8
Aug
I think most the media and public will be keeping their eyes on Connecticut. It’s a heck of a good race to follow. However, I personally will be watching Atlanta.
Eugene Volokh reports but offers no opinion:
The September 11, 2001, terrorist attacks were orchestrated by the U.S. government, according to a book to be released later this month by Westminster John Knox Press — a division of the denominational publisher for the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.).
Christian Faith and the Truth Behind 9/11: A Call to Reflection and Action is the third book on the subject by David Ray Griffin, a professor emeritus of theology at Claremont School of Theology who is also a well-published and prominent process theologian.
I’ll just offer my opinion. I’m really not going to look this guy up. I prefer people who deal with facts moreso than people who attempt to profit from people’s faith. People using faith to promote their politics is what’s got this world in the mess it’s in now in the first place. What’s the difference philosophically between this garbage and the Hezbollahs preaching inflamatory politics to their followers? None. They are both using religion to promote fear and hate and I’ve had enough of it.
7
Aug
This is just plain stupid:
Now, here’s the logo the NCAA is so upset with:
Note to NCAA, Indians don’t grow feathers, birds do. Now, wanna see the kicker to this stupid decision?
In that same ruling, the NCAA said William and Mary’s nickname, the Tribe, was not necessarily abusive, hostile or offensive, and therefore still could be used.
Bird feathers are abusive, hostile, or offensive, but a direct reference to Indians is not?
That makes absolutely no sense to me whatsoever. The NCAA has lost its collective mind.
6
Aug
First, I read this:
A Reuters employee has been suspended after sending a death threat to an American blogger.
The message, sent from a Reuters internet account, read: “I look forward to the day when you pigs get your throats cut.”
It was sent to Charles Johnson, owner of the Little Green Footballs (LGF) weblog, a popular site which often backs Israel and highlights jihadist terrorist activities.
Then, going to Little Green Footballs, I read this one:
This Reuters photograph shows blatant evidence of manipulation. Notice the repeating patterns in the smoke; this is almost certainly caused by using the Photoshop clone tool to add more smoke to the image. (Hat tip: Mike.)
What this is referring to is the absolute worst Photoshop I’ve ever seen:
This is just awful. What’s even worse, Reuters ran it. Hence the hate mail I think. Reuters has an issue with the facts I think.
The headline says it all:
On Wal-Mart, Lieberman and Challenger Can Agree
by Dan Balz
Washington Post Staff Writer
Thursday, August 3, 2006; Page A02The two rivals came to bash Wal-Mart, the giant retailer that is the target of a nationwide bus tour this month sponsored by WakeUpWalMart.com. But the jostling by photographers and the taunts from the clutch of young Lieberman and Lamont volunteers told the real story, that of a three-term senator scrambling to stave off an embarrassing defeat at the hands of a wealthy novice.
The story then continues on, discussing how both candidates are vying for the anti-Walmart vote. How both candidates were working the crowds. It then talked of people who showed up. It was a feel-good piece for sure. Both candidates had to love the article. But what the article failed to mention was the obvious, how hypocritical both candidates were, and indeed, most of the people there were for making it the rah-rah, feel good event that it was. Here’s why I say this.
From one of my all-time favorite sites, Opensecrets.org, Lieberman had recently accepted $1,000 from Wal-mart. And, from Washington Times and many other sources, Lamont OWNS Walmart stock.
Now, to me, that’s a lot more of a story than the feel good garbage the Post published. Why is it so easy to dredge this stuff up piddling part-time as a blogger and someone with the resources of the Post so oblivious to it? Simple rule to follow, if a candidate takes a stand against something, check Opensecrets to get the full story.
4
Aug
This is proving to be an interesting year in politics. In Texas, a candidate won’t run even though he won his primary. In Connecticut, a candidate won’t quit running even if he loses his primary. Who said off-year elections were boring?
Good. Voting this down completely would have been even better. For old-time true Republicans such as myself, the Republican party stood for smaller government and free markets. Passing this would have been a mistake. When they learn to increase funding to programs when they increase the expense of those programs, it will mean something positive for all of society. Until then, when they raise the minimum wage, as I have proven in the past, it just means the people who can afford it least will lose their jobs. Period.
A while back, I responded to a post on Bad Astronomy when the author decided Republicans were destroying science. I got plenty of hate mail over my rebuttal. He then went at it again not too long ago, citing a resolution in South Dakota that legally meant absolutely nothing. So far, I’ve not seen him, or almost for that matter, comment on this from Junkscience.com:
California Attorney General Bill Lockyer is apparently trying to position California as a leader in the movement to silence scientific debate.
The State of California has filed a request in federal court to force auto makers to disclose all documents and communications between the companies and the so-called climate skeptics. California accuses the climate skeptics of playing a major role in spreading disinformation about global warming.
The underlying litigation is a lawsuit by General Motors, DaimlerChrysler Corp., and the Association of Automobile Manufacturers against the state of California challenging the states greenhouse gas emissions limits for new cars, light-duty trucks and sports utility vehicles (Central Valley Chrysler-Jeep Inc. v. Catherine Witherspoon, No. 04-6663).
California has been joined in the lawsuit by environmental activist groups including, the Sierra Club, Natural Resources Defense Council and Environmental Defense.
In a pre-trial discovery motion, California and the environmental groups asked for:
All DOCUMENTS relating to both GLOBAL WARMING and to any of the following individuals: S. Fred Singer, James Glassman, David Legates, Richard Lindzen, Patrick J. Michaels, Thomas Gale Moore, Robert C. Balling, Jr., Sherwood B. Idso, Craig D. Idso, Keith E. Idso, Sallie Baliunas, Paul Reiter, Chris Homer [sic], Ross McKitrick, Julian Morris, Frederick Seitz, Willie Soon, and Steven Milloy, including but not limited to:
- All DOCUMENTS relating to any communications between YOU and these individuals, and
- All DOCUMENTS relating to YOUR relationship (or the relationship of any automobile manufacturer or association of automobile manufacturers) with any of them, including but not limited to payments directly or indirectly from YOU or any other automobile manufacturer or association of automobile manufacturer to any of them.
The state then goes on to quote from Ross Gelbspans book entitled, The Heat Is On……..
Now, I know peeps will shout that The Governator is Republican, but the Governator has no say-so in this matter. The Attorney General operates independently of the governor’s office. Bill Lockyer is a Democrat. Wanna delve into the joiners to the lawsuit a little bit? OK, let’s do!
The Sierra Club’s 2004 ( last full cycle ) donations to candidates reads:
| Abercrombie, Neil (D-HI) |
| Ackerman, Gary (D-NY) |
| Alexander, Bob (D-MI) |
| Allen, Tom (D-ME) |
| Andrews, Robert E (D-NJ) |
| Babbitt, Paul (D-AZ) |
| Bagwell, Tim (D-IL) |
| Baird, Brian (D-WA) |
| Baldwin, Tammy (D-WI) |
| Barbaro, Frank (D-NY) |
| Barbieri, Donald K (D-WA) |
| Barrow, John (D-GA) |
| Bean, Melissa (D-IL) |
| Becerra, Xavier (D-CA) |
| Berkley, Shelley (D-NV) |
| Berman, Howard L (D-CA) |
| Bishop, Timothy H (D-NY) |
| Blumenauer, Earl (D-OR) |
| Boehlert, Sherwood (R-NY) |
| Boswell, Leonard L (D-IA) |
| Boucher, Rick (D-VA) |
| Bowles, Erskine B (D-NC) |
| Boxer, Barbara (D-CA) |
| Boyda, Nancy E (D-KS) |
| Broomfield, Charles S (D-MO) |
| Brown, Corrine (D-FL) |
| Brown, Prince (D-FL) |
| Brown, Sherrod (D-OH) |
| Bruderly, David E (D-FL) |
| Capuano, Michael E (D-MA) |
| Cardin, Ben (D-MD) |
| Carson, Julia (D-IN) |
| Case, Ed (D-HI) |
| Castle, Michael N (R-DE) |
| Castor, Betty (D-FL) |
| Chandler, Ben (D-KY) |
| Clay, William L Jr (D-MO) |
| Clooney, Nick (D-KY) |
| Connealy, Matt (D-NE) |
| Conti, Joanna (D-CO) |
| Conyers, John Jr (D-MI) |
| Cooper, Jim (D-TN) |
| Crowley, Joseph (D-NY) |
| Cummings, Elijah E (D-MD) |
| Daly, Teresa Ann (D-MN) |
| Daschle, Tom (D-SD) |
| Davis, Danny K (D-IL) |
| Davis, Lincoln (D-TN) |
| DeFazio, Peter (D-OR) |
| DeGette, Diana (D-CO) |
| Delahunt, Bill (D-MA) |
| DeLauro, Rosa L (D-CT) |
| Dingell, John D (D-MI) |
| Doggett, Lloyd (D-TX) |
| Donnelly, Joe (D-IN) |
| Driscoll, Joseph Edward (D-PA) |
| Ellis, Robert James (D-GA) |
| Emanuel, Rahm (D-IL) |
| Engel, Eliot L (D-NY) |
| Eshoo, Anna (D-CA) |
| Etheridge, Bob (D-NC) |
| Evans, Lane (D-IL) |
| Farmer, Nancy (D-MO) |
| Farr, Sam (D-CA) |
| Fattah, Chaka (D-PA) |
| Feingold, Russell D (D-WI) |
| Fingerhut, Eric D (D-OH) |
| Ford, Harold E Jr (D-TN) |
| Free, Kalyn Cherie (D-OK) |
| Frost, Martin (D-TX) |
| Gallagher, Tom (D-NV) |
| Gilchrest, Wayne T (R-MD) |
| Gluba, Bill (D-IA) |
| Gordon, Bart (D-TN) |
| Grijalva, Raul M (D-AZ) |
| Gutierrez, Luis V (D-IL) |
| Harkin, Tom (D-IA) |
| Harman, Jane (D-CA) |
| Hastings, Alcee L (D-FL) |
| Higgins, Brian M (D-NY) |
| Hill, Baron (D-IN) |
| Hinchey, Maurice (D-NY) |
| Hoeffel, Joseph M (D-PA) |
| Holt, Rush (D-NJ) |
| Honda, Mike (D-CA) |
| Hooley, Darlene (D-OR) |
| Hoyer, Steny H (D-MD) |
| Inslee, Jay R (D-WA) |
| Israel, Steve (D-NY) |
| Jackson Lee, Sheila (D-TX) |
| Jackson, Jesse Jr (D-IL) |
| Jacobsen, Linda F (D-MO) |
| Jennings, Jon Paul (D-IN) |
| Johnson, Eddie Bernice (D-TX) |
| Johnson, Nancy L (R-CT) |
| Johnson, Paul W (D-IA) |
| Johnson, Timothy V (R-IL) |
| Jones, Stephanie Tubbs (D-OH) |
| Kaptur, Marcy (D-OH) |
| Keever, Patricia (D-NC) |
| Kennedy, Bryan L (D-WI) |
| Kennedy, Patrick J (D-RI) |
| Kildee, Dale E (D-MI) |
| Kilpatrick, Carolyn Cheeks (D-MI) |
| Kind, Ron (D-WI) |
| King, Gary (D-NM) |
| Kirk, Mark (R-IL) |
| Kucinich, Dennis J (D-OH) |
| Lampson, Nick (D-TX) |
| Langevin, Jim (D-RI) |
| Lantos, Tom (D-CA) |
| Larsen, Rick (D-WA) |
| Larson, John B (D-CT) |
| Leach, Jim (R-IA) |
| Lee, Barbara (D-CA) |
| Levin, Sander (D-MI) |
| Lewis, John (D-GA) |
| LoBiondo, Frank A (R-NJ) |
| Lofgren, Zoe (D-CA) |
| Lowey, Nita M (D-NY) |
| Lynch, Stephen F (D-MA) |
| Majette, Denise L (D-GA) |
| Maloney, Carolyn B (D-NY) |
| Markey, Edward J (D-MA) |
| Marshall, Jim (D-GA) |
| Matheson, Jim (D-UT) |
| McCarthy, Carolyn (D-NY) |
| McCollum, Betty (D-MN) |
| McDermott, Jim (D-WA) |
| McGovern, James P (D-MA) |
| McKinney, Cynthia A (D-GA) |
| McNerney, Jerry (D-CA) |
| Meehan, Marty (D-MA) |
| Meeks, Gregory W (D-NY) |
| Menendez, Robert (D-NJ) |
| Michaud, Mike (D-ME) |
| Mikulski, Barbara A (D-MD) |
| Millender-McDonald, Juanita (D-CA) |
| Miller, Brad (D-NC) |
| Miller, George (D-CA) |
| Miller, Tony (D-KY) |
| Mongiardo, Daniel (D-KY) |
| Moore, Dennis (D-KS) |
| Moore, Gwen (D-WI) |
| Moran, Jim (D-VA) |
| Morrison, Richard (D-TX) |
| Murphy, Lois (D-PA) |
| Murray, Patty (D-WA) |
| Nadler, Jerrold (D-NY) |
| Napolitano, Grace (D-CA) |
| Neal, Richard E (D-MA) |
| Obama, Barack (D-IL) |
| Obey, David R (D-WI) |
| Olver, John W (D-MA) |
| Owens, Major R (D-NY) |
| Pallone, Frank Jr (D-NJ) |
| Pascrell, Bill Jr (D-NJ) |
| Pastor, Ed (D-AZ) |
| Payne, Donald M (D-NJ) |
| Pelosi, Nancy (D-CA) |
| Pomeroy, Leigh Charles (D-MN) |
| Price, David (D-NC) |
| Quigley, Lisa (D-CA) |
| Rahall, Nick (D-WV) |
| Ramstad, Jim (R-MN) |
| Rangel, Charles B (D-NY) |
| Reid, Harry (D-NV) |
| Rodriguez, Ciro D (D-TX) |
| Romero, Richard M (D-NM) |
| Ross, Dave (D-WA) |
| Rothman, Steven R (D-NJ) |
| Roybal-Allard, Lucille (D-CA) |
| Ryan, Tim (D-OH) |
| Sabo, Martin Olav (D-MN) |
| Salazar, Ken (D-CO) |
| Sanchez, Linda (D-CA) |
| Sanchez, Loretta (D-CA) |
| Sanders, Bernie (I-VT) |
| Saxton, Jim (R-NJ) |
| Schakowsky, Jan (D-IL) |
| Schiff, Adam (D-CA) |
| Schneider, Jan (D-FL) |
| Schrader, Virginia Waters (D-PA) |
| Schultz, Debbie Wasserman (D-FL) |
| Schwartz, Allyson (D-PA) |
| Scott, David (D-GA) |
| Serrano, Jose E (D-NY) |
| Shays, Christopher (R-CT) |
| Sherman, Brad (D-CA) |
| Slaughter, Louise M (D-NY) |
| Smith, Adam (D-WA) |
| Smith, Jeff (D-MO) |
| Snyder, Vic (D-AR) |
| Solis, Hilda L (D-CA) |
| Stark, Pete (D-CA) |
| Strickland, Ted (D-OH) |
| Tauscher, Ellen (D-CA) |
| Tenenbaum, Inez (D-SC) |
| Thomas, David Jeffrey (D-CO) |
| Thompson, Bennie G (D-MS) |
| Thompson, Mike (D-CA) |
| Tierney, John F (D-MA) |
| Udall, Mark (D-CO) |
| Udall, Tom (D-NM) |
| Van Dam, Paul (D-UT) |
| Van Hollen, Chris (D-MD) |
| Velazquez, Nydia M (D-NY) |
| Visclosky, Pete (D-IN) |
| Waters, Maxine (D-CA) |
| Watson, Diane E (D-CA) |
| Watt, Melvin L (D-NC) |
| Waxman, Henry A (D-CA) |
| Weed, Al (D-VA) |
| Weiner, Anthony D (D-NY) |
| Wetterling, Patty (D-MN) |
| Wexler, Robert (D-FL) |
| Wolfe, Dorothea Anne (D-NJ) |
| Woolsey, Lynn (D-CA) |
| Wu, David (D-OR) |
If you don’t feel like tabulating them all yourself, I’ll do it for you. That’s 207 Democrats and 11 Republicans. That’s $364,763 given to Democrats, $24,187 to Republicans. That’s a 95% to 5% Democrat majority. You can research who gives to The Sierra Club as well, I’ll bet you my bottom dollar it’s about the same ratio of Democrats.
The Natural Resources Defense Council Action Fund opposes everything Bush on their website. I think it’s safe to say these people aren’t die-hard Republicans. I can delve deeper if anyone requests.
Environmental Defense is primarily concerned with advocating Global Warming prevention, and have for a very long time, so I’ll leave judgment of their politics for them for now as they seem to have a history of working WITH both parties.
So, there seems to be a TON of Democrats that seem to think it’s more than OK to use the law to shut up people who question what they don’t want you to question. And worse, to prevent science from exploring both sides of an issue if they don’t agree with one of those sides.
Seems to me this is a hell of a lot worse than passing some silly resolution in South Dakota. Somehow, I bet someone else doesn’t agree with me. After all, it’s ONLY Republicans that are killing science. Anything else would mean they are practicing partisan politics now wouldn’t it? And, just as bad, it’s flaming evidence that Chris Mooney is a partisan political hack pandering to those who already agreed with him or suckering those that don’t care to research issues for themselves.
3
Aug
John Murtha has made no bones about his opposition to our war with Iraq. So much so, he’s drug just about anybody he feels like through the mud to make his point. Recently, some horrific events occurred in Haditha. The military is still trying to figure it all out. There was obviously a conflict, a marine got killed, and subsequently several Iraqis died as well. I really don’t know if they were involved in the conflict or not. I wasn’t there. And, I do know if someone was shooting at me, I’d shoot right back regardless of their age or gender. However, John Murtha, without the benefit of any concrete conclusions, came to his own interpretation:
How John Murtha knew this is beyond me. Apparently it’s beyond Frank Wuterich as well. Now, the differences between John and Frank are pretty drastic.
- Frank was there, John was not.
- John came to his conclusion based on no evidence at all. Frank used John’s words to make his conclusion.
- John has a political agenda. Frank’s defending himself.
- John lumped everyone in Frank’s group together as one. Frank is citing individual actions.
- I have reasons not to trust Murtha, I have no reason not to trust Frank
My only gripe about this situation is Frank is only suing for $75,000 ( and basically a public retraction and apology ) while facing the real threat of going to prison over the perception of what happened that has been forced to the forefront by people with purely self-promoting political agendas with John Murtha leading the conviction without trial. Frank should have sued for millions on behalf of all the members of his squad. Then, Frank would be a hero twice-over in my book. First for going to Iraq, second for shutting John Murtha up.
Man, I LOVE Scrappleface!
