive the far left is their bag. Americans will note vote for this man. His war record, voting record and the company he keeps preclude any moderate from voting for Kerry. The party is in dis array. Look at Dean. He should be on medication. Gore has looks as though he is ready for an anti-war march. Kennedy finally has reached the threshold of where his brain cellls are dying at an exponential rate everytime he speaks. Byrd of WV will be drinking out of a straw soon. Yep vote Democratic- the future of the USA. What a pathetic group. Liberman was their best chance- but far left has taken over this party. GO Dubya.
Posted by: Bill Nelson ||
04/07/2004 20:24 Comments ||
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#4
Hey, actually this could be the best news of the day for Dubya. If they start up with some of the crap from Move On as official campaign stuff, that can't be good for Kerry.
NewsMax; EFL. Hat tip: LGF.
At first I thought this was an especially poor-taste attempt at a ScrappleFace posting, but itâs for-real.
In an interview broadcast Wednesday morning, Democratic presidential candidate John Kerry defended terrorist Shiite imam Moqtada al-Sadr as a "legitimate voice" in Iraq, despite that fact that heâs led an uprising that has killed nearly 20 American GIs in the last two days. Speaking of al-Sadrâs newspaper, which was shut down by coalition forces last week after it urged violence against U.S. troops, Kerry complained to National Public Radio, "They shut [down] a newspaper that belongs to a legitimate voice in Iraq." This has to be one of the most monumentally stupid things ever said by a major party candidate for national office. Does Kerry realize how bad this sounds?
In the next breath, however, the White House hopeful caught himself and quickly changed direction, adding, "Well, let me ... change the term âlegitimate.â It belongs to a voice â because he has clearly taken on a far more radical tone in recent days and aligned himself with both Hamas and Hezbollah, which is a sort of terrorist alignment." Guess he realized.
But Kerry again seemed to voice sympathy for the Shiite terrorist when asked whether he supported al-Sadrâs arrest. "Not if itâs an isolated act without the other kinds of steps necessary to change the dynamics on the ground in Iraq," Kerry told NPR, in quotes first reported by the New York Sun. "If we canât completely transform Iraq in 72 hours, with a 100% guarantee of success, we should let him go."
Unbelievable. I hope the RNC has the audio tape. The negative ad potential here is simply staggering.
Posted by: Mike ||
04/07/2004 2:40:46 PM ||
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#1
Idiot. Let's hope that we don't end up calling him "President Idiot."
#2
Please kill my post. I failed to link to LGF and I was just moments before Mike's.
I would like to add that Kerry can't seem to give up his old habist as a fifth columnist. He betrayed the US during Viet Nam by spewing communist propaganda, and he is stating his intentions now.
I no more believe that this was a misspoken phrase than I believe Kerry is a patriotic American. Consider this a bald statement of his beliefs with regard to soldiers in the field.
#4
This has to be one of the most monumentally stupid things ever said by a major party candidate for national office.
It's got to be in the top 5, that's for sure.
"Not if itâs [Sadr's arrest] an isolated act without the other kinds of steps necessary to change the dynamics on the ground in Iraq."
Actually, this is not stupid. Arresting Sadr and locking him up as a matter of law enforcement would be a recipe for disaster. That's what Sadr should've tried to arrange, if he had any brains.
In this case, the "other kinds of steps necessary" is exactly what we're doing. I'll bet that's not what Kerry means, though.
#5
I don't think even John Kerry knows what John Kerry means by all this doubletalking bullshit. I agree with SM: he's an idiot.
Posted by: Dave D. ||
04/07/2004 14:53 Comments ||
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#6
Sombody please tell me that we have this all on tape. (audio or video)
Posted by: Dave ||
04/07/2004 14:54 Comments ||
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#7
This doesn't cause a tremor on my suprise meter. Does it anybody elses? Kerry has always been a Hater of the U.S. since before he went to Nam. He was after Nam (Winter Soldier - a staged fraud he was heavily involved in organizing), his congressional testamony of 72 before congress, during his Congressonal career (voting against every weapon system - we would be defenseless now if he had his way!) and even now (promising to kowtow to the Mullahs and Kimmie-boy).
#9
Talk about handing Bush the election on a silver platter. He even served a side plate of waffles to go along with it. The most fun part will be watching his handlers spin this for the next several days. Let's hope the RNC keeps it alive until the election.
Posted by: B ||
04/07/2004 15:04 Comments ||
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#10
oh my god! kerry just proved that if elected we will bend over backward so these asshats can do a ream job with the approval of the prez..
Posted by: Dan ||
04/07/2004 15:05 Comments ||
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#14
Truly sickening! There is no way this a-hole should be the next C-in-C of the brave and honorable men and women in uniform fighting this same al-Sadr whom Kerry apparently thinks is merely misunderstood! How disgusting.
Posted by: Dar ||
04/07/2004 15:23 Comments ||
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#15
Hmmm... somebody save that audio. Imagine a pic of Sadr's paper, with the lines about stabbing Coalition troops in the back highlighted and shown in translation, then playing Kerry's line about a "legitimate voice" over it.
Posted by: Robert Crawford ||
04/07/2004 15:26 Comments ||
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#16
"American gigolo" a movie with John Kerry
Travolta.
#17
Say "bye-bye" to the military vote, Senator JoKe. Guess you could always try to get them thrown out like Albert did, but at any rate you may as well STFU about Vietnam now - anybody that might have been impressed by that hates you now.
#18
RC, I will never question Kerry's complete stupidity again.
Posted by: Lil Dhimmi ||
04/07/2004 16:26 Comments ||
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#19
ex-lib: You're way too kind to that POS.
Posted by: Barbara Skolaut ||
04/07/2004 16:48 Comments ||
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#20
In Kerry's mindâ¦
Good Kerry: We mustn't be so reactionary.
Bad Kerry: We wants to be POTUS, right?
G.K.: But at the expense of the nation?
B.K.: Nothing is more important than the advancement of John Forbes Kerry.
G.K.: Go away and never come back. GO AWAY AND NEVER COME BACK!
B.K.: Fat chance.
Barb: Yeah, but what I really think about John "F-himself" Kerry, I don't think I could print, so I'm sticking with "amoral, diabolical traitor"--at least for the time being . . .
#27
I don't think the statement in itself is the last nail in the coffin, but the following questions need to be asked at the earliest opportunity:
1. Do you that Gasser Arafat controls the actions of the AMB?
2. Do you consider Ham-ass and Hezz to be terrorist entities?
3. If elected, which groups would you remove or add to the list of terrorist entities?
4. ME countries and the EU consistently calls for America to be more even-handed with respect to the Palestinians. How would you change our policy toward Israel to being it more in line with the policies of our European allies?
5. If Saudi Arabia offered to increase oil production rates, would you be willing to reestablish payments to the PLA?
6. If not, which policies would you be willing to change to encourage OPEC to increase production levels?
7. We also import a significant amount of oil from Venezuela, whose president has asked the US to be more even-handed towards his government with respect to the opposition that is seeking to recall him from office. How would you change policy to maintain the flow of oil to his country?
8. How do you intend to resolve the crisis in Korea?
9. What is your timetable for bringing our troops from South Korea, Bosnia, Germany and Iraq?
10. Would you have intervened in Haiti sooner to keep the democratically elected Aristide in power?
11. Do you consider his ouster to be an American coup?
12. Would you have intervened in Liberia sooner to keep Charles Taylor in power?
13. Do you intend to intervene in Zimbabwe should a coup attempt to oust Mugabe?
13. If the MDU, a party who many consider to be the democratically elected to run Zimbabwe, were to take over Zimbabwe violently, would you consider that to be a coup?
14. Would you intervene in Zimbabwe to keep Mugabe in power?
15. Would you support South African intervention in Zimbabwe to keep Mugabe in power?
16. Would you have handled the genocide in Rwanda differently as president?
17. Under what circumstances would you intervene in a Rwanda-like situation?
18. What is your opinion of the allegations that the UN Oil-For-Food Program was.....
I guess NPR wasn't up to the challenge.
Posted by: Super Hose ||
04/07/2004 23:15 Comments ||
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Callaghan said that on March 17 he dined with Kerry at Jimâs Spaghetti and Steakhouse in Huntington, W.Va., beneath a framed photograph of John F. Kennedy, who attributed his winning the 1960 presidential nomination and election to West Virginia voters.
Well, first of all, Kennedy won the election âcause his daddy bought the state of Illinois. That aside, WTF is Kerry doing in a "spaghetti and steakhouse" on St. Patrickâs Day? His campaign staff is too stupid to arrange a photo op at an Irish pub?
#1
"WTF is Kerry doing in a "spaghetti and steakhouse" on St. Patrickâs Day?"
Dunno, was it green spaghetti in a nice shamrock sauce ?
Posted by: Carl in N.H ||
04/07/2004 14:30 Comments ||
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#2
Maybe they figured that they didn't want to remind people of that whole "I'm not Irish, but I'll let you think that's the case if it's good for my career" thing.
Posted by: Mitch H. ||
04/07/2004 14:42 Comments ||
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#3
Carl, it's Huntington, West Virginia. Jim's is most likely the only resturant.
Posted by: Steve ||
04/07/2004 14:44 Comments ||
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#4
Steve's probably right - but I also think they are terrified of bringing up the fact that Kerry waffled on his heritage ...as well as everything else. After all of those years he thought he was Irish but was shocked! shocked! to find out he was part Jewish.
Posted by: B ||
04/07/2004 15:22 Comments ||
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#5
Might have to do with the fact that West Virginia was holding a primary around that time.
Sometimes a cigar is just a cigar, guys :-)
Posted by: Steve White ||
04/07/2004 15:30 Comments ||
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#7
Papa Joe spent a ton of his bootlegging money to help John Kennedy win the West Virginia Demo primary.That win pretty much wrapped up Demo nomination for JFK.W/out that win LBJ would have probably been Demo nominee,w/who knows what results.
Posted by: Stephen ||
04/07/2004 17:11 Comments ||
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#8
Having LBJ's boys stuffing half the ballot boxes in Texas didn't hurt any, either.
#9
His campaign staff is so out of touch they didn't warn him off of ordering a cheesesteak with Swiss cheese! (Still a great campaign photo IMO, wish I had it right now...)
(2004-04-06) -- Democrat presidential candidate John Forbes Kerry today called media magnate Rupert Murdoch "a traitor, a Benedict Arnold" for moving his company out of Australia and into the United States.
Mr. Murdochâs News Corporation owns Fox News, The New York Post and The Weekly Standard, among other media properties.
"By moving his corporation to the United States, Rupert Murdoch has betrayed all Australians," said Mr. Kerry. "The next time you see Bill OâReilly, Neil Cavuto or Steve Doocy on Fox News, I want you to think about the Australian blokes, sheilas and ankle biters who go to bed peckish each night because News Corp moved jobs offshore."
Mr. Kerry said that when he is president, "nations will not be allowed to ship jobs to foreign lands."
Posted by: Steve from Relto ||
04/07/2004 11:30:31 AM ||
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Posted by: Super Hose ||
04/07/2004 02:43 ||
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#1
"When you plunge our country into war on a platform of fabrications and deceptions, and you bring back thousands of American soldiers who are sick, injured or dead, and that war is unconstitutionally authorized to begin with, Mr. Bush's behavior qualifies for the high crimes and misdemeanor impeachment clause of the Constitution," the 2000 Green Party presidential nominee said to applause from about 200 students at Columbia College Chicago.
200 students!! wow!! I'm impressed. No really I am! 200 people showed up to hear him. OK they were students, but still.
"Lying under oath is not a trivial offense, but it cannot compare with deceiving the American people night after night after night on national television, staging untruths and rejecting the advice of his advisers," he said.
Has this guy been talking to Mike Moore? Which advisers is he talking about? C'mon, drop a few names Ralphie!
Posted by: Rafael ||
04/07/2004 3:09 Comments ||
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#2
I love Ralph Nader. That he's running in this race proves that there is a God and he has not yet given up on us.
Run Ralph, run! Let's give this man all the press we can - he's the best thing since sliced bread!!
#5
YS - It'll definitely be covered live on FoxNews - prolly on MSNBC. I don't know what you can get - if only ABCCBSNBC then you'll prolly get some sanitized BS later.
#6
thanks dotcom - I'm stuck at work w/o TV. I'll keep checking here. Hell - Rantburg may have the talking points before its televised! ;)
Posted by: Yosemite Sam ||
04/07/2004 14:44 Comments ||
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#7
What I'd really love to hear is that we've attacked and destroyed the Iranian nuclear facilities at Bushehr.
Just a dream, I know...
Posted by: Dave D. ||
04/07/2004 14:59 Comments ||
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#8
YS - I've just checked and can't see a link for streaming vod of the press conference. It might come online though - check this page and hit refresh right up to the hour. They may not have had enough time to change the page yet. I hope you get to see it live!
LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - The three major U.S. broadcast networks said on Tuesday they will broadcast live National Security Adviser Condoleezza Rice's testimony before the commission investigating the Sept. 11 2001 attacks.
ABC, NBC and CBS said they would go live at 9 a.m. EDT on Thursday to broadcast the appearance, which comes amid controversy over whether she failed to focus on the threat posed by al Qaeda in the weeks before the Sept. 11 2001 attacks on the world Trade Center and the Pentagon. A Fox News spokesman said they would offer their coverage to affiliates to air at their discretion. A spokeswoman for NBC news said Tom Brokaw and Tim Russert would anchor the network's coverage; CBS said Dan Rather would handle its coverage; and ABC said Peter Jennings and a senior team of correspondents would cover the event.
Rice is scheduled to appear before the commission for 2-1/2 hours, and the networks said they would stay with her appearance as events warranted. She is expected to address claims by former U.S. counterterrorism chief Richard Clarke that she and President Bush ignored the threat of al Qaeda before the 9/11 attacks.
While it is not uncommon for networks to interrupt regular daytime programing for breaking news, lengthy scheduled preemptions during the day for news events are far less frequent. NBC said the last time it aired daytime gavel-to-gavel coverage of a live address was the one given by Secretary of State Colin Powell at the United Nations in February 2003.
Time to set up the TiVo!
Posted by: Steve White ||
04/07/2004 12:56:39 AM ||
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#1
Cool - people get to watch Rice dismember Clarke, Clinton and his crew on national TV :^).
#2
This proves the old proverb; "Be careful what you wish for, you just might get it". All three of the former "major" networks, plus all the cable news shows, C-Span, etc. Condi has had two weeks to research and dig up every piece of data, checked it twice to make sure it's rock solid, and have practice questions thrown at her. Fox News was reporting this morning that she is scheduled to open with a 20 minute statement before she takes questions. I can't wait.
Posted by: Steve ||
04/07/2004 9:28 Comments ||
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#3
I have a feeling the all involved will be disappointed with Dr. Rice's testimony. Although I bet the LLL will dissect every sentence and âfacial expressionâ as to get the right spin on things. I can tell you what she is going to say: 1) Nobody predicted 9/11 2) Clinton did not do enough 3) The CIA/FBI had their hands tied 4) We are now focused on the problem and taking corrective action, 5) Richard Clarke is a big bugger head!
The global war on terror cannot be won through counterterrorism alone; it also requires convincing the terrorists and their sympathizers that their goals and methods are faulty and failing. .... Which explains my delight on finding that the RAND Corporationâs Cheryl Benard has done just this, publishing her results in a small book titled Civil Democratic Islam: Partners, Resources, and Strategies (available in full on the Internet at the RAND website, www.rand.org). .... Like other analysts, Benard finds that in relation to their religion, Muslims divide into four groups:
⢠Fundamentalists, who in turn split into two. Radicals (like the Taliban) are ready to resort to violence in an attempt to create a totalitarian order. Scripturalists (like the Saudi monarchy) are more rooted in a religious establishment and less prone to rely on violence.
⢠Traditionalists, who also split into two. Conservatives (like Grand Ayatollah Ali Sistani in Iraq) seek to preserve orthodox norms and old-fashioned behavior as best they can. Reformists (like the Kuwaiti rulers) have the same traditional goals but are more flexible in details and more innovative in achieving them.
⢠Modernists (like Muammar Qaddafi of Libya) assume that Islam is compatible with modernity and then work backwards to prove this point.
⢠Secularists again split into two. The mainstream (like AtatÌrkists in Turkey) respects religion as a private affair but permits it no role in the public arena. Radicals (like communists) see religion as bogus and reject it entirely.
The author brings these viewpoints to life in a smart, convincing presentation, showing their differences on everything from establishing the pure Islamic state to husbands having rights to beat their wives. She rightly dwells on values and lifestyles, finding dissimulation about polygamy far less commonplace than about the use of violence.
Which of these groups is most suitable to ally with? Modernists, says Benard, are âmost congenial to the values and the spirit of modern democratic society.â Fundamentalists are the enemy, for they âoppose us and we oppose them.â Traditionalists have potentially useful democratic elements but generally share too much with the fundamentalists to be relied upon. Secularists are too often hostile to the West to fix Islam. Benard then proposes a strategy for religion-building with several prongs:
⢠Delegitimize the immorality and hypocrisy of fundamentalists. Encourage investigative reporting into the corruption of their leaders. Criticize the flaws of traditionalism, especially its promoting backwardness.
⢠Support the modernists first. Support secularists on a case-by-case basis. Back the traditionalists tactically against the fundamentalists. Consistently oppose the fundamentalists.
⢠Assertively promote the values of Western democratic modernity. Encourage secular civic and cultural institutions. Focus on the next generation. Provide aid to states, groups, and individuals with the right attitudes.....
Instead of modernists, I propose mainstream secularists as the forward-looking Muslims who uniquely can wrench their co-religionists out of their current slough of despair and radicalism. Secularists start with the proven premise of disentangling religion from politics; not only has this served the Western world well, but it has also worked in Turkey, the Muslim success story of our time. Only when Muslims turn to secularism will this terrible era of their history come to an end.
Posted by: Mike Sylwester ||
04/07/2004 8:53:10 AM ||
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via Arab News Abdullah, Moussa Hold Talks on Summit
P.K. Abdul Ghafour
Crown Prince Abdullah, deputy premier and commander of the National Guard, wants a fresh Arab summit to give teeth to joint Arab action. Theyâll prolly get crowns installed.
The crown prince and Arab League Secretary-General Amr Moussa in talks in the Moroccan city of Casablanca on Monday discussed the need for a fresh summit producing firm resolutions âto strengthen joint action,â Moussa said. And that sentence says it all, doncha think?
The Saudi Press Agency quoted Moussa as saying there was now agreement on the time and place for the summit. Ah, good. Firm plans.
He later told Al-Hayat pan-Arab daily the summit was likely to be held in Tunisia in mid-May. He is on official tour of several states in northwest Africa. Wha? I thought you said it was all agreed to...
Tunisia, which was supposed to host the summit in March, canceled the meeting because it said some Arab governments would not make a strong enough commitment to democracy and human rights, but other delegates dismissed that explanation. No, it wasnât about that. Nope. No way, Uh uh.
Egypt, home to the Arab League headquarters, later spearheaded efforts to reconvene the meeting and had offered to host a rescheduled summit in Sharm El-Sheikh. "Really, come here! Itâs like a resort."
"You got a Dentist there?"
âThere is consensus with all I have met that we must return to the summit, and quickly. We have more clarity with regard to the resumption of the summit and its place and time,â Al-Hayat quoted him as saying. "Weâve figured out how to spin it!"
He said Arab foreign ministers would meet in Cairo in the last week of this month. There will be no change in the main subjects of its agenda â reform, restructuring the Arab League and an Arab Middle East peace initiative, he added. Same menu, boyz. But different dancing girls!
Foreign Minister Prince Saud Al-Faisal, who attended the Casablanca talks, said Saudi Arabia, Egypt and Syria would present a joint document at the summit. "Yâsee itâs an IOU for Democratic reform. For 5 more years of record oil prices, we will gladly change and..."
Any more Arab Summits and there will be a sharp price increase for tea.
Posted by: .com ||
04/07/2004 2:16:57 AM ||
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#1
Time for the root canal. The Dentist of Fallujah is available.
Posted by: john ||
04/07/2004 7:43 Comments ||
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When CBS assigns a reporter to the Nader campaign is that like a cranial rectal imbed?
You no when you're in trouble when your proctologist asks, "is it safe?"
I'll be here all week? Let's hear it for Harry, your friendly bartender, workin hard over there.
Posted by: Super Hose ||
04/07/2004 20:53 Comments ||
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#4
Zell!
Posted by: Frank G ||
04/07/2004 21:07 Comments ||
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Too bad no one told them the dentist is Jewish. [rimshot]
Whatever speculation by the Belmont Club aside, it sure is nice to see the Arab leaders all stage Ralph Kramden's "hommina-hommina" routine when it's suddenly time to unite and revile Yassin getting vaporized. Their resounding chorus of unanimous condemnation could almost be heard next door (if they had left the windows open).
I guess watching Iraq toasting gently over an open flame has made them all skid to a stop while they try and figure out who's next on the Christmas list.
For people who have the "Great Satan" routine dialed in so well, they sure seem to have lost a bit of momentum lately. Saudi Arabia's petit OPEC mutiny has barely raised a squawk. I guess no one wants to step into the crosshairs while there's still a round in the chamber.
Three men armed with firebombs, machetes and an ax attacked Myanmar's embassy in Malaysia on Wednesday, hacking one senior official and starting a fire that destroyed the building, officials and witnesses said. Police arrested three suspected attackers and an accomplice. The four, members of Myanmar's Rohingya ethnic Muslim minority, had been turned away from the embassy on Tuesday after demanding that officials endorse documents they believed would help them win U.N. refugee status. On Wednesday morning, three of them scaled the embassy wall, an embassy spokesman said. "They started to throw petrol in plastic bags at the building and set a fire," Myint Thein Win said. "They tried to burn the ambassador's car. The minister counselor was attacked with an ax."
Yep. They definitely sound like Muslims...
The minister counselor, a senior diplomat, was hit in the arm and head, and a security officer was cut with a large knife. Police came to the embassy and arrested the four, who will be charged with attempted murder, arson and lacking proper travel papers. Myanamar's military government condemned the "premeditated and dastardly attack" and announced that security at its diplomatic missions worldwide has been stepped up. "The Myanmar government is fully confident that (the culprits) will be punished with the full force of the law for this cowardly attack on the embassy and for the assault on one of its members" it said in a statement issued in Yangon, the capital of Myanamar, also known as Burma. More than 30 firefighters extinguished the fire within an hour. The front of the building had collapsed and the interior was burned out.
Posted by: Fred ||
04/07/2004 10:48:43 AM ||
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Posted by: Brandon Jordan ||
04/07/2004 16:03 ||
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#1
Disney rewrites history to be P.C. again.... In addition, this filmâs script portrays General Sam Houston, the military victor at the Battle of San Jacinto which allowed Texas to gain its independence from Mexico, as a venereal diseased drunkard; Colonel William Barret Travis, commander of Texan forces at the Alamo, as a dead beat dad and serial adulterer; Colonel James Bowie, the Alamo defender famous for his knife fighting skills, as a land swindling, slave trader; and Davy Crockett, the king of the wild frontier, as a war criminal, who participated in a My Lai style massacre in the Creek Indian War and was captured and executed at the Alamo. By contrast, Manuel Castrillon, a Mexican General who attacked the Alamo, is portrayed as a flawless, noble, and brave hero.
#4
Sometimes one has to wonder about Disney. Once a paragon of the family film and animation genre and utterly respectable. But that was somewhere back then and this is now. Most of the fall to hard times, and now to stupid times, seems to be on Eisner's watch - and will be his legacy. Why anyone might be interested in hiring him is far beyond my ken. He is a loser who brought his stink to Disney - and ruined their reputation.
I'm not an expert on the Alamo and know about what you'd expect from someone born in Texas and reared on the legend and the collection of characters that populated the scene. Regards Sam Houston, I am much better informed and he was not a scurilous figure. Diseased? I seriously doubt it - he was around for a long time after the Alamo - 1863.
This is Hollyweird Revisionism. If Michael Moore can win an Oscar for an obvious non-documentary in the Documentary category - Hollyweird's grasp of fact is non-existent. I think this looks a lot like silly mercenary fucktard political PCism revisionism tripe.
#5
.com I disagree with you on Disney having changed. I hated Disney movies as a kid, because they were so transparently false and contrived, while pretending to be real. This was when I was a ten year old kid.
The real problem is that an alarmingly high number of people can't separate fact from fiction, as MM's book sales and the popularity of Chumpsky's ravings demonstrate.
Posted by: Phil B ||
04/07/2004 20:51 Comments ||
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#6
do you mean the Matrix isn't real? Damn!
Posted by: Frank G ||
04/07/2004 21:01 Comments ||
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#7
Whoa, Phil B - I don't think they even pretended to be documentaries - they produced romantic fairy tales and made no bones about it. Today is different and those who produce crap and clearly imply (if not claim) it is factual are bullshit artists. I remember Disney stuff very well, too - and I don't recall any which were portrayed as a factual documentary prior to somewhere in recent years, say the late 70s or early 80s.
Hey, I'm no Disney chronologer. If you point out false documentaries - I'll take your word. I'm in my 50's - maybe that's where we're crossing timelines.
#8
Actually Crockett was beaten to death after being taken prisoner, that is true. Santa Anna ordered the execution - Mexican officers were ashamed of it by later accounts as they felt Crockett was a brave man.
#9
Disney was making phony 'documentaries' in the 50s and 60s. I recall a number of sugary sweet animals finding their way home movies like the Incredible Journey. They may not have been promoted as documentaries, but they did use a documentary format. IMVHO Disney has made a lot of money for a long time by blurring the distinction between fact and fiction. Yep, I don't like Disney or its products.
Posted by: Phil B ||
04/07/2004 21:40 Comments ||
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#10
I can forgive everything Disney's done, except Captain Eo
Posted by: Frank G ||
04/07/2004 21:42 Comments ||
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#11
Sheesh, Phil! Okay, is this where I admit that I've never seen Fantasia straight?
Posted by: Super Hose ||
04/07/2004 22:43 Comments ||
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#17
This movie was to be done by Ron Howard.... set built (a few miles from where I live).....and then Disney and Howard split, cause Disney wasn't willing to let Howard make the movie that "was to be the real story."
That's all from local news, of course, but I got to believe this gossip, cause this was great talk throughout these parts from the beginnings of this movie. Austin has become a "film making" town and the local talk makes the local news.
#18
Was Crockett executed or did he die fighting gallantly. I'll stick with the accounts of Del le Pena and others who had no reason to lie. If I produce a 1st century letter from Paul to the Romans there would be somebody to find it a forgery. The thing that has always struck me about the le Pena account is his telling of both the march to San Antonio and the disasterous retreat back into the Mexican Heartland. He pulls no punches. In the end the story of the Alamo is the Texans got their ass kicked by the Mexicans
Pakistani police are investigating suspected links between Al Qaeda and a captured Islamic militant accused of recruiting suicide bombers to attack Western targets, police said on Wednesday.
âThere is a strong possibility of his direct or indirect links with Al Qaeda,â a senior police investigator told AFP, requesting anonymity.
Sohail Akhtar, alias Mustafa, 35, was seized with eight other suspected militants during a raid on their hideout in the violent southern port city Karachi on Monday.
âWe believe Mustafa recruited the suicide bombers who carried out deadly attacks on the US consulate in June 2002 and the Sheraton hotel blast a month earlier,â the investigator said. In May 2002 a suicide bomber rammed his explosive-packed vehicle into a bus carrying French naval technicians outside the cityâs Sheraton Hotel, killing 11 French nationals and three Pakistanis.
Mustafa told interrogators he had several suicide bombers whom he provided to different militant groups, and that he favoured American targets.
âI always go for foreign targets particularly the Americans as they are responsible for killing Muslim brothers and sisters all over the world,â the investigator quoted Mustafa as saying.
Mustafa told investigators he recruited a young boy, Abdul Hameed, from Pakistanâs conservative North West Frontier Province, to blow himself up in the Sheraton hotel attack.
âWhen we contacted Hameedâs parents after Mustafaâs disclosure they were shocked to here that their son was dead,â Manzoor Mughal, of the police Crimes Investigation Department, told AFP.
âWe are determining whether his links go to Al Qaeda ranks or not,â he told AFP.
Mustafa was trained in Al Qaeda-run camps in the eastern Afghan cities of Jalalabad and Khost during the hardline Talebanâs 1996-2001 rule.
He returned to Pakistan after the regime was destroyed by US-led forces in late 2001 for refusing to hand over Osama bin Laden in the wake of the September 11 terror attacks.
Mustafa had expressed regret at the deaths of the French workers in the Sheraton attack, saying he had hoped to kill Americans, investigators said.
Police chief of southern Sindh province Kamal Shah said he was also probing whether Mustafa provided the suicide bombers used in two massive suicide attacks against minority Shiite Muslims in the southwestern city of Quetta.
âOne of the absconding suspects in Quettaâs suicide attacks had been meeting Mustafa quite often in Karachi and it could be possible that Mustafa provided them with the suicide bombers,â Shah said.
Mustafa is part of a nine-member gang accused of engineering an arson attack on Macedoniaâs honorary consulate in Karachi in December 2002.
Police believe they belong to the Harkatul Mujahedin al-Alaami militant organisation, an offshoot of the Kashmiri militant group Harkatul Mujahedin.
Posted by: Dan Darling ||
04/07/2004 12:10:50 PM ||
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#1
They need to come up with a better name than "suicide bomber recruiter." There's no flow flow to it. I suggest Slodey-pimp.
Posted by: Super Hose ||
04/07/2004 13:47 Comments ||
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#2
AFAIK, the Google search engine doesn't care so much about how often the site in question uses the word in question, but rather how many links using the word lead to said page.
---
As I write in my last entry to my livejournal:
Reclaiming A Word:
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The word "Jew" has been googlebombed by an anti-Semitic group which wants its definition of "Jew" to be the first that shows up on a websearch. If you would like to combat this, please link to the Wikipedia definition of "Jew". Your link tag needs to include the word "Jew" in order for it to work.
#5
well, I'm glad it's just a translation thing :-)
Just FYI, we don't call them livejournals as that would imply that the alternative would be your deadjournal ...I'm thinking the more accurate translation is your life's journal.
Not trying to be rude - your english is excellent.
Posted by: B ||
04/07/2004 22:57 Comments ||
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EFL
Until the March 11 terrorist attacks in Madrid and its aftermath in the election of a Socialist anti-Iraq-war government in Spain, not much had been written in the establishment press about the countries fighting alongside the United States in the coalition forces. Even though troops from 36 nations were on the ground with U.S. troops as action to liberate Iraq began last March, and more than 80 nations are helping with reconstruction, the Bush administration had been described by Democratic partisans as "going it alone" and fighting the war "unilaterally." Presidential candidate Sen. John Kerry (D-Mass.) has said he will repair U.S. relations with the "rest of the world," as if opposing countries such as Germany, France, Russia and a few radical Islamic states in the Middle East somehow constitute opposition from the "rest of the world." This is an illuminating article. Please read as this writer highlights many of allies, such as El Salvador and the hundreds of troops this small country has sent to help us and the Iraqi people.
Posted by: Dragon Fly ||
04/07/2004 8:25:13 AM ||
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The problem doesn't lie in lack of governmental support, but in the lack of popular support in all countries other than America and (to a lesser extent) UK.
Currently this will not be a problem for the US as long as most people worldwide aren't really interested in the Iraq war one way or another, not enough to make them change their votes anyway. But when they suddenly *do* get interested, as they did in Spain, then anti-American government can easily take the lead in nations that formerly supported you...
"Repairing US relations with the rest of the world" doesn't only concern Germany, France, Russia and a few radical Islamic states -- because it doesn't only concern *states*. Or governments. It concerns whole peoples who in their majorities feel alienated by America's actions.
#2
"But when they suddenly *do* get interested, as they did in Spain"
>Aris, - I believe they (the Spanish) got interested due to being bombed themselves, not necessarily the war in Iraq. Aznar would of won that election had it not been for the bombing in Madrid despite what was going on in Iraq - as the polls clearly showed on the day before the attack.
#4
It concerns whole peoples who in their majorities feel alienated by America's actions.
And what actions were those, that caused all this alienation?
Posted by: Rafael ||
04/07/2004 12:38 Comments ||
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#5
The problem is the US can do these things alone and everyone knows it. Why bother if it will get done anyway. In fact you can even oppose the US and try to get on the good side of a lot of bad people and the job will still get done.
Problem with this thinking is the bad people may not give you any credit, they may consider you weak, and a target.
EFL
When 800,000 of their Tutsi countrymen were slaughtered in a massacre that began 10 years ago this week, many Rwandans lost faith not only in their government but also in their religion. Today, in what is still a predominantly Roman Catholic country, Islam is the fastest-growing religion. While the Tutsi were being hacked to death by the thousands inside Catholic Churches (with the full knowledge of the priests), it turns out the Muslims provided shelter from the slaughter.
Many people, disgusted by the role some Catholic priests and nuns played in the genocide, have shunned organized religion altogether, and many more have turned to Islam. For more information on what happened in Rawanda I suggest: We Wish to Inform You That Tomorrow We Will be Killed With Our Families: Stories from Rwanda
Posted by: Dragon Fly ||
04/07/2004 7:59:21 AM ||
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BS about Mulism's protection.
A more accurate report would be: Hutu bishops and priests were eager to help the genociders and there were no Tutsi imamms. Historically the Hutus have been eager to convert to Catholicism in order to gain White Man's protection against the Tutsi monarchy. I guess a number of Tutsi converted to Islam as a reaction: Islam was non-existant in Rwanda before its conquest by the Germans. It was German colonization who allowed Islam to set foot in Rwanda. Before the German conquest every Muslim expedition sent to Rwanda in order to capture slaves had been decimated and forced to flee by the Rwandan army.
You have some interesting insights. My point regarding the Mulsims providing protection was taken from two or three sources. Perhaps they are wrong. At the time of the genocide upwards of 10% of Rwanda was Muslim.
#4
I have read a "History of Rwanda" but it is not in English and AFAIK it is not online. It highlights clearly the difference in attitude between the Hutu who eagerly embraced Christianism and the Tutsi who remained hostile and reserved. As an example, they sent a Twa, ie a member of the Pigmy-like minority, to cast spells on the missionaries. One of the consequences was that the Catholic Churc, the first one to arrive to Rwanda and the one who got those Hutu converts, has been heavily dominated by Hutu.
When Protestant missionaries arrived they proletized mostly the Tutsis since the "Hutu market" had been coped by the Catholic Church and many Tutsies were happier to convert to a faith where Hutus were not dominant. Same thing probably applied to Islam, who I repeat, was non existant before colonization.
A BOOK REVIEW.
Brilliant.
Did I say it was brilliant, yet?
Well it is brilliant.
(And plenty of good insults for your repertoire)
Posted by: tipper ||
04/07/2004 5:40:52 AM ||
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Wow! I bought it from Amazon. Only 14.00 (nearly new). I'm going to put it on my coffee table just to politely piss off everyone on my side of the family.
The truth hurts. The best part is that I won't have to say a word, forcing them to either ignore the book's presence or make snide comments about my choice of reading matter. That will put me firmly on the high ground as I allow the author to rudely insult their "jurassic" views....yet I need not say a word. And should they dare to bring it up, then I can feign annoyance and indignation that they have spoiled the occassion by bringing up a subject sure to start a family row.
snicker. I thank you for calling this book to my attention!!
#3
Very interesting--here's the Amazon link. Some good reader reviews there, too.
Posted by: Dar ||
04/07/2004 9:34 Comments ||
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#4
Pair this book with the excellent "9/11" documentary on DVD to get your free shipping and maintain the theme. Just as the book's author is French, so are the two film makers whose documentary of a firefighter "plebe" was suddenly transformed in a documentary of violence and heroism.
Posted by: Dar ||
04/07/2004 9:39 Comments ||
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#5
The article at the link is blistering . . . bracing . . . scathing . . . ferocious.
And that's just the review. The book must be . . . well, damn, I gotta read it!
(Say, ever notice that you never see Jean-Francois Revel and our good friend JFM in the same photo?)
Posted by: Mike ||
04/07/2004 9:44 Comments ||
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#6
Damn you! This means I'll have to buy a book written by a frog!
#8
Thx, tipper - I just ordered the book. With John Parker's review, sigh, I'll have to start taking the A-Times seriously, again! I had written it off as a joke publication.
Thx, Dar - I've been interested in that documentary since the first time I saw it. So I bought it, too!
#2
I wish they would stop proposing and make it happen.
Posted by: Super Hose ||
04/07/2004 13:32 Comments ||
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#3
I like the concept, but the application is a bit screwed up. I think the 9th Circus should include Sacremento, Scam Francisco/Oakland, San Jose and Lost Angeles, while the rest of the area currently being served by the 9th be apportioned to one or two other courts. That way, people can still live in California and not have to be under the judicial tyranny of a bunch of leftist looney liberal lunkheads that rule from the 9th Circus bench.
Posted by: Old Patriot ||
04/07/2004 15:46 Comments ||
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#4
I'd kindly offer to keep Orange County, San Berdoo County, San Diego County, and Imperial County out of the 9th...please
Posted by: Frank G ||
04/07/2004 15:57 Comments ||
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While many colleges have introduced "gay pride week," Harvard University has devoted an entire month to the subject, with pride celebrations, "a day of silence to raise awareness about the prevalence of homophobia, and a panel of sadomasochism experts." We didnât have that type of festival at USNA although my Shellback initiation was pretty edgy.
"Gaypril," hosted by the Bisexual, Gay, Lesbian, Transgender and Supporters Alliance on campus, began Monday night with open-mic performances that included a "story entitled âMy First Timeâ about scandalous escapades with a bisexual male model in Lebanon," the Harvard Crimson campus newspaper reported. When is the screening in Beruit?
On April 26, the BGLTSA will show "Toilet Training," a documentary about "discrimination linked to gender-segregated bathrooms." The audience also will hear about findings from a study on bathroom access on and near campus. The McDonalds on Boylston Avenue is simply disgusting. When in doubt, look for a Starbuckâs and look early before its and emergency.
The BGLTSAâs "thorough investigation" of Harvard buildings over the past few months shows the school could be more accommodating for transgendered students by creating more gender-neutral bathrooms, the Crimson said. "For transgendered people, going to a specific bathroom can be a very stigmatizing experience," said BGLTSA publicity chairman Adam P. Schneider, who also is a Crimson editor. Why? Donât they just have more options?
Schneider said creation of gender-neutral bathrooms would be "an easy thing to keep under consideration" as Harvard makes plans to construct a new campus. I donât have a problem with this, but any woman that uses the head after me may need a lighter... if you know what I mean.
On its website, the BGLTSA says other Gaypril events address "marginalization and oppression that exists as a result of stigmatization of queer sexuality and gender." Stigmatization is bad but I donât understand how you can avoid marginalization of a small majority of people like transgender folks. Dedicating an entire month to celebrate transgenders seems good on the surface until the folks with cleft pallets get wind of the deal. There is a very small minority of people that donât belong to one minority or another and weâre obese so weâre just awaiting official recognition.
The issues of "homophobia, biphobia and transphobia" will be addressed, the Harvard paper says, particularly through Gayprilâs "day of silence" April 21, followed by an "anti-homophobia speak-out" April 22.
Eventually the poltically correct community may reach the stage of boredom with this contant public masturbation that the rest of us have...
"Weâve come so far, but ... itâs still a fight we have to continue," said BGLTSA co-chairman Stephanie M. Skier, also a Crimson editor. Skier explained that while June traditionally is the month dedicated to "gay pride" and awareness, April was adopted as Harvardâs primary month because school still is in session. Wonât the "silence" days and "speakout" interfere with classes slightly? You know classes..... Oh, never mind. Iâm wasting my time.
Posted by: Super Hose ||
04/07/2004 2:32:49 AM ||
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Well, well, well. So the "deconstructionists" are at it again!
Like Harvard, it was reported that at the once admirable University of Notre Dame, the psychology department (at the time headed by Dr. Naomi Meara) was pushing for an end to "gender-segregated" bathrooms several years ago. (Sally: "Gee, Bill, I just can't get the hang of these urinals. Can you help me?") It also was reported that, aside from covering up the slew of rapes, child molestations, and wild homosexual parties being accomplished by the seminarians who went to the psych department for "counseling," it was considered the most important thing on the department's to-do list that year.
Supreme idiocy.
"Homophobia," huh? There's no such thing as homo"phobia ." I mean, an actual "phobia" of homosexuals? C'mon. Phobias are serious anxiety disorders. Being repulsed by men who engage in sexual deviance with other men is normal. It's not a "phobia."
Anyway, there's no such thing as a "homosexual" either. There are only guys doing sexual things with other guys , for reasons usually stemming from childhood issues. It's not like they're another "species." Homosexuality is a behavior, not a biological condition. In fact, the psychiatrist who led the charge to have homosexuality removed from the DSM, admitted a couple of years ago that he had done so under pressure from homosexual lobbyists. He now says it is a psychiatric disorder and should be put back in the DSM. As I recall, all of his research, since that date, has proved that homosexuality should be recognized and treated as the disorder it is.
"a panel of sadomasochism experts . . ." Experts? Uh-oh. At least sadomasochism is still listed in the DSM as one of the "diagnosable" sexual perversions, or, in politically correct terminology: it's a "paraphilia," (like pedophilia) but for how long? Like the insanity that led to "de-diagnosis" of homosexuality, it looks like the libs are out to change society once again. We better be on our toes, because this time, it's the kids they're after.
I say--send them all to Falluja. Permanently. They deserve it.
#2
Ex-lib, I think we can both agree that while tolerance in good, silent lectures and a month devoted to communal potties is silly. Besides, how will we know whether to leave the seat up or down?
Posted by: Super Hose ||
04/07/2004 4:23 Comments ||
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Posted by: john ||
04/07/2004 7:40 Comments ||
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#6
I am so utterly disgusted by the academic, socialist circle jerk going on in this country. We have young men and women sacrificing their lives so that Harvard can spend a month celebrating and debating homosexuality and transexual equality. What the f!? And what thanks do they get..."we support the troops when they shoot their officers"...
#8
Can you use the opportunity of "speakout" to yell "Jesus H. fucking Christ on a crutch! Can't you people shut the fuck up for five minutes? I'm trying to get a degree here!"
#9
Well this certainly says a lot about what really is important to these people. Forget the economy, WOT. Bathrooms are now an important part of the extra curricula....Pathetic....methinks they need more courses to keep busy.
Posted by: Bill Nelson ||
04/07/2004 11:49 Comments ||
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#10
It's 40 grand a year to go to Harvard this year. Wouldn't I be thrilled to be shelling out that kinda money to send my kid there and then have to read this shit?
#14
SH: The facist academicians of this country don't think it's silly. Rather, they believe it to be a "moral" duty--potty seats and all. It's about breaking down social norms and redesigning society. Re: tolerance. I generally ascribe to the credo that people are people first, and should be respected regardless of their problems. Any homosexual, lesbian, or transgendered person I've ever met or talked with, is obviously (at least to me) suffering from maladaptive behavior associated with negative environmental stimuli, usually first encountered in childhood. Interestingly, if the original situation and subsequent patterns can be addressed adequately, the behavior and "preferences" vanish. Tolerance needs to be tempered with an accurate understanding of what led up to the behavior--link to article A Developmental View of Homosexuality Blind acceptance "locks" homosexuals etc. into a destructive lifestyle by falsely legitimizing it.
you equated sexual abuse of children and rape (actions which require the lack of consent) with two men getting it on (the presence of consent) that makes your bias clear and kills your credibility, but anyway onward with your claims.
Destructive lifestyle, pfft, does not fly. I've several gay/les/bi friends, all good people. Got nutty messed up straight friends, but not gay/bi/les. A more empirical rebuttal would be the ancient Greeks, gay activity was encouraged in those days. If the cradle of most western ideas is a "destructive lifestyleâ, as you put it, then it is only destructive to social cowards such as yourself. (yeah a personality attack, but it applies, you cant handle that people are different and seek to deny the reality of it, sad.)
As for it only being developmental, that does not explain why homosexuality is found commonly in nature. So that claim falls apart.
Disagree? GREAT. Put down, right now in very clear terms exactly HOW it is destructive and how these people are harming themselves. And put down exactly how a behavior which can be observed in nature is only a âdevelop behavioral problemâ in humans. I would really love to see a response that isnât just talking down to people you donât approve of.
(and no no no, âbecause god does not like itâ does not count)
(must add, to your credit you got the homophobia part correct)
Posted by: Frank G ||
04/07/2004 22:11 Comments ||
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#20
If you are that traumatized by having to decide which bathroom to use, maybe you have some other problem besides feeling like a woman. Or not feeling like a woman, as the case may be.
Somehow I think that gays and lesbians have bigger problems to address. But what do I know?
#21
Dcreeper: you said that I "equated sexual abuse of children and rape (actions which require the lack of consent) with two men getting it on (the presence of consent). " Before I take time to respond your questions and accusations, reread my post more carefully. I didn't say that.
It will take more than a quick blurb to respond to the commonly-held fallacious points you have raised, and I would like to make sure you are serious about dialogue. It will take some time to dig up the relevant research and examples, and I don't want to put the time in. You understand. In the past I have found that people who automatically slam me with attacks such as yours are either defending something they don't really understand, or are defending a particular friend or relative or co-worker or a partner or themselves, against a perceived, yet non-existent, threat to their self-worth, and are generally not speaking from a rational basis. Perhaps you could investigate the research yourself (go to the link , read it, then read the research findings listed at the end), so we could have an ability to communicate more effectively. The link I'm directing you to summarizes research and theoretical findings, and is written by ex-homosexuals for homosexuals still caught in the web of a (yes) destructive lifestyle.
If you truly care about the person or people that you are defending, care about them as people, but don't lock them into a mistake (that is, a lifestyle they may want to leave later) through misguided ideas of friendship and acceptance.
#22
agreed, you did not say it, you implied it.
went to your link, won't lie and say I read the entire thing, is long. scanned it and grabbed the meat of it. Essentially it's a propos ion that has zero proof, none. no research. all examples given are much like examples one gets in an ethic's debate, purely theoretical.
(yes yes it does talk about established theories on development, buh it fails to link it convincingly to being _the_ cause of being gay)
the author's name was not given so I could not look the person up to get a better sense of the credibility of the person, the organization that funded the document however was listed, New Direction for Life Ministries, a Christian org which seeks to turn gays into non-gays. Cant exactly call the group impartial.
not sure if you are calling my challenges irrational or not, gunna assume not.
root cause of gay-hood:
I am not making the claim that these folks who thought they were gay then changed their mind are actually gay and are simply lying to themselves, they could simply have gotten themselves confused and thought they were gay for a while, 's not beyond reason.
(from THAT perspective I can see how the belief of it being self destructive can come about as for them it is not a truly satisfactory relationship.)
I do however make the claim that you are wrong in saying that being gay is behavioral,(thus you are stating that it is only behavioral)
The linked page, after clicking around, I did manage to find some research it cites, http://www.newdirection.ca/a_biol.htm, cites two bits, a study on twins, a genetic study on gay people.
The twins one, eh I am uncomfy with the method used, in their search for twins they put out an advertisement to recruit people for the study, am assuming itâs not necessary to explain how that can horribly skew the results of a statistical study. I canât really consider it a scientific study and am gunna ignore it.
The genetic one is little better, the source is far too small and as noted on the website the study did not even have a control group, the results are interesting but they cant be considering conclusive or even useful in a debate, ( I say this despite the fact that itâs results support my argument)
So from that, considering the websiteâs active interest in proving that it is definitely behavioral and have worked towards finding/doing research that supports their goal Iâm going to assume that this is about as good as the research gets on the subject matter of being gay is behavioral. So from that assumption I make the conclusion that there is no evidence that being gay is behavioral. However the opposite is also true, there is no evidence that being gay isnât behavioral
Without new evidence/respectable studies Iâm not sure how an argument towards pro-behavior could be approached,
I did not see any articles on the website which laid out how being gay is unhealthy/destructive so Iâm hoping you could elaborate on that. I would also like to know how a trait that you claim is exclusively a learned behavior is found so commonly among non-human and more directly instinct driven critters
#23
Hmmm, this is a truly live social controversy . . . Just to add fuel to the discussion, hereâs another interesting article: Homosexual Causation: Nature or Nurture?This article, like the one cited by ex lib, is from an organization of âex-homosexuals.â It also cites research -- but has the âgold standardâ research study been conducted? I doubt it because, politically, most researchers would not be able to get the funding for such a study, and would not dare to take the risk. One researcher who might is Dr. Elizabeth Moberly who received her Ph.D. in psychology from Oxford University for her study of homosexuality. But, as I understand, her research has been such a threat to the homosexual community that she is constantly hounded and gets death threats.
I didnât state, or imply, the equating of homosexuality with the acts of rape and pedophilia. What I did say was that the NDU psychology department--along with the gender-blurring bathroom idea--was covering up the high instances of rapes and child molestations, as well as some very wild homosexual parties, taking place among the seminarians: all part and parcel of their deconstructionist aims. That was the point.
Next, the organization I cited, and the one cited in #23, do not seek to change people. They are resource organizations for homosexuals looking for a way out. Most of the people involved in those organizations are men and women who have reclaimed their natural sexuality. If you have questions, why not talk to them--I believe you could request to talk with former homosexuals, lesbians, bis, and transsexuals regarding your arguments and questions. And if you do contact them, Iâd talk to several people in order to get a broad-based perspective. (Maybe Iâm wrong, but the religious point of view is not their main thing, as far as I have determined. Anyway, I wouldnât judge them too quickly on that.)
If your schedule doesnât allow you to read my link in its entirety--which is merely a cursory treatment--then I doubt youâd have time to do the rather extensive and involved amount of investigative research needed to answer your points and questions adequately or conclusively. If you do begin looking into it, please note that for the past 30 years legitimate research on the subject has been squelched, as the societal deconstructionists (the politically correct crowd) continue with their goal of dismantling society in order to build one they want. Therefore, research studies are somewhat scarce, but theyâre still out there.
In the counseling clinics run by Dr. Elizabeth Moberly and her team, an interesting thing came to light. As the counselors there began building supportive (as in deeply caring), non-sexual, relationships with homosexual clients who came in for counseling about other issues, the clients, of their own accord, began to want to drop out of the homosexual lifestyle and adopt their original state of heterosexuality. Curiosity over this occurrence led Moberly into further research, which she talks about in her book--which debunks the idea of âcuringâ homosexuality in ways that had been previously accepted in the professional field of counseling psychology. Iâd give her ideas more of a chance. I think youâd find her point of view very intelligent, even if you didnât agree with her. She came to speak at my university once, and at least half the place was packed with several hundred angry homosexuals and lesbians with signs and placards. As she began to speak, the whole crowd of them stopped jeering and quieted down. They soon became hushed, and intent on listening to what she had to say. They put their signs down. Some exited quietly and respectfully, as her lecture went on. They had come for a fight, but didn't find what they were expecting.
Unlike psychologists such as Moberly, I strongly assert that the PC academic deconstructionists are misusing the homosexual community for their own benefit--they are manipulating society through the problems of worthwhile individuals. And they know it.
The Harvard and NDU examples are just drops in the bucket compared to whatâs going on in the deconstructionistâs efforts to change society. For example, the PC crowd are the ones who are responsible for creating the gay militant movement--the movement which actively seeks to delegitimize and destroy heterosexual society (their stated goal). Another example--at many of the top universities, acceptance of pedophilia as a legitimate sexuality is a requirement for a student to be a resident advisor in the dorms. Thankfully, a lot of research has been done on pedophilia as it relates to child abuse--but that doesnât stop them. I checked out a book published by Yale University Press a few years ago that focused on changing the sexuality of children through working in child care centers--basically âcoachingâ the children toward their supposed âunrealizedâ sexuality, so that the next generation would be more accepting of adult-child sexual relationships.
The destructive lifestyle question: Homosexual relationships are typically characterized as VERY short-lived, stormy, and unsatisfying--now there is research on that. (The longer-lasting homosexual relationships become more and more non-sexual as time moves on. Interesting--perhaps legitimate love needs are being better met in those relationships, and the focus changes? ) Secondly, many in the gay community go ape-shit when someone wants out. There are acts of arson, vandalism, and death threats against homosexuals that donât want to be involved any longer. Next, if medical doctors could report the facts (without losing their licenses), there are some very serious physical/medical problems associated with the penis, the anus, and the colon, that can develop when a manâs genitals are inserted into the intestinal tract through the anus (of either sex, but of course, this is the prevalence among homosexuals--duh). Even with condoms it is still a problem, because condoms have a higher than 30% failure rate, and the instance of multiple partners raises the risks, as does the fact that unprotected sexual contact is generally preferred. Which brings me to another point regarding destructive lifestyles. Houston, Texas is one of the many places in the world that hosts huge parties for gay men. Hundreds usually attend. One of the activities they sponsored one year worked like Russian roulette. Six men get together in a group. One of them has AIDS. Everyone has group anal sex, unprotected, and then they say who it was. I hope this is a sufficient beginning defense of my point for you to ponder.
This subject is not the occupying force of study in my life, so I would just encourage you not to buy into the status quo until you know more--which looks like thatâs where youâre parking it. But one last thing--It is widely known that homosexuals are focusing their attention on younger and younger males. Thatâs especially where the lines of right and wrong begin to blur in that movement. They argue that itâs just our backward society that âstigmatizesâ young boys who want sexual contact with men. (The Harvard crowd wouldnât bat an eye.)
My post has run way long enough, but your argument regarding the animal kingdom (nature) somehow proves the veracity of homosexuality is not true, and neither is your reference to history and homosexuality. But Iâll leave that to someone else to answer.
OK, only you know you, so if ye say ye didnât mean it that way, you didnât mean it that way; guess Iâm just a little more touchy on the issue when reading rantburg, tends to be pretty old school (thus anti-gay) around here, sorry
Homosexuality was big in the Greek society, so yer wrong there ;p thatâs just an easy-to get pbs link, if ye donât like it Iâm sure I could dig up a few history professors.
As for the animal kingdom thing, itâs noted and documented, where do you find the authority/evidence/etc to say ânot uhâ ?
I read the second article you posted, because it held more authority and was more interesting, some comments
âThe fallacy here lies in the equation of sexual orientation with being. Whatever Freud and Foucault and most advertisers may think, the desire for sex is neither central nor necessary to anyone's being. [50] It should not control the person. My truck has a four-wheel drive; however, I should not expect to avoid a citation by explaining to the highway patrol that my vehicle was exploring the freeway embankment because I was being driven by my drive! Similarly, when I use the term orientation I mean only what a person desires, not what a person has a right to do, much less what a person is compelled to do as an expression of his or her being. â
The author took a strange jump here, sex and the desire for sex is a major human motivation.. any claim to opposite is just silly, itâs been long recognized as an important aspect general well being. I didnât check the authorâs age, buh Iâm gunna guess that the author is old and past the heavy sex-drive years. That was really the only section I had a beef with, minor detail anyway
Destructive lifestyle! Ye touched on it! I have to commend you for that, youâre the first person to actually give me reasons as to why being gay is a bad thing.
I read over your reasons a few times and, to be honest, some of it feels like a double standard.
âThe destructive lifestyle question: Homosexual relationships are typically characterized as VERY short-lived, stormy, and unsatisfying--now there is research on that.â
and male-female ones arenât? when was the last time you dated? Shall I regale you with tales of my roomates and my own nightly activities?
(The longer-lasting homosexual relationships become more and more non-sexual as time moves on. Interesting--perhaps legitimate love needs are being better met in those relationships, and the focus changes? )
and male-female ones donât do the same? The old flame burns out eventually, Iâd bring up my parents, buh thinking about them in those terms is icky :-p
the other stuff while bad, did not say âbeing gay is badâ just that âthis community and that community of folks are fân nuts man!â not arguing with you there.
One point you used I do like though,
âNext, if medical doctors could report the facts (without losing their licenses), there are some very serious physical/medical problems associated with the penis, the anus, and the colon, that can develop when a manâs genitals are inserted into the intestinal tract through the anus (of either sex, but of course, this is the prevalence among homosexuals--duh). Even with condoms it is still a problem, because condoms have a higher than 30% failure rateâ
so basically, anal sex is x% more dangerous than your typical vaginal intercourse. Not going to get an argument from me, I know it is more risky, if it is really a serious medical issue, we should be out campaigning against anal sex or for anal condoms but not against being gay, preferring man on man hardly requires a boner up the butt. (Iâm sure you know a good blow job is better than the olâ velvet glove)
even if I were to step into a fantasy world where gay men can only have sex with penis-to-butt action and gay men were the only ones who ever did it that way, even there I could not see it as a reason to consider being gay bad. Reason is everything we do is a risk in one way or another, going to campaign against driving? Or airplanes? Or jumping out of airplanes? What about against sushi ? Or those fake-sugar packets that can give you cancer. Or electric shavers and blow dryers because they create a weak magnetic field that will screw with the iron in the cells of your brain ultimately causing genetic damage to your brain. These risks are all around us, we all risk ourselves every moment, most of it in the interest of living the life we want to live. So I canât help but see claims of it being a destructive lifestyle as being little more than an attempt at trying to prevent people from living how they want to live, it begs the question âwhen destructive means 'risk' what isnât a destructive lifestyle?â
#27
GENDER SEGREGATED BATHROOMS - man+ woman+bathroom=sex scandals, rape, higher costs (to make stalls, more, how do you say, "private," and "secure," i.e.. better LOCKS, etc.), "indecent exposure", sex it's self, just plan weird, gross, sick, etc.
And if your counting on human decency for that one GOOD LUCK! ( As exemplified by Communism.)
Well that was a lovely article.........I'll be leaving to go shoot my self now ...so g-bye ..................don't you just love people with PTSD ( post traumatic sex...I mean stress disorder) getting together to exploit and spread their nice, lovely, charming, ....FREAKING MENTAL DISORDERS!
p.s. i don't think i've ever heard of a group of people who more need to air, and or assert, (these usually go together) their "sexual identity." if they had one they wouldn't be doing this.
Posted by: FED UP ||
04/08/2004 21:53 Comments ||
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#28
Dcreeper,
You have not addressed any of the more important subjects I was bringing up. You've said nothing about deconstructionism, for example, which was the original subject of my post.
Some final thoughts:
Greek society disintegrated. Same with Rome. Sexual promiscuity, perversion, and homosexuality played a major role.
I haven't read cingold's posted article, so I can't really comment, except that I would agree (taking from what you excerpted) that orientation is associated with desire rather than identity. I think the author is also separating essence of being from desire (or identity from desire), which I also would agree with. In other words, the person should direct the desire, not the other way around.
The characterization of the type of trouble evident in homosexual relationships, in the psychological literature, is that it is specific to them, for a number of reasons. You can find articles on PsychLit if you're so inclined.
You seem to have an issue with "badness," however you conceptualize that, which was not the subject of my posts.
Another destructive thing about the gay lifestyle, in addition to all the things I've already mentioned, is that those entrenched become completely obsessed with their sexuality and with sexual experiences--similar to an addiction. Addictions are destructive.
No one can prevent you, Dcreeper, from "living how you want to live," so that's a dead issue. We're discussing grown-up things here.
There is risk involved in many endeavors in life, of course, but you either ignored or missed the point I was making in my example. You also did not comment the broader directions and implications of the homosexual movement.
This is my last response, because I'm getting bored with the subject matter.
I will end by telling you, frankly, that I'm afraid you have become an unwitting dupe of the liberal left, and are content with rationalizing their agenda to fit your own preconceptions, beliefs, and personal commitments and drives. Your perspectives and stance seems to be in defense of hedonism as a personal philosopy, "religion," and approach to life--which is unfortunate because such an approach thwarts self-actualization, diminishes character, and derails meaningful relationships. If you're not heading that way, my apologies.
Oh yeah--one more thing. Stay away from sushi--it's loaded with parasites.
#30
meh, to anyone else who comes across this thread, don give insta-credit to the stuff he most recently spewed, ex-lib does not seem to have the habit of researching his own claims.
I only bothered to look up his claim on Greek society falling apart due to hedonism, buh like everything else he has claimed.. it's just more bigot bunk.
http://www.ancientgreece.com/history/history.htm
there is the history of ancient Greece. Like most ancient civilizations, it fell to the force of arms
(more specifically it fell because Alexander the great forgot to define an heir, his nation fell apart into a bunch of bickering mini kings until the Romans came out on top, you could consider the _young_ roman empire a Greek one because of the massive influence of Greek culture back then, but even then you still can not make the claim that sex destroyed their people, corruption was the downfall of Rome, they did not have effective methods of rooting it out and in the end their power-seeking politicians made one deal too many with the barbarians (yes yes among other corruption related things, keeping it short here))
#31
I was curious how long this thread would run . . . I must say Iâm a bit disappointed in Dcreeperâs âlast word,â and don't care for it, because it strikes me as not thoughtful. Social research is notoriously hard to conduct, because of the ethical issues implicated in randomly assigning âsubjectsâ to various (potentially harmful) conditions. Nonetheless, it is typically conducted in at least a survey or observational fashion, and is useful in informing discussions on social topics. Social research is all the more difficult to conduct when the topic is taboo, or the academic community militantly protects its sacred cows. The cites noted by ex lib (this link and this link), are at least serious attempts to understand the issue and have a reasoned approach to dealing with the matter. I canât agree with Dcreeper that this is a bigoted approach -- the websites seem pretty nonjudgmental and compassionate, and appear to be run by ex-homosexuals (maybe they know what they're talking about?). Perhaps FED UP is right i don't think i've ever heard of a group of people who more need to air, and or assert, (these usually go together) their "sexual identity." if they had one they wouldn't be doing this. I will agree with Dcreeper on one thing, not to give âinsta-credit to the stuffâ posted, but I would take the position with any of the stuff posted by anyone. Go to the links and research the matter. The links posted by ex lib are quite informative.
Algeria's six presidential hopefuls wrapped up campaigning ahead of the one of the most hotly contested races ever in this North African country. Angry protests and bitter political sniping have marked the run-up to Thursday's election in a nation known today more for bloody Islamic rebellion and one-party rule than democracy.
That's certainly what I think of when I think, "hmmm, Algeria."
President Abdelaziz Bouteflika is running for a second five-year term, and it is unclear whether he will muster the majority of votes he needs to avoid a runoff on April 22. Leading the pack of contenders is his former right-hand man, Ali Benflis, whom Bouteflika fired as prime minister in May. Benflis has sought to distinguish himself by calling for greater government openness than under his one-time mentor. The stakes are high for Algeria, Africa's second-largest country and a breeding ground for radical Islam, as it seeks to democratize, attract investment and move on from a 12-year Islamic insurgency in which more than 120,000 people are estimated to have died. For the first time since Algeria won independence from France in 1962, the army - widely viewed as the kingmaker in Algerian politics - has vowed neutrality. Candidate walkouts and vast voter boycotts of past Algerian elections appear less likely this time. The army's neutrality could play into Benflis' hands. Some observers say the military is angry at Bouteflika for not defending soldiers against accusations from human rights groups that the army used a heavy hand in cracking down on suspected terror groups. Bouteflika has drawn plaudits from Washington for his role in the fight against terrorism rooted in radical Islam. He has boasted that terrorism is now no longer a threat in Algeria. Under his tenure, the economy has grown about 4 percent a year, and Algeria has succeeded in trimming its foreign debt by more than 20 percent, according to U.S. State Department figures.
Still have a booming industry in exporting jihadis, however.
Posted by: Steve White ||
04/07/2004 12:19:27 AM ||
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#1
What are the odds of a fan of the caliphate blowing abuilding within the next 24 hours?
Posted by: Super Hose ||
04/07/2004 14:08 Comments ||
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A multi-volume chronology and reference guide set detailing three years of the Mexican Drug War between 2010 and 2012.
Rantburg.com and borderlandbeat.com correspondent and author Chris Covert presents his first non-fiction work detailing
the drug and gang related violence in Mexico.
Chris gives us Mexican press dispatches of drug and gang war violence
over three years, presented in a multi volume set intended to chronicle the death, violence and mayhem which has
dominated Mexico for six years.
Rantburg was assembled from recycled algorithms in the United States of America. No
trees were destroyed in the production of this weblog. We did hurt some, though. Sorry.
