Dems lose fight to ease abortion restrictions.
(YAWN)
Wake me up when The Italian Army of American Politics wins something.
A Ten-ish Commandment
27 minutes ago
Monday, December 17, 2007
Senate Democrats: What's Your Sign?
Their sign:
And their flag:
I'll retract this post when I see a sign that the Democrats in the Senate are starting to stand up to the Chimperor.
And their flag:
I'll retract this post when I see a sign that the Democrats in the Senate are starting to stand up to the Chimperor.
"Ho Ho Ho" in Triplicate, But Only For Three Weeks
If you work in Fort Fumble and if you want to have any Xmas decorations around your office, you can only have them up for three weeks and if you want to do that or have a party, you need to fill out the special request form. And you need to submit drawing of how you're going to set up for the party, including tables and such.
No, this is not a joke. There really is a form. And Santa Claus cannot rappel down from the Pentagon, because they don't want the Easter Bunny or the Hannukha Guy to do it.
No, this is not a joke. There really is a form. And Santa Claus cannot rappel down from the Pentagon, because they don't want the Easter Bunny or the Hannukha Guy to do it.
Huckabee on Bush
Mike Huckabee had an article run in Foreign Affairs magazine. The article almost disturbed a hair on Willard M. Romney's helmet, as Huckabee dared voice a criticism of the Chimperor, to wit:
"American foreign policy needs to change its tone and attitude, open up, and reach out. The Bush administration's arrogant bunker mentality has been counterproductive at home and abroad."
Huckabee then goes off the rails somewhat, in his call to expand the size of the armed forces. While it may be desirable to have a larger army, nobody has ever explained how that is going to happen without either (a) reducing standards for recruits to an absurdly low level or (b) reinstating the draft. As it is now, the Army can barely fill its recruitment quotas now, and that is by taking 20% of the recruits who are below either moral or intelligence standards (in other words, the ranks are being filled with criminals and morons) and by offering extremely large bonuses for those who volunteer for cannon-fodder MOSs.
And let's face it: There will be no draft. Once we start drafting the sons and daughters of the middle and upper classes, the opposition to the Chimperor's Wars will grow exponentially and will resemble the last time a president from Texas confused his balls with the national interest got us severely tangled up in an Asian quagmire.
Willard, on the other hand, is hewing to the Bush policies because his polling data says that is what the Kool-Aid Drinkers want. You know that old flip-flopping Willard is never going to say or do anything that will upset his targeted demographic, which is why if the Kool-Aid Drinkers thought that sipping the blood of live puppies was a key to good health, Willard would be out there with a Labrador Retriever, a razor blade and a straw.
"American foreign policy needs to change its tone and attitude, open up, and reach out. The Bush administration's arrogant bunker mentality has been counterproductive at home and abroad."
Huckabee then goes off the rails somewhat, in his call to expand the size of the armed forces. While it may be desirable to have a larger army, nobody has ever explained how that is going to happen without either (a) reducing standards for recruits to an absurdly low level or (b) reinstating the draft. As it is now, the Army can barely fill its recruitment quotas now, and that is by taking 20% of the recruits who are below either moral or intelligence standards (in other words, the ranks are being filled with criminals and morons) and by offering extremely large bonuses for those who volunteer for cannon-fodder MOSs.
And let's face it: There will be no draft. Once we start drafting the sons and daughters of the middle and upper classes, the opposition to the Chimperor's Wars will grow exponentially and will resemble the last time a president from Texas confused his balls with the national interest got us severely tangled up in an Asian quagmire.
Willard, on the other hand, is hewing to the Bush policies because his polling data says that is what the Kool-Aid Drinkers want. You know that old flip-flopping Willard is never going to say or do anything that will upset his targeted demographic, which is why if the Kool-Aid Drinkers thought that sipping the blood of live puppies was a key to good health, Willard would be out there with a Labrador Retriever, a razor blade and a straw.
The Other War in Iraq
The Turkish Air Force carried out bombing raids against PKK (Kurdish) guerrilla bases in Iraq during the night.
The risk, of course, is that the PKK has a wide base of support among the Kurds. If the Kurds conclude that the TAF wouldn't have bombed without the permission, whether overt or tacit, of the Americans, then you have to wonder if the PKK will decide that Americans are now legitimate targets.
The risk, of course, is that the PKK has a wide base of support among the Kurds. If the Kurds conclude that the TAF wouldn't have bombed without the permission, whether overt or tacit, of the Americans, then you have to wonder if the PKK will decide that Americans are now legitimate targets.
WTF; Biological Edition
Biologists are on the verge of creating new life-forms with wholly synthetic DNA.
Can anybody in that industry think past the "oh, we can make a shitload of money doing this" aspect and consider whether or not this is a good idea in general?
They should take a look at the history of other technologies and if they did so with open eyes, they would come to realize that what looks so nifty in the laboratory or on the drawing board often turns out to have a lot of consequences that would have horrified its inventors. And sometimes, what even seems to be really helpful and benign developments have downrange effects and consequences that have been anything but benign.
My feeling is that we, as a species, are not smart enough to be dealing with reaching inside the nuclei to create new life forms.
Can anybody in that industry think past the "oh, we can make a shitload of money doing this" aspect and consider whether or not this is a good idea in general?
They should take a look at the history of other technologies and if they did so with open eyes, they would come to realize that what looks so nifty in the laboratory or on the drawing board often turns out to have a lot of consequences that would have horrified its inventors. And sometimes, what even seems to be really helpful and benign developments have downrange effects and consequences that have been anything but benign.
My feeling is that we, as a species, are not smart enough to be dealing with reaching inside the nuclei to create new life forms.
Sunday, December 16, 2007
New Fundraising Idea-- Buy the Democrats a Spine!
If Harry Reid were a car, I'd want to take him in and get all of those reverse gears removed from his transmission. I'd hold a fundraiser to buy ol' Harry some forward gears. Maybe even convert him into a half-track so he can get through some rough terrain. Maybe weld some stiffeners to the frame so he doesn't fold up like a piece of origami.
But as it stands now, Harry Reid is to the legislative process what the Italian Army was to military campaigns in World War II. If Democrats in the Congress were piece of furniture, most of them would be cheap-ass lawn chairs.
I can't begin to tell you how disgusted I am with the apparent spinelessness of the Democrats in the Senate and, to a slightly lesser extent, in the House. There are a few who lay it on the line, such as Russ Feingold in the Senate, but they are few and far between.
These guys ought to try taking a stand and try putting their political asses on the line. That may be a bit to ask, but considering that there are thousands of American teenagers and 20-somethings in Iraq and Afghanistan who put their lives on the line, asking the Democrats to take a stand now and then doesn't seem like a big thing to ask of them.
If the Democrats in Congress don't want to stand up and do the job they were sent to do, then they should retire and let someone else take over.
But as it stands now, Harry Reid is to the legislative process what the Italian Army was to military campaigns in World War II. If Democrats in the Congress were piece of furniture, most of them would be cheap-ass lawn chairs.
I can't begin to tell you how disgusted I am with the apparent spinelessness of the Democrats in the Senate and, to a slightly lesser extent, in the House. There are a few who lay it on the line, such as Russ Feingold in the Senate, but they are few and far between.
These guys ought to try taking a stand and try putting their political asses on the line. That may be a bit to ask, but considering that there are thousands of American teenagers and 20-somethings in Iraq and Afghanistan who put their lives on the line, asking the Democrats to take a stand now and then doesn't seem like a big thing to ask of them.
If the Democrats in Congress don't want to stand up and do the job they were sent to do, then they should retire and let someone else take over.
Banning Saturday Night Specials; British Edition
Yes, the Brits are going to ban inexpensive weapons, but since they've pretty much made the ownership of firearms illegal, they are going after samurai swords. Only cheap ones, they say. For now.
One would presume that after the Brits get done banning swords, they'll go after sticks and stones. You'll have to get a police permit to buy a 2x4, any bricks or, for that matter #2 pencils. And you can forget buying a knife with a pointy end in the UK, if they have their way about it.
I say the next time that the Jerries are getting geared up to invade the UK, we stand aside and let them. The Brits will be surely able to defend themselves with their nerf cricket bats and rubber bricks. And they can sign their articles of surrender with a crayon.
One would presume that after the Brits get done banning swords, they'll go after sticks and stones. You'll have to get a police permit to buy a 2x4, any bricks or, for that matter #2 pencils. And you can forget buying a knife with a pointy end in the UK, if they have their way about it.
I say the next time that the Jerries are getting geared up to invade the UK, we stand aside and let them. The Brits will be surely able to defend themselves with their nerf cricket bats and rubber bricks. And they can sign their articles of surrender with a crayon.
Bet You Didn't Know This!
I'll bet that you didn't know that most of the modern forms of torture were first invented and utilized by democracies. The totalitarian and authoritarian states made more extensive use of them, but we invented them first.
The other thing that was sort of astonishing is that in democracies, the torturers want to be loved for their work. They are aided and abetted by public approval and cower at public disapproval. So all of the Wingnuts who approve of the use of torture are as guilty of it as are the torturers themselves.
The other thing that was sort of astonishing is that in democracies, the torturers want to be loved for their work. They are aided and abetted by public approval and cower at public disapproval. So all of the Wingnuts who approve of the use of torture are as guilty of it as are the torturers themselves.
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