Mother's Day

Happy Mother's Day, to all you moms out there.

I'm off to go visit mine. See ya tomorrow.

And you KNOW there's some interesting stuff brewin' ...




(Photo credit: This place)

I'm almost touching myself

Check this out:

Within the last week, Karl Rove told President Bush and Chief of Staff Joshua Bolten, as well as a few other high level administration officials, that he will be indicted in the CIA leak case and will immediately resign his White House job when the special counsel publicly announces the charges against him, according to sources.

Details of Rove's discussions with the president and Bolten have spread through the corridors of the White House where low-level staffers and senior officials were trying to determine how the indictment would impact an administration that has been mired in a number of high-profile political scandals for nearly a year, said a half-dozen White House aides and two senior officials who work at the Republican National Committee.

Speaking on condition of anonymity, sources confirmed Rove's indictment is imminent. These individuals requested anonymity saying they were not authorized to speak publicly about Rove's situation. A spokesman in the White House press office said they would not comment on "wildly speculative rumors."

Of course, nobody is sure whether or not this is true, but oh, sweet Jah, please, let it be so.

(Props to Kevin Drum for the heads up.)

A new angle on the NSA spying thing

I swear to Jah, this whole NSA thing is becoming quite the cliffhanger. From Think Progress:

CongressDaily reports that former NSA staffer Russell Tice will testify to the Senate Armed Services Committee next week that not only do employees at the agency believe the activities they are being asked to perform are unlawful, but that what has been disclosed so far is only the tip of the iceberg. Tice will tell Congress that former NSA head Gen. Michael Hayden, Bush’s nominee to be the next CIA director, oversaw more illegal activity that has yet to be disclosed.

Check it out. I can't freakin' wait to hear what he has to say.

Axis of Feeble

I've always felt a little intimidated by The Economist, thinking it was a bit esoteric. But I could totally get behind a cover like this one:



If Blair leaves his office next year or so, what will happen to Bush? Where will he be then without his homie?

What is required when Mr Bush's term ends is a president no less committed to the exercise of American power when it is necessary, and no less willing to rise to external threats. Perhaps that will be a John McCain or a Hillary Clinton. But in the meantime, the world won't wait. However weak he is at home, Mr Bush still has duties abroad. He must ensure that America is not bundled out of Iraq before its elected government has a chance to stand on its own feet. He must hold the line against a nuclear Iran. He needs to push harder for an independent Palestine, continue the fight against al-Qaeda, resist Russia's bullying of its neighbours and help America come to terms with a rising China. If he is wise, he will work harder than before to enlist allies for these aims, even if America must sometimes still act alone. But it will be harder and lonelier without a confident Tony Blair at his side.

Read more here.

The largest database ever assembled in the world

That's how an anonymous source characterized the fact that the NSA has been "secretly collecting the phone call records of tens of millions of Americans, using data provided by AT&T, Verizon and BellSouth." Did I mention they were doing this without warrants?

The NSA wants to have a record of every call ever made in the U.S.

I was joking with a friend on the phone yesterday because she and I were making plans for Saturday, and she made mention of a particular word. I said,

"Careful, They may be wiretapping us, you know."

The government is collecting "external" data on domestic phone calls but is not intercepting "internals," a term for the actual content of the communication, according to a U.S. intelligence official familiar with the program. This kind of data collection from phone companies is not uncommon; it's been done before, though never on this large a scale, the official said. The data are used for "social network analysis," the official said, meaning to study how terrorist networks contact each other and how they are tied together.

Or so they say. I can't help but feel violated. Qwest Communications has so far been the only telecommunications company to not comply.

Bush gave a little speech today to defend the NSA's actions. Check out how the speech begins. No surprises here (emphasis mine, natch):

After September the 11th, I vowed to the American people that our government would do everything within the law to protect them against another terrorist attack. As part of this effort, I authorized the National Security Agency to intercept the international communications of people with known links to al Qaeda and related terrorist organizations. In other words, if al Qaeda or their associates are making calls into the United States or out of the United States, we want to know what they're saying.

But you're collecting data from everyone. Including me. You callin' me al Qaeda, dumbass?

We're not mining or trolling through the personal lives of millions of innocent Americans. Our efforts are focused on links to al Qaeda and their known affiliates. So far we've been very successful in preventing another attack on our soil.

Ugh. Here we go again. This man must be stopped.


(Props to AMERICAblog for the heads up.)

How to celebrate Memorial Day

Hey Patriots! Memorial Day is coming up, and what better way to show your support for the troops --- by eating them!

Some company called Progressive Gifts and Incentives is promoting chocolate bars covered in the Stars and Stripes. From their actual promo e-mail (read: spam):

Dear NAME,

It's unfortunate, but in recent years, Memorial Day has become little more than a watered-down platform for special "sales blowouts" by furniture stores and car dealerships. But it's really meant to be a day of reflection: a day for showing patriotism by remembering the sacrifices of America's veterans.

This year show your employees and new recruits that you are proud to be an American company and always stand behind our troops with:

American Flag Memorial Day Candy

and

"Support America" and "God Bless America" ribbon magnets

It's a simple and much-appreciated way to get everyone into the spirit of remembering what Memorial Day is all about.

Riight.

Memorial Day is all about the food, yo.

What if, in your zeal to consume the chocolaty goodness, you rip the wrapper. Have you desecrated the flag? I don't think flag burning is protected speech under the First Amendment (I'd have to check) ... so is flag ripping protected?

What if the chocolate within is crap? Wouldn't be the first time an inferior product was produced in the name of the troops.

If only Kvatch’s Kommandos, Hilton’s Heroes, and Generik’s Guerrillas came in chocolate. I’d be all over that.

It's a Communist World, After All

If you're looking for a place to take the kids this summer, check this out:

Grutas Park, a quirky theme park dotted with relics of Lithuania's communist past, has become a major tourist attraction in this former Soviet republic.

Now celebrating its fifth anniversary, the park popularly known as "Stalin's World," every year welcomes hundreds of thousands of visitors who wander along three kilometers (two miles) of wooden walkways resembling those in Siberian prison camps to get from one exhibition to the next.

Statues of Vladimir Lenin, Josef Stalin and other Soviet leaders glower at visitors, and the barbed wire fences and guard towers surrounding the park help give it the feel of a Soviet gulag.

I wonder if there's a parade and a fireworks show at night?

(Props to Cecilia for the link.)

Bubble Boy

No, the other one:

Stuntman David Blaine failed to break the world record for holding his breath underwater on Monday, falling nearly two minutes short of the record.

After Blaine spent seven minutes and 8 seconds underwater without any breathing apparatus, he blacked out and trainer Kirk Krack sent two divers into the tank to free him from shackles attached to his ankles.

David, seriously. Stop torturing yourself. Your "street magic" specials were so much more entertaining.

UPDATE 5/8, 11:43 P.M. (or, alternatively, "because my neighbor and her boyfriend woke me up"): I just noticed that Blaine's trainer's name is "Kirk Krack." There's a joke in there somewhere.

UPDATE 5/9: I don't know why I feel the need to update, but whatever. Now doctors are saying that Blaine sustained some liver damage because of his stunt. Nice. Telling you, man. Bring back the magic tricks. Sehs.

(Photo credit: REUTERS/Mike Segar)

I'm waiting for the mug shot

Oh Jah please, let it be so.

Downward spiral, or comeback kid?

You all know that Dubya's approval rating hit a new low today. The Carpetbagger agrees with the notion that this presidency is over - at least historically speaking.

Now, The Carpetbagger Report is one of my Top Five favorite blogs, but I have to say, I'm skeptical, and I am just waiting for something to happen that's going to send his approval rating back up to at least the high 40's.

With all of the blatant corruption and secrecy and sheer incomptency lurking behind every corner of this administration, and these people, these remaining 31% who STILL can't see --- or simply refuse to see --- that this man and his people cannot govern? The Bush Administration is a failure, in every sense. Even I --- as someone relatively new to politics --- can see that.

And don't even get me started on Congress, and why they haven't impeached --- I'll even accept censure, jeez --- this man yet. I mean seriously. How low does the approval rating have to go?

Girl-on-Girl Action in The Jerz

Attention all you readers in The Jerz (that is, if I have any):

My homegirl Erica over at Soft Pretzel Love has joined a roller derby team in Philly, and her team is heading over to The Jerz to battle the Fallen Angels on May 21. So, to show my love for Hell O'Kittie, I offer you, Dear Reader, their press release:

SADISTIC SWEETHEARTS TAKE ON FALLEN ANGELS
IN ROLLER DERBY GRUDGE MATCH
Girl-On-Girl Roller Derby Action Hits the Garden State
on Sunday, May 21!

There will be blood, bruises and Sweet Revenge at 7 p.m. on Sunday, May 21, when the Penn Jersey She-Devils’ Sadistic Sweethearts take on fellow PJSD team the Fallen Angels in a knock down, drag out—and guaranteed to be sold out—grudge match at Holiday Skating Center in Delanco, N.J.

The two teams went head-to-head in the league’s premiere bout on Sunday, March 26, at Holiday Skating Center, where they wowed a sold-out audience and raised money for the Rape Abuse and Incest National Network (RAINN). Three hundred more tickets have been added for this bout, and are also guaranteed to sell out. Tickets are $12 in advance, $15 at the door and $20 VIP.

To help the She-Devils become the most badass athletes Penn-Jersey has seen in over 30 years, 2004 Roller Derby Hall of Fame inductee Judy “the Polish Ace” Sowinski, and Arnold "Skip" Schoen signed on as coaches last year, setting PJSD apart as the only league coached by bona fide banked track roller derby stars. In addition to whipping the She-Devils into shape on wheels, both Judy and Skip skated for the Philadelphia Warriors in the 1970s, where they kicked quad-skate ass for a living.

Roller derby is a real, unscripted sport, and the She-Devils hone their skills twice a week at Cornwell’s Skating Center in Bensalem, Pa. A third team will be formed this spring; unlike roller derby leagues of the past, modern roller derby leagues are comprised of at least two teams that skate against each other in addition to other area leagues. Skaters also take unique names, which are registered in a national database.

Additional bouts for the 2006 season are currently in the planning stages for rinks throughout New York, New Jersey and Pennsylvania, including a bout in Hershey, Pa., in June. In the meantime, each She-Devil is busy perfecting her game, with rookies joining on a regular basis as the sport becomes increasingly popular. There are nearly 80 flat track roller derby teams across the U.S., and counting!


About the She-Devils: The Penn Jersey She-Devils is the original Philadelphia region all-girl roller derby league. Founded in 2005 by Ken Sikes and Greg Spencer, PJSD is a skater-owned and -operated league, with over 40 skaters from both Pennsylvania and New Jersey, ranging in age from 20 to 45, who strap on quad roller skates and hit the rink every Monday and Thursday at Cornwell's Skating Center in Bensalem, Pa. She-Devils’ occupations vary widely—the league includes body piercers, chefs, chemists, clowns, massage therapists retail owners, tattoo artists and teachers—but all She Devils are in it for one thing: to skate like hell.

Bush's commencement address

During a commencement address at Oklahoma State University today, Bush told the kids:

"Science offers the prospect of eventual cures for terrible diseases -- and temptations to manipulate life and violate human dignity. … With the Internet, you can communicate instantly with someone halfway across the world -- and isolate yourself from your family and your neighbors."

The nation's young generation will wrestle to resolve these dilemmas, he said. "My advice: Harness the promise of technology without becoming slaves to technology. My advice is that science serves the cause of humanity and not the other way around," the president said.

The president spoke of the changes he has seen in technology and predicted dramatic changes in the future. "Some of the most exciting advances in technology you will see will be in the field of energy," he said. "When I graduated from school, cars drank gasoline.

"Last month in California, I saw cars powered by hydrogen that use no gasoline and emit no pollution. Within your lifetime, advances in technology will make our air cleaner and our cars more efficient. The gasoline engine will seem as antiquated as the rotary phone and the black-and-white TV."

How does one become "enslaved" by technology? And as far as the gas engine being as antiquated as the rotary phone, I'll believe it when I see it.

Secondly, why do I feel like the AP imbedded a random, second story into this one, regarding Bush's radio address and his promotion of the prescription drug benefit? Specifically the third and last three graphs. Gotta love cognitive dissonance.

During his Saturday morning radio address, the president urged elderly and disabled Americans to review their options and sign up for the government's new prescription drug benefit. "By enrolling before the deadline, you can ensure the lowest possible premiums and start saving on your prescription drug bills."
[...]
Bush Push for Drug-Benefit Enrollment

Under the drug-benefit program, 43 million Medicare beneficiaries can enroll in a private plan that will subsidize the cost of their medicine. The savings vary depending upon one's prescription drug needs, income and the plan chosen. Medicare officials claim the average enrollee will save about $1,100 a year.

"Competition in the prescription drug market has been stronger than expected, and costs for seniors are lower than expected," Mr. Bush said during his radio address, noting that the average monthly premium is $25 a month instead of $37 a month, as previously projected.

Mr. Bush and other administration officials are urging an estimated six million to seven million beneficiaries still without prescription drug coverage to enroll by May 15. Many people who wait until after the deadline to enroll will face the prospect of higher monthly premiums.

Why do I feel like I'm watching an old "Subliminal Man" SNL skit?

Porter Goss resigns

Should I even be excited about this?



According to CNN:

Former CIA Director Stansfield Turner told CNN that Goss may have resigned because he was passed over for the new position of director of national intelligence, which went to John Negroponte.

Former Rep. Bob Barr agreed with Turner's speculation and added, "I think there's going to be more coming out, we don't know the whole story."

"This is a devastating blow, the importance of which really cannot be overestimated," Barr told CNN. "It indicates again a continuing downward slide in the intelligence capabilities of our government, it indicates again the disorganization on the part of our intellingence agencies at a time when we can ill afford to see that happen."

Eh. I still won't be happy until Bush and Cheney are out. Until then, whatevs.

(Photo credit: AP)

UPDATE, 12:06 p.m.: So I'm doing a bit more surfing and it looks like Goss may be all up in the hizzoes! Juicy!

Dick Cheney, skilled diplomat

Does Mr. Go-Fuck-Yourself think that his snarling and curled upper lip and tough talk is going to warm Russia to him and the Bush Administration's desire to nuke the shit out of Iran (you know, in the name of "democracy")? Russia already opposes the UN sanctions against Iran. Did he think that, after his speech, Russia was gonna be all, "Sure, U.S., whatever you want, I'm down for whatever!"

Cheney, in a speech mostly devoted to praising Eastern European countries for democratic reforms, also took aim at Moscow’s use of its vast energy supplies for what Washington says is sometimes the bullying of neighbors.

“No legitimate interest is served when oil and gas become tools of intimidation or blackmail, either by supply manipulation or attempts to monopolize transportation,” he said.

Russia, which is trying to harness its position as an energy giant, drew international criticism earlier this year when it briefly turned off its gas taps to Ukraine in a pricing dispute that disrupted supply to Europe.

Moscow, for its part, suspects the U.S. policy of promoting global democracy is really an instrument to establish itself as the dominant power in the post-Soviet states.

Oh, that Dick. Totally a man who deeply understands the subtleties of diplomacy. For example:

Cheney, in a speech mostly devoted to praising Eastern European countries for democratic reforms, also took aim at Moscow’s use of its vast energy supplies for what Washington says is sometimes the bullying of neighbors.

“No legitimate interest is served when oil and gas become tools of intimidation or blackmail, either by supply manipulation or attempts to monopolize transportation,” he said.

Oh, snap! No he DIDN'T just call them "blackmailers." You gonna take that, Russia?

The punch line is Cheney is in the area on a six-day "pro-democracy" tour.

Moussaoui jurors decide on life in prison

No virgins for you!

ALEXANDRIA, Va., May 3 — A federal court jury spared the life of Zacarias Moussaoui today, voting to send him to prison for the rest of his days rather than condemn him to death for the carnage of Sept. 11, 2001.

[...]

Although Mr. Moussaoui testified that he was proud to belong to Al Qaeda and took delight in the 9/11 attacks, his lawyers portrayed him as a bumbling terrorist hanger-on who slid in and out of mental illness. To execute him, the lawyers argued, would be to grant him a martyrdom he did not deserve.

UPDATE 5/4: Slate's Dahlia Lithwick nails it:

This case was about a conspiracy, about some factual connection, however attenuated, between Zacarias Moussaoui's jihadi heart and the events of 9/11. And although the government has steadfastly stood by its legal claim that it was enough for Moussaoui to have wanted to be on those planes on 9/11, enough for him to have delighted as those planes went down, the jurors recognized this afternoon that a conspiracy to aid in a terror plot requires more than just a bad heart, and more than mere willingness to participate in the next one.

This decision, which will doubtless bring with it some serious national fallout, is more subtle, and more courageous, than the prosecution itself. Acting as a check on a runaway state, these jurors refused to allow a government needing a scapegoat and a man wishing for martyrdom to stand in the way of the facts. These jurors understood that for this country to kill a terrorist for his ideas, hopes, and dreams is not much different than the terrorist's desire to come here and kill us for ours.

(Props to BARBARian colleague the Decider King of Zembla for the link.)

Who knew?

Read this, and then tell me you don't want to try it.

Leave it to gli italiani to make even LARD sound delicious.

(Props to Steve for the link.)

Blogger gets sued for defamation

Lance Dutson, a Maine-based blogger, is being sued by Warren Kramer Paino Advertising (WKPA) for “copyright infringement, defamation and trade libel and injurious falsehood” based on several statements he’s made about the agency.

Mr. Dutson, a freelance Web designer who also does Internet advertising, says he became critical of the Maine Office of Tourism in October 2005 when he learned the office had bid for broad search terms that bumped into the interests of his clients. He also argued the Internet-advertising strategy was misguided because he said the office bid on general geographic terms such as the names of cities in Maine. Therefore, potential tourists must already be interested in the state to be led to the state's tourism Web site, he said.
[...]
Tom McCartin, president of WKPA, is most concerned about Mr. Dutson's public posts because if potential clients search for the agency online, they will likely see Mr. Dutson's critique-filled blog before the agency's own Web site. As a result, Mr. McCartin says his business, which sees capitalized billings in the $40 million range, has been hurt. And he wants to protect his reputation.

I’ve often said that, to some degree, bloggers are journalists. Some would argue bloggers contribute more to punditry than anything else. And although many of us are not exactly free of our own biases when we post our commentary on current events, we need to keep in mind that we are making ourselves vulnerable to all kinds of libel/defamation risks.

As a fellow blogger (that sounds so weird), I can sympathize with Dutson. However, I think that if you’re going to be vocal about a specific entity, you need to watch your back. Not surprisingly, this AdAge article provides advertisers with advice on what to do if they’re attacked by a blogger. Like to hear it, here it go:

So what is the best way to handle a blogger that you think might be negatively affecting your brand image? Mr. Rubel [blogger and senior VP of Edelman's Me2Revolution group] laid out a game plan.

• The first step is to contact the blogger and discuss the issue in a nonthreatening way. See if an agreement can be reached.
• Second, you might have to accept what you cannot change. It's the bloggers' rights to communicate their opinions as long as the information was obtained through legal channels.
• Try to find a third party to broker a discussion between you and the blogger.
• Blog back, but only if you already have a blog.

I guess the moral of the story here is to make yourself familiar with the First Amendment and media law. AP stylebook, anyone?

Net Neutrality

So by now you've all heard of Net Neutrality and how Congress is considering a major overhaul of the Telecommunications Act next week.

Net Neutrality ensures that all users can access the content or run the applications and devices of their choice. With Net Neutrality, the network's only job is to move data — not choose which data to privilege with higher quality service.

In a nutshell, big media and telecom companies want to get a larger and larger share of the pie, controlling what web sites we view --- or not --- depending on who pays them more. Internet for the highest bidder, essentially. Spoon-feeding us their content, rather than us seeking it out for ourselves. Just think of the implications.

In a world in which big media and telecom already own large portions of network news, print journalism, etc., the Internet is the seemingly last bastion of free speech and a true "marketplace of ideas."

The gutting of Net Neutrality will do away with all of that.

And so then Robert Litan at the Brookings Instution writes an op-ed/"Think Tank Town" piece special to the WaPo that basically argues against Net Neutrality using the same modus operandi so fully reminiscent of the Bush administration: Fear.

Imagine a world in which millions of senior citizens and disabled Americans, among others, can have, if they want, their medical conditions monitored continuously by devices that communicate over high speed, broadband networks that can automatically alert them if they require immediate medical attention. Such "remote disease management" systems not only would be highly convenient for patients, but based on evidence from the Veterans Administration's use of systems that do not yet make extensive use of broadband, could lead to huge savings in health care costs.

[...]

But there is a hitch. Remote disease monitoring -- and telemedicine more broadly -- cannot use broadband networks unless they are reliable. Even more important than not having your streamed movie interrupted by heavy traffic from other Internet users is not having your vital signs transmitted without interruption to the individual or computer that is remotely monitoring your health.

Yet perhaps without realizing it, those who are now advocating "net neutrality"-- the notion that those who shell out the big bucks to build new much higher speed networks can't ask the websites that will use the networks intensively to help pay for them-- could keep this new world from becoming a reality. Further, they could deprive the websites themselves of the benefits of being able to use the networks to deliver their data-heavy content.

Stop. Seriously. Don't even.

Just as I want the government out of my uterus, so too with my Internet. Hands off.

(Thanks to Atrios for the WaPo link.)

Blame Canada

I don't remember how I got a link to this article, but it really ticked me off. A Filipino child in Roxboro, Canada (just outside of Montreal) was punished by a lunch program monitor after this person didn't like the way he ate:

Luc Cagadoc’s table behaviour is traditionally Filipino; he fills his spoon by pushing the food on his plate with a fork, his mother, Maria Theresa Gallardo, says.

But after being punished by his school’s lunch program monitor more than 10 times this year for his mealtime conduct — including his technique — the seven-year-old told Gallardo said last week that he was too embarrassed to eat his dinner.

“Mommy, I don’t want to eat anymore,” Gallardo says Luc told her at the kitchen table April 11. “My teacher is telling me that eating with a spoon and fork is yucky and disgusting.”

When he eats with both a spoon and fork, instead of only one utensil, the Grade 2 student said the lunch monitor moves him to a table to sit by himself.

And when the mother filed a formal complaint against the employee and talked to the school's principal, Normand Bergeron, he said this to her:

"Madame, you are in Canada. Here in Canada you should eat the way Canadians eat."

Quite frankly, I am surprised to learn that this happened in Canada. I mean, I thought we Americans had the monopoly on the "This is America, do as we do" argument. If they're going to ban spoon-and-fork eating in Canada, they may as well close every Thai restaurant in that country. Newsflash: They do it too, damn heathens, eating with a spoon and fork like that. How DARE they. While we're at it, let's chastise the Europeans, who eat with a knife and fork in each hand. Hell, let's banish those Asians that eat with those funky sticks, too. And while we're at it, someone tell those damn Messikins that tortillas are NOT eating utensils!

The principal tried to defend himself by saying Luc's eating habits were "turbulent," whatever that means. Obviously, we all know that every seven-year-old kid has impeccable manners.

Reading stuff like this really breaks my heart. Some fools in Canada, in their patriotic zeal (I got another word for it), ended up giving this poor kid a complex.

Way to go, Canada.

It's this blatant refusal to accept the subtleties of other cultures that makes me pessimistic about issues like racism and immigration reform. Yes, this story came out of Canada, but when was the last time you heard stuff like, "This is America, speak English," or "If you don't like it, go back to where you came from," or even "God made Adam and Eve, not Adam and Steve"? Or when was the last time you laughed at a joke that perpetuated a stereotype about a specific culture?

There's always going to be some level of intolerance in our society; I've come to accept that. And maybe we are making baby steps toward inclusion and tolerance. But Jesus H --- the kid is seven years old. I hope my little homeboy in Canada stops feeling ashamed for who he is. And I hope eventually, or hopefully through that "everything is embarassing to me" phase of his life, that he learns to embrace his culture down the line rather than repudiate it.

I hope nobody ever again makes him ashamed to be Filipino.

Want fries with that?

Another year, another finger:

BLOOMINGTON, Indiana (AP) -- A diner found a piece of human flesh on his hamburger shortly after a restaurant worker accidentally cut his finger, and a spokeswoman said the company was "very, very sorry."

A kitchen manager at the TGI Friday's at College Mall injured himself Tuesday and no one immediately realized he had lost part of his finger while others rushed to help him, said Amy Freshwater, a spokeswoman for the chain.

Nasty. An accident, yes. But still. Nasty.

And one more thing (9:58 p.m.): So the diner found the human flesh "on" his hamburger. Does this mean the human flesh was cooked WITH the burger? Or was it fresh human flesh (say that three times fast) sprinkled on top of the already cooked burger? And if it was cooked human flesh, how did he know it was human flesh without having previous knowledge of what cooked human flesh - albeit a piece - looks like? Was the burger served open face, or between two buns? I need details, people.