February of 2005
February 1st, 2005
Bigger and Better Things
Now that the Iraqi election is behind us, it seems that the Fox News Channel is going to start concentrating on what really matters to Americans.
Fox News: Jacko Arrives at Court for Jury Selection
Democracy Takes a Break
Just as democracy has begun to be cultivated in Iraq, it is going on sabbatical in Nepal.
King Gyanendra dismissed Nepal’s government on Tuesday and declared a state of emergency, taking control of the Himalayan kingdom for the second time in three years.
He denied his takeover was a coup, although soldiers surrounded the houses of Prime Minister Sher Bahadur Deuba and other government leaders.
“We will oppose this step,” Deuba, who was not allowed to leave his home, told reporters in brief comments.
Armored military vehicles with mounted machine guns were patrolling the streets of Katmandu, the capital, and phone lines in the city had been cut. Airlines reported that the Katmandu airport had been closed to flights. Long lines quickly formed at grocery stores and gas stations, as worried residents stocked up on supplies.
Democracy and royalty have long had a difficult relationship in Nepal, a Himalayan nation lying between India and China.
…
In an announcement on state-run television, the king accused the government of failing to conduct parliamentary elections and being unable restore peace in the country, which is beset by rebel violence.
“A new Cabinet will be formed under my leadership,” he said, accusing political parties of plunging the country into crisis. “This will restore peace and effective democracy in this country within the next three years.”
AP: Nepal’s King Dismisses Government
Apparently the country has been struggling for 9 years with a socialist rebellion in which more than 10,500 people have died. I think I blame Mount Everest.
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Tell Barbie that I Love Her
The American soldier being held hostage in Iraq by terrorists was a friend of mine. I played with him as a child, often playing “army” with him.
His name, is Joe…
…G.I. Joe.
I’m guessing this was a prank, and won’t be surprised when some kids in Pennyslvania get arrested and charged under the Patriot Act.
“But… I was just playing!”
“…Playing? Or playing with American lives?! Cuff him.”
(via Wizbang)
Update: The figure is a “Cody Special Ops” figure, and not an actual G.I. Joe. The figure is sold in Kuwait on U.S. bases, and appeared on a message board known for terrorist propaganda, which suggests that it malicious in nature. This begs the question: are terrorists really this desperate?
Additionally, my girlfriend wonders: “Wouldn’t it be horrible if they actually did capture a soldier, and said ‘hey, this guy looks like an action figure!’ and intended for the photo to be debunked?” …wouldn’t we feel like crap for dismissing the matter.
Americans Support Social Security Privatization
The Washington Times is reporting on a poll that shows that a majority of Americans support the idea of partial privatization of Social Security.
While overall, 51% support privatization, 58% of the workers under 50 (the ones who would be affected by the change) are in favor or the reforms. The age-gap increases if you look at workers under 30, of whom 61% support partial privatization. While 74% of Republicans support the idea, Democrat support is 30%… much higher than Democratic leaders would have you believe.
More than 51% of black Americans are in favor of privatization, making the NAACP’s firm stance against it rather curious.
61% of those polled said the program faces faces “serious problems” and needs “major changes.”
- God save us all... Glenn Reynolds Syndrome is contagious!
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February 2nd, 2005
Morals without Religion
My blogroll is an exclusive place. You have to seriously impress me to gain a spot there. It isn’t a permanent spot either… I have no compunctions about dropping someone who has ceased to be relevant to me.
John Pike from Pike Speak (no relation to the mountain in Colorado, as far as I know) is one of my latest additions. I think it’s safe to say that his spot on my blogroll is a secure one.
I hear this all the time: it is Christian values that have made man civilized/have made this country great. Usually the illogic goes that with a God-free existence man would rob and pillage and kill. And no other reason for having moral guidelines exists beyond those suggested by religion. I want to eventually address this in two veins–one, how Thomas Jefferson feared Christianity and those that believed in it; and two, how it has always been possible in the history of the world for a society to have mores with religions.
…
Humanity can be humane without fear of burning in hell.
Pike Speak: A Civilized, Moral People Do Not Need Religion (part 1)
Go read the whole thing, including a quote from Thomas Jefferson supporting this view.
I think John is right. The Dr. Lauras of the world would have you believe that you cannot have civilization without religion. I would argue that you can have civilization in spite of religion.
Don’t get me wrong… I am a religious person, and I think that my religious background has helped shape my views. I just am under no misconceptions that society as we know it would fall apart without religion.
Water Goes Bad?
I don’t drink nearly as much water as I should. I bought a 2.5 gallon jug, and it’s been in my refrigerator for several months. Meat, cheese, and dairy are used, or expire, but that 2.5 gallon jug of water is a fixture. It is rather comforting, knowing that every time I open the door, I can expect to see that jug there.
And then, just now, I noticed the expiration date. My 2.5 gallon jug of water has an expiration date.
You learn something new every day.
The State of the Union
President Bush’s State of the Union Address delivered a message of hope, a reaffirmation of America’s commitment to freedom, and showcased a bold progressive domestic agenda.
President Bush said that his budget will move to eliminate or substantially reduce 150 government programs “that are not getting results, or duplicate current efforts, or do not fulfill essential priorities.” He continued, “The principle here is clear: a taxpayer dollar must be spent wisely, or not at all.”
A-freakin’-men. It’s about time that a Republican started working for fiscal responsibility.
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Sharpton on Ohio
Al Sharpton on Fox News, when asked by Alan Colmes if the alleged voting irregularities in Ohio were severe enough that John Kerry might have actually won the state in November:
“It’s very possible.”
Dumbass.
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February 3rd, 2005
SOTU Beef: Immigration
The President’s words on immigration:
America’s immigration system is also outdated — unsuited to the needs of our economy and to the values of our country. We should not be content with laws that punish hardworking people who want only to provide for their families, and deny businesses willing workers, and invite chaos at our border. It is time for an immigration policy that permits temporary guest workers to fill jobs Americans will not take, that rejects amnesty, that tells us who is entering and leaving our country, and that closes the border to drug dealers and terrorists.
President Bush: State of the Union 2005
No. Screw them. If they want to work, they should overthrow the corrupt Mexican government that is keeping them poor by allowing drug lords to rule entire sections of the country. We need tighter restrictions on immigration, not an open invite to anyone who purports to be a worker. Remember, most of the 9/11 terrorists were in this country legally, some on student visas. Does Bush honestly believe that a guest worker program won’t be similarly abused by our enemies?
More from Rob Port (whose strikingly similar words I read after I wrote mine…):
We cannot keep the drug dealers and terrorists out under the current immigration laws, what makes him think we’d be able to do it with laws that are more lax? Is he forgetting that many of the 9/11 hijackers were here legally on student visas which are in reality a lot like the “guest worker” program he’s suggesting?
As far as I’m concerned, if these people want to come here and work for a living they can jump through the hoops of becoming a citizen. If that means we need to allow more immigrants in per year than so be it, but this “guest” citizen stuff is nonsense.
Say Anything: State of the Union Address
And from Michelle Malkin:
No recognition at all here from Bush that the vast majority of Americans favor stricter immigration enforcement against both “willing” employers who have put profits over national security and the willful illegal alien lawbreakers they are employing. No word of support for House Republican efforts to push for secure identification and asylum reform. Even Hillary would have done better.
Michelle Malkin: State of the Union: Quick Notes
Ouch.
The Camera Never Lies
I can’t say that I’m surprised that Democrats rolled their eyes (Fox News camera) and failed to applaud (CNN camera) when the President praised the courage of the Iraqi people who defied terrorist threats and voted en masse.
Garofalo: Disgusting Republican Nazis
Janeane Garofalo on MSNBC:
The inked fingers were disgusting.
…referring to some Republicans who dipped a finger into ink to represent solidarity with Iraqis who braved terrorist threats to vote on January 30th.
She then went on to say that holding a single finger up in the air resembled a Nazi salute.
Dumbass.
Update: Alpha Patriot has a screen capture of Garofalo making the Nazi solute, mocking the Republicans.
3rd Dumbass of the Night
Sen. Charles E. Schumer (D-N.Y.) said the State of the Union address will not change widespread impressions that Bush is calling for dramatic changes to a popular program that needs only some well-targeted tweaks. “The president wants radical changes,” Schumer said as he left the Capitol. “The American people do not.”
WaPo: Bush’s Address Wins Over Few, if Any, Democrats
Dumbass. Liberal politicians don’t want progressive change. The majority of Americans do. Heck, one-third of Democrats support Bush’s plan for partial privatization!
Answering Pelosi
“The United States cannot stay in Iraq indefinitely,” Pelosi said. “Neither should we slip out the back door, falsely declaring victory but leaving chaos.”
But, Pelosi said, “We have never heard a clear plan from this administration for ending our presence in Iraq. And we did not hear one tonight.”
Reuters: Democrats Say They Will Hold Bush ‘Accountable’
Let me spell it out for you, Nancy. We will not sneak out the back door, declaring victory, but leaving chaos. We will also not stay there forever. So your answer is: we will leave once we can leave without leaving behind chaos. This will happen sometime before “forever.” Happy?
Oh, I’m sorry… you wanted a date. So let me give you a date: on the 1st of the-year-when-we-can-leave-without-leaving-behind-chaos-vember.
Honestly, what do you want? You can’t put democracy on a timetable. You can’t predict when the Iraqi people will be ready to police their own nation. You cannot set in stone the date when terrorists will lose their resolve.
“Are we there yet? Are we there yet? How much longer? I have to pee. Can I have a sandwich? Are we there yet? Are we there yet?”
GRAH!
Quit your whining and start actually contributing something. Or, just shut up.
- You know you want to be my 1,000th commenter.
Astonishing
The most emotional moment during the President’s State of the Union Address was when he thanked the parents of a slain American soldier. As the assembly applauded, an Iraqi woman who was seated in the row in front of the parents leaned over and shared an extended embrace with the mother of the soldier.
Apparently the Washington Post missed that.
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My Services
“I need to employ your services,” my girlfriend’s roommate said to me. I had several ideas of what she might have in mind: computer work, mounting a shelf, lifting something heavy… I’m quite versatile.
“I need you to drink all my wine before [ex-boyfriend] comes to visit.”
I wouldn’t have guessed that in 1,000 years.
Fighting For It
Many people have said that the fact that Iraqis braved violence to vote did not mean that they were ready to fight for their country. I agree. They can want freedom all they want, but unless they’re willing to fight for it, they are going to lose to the terrorists.
And then there’s this ray of hope. The end may be in sight.
Citizens of Al Mudiryiah were subjected to an attack by several militants today who were trying to punish the residents of this small town for voting in the election last Sunday.
The citizens responded and managed to stop the attack, kill 5 of the attackers, wounded 8 and burned their cars.
3 citizens were injured during the fire exchange. The Shiekh of the tribe to whom the 3 wounded citizens belong demanded more efforts from the government to stop who he described as “Salafis”.
Radio Sawa (via Free Iraqi): Iraqi citizens Kill 5 terrorists
Rock on, guys.
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February 4th, 2005
Congress to Raise Indecency Fines
Government knows what’s best! Congress is likely to pass a bill raising the maximum fine for broadcast indecency.
Bills in the House and Senate call for raising the maximum fine from $32,500 to as much as $500,000 per incident. There is strong bipartisan support in both chambers, with lawmakers saying their constituents have grown tired of coarse programming on radio and TV.
“My sense is we’re not going to have any problems,” said Rep. Fred Upton, R-Mich., chairman of the House telecommunications subcommittee. “With passage of this legislation, I am confident that broadcasters will think twice about pushing the envelope.”
USA Today: Congress ready to boost indecency fines
Message to the hypersensitive “moral minority” that is the sole reason this legislation is going forward: turn the damn TV off!
You have a right to be offended. You do not have the right to control through legislation what is shown on television.
Now, the airwaves are considered “public domain,” and as such, they have to be regulated to some extent… mostly to prevent stations from interfering with each other. That is the job of the FCC: to ensure that frequencies are being used appropriately and that no one is interfering with another station. It is not the FCC’s job to police content. The people, however, do have the power to have an influence on the programming that is shown: it is called the free market.
If people turn off a certain show or certain type of show, it will be taken off the air. If you are offended by a show, don’t watch it! If enough people join you, the show will disappear. If the show stays on the air, that must mean that a significant number of people are watching, in which case you are going to find something better to do with your free time. Something other than getting your local “Christians for More Jesus on TV” chapter to send half a dozen letters to the FCC, begging that they deprive millions of something they want to watch in order to satisfy your desire for the world to be whitewashed with your ideals.
The television content rating system we have right now is voluntary. No law was passed. Broadcasters voluntarily enacted the rating system in response to consumers. You can very easily block shows of a certain rating, block whole channels, or block time periods with your TV’s built-in v-chip or by using your cable or satellite box. This is a tool that you can use to block content you find offensive or that you think is inappropriate for your children. It is your responsibility to filter the shows your family watches, not the government’s. The next time you are offended when watching TV, reach for the “Off” button, instead of the “Bitch to the FCC” button.
Gizoogle
The best part is that the search results are translated into ebonics. A search for my name reveals this excerpt, as seen on the upper-right of my site:
Tempus Fugit is M-to-tha-izzark Jaquith’s weblog with my forty-fo’ mag
Classic. Love the spinning rims on Gizoogle’s Os, too.
(via Dean Esmay)
February 5th, 2005
FDR Supported Privitization
The Democrats look more and more like the fanatical minority on the Social Security privatization issue.
Fox News has a quote from Franklin Delano Roosevelt, the president who started the program, that shows that he was in favor of eventual partial privitization:
In a written statement to Congress in 1935, Roosevelt said that any Social Security plans should include, “Voluntary contributory annuities, by which individual initiative can increase the annual amounts received in old age,” adding that government funding, “ought to ultimately be supplanted by self-supporting annuity plans.”
Fox News Channel: Dems Invoke FDR
As it turns out, so did Senator Reid, as shown by a 1999 quote:
“Most of us have no problem with taking a small amount of the Social Security proceeds and putting it into the private sector.”
Fox News Channel: Dems Invoke FDR
And it bears repeating that a majority of Americans, and an even larger majority of affected Americans support Bush’s plan.
WP 1.5-gamma
I’m now sporting WordPress 1.5-gamma, upgraded from WordPress 1.3 beta 5 (December 10th nightly). Let me know if anything is broken. Commenting appears to work, although I’m getting “Please moderate” messages for messages that pass through moderation.
Sunnis Warm to Democracy
It seems that the Sunni Iraqis are rethinking their “boycott democracy” stance.
Sunni Muslim political and religious leaders who led a boycott of Sunday’s Iraqi national election are signaling a desire to engage in the political process.
The new stance may represent a turning point in efforts to involve Iraq’s Sunni minority, which dominated the country during Saddam Hussein’s regime and whose opposition to the new political order has fueled the violent insurgency and threatened prolonged instability.
…
After yesterday’s prayers at Baghdad’s Umm al Qura Mosque, headquarters of the hard-line Association of Muslim Scholars, a government official was permitted to issue a call for Sunni participation in future electoral rounds.
“We ask you to participate in the next elections,” said Adnan Mohammed Salman, a spokesman for the Ministry of Religious Endowments, which oversees the country’s mosques. “We must prepare and unite our ranks.”
By allowing such a statement to be issued from the mosque, Sunni leaders apparently are acknowledging that the best way to protect their community’s interests is through participation in the political process.
Seattle Times: Sunni boycotters try softening approach
Several Sunni leaders have been claiming the vote is illegitimate, because of low Sunni turnout. Maybe they are realizing that they can’t have it both ways, and the best way to make their voices heard is to (cautiously) embrace democracy. Amazing thing, democracy.
Same-Sex Marriage in New York
As you have probably heard, New York is set to legalize same-sex marriages. I was going to deliver my own non-legal analysis of the decision, but why bother, when others have already done such a great job? Michael Demmons, Dean’s World contributer, has summarized the decision for your perusal.
What I will give you is the short version.
This was a sound legal decision. This was not “judicial activism” as the president and so many on the right have claimed. This is not some runaway judge saying “screw the law, I want this to happen.” This is our legal system at its best… protecting the rights protected in the (state) constitution, even when the populace would rather deny those rights. This is not judges “making laws,” it is judges enforcing what has already been written by lawmakers.
So bitch about the equality guaranteed in the constitution all you want, but don’t call it “judicial activism,” because it isn’t.
- Great video clip of Jeff Jarvis giving hell on MSNBC about the FCC and censorship.
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February 7th, 2005
Napster to Go
Napster, the bad boy who started the whole internet music thing, is now a legit pay-per-track service, similar to iTunes. Now, they are debuting an unlimited download service. For $15.00 a month, you can download an unlimited number of tracks from a selection of over 1 million. The only catch: the songs can only be played back on a compatible player, and there are only 9 such players. The iPod isn’t one of them.
All the headlines are saying “Napster Takes a Shot at iPod,” but I seriously doubt it’s going to land anywhere close. First, you would need to buy a new music player… one loaded up with ultra-restrictive Digital Rights Management software. Second, your music is locked onto your player… there will be no burning of CDs or listening in your car.
iTunes DRM isn’t great either… but it has a loophole. You are allowed to burn your downloaded music onto a CD… and once it’s on a CD, you can do whatever you want with it. You can put it on any Mp3 player in the world. There is no such loophole for the Napster service… at least, not until the 14 year old in your neighbor’s basement cracks Microsoft’s Janus protection for locking the songs onto your player.
If you already have one of the compatible players, and you don’t mind having your music being locked onto that player, this service might sound pretty good to you. Anyone else is likely raising an eyebrow and asking “so what?”
All Anti-Americanism, All the Time
We laughed, we smirked, we were grossed out… we cried? The television commercials during the Super Bowl often incite a variety of emotions, but not many can make you weepy. Anheuser-Busch showed a commercial that depicted American troops getting off a plane and walking through an airport. People turn, they notice, and someone starts clapping. Everyone starts clapping. Several cuts are done, showing faces, smiles, and clapping hands. The screen fades to black, and says, simply, “Thank you.”
If you haven’t seen it, watch it here, before you read what follows.
And then there is this analysis, from the New York Times:
A gauzy valentine to American troops, which ended with the Anheuser-Busch corporate logo superimposed on screen, was touching, but some viewers may have wondered whether “Busch” had been misspelled.
New York Times: The Super Bowl Ad Standouts
I’ve never wanted more in my life to tell the New York Times to bite my ass… but part of me is afraid that I’m going to catch whatever it is that makes them so blatantly cynical and tactless.
(via Michelle Malkin)
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