A 23 year old man suspected of cannibalism was to be jailed Monday evening after the murder supposed Sunday morning in Nanterre (the Top-of-Seine) of student a 20 year old, learns one Monday from police source. According to first elements' of the investigation, confided in the regional service of the judicial police, of French African origin and born in Westminster (England) would have thrown with its victim several blows of knife on the level of the head before trying to eat the contents of it. the head, I presume
A passer by struck the man-eater supposed using a torn off compound of a phone box near. The weapon of the crime, a long notched knife of ten centimetres, was found. The supposed killer, who was briefly hospitalized, did not provide any explanation at the time of his police custody. The searching of the housing where he lived alone made it possible to discover notebooks where were recorded nearly to the minute each one of his actions. The police officers will continue their investigations in order to know his motivations. This is the Babelfish translation of the French story at the link, with my corrections where I can determine a better phrasing.
MOUNT ST. HELENS NATIONAL MONUMENT, Wash. -- Mount St. Helens is erupting again.
Steam and ash began shooting from the mountain about 9:44 a.m., pictures from KIRO 7 Eyewitness News showed. The eruption was confirmed by U.S. Geological Survey scientist Willie Scott.
"Yup, yup, that's a eruption"
The clouds appears to be mostly white. Scott said whatever ash is in it will probably fall in the crater and on the mountain itself. The ash cloud is moving slowly to the northeast. There was another small steam burst at 10:40 Sunday night and earthquakes indicate the volcano is active.
I dunno about that. Just looked at the MSH webcam and it looks more to me like it's going "Pththththttttt!" than "KBOOOOOOMMM".
1980 was a real, no-shit KBOOOOOOMMM, roughly equivalent to a 10-megaton nuclear blast. This is about on a par to what I myself can achieve after a couple servings of Mom's Secret Recipe Boston Baked Beans.
Feh. Gimme a heads-up when she's REALLY ready to blow.
Posted by: Dave D. ||
10/04/2004 13:25 Comments ||
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#5
Well, I guess we now know that big Ed is about 25 years old! You should have been around in 1980, ed, if you want to see and ERUPTION!!! Or any Linda Lovelace movie.
No one was seriously injured when a vintage World War II plane crashed Sunday after a West Texas air show. The twin-engine transport caught fire, but the blaze was immediately contained, according to a news release from Tina Corbett, spokeswoman for the Commemorative Air Force. Flights from Midland International Airport were suspended for a short time. The plane, a C-60 Lodestar, received major damage to the tail section and engines when it struck the ground just after takeoff. All five people aboard walked away from the crash. One was treated at the scene for minor abrasions.
The accident occurred after the Fina-CAF AIRSHO 2004 had ended. The plane had flown during the air show on Saturday, but not on Sunday, the CAF said. The C-60, piloted by Stan Peterson, 61, of Boulder, Colo., was departing for Boulder, where it is operated by the Mile High Wing of the CAF.
The damaged aircraft, designed by Lockheed, was delivered to the U.S. Army Air Forces in October 1943 and reassigned to the Royal Canadian Air Force, where it was used as an executive transport. It was donated to the CAF in 1961. The Midland-based CAF, the former Confederate Air Force, is a nonprofit organization dedicated to flying and restoring World War II aircraft.
Posted by: Atomic Conspiracy ||
10/04/2004 6:54:54 AM ||
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First off, praise and thanks be to God that the only damage was material and no lives were lost.
Having said that, one might note that there have been an increasing number of antique aircraft/warbird crashes in recent years. These magnificent old birds are becoming increasingly fragile and difficult to maintain, and even the CAF itself is becoming increasingly reluctant to send their birds on the tours they used to make. A F4U Corsair went in here in SC two years ago after an airshow, and the only thing that avoided fatalities on the ground was the pilot's sacrifice - he stayed with the bird and kept it from going into a housing development. The powers-that-be refused to even have the show the following year unless it was moved almost 30 miles away. Many more accidents, even if they only result in bent aluminum, will end up finishing warbird flying.
Mike
Posted by: Mike Kozlowski ||
10/04/2004 14:01 Comments ||
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As much as I love the old birds, I think it might be time to stop flying them at all, with the possible exception of very numerous types like the C-47 (500+) and T-6 (350+). By modern standards, aircraft like the Corsair and Spitfire weren't really safe when they were new, as demonstrated by the appalling accident statistics from the WW2 era.
The designers and procurement authorities of the time were well aware of this of course, but the civilized world was fighting for its very life, air superiority was vital, and every last drop of capability had to be rung from the available technology.
In retrospect, the performance of WW2 aircraft is quite remarkable considering the general level of technology at the time. 400 mph is slow only in relative terms. In objective terms it is very fast, just watch a 400 mph low-level pass some time.
Today, modern maintenance techniques and money-no-object rebuilds can only go so far in overcoming the inherent limits of 1930s technology. The attrition rate for these grand old aircraft is much, much lower than it was in their youth, but some attrition is inevitable and the numbers are small, fixed, and dwindling.
#3
I saw the proceedures sheet on how to bail out of a P-38 with its slice and dice horizontal stabilizer. Would not want to do it myself. These birds are special. I kinda agree with AC on grounding them to preserve them. I feel lucky to have seen quite a few of them fly.
Posted by: Alaska Paul ||
10/04/2004 18:51 Comments ||
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Hey! It's time to move on.... now let's get ready for some low flying VooDoos!
Here it is, from America's most respected major media outlet, quoting a source that Hollywood celebrities and other leading-edge intellectual authorities consider reliable. (At least they don't present any forged documents). "I'M VOTING for John Kerry for President because sooner or later, when it becomes politically expedient, he shares my views on everything. He's not hard-headed like my husband. "And he's not always saying, 'I answer to a Higher Power! It is the Lord's will!' when I fuss at him for forgetting to put the toilet seat down, either." With those measured and historic words, first lady Laura Bush expressed her stunning intention to jump ship and vote Democratic in the forthcoming presidential election. "This is unprecedented in presidential politics," says Madame Virginia Rousseau, the famed Bakersfield, California- based psychic and historian who blew the lid off the first lady's alleged decision to "go Kerry" after claiming to have read her mind "on several remarkable occasions."
A psychic historian, wonder if CBS contacted her to validate the memos?
They did; she told them the memos were fake.
"When I first tuned in to Mrs. Bush, I kept hearing her say to herself, 'Kerry's the man. Kerry's got what it takes. Kerry really is for a stronger America. He's a war hero, too.' Finally, she just spit it out: 'I'm voting for John Kerry for President!' I certainly have no reason to make this up. It's true that I support Kerry. But this isn't something I would lie about."
Of course not, she's a respected member of the media.
Posted by: Atomic Conspiracy ||
10/04/2004 4:01:02 AM ||
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James Pinkerton of Newsday was hired by the Reagan administration to scan the Star, Enquirer etc each day to spot any emerging folk wisdom among the great unwashed.
As odd as it sounds, the Bush camp would be wise to keep its pulse on the checkout-counter tabloids. They often reveal the zeitgeist among the semi-literate bottom quarter of the nation that probably is very well represented among the remaining undecided voters.
Posted by: Steve from Relto ||
10/04/2004 12:24 Comments ||
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This election will be determined largely by semi-literates who wouldn't know Iraq from Iran from Iroll. If they're starting to view Bush as tired and off his game, the tabloids will pick it up and Bush will lose in Nov.
James Bond no longer has diplomatic status - at least not in Panama. The government Friday cancelled 121 diplomatic passports issued by the previous presidential administration, including one extended to actor Sean Connery.
Does a diplomatic passport give you diplomatic immunity?
The cancellations came as part of a massive effort to clean up and update the Foreign Relation Department's files, according to Vice-President Samuel Lewis Navarro. The vice-president described the Scotland-born Connery as a friend of former president Mireya Moscoso. Connery travelled to Panama in March 2003, visited a coffee plantation belonging to Moscoso and received an award from the then-president.
Posted by: Mark Espinola ||
10/04/2004 2:20:34 AM ||
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Posted by: Barbara Skolaut ||
10/04/2004 18:02 Comments ||
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Uh no, a diplomatic passport doesn't give you immunity, far from it. This only works if you are acredited as a diplomat in the country you are in (or a spouse of somebody who is) and/or on official diplomatic business on behalf of the issuing country. You can buy lots of fake (and a few genuine) diplomatic passports (mainly from African nations). They might boost your ego and impress a few people who have no clue, but that's about it. With an African diplomatic passport you'd still need the same visas as with a regular African one.
In this case it's probably not about Sean Connery. The previous Panama government was far more U.S. friendly than the current one, so I guess they have their own friends to accomodate. Gives you a few perks in the issuing country and if you are a consul of Panama, well it looks nice on your letterhead (not that Sean would need such a thing).
Again, it doesn't mean much. It's just a nicety of the government issuing it and is of no real use without acreditation.
For example, a German diplomat acredited in the U.S. could travel to Canada with his German diplomatic passport, but his immunity would expire in Canada.
Oh wait, there is a benefit for holders without acreditation. Some Third World airports have special fast lanes at immigration for holders of diplomatic passports.
#7
Not exactly, CrazyFool. Of course he remained a British citizen and did therefore not need a visa for the U.S. (for example). But had he tried to enter the U.S. with his Panamian diplomatic passport, he would have needed a visa just like any Panamian citizen.
#8
TGA there is no such thing as a British citizen, they are subjects.
Posted by: The Lord God ||
10/04/2004 20:15 Comments ||
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Of course Sean has been babbling on about Scottish independance from his home in Marbella (Spain) for yonks. Splitter!!! - great Bond!, twat of a bloke.
Posted by: Tony (UK) ||
10/04/2004 20:33 Comments ||
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The breakaway Georgian region of Abkhazia defiantly voted for a new president on Sunday, injecting further tension into relations between Georgia and its former colonial master Russia. Georgian President Mikhail Saakashvili, elected this year after a bloodless revolution, has pledged to return the mountainous sliver of land bordering Russia to central rule. But candidates and voters were united in proclaiming their unrecognized Black Sea state independent. "Abkhazians are voting for their future of their country so the country can be independent and the people can be free," said Sergei Bagapsh, main rival to Russia-backed candidate Raul Khadzhimba, after slotting his voting slip into a transparent ballot box in the capital Sukhumi, where turnout seemed high.
The election was certain to increase a tangle of tensions in the Caucasus region, which Russian President Vladimir Putin considers strategically crucial. After polls closed, groups of supporters gathered outside their candidates' offices, swapping rumors late into the night as to who was leading the count. Bagapsh's supporters cheered and clapped as one of his aides read out results he claimed showed his man was in the lead. The central electoral commission said it would release results on Monday morning.
Continued on Page 49
Posted by: Dan Darling ||
10/04/2004 1:16:04 AM ||
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"Other countries have split apart -- the Czech republic and Slovakia divorced peacefully -- why can’t Abkhazia be a normal free country?,"
Because other countries aren't pawns of Putin's dreams of rebuilding greater Russia. I'm betting that no matter who wins "normal" and "free" are right out for Abkhazia.
Beijing, Sept. 28 (Xinhuanet) -- Were it not for the nine non-government organizations focusing on environmental protection, most people would not know that a dam is going to be constructed at Hutiao Gorge in South China's Yunnan Province. On Sunday, the nine organizations urged local authorities to suspend building the dam over one of the world's deepest gorges before it is too late, reported China Daily on Tuesday. Hutiao, or Tiger Leaping Gorge is well known for its glorious natural scenery and sharp cliffs which allow only a sliver of room for the Jinsha River to pass.
Thanks to its unique geographic features, the natural beauty of the gorge is preserved, as well as its zoological and botanical resources. Damming the Jinsha River in the valley would destroy the local environment, threaten the area's distinct plants and animals, and flood surrounding lands which are the most fertile in the mountains. The environmentalists' calls are now being heard by all, but whether the decision-makers will listen to them and take action remains uncertain. After all, the supporters of the project are eagerly awaiting its benefits: after the dam is built, water from the Jinsha River could be diverted conveniently to the central part of Yunnan, where clean water is scarce.
Adding leverage to their argument is the fact that the cities of central Yunnan produce 50 per cent of the province's GDP and 66.7 per cent of the province's industrial and agricultural output. They are in need of water because their rivers and lakes have become badly polluted due to heavy usage. The provincial authorities expect the water from the Jinsha River to ease the thirst of its economic engine and boost further development. But their expectations may not be easily met. The reason is obvious: this issue, after being boiled down, is again a conflict between economic development and environmental protection. Too many lessons can be drawn from past experiences that economic growth, if not environmentally friendly, is not sustainable. Because of the aggressive exploitation of water resources, the rivers and lakes of central Yunnan have already been used up.ÂÂ
It is hard to convince people that the Jinsha River would not suffer the same fate even after it has been diverted smoothly to the regions as planned. And if this happens, do we divert yet another river to sustain economic growth in the region? Besides, the huge project of diverting the river in its volatile geographic environment could have environmental consequences that are impossible to predict beforehand or even within several years of the project's completion, like earthquakes and mudslides which may choke the reservoir and disable the project. As all hydropower endeavours, the project has to deal with resident resettlement and many other issues, the costs of which, both in economic and social terms, would be gigantic. When these costs are counted, the economic growth achieved by industry and agriculture in central Yunnan would not appear so remarkable. Many of the country's traditional industrial bases are painstakingly seeking ways to transform their economic development into more sustainable modes. The decision to ruin a natural miracle to boost economic growth is not wise. Much like how communist China's cultural revolution resulted in the destruction of countless treasures and historical artifacts, so does China's industrial revolution promise to do equal damage. The Three Gorges dam has already obliterated some of the most ancient archeological sites involving early human inhabitation.
China's headlong rush to modernize has led them to destroy some of their most beautiful urban features. Ancient canal cities were stripped out and rebuilt with modern roads and transportation. A NOVA program dealing with reconstructing a very old wooden bridge design detailed how the city of Jinze is one of the last canal districts left relatively unscathed by this merciless progress.
When China finally comes to its senses, all of its wealth will never recover the plundered scenic beauty their nation is so endowed with. Be sure to click the Tiger Leaping Gorge link above to see some breathtaking images of this natural wonder.
Posted by: Zenster ||
10/04/2004 5:04:07 AM ||
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I've been to TLG. It's OK. Rocky. Some might say a little overhyped.
#2
They claimed it to be the Deepest Gorge in the World, which resulted in much discussion as to how you actually measure the depth of gorge. Anyway, it's high on either side, so you could pour in a lot of water and not really notice much difference.
Just in case anyone thinks that the US election is the only important one in the WoT.
Prime Minister John Howard today made a pitch for undecided voters in the last week of the election campaign. Opinion polls say the coalition leads Labor, but put the undecided vote at about nine per cent, with less than week before polling day. Mr Howard said he expected the election to be tight, but rejected suggestions there were few differences between the major parties. "All Australian elections, with a few exceptions, are tight," Mr Howard told Brisbane ABC radio. "Most elections since World War II have been decided by tiny margins and that is why defining the choice is so very important, especially in the last week. What I am saying to those people listening to this program who are undecided (is) we have fulfilled your trust by delivering the strong economy, the low interest rates, the high employment, the higher real wages and the taxation reform, the industrial reform, all of those things. We really do have a good record to point to, but we are not resting on that ... we are offering to tackle, with our plans, some of the big issues."
He said he did not believe voter interest in the election was at an all-time low. "That is not my experience - I find a lot of interest in this election," he said.
Posted by: Steve White ||
10/04/2004 12:04:16 AM ||
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The article is actually about Turkey entering the EU. Here is a sample so that nobody hits the link expecting a funny story about auto-erotic asphyxiation ... Not that I did, mind you.
"Frits Bolkestein reminds me of the fellow with Alzheimer's who decides to commit suicide. As he kicks away the chair, he forgets why he has hanged himself, and muses, "This is appalling! What am I doing hanging here?"
Bolkestein, of course, is the newly notorious member of the European Commission who warned that Europe would implode like the Austro-Hungarian Empire if Turkey were admitted into the European Union. He discerns that he is dangling at the end of a noose; as Professor Bernard Lewis told Die Welt on July 28, Europe will be Islamic no later than the end of the present century. But he cannot remember why, and Europe's absorption into the Maghreb will continue no matter what he does or says."
Posted by: Super Hose ||
10/05/2004 0:34 Comments ||
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Turkey declared it had fulfilled all the political criteria for membership talks with the European Union on Sunday, three days before a recommendation from the EU's executive that will give Ankara a green light. Turkish Prime Minister Tayyip Erdogan sniped at European politicians who have fanned unease -- especially in France and Germany -- about the prospect of membership for a country so culturally different, accusing them of "populism." "Anyone who calls into question whether Turkey can be a full member is not respecting the procedures," he said in an interview with Germany's N-TV. "We have done our homework. Now it's for those who set this homework to do what is necessary."
#3
Always remember, this is just to begin membership talks, which is just that - talk. Whether Turkey will eventually gain EU membership is an entirely different matter altogether.
CBS Poll Internals
Bush Kerry Margin
Leadership qualities
Strong qualities of leadership 62% 56% 6% Bush
Has clear plan for presidency 55% 45% 10% Bush
Confidence dealing with international crisis 51% 41% 10% Bush
A lot of confidence in protecting U.S. from terrorism 52% 39% 13% Bush
Has clear plan for Iraq 39% 31% 8% Bush
Has clear plan for getting troops out of Iraq 28% 29% 1% Kerry
Personal qualities
Overall favorability 44% 40% 4% Bush
Shares Americans' moral values 68% 59% 9% Bush
Would like him personally 61% 48% 13% Bush
Shares your priorities 47% 43% 4% Bush
Says what he believes 59% 35% 24% Bush
#2
Add 10 -15 points. This isn't close. The country does not like the Dims period. It doesn't like it's lies, rudeness and underhanded crap. IT doesn't like party that trashes veterans and those in harms way espousing Moore's doctrine of lies. And above all many people know now about HAnoi John. This will be a Bush landlside.
All W has to do is be refreshed on Friday and Kerry's so called strong point the economy will seem like BS. Who wants higher taxes?
Cheney needs to take Edwards to the woodshed tommorow night. Everyone wants to see that happen.
All the DNC and it's surrogate press and 527 Hollywood troops do is carp on a coulda woulda shoulda platform all the while beleieving it's intended audience as half witted morons. Granted there are some to be found but not as many as one might think.
Posted by: Bill Nelson ||
10/04/2004 22:53 Comments ||
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The national polls are not telling the story. Statewide, even left-wing Slate shows an electoral college rout for Bush. http://slate.msn.com/id/2107683/
HAMPTON, New Hampshire (CNN) -- Sen. John Kerry on Monday lambasted as "pathetic" scaremongering, Republican criticism of his comments during last Thursday's debate in which he said the president's decision to go to war should pass a "global test" of legitimacy.
... snip ...
"But I can do a better job of protecting America's security because the test that I was talking about was a test of legitimacy, not just in the globe, but elsewhere."
#4
It makes me ill seeing him purport to be a Red Sox fan as well. I bet Bush can identify whether Rico Petracelli(sp?)was an infielder or an outfielder. The long-snapping picture is priceless as well. At least they have learned not to release video of Dem hopefuls trying to throw a football. The Al Gore clip was pathetic.
Posted by: Super Hose ||
10/05/2004 0:42 Comments ||
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MADISON, Wis. -- Madison homeowners are livid after vandals defaced their homes. I'm sure the MSM will be all over this...
Someone burned an 8-foot-by-8-foot Nazi swastika on a home's lawn near where Bush-Cheney signs were posted. The vandals used grass killer to spray the symbol. Several nearby homes were vandalized -- all were within a two-block radius on the West Side, near Ice Age Trail, News 3 reported. State Republican Party officials claim it's the latest in a series of desperate acts by Democrats. Homeowners are angry, but resolute in what they plan to do next. "I just cannot believe that someone would take the liberty to do this," said homeowner Rob Schaeffer. "We're appalled that someone would choose to destroy our property because they don't believe in our political views. My signs are going right back in the yard. This is my property. We live here. We have rights." I would be tempted to get some birdshot as well.....
Police are investigating the criminal damage and told the homeowner it will be investigated as a hate crime, which carries stiffer penalties. I'm sure the ACLU will jump right on it as well -- can't have the perp's 1st admendment rights quashed - burning a swastika in a lawn is free speech!
#1
Beginning to feel that maybe Wretchard's on to something when he says it's starting to feel a bit like France ca 1939 in the these dis-united states.
"Saddam is not the enemy, George Bush is the enemy!!! - Mad How Dean
One of the local stories I stumbled on while digging into registration statistics was a Kerry supporter who had his lawn sign destroyed. That was the extent of what they could find to say how "harsh" things are getting.
Posted by: Robert Crawford ||
10/04/2004 19:57 Comments ||
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#3
Grass killers?
What does Greenpeace say about this???
#4
proving my belief that much of the left has become what the right was back in the days of cross burning...mean and nasty people who enjoy their position on the bully pulpit.
#6
As I've mentioned before, I live in a suburb of Madison. Madison has a considerable proportion of aging hippies. These hippies can be really narrow-minded when it comes to political views.
Registered
Before Debate Bush 48% - Kerry 40%
After Debate Bush 48% - Kerry 41%
By two-to-one, voters who watched the first presidential debate believe that John Kerry prevailed. But the widely viewed Sept. 30 showdown did not result in a sea change in opinions of the candidates. As a consequence, George W. Bush continues to have a much stronger personal image than his Democratic challenger, while voters express more confidence in Kerry on key domestic issues like the economy and health care.
#1
BWAH! Another VAST RIGHT-WING CONSPIRACY! I bet somebody at the Pew institute passed by a church once; Therefore, the results are invalid! You how those people who drive by churches are. I bet they even read the sermon on the marquee!
#3
The Pews got their money from the Sun Oil Company. Mr. Pew was also a big time trunk. Nothing could be more Vast Right Wing Conspriacy than BIG OOIIIIILLLLLL!
Posted by: Mrs. Davis ||
10/04/2004 17:46 Comments ||
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#4
Look. The DNC sent out an email telling their drones to hit all the polls and vote for Kerry. They even provided a handy list of links to all the major polls.
Now, you guys can pad the polls to make your guy look great. But what you can't do - now pay attention here - is actually alter the reality of the situation by doing it. In fact, you are just setting yourself up for misery and woe if you artificially raise the numbers and then wonder why Kerry isn't doing as well as the numbers suggest.
See ya election day you desperate, cheating, pinko commie atheist sKerry lurchin' fraud luvin' lefties. Maybe Billary can save your lost cause in '08. hah!
#7
BH, unfortunately they can. The Dems are in a full-bore attempt to subvert the election. Wisconsin is sorting through the sort of problem caused by sloppy Dem staff work, the number of new voters registered exceeds the population. California is a safe state for the Dems, but they might have to work a little harder if they didn't cast absentee ballots for the 6 million or so illegals out here. They think "Rules are for Republicans". The reason they are so upset about Florida in 2000 is that the Republicans thwarted their attempt to steal the election.
The criminal investigation of former National Security Adviser Sandy Berger — The criminal investigation of former National Security Adviser Sandy Berger — caught red-handed stealing accused of pocketing highly classified terrorism documents prior to the Sept. 11 Commission hearings which is treason — has disappeared from media coverage but not from the federal government's agenda. This is just flippin typical of the MSM. CNNTIMESABCNBCCBSNYTLAT give this treasonous clown a free pass strictly because he is a Democrat. Where is Dan Rather? I guess if you are a Democrat whether GW got a flight physical in 1971 is a hell of a lot more important than the theft of classified documents by a former NSA who is a political hack.
A spokesman from the Department of Justice told WND that a criminal investigation was ongoing, but he would not provide details about the nature or timing of the probe. In a time of war, punishment for treason is the death penalty.
C'mon, let's not drink any Kool-Aid ourselves, that's a DU specialty.
President Bush is rapidly tying up the Catholic vote, according to two polls that show him gaining support among this traditionally Democratic group. The first poll, released last Monday by the Barna Group, an evangelical Christian polling firm, showed Mr. Bush, a Methodist, edging out his Catholic Democratic challenger, Sen. John Kerry, 53 percent to 39 percent. Pollster George Barna termed the switch "seismic," considering that a similar survey taken by his firm in May showed the president trailing the Massachusetts senator by 43 percent to 48 percent. "Many of the Catholics now behind Mr. Bush have traditionally voted Democratic, but have chosen a different course this time around," he said. His poll represents a 19-point shift in preference in just four months among Roman Catholics, who make up 23 percent of the nation's electorate. Conducted Sept. 11 to 24 among 898 registered voters, it had a margin of error of 3 percent.
A second poll, released Tuesday by the Pew Research Center for People and the Press, was not as dramatic, but it does show the president building an edge of 49 percent to 39 percent against Mr. Kerry among white Catholics. This poll, conducted Sept. 22 to 26 among 948 registered voters, had a margin of error of 3.5 percent. Analysts say once-undecided Catholics are leaning toward the president on character issues. Raymond Flynn, former Democratic mayor of Boston and ambassador to the Vatican during the Clinton administration, said that during a recent trip to Ohio, he noticed a tilt toward Bush among Catholics there. "They've been moving and closer to George Bush all the time," he said. "I think people don't make decisions on political or social issues; they make decisions on the character of the person. That's where George Bush's strength is: his character and its qualities. He's a good man, and people like him."
Posted by: Steve ||
10/04/2004 2:22:12 PM ||
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I'm Catholic and unlike Kerry I agree with the Church on its social positions (except for the death penalty). Kerry is Catholic in name only. He is only one in order to achieve some voting bloc. This is bad news for him. Expect him to covert back to Judism or maybe even Episcopalian (they are more in tune with his conscience and ilk).
#3
Trending? Try following moving in droves! I bet there are Catholics that are voting for Kerry, but like the 'Veterans for Kerry' they are a small minority.
#5
The Catholic vote going for Bush does not surprise me. It is the abortion issue. I thought Kerry was being ex-communicated or some such wrist-slapping by the Church for his position.
The Hispanic vote will be interesting. There is more than one Hispanic vote block out there.
#6
interesting discussion on NPR (PBS?) this morning on the faith vote. The conservative was happy that JFK was expressing his faith - the liberal was saying that it was necessary for Kerry to discuss his faith to pick up votes.
The screeners allowed in multiple calls that used Bush's faith to call him a drunk and a alcoholic. You think that the Dem's would get a clue. It didn't work last time - but it's fun to call him a drunk, even if it does just add to the perception that the left has become mean, intolerant and shrill people.
#7
The problem for Kerry is that he is in direct contravention to Cardinal Ratzinger's policy letter and the Bishops ruling that politicians may not present themselves for communion if they vote FOR laws that promote or allow abortion.
The Church has been very clear on this: Abortion, the Right to Life is first and foremost amongst issues. There can be no quality of life issues for Social Justice without a life to begin with.
Kerry is lying to himself, to the Church and to the public when he claims to be a practicing Catholic in good standing with the Church.
If he can blithely lie about something as fundamental to a human's nature as his core religiouc beliefs, then he will certainly lie about everything else.
If he had any moral courage at all, he woudl step up and say "I'm Catholic, and I will not sign any law that promotes or enables abortion, or Gay MArriage or fetal stem cell research". OR else he wil lfind the moral courage to say what Martin Luther did, and stand up and say "I disgree with the Catholic Church on Abortion and Gay Marriage and fetal stem-scell research, and I am leaving the Church based on that fundamental disagreement - I am instead joining the Anglican Church".
The fact that he does neither proves to me that John Kerry is a moral coward, and uses his attachment to the Catholic Church for political purposes only.
#8
OS,
I am a Christian and totally against abortion.
I know you have the respect of everyone at RB and I am not trying to pick a fight. But, I have a question. If the Republicans control Congress and the White House, why was there not even a bill introduced outlawing abortion? The liberals actually use this against the conservatives stating, if the Republicans cared so much for the fetus, why did they not even introduce a bill in Congress?
Its not about what the current congress does, its about Kerry's moral character.
As for laws outlawing abortion, the Ban on Partial Birth Abortion (a particularly barbaric procedure) was passed and signed into law, and promply overturned by 3 different courts.
If we cannot get a third trimester procedure during which the child is partially born wiht the skull exposed, the its neck broken and skull crushed by the "doctor", or the brain liquified via a "mixer-like" whip wire inserted into the skull and the liquified cerebral material removed by suction, then how do you expect to get any sort of reasonable limitations placed on abortion?
Its a waste of time until we replace the judges who manufacture law from the bench.
Released: October 04, 2004 Kerry Closes in on Bush Lead; It's Now Bush 46%, Kerry 45%; Two to One, Voters Say Kerry Won the Debate; 57% Say Kerry Looked Most Presidential, But Bush Leads On Issues New Zogby Poll Reveals
Four days after the first presidential debate, Senator John Kerry has pulled within one point of President George W. Bush (46%- 45%), according to a new Zogby poll. The telephone poll of 1036 likely voters was conducted from Friday through Sunday (October 1-3, 2004). Overall results have a margin of sampling error of +/-3.1%.
Presidential Ticket %
Bush-Cheney
Kerry-Edwards
Undecided
Oct 1-Oct 3
46
45
8
Sept 17-Sept19
47
44
7
Sept8-Sept9
47
45
7
Newsweek and Gallup; Bush Collapse.
NBC, Zogby and Rasmussen; Marginal shift...
#1
...I cannot find it now, but apparently the widely-trumpeted Newsweek poll that showed the lead disappearing had a sample weighted towards Democrats - the sample apparently was far from even.
Mike
Posted by: Mike Kozlowski ||
10/04/2004 14:05 Comments ||
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#2
The Gallup poll sampled only 800 likely voters instead of the standard 1000+. Rasmussen sampled 3,000 likely voters. I trust Rasmussen.
#3
Mike, check Charles' posting on LGF 10/2/04, "Newsweek Poll: Stacked?" . Newsweak, AKA Weaknews, decreased the GOP sample size by 12% while increasing the Dims sample by 21%. The sample size of "independents" was increased by about 3%. Hence the change in results. This is marching orders for the dims to rally and revive sKerry's campaign.
#4
and for real cynics, Capt. Ed extracts from a CBS Marketwatch report that the Kerry campaign is buying big ad space at Newsweek online. Quid Pro Quo?
Posted by: Frank G ||
10/04/2004 15:18 Comments ||
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#5
Mike K. Check Free Republic's Thread from Saturday...
#7
So Newsweek tilts toward Kerry... this is news?
Bush/Rove need to seize the offensive and knock Kerry and the debate off the top of the news cycle. Ratchet it up in Iraq, the sooner the better.
Or make a national televised address on Iran, and draw the battle lines clearly: Kerry's for disarmament, Bush is for deterrence. This issue alone should decide the election for the swing voters.
#10
After I finish the other books I am reading I will pick up her new one. I like to read Ann while sipping on a beer. It's like watch a lion tear apart it's kill. Can't wait for the nest one!
#11
I enjoy watching Ann in person more than I do reading her on paper. She's such a bitch and so quick witted. On paper it seems more over the top - in real time it's hilarious.
HT to Drudge Monmouth Junction-WABC — You might say it is a symbol of the Great American Divide, a teacher putting up a picture of President Bush in the classroom. Some say it is partisanship while others say it is patriotism. Rita Bianco, Parent: "Children should know their president and their first lady!" Hmmmmm - sounds contradictory to today's multi-culti claptrap Parents expressing outrage after a teacher is kicked out of her public school for hanging a picture of President Bush next to pictures of other presidents in her classroom.
Shiba Pillai-Diaz, Teacher: "It happened on a small bulletin board near the American flag and also with a poster of the Declaration of Independence." "Yar - we're against those too!"
This is Crossroads South Middle School in Monmouth Junction, New Jersey. On Thursday, there was a back-to-school night for parents of students. Veteran English teacher Shiba Pillai-Diaz says she was shocked when three parents confronted her. The three, insisting the teacher either add John Kerry's photo to the montage of presidents or remove the Bush photo. When Pillai-Diaz refused, she says the school's vice-principal threatened her job which is an act that has parents here fuming.
Paula Sjolund, Parent: "She didn't do anything wrong, and I think that it should have stayed up there."
Pillai-Diaz ultimately removed the entire bulletin board and says School Principal Jim Warfel told her she disrupted the school with her "inflammatory politics". She says he then ordered her out of the building. While she says she is a Bush supporter in her personal life, Pillai-Diaz says she keeps politics out of the classroom.
Shiba Pillai-Diaz, Teacher: "There was no political intent, nor was there any political content in that photograph nor on the bulletin board." How about: It's a political and governmental fact. Get over it, Dems!
School officials would not talk on camera but insist nobody here has been fired. To that, Ms. Pillai-Diaz asks what does it mean then when your boss asks you to hand over the keys and kicks you out of the building? She also says she is not sure if she'll be returning to school tomorrow. Sounds like a lawsuit and some firings are in order.
Posted by: Frank G ||
10/04/2004 11:55:32 AM ||
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#1
The three, insisting the teacher either add John Kerry’s photo to the montage of presidents or remove the Bush photo.
He has not, so far, won a presidential election, but they think he should be on the board anyway. Guess that would make his people feel good about themselves.
You know the Kerry campaign is in deep doo-doo when they start pulling out the Special Olympics "Everybody gets a medal" tactics.
He has not, so far, won a presidential election, but they think he should be on the board anyway.
Well, yeah.
They're Dims, after all.
Posted by: Barbara Skolaut ||
10/04/2004 12:44 Comments ||
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#3
I don't know about the New Jersey election laws, but if you got enough people angry, they can go to the school board and let the board know if they don't call off the Leftist Totalitarian Principal* Warfel, thay can and will be recalled...
*Using the term "inflammitory politics" is a tipoff.
#6
This lady actually had a picture of President Bush, the American flag, and the Declaration of Independence in her classroom? And she lasted a whole month into the school year? Whoa, get on the job, moonbats. We're talking a major right-wing nut job here.
Posted by: Matt ||
10/04/2004 13:01 Comments ||
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#7
If you'd like to let the school know how you feel, here's a web page with all the email addy's, even Principal Jim Warfel and his 3 Assistant Principals...
Posted by: Frank G ||
10/04/2004 13:18 Comments ||
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#8
School officials would not talk on camera but insist nobody here has been fired.
#10
Ugh..Any RBer's know of any COBOL or VB jobs available in say Sheridan Wyoming or Billings Montana?
NJ isn't America anymore, I have got to get out of here.
#11
In totalitarian countries you're in deep shit if you DON'T have a picture of your president in the classroom.
The dems are no less dictatorial for taking the opposite stance.
So now what's going to happen? Are they going to push for a law that you have to remove all pictures of a president in public places a certain time before an election?
#12
JM,
Have you considered Colorado? There are a lot of SW eng and programming jobs there. If you like mountains and gorgeous scenery, you can't beat Colorado Springs. Try a monster.com search.
Posted by: ed ||
10/04/2004 15:33 Comments ||
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#13
Hmmm, ColoradoMike does have an appealing ring to it. Thanks ed.
#16
It's New Jersey. East coast Democrats consider patriotic people evil. The people of this state will be voting proudly for John Felcher Kerry what do you expect?
The principal needs a good smack down. He is a typical micro managing tool to I bet. Wonder where the money in education goes? It goes to principals like this twit and the folks above him. It doesn't get to the classroom.
This is so totally out of line someone is going to get sued and will lose. This story isn't going to be pretty for this principal. This tool will connive and lie to get out of this. The message to this school board should be clear. Fire this guy, today.
#17
Well, I may differ from the general consensus here, but I think it is just shocking the way this teacher is so blatantly trying to influence her students into voting for Bush!
Oh, wait, they're 13 and 14 YO middle school students... never mind...
Of course, if the Dems get their way, these kids will be voting soon, God help us. Britney Spears for President, anybody?
Posted by: Dar ||
10/04/2004 20:01 Comments ||
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#18
LOL The wife comes home from work. Sees this story on FOX and goes balistic. She teaches school. This principal is lucky he is way over there on the east coast. She has been Republican her whole adult life.
#19
I wrote to the school after reading about this on Michele Malkin's blog. Got back a reply (also shown in this link. The schools statement is at odds with the original article and with what the teacher said tonight on O'Reilly. For me it's a little less clear cut than yesterday, and more of a Rashomon situation.
Posted by: A Jackson ||
10/04/2004 23:26 Comments ||
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#20
I wonder if your b!tching and complaining changes the ground situation towards Bush and away from Kerry.
#21
That's OK Throons---It's really those images of Lincoln and FDR that I want eliminated from all pictorial displays of American Presidents. Damn statists, both of them.
You OK with that, or you gonna bitch?
One of John Kerry's most annoying campaign mantras is that he would mend the relations with our allies that President Bush allegedly has frazzled with his "arrogance" and "unilateralism." He repeated this theme during his Thursday debate with Bush. Kerry thinks only he can repair what he sees as America's "damaged international standing." Among his silly proposals, Kerry has argued that holding a summit would magically convince the French and Germans to "flip-flop" on their anti-Iraq position. Many Kerry supporters actually believe this nonsense.
Article from a think tank. Ignoring the fact that the think tank is defeatist regards Iraq and thus suggests Bush is bad, the analysis suggests the thinking president will have problems deciding where as Bush will act and do it. Now of us who thinks that this is what is needed then the only thing is to make sure the intelligence to Bush is right and he will act. So far the intelligence has been crap. Hopefully it will improve and the war will be won. One can be sure that if Kerry wins things will heat up all over the place just to test him. Where as if Bush gets it then things may cool down as the resolve of the US citizen will have been proven. Heaven help us if Kerry wins. America will have been defeated by its own. Just like the Tet offensive did back then, and Somalia and Beirut
#3
What a putrid bunch of hooey. Nineteen UN resolutions is too few and not enough certainty for an invasion of a historically belligerent country that straddles some of the biggest oil fields in the world? This "analyst" must not have heard about the invasions of Panama, Grenada and the Dominican Republic, none of which involved UN resolutions (this doesn't even cover the whole list of pre-emptive American interventions). Pre-emption is in the American tradition. The problem is that Bush I made it somehow illegitimate by going to the UN in order to shill for a few tens of billions of dollars to pay for Desert Storm. I can not understate the extent to which Bush I screwed up American foreign policy by going the multilateral route. Bush I was almost worse than Jimmy Carter in this respect, by establishing a precedent of going the UN route that has throttled America's freedom of action. This time around, Bush II went the UN route and got bupkis for his efforts.
#4
What really brought me up short while reading this "analysis" was the statement that Kerry "does not choose sides on the basis of a clearly defined ideology".
Huh? Kerry is a Democrat. He is a Massachussetts liberal. He is a Progressive (i.e., a Commie wearing a smiley-face mask). He is a leftist peacenik, molded in the anti-Vietnam War Movement, the Nuclear Freeze Movement, and the pro-Sandinista movement in Congress back in the 80's. He is, and has been at least as far back as his 1971 Senate "testimony", an ardent "World Government" advocate who wants U.S. military forces to be directed by the U.N.
To say he doesn't adhere to a "clearly defined ideology" is clueless, at best.
Posted by: Dave D. ||
10/04/2004 11:28 Comments ||
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#5
This reminds me of William Manchester's characterization of Churchill as a believer in "the supreme virtue of action." Kerry is a believer in the supreme virtue of inaction. Or, as one of our regulars put it here a few months ago, the man who does nothing, does nothing wrong. Which is why Kerry loves the UN so much: once you dump a problem in the UN's lap, you can be sure that no action whatsoever will be forthcoming.
Posted by: Matt ||
10/04/2004 13:09 Comments ||
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President Bush and his Democratic challenger, Sen. John Kerry, are about even among likely and registered voters in the latest CNN/USA Today/Gallup poll, released Sunday. The poll showed Kerry and Bush tied at 49 percent each among likely voters interviewed. Among registered voters Bush had 49 percent and Kerry 47 percent. Independent candidate Ralph Nader was favored by 1 percent in each group. The margin of error in each case was plus or minus 4 percentage points.
By contrast, Bush was ahead of Kerry among likely voters 52 percent to 44 percent in the Gallup poll conducted September 24-26. Among registered voters in that poll, the spread was 53 percent for Bush and 42 percent for Kerry. Nader had 3 percent among each group. The latest poll talked with 1,012 adult Americans by telephone Friday through Sunday, after the presidential debate Thursday. Among those interviewed, 934 said they were registered voters and 772 indicated they were likely to vote.
Posted by: BigEd ||
10/04/2004 6:46:40 AM ||
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#1
A note about polls:
Weekend polls tend to skew Democrat - they Poll on SUnday Mornings - which means they will miss the Church-goaers, who, as a group, are very solidly pro-Bush.
Secondly, Gallup "normalizes" its results to reflect the percentages of Democrats, Republicans and Independants that were present in the exit polls in 2000, which means it over-represents Democrats, since there has been a move post-9/11 toward the Republican party.
Wait for a midweek poll by a professional firm that doesn fiddle the numbers.
#2
Further, the only votes that directly count toward electing the president are those cast by the Electoral College. This site is a Kerry leaning site that was updated this morning and still shows Bush with 295 ECV (271 required to win). This site is less biased but was only updated yesterday. It shows Bush with 291. So while the poll numbers nationwide may move, if it is in safe states but not battleground states, it doesn't change the result.
Posted by: Mrs. Davis ||
10/04/2004 10:17 Comments ||
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#3
OS: Secondly, Gallup "normalizes" its results to reflect the percentages of Democrats, Republicans and Independants that were present in the exit polls in 2000, which means it over-represents Democrats, since there has been a move post-9/11 toward the Republican party.
Actually, I believe Gallup is one of the few polling firms that doesn't normalize its numbers to account for this. The Newsweek poll (also over the weekend) that showed the Kerry lead did not normalize its numbers either. Both polls showed a big swing from pre-debate numbers, which were conducted on week days, vs the post-debate numbers, conducted on the weekend after the debate. There was actually a 10% swing in party identification between weekday and weekend polls. In a nutshell, I think the weekend numbers are skewed towards Democrats, whereas the weekday polls cover most everyone.
#2
Let's not get too excited. Former Generals winning in landslides set off every "bullshit" alarm I've got. Back to the bad old days of "our bastards" is a real stupid idea.
#1
Q: can you [Hitchens] see a time when this kind of jihadist fever will be as marginalised as, say, Nazism is now, confined to a few reactionary eccentrics?
A: "Not without what that took - which is an absolutely convincing defeat and discrediting. Something unarguable. I wouldn't exclude any measure either. There's nothing I wouldn't do to stop this form of fascism."
Spot on. Strong horse, not a weak horse. People respect victory, not good intentions or fine strategic approaches. The public was 85% in favor of the war when we were riding high last April, and began to waver only when it appeared that the fascists were starting to take back the initiative.
So, bring it on, ratchet it up. Smash the fascists where they are.
#2
Atheist and ex-leftist Hitchens is dead right. Interesting that it's the former hardcore leftists who best understand the "strong horse/weak horse", correlation-of-forces dynamic of history. Bush's people could use a bit more of this brand of hardcore realist/materialist thinking.
#3
Hitch is still a "leftist" culturally and socially, maybe even fiscally. Like Pym Fontaine, he understands that what is really at stake beside civil freedom and democracy is liberal thought and ideals - gay rights, academic freedom, women's rights, etc. What is the most puzzling aspect of this whole anti-war protest crowd (your usual assortment of LLL) is why they seem to be pushing the other way (ie support for the Islamofascists). It is collective intellectually sponsored suicide.
#4
"The public was 85% in favor of the war when we were riding high last April, and began to waver only when it appeared that the fascists were starting to take back the initiative."
I think a far bigger cause of that wavering was the conscious decision, by the leadership of the Democratic Party, to actively undermine public confidence in the war as a way of furthering their own political gain.
I don't think the real facts on the ground have had much to do with it, although the doom-and-gloom portrayals of Iraq by the MSM certainly have.
Posted by: Dave D. ||
10/04/2004 15:13 Comments ||
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#5
Dave D-You got it.
Halloweenie-Yeah, it is perplexing. They want to appear fair above anything else. In their pursuit, they have gone overboard, automatically trusting anyone, anything, any report negative towards America, and automatically distrusting anyone, anything, any report that's positive about America.
#6
It's generational more than anything else: the last gasp of the Vietnam protest generation who are determined to view their government as corrupt and dishonest and view any exercise of US military might with alarm.
#7
I've suspected that, too, that it's generational; but I wonder if it doesn't go back even farther than that: was Hollywood patriotic during WWII because they were pro-American back then (contrasted with anti-American, which they are now), or because in WWII we were fighting on the same side as the Soviets? I've often wondered that.
Posted by: Dave D. ||
10/04/2004 15:53 Comments ||
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#8
If it were generational, no one would be paying attention to 20-30 year old voters. Don't believe me? Pan the audience of recent campaign events-many are in this bracket. They weren't even born in the 60-70s, but they spew the same self-loathing that marks the Kerry doctrine. No, this goes beyond era.
#9
Yes, there are plenty of young left-idiotarians but far fewer, in % terms, than in 1970. Back then (and up til maybe 1980), the vast majority of students at elite universities would have agreed with the proposition that "the US military should not intervene abroad to protect US interests." Today the figure would be maybe 50%. That's a huge shift.
#10
Normally you'd expect younger people without children or mortgages or major investments in a community and a career to be less conservative, but the party and ideological affiliation polls I've seen suggest that FEWER 20-30 year-olds identify themselves as liberal or Democrat than in any other age group.
Vietnam was the defining experience for the baby boomer generation. 9/11 is for today's young people.
#11
Lex...well said. This is probably the last election we have to worry about these spoiled post WWII and baby boomer brats ruining the estate their grandparents and great-grandparents worked so hard to bequeath them.
You can almost draw a line between those born before approx 1956 and those born after it. While there are plenty of younger dems who are willing to walk off the plank of self-righteous cynicism, they tend to be more qualified in the "misfit" department than are the children who came of age in the 50's 60's and 70's.
CBN.com -- Every year, despite bomb threats and the tense political atmosphere, thousands of evangelical Christians from more than 100 nations come to Israel to celebrate "Sukkot," or the Feast of Tabernacles. This biblical holiday, also called the "Feast of Booths" is still observed in Israel thousands of years since God commanded Moses and the Jews to "Live in booths for seven days
so your descendants will know that I had the Israelites live in booths when I brought them out of Egypt. I am the Lord your God" (Leviticus 23: 42, 43). Sukkot is also a harvest festival called the "Feast of the Ingathering," a time to rejoice before God and give thanks for the freshly gathered Autumn harvest. Traditionally, it is also a time to pray for rain.
#2
is still observed in Israel Not to mention by religious Jews around the world across the spectrum from Orthodox to liberal Reform. Why is this being presented as a quaint local custom?
I do apologize for my querelousness today. I moved the better part of a truckload of woodchips from the driveway to my garden path on Friday (my husband is highly allergic to the stuff), and I still ache all over. And, I have the rest of the pile staring at me, still.
#3
So THAT'S what that the booth in the Daley Center in Chitown is all about!
Trailing wife, I had to clean out the drain pipes yesterday! Ah, but the satisfaction while looking at clear water coming out at the bottom!
Posted by: Chicago Mike ||
10/04/2004 14:19 Comments ||
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#4
While, in other posts here, I have questioned the motivations of Christians coming to Israel, it does not lessen the importance of whatever reconciliation between these two ancient faiths might be obtained from any mutual experience. Too long has the false and vicious blood libel tainted relations between Christianity and Judaism.
On a much more grim note, without wishing direct harm to befall anyone, should Christians in Jerusalem for Sukkot find themselves receiving the Palestinians' unwanted attentions, perhaps they will become a lot more sympathetic and outspoken with respect to how Israel is obliged to ruthlessly thwart any and all terrorist attacks.
That the American Episcopal and Presbyterian churches have denounced Israel's handing of the Palestinian crisis heralds a new low-note in inter-faith understanding.
#5
It worries me that Christians would want to go to Israel too... it's like the Cubs trying to get the World Series, it's just stupid. Be content with the Loop and let it go.
I will for myself declare that all posts dedicated to bringing together ancient faiths will be treated like a Red Sox October wet dream, and yes Barry Bonds was on the hammer and should be put up against the wall for betraying the dream of a Giant World Series.
#6
On a grimier note, we must admire Bill France and his courage for destroying the title race. It had to be done of course, but if only we had shown this courage in Falluhjah.
After a day spent reviewing its spectacular but wild spaceflight Wednesday, aerospace visionary Burt Rutan's team is sticking to its plan to try to capture the Ansari X Prize with a second launch on Monday. X Prize media representative Ian Murphy said Rutan notified competition officials late Thursday afternoon that his American Mojave Aerospace squad will send its SpaceShipOne aloft as planned to take the $10 million jackpot. Rutan picked the date, Oct. 4, because it's the anniversary of the 1957 launch of the Soviet Union's Sputnik I, the flight that marked the dawn of the space age. Under the X Prize rules, the American Mojave team has until 8:34 a.m. and 4 seconds PDT on Oct. 13 to complete its second flight. That's precisely two weeks after SpaceShipOne landed Wednesday.
[more] It should occur between 9:00 - 10:30 EST as the winds die down in the Mojave around this time. The Discovery Science Channel has advertised that they will be covering the event from 9:00 EST on.
Posted by: .com ||
10/04/2004 8:26:20 AM ||
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Weather report is in - perfect conditions both on the ground and aloft. Barring a problem with the ship(s) - it's a go this morning. Launch time is approx 45 minutes - 10:00 EST.
#3
The wind dies down in Mojave?
Um well i guess figuratively it does.
My Brother in Law lived there for 2 years.
The wind never stops. It does slack off a bit though. Why do you think they got all those windmills making electricity there? I live in Kern County. That is where Mojave is.
#11
SPOD, I lived in North Edwards (right up Highway 58) in the 80s and my dad lived in Palmdale and Lancaster from the mid-70s until his death in 1994.
#12
Speaking of my late father, we lived in a very different part of the world on October 4, 1957: the Isle of Wight, near the Highdown Research Station where dad worked on British rocket motors.
The place went crazy at the news of the successful Sputnik launch. There was jubilation that the notion of spaceflight had been vindicated*, along with consternation that the accursed Bolsheviks had done it first.
I was 8 years old at the time and clearly remember my dad using a model V-2 rocket, a globe, and a ball on a string to illustrate how Sputnik worked.
*Just a year earlier, the British Astronomer Royal (appropriately named Woolley) had declared that spaceflight was "utter bilge."
GnawAn'Pis, incidentally, also opposes ALL military applications of spaceflight, including communication and reconnaisance. According to them, we should just play nice and trust Kim Jong Il and Vlad Putin among others to keep their word on arms-control agreements.
#27
X-Prize Prez announced the X-Prize "Cup" - all participants gathering to demonstrate their technologies - which are varied, to say the least. I assume details on their site... as well as video of this flight...
#32
AC - The "Board" of the Global Loonies is classic - a collection of GAIA Moonbat Phreaks. Total bullshit. Left to them, nothing would happen, we'd all be headed back to the trees. Dunno if we'd get to keep our digital watches, or not (h/t Douglas Adams), heh.
Posted by: Mrs. Davis ||
10/04/2004 16:15 Comments ||
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#41
Without wishing to be too vindictive, I feel a deep gratitude to Burt Rutan for making his prize winning ascent on the anniversary of Sputnik's launch.
What finer way to provide a final backhand slap at the old Soviet regime's constant stream of lick-and-a-promise aerospace engineering, than to send aloft an ultimate example of capitalistic commercialized spaceflight?
My hat is off to Rutan and the entire crew at Scaled Composites. Their designs and expertise are simply breathtaking. All Americans should feel a glowing pride at this outstanding achievement. Mojave is indeed the new millennium's Kitty Hawk.
#42
Frank G. I dated a gal for Ridgecrest. Her Dad worked at China Lake. I hate the freeking Desert. I live on the west side of those mountains all the way across the San Joaquin valley and in the foothills of the Tremblor range (doh, wonder why it's called that.) The Mojave space port has some neat stuff but it's a long drive from here. I stayed up to watch this flight. It was great.
Moonies knee-deep in faith-based funds
Pushing celibacy, marriage counseling under Bush plan
President Bush has some new troops in his crusade to promote "healthy marriage" and teen celibacy with federal funds -- followers of the Rev. Sun Myung Moon, the controversial Korean evangelist and self-proclaimed new world messiah. How nice. Any megalomaniac is now eligible for federal funding.
At least four longtime operatives of Moon's Unification Church are on the federal payroll or getting government grants in the administration's Healthy Marriage Initiative and other "faith-based" programs. Two of those Moon associates were in Oakland last week leading dozens of local pastors and social workers enrolled in a "Certified Marriage Education Training Seminar" at the Holiday Inn next to the Coliseum. In some ways, Moon is an unlikely ally for President Bush's crusade to promote traditional family values. Convicted tax cheat and cult leader, what's not to like? Continued on Page 49
Posted by: Zenster ||
10/04/2004 12:51:10 AM ||
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Zenster has a problem with the Unification Church and he has a problem with Pat Robertson. Maybe Zenster should move to a country that is largely free of Christianity, such as Saudi Arabia. Or maybe Israel.
#2
Separation of church and state is subverted by the "faith based" office. The only way to get rid of that Bush creation, is to elect Kerry. After election, he can be pressured to support secularism in the captive states (Muslim). If Bush is re-elected, he'll run up more $450+ billion per year deficits, on worthless democraticization windmill tilting in the Mullahtocracies. If you want to think post-Mecca; think post-Bush.
#5
Zhang Fei, you mean to say that you do not have a problem with some wingnut like Sun Myung Moon running around declaring himself the new world Messiah? Am I right in thinking that you do not have a problem with some dirtbag like Pat Robertson blaming the 9-11 atrocity on American homosexuals?
#6
Sun Myung Moon and Pat Robertson are just alright by me. Moon owns the Washinton Times which is a great right leaning newspaper. I know who my enemy is and it's not those two. My enemy is Islamic fundamentalism and Jihadism. My enemy is the Mohammedanism that seeks to destroy the Jewish home, Israel.
#7
My enemy is Islamic fundamentalism and Jihadism.
While not wishing to discount how dangerous Islamism is to this entire world, permit me to suggest that all of this is just another face of the real demon we need to slay, namely, ignorance. Stopping terrorism will not cure ignorance. Ensuring that self-serving, narrow-minded zealots like Moon, Robertson, Sadr, Bashir and all the rest are unmasked for the intolerant grasping spiritual bigots that they really are, would better serve all involved.
#8
"Am I right in thinking that you do not have a problem with some dirtbag like Pat Robertson blaming the 9-11 atrocity on American homosexuals?"
Zenster, who wouldn't? He's a loon. Most of the people do have the same opinion. Those that purchase his snake oil... well, it is their choice.
But to make Moon and Robertson equivalent with Sadr and jihadis is rather unwise. It is difference of several orders of magnitude. I am not sure how you can't see it. Or is your atheism blinding you so you don't see the difference?
#9
Chill Zenster. Save your righteous wrath for the real enemy, Jihadism. Rev. Moon and Pat Robertson are tiny blips compared to Jihadist murder and conquest, past and present.
#10
It's a good idea to stay clear of involvements with cultists, zealots and the ignorant. Of the 3 ignorance is usually curable, cultism is some times and zealots just need to be shot.
#11
As a Christian, I resent being lumped in with Pat Robertson and his loony theories of the end-times. I don't find much resemblance between PR's Christianity and my own. Christianity, like other religions, is a very heterogeneous thing, with a wide variation in beliefs and practises.
Posted by: V is for Victory ||
10/04/2004 8:23 Comments ||
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#12
Moon and Robertson do not (as far as I know) deliberately target and commit murder and rape of children (and adults).
Followers of Moon and/or Robertson were not in that school in Russa stabing babies and hauling children into rooms to be gang raped. They are not in Sudan murdering adults and gang-raping children. (In the name of God).
#13
Okaaaaaay. Didn't JFK (the real one) have to jump through a few thousand hoops to convince people he wouldn't let the Pope run America when he ran for President?
Does this outrage apply evenly across ideologies? Are there "good" zealots? Interesting question, no?
It was dumb to hire these people, assuming the characterization given isn't hyperbole (and SFGate just might be having a litter of secular kittens here), and the people who did it will suffer for it - as they should. "At least four" isn't a particularly frightening number and their positions aren't particularly influential or important, are they? Much ado about nothing? Crying wolf? I dunno, let's see how it goes.
So, um, back to the even-application question: does this outrage open the door for sweeping ALL of the fucking zealots out?
The State Dept and certain individuals with both private agendas and the arrogance to pursue them on the job (Valery Plame comes to mind) have received attention here before. There are more corners in need of cleaning... The Federal Courts, Civil Service, both NEAs (Education Assoc and Endowment for the Arts), PBS, every university which receives federal grants and funding, and every other goddamned organization that chews up our tax dollars - will they also have their zealots booted, whether secular, fascist, socialist, or religious?
As soon as the Carter & Clintoon Era assholes are on notice, as well, I'll get behind an effort to play whack-a-tard.
#14
.com "zealots just need to be shot." thats what I said. I didn't qualify it. I meant all of them religious, secular, don't give a damm. I am all for it.
#15
Two of those Moon associates were in Oakland last week leading dozens of local pastors and social workers enrolled in a "Certified Marriage Education Training Seminar" at the Holiday Inn...
I once stayed at Holiday Inn. Now I am a head coach in the NFL...
I really don't care about what people believe. If they want to believe in Allah, fine. If they want to believe in Vishnu, fine. My problem is with people who think it is their right to impose their views on Americans by killing us in large numbers. If they want to do this to people in other countries, that's fine with me. But if they stick it to us, we should administer to them a thrashing they won't forget for a while. Among our enemies, mothers should scare their children by warning them of being visited by the big, bad Americans.
#17
Oh get a GRIP. Who exactly is calling for whose death NOW?
That being said, anybody who thinks they can take government money and not escape government scrutiny and control has rocks in their heads. Government money attracts frauds, con artists, and the opportunistic in the same way that government power in the hands of the Roman Catholic church attracted the power hungry during the middle ages and early Renaissance. The Faith based initiative is the means for the government camel to stick its nose into the Church's tent, and we Christians will have only ourselves to blame.
#18
But to make Moon and Robertson equivalent with Sadr and jihadis is rather unwise. It is difference of several orders of magnitude. I am not sure how you can't see it. Or is your atheism blinding you so you don't see the difference?
Then your atheism may be a form of religion.
Zhang Fei, where do I directly equate Christian fundamentalism with jihadism? Your use of inductive reasoning flies in the face of your more usually well-thought-out posts. It is especially unbecoming when you make baseless assumptions and pronouncements regarding my religious orientation or supposed lack thereof. Who are you to up and decide what my beliefs are without the least inquiry or prior statement to cite?
As a Christian, I resent being lumped in with Pat Robertson and his loony theories of the end-times. I don't find much resemblance between PR's Christianity and my own. Christianity, like other religions, is a very heterogeneous thing, with a wide variation in beliefs and practises.
VifV, where do I lump all Christians in with nutjobs like Moon and Robertson? I just happen to have a real problem with cultists and zealots. SPoD's solution for zealots has a special appeal all its own. Fortunately, America's constitution and people should be able to withstand the onslaughts of such morons. That said, it does not make them any easier to tolerate.
That being said, anybody who thinks they can take government money and not escape government scrutiny and control has rocks in their heads. Government money attracts frauds, con artists, and the opportunistic in the same way that government power in the hands of the Roman Catholic church attracted the power hungry during the middle ages and early Renaissance. The Faith based initiative is the means for the government camel to stick its nose into the Church's tent, and we Christians will have only ourselves to blame.
Brilliantly said, Ptah. You have encapsulated many of my most profound objections to the Office of Faith Based Giving in your tidy summation. That you, as a Christian, have the courage to criticize a measure that ostensibly seems to benefit your own faith, is even more admirable.
#19
Thanks, Zenster, but it's strictly self-survival: A man should stand in the pulpit because God called him and he obeyed, not because money or power called him. Great local congregations have been positively ruined by con-artists like that. It diverts faith from God to man, and that's a recipie for disaster.
God can take care of His own, thank you very much. When a religious organization's finances take a nosedive, it just MIGHT be a signal from God to shut it down and do something else, or hit the prayer carpet, not pick somebody else's pocket. My version of a faith based initiative is reading Matthew 7:7 and not eating anything for a week...
#20
Thanks, Zenster, but it's strictly self-survival:
You bet it is, Ptah. In the rush to capitalize upon a government that has so mistakenly abrogated the separation of church and state, few people who are now enjoying this current favortism seem to realize that the precedent being set could just as easily be turned against them.
A Christian I used to know recognized the need to keep abortion legal. His reasoning was that if certain components of religious doctrine were incorporated into the body of law, what would prevent even more specialized proscriptions from becoming mandatory? Perhaps it would be decreed that there was only one allowable day of worship, (i.e., Sunday). What then for the Seventh Day Adventists or Jews?
American Christians who are currently reveling in this newfound government sponsorship of their faith are somehow able to neglect the full implications of eroding the separation of church and state. Merely pause to consider what the response would be if the tables were turned and such favoritism was shown to Islam. Need I go on?
A man should stand in the pulpit because God called him and he obeyed, not because money or power called him.
Which is why I detest so many of the televangelists.
Great local congregations have been positively ruined by con-artists like that. It diverts faith from God to man, and that's a recipie for disaster.
And connivers like Sun Myung Moon do exactly that. By promoting a cult of personality, Moon seeks personal ascendancy in a realm which is more properly devoted to the immaterial. Moon's willing diversion of funds in support of personal luxury assures that such disaster will not be visited upon himself (at least not now). Through such perversion of both his and the spirit of so many others, he wreaks a disaster of monumental proportions. The broken minds and ruined lives he leaves in his wake should be grounds for criminal prosecution.
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
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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
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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.
"I'M VOTING for John Kerry for President because sooner or later, when it becomes politically expedient, he shares my views on everything. He's not hard-headed like my husband. "And he's not always saying, 'I answer to a Higher Power! It is the Lord's will!' when I fuss at him for forgetting to put the toilet seat down, either." With those measured and historic words, first lady Laura Bush expressed her stunning intention to jump ship and vote Democratic in the forthcoming presidential election. "This is unprecedented in presidential politics," says Madame Virginia Rousseau, the famed Bakersfield, California- based psychic and historian who blew the lid off the first lady's alleged decision to "go Kerry" after claiming to have read her mind "on several remarkable occasions." 
