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May 31, 2006
Compare and Contrast
U.S. forces killed two Iraqi women -- one of them about to give birth -- when the troops shot at a car that failed to stop at an observation post in a city north of Baghdad, Iraqi officials and relatives said Wednesday.Nabiha Nisaif Jassim, 35, was being raced to the maternity hospital in Samarra by her brother when the shooting occurred Tuesday.
Jassim, the mother of two children, and her 57-year-old cousin, Saliha Mohammed Hassan, were killed by the U.S. forces, according to police Capt. Laith Mohammed and witnesses [...]
Jassim's brother, who was wounded by broken glass, said he did not see any warnings as he sped his sister to the hospital. Her husband was waiting for her there.
"I was driving my car at full speed because I did not see any sign or warning from the Americans. It was not until they shot the two bullets that killed my sister and cousin that I stopped," he said. "God take revenge on the Americans and those who brought them here. They have no regard for our lives."
"The Iraq war is already perceived to have been won, not that we're losing it. It's because we have won it, and the American people do not rank it as high on the list of things that concern them as, say, gasoline prices or immigration or what have you."
"Considering everything, do you think the United States did the right thing in going to war with Iraq, or do you think it was a mistake?"
Date Right Thing Mistake Unsure
5/11/06 40% 59% 1%
6/23/05 48% 51% 1%
3/10/05 48% 51% 1%
4/15/04 52% 46% 1%
4/09/03 81% 16% 3%
3/27/03 69% 26% 5%
Posted by Mike at 07:54 PM | Comments (0) | TrackBack (0)
May 25, 2006
What if Cheney actually testifies?
I'm sure he'll claim something about executive privilege or state secrets and avoid testifying, but if he does, pontificator offers a preview over at Kos:
Cheney: You want answers?Fitzgerald: I think I'm entitled to them.
Cheney: You want answers?
Fitzgerald: I want the truth!
Cheney: You can't handle the truth! Son, we live in a world that has walls. And those walls have to be guarded by men with guns. Who's gonna do it? You? You, Joseph Wilson? I have a greater responsibility than you can possibly fathom. You weep for Valerie Plame and you curse the Unitary Executive. You have that luxury. You have the luxury of not knowing what I know: that Plame's outing, while tragic, probably saved the Unitary Executive's political bacon. And my existence, while grotesque and incomprehensible to you, saves political bacon...You don't want the truth. Because deep down, in places you don't talk about at parties, you want me on that wall. You need me on that wall.
We use words like honor, code, loyalty...we use these words as the backbone to a life spent defending something. You use 'em as a punchline. I have neither the time nor the inclination to explain myself to a man who rises and sleeps under the blanket of the very freedom I provide, then questions the manner in which I provide it! I'd rather you just said thank you and went on your way. Otherwise, I suggest you pick up a weapon and stand a post. Either way, I don't give a damn what you think you're entitled to!
Fitzgerald: Did you order the Plame outing?
Cheney: (quietly) I did the job you sent me to do.
Fitzgerald: Did you order the Plame outing?
Cheney: You're goddamn right I did!!
Posted by Mike at 01:05 PM | Comments (0) | TrackBack (0)
May 23, 2006
Funny, but not that funny
Lithuanian police were so astonished when they pulled over a truck driver and his breathalyzer test registered 18 times the legal alcohol limit, they thought their testing device must be broken. It wasn't.Police said Tuesday 41-year-old Vidmantas Sungaila registered 7.27 grams per liter of alcohol in his blood repeatedly on different devices when he was pulled over for driving his truck down the center of a two-lane highway 60 miles from the capital, Vilnius on Saturday.
Lithuania's legal limit is 0.4 grams per liter.
"This guy should have been lying dead, but he was still driving. It must be an unofficial national record," Saulius Skvernelis, the director of the national police traffic control service, told the AP. "He was of high spirits and grinning the whole time he was questioned."
Medical experts say anything above 3.5 grams per liter of alcohol in the blood is lethal for most people.
"A person this intoxicated should be in an intensive care unit, not behind the wheel," said Tautvydas Zikaras, head of the dependence illness center in the country's second-largest city, Kaunas. Zikaras said he had never heard or read of someone being so drunk.
Sungaila, who was slapped with a 3,000 litas ($1,110) fine and the loss of his license for up to three years, told police he had been drinking the night before and tried to freshen up by downing a pint of beer for breakfast.
Lithuania has one of the worst road safety records in the European Union. Last year, 760 people died in traffic accidents in this country of 3.5 million residents. Most were alcohol-related.
For the records I am partly Lithuanian. Perhaps it is better that I don't drink often.
Posted by Mike at 01:15 PM | Comments (0) | TrackBack (0)
May 18, 2006
Exhibit A
"Or did his wife send him on a junket?"
From the actual court filings:
The Government intends to offer as evidence in its case in chief a copy of the July 6, 2003, New York Times "Op Ed" article authored by former Ambassador Joseph Wilson (the "Wilson Op Ed"), and bearing handwritten annotations by the Vice President. A copy of the annotated Wilson Op Ed is annexed to this response as Exhibit A.
When Cheney writes, Talking Points Memo listens:
The role of Vice President Dick Cheney in the criminal case stemming from the outing of White House critic Joseph Wilson's CIA wife is likely to get fresh attention as a result of newly disclosed notes showing that Cheney personally asked whether Wilson had been sent by his wife on a "junket" to Africa.Cheney's notes, written on the margins of a July 6, 2003, New York Times op-ed column by former ambassador Joseph Wilson, were included as part of a filing Friday night by prosecutor Patrick Fitzgerald in the perjury and obstruction case against ex-Cheney chief of staff I. Lewis (Scooter) Libby.
The notes, Fitzgerald said in his filing, show that Cheney and Libby were "acutely focused" on the Wilson column and on rebutting his criticisms of the White House's handling of pre-Iraq war intelligence. In the column, which created a firestorm after its publication, Wilson wrote that he had been dispatched by the CIA without pay to Niger in February 2002 to investigate an intelligence report that Iraq was seeking uranium from the African country for a nuclear bomb. Wilson said he was told Cheney had asked about the intelligence, but the White House subsequently ignored his findings debunking the Niger claims.
In the margins of the op-ed, Cheney jotted out a series of questions that seemed to challenge many of Wilson's assertions as well as the legitimacy of his CIA-sponsored trip to Africa: "Have they done this sort of thing before? Send an Amb. [sic] to answer a question? Do we ordinarily send people out pro bono to work for us? Or did his wife send him on a junket?"
Posted by Mike at 03:03 AM | Comments (0) | TrackBack (0)
May 16, 2006
Kappes gets the Berntsen seal of approval
For all of Hayden's expertise, however, that hasn't been his strong suit - he is a "sigint" expert, or signals intelligence, from his days at the National Security Agency, which focused on electronic eavesdropping."The CIA has several different missions, but its most important is in the clandestine field, and he doesn't have a background in that area, so that'll be a challenge for him," said Michael Vickers, a former special forces and CIA officer.
That's why many former intelligence officials are praising the proposed return of Stephen Kappes, a former deputy director of operations who resigned in a clash with Porter Goss, who recently resigned as CIA director. Kappes formerly headed the arm that fielded and ran spies around the world - something Hayden has had almost no experience doing.
"He's the finest, most respected officer of his generation," Gary Berntsen, a former CIA agent who grew up in Smithtown, said of Kappes.
Berntsen, who led the CIA team hunting for Osama bin Laden in Afghanistan, said the team of Hayden, with his considerable bureaucratic and electronic intelligence experience, and Kappes would be "hitting the ball over the fence."
"This is going to be essentially a clandestine humint agency, and you've got to have somebody there who is a master of the trade," said W. Patrick Lang, a former chief of the Defense Intelligence Agency's Middle East section.
But Kappes has not yet said publicly whether he will accept the job, and some are speculating he may not be ready to leave his high-paying job with a security company. If he does not, some of the enthusiasm for the new arrangement may wane.
Posted by Mike at 12:08 AM | Comments (0) | TrackBack (0)
May 10, 2006
Please just hold the fucking camera still
I saw "United 93" last night. Which was a mistake. I'd already seen "Flight 93" the A&E original, and that was a much better film. Where as "Flight 93" tried to tell a story, the main point of "United 93" seemed to be to disorient the audience, which they achieve largely by moving the camera around so quickly you start to feel sick to your stomach even before the bloodshed begins.
In fact, I felt so much like I was going to vomit I had to leave the theater for several minutes and missed the actual hijacking scene. At first I was not sure why I felt sick. Was I uncomfortable with examining the story of 9/11? Not likely, given all the research I've done on the subject and other related movies I've watched. After returning to my seat I realize it was the camera work that almost literally made me lose my lunch. For instance, when they show someone having a phone conversation, instead of letting the acting show their emotions, they keep moving the camera right, left, up, down, almost randomly as if it was shot by a crack fiend desparate for a fix. Once I realized the cause for my motion sickness, I simply closed my eyes when I felt sick from then on, which was often, but I managed to keep from barfing into my popcorn bag at least.
Needless to say, I wish that when I left the first time, I'd returned to the counter and asked for my money back. Last but not least, it was also annoying that they stopped provided subtitles for the hijackers Arabic speech once they were on the plane. I'm sure it was again meant to disorient the audience, but it did not help the story very much in my view. In summary, if the producers thought they were doing anyone a favor by charging people $9 just to give them motion sickness, I don't think they took the subject matter very seriously at all. They got the story right, but the camera work ruins the show.
Posted by Mike at 08:50 AM | Comments (0) | TrackBack (0)
May 09, 2006
A simple man with a simple mind
From the TV Critic at the Chicago Sun Times:
In his keynote speech at the media dinner, Stephen Colbert played the earnest but clueless newsman of his Comedy Central TV show, 'The Colbert Report.' Here's an edited transcript:Wow, wow, what an honor. The White House Correspondents' Dinner. To just sit here, at the same table with my hero, George W. Bush, to be this close to the man. I feel like I'm dreaming. Somebody pinch me. You know what, I'm a pretty sound sleeper, that may not be enough. Somebody shoot me in the face.
Is he really not here tonight? The one guy who could have helped.
By the way, before I get started, if anybody needs anything at their tables, speak slowly and clearly into your table numbers and somebody from the NSA will be right over with a cocktail.
Ladies and gentlemen of the press corps, Mr. President and first lady, my name is Stephen Colbert and it's my privilege tonight to celebrate our president. He's not so different, he and I. We get it. We're not brainiacs on the nerd patrol. We're not members of the "fact-inista." We go straight from the gut, right sir? That's where the truth lies, right down here in the gut. Do you know you have more nerve endings in your gut than you have in your head? You can look it up. I know some of you are going to say "I did look it up," and that's not true. That's because you looked it up in a book. Next time look it up in your gut. I did. My gut tells me that's how our nervous system works.
Every night on my show, "The Colbert Report," I speak straight from the gut, OK? I give people the truth, unfiltered by rational argument. I call it the no-fact zone. Fox News, I own the copyright on that term.
I'm a simple man with a simple mind, with a simple set of beliefs that I live by.
Number one, I believe in America. I believe it exists. My gut tells me I live there. I feel that it extends from the Atlantic to the Pacific, and I strongly believe it has 50 states. And I cannot wait to see how the Washington Post spins that one tomorrow.
I believe the government that governs best is the government that governs least. And by these standards, we have set up a fabulous government in Iraq.
I believe in pulling yourself up by your own bootstraps. I believe it is possible -- I saw this guy do it once in Cirque du Soleil. It was magical.
And though I am a committed Christian, I believe everyone has the right to their own religion, be it Hindu, Jewish or Muslim. I believe there are infinite paths to accepting Jesus Christ as your personal savior.
Ladies and gentlemen, I believe it's yogurt. But I refuse to believe it's not butter. Most of all I believe in this president. Now, I know there are some polls out there saying this man has a 32 percent approval rating. But guys like us, we don't pay attention to the polls. We know that polls are just a collection of statistics that reflect what people are thinking in "reality." And reality has a well-known liberal bias.
So, Mr. President, pay no attention to the people that say the glass is half full. Pay no attention to the people who say the glass is half empty, because 32 percent means it's 2/3 empty. There's still some liquid in that glass is my point, but I wouldn't drink it. The last third is usually backwash.
Folks, my point is that I don't believe this is a low point in this presidency. I believe it is just a lull, before a comeback. I mean, it's like the movie "Rocky." The president is Rocky and Apollo Creed is everything else in the world. It's the 10th round. He's bloodied, his corner man [is] Mick, who in this case would be the vice president, and he's yelling "Cut me, Dick, cut me," and every time he falls she says stay down! Does he stay down? No. Like Rocky, he gets back up and in the end he -- actually loses in the first movie. OK. It doesn't matter. The point is the heart-warming story of a man who was repeatedly punched in the face.
So don't pay attention to the approval ratings that say 68 percent of Americans disapprove of the job this man is doing. I ask you this, does that not also logically mean that 68 percent approve of the job he's not doing? Think about it. I haven't.
I stand by this man. I stand by this man because he stands for things. Not only for things, he stands on things. Things like aircraft carriers and rubble and recently flooded city squares. And that sends a strong message that no matter what happens to America, she will always rebound with the most powerfully staged photo ops in the world.
Now, there may be an energy crisis. This president has a very forward-thinking energy policy. Why do you think he's down on the ranch cutting that brush all the time? He's trying to create an alternative energy source. By 2008 we will have a mesquite-powered car.
And I just like the guy. He's a good joe. Obviously loves his wife, calls her his better half. And polls show America agrees. She's a true lady and a wonderful woman. But I just have one beef, ma'am. I'm sorry, but this reading initiative. I've never been a fan of books. I don't trust them. They're all fact, no heart. I mean, they're elitists telling us what is or isn't true, what did or didn't happen. What's Britannica to tell me the Panama Canal was built in 1914. If I want to say it was built in 1941, that's my right as an American. I'm with the president, let history decide what did or did not happen.
The greatest thing about this man is he's steady. You know where he stands. He believes the same thing Wednesday that he believed on Monday, no matter what happened Tuesday. Events can change, this man's beliefs never will.
And as excited as I am to be here with the president, I am appalled to be surrounded by the liberal media that is destroying America, with the exception of Fox News. Fox News gives you both sides of every story -- the President's side and the vice president's side. But the rest of you, what are you thinking, reporting on NSA wiretapping or secret prisons in Eastern Europe? Those things are secret for a very important reason -- they're super depressing. And if that's your goal, well, misery accomplished.
Over the last five years you people were so good over tax cuts, WMD intelligence, the effect of global warming. We Americans didn't want to know, and you had the courtesy not to try to find out. Those were good times, as far as we knew.
But, listen, let's review the rules. Here's how it works. The president makes decisions, he's the decider. The press secretary announces those decisions, and you people of the press type those decisions down. Make, announce, type. Put them through a spell check and go home.
Get to know your family again. Make love to your wife. Write that novel you got kicking around in your head. You know, the one about the intrepid Washington reporter with the courage to stand up to the administration. You know, fiction.
Posted by Mike at 01:05 PM | Comments (0) | TrackBack (0)
May 08, 2006
Removing the stigma from HIV testing
This makes a lot of sense. As it is now, if you ask to be tested for HIV, most places treat you as if you must already have the disease.
Testing for the AIDS virus could become part of routine physical exams for adults and teens if doctors follow new U.S. guidelines expected to be issued by this summer. Federal health officials say they'd like HIV testing to be as common as a cholesterol check.The guidelines for voluntary testing would apply to every American ages 13 to 64, according to the proposed plan by the U.S. Centers for Disease control and Prevention.
One-quarter of the 1 million Americans with the AIDS virus don't know they are infected, and that group is most responsible for HIV's spread, CDC officials said.
"We need to expand access to HIV testing dramatically by making it a routine part of medical care," said the agency's Dr. Kevin Fenton.
CDC officials first disclosed the plans at a scientific conference in February. Last week, they said the guidelines should be released in June or July.
The recommendations aren't legally binding, but they influence what doctors do and what health insurance programs cover.
Currently, the CDC recommends routine testing for those at high-risk for catching the virus, such as IV drug users and gay men, and for hospitals and certain other institutions serving areas where HIV is common.
Under the new guidelines, patients would be tested for HIV as part of a standard battery of tests they receive when they go for urgent or emergency care, or even during a routine physical.
Patients wouldn't get tested every year: Repeated, annual testing would only be recommended only for those at high-risk.
There would be no consent form specifically for the HIV test; it would be covered in a clinic or hospital's standard care consent form. Patients would be allowed to decline the testing.
Standardizing HIV testing should reduce the stigma as well as transmission, CDC officials said. Nearly half of new HIV infections are discovered when doctors are trying to diagnose an illness in a patient who has come for care, they noted.
Posted by Mike at 07:06 PM | Comments (0) | TrackBack (0)
May 07, 2006
Vernon Robinson hearts the KKK?
I would expect to see this type of thing on a White Supremist site.
At least when Karl Rove sends out stuff like this he doesn't put his name at the bottom. In fact, he usually puts his opponents name on them, so that his opponent will look bad for making such moronic charges. Clearly, Vernon Robinson has no such reservations about being seen as a moron by local voters:
The adage that a man is known by the company he keeps is particularly true in the case of your Congressman. Brad Miller has gotten into bed with Markos Moulitsas Zuniga, a 35-year-old musician who was raised in El Salvador before moving to San Francisco. The Washington Post called Markos a "San Francisco liberal" and The Washington Monthly called Markos "America's number one liberal blogger."On December 8, 2005, Brad publicly stated that he wants Markos to "move to North Carolina and run for the Senate in 2008." Brad's effort to recruit a militant homosexual rights advocate from San Francisco to move to North Carolina to run against Elizabeth Dole confirms that Brad doesn't understand the difference between San Francisco values and North Carolina values. Senator Dole distributed a letter saying that she found the idea of a Congressman having even a "casual associatoin" with Markos to be "extremely disturbing" and a close relationship to be "utterly reprehensible."
Markos publishes Brad Miller's diary on his Internet website (along with other things such as the nude pornographic photographs of a male homosexual prostitute named Jim Guckert)....
Posted by Mike at 04:08 PM | Comments (0) | TrackBack (0)
May 02, 2006
This is what you call a symptom
Despite the wall-to-wall coverage of the damage from Hurricane Katrina, nearly one-third of young Americans recently polled couldn't locate Louisiana on a map and nearly half were unable to identify Mississippi.Americans between the ages of 18 and 24 fared even worse with foreign locations: six in 10 couldn't find Iraq, according to a Roper poll conducted for National Geographic....
While the outsourcing of jobs to India has been a major U.S. business story, 47 percent could not find the Indian subcontinent on a map of Asia.
While Israeli-Palestinian strife has been in the news for the entire lives of the respondents, 75 percent were unable to locate Israel on a map of the Middle East.
Nearly three-quarters incorrectly named English as the most widely spoken native language.
Six in 10 did not know the border between North and South Korea is the most heavily fortified in the world. Thirty percent thought the most heavily fortified border was between the United States and Mexico.
I doubt that other age groups would fare much better.
Posted by Mike at 06:01 PM | Comments (0) | TrackBack (0)