Clack

World of Warcraft as birth control

I have several friends that are completely addicted to WoW. I've looked at buying it and signing up just so I can "fit in," but $50 for the game, then an additional $12/month for access to the servers, not to mention the complete and total time loss that would occur seems like a high price to pay.

Found this video today

http://www.dailymotion.com/video/29946

Low Carb and Loving It

As some of you may know, I went on the South Beach Diet about this time last year. Weight loss in the beginning was rapid and very gratifying. I lost about 10 pounds in the first three weeks of the diet. I switched to phase II of the diet after about a month (and 12 pounds) and continue to lose weight until I had lost 30 pounds.

Unfortunately, I started slipping. I started eating things that I shouldn't; saltine crackers, potato chips, and the occasional candy bar or slice of apple pie. Then the holidays came. I had a few great friends over for Thanksgiving in my new house and NOTHING we ate was even close to low-carb (well, except for the turkey). There was cornbread dressing, corn, mashed potatoes, green beans, turkey, ham, pumpkin pie, chocolate pecan pie (complete with a turkey made from pecans on top), and bread.

My mom had knee surgery the Thursday before Christmas so I spent a week with my parents. I cooked all the time there and prepared most of the Christmas lunch/dinner. As a result of all of that, I've put 20 pounds of the 30 I lost last year back on. So, I'm going back on the diet. I've decided I'm not going back to Phase I of the diet where all you eat is meat, cheese, and eggs, though. I'm just going to be more careful and mindful of what I eat and cut out the bad carbs.

There's a pretty good show on the Food Network called Low Carb and Lovin' It. George (the host) has lost over 250 pounds on a low-carb lifestyle. Check out the show and the recipes. A lot of what they cook on that show looks like it could really be tasty.

There's also several good sites on the internet for low-carb recipes. My favorite is Low Carb Luxury. The recipes for the food I cooked tonight for lunch the rest of the week came from Low Carb Luxury. What did I cook? I'm glad you asked!

Creamy Mushroom Soup and Bacon Cheeseburger Quiche.

iPod craze rises (sinks?) to a new high (low?)

on Tuesday, the iPod craziness reached a new plateau. Whether that plateau is a new high or low, I'll let you decide. I'm going for a new LOW of craziness. Today, Levi Strauss introduced their new iPod-ready jeans. Yep, you read that correctly. Apparently, there's also a "joystick" in the watch pocket that let's you control your iPod. There's also a built-in docking cradle and retractable headphones.

Denim giant Levi Strauss said on Tuesday it had designed jeans compatible with the iPod music player, featuring a joystick in the watch pocket to operate the device.

The Levi's RedWire DLX Jeans for men and women, which will be available this fall, also have a built-in docking cradle for the iPod and retractable headphones. Pricing was not immediately available.

Cooking for Cher

This year's Top 10 (and bottom 10) Cookbooks on Santa's list. (via Kottke.org remaindered links)

Santa's Top 10 Cookbooks - Recipe Collections That Don't Suck And a Few That Do

Ariel De Guzman, The Bush Family Cookbook (Scribner's, 2005, $30). What kind of pissant would buy this book?

Pictures of the new house are up

You can see them at gallery.jeffreed.net. These were taken with my Earthlink Wireless Treo 650 so the quality doesn't compare to the pictures from my Minolta DSLR. I'm closing on the new one in less than two weeks!

Sirius announces wearable satellite radio receiver

from Yahoo! Financial News

SIRIUS Satellite Radio today announced the debut of its first wearable satellite radio, the SIRIUS S50, which allows users to capture and store up to 50 hours of SIRIUS content, or a mix of SIRIUS programming and MP3/WMA files, enabling listening on the go. The SIRIUS S50 is scheduled to be available at retail this October.

The SIRIUS S50 measures just 1.9 by 3.9 inches and 0.7 inches thick, and includes a full color display, sleek black exterior and voice-assisted channel navigation. [...]

The SIRIUS S50 stores content in a variety of formats for listening on the go, including "My SIRIUS Channels," "My SIRIUS Songs," "Scheduled Record," and "My Playlists."

• The "My SIRIUS Channels" feature automatically gathers and refreshes sets of programming from the user's three most-listened-to channels.


• The "My SIRIUS Songs" feature allows the user to save favorite songs or talk shows with the press of a button.


• The "Scheduled Record" feature allows the user to set the radio to capture favorite shows on a one time or recurring basis.


• The "My Playlists" feature allows users to supplement SIRIUS content with their own MP3/WMA library when attached through the home dock to a PC. The PC application also allows users to synch channel and image updates automatically through SIRIUS' website.

[...]

The SIRIUS S50 will be available for a suggested retail price of $359.99, and includes wearable accessories (6-hour rechargeable battery, ear buds, belt clip, armband, USB cable and AC adapter) and a car dock, which includes an adhesive mount, custom cigarette lighter power adapter, a remote control, ultra-low profile antenna, DC input and line output. A home dock, which includes audio mixing for PC sound pass-through, and connects to speakers and PCs, a remote control, home antenna, USB cable, audio cable and power supply will be available for MSRP $99.99. A desk or wall mountable executive system, including high fidelity speakers, will also be available. Replaceable batteries will be sold separately.

Additional information about the SIRIUS S50 will be available on the SIRIUS website in mid-September.

I, personally, can't wait! I've wanted to get a second receiver for a while now, but have been putting it off until the XACT ReGo actually hit the market. The ReGo was supposed to come out back in June, but frankly, I haven't been able to find them. This new S50's feature set kicks ReGo's ass (at least on paper)! I'm in... can I preorder?

Howdy

hey folks. Just wanted to apologize for being conspicuousy absent for the last few months. It's been hectic and frenetic around here since about February. In February (or there abouts), I accepted a management position with my company, moving from a purely technical side of things to an almost purely management side of things. My official title is now "Manager, Technical Implementation and Strategy." What does that mean? Well, basically, all of my time is spent attending meetings, steering other people's projects in the correct direction, playing office politics, and collaborating with the other members of my team to devise a strategy and plan of attack for the projects that are coming down the pipe. A recent reorg moved another person under me (a long-time friend of mine), bringing my total direct reports to four. We're a unique organization in the company in that we all (there's 43 total in the organization now) have the ability to plan and see far enough into the future to stay ahead of the curve and stay out of "reactive" mode. But, it's a chore and involves many long days (and sometimes nights).

I've also been working on selling my current house (it's under contract, to close Aug. 30) and buying something newer, bigger, and a little closer to the center of the city where my office is. The new house is finally under contract, and I signed the mortgage papers for it today. Of course, there's a catch. The new house is new construction in East Atlanta, and the builder can't have it completed until Sept. 15. So, unless the buyer of my house will agree to rent it back to me for two weeks (at a reasonable rate), I'll be living either with Scott or with Peggy and Ronna until I can close on the new one.

It's been an ordeal, and frankly, a real pain in the ass for the last several months. But, hopefully, it'll be better around the end of September and I can get back to bitching and moaning about Shrub and talking about all things gay. Thanks for hanging in there with me, and I promise I'll get back to posting soon.

Podcasting

No, don't worry, I'm not going to start podcasting on Clack, but, since I've been pretty much absent from here for a while, I thought I'd tell you all what I'm listening to on my iPod.

So, listed here in no particular order are the podcasts that I download with iPodder:

What's Going On?

OK, I've been pretty quiet lately and there's several reasons for that. Work's been running me ragged, and weekends are spent with my partner, completely unplugged from the internet.

I'm burned out. I mean, I'm just fed up with politics and arguing with imbeciles about my rights as an American. There's been a lot going on politically (and "gaily") lately, Miss Gay America Pageant Moves From Arkansas to Mississippi, Chris Rock stirs controversy over comments about the Oscars, they're trying aversion therapy on penguins, The Westboro "Baptist Church" is at it again, there's the whole Jeff Gannon/JD Guckert controversy, and now, speculation that Scott McClellan is gay. Republican Alan Keyes' daughter has come out of the closet, Priest Shanley was sentence to 12 to 15 years, a Republican donor is claiming he was promised an ambassadorship but didn't get it, and Shrub has submitted a request for provide 82 billion dollars to cover unbudgeted costs in the "war on oil containing countries terror".

Anyway, bear with me for a little while, and hopefully I'll get my drive and determination back soon.

Oh, and by the way, I started the South Beach diet four weeks ago, and as of today, have lost 16 pounds! Yay me!

Medicare to cover cost of Viagra

Yahoo! News:

Sexual performance drugs like Viagra will be covered by Medicare's new prescription benefit beginning next year, along with medications for other conditions like high blood pressure and heart disease, Health and Human Services officials said Tuesday.

And like those other drugs, prescriptions for Pfizer Inc.'s Viagra will be tightly controlled. The law, which takes effect Jan. 1 at a cost of more than $500 billion over a decade, says Viagra can be prescribed only when medically necessary, and in limited quantities.

"The law says if it's an (Food and Drug Administration)-approved drug and it is medically necessary, it has to be covered," said Gary Karr, spokesman for the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services, which administers the health insurance program for older Americans.

[...]

Johnny Carson dead at 79

Johnny Carson died yesterday (Sunday, 01/23/2004) as a result of complications from emphysema. May you rest in peace Johnny; you will be sorely missed.

Happy Birthday!

The Mars rovers Spirit and Opportunity "ballooned" onto the surface of Mars one year ago this month. Congratulations to NASA for an unbelievable year of absolutely incredible pictures

TN Rednecks Protest Building of Muslim Cemetary

I swear, I think I'm going to have to create a new category on here called Rednecks/Idiocy.

While perusing The Raw Story, I found this article about a bunch of Tennesseans having a hissy fit over a group of Muslims that want to turn an old sod farm near Memphis into a cemetary.

Muslims planned to turn an old sod farm near Memphis into a cemetery, but angry neighbors protested, complaining the burial ground could become a staging ground for terrorists or spread disease from unembalmed bodies.

It was not the first time a group faced opposition when trying to build a cemetery or a mosque, but the dispute stood out for the clarity of its anti-Muslim rhetoric.

"We know for a fact that Muslim mosques have been used as terrorist hideouts and centers for terrorist activities," farmer John Wilson told members of a planning commission last month.

[...]

Belinda Ghosheh, owner of the five-acre plot being considered for the cemetery, said a meeting of planning officials drew such a hostile crowd she feared for her safety. One woman yelled, "We don't need bin Laden's cousins in our neighborhood."

Ghosheh and her husband, a native of the Middle East who has been a U.S. citizen for more than 20 years, live in neighboring Shelby County.

"These people would possibly have been our neighbors if we had decided to build on that property," she said. "If this doesn't go through, we're still getting rid of it. I would never live out there now."

Annette Cutliff, a planning commission member who voted for the cemetery, was also at the meeting. "When I walked to my car, I looked over my shoulder," Cutliff said. "I was concerned because emotions were running high."

[...]

I've got that pioneering spirit

Lovely, just lovely....Rewind to last week....

Scott's been having issues with the caulking around his tub and shower in his condo. It's gotten all mildewey in the (almost) four years he's lived there, so last week he decided he'd clean it all out, and re-caulk. Now, lest anybody misunderstand, I love him dearly, but he just doesn't have the patience to do any kind of home improvement projects by himself. He gets terribly frustrated when things don't work out exactly right (and anybody that owns a house understands that they NEVER work out exactly right), so, the caulking story goes something like this (in greatly abbreviated version).

dig old caulk out, discover there's no backing behind part of caulk, decide to fill in with caulk, use silicone caulk, make a BEEEEG mess, get frustrated, go to work the next day, let caulk dry, stop by Home Depot, get different caulk, dig silicone caulk out, make 'nother big mess, get frustrated, clean tile and bathtub (per instructions) with rubbing alchohol, put new caulk in, make smaller mess (but no big deal), get frustrated, Saturday afternoon, notice "bubble" in caulk had popped, leaving hole, Scott gets upset whilst Jeff puts caulk in hole, get up Sunday morning, go to Jeff's house to take shower (so caulk will have 24 hours to cure).

Take showers at my house, go to Lowe's for curtains, paint, etc so we can paint my master bedroom, Lowe's has absolutely NOTHING that I like, so we trudge off to Home Depot. Get paint at Home Depot, go to Wal-Mart (yes, I hate that place too) to look for curtains (big mistake being less than a week before Xmas, and I break out in cold agoraphobic sweat). Find curtains, come home, move my bed to other bedroom, pile rest of furniture in middle of master bedroom and cover with plastic. I decide this would be a good time to wash the bedclothes since we've been doing some drywall work in the bedroom.

Put part of bedclothes in washer, go back upstairs to continue moving and cleaning master bedroom, go back to basement to get something and notice something doesn't sound quite right. Glance over at water heater and there's water pouring out the bottom! Scream up the stairs at Scott that "FUCK! There's a PROBLEM!" as I run to the other side of the basement where the water cut-off is. We drain the water heater after turning off the gas to it so the leak will stop.

Scott reminds me just how lucky I am that we were home when it happened. "Yeah, I know" I say as I start having flashbacks to my Huntsville house and the "flood of 1998." I loved my house in Huntsville, it was my dream house at the time. I climbed the steps from the garage one day after work, opened the door, and promptly stepped into ankle deep water. The hot water line to the washing machine had burst, apparently, just as I left for work that day, and had flooded my entire house (and the house was on a crawl space, not a slab!). $17,000 and two months later the repairs were finished and I had my house back.

Snapping out of the flashback long enough to realize I had American Home Shield coverage on this house, I called and opened a contract for the water heater to be replaced. They gave me the name of the plumbing company and their number as I hung up the phone.

A quick status check on that contract this morning taught me that the plumbing company didn't have the same urgency about my situation as I did. "We've got you scheduled for Wednesday afternoon or Thursday morning. We'll call first because we have to have voice verification that someone is there before we'll dispatch a truck." Ummm... Wednesday afternoon? I don't think they understand. My (hot) water is off, my water heater is leaking, and I'm in no mood to wait three days; especially since this is the coldest day on record in Atlanta this year (it was 14 degreess when I got up this morning). "Well, you'll have to call American Home Shield and have them escalate this to an emergency. We're booked solid until Thursday."

I spent 15 minutes trying to navigate AHS's voice prompt system (ok, that's probably an exaggeration, but it *felt* like 15 minutes) before I finally found a (GASP!) real person to talk to. He was very polite and understanding while I explained the gravity of the situation, then put me on hold where I got to listen to literally tens of ads for their various partners; from carpet cleaning to house inspections. When he returned, he said he'd just talked to the receptionist at the plumbing company, and that they would dispatch a truck to my house "first thing tomorrow morning."

Well, that was a long way to go for me to explain the title of this entry. This morning, I heated water on the stove in order to wash my hair. It's one of my many quirks. I can't wake up, and I don't feel "good" until my hair has been washed in the morning. As I stood, bent over the sink in the bathroom "lather, rinse, repeat"-ing, I couldn't help but feel a little closer to our forefathers that had no running water, let alone HOT running water.

Tonight, I heated several pots of water on the stove and dumped them into the bathtub to take a bath, and the wonderment of how any of them managed to survive "in the wild" is just beyond me. I'll keep my modern conveniences thank you very much. OK, so I'm missing one right now, but just the same I have no desire to return to the "good ole days" that my grandfather used to talk about. Nope... these are the good ole days, and I'll stay right here. Even if Bush is going to be our president for another four years.

How well do you know your US geography?

Can you pass the 3rd grade?

Place The State

Baby dies after her arms are severed

WARNING: This is a disturbing story! Do not read this if mental images tend to disturb your psyche!

from Yahoo!:

PLANO, Texas - With a calm and dispassionate voice and a hymn playing in the background, Dena Schlosser confessed to the unthinkable, telling a 911 operator she'd cut off the arms of her baby girl.

The woman was sitting in her living room covered with blood when police arrived Monday. Her nearly 11-month-old daughter lay fatally injured in a crib in a bedroom of the family's apartment in Plano. The child died shortly afterward at a nearby hospital.

[...]

Day-care workers called 911 after talking to the mother; an operator then called Schlosser.

Asked if there was an emergency, Schlosser calmly responded "Yes," according to 911 tapes released by police.

"Exactly what happened?" the 911 operator asked.

"I cut her arms off," Schlosser replied, as the hymn "He Touched Me" played in the background.

"You cut her arms off?" he repeated.

"Uh huh," she answered.

[...]

Prayers are requested

My best friend Sherri called earlier tonight, and I could tell immediately when I answered the phone that something was wrong.

I asked her why she was upset, and wasn't prepared for the answer. Sherri started the story by telling me that her cousin, April, had complications in her pregnancy, and was forced to have a C-section birth on Monday. April had married Shane Kielion last year and had recently celebrated their one-year anniversary. Shane was killed Monday in the assault on Fullujah.

Please say a prayer of comfort for April and Sherri's family, for Shane's family, and most of all, please say a prayer that April and Shane's son will grow up in a world without war so that this insanity can end.

The fact that Shane was killed while fighting in an unjustified war on the same day that his son was born is unimaginable to me. Every year, April will celebrate her son's birthday and mourn her husband's death on the same day. That breaks my heart.

OmahaChannel.com and WOWT.com have more information.

Sirius Radio, Air America and me

Thanks to my partner, Scott, I've become hooked on Air America. It plays here in Atlanta on WWAA, AM 1690, from Avondale Estates. But, it's on AM, and while I don't know exactly where their tower is, because of all the tall buildings reception is sketchy at best.

I've been threatening to buy a Sirius radio receiver for several months now, so in order to fuel my new addiction, I went out and bought it today. I got the SIRIUS Sportster (that came with a car kit) at Best Buy and the home kit.

Air America plays on Sirius, as does Sirius Left and OutQ.

Hell there's a ton of stuff (PDF) on Sirius. If you're undecided, check out Yahoo!'s Tech Tuesday from this week.

Ground Zero Suicide Driven by Election

from Yahoo!:

A 25-year-old man from Georgia who was apparently distraught over President Bush's re-election shot and killed himself at ground zero. Andrew Veal's body was found Saturday morning inside the off-limits site, said Steve Coleman, a spokesman for the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey. A shotgun was found nearby, but no suicide note was found, Coleman said.

[...]

Friends said Veal worked in a computer lab at the University of Georgia and was planning to marry.

"I'm absolutely sure it's a protest," Mary Anne Mauney, Veal's supervisor at the lab, told The Daily News. "I don't know what made him commit suicide, but where he did it was symbolic."

Fact? Fiction? Conspiracy Theory?

I'm not calling it anything here, but you can decide for yourself. BELLACIAO has an article with lots of pretty pictures detailing lots of the voting 'irregularities' that have been noticed (and noted) in the 2004 presidential election, not the least of which is the apparent discrepancy between the exit polls and the machine tallies. Also, ustogether.org presents some interesting patterns from Florida's Election Results.

Links via MeFi

4 more years America

I picked this link to ver1go's Livejournal page up off MeFi. Succinct message, and powerful!

If you voted for Bush, didn't vote, or voted no on gay marriage, I hope you get drafted. I hope they stick you in my unit, and you go with me to Iraq when my unit goes back in September. I will laugh when you see what soldiers in that country face on a daily basis. I hope you work with gay soldiers too. I did. One of them saved my life. Think he shouldn't have the right to get married? Fuck you. He fought just as hard as I did and on most days, did his job better than me. Don't tell me gays don't have the same rights you do. Think the war in Iraq is a good thing? I'll donate my M-16 to you and you can go in my place.

Let the book burning begin

from Yahoo!

AUSTIN, Texas - The Texas Board of Education approved new health textbooks for the state's high school and middle school students Friday after the publishers agreed to change the wording to depict marriage as the union of a man and a woman.

[...]

On Wednesday, a board member charged that the proposed new books ran counter to a Texas law banning the recognition of gay civil unions because the texts used terms like "married partners" instead of "husband and wife."

After hearing the debate Thursday, one publisher agreed to include a definition of marriage as a "lifelong union between a husband and a wife." Another changed phrases such as "when two people marry" and "partners" to "when a man and a woman marry" and "husbands and wives."

Board member Mary Helen Berlanga, a Democrat, asked the panel to approve the books without the changes. Her proposal was rejected on a 10-4 vote.

"We're not supposed to make changes at somebody's whim," Berlanga said. "It's a political agenda, and we're not here to follow a political agenda."

Board member Terri Leo, a Republican, said she was pleased with the publisher's changes. She had led the effort to get the publishers to change the texts, objecting to what she called "asexual stealth phrases" such as "individuals who marry."

"Marriage has been defined in Texas, so it should also be defined in our health textbooks that we use as marriage between a man and a woman," Leo said.

[...]

"What Would A Dumbass Republican Do?

from BoingBoing

"WWADRD?

Dear Friends:

If the shoe was on the other foot, What Would a Dumbass Republican Do?

Get depressed?

Get down?

Feel defeated?

Go away?

Refrain from being an obnoxious pain in the ass, 24/7?

Temper his sense of righteous entitlement?

Mute his howls of indignation?

Question his convictions?

Hell, no!

Here's what a Dumbass Republican would do:

Act like a winner in a world full of deluded losers.

Refuse to let the "facts on the ground" deter his belief in what he's got coming.

Drown out polite civil discourse by braying his unshaken beliefs like a stuck pig.

Refuse to shut the fuck up.

Refuse to go away.

Wrap himself in the flag and impugn the patriotism of any who would question his moral superiority.

Wear a big shit-eating grin that gives the other side just a moment of pause as they lay their heads on their pillows at night.

Have a glint in his eye that says, "I may have a shit-eating grin on my face, but I'm just waiting for an opportunity to slip this knife in."

See this not as a defeat, but as an inconvenient mistake.

Friends, join me.

Do not accept.

Do not waver.

Do not shut up.

Do not give comfort with your distress.

Be an unrelenting irritant.

Be a dumbass.

Right now, attitude is everything.

Together, we can help each other bear the present while shortening the time - and it will come - when we prevail."

And Then, They Voted

Forwarded to me by my partner, Scott..

While looking at a new house with my brother, my brother asked the trim and smartly dressed real estate agent which direction was north because, he explained, he didn't want the sun waking him up every morning. She asked, "Does the sun rise in the north?" I quickly jumped in and explained that the sun rises in the east -- and has for some time. She shook her head and said, "Oh, I don't keep up with that stuff." And then she voted.

I used to work in technical support for a 24x7 call center. One day I got a call from an Individual who asked what hours the call center was open. I told him, "The number you dialed is open 24 hours a day, 7 days a week". He responded, "Is that Eastern or Pacific time?" Wanting to end the call quickly, I said, "Uh. Pacific." And then he voted.

So my colleague and I were eating our lunch in our cafeteria, when we overheard one of the admin assistants talking about the sunburn she got on her weekend drive to the shore. She drove down in a convertible, but "didn't think she'd get sunburned because the car was moving." And then she voted.

My sister has a lifesaving tool in her car. It's designed to cut through a seat belt if she gets trapped. She keeps it in the passenger side door's map pocket. And then she voted.

My friends and I were on a beer run and noticed that the cases were discounted 10%. Since it was a big party, we bought two cases. The cashier multiplied two times 10% and gave us a 20% discount. And then they all voted.

I was hanging out with a friend of mine when we saw a woman walk by us with a nose ring attached to an earring by a chain. My friend said, "Wouldn't the chain rip out every time she turned her head?" I had to explain to her that a person's nose and ear remain the same distance apart no matter which way the head is turned. And then she voted.

My girlfriend and I were picking up some sandwiches from the sub place last week and she asked the clerk which one of two sandwiches was better. The clerk didn't have an opinion but did say that the first sandwich was more expensive. My girlfriend got a quizzical look on her face and asked, "If that's the case, why are they both listed with the same price on the menu?" To this, the clerk responded, "I don't think they tax the turkey." And then he voted.

My wife and I were trying to find a carry-on suitcase in one of those huge discount stores and had become hopelessly lost. We stopped and asked a department manager where we might find suitcases. "Did you try in Luggage?" she asked, and returned to what she was doing. And then she voted.

I couldn't find my luggage at the airport baggage area. So I went to the lost luggage office and told the woman there that my bags never showed up. She smiled and told me not to worry because they were trained professionals and I was in good hands. "Now," She asked me, "has your plane arrived yet?" And then she voted.

George W. Bush continues as the President of the US

Senator John Kerry conceded the election to President George W. Bush in a phone call this morning. Congratulations to George W. Bush for actually winning the popular vote this time, and congratulations to John Kerry for conceding the election, and not dragging this country's elections through the courts again.

But, with Republicans in control of both the House and the Senate, a sitting Republican President, and 28 Republican Governors, I, as a citizen of the United States expect this government to produce more than higher gas prices, more wars, and more alienated countries across the planet.

The next four years will be interesting, to say the least. If Bush continues the divisive, conservative political agenda he's shown in the past four, if he continues to erode our personal rights, our privacy, and continues to endorse discrimination in the form of constitutional amendments the deny rights to a group of citizens, the balance of power will shift the other way in the next elections.

The majority of Americans have voted for Republican rule in this country. And now we have it. Be careful what you wish for, America.... you just might get it.

from Dan Gillmor:

The Republicans have an even stronger congressional majority. They have shown how gladly ruthless they can be in using their power. Bush and his allies have never believed in compromise. They have even less incentive to govern from the middle now, even though the nation remains bitterly divided.

There's no secret about what's coming. We don't have that excuse this time.

Here comes more fiscal recklessness -- as we widen the chasm between the ultra-wealthy and everyone else, cementing a plutocracy into our national fiber, we'll pay our national bills on the Treasury Bill credit card for the next few years. Many economists expect a Brazil-like financial crisis to hit the U.S. before the end of the decade. If we muddle our way though the near term, we'll still have left our kids with the bill.

Here comes an expansion of the American empire abroad, a fueling of fear and loathing elsewhere on the globe. This is also unsustainable in the end. Empire breeds disrespect.

Our civil liberties will shrink drastically. This president and his top allies in Congress fully support just one amendment in the Bill of Rights, the Second Amendment's right to bear arms. Say goodbye to abortion rights in most states. Roe v. Wade will fall after this president pushes three or four Scalia and Thomas legal clones onto the Supreme Court. Say hello, meanwhile, to a much more intrusive blending of church and state.

The environment? We'll be nostalgic for Ronald Reagan's time in office.

This is not sour grapes. This is reality.

I hope, but doubt, that the Democrats re-discover enough of their collective spine to block the most extreme moves. If they do it'll be a change for a party that stands for so little these days.

People say there are two Americas. I think there are at least three.

One is Bush's America: an amalgam of the extreme Christian "conservatives," corporate interests and the builders of the burgeoning national-security state.

Another is the Democratic "left": wedded to the old, discredited politics in a time that demands creative thinking.

I suspect there's a third America: members of an increasingly radical middle that will become more obvious in the next few years, tolerant of those who are different and aware that the big problems of our times are being ignored -- or made worse -- by those in power today.

That third America needs a candidate. Or, maybe, a new party.

Transcript: Bin Laden's Message

Offered without comment or prejudice... just read it

MSNBC.com

Bush Relatives For Kerry (.com)

"Bush Relatives for Kerry" grew out of a series of conversations that took place between a group of people that have two things in common: they are all related to George Walker Bush, and they are all voting for John Kerry. As the election approaches, we feel it is our responsibility to speak out about why we are voting for John Kerry, and to do our small part to help America heal from the sickness it has suffered since George Bush was appointed President in 2000. We invite you to read our stories, and please, don't vote for our cousin! [...]

Texans for Truth

The Texans For Truth have a new ad on their home page. Check it out.

George W. Bush - Because He Says So

Words speak louder than actions

Take a look at all the videos, images, and links on No Bush in '04! A collection of various media

Zell on Earth

Compliments of the always great, always on target, One Good Move

Part 1
Part 2

Iraq had no banned weapons stocks

Continuing the piont that John Edwards was driving home last night in the Vice Presidential debates of the fact that the current administration has continuously mislead the American People and distorted the truth:

From Yahoo! News

Iraq had no stockpiles of biological and chemical weapons before last year's U.S.-led invasion and its nuclear program had decayed since the 1991 Gulf War, a weapons inspector appointed by the Bush administration said on Wednesday.

[...]

"I still do not expect that militarily significant WMD stocks are cached in Iraq," Charles Duelfer, the CIA special adviser who led the hunt for weapons of mass destruction, said in testimony prepared for the Senate Armed Services Committee obtained by Reuters.

He said Iraq's nuclear weapons program had deteriorated since the 1991 Gulf War, but he said Saddam did not abandon his nuclear ambitions.

The issue has figured prominently in the campaign for the Nov. 2 U.S. presidential election, with Bush's Democratic opponent John Kerry saying Bush rushed to war without allowing U.N. inspections enough time to check out Iraq's armaments.

Duelfer's conclusion tallied with that of his predecessor, David Kay, who said when he stepped down in January that no large stockpiles of biological and chemical weapons existed in Iraq when the United States went to war.

Duelfer said that "despite Saddam's expressed desire to retain the knowledge of his nuclear team, and his attempts to retain some key parts of the program (after 1991), during the course of the following 12 years Iraq's ability to produce a weapon decayed."

[...]

"While it is clear that Saddam wanted a long-range missile, there was little work done on warheads. It is apparent that he drew the line at that point ... so long as sanctions remained," Duelfer said.

[...]

The latest fall fashions

This link comes to us via the Gay and Lesbian email list at work:

Bush's Fall Fashions

Congratulations to SpaceShipOne

SpaceShipOne has successfully taken the $10 million prize for reaching space two times in less than a week. Congratulations to everybody involved!

"We are proud to announce that SpaceShipOne has made two flights to 100 kilometers (62 miles) and has won the Ansari X Prize," Peter Diamandis, founder of the X Prize announced to reporters at Mojave airport.

Yahoo!

Dollywood plans $5 million expansion

from WATE Channel 6

Dollywood plans to begin a $5 million renovation and expansion project in November that will allow the theme park to handle more visitors comfortably and safely.

The theme park wants to make better use of one of its popular theme areas, Country Fair.

By the start of next season, Country Fair will have more than double the capacity it has now, allowing the theme park to drawing more people into the Pigeon Forge area, like the McInturff family.

"It's fun. The kids like it," said Tracy McInturff. "The park keeps expanding and they have a lot of fun here, so we just keep coming back to come up here and camp," added husband Andy.

Ten new rides will be added to the Country Fair area, four of which will be exclusively for children. Some of the new rides will replace existing ones.

[...]

Bush's Top Ten Flip-Flops

CBS News has published what it calls the top ten list of Shrub's flip-flops. (via BoingBoing)

The charge of "flip-flopping" has resounded throughout the presidential race, with the Bush campaign repeatedly accusing Sen. John Kerry of changing his mind on the issues. The Kerry campaign, in turn, has declared that Mr. Bush is the one doing the flip-flopping.

CBSNews.com Chief Political Writer David Paul Kuhn looks at the record and finds both men are correct. Here, the president's most notable flip-flops.

"We found the weapons of mass destruction. We found biological laboratories."(May 29, 2003)

"I recognize we didn't find the stockpiles [of weapons] we all thought were there." (Sept. 9, 2004)

[...]

Same-Sex Marriage

During the 2000 campaign, Mr. Bush said he was against federal intervention regarding the issue of same-sex marriage. In an interview with CNN's Larry King, he said, states "can do what they want to do" on the issue. Vice President Cheney took the same stance.

Four year later, this past February, Mr. Bush announced his support for an amendment to the Constitution that defines marriage as being exclusively between men and women. The amendment would forbid states from doing "what they want to do" on same-sex marriage.

Citing recent decisions by “activist judges” in states like Massachusetts, Mr. Bush defended his reversal. Critics point out that well before the 2000 presidential race, a judge in Hawaii ruled in December 1996 that there was no compelling reason for withholding marriage from same-sex couples.

Winning the War on Terror

"I don't think you can win it," Mr. Bush said of the war on terror in August. In an interview on NBC's "Today" show, he said, “I think you can create conditions so that . . . those who use terror as a tool are less acceptable in parts of the world."

Before the month closed, Mr. Bush reversed himself at the American Legion national convention in Nashville. He said: "We meet today in a time of war for our country, a war we did not start yet one that we will win." He later added, “we are winning, and we will win."

[...]

Bush's Hometown Newspaper Endorses Kerry

from Yahoo!

CRAWFORD, Texas - A tiny weekly newspaper that bills itself as President Bush's hometown paper has endorsed John Kerry for president, saying the Massachusetts senator will restore American dignity.

The Lone Star Iconoclast, which has a weekly circulation of 425, said in an editorial dated Sept. 29 that Texans should rate the candidates not by hometown or political party, but by where they intend to take the country.

"Four items trouble us the most about the Bush administration: his initiatives to disable the Social Security system, the deteriorating state of the American economy, a dangerous shift away from the basic freedoms established by our founding fathers, and his continuous mistakes regarding Iraq," the editorial said.

The Iconoclast, established in 2000, said it editorialized in support of the invasion of Iraq and publisher W. Leon Smith promoted Bush and the invasion in a BBC interview, believing Saddam Hussein possessed weapons of mass destruction.

"Instead we were duped into following yet another privileged agenda," the editorial said.

The newspaper praised Kerry for "30 years of experience looking out for the American people" and lauded his background as "a highly decorated Vietnam veteran."

Hairdressers on strike?

What the hell? Did her hairdresser take an inopportune day off?

via the always fabulous A Socialite's Life

Today's Bill Schorr Political Cartoon

Kerry's a waffler? Umm, hello pot, this is the kettle

Can we win the war on terror? I personally don't think so. This is an unwinnable war. Just as there will always be somebody with more money, more stuff, a faster car, etc, there will always be some suicidal/homicidal, sufficiently motivated individual who is willing to sacrifice their life so that others may die and strike fear into the hearts of others.

Watch Bush say "I don't think you can win it [the war on terror]" on the always incredible onegoodmove.

Now, read today's news story on Yahoo! where he says

"We meet today in a time of war for our country, a war we did not start, but one that we will win," Bush told the group.

"It's a different type of war. We may never sit down at a peace table, but make no mistake about it, we are winning and we will win," he added.

GMail invitations

I have four Gmail invites to give away. The first four people (not including comment spammers) to request one by putting a comment on this entry gets one each. Please include your email address in the box provided when making a comment so I know where to send the invite (don't include your email address in the comment box, as the spambots will get it).

UPDATE: I do not have any more invitations

I guess this confirms it...I'm an @sshole

I AM 62% ASSHOLE/BITCH! I am abrasive, some people really hate me, but there may be a group of other tight knit assholes and bitches that I can hang out with and get me. Everybody else? Fuck ‘em. Take the ASSHOLE/BITCH test at Fuali.com

Iraq Olympic Soccer Coach Takes Issue With Bush Commercial

The Iraqi Olympic Soccer coach says Iraq "should not be seen as a symbol of freedom" as Iraq is still under occupation. Bush began running ads that portray the flags of Iraq and Afghanistan along with a narrator saying "At this Olympics there will be two more free nations -- and two fewer terrorist regimes." I've not seen the ad, but it amazes me the level of misdirection and untruths the Bush regime will employ.

Yahoo!

Iraq's Olympic soccer coach said Monday his side should not be seen as a symbol of freedom, taking issue with a campaign commercial for President Bush.

[...]

"You cannot speak about a team that represents freedom. We do not have freedom in Iraq, we have an occupying force. This is one of our most miserable times," he said.

"Freedom is just a word for the media. We are living in hard times, under occupation."

[...]

He said the violence which continues to afflict Iraq, more than a year after Bush declared major combat there was over, meant the team could not fully enjoy its success.

"To be honest with you, even our happiness at winning is not happiness because we are worried about the problems in Iraq, all the daily problems that our people face back home, so to tell you the truth, we are not really happy," he said.

The International Olympic Committee said it had not been in touch with the Bush campaign about its use of the Games in the commercial. National Olympic committees own the rights to the Olympic name and symbols in their countries, a spokeswoman said.

Haven't you wanted to do this just once?

http://www.ebaumsworld.com/girlsinging.html

Julia Child - dead at 91

Farewell, Julia!

Yahoo!

Julia Child, the grande dame of U.S. television cooking shows and books, has died aged 91, her publisher said on Friday.

Alfred A. Knopf said in a statement she died in her sleep on Thursday at her Santa Barbara, California, home.

Top Ten Conservative Idiots

The Democratic Underground runs a weekly piece called The Top Ten Conservative Idiots. This week's?

1. Swift Boat Veterans for "Truth"
2. Dick Cheney
3. Florida GOP
4. Team Bush
5. George W. Bush
6. Richard Shelby
7. Team Bush
8. James Hart
9. The New York Post
10. George W. Bush

The other co-author of Unfit for Command, Jerome R. Corsi, PhD, has in the past called Islam "a worthless, dangerous Satanic religion"; said of Muslims that, "RAGHEADS are Boy-Bumpers as clearly as they are Women-Haters - it all goes together"; said of Catholics that, "Boy buggering in both Islam and Catholicism is okay with the Pope as long as it isn't reported by the liberal press"; said of John Kerry, "After he married TerRAHsa, didn't John Kerry begin practicing Judiasm? He also has paternal grandparents that were Jewish. What religion is John Kerry?"; and said of Sen. Hillary Clinton, "Anybody ask why HELLary couldn't keep BJ Bill satisfied? Not lesbo or anything, is she?"

Thanks to ThisIsTheShit.org for the link!

Terror Alert vs. Approval Rating

Link via the ever fabulous MeFi

The folks over at JuliasBlog have been hard at work again, graphing Dubyah's approval rating according to the polls vs. Terror Alerts. Take a look, it's certainly interesting to watch his regime play public opinion like it was a harp.

Timeline of terror alerts

JuliusBlog link via MeFi

Also see The Minister of Fear (Flash required)

And which part of this suprises us?

It seems Dubyah (aka Shrub) misspoke as he spoke at the signing ceremory for a $417 billion defense spending bill...or did he?

"Our enemies are innovative and resourceful, and so are we," Bush said. "They never stop thinking about new ways to harm our country and our people, and neither do we."

Link to Yahoo! via Prate

Penis Pretzel

No, it's not what you're thinking! But, it is an interesting take on some old favorites. Warning, may not be safe for work, depending on how prudish your IT folks are!

Link to porn-bread.com via Fleshbot

What kind of trees are used to make telephone poles?

Ask Yahoo!

[...]

According to the web site of one phone company, the most common type of tree used is the chestnut. Chestnut trees are fairly common and can grow up to 100 feet. Their wood is strong, easy to work with, and rot-resistant, making them the ideal material for telecommunication poles.

And at a woodworking web site, we learned that several types of pine trees are used as well.

If you're interested in identifying the wood of a particular pole, look for a two-letter code that is either burned into the pole or noted on a metal plate. This identifies the type of tree that gave its life in the interests of clearer communication.

subservient president

Following in the footsteps of the Subservient Chicken, moveon.org supplies us with the Subservient President.

Link via boing boing

Nancy Reagan to GOP: I want nothing to do with you

link via the fabulous Blogula Rasa

It seems Nancy Reagan is coming out in opposition to Dubyah's re-election, and the GOP in general. According to the article, the split is over stem-cell research, which is one of the most promising possible treatments for people with Alzheimer's.

From the Capitol Hill Blue article:

The widow of former President, and Republican icon, Ronald Reagan has told the GOP she wants nothing to do with their upcoming national convention or the re-election campaign of President George W. Bush.

[...]

“Mrs. Reagan does not support President Bush’s re-election and neither to most members of the President’s family,” says a spokesman for the former First Lady.

[...]

The Reagans’ split with Bush and the party centers around stem cell research which many believe can help find a cure for Alzheimer’s, the disease that crippled President Reagan in his final years. Bush and the ultra-conservative wing of the Republican Party oppose use of new stem cells. The Reagans, with the exception of Michael, support such use.

There’s more to the feud than that, however. Nancy Reagan has told close followers she believes Bush and the current Republican leadership have divided America with their extreme views. She has told Republican leaders she wants nothing to do with the party or Bush.

[...]

Federal Court OKs Ban on Sale of Sex Toys

from Associated Press

BIRMINGHAM, Ala. - A federal appeals court Wednesday upheld a 1998 Alabama law banning the sale of sex toys in the state, ruling the Constitution doesn't include a right to sexual privacy.

In a 2-1 decision overturning a lower court, a three-judge panel of the 11th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals said the state has a right to police the sale of devices that can be sexually stimulating.

The American Civil Liberties Union, which represented merchants and users who sued to overturn the law, asked the appeals court to rule that the Constitution included a right to sexual privacy that the ban on sex toy sales would violate. The court declined, indicating such a decision could lead down other paths.

"If the people of Alabama in time decide that a prohibition on sex toys is misguided, or ineffective, or just plain silly, they can repeal the law and be finished with the matter," the court said.

[...]

[begin sarcasm] How proud am I of my home state? [end sarcasm]

Bush Attempts to Block Consumer Drug Lawsuits

Link via MeFi:

from SFGate.com:

The Bush administration has been going to court to block lawsuits by consumers who say they have been injured by prescription drugs and medical devices.

The administration contends that consumers cannot recover damages for such injuries if the products have been approved by the Food and Drug Administration. In court papers, the Justice Department acknowledges that this position reflects a "change in governmental policy," and it has persuaded some judges to accept its arguments, most recently scoring a victory in the federal appeals court in Philadelphia.

Allowing consumers to sue manufacturers would "undermine public health" and interfere with federal regulation of drugs and devices by encouraging "lay judges and juries to second-guess" experts at the FDA, the government said in siding with the maker of a heart pump sued by the widow of a Pennsylvania man. Moreover, it said, if such lawsuits succeed, some good products may be removed from the market, depriving patients of beneficial treatments.

[...]

The Minister of Fear

The Minister of Fear

Bush Vs. Kerry: Track The *REAL* Winner

from MeFi:

According to multiple recent nationwide polls, the presidential race is a dead heat, with the spread within the margin of error. Some have Bush by a couple points, some say Kerry by a couple. But take a look at the way the race is represented by www.electoral-vote.com, which tracks polls state-by-state and takes electoral votes into account.

Nothing Grows Under A Bush

http://www.viciouspit.com/

Barber Motorsports Museum

Seeing as how Scott and I are both on vacation this week, we figured we'd take a day trip and do some of the touristy things you're supposed to do when you're on vacation. In May of 2003, Barber Motorsports opened a new race track just east of Birmingham, AL. The track itself is incredible, with the only complaint being that the track is "too technical," (meaning racers can't win by accelerator alone). In March of 2003, the Barber Motorsports Museum opened with very little fanfare, but by July, it was known throughout the world.

The Barber Motorsports Museum houses one of the largest privately owned collections of vintage and current motorcycles in the world. Many of the motorcycles are constantly being rotated out of the Birmingham facility on loan to other museums around the country and the world. The museum has it's own machine shop, paint shop, and several full-time technicians and restorers to work on any new acquisitons that come in.

The Museum and Racetrack are about 150 miles due west of Atlanta, so Scott and I drove over there today to visit the museum. To call the collection and the museum building itself awe-inspiring doesn't do justice to either. For us to have the opportunity to see in person the things that most people only ever get to read about is an incredible opportunity. The building (the front of which is pictured above) is six stories tall, with the entire rear of the bulding solid glass overlooking one of the turns and a straight-away of the Barber Racetrack. Inside the building, a huge spiral walkway with an oversized elevator in the center allows guests access to all five floors of the museum, plus the basement level where the mechanics and restorers work for a total of over 141,000 sq. feet of floor space.

How many of you have ever seen a Norvin? or a Hercules Wankel 2000 (with a rotary Wankel engine) motorcycle? or how about a BMW with sidecar that was actually used during World War I? Or a Cushman Eagle? Or a 1946 Indian Chief (pictured here).

If you enjoy motorcycles, whether it's riding, collecting, or admiring, go to the Barber Motorsports Museum in Birmingham. It's certainly well worth the $10.00 admission price!

I'll get pictures up soon on my other site, and will provide some better links here.

Bushies giving churches campaign "timeline"

According to this news article on Yahoo!, (link via MeFi) the Bushies are circulating an "instruction sheet" to religious volunteers that lists 22 duties to be performed by specific dates! I've blogged about this before, but until now, we didn't have the specific.

By July 31, for example, volunteers are to "send your Church Directory to your State Bush-Cheney '04 Headquarters or give [it] to a BC04 Field Rep" and "Talk to your Pastor about holding a Citizenship Sunday and Voter Registration Drive."

By Aug. 15, they are to "talk to your Church's seniors or 20-30 something group about Bush/Cheney '04" and "recruit 5 more people in your church to volunteer for the Bush Cheney campaign."

By Sept. 17, they are to host at least two campaign-related potluck dinners with church members, and in October they are to "finish calling all Pro-Bush members of your church," "finish distributing Voter Guides in your church" and place notices on church bulletin boards or in Sunday programs "about all Christian citizens needing to vote."

The document was provided to The Washington Post by a Democrat. A spokesman for the Internal Revenue Service (news - web sites), Frank Keith, said, "It would be inappropriate for the IRS, based on a limited set of facts and circumstances, to render a judgment about whether the activities in this document would or would not endanger a church's tax-exempt status."

He pointed out, however, that the IRS on June 10 sent a strongly worded letter to both the Republican and Democratic national committees, reminding them that tax-exempt charitable groups "are prohibited from directly or indirectly participating or intervening in any political campaign on behalf of, or in opposition to, any candidate for public office."

That warning came one week after The Post and other news media reported on a Bush-Cheney campaign e-mail that sought to identify 1,600 "friendly congregations" in Pennsylvania where Bush supporters "might gather on a regular basis."

The IRS letter noted that religious organizations are allowed to sponsor debates, distribute voter guides and conduct voter registration drives. But if those efforts show "a preference for or against a certain candidate or party . . . it becomes a prohibited activity," the letter said.

Cassini-Huygens

A group of friends and I were sitting around a table in front of Starbucks this morning discussing the Cassini-Huygens probe's orbital insertion (huh huh huh, I said probe's insertion) around Saturn.

Cassini is about 934 million miles from Earth now and has been sending back some incredible pictures.

Inevitably, when you have a bunch of engineer-y type folks chatting, the conversation eventually turns techy, and this conversation was no exception. Talk eventually turned to how long it takes for the spacecraft to send the images back. Assuming the entire image could be sent in one packet (unrealistic, I know), and the speed of light to be 186,000 miles per second, a image taken by Cassini at this very instant wouldn't be received by the Earth stations until almost 84 minutes later (83.69 minutes)!

Oh, what to do with myself

Beginning Monday, I'm taking two weeks off from work. I need it, too. I've become even more bitchy, moody, and tempermental than I normally am.

I know Clack has been slow lately, and all the stupid people at the office are the reason. By the time I get home every night I don't want to do anything.

I'm hoping a couple of weeks off will let me unwind and get back to being a little more grounded..

Keep Your Jesus off my Pen Is

Almost certainly not safe for work, but absolutely hysterical! Keep Your Jesus Off My Penis

Link via MeFi

Dubyah interviewed

If you haven't already seen this, you should!

Interview of the President by Radio and Television Ireland

The link's busy, so you may have to try a few times.

Also, if you're interested, here's the official transcript:

Q Mr. President, you're going to arrive in Ireland in about 24 hours' time, and no doubt you will be welcomed by our political leaders. Unfortunately, the majority of our public do not welcome your visit because they're angry over Iraq, they're angry over Abu Ghraib. Are you bothered by what Irish people think?

THE PRESIDENT: Listen, I hope the Irish people understand the great values of our country. And if they think that a few soldiers represents the entirety of America, they don't really understand America then.

There have been great ties between Ireland and America, and we've got a lot of Irish Americans here that are very proud of their heritage and their country. But, you know, they must not understand if they're angry over Abu Ghraib -- if they say, this is what America represents, they don't understand our country, because we don't represent that. We are a compassionate country. We're a strong country, and we'll defend ourselves -- but we help people. And we've helped the Irish and we'll continue to do so. We've got a good relationship with Ireland.

Q And they're angry over Iraq, as well, and particularly the continuing death toll there.

THE PRESIDENT: Well, I can understand that. People don't like war. But what they should be angry about is the fact that there was a brutal dictator there that had destroyed lives and put them in mass graves and had torture rooms. Listen, I wish they could have seen the seven men that came to see me in the Oval Office -- they had their right hands cut off by Saddam Hussein because the currency had devalued when he was the leader. And guess what happened? An American saw the fact that they had had their hands cut off and crosses -- or Xs carved in their forehead. And he flew them to America. And they came to my office with a new hand, grateful for the generosity of America, and with Saddam Hussein's brutality in their mind.

Look, Saddam Hussein had used weapons of mass destruction against his own people, against the neighborhood. He was a brutal dictator who posed a threat -- such a threat that the United Nations voted unanimously to say, Mr. Saddam Hussein --

Q Indeed, Mr. President, but you didn't find the weapons of mass destruction.

THE PRESIDENT: Let me finish. Let me finish. May I finish?

He said -- the United Nations said, disarm or face serious consequences. That's what the United Nations said. And guess what? He didn't disarm. He didn't disclose his arms. And, therefore, he faced serious consequences. But we have found a capacity for him to make a weapon. See, he had the capacity to make weapons. He was dangerous. And no one can argue that the world is better off with Saddam -- if Saddam Hussein were in power.

Q But, Mr. President, the world is a more dangerous place today. I don't know whether you can see that or not.

THE PRESIDENT: Why do you say that?

Q There are terrorist bombings every single day. It's now a daily event. It wasn't like that two years ago.

THE PRESIDENT: What was it like September the 11th, 2001? It was a -- there was a relative calm, we --

Q But it's your response to Iraq that's considered --

THE PRESIDENT: Let me finish. Let me finish, please. Please. You ask the questions and I'll answer them, if you don't mind.

On September the 11th, 2001, we were attacked in an unprovoked fashion. Everybody thought the world was calm. And then there have been bombings since then -- not because of my response to Iraq. There were bombings in Madrid. There were bombings in Istanbul. There were bombings in Bali. There were killings in Pakistan.

Q Indeed, Mr. President, and I think Irish people understand that. But I think there is a feeling that the world has become a more dangerous place because you have taken the focus off al Qaeda and diverted into Iraq. Do you not see that the world is a more dangerous place? I saw four of your soldiers lying dead on the television the other day, a picture of four soldiers just lying there without their flight jackets.

THE PRESIDENT: Listen, nobody cares more about the death than I do --

Q Is there a point or place --

THE PRESIDENT: Let me finish, please. Please. Let me finish, and then you can follow up, if you don't mind.

Nobody cares more about the deaths than I do. I care about it a lot. But I do believe the world is a safer place and becoming a safer place. I know that a free Iraq is going to be a necessary part of changing the world. Listen, people join terrorist organizations because there's no hope and there's no chance to raise their families in a peaceful world where there is not freedom. And so the idea is to promote freedom, and at the same time protect our security. And I do believe the world is becoming a better place, absolutely.

Q Mr. President, you are a man who has a great faith in God. I've heard you say many times that you strive to serve somebody greater than yourself.

THE PRESIDENT: Right.

Q Do you believe that the hand of God is guiding you in this war on terror?

THE PRESIDENT: Listen, I think that God -- that my relationship with God is a very personal relationship. And I turn to the good Lord for strength. And I turn to the good Lord for guidance. I turn to the good Lord for forgiveness.

But the God I know is not one that -- the God I know is one that promotes peace and freedom. But I get great sustenance from my personal relationship. That doesn't make me think I'm a better person than you are, by the way. Because one of the great admonitions in the Good Book is, don't try to take a speck out of your eye if I've got a log in my own.

Q You're going to meet Bertie Ahern when you arrive in Shannon Airport tomorrow. I guess he went out on a limb for you, presumably because of the great friendship between our two countries. Can you look him in the eye when you get there and say, it will be worth it, it will work out?

THE PRESIDENT: Absolutely. I wouldn't be doing this, I wouldn't have made the decisions I did if I didn't think the world would be better. Of course. I'm not going to put people in harm's way, our young, if I didn't think the world would be better. And --

Q Why is it that others --

THE PRESIDENT: Let me finish.

And so, yes, I can turn to my friend, Bertie Ahern, and say, thank you, thanks for helping, and I appreciate it very much. And there will be other challenges, by the way.

Q Why is it that others don't understand what you're about?

THE PRESIDENT: I don't know. History will judge what I'm about. But I'm the kind of person, I don't really try to chase popular polls, or popularity polls. My job is to do my job and make the decisions that I think are important for our country and for the world. And I argue strongly that the world is better off because of the decisions I have made -- along with others. America is not in this alone. One of our greatest allies of -- in the world is your neighbor, Great Britain. Tony Blair has been a strong advocate for not only battling terrorists, but promoting freedom, for which I am grateful.

Let me say one other thing about America that your viewers must know -- is that not only are we working hard to promote security and peace, we're also working to eradicate famine and disease. There is no more generous country on the face of the earth than the United States of America, when it comes to fighting HIV/AIDS. As a matter of fact, it was my initiative --

Q Indeed, that's understood --

THE PRESIDENT: -- my initiative, that asked Congress to spend $15 billion over five years to battle this pandemic. And we're following through on it. And no other country in the world feeds more of the hungry than the United States. We're a compassionate nation.

Q Mr. President, I know your time is tight, can I move you on to Europe? Are you satisfied that you are getting enough help in Iraq from European countries? You have come together, you are more friendly now -- but they're not really stepping up to the plate with help, are they?

THE PRESIDENT: Well, I think, first of all, most of Europe supported the decision in Iraq. And, really, what you're talking about is France, isn't it? And they didn't agree with my decision. They did vote for the U.N. Security Council resolution that said, disclose, disarm or face serious consequences. We just had a difference of opinion about when you say something, do you mean it.

But, nevertheless, there's no doubt in my mind President Chirac would like to see a free and democratic and whole Iraq emerge. And same in Afghanistan. They've been very helpful in Afghanistan. They're willing to forgive debt in Iraq. But most European countries are very supportive and are participating in the reconstruction of Iraq.

Q And how do you see the handover going? The next few weeks are going to be crucial. Can democracy really flourish with the violence that's going on? A hundred Iraqis dead today, Mr. President.

THE PRESIDENT: I don't like death, either. I mean, you keep emphasizing the death and I don't blame you -- but all that goes to show is the nature of the enemy. These people are willing to kill innocent people. They're willing to slaughter innocent people to stop the advance of freedom. And so the free world has to make a choice: Do we cower in the face of terror, or do we lead in the face of terror?

And I'm going to lead in the face of terror. We will not let these terrorists dash the hopes and ambitions of the people of Iraq. There's some kind of attitude that says, oh, gosh, the terrorists attacked, let's let the Iraqis suffer more. We're not going to let them suffer more. We're going to work with them. And I'm most proud of this fellow, Prime Minister Allawi. He's strong and he's tough. He says to me, Mr. President, don't leave our country, help us secure our country so we can be free.

Q Indeed, Mr. President, just to get back to that. Can I just turn to the Middle East --

THE PRESIDENT: Sure.

Q -- and you will be discussing at the EU summit and the idea of bringing democracy to the broader Middle East.

THE PRESIDENT: Right.

Q Is that something that really should start, though, with the solving of the Israeli-Palestinian crisis?

THE PRESIDENT: Well, I think, first of all, you've got a democracy in Turkey. And you've got a democracy emerging in Afghanistan. You've got a democracy in Pakistan. In other words --

Q But shouldn't that be on the top of the list --

THE PRESIDENT: Please. Please. Please, for a minute, okay. It'll be better if you let me finish my answers, and then you can follow up, if you don't mind.

What I'm telling you is democracy can emerge at the same time that a democracy can emerge in the Palestinian state. I'm the first American President to have called for the establishment of a Palestinian state, the first one to do so. Because I believe it is in the Palestinian people's interest; I believe it's in Israel's interest. And, yes, we're working. But we can do more than, you know, one thing at a time. And we are working on the road map with the Quartet, to advance the process down the road.

Like Iraq, the Palestinian and the Israeli issue is going to require good security measures. And --

Q And a bit more even-handedness from America?

THE PRESIDENT: -- and we're working on security measures. And America -- I'm the first President to ever have called for a Palestinian state. That's, to me, sounds like a reasonable, balanced approach. But I will not allow terrorists to determine the fate -- as best I can, determine the fate of people who want to be free.

Q Mr. President, thank you very much for talking to us.

THE PRESIDENT: You're welcome.

END 4:19 P.M. EDT

Conspiracy theories abound

Entertaing Flash site, presenting the conspiracy theory that Osama Bin Laden has already been captured and the Bushies are waiting for the right moment to roll him into the public eye

http://www.bushflash.com/lotto.html

US Army Told Not To Use Israeli Bullets in Iraq

I should probably start a special WTF?! category in Clack, since this would certainly belong there. According to this Reuters/Yahoo! article, US soldiers are being told that, under no circumstances, should bullets that were purchased from Israel Military Industries, Ltd be used in Iraq except for training purposes.

Since the Army has other stockpiled ammunition, "by no means, under any circumstances should a round (from Israel) be utilized," said Rep. Neil Abercrombie of Hawaii, the top Democrat on a House of Representatives Armed Services subcommittee with jurisdiction over land forces.

The Army contracted with Israel Military Industries Ltd. in December for $70 million in small-caliber ammunition.

[...]

Although the Army should not have to worry about "political correctness," Abercrombie was making a valid point about the propaganda pitfalls of using Israeli rounds in the U.S.-declared war on terror, said Rep. Curt Weldon, the Pennsylvania Republican who chairs the subcommittee on tactical air and land forces.

"There's a sensitivity that I think all of us recognize," Weldon told the Army witnesses, including Maj. Gen. Buford Blount, who led the U.S. Third Infantry Division that captured Baghdad in April 2003.

Also, in the same article, Maj. Gen. Buford Blount, now the Army's assistant deputy chief of staff, said the Army's needs will grow to about 1.5 billion to 1.7 billion rounds a year in coming years.

Does this imply that everybody already knows we're going to be fighting this (and possibly other) war for many years to come against increasing resistance and hostility? Would this also imply that Dubyah's declaration of the winning of the war in Iraq was bullshit?

Colin Farrell's B-I-G scene

Apparently, Colin Farrell is "gifted" in the crotch department. According to Eonline/Yahoo!, a full-frontal scene is his upcoming movie, A Home at the End of the World, had to be cut from the film because his endowment disrupted the flow of the movie.

Members of both sexes cheered at the unrobed Irishman during a test audience screening of the flick recently, disrupting what was supposed to be a poignant scene, according to the New York Post. (In a slightly differing account, the New York Daily News reported that the audience "gasped.")

But, fear not, you seekers of the knowledge....according to rumor, the scene will be left in the DVD version of the movie.

"Here Comes Da Judge"

OK, forgive the title of this entry, but I just couldn't resist. Sapulpa District (in Oklahoma) Judge Donald Thompson has been accused of (among other things we'll get to later) masturbating while in the courtroom.

All quotes from