Affairs of a Sordid World

Quote of the Day

2006-06-21T16:47:00.000-07:00

As a giant sinkhole slowly engulfs a Florida lake and surrounding homes, Polk County Natural Resource Division drainage manager Jay Jarvis felt compelled to clarify matters.

"My understanding is, if it's a natural phenomena, it's not the county's responsibility," Jarvis said.

This goofball figures it's more important to clear the county's responsibility than to protect the lives and homes of affected citizens. What an ass.

Neutraility

2006-05-04T03:35:00.000-07:00

Perhaps you received an e-mail in recent months detailing Congressional plans to add Internet "surcharges." Here's the deal ...

"Internet providers like AT&T and Verizon are lobbying Congress hard to gut Network Neutrality, the Internet's First Amendment. Net Neutrality prevents AT&T from choosing which websites open most easily for you based on which site pays AT&T more."

This is the real deal. We're not looking at the e-mail hoax still circulating that Congress plans to enact legislation which charges "postage" on every e-mail you send. And, according to details on Snopes.com, here's why you should care ...

Surcharges imposed on information providers will ultimately be passed along to end users.
Charging fees for premium data delivery service will create a tiered system of have and have-not providers, making it difficult or impossible for new businesses, information providers, and other ventures to get a start on the Internet.
The implementation of a fee system will effectively allow broadband companies, and not users, to determine which sites predominate on the Internet.

You may want to sign the petition.

Hurricane Katrina's latest news

2006-01-31T03:42:00.000-08:00

As time passes, more and more ineptness is shown on all facets of government — from state and local to federal. The most recent revelations from the sordid saga involve documented proof of "poor planning and communication" by FEMA as well as the failure of the involved state governments to accept federal "offers to help rescue storm victims ..."

According to documents obtained by the Associated Press:

Two days before Katrina hit, offers by the Department of Health and Human Services to help evacuate or move Louisiana patients were turned down by the state's health emergency preparedness director, according to an internal e-mail.
The state official, identified in the Aug. 27 e-mail as Dr. Roseanne Pratts, 'responded no, that they do not require anything at this time and they would be in touch if and when they needed assistance,' HHS senior policy analyst Erin Fowler wrote.
It could not be determined immediately whether the state later accepted the HHS offer after Katrina hit. Thirty-four patients at a nursing home near New Orleans died Aug. 29 in the wake of massive flooding brought by the storm's surge. The nursing home's owners have since been charged with negligent homicide for failing to evacuate the patients.
A spokesman for Louisiana's Department of Health and Hospitals, Bob Johannessen, had no immediate comment Monday night but said he would look into the matter today.

Concurrently, Louisiana's head of the Department of Transportation and Development said his agency had no plan in place to evacuate at-risk populations during emergencies ...."

Details from the CNN.com story include:

The official, state Department of Transportation and Development Secretary Johnny Bradberry, is scheduled to testify Tuesday at a hearing called by the Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee.
The Senate committee, chaired by Maine Republican Susan Collins, is examining the government's response to Katrina. Monday's meeting focused on the search-and-rescue response, and Tuesday's will focus on the New Orleans evacuation.
Louisiana's emergency operations plan called for the secretary of the Department of Transportation and Development to appoint a coordinator to organize and coordinate transportation services, maintain information about resources and allocate those resources to the highest-priority missions, according to documents obtained by CNN.
But Bradberry told investigators, 'We put no plans in place to do any of this,' according to transcripts released by the committee ahead of his testimony.

See also:

Socialist Cindy at it again

2006-01-29T08:48:00.000-08:00

Having been out of the limelight far too long, Cindy "living off of my dead son's life insurance" Sheehan is considering running for the California senate seat currently occupied by Dianne Feinstein.

For the time being though, Cindy is attending the World Social(ist) Forum in Venezuela, home of Hugo Chávez. The purpose of the socialist group is to "condemn war and imperialism, and lend their support — although not unconditionally — to the changes introduced in this country by President Hugo Chávez."

Here's a little background on Chávez and his socialist activities:

The Venezuelan government is carrying out agrarian reform, redistributing government land and large private estates. It has launched mass literacy and adult education programmes, and set up basic health centres across the country -- many staffed by Cuban doctors. Outlets for subsidised food have also been put in place nationwide. As for foreign relations, Chávez speaks out strongly against the U.S. government and President George W. Bush, and is critical of the U.S.-led invasion of Iraq. He defends high crude oil prices and works to strengthen the Organisation of Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC). And, under Chávez's policies, Venezuela supplies fuel to Caribbean and Latin American countries on preferential terms, as a form of cooperation.

Here's something I wrote a few weeks ago:

Pat Robertson on science: "'Chavez through the last quarter of the year kept pushing his agenda on a 'Socialism for the XXI Century' which included: more property confiscation, more free giving overseas, more incendiary rhetoric, more pro Castro, more anti US (even if disguised as anti Bush) and many more confrontational elements. In other words Chavez decided not to wait for his own reelection in December 2006 to make it a referendum on a new Venezuelan economical and social structure, but instead decided to get right now an assembly that would start implementing the changes as early as January 2006. Sweeping changes in the still brand new 1999 constitution were even discussed!'"

Capitalism is Kanye's middle name

2006-01-26T18:56:00.000-08:00

Controversy sells and Kanye West is developing himself into a master propogandist not seen since the likes of P.T. Barnum and Bill Clinton. Who thought his boorish comments about Pres. Bush could be topped? Ah, well, you have under-estimated Mr. Potato Head who poses on the cover of the latest Rolling Stone "as Jesus Christ in a crown of thorns."

The demagogue's love life appears to be causing some controversy in its own right. It seems that his current girlfriend, (former MTV secretary?) Brooke Crittendon, may be crowding Mr. Potato Head's space. According to Brooke, "I don't think we've ever been apart longer than seven days ... He's got so much going on, but he never makes me feel like I'm No. 2."

See might want to rethink that last comment. If the rumors are true, Mr. Head may be planning his own chocolate city by pimping himself out to Pamela Anderson and her prodigious mammillas.

More on the chocolate city

2006-01-24T05:05:00.000-08:00

I have a good friend in the New Orleans area who stole a van to escape the wrath of Hurricane Katrina. He's back home now, safe and sound. Asking him how it was in the chocolate city, he replied with an insightful view on the situation:

Funny thing about the chocolate thing is when Nagin explained it after the infamous speech ... he explained that if you mix dark chocolate with milk, you get a delicious drink. Now, I don't know about you, but last time I made chocolate milk, I had to use much more milk than chocolate ... I believe that speech guaranteed that will be the mix ... as the ones with the money are going to be hesitant to bend over backward after the comments he made ... don't expect any of the projects to open back up anytime this decade, and well, 9th ward and the east I'm sure will see an onslaught of new and unseen layers of bureaucracy before utilities are restored to a point of resettling the areas.

Michael Schiavo files for marriage license

2006-01-22T10:30:00.000-08:00

Some would liken the case of Terry Schiavo to that of Mark Hacking and Laci Peterson — all situations of straight-up murder. Now comes word from Florida that Terry Schiavo's husband, Michael, plans to marry long-time girlfriend and mother of his two young children.

Michael Schiavo Applies for Marriage License: "Nearly a year after her death, the husband of Terri Schiavo has applied for a marriage license. The St. Petersburg Times reports Michael Schiavo and his longtime girlfriend took the action Friday. The pair live together and have two young children. Relatives say the wedding will likely take place before Valentine's Day. Terri Schiavo was at the center of a lengthy end-of-life case that captured the world's attention. She suffered irreversible brain damage in 1990 and died in 2005, 13 days after her feeding tube was removed with court approval."

Cashman + Hulett = Brain Droppings

2006-01-18T17:52:00.000-08:00

Brain Droppings has a valid take on the Judge Edward Cashman/Mark Hulett issue.

Media Distorts 60 Day Rape Sentence: "The WCAZX-TV report sensationalized the story, omitting the sound, logical elements of the Judge Cashman's legal rationale for the sentence. It was outrageously misleading; whether deliberate or not the reporter should be fired.

Judge Cashman clearly deserves opprobrium for his remarks about revenge and his attitude toward punnishing criminals. He deserves to be removed from the bench.

But the greatest outrage remains the sentence itself. Taking the judge at his word, that this was the most effectual sentence he could impose, the Vermont legislature seems to bear the bulk of the blame for creating this situation. It would seem public anger is best directed at them."

Wonka for Mayor

2006-01-18T17:46:00.000-08:00

With more than 3,200 people still unaccounted for months after Hurricane Katrina, New Orleans Mayor and resident racist Ray Nagin thought he would start the MLK Day celebrations off with a 'metaphor.' Speaking to a crowd enjoying a beautiful Monday morning, Nagin commented that the city will once again be 'a majority African-American city.' (A transcript and video of the comment can be found here.)

You may recall that "Nagin was faulted with not helping to evacuate blacks out of New Orleans, but finding the time to personally evacuate family, friends and officials. He was criticized by many for showing poor leadership during what's been called the worst US disaster in history ... Mayor Nagin was accused of racial insensitivity several weeks ago when he complained that Mexican immigrants were 'changing New Orleans.' He's since backed away from his complaints of illegal immigrant Mexicans taking jobs that should go to blacks and taking up residence in New Orleans." It's also been reported that Nagin "is ashamed that he did not adequately execute the city’s evacuation plan."

Putting the political spin into overdrive, Nagin said, "How do you make chocolate? You take dark chocolate, you mix it with white milk, and it becomes a delicious drink. That is the chocolate I am talking about." Imagine if N.Y. Mayor Bloomberg said his city would once again 'be like white on rice.' The outcry would be horrendous. Or, what if Hillary Clinton addressed a Harlem church and 'ad-libbed' a racial comment involving a 'plantation'? Oh, wait, that really did happen.

I'm sure Nagin is just bolstering himself for the pending mayoral election.

MLK inspires the politicians

2006-01-17T21:05:00.000-08:00

Once again New Orleans Mayor Ray Nagin showed how much of an idiot he is by simply opening his mouth. It all began Monday during an MLK Day speech while addressing a crowd of celebrants. In his speech, Nagin said, "Surely God is mad at America. He sent us hurricane after hurricane after hurricane, and it's destroyed and put stress on this country." The former Cox Cable executive and current New Orleans knucklehead added that "New Orleans will be 'chocolate' again."

Yes, that's right, he's promoting a "chocolate New Orleans."

Nagin isn't alone in his continued stroll down the path of ineptitude and folly. As written on RedState.com, "Under the guise of honoring a great American, Democratic leaders instead brought shame upon themselves in an unrelenting outbreak of shameful political self promotion."

Al Gore assailed the government's formerly secret program of intercepting electronic communications where there is a reasonable basis to conclude that one party to the communication is a member of al Qaeda, affiliated with al Qaeda, or a member of an organization affiliated with al Qaeda, or working in support of al Qaeda. Gore did so by comparing the current intercept program to the FBI's wiretapping of Martin Luther King Jr.'s telephone conversations.
But the Democrats' presidential heir apparent, Senator Hillary Clinton, was the most outrageous. Clinton, speaking at the Canaan Baptist Church of Christ in Harlem called the Bush administration one of the worst in history and saying the House of Representatives is run like a "plantation."

Those summer internships really do payoff

2006-01-16T20:11:00.000-08:00

As seen on Captain's Quarters, Dad29 and Texas Hold 'Em Blogger, the AL QAEDA JOB APPLICATION:

Allahu akbar! So you've decided to join the fastest-growing organization of psychopathic murderers in the world today. Due to the exciting type of work we perform, we always have room for more volunteers, and so we welcome you to our ranks. We'd like to get to know you, while we can, so please answer a few questions for us:

Name: Abu ____________

Real name: __________________

Gender: ______ Male __________ Chattel (if so, stop here)

Marital Status: ____ Single _____ Married (# of wives: ______)

Reason For Interest In al-Qaeda (circle all that apply):

a. Hatred for everything Western, except those hot babes on Baywatch
b. Suicidal impulse but lacking the skills to carry it out
c. Inability to get women to date me
d. Want to travel and see the world before I realize my ambition to destroy it
e. Having 72 inexperienced young girls later sounds better than dealing with one nagging woman now

Would you be willing to relocate? Y/N If Y, in pieces? Y/N

Do you have any of the following disqualifying conditions?

a. Conscience
b. Soul
c. Survival instinct
d. Half a brain or more
e. Fear of flying

Clinton revisionist history

2006-01-16T19:19:00.000-08:00

Here is a sample from The Conservative Voice on Bill Clinton's revisionist history:

ABC's Nightline Aids Clinton's Revisionism on NSA Spying: For eight years, Bill Clinton saturated the news media with his exploits in the White House. And now that he's no longer president — and unlike most former presidents — he's still getting major press coverage on a daily basis. It's understandable since without the adulation and love poured on the man known as Slick Willie, he'd be left alone with himself. And the reality would set in that beneath all the bluster and verbal gymnastics lay a man who's basically an empty suit. But for now, that is a non-problem for Clinton.

For example, Thursday night Bill appeared on ABC's Nightline on which he was interviewed by newsman Terry Moran. When Moran asked Clinton questions regarding what the media calls domestic spying by the National Security Agency, Mr. Clinton said that President Bush may have broken the law when he authorized the National Security Agency to conduct surveillance on US-based terrorists.

Asked if he thought Bush had gone too far by circumventing the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Court to wiretap terrorists, Clinton told ABC's Nightline audience, 'As a legal proposition, I don't know.'

He claims it would have been better if his successor had followed established legal guidelines and that 'it seems to me that unless there's a reason not to, we ought to use that surveillance court.'

Then without batting an eye, Clinton told viewers yet another whopper and was given yet another pass by the media. He said that when he was president, he always tried to work within the constraints of the law.

Rapist Hulett gets 60 days

2006-01-16T19:14:00.000-08:00

The story of Vermont Judge Edward Cashman and convicted rapist Mark Hulett landed on Sean Hannity's radar last week when the TV and radio talk show political pundit weighed in on the judge's 60-day sentence of the rapist. According to News Hounds, "Actually, Judge Cashman gave the rapist three years to life, but suspended all but 60 days because the state said he would not receive treatment in prison. If he rejects treatment or neglects other parts of his sentencing, he faces life in prison. But that fact is never mentioned by Hannity who seems more interested in dictating what Vermont should do than he is in having any real discussion about the issues of criminal sentencing, rape or child abuse."

At the same time, the White House is more interest in "the trafficking of humans" than the light sentence placed on the Vermont rapist.

In a recent Washington Times op/ed (A 60-day travesty), "(Cashman) is a mockery of our judicial system. In sentencing a confessed child rapist to just 60 days in jail recently, because punishment 'accomplishes nothing of value,' he has abdicated his judicial responsibility. State prosecutors formally asked him yesterday to reconsider his decision, but so far the judge has refused. Should he continue to do so, Vermont legislators should follow all means necessary in removing him from the bench. Unfortunately, neither Judge Cashman's resignation nor his impeachment will help the little girl whom Mark Hulett raped over a four-year period. Nor will it help her family, who one day will have to explain to her what happened."

Cashman acknowledged that the "short sentence was the only way he could work around prison policies that prevent getting Hulett into sex offender therapy quickly to protect the public. But the judge also announced he no longer believes in punishment." In response, the state said it will provide treatment to the rapist in "a move to convince (Cashman) to reconsider a controversial sentence freeing Hulett after 60 days. The state will also reconsider the underlying policy that prompted the sentence." Originally Hulett "was considered a low-risk for re-offense, which meant he didn't qualify for in-prison treatment."

Sixty days in jail? If I was the little girl's father, by day 61 Hulett would be wishing he was back in prison.

Steadier aim necessary

2006-01-16T19:08:00.000-08:00

It's probably a lot easier to hit a slow moving target, especially when it's a humongous whale. Perhaps that's why a Japanese whaling ship "narrowly missed an inflatable boat carrying (Greenpeace) protesters, causing one to fall into the freezing sea ..." Assuming, of course, the Greenpeace hacks were the intended target.

Don't hate me because I'm a blogger

2006-01-12T21:13:00.000-08:00

It's clearly obvious to me that many bloggers enjoy spreading havoc across cyberspace either through lies, deceit, harassment, threats, libel or any other sordid means. As discussed in an earlier topic, difficulty in fighting a blog attack arises from specific laws protecting the digital community. Therefore, it's harder to fight the libel often found in these extreme blogs much less track down the typically anonymous bloggers.

As various legal measures are taken to protect the average citizen, bloggers (generally speaking) tend to pick up the torch for a warped belief that they have the right to, for example, essentially libel someone. In other words, there seems to be a disgusting trend that the rights of one person to attack another outweigh the victim's rights to defend themselves. This thought process runs parallel to some believing it is perfectly legal to download music or software they have no license for.

Here's what I found this evening:

"Whoever...utilizes any device or software that can be used to originate telecommunications or other types of communications that are transmitted, in whole or in part, by the Internet... without disclosing his identity and with intent to annoy, abuse, threaten, or harass any person...who receives the communications...shall be fined under title 18 or imprisoned not more than two years, or both."

As Declan McCullagh writes, "This ridiculous prohibition, which would likely imperil much of Usenet, is buried in the so-called Violence Against Women and Department of Justice Reauthorization Act. Criminal penalties include stiff fines and two years in prison." Declan adds, "Think about it: A woman fired by a manager who demanded sexual favors wants to blog about it without divulging her full name. An aspiring pundit hopes to set up the next Suck.com. A frustrated citizen wants to send e-mail describing corruption in local government without worrying about reprisals. In each of those three cases, someone's probably going to be annoyed. That's enough to make the action a crime. (The Justice Department won't file charges in every case, of course, but trusting prosecutorial discretion is hardly reassuring.)"

Actually, the three examples given by Declan are ridiculous. Since a blog is something a person visits or stumbles upon as opposed to having forced into their life, there is no expection for criminal action to take place. The same goes for someone establishing suck.com or fark.com; these and other sites are not characterized as being transmitted and would potentially have additional protection by the same laws shielding Saturday Night Live, Hustler and Doonesbury. There is always that Constitutional amendment. What number is it again? Anyway, example three fails the test as well since the un-signed e-mail is not intended to annoy or harass anyone. As written, the e-mail is "describing corruption in local government." The author of that e-mail is doing their civic duty.

Sure, the law is open to abuse just as is any other law. The situation is not as dire (if at all) as Declan writes.

Now, annoy me with an e-mail or comment in response to this blog and the situation just might become dire.

What is your name?

2006-01-12T20:34:00.000-08:00

It never occured to me that it could be illegal for a police office to ask, What is your name? Until recently, it was illegal in Ohio. Now that it's not, the ACLU and others find this simple question a breach of civil liberties.

Passed by the state legislature as a tool to fight terrorism, the ACLU akins the Ohio Patriot Act to McCarthyism and the House Un-American Activities Committee.

The bill now allows police officers to "ask, 'What's your name?' ... Failure to identify oneself could land an individual in jail." An additional provision in the bill "instructs local law enforcement to lend assistance when able to federal authorities carrying out provisions of the Patriot Act." Once inacted, anyone who applies for an Ohio driver's license must "sign a form that they haven't supported terrorist organizations."

Marion Barry will probably be re-elected despite this ...

2006-01-12T20:02:00.000-08:00

Having already spent six months in prison on drug charges and now facing further incarceration for income tax evasion, D.C. councilman and former Washington D.C. mayor Marion Barry is accused of failing "a court-ordered drug test in November ... The Washington Post reported in Wednesday's editions that Barry, 69, tested positive for cocaine following an Oct. 28 guilty plea to misdemeanor tax charges."

Perhaps he can vie for the U.S. presidency with Jonathon 'The Impaler' Sharkey as his running mate. Jonathon is honing his political skills by running in Minnesota's gubernatorial race. As the leader of the Vampyres, Witches and Pagans Party, Jonathon said that his platform includes "the impaling of terrorists, rapists, drug dealers and other criminals, (an) emphasis on education, tax breaks for farmers and better benefits for veterans." He has already filed as a candidate in the 2008 presidential elections.

moron (noun): a stupid person; a dolt

2006-01-11T15:11:00.000-08:00

Okay, I know, enough with the sports already. However, it makes things so much easier when the fodder is simply handed out on silver platters with a side of absurdity.

In speaking about being snubbed for inclusion on the 2006 U.S. men's Olympic basketball team, Ron Artest showed why he's the NBA's shining star:

Artest upset over Olympic shun?: "Yeah, I'm kind of upset about that. Me, being one of the better players in America, separate from the NBA, I want to play for the United States team in the Olympics ... I'm an American, I might not be a class act, but I'm an American."

Marcus Vick is a hoodlum

2006-01-10T19:15:00.000-08:00

I would rather draft my deceased grandmother, Ryan Leaf or Terrell Owens than have to deal with Marcus Vick. This punk is pure hoodlum. The most recent in a string of illegal and inane events involves Marcus' brandishing of a firearm on three unsuspecting teenagers at a McDonald's.

His history of unlawful activity includes:

Kicked off the Virginia Tech football team for unsportsmanlike conduct during a recent bowl game.
Speeding and driving with a suspended drivers license.
A drug arrest and a sordid array of other ineptness.

Marcus and Maurice Clarett seem to be cut from the same cloth. As written on SportsFan Magazine, "(Clarett has) wasted more opportunities than many ever receive and has been given more second chances than deserved because his potential on the field is so great. But from filing false police reports to bad-mouthing Ohio State in a national magazine and trying to bend NFL rules to go pro before eligible, the former running back from Youngstown has managed to tackle himself." If you recall, Maurice was recently arrested amid accusations he tried to mug someone at gun point. A spooky trend among NFL hopefuls.

For some reason this all brings me to the topic of racism in the NFL's upper echelon. Why, I don't know, but the New Orleans City Council decided it needed to pass a unanimous resolution to request the Saints hire former NFL player Doug Williams as the team's new coach. There seems to be no hint of this being a racial decision; however, I have my doubts. Again, SportsFan Magazine writes, "The next time someone tells you about how the NFL coaching fraternity is 'racist', ask them to explain this one. Mike Sherman went 4-12 with the Packers and that was his first losing season. He got fired and is looking for work as we speak. Herm Edwards went 4-12 with the Jets (giving him an NFL career head coaching record of 39-41). Edwards moved from the Jets to the Chiefs and got a raise of about $1M per year. I don't begrudge Edwards that position in the least; I do note however that coaching decisions are probably most often made on the basis of 'personal contacts' and 'friendships' and not always on the basis of race."

What illegal downloading has led to ...

2006-01-09T18:14:00.000-08:00

The music industry has a notoriously sordid history in the continued endeavors of finding ways to control piracy and other copyright infringements. The latest conflict involves Coldplay's newest CD. As seen on Eminent Domain, the CD comes with a number of restrictions. Essentially, "the CD can't be burnt onto a CD-R or ripped to a hard drive and converted to MP3 files. The CD might not play in some computers, DVD players, car stereos, or personal CD players." If that's not insult enough to the innocent consumer, "except for manufacturing problems, we do not accept product exchange, return or refund."

Live in China? Then you're not reading this.

2006-01-09T18:04:00.000-08:00

China has been receiving help from such companies as Google, Yahoo! and Microsoft in the filtering of Internet searches within the country. Concurring Opinions offered some insight into the situation by asking, "Is it acceptable when Yahoo or Google help France and Germany filter out pro-Nazi websites? Hypothetically, would it have been acceptable for Yahoo or Google to have helped the Nazi regime in identifying Jews? Where should the line be drawn?"

Most recently, Microsoft worked with Beijing officials to shut down the site of a Chinese blogger who opposed the countries political and social actions. The Associated Press reports, "Microsoft's China-based web-log-hosting service shut down the blog at the Chinese government's request, said Brooke Richardson, group product manager with Microsoft's MSN online division at the company headquarters in Redmond, Washington."

Companies like Microsoft and Google are not guided with a moral compass. Those, and any other company looking to make a profit, are guided by capitalist principles (and there is nothing wrong with that). As China opens up more and more for venture opportunities, we will begin seeing a greater number of companies selling their soul for economical greed.

In November 2005 a global summit convened to try and solve an array of issues. Among those was a shift of Internet control to a global level. Several countries — including China, Cuba and Iran — formed a coalition intent on "(wresting) control of the Internet from the United States ..."

Shortly after the summit, several interesting events occurred. The first involved a Chinese blackout of the news media and the Internet after several demonstrators were murdered by police. In referring to the atrocity, Reporters Without Borders noted China's constrictive measures taken to whitewash press coverage of the event. Efforts included the successful coverup of an Internet message about the police action that eventually distorted global views of the events surrounding the demonstration and subsequent events. Reporters Without Borders noted, "It is a striking demonstration of ChinaÂs capacity to censure both the traditional media and the Internet."

In a similar vane, Iran holds a death grip on its national media outlets and the Internet. Late last year the story came out about Omid Sheikhan, an Iranian blogger sentenced to a year in prison and 124 lashes for satirizing his country's political leaders.

Control of the blogging community is also an issue here in the United States. Whether it's the censorship of a university student accused of violating professional conduct codes or Eugene Kane's interest in blog control, there are definitive attacks on freedom of speech. However, there is a conflict of knowledge many have regarding the important role libel plays in controlling in a protective manner the aforementioned freedom of speech.

Coonass

2006-01-06T21:13:00.000-08:00

I am not offended by the term coonass. Of course, I'm speaking as a coonass.

I bring this up because of a post on The Volokh Conspiracy about a woman who found the term racially offensive. According to a 12/25/2005 post on Volokh:

This reminds me of a case I wrote about in You Can't Say That!, in which a black woman won a large settlement after receiving a joke certificate designating her an 'honorary coonass'. She thought this was a racial slur, when it's actually a mildly derogatory slang word for 'Cajun.' The Coonass case was a bit more egregious, however, in that the complainant in that case actually won a jury verdict; the complainant's in the 'Ride Them Hard' case won a settlement, apparently largely because the school district's lawyer was thought to have mishandled the investigation, and the distict was afraid this would make them look bad before a jury. (Also, the 'coonass' case was decided in federal court, where it should have been easily dismissed by the judge under current hostile environment doctrine, even if it was a slur; New Jersey, in contrast, allows hostile environment doctrine, even if it was a slur; New Jersey, in contrast, allows hostile environment complaints based on a single remark, making much more difficult to get a case dismissed.) Regardless, this might just win my vote for the most ridiculous case of the year.

Freedom of speech tested

2006-01-06T17:25:00.000-08:00

Late last year a Marquette dental student was suspended from the university when officials determined that a few of his blog entries violated professional conduct codes. The situation created a frenzy in the blogging community as well as mainstream media. In a vapid media release, the university announced that "the suspension has been overturned. Rather, the student will face three semesters of probation."

Ohio State in the news; it's not just for beating Notre Dame

2006-01-02T21:09:00.000-08:00

I'm not sure who is giving former Ohio State running back Maurice Clarett advice on life and living, but things aren't going well for the young man. The latest news involves him attempting to rob "two people at gunpoint in an alley behind a bar."

It was in 2002 that Maurice helped the Ohio State football team win the national championship. The following year he "was charged with misdemeanor falsification for filing a police report claiming that more than $10,000 in clothing, CDs, cash and stereo equipment was stolen from a car he borrowed from a local dealership." He sat out that season and unsuccessfully tried to enter the NFL draft on two occassions.

This reminds me of former LSU star running back Cecil Collins. This kid was a phenomenon whose rising star was sure to outshine that of teammate Kevin Faulk, now of the New England Patriots. In just 72 carries he rushed for 596 yards. It came to a quick end when "he was arrested twice and thrown off the LSU team. He transferred to Division I-AA McNeese State but then failed a court-ordered drug test. Collins then spent the next three months in prison and a halfway house."

Despite all of that, the Miami Dolphins gave him a shot and he was doing well before being "arrested on a burgary charge."

Mike Tice out as Vikings coach

2006-01-01T18:51:00.000-08:00

After this year's fiasco of a season that rivals anything the New Orleans Saints have ever done, Mike Tice has been fired. If nothing else, he has his ticket scalping operation to fall back on.

Affairs of a Sordid World: Favorite topics from 2005

2006-01-01T11:19:00.000-08:00

I started Affairs of a Sordid World in July 2005 and one of my first (and most favorite) blog entries covered the politically correct denigration of the social tag 'coonass'. At the time I wrote, "I am exactly one-half Cajun. Ancestors on my mother's side of the family were the very first of the settlers expelled from Acadia. Additionally, I affectionately call myself (as well as others whom I am friends with) a coonass." Those feelings still apply.

It's a sordid world we live in and it's only through faith in each other that will help us through another year of political wrangling, natural disasters, death, survival and social upheavel. That's a lot to live for, isn't it?

Well, let's move on to the rest of my favorite blog entries (in no particular order) from 2005:

Islamic Crescent of Embrace: "Though the memorial for Flight 93 has been re-designed, it is still considered by many to be an Islamo-fascist shrine."
Barrett Report being squashed by Bill, Hillary Clinton?: "The scandals surrounding the Clinton administration go far beyond any skeletons in a closet. From Ken Starr's investigation and the Monica Lewinsky saga to Waco and the bombing of the Chinese embassy in Belgrade, it was (and continues to be) The Clintongate Administration. In a December 20 blog entry I highlighted how a report by Independent Counsel David Barrett may cause Hillary Clinton to forgo her presidential aspirations when if it is released."
Exterminate white people: "'There is only one nigger on the planet. And the nigger that's on the planet is the one that's destroying the water. The one that's polluting the air. The one that's exploiting people and resources. The only nigger on the planet is the white man and the white woman ... The one idea is how we are going to exterminate white poeple because that, in my estimation, is the only conclusion I have come to."
Israel planning to open a can of whoop ass?: "In the latest episode of my god is better than your god, Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad called the Holocaust a myth and that 'Europeans are responsible for any crimes that may have been committed against Jews, and that the 'oppressed Palestinian nation' should not have to pay the price of land.'"
Forbes and the attack of the killer blogs: "After seeing comments about a Forbes magazine article, Attack of the Blogs (They destroy brands and wreck lives. Is there any way to fight back?), I was concerned about the full scope and impact it might have on the blogging community ... The article essentially provides insight into how the business community is affected by blogs, how bloggers feed off of each other and how misinformation (either intentionally or unintentionally) spreads fervently."
U.N. control of the Internet: "As mentioned last month, 'abusers of civil rights — Cuba, China, Iran, Brazil and others — want the U.S. to rescind control of the Internet to the U.N.' A few weeks later the Chinese government shoots a bunch of people, tries to hide it and then makes 'a rare public admission'."
ction of Internet to world control: "Are you willing to spend time in prison and get whipped 124 times just so you can bask in the light of Cindy Sheehan while dousing Pres. Bush with sloven jeers?"
Freedom of speech in a blogging world: "When it comes to the freedoms we in the United States are afforded, the line between it and persecution can sometimes get blemished."
Saints get their marching papers: "The New Orleans Saints are a burden to the state of Louisiana. Prior to the damage received by Hurricane Katrina, Saints owner Tom Benson demanded the state build a new facility or they were leaving. This was quickly followed by a demand that the state invest tax dollars in the team to offset Benson's financial losses (the lone NFL team 'with a guaranteed cash subsidy from a state'). Like a Mardi Gras reveler being beat by a New Orleans cop, the state succumbed."
Blanco and Nagin: A Timeline of Ineptness: "It's interesting to note that local and state political leaders hesitated in their response despite warnings from President George Bush and National Hurricane Center Director Max Mayfield."
Jackass Michael Moore is at it again ...: "Politically blinded idiots like Michael Moore want you to believe that poverty, racial issues, the New Orleans disaster and everything else that's wrong in this world is caused by the Republicans. These images are the six state senators for Orleans Parish. Of the six, only one is a Republican and only two are white. In the Louisiana House of Representatives, there are 14 seats from Orleans Parish and 11 of them are Democrats."
Chronicle this, Anne Rice!: "The ever-intrepid Anne Rice wants to know why the federal government ignored New Orleans' call for help. As far as I'm concerned, the call for help wasn't ignored because none was ever made until days after the horror began."
Many have wondered about those outside of New Orleans: "A majority of the leadership in Orleans and Jefferson parishes are African-American Democrats. It's been the case for many, many years. I don't recall it ever being any other way. Despite not doing anything to help the citizens before and after Hurricane Katrina, these same local politicians have pointed fingers of blame at Pres. Bush and FEMA. In addition to the slow response, accusations of governmental racism are being tossed around by Jesse Jackson and other partisan demagogues."
Flushoff a success!: "The Great Cajundome Flushoff was a tremendous success."
Pelosi vs. DeLay: "My belief that all politicians are corrupt to one degree or another continues to be supported by such people as Rep. Tom DeLay. After Delay's recent indictment, House Minority Leader Rep. Nancy Pelosi remarked, 'The criminal indictment of Majority Leader Tom Delay is the latest example that Republicans in Congress are plagued by a culture of corruption at the expense of the American people.' Pelosi has short term memory loss. It was only last week the she was found guilty of violating federal election law similar to DeLay's indictment."
Why is Natalee Holloway so important?: "Why does the media feel that Natalee Holloway is so important? What about the children who go missing everyday? Are they not important enough for Greta and the media in general?"
Judicial enequality: "Why would the man who attempted by blackmail Cameron Diaz has been jailed for more than three years. At the same time, people who've committed arguably more severe crimes only get a hand slap."
Paint ... makes a body strong: "When things are going bad for you, just think of Patrick Tribett. If it's on The Smoking Gun you know it's going to be funny."
Bi-partisan: "New Orleans refugee Arpollo Vicks (aka Sharli'e Dominique) was jailed for five days 'after showering in the women's bathroom at a local shelter.' The county attorney declined to press charges against Vicks, a transgender -- born male but lives as a woman -- who was 'arrested Sunday by Texas A&M University Police for criminal trespassing after she exited a women's shower facility at Reed Arena"

Brooke and Mr. Potato Head

2005-12-31T21:50:00.000-08:00

Looking for information on Brooke Crittendon and Mr. Potato Head? Click here.

You can also check out these:

Japan to attempt take down of Yahoo!, Google

2005-12-31T15:39:00.000-08:00

As seen on the Hidden Nook, Japan is planning to compete against Yahoo! and Google in the search engine category. According to Pocket-lint.co.uk, "According to a government official, the Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry will kick off a study group consisting of about 20 Japanese electronics companies and universities on internet search engines ... More than 20 companies, including Hitachi, Panasonic, Matsushita Electric Industrial Co., Fujitsu, NEC and Tokyo University have joined the research group, which is expected to receive an initial government budget of about 12 billion yen (£60 million). The project is expected to take between 3 to 5 years. The report said that Japan wants to come up with its own version of search engine to catch up with the American companies that receive high profits from online ad revenues."

Old news, but for those who don't know ...

2005-12-30T14:33:00.000-08:00

Sony Settles Spyware Class Action Suit

"Sony's settlement would offer consumers who purchased the infected CDs with a cash payment of US$7.50 and one album download from a list of more than 200 titles, or three digital albums in lieu of the cash. Sony would also provide software to uninstall the DRM technology and stop making CDs containing the offensive software."

You'd think that everyone would have heard about Sony's rootkit spyware, but that's not the case. I've had a few people ask me about an installation window that popped up the first time they put in a new CD from the company.

In a nutshell, it's Sony's way — albeit just as opprobrious — of combating those who choose to obtain music through illegal channels. It's an ironic twist of events.

If you're one of the few who hasn't heard about the rootkit issue, then read on.

Sony BMG Music Rootkit Site: "SONY BMG Music Entertainment today announced the commencement of a mail-in program through which consumers can exchange compact discs (CDs) containing XCP content protection software for a replacement version of the same CD without the XCP software, in addition to receiving MP3 files of that CD."
Wired News - Real Story of the Rogue Rootkit: "On Oct. 31, Mark Russinovich broke the story in his blog: Sony BMG Music Entertainment distributed a copy-protection scheme with music CDs that secretly installed a rootkit on computers. This software tool is run without your knowledge or consent -- if it's loaded on your computer with a CD, a hacker can gain and maintain access to your system and you wouldn't know it."
Sony rootkit: The untold story: "Just when I thought that one of worst public relations nightmares in technology history was finally coming to a conclusion, I woke up this morning to learn that the never ending tale has taken another salacious twist."

Be happy when American soldiers die?

2005-12-29T17:13:00.000-08:00

It's amazing the level of stupidty a person can find on the Internet. Whether it's this blog or the web site of Citizens Against the Troops, all sorts of sordid intelligence abound on the Internet. It's hard to tell if the organizers of the site are for real or are just trying to spark a response from visitors. For instance, they have a quote at the top of the page purporting to be from GreenSoft Solutions Inc.; however, a quick visit yields this:

"GreenSoft Solutions, Inc. (GSI) has recently been sited by a fraudulent web site portraying one of our employees as a supporter of the site, and the content therein. GSI is NOT a supporter of this site, or any related site, and has no relationship, affiliation or control over this site. The authors of this site are not a customer, past or present, of GSI or any GSI affiliated organization.

We apologize for their misrepresentation of our views, or the views of any of our employees. We have refused to comply with any of the coercive tactics and requests of the authors when we demanded that all GSI references be removed from their site."

Below are random bits of information quoted from Citizens Against the Troops:

"One of the many goals of this site is to protest, and suggest reform for, the military pay, benefit, and pension structure. As it stands currently, the compensation, benefit, and retirement packages that our active duty and retired military personnel get is outrageous, obscene, unearned, and above all: undeserved."
"The purpose of Citizens Against The Troops is to protest, and perhaps suggest ways to improve, the military pay and benefits structure. Many soldiers who sign up today do it to leech off the system, paid for by our tax dollars. Granted, there are plenty who join out of geniune patriotic intent, but that does not change the fact that the excessive pay needs to stop. Therefore, their true motivation is called into question, thereby creating the need to oppose them, while not wishing them physical harm (but not being saddened when it happens)."
"To the left, you see a soldier crying like a bitch. Maybe that's because he realizes his life is a joke. Each soldier should bear the responsibility to support themselves financially, while in the military. Do not force the innocent taxpayer to foot the bill. Oh, let the military supply their precious housing, but don't pay their rent and their salary. That is where the notion of excessive pay comes into play. There is presently no soldier in service who was drafted. Every single person chose to sign on the dotted line. Therefore, we as the taxpayers are being forced to foot the bill for someone else's choice. Along those same lines, if a soldier dies, the country shouldn't pay anything. Death is a known risk of joining the military, so the soldier should be prepared accordingly. Elimination of death benefits would be a step in the right direction, and would save quite a bit of tax money."
"The count of dead scumbags rises often. When the body count does rise, we celebrate American stupidity. Remember: A soldier who dies for his country still dies and another dude gets his bitch. We are citizens against the U.S. troops. Donald Rumsfeld is pledging that the number of troops in Iraq will be reduced, but does this mean that those scumbags will be kicked out of the military? Nope. They will continue to live the cushy life at the expense of the taxpayer. Over the holiday weekend, at least three scumbags died. Semper Cry!"
"A soldier is dead in Iraq. The story goes that he died for his country, but the moral of the story is that he's dead and now another man gets his woman. Worse than that, however, is the fact that the taxpayers must now dole out $400,000 due to his poor life decisions, and essentially support his miserable scumbag family."
"A U.S. scumbag is left to rot in a pool of his own blood, and that is just as it should be."
"The taxpayers should not have to pay for burial. If civilian life insurance won’t cover it (i.e. act of war) then the family should pay for it, just as it is in the real world. How is it the taxpayers' fault they chose to join, and the risk of death was greatly increased? Eliminating these benefits, among others, will save the taxpayers billions of dollars, and it will ensure these scumbags do not get funds they do not deserve, in life or in death."

The web site also includes support for the Westboro Baptist Church. If you've never heard of Fred Phelps and the 'church' then you may want to check it out. Note that this organization is worse than Citizens Against the Troops. (I've blogged about Fred Phelps before.)

Thanks to Right Wing News for the update.

Flushoff a success!

2005-12-29T17:05:00.000-08:00

The Great Cajundome Flushoff was a tremendous success. According to KLFY, "So many volunteers showed up, some had to be turned away."

The problem at hand was that the Cajundome had been left in a state of disrepair after housing refugees of Hurricane Katrina for several months. To help clean up, volunteers were asked to "flush all of the 200 toilets and urinals at almost the same time to make sure they're working right."

To pull off such a massive undertaking, Cajundome administration instituted 15-minute rounds of flushing "which sounded like an orchestra of whooshing toilets, gushing faucets and flushing urinals."

More fallout from Hurricane Katrina

2005-12-28T17:01:00.000-08:00

FOXNews is reporting that 49 people have been indicted for their involvement in a scam that bilked some $200,000 in Red Cross funds meant for Hurricane Katrina victims.

Barrett Report being squashed by Bill, Hillary Clinton?

2005-12-27T20:18:00.000-08:00

"Hillary Clinton said today that she wants legislation to allow all ex-felons to vote. See, this way all the Clinton's former business partners can vote for her in 2008." — Jay Leno

The scandals surrounding the Clinton administration go far beyond any skeletons in a closet. From Ken Starr's investigation and the Monica Lewinsky saga to Waco and the bombing of the Chinese embassy in Belgrade, it was (and continues to be) The Clintongate Administration.

In a December 20 blog entry I highlighted how a report by Independent Counsel David Barrett may cause Hillary Clinton to forgo her presidential aspirations ~~when~~ if it is released.

The Neo Con Blogger reports that "... David Barrett, the last remaining U.S. independent counsel ... has spent $21 million on the investigation of former Housing Secretary Henry Cisneros, who lied to FBI investigators about hush money paid to an ex-mistress. The reason the report and the investigation have taken so long is that allies to Cisneros and the legal team of former President Bill Clinton at the powerhouse Washington law firm of Williams and Connolly have fought its progress in court at every step."

(Williams and Connolly is "the same firm that Bill Clinton used to help him through Whitewater, Monica Lewinski, and his famous redefinition of the word 'is'.")

Neo Con Blogger adds that "Clinton-sympathetic judges have sealed everything concerned with the case, including Barrett's report." What's being squashed are "shocking allegations of high-level corruption in the Internal Revenue Service and Justice Department under Clinton, which Barrett found as Clinton aides monitored his investigation and sought to derail it in order to cover up the Cisneros matter."

Among ways the Democrats have tried to stymie the report, according to the Neo Con Blogger, include an IRS official transferring the investigation to Washington for prompt burial by the Justice Department and "a recently passed appropriations bill, intended to permit release of this report, was altered by Democrats behind closed doors to ensure that its politically combustible elements never see the light of day."

It should be pointed out that FOXNews' coverage the report is virtually nonexistent. Primary coverage of it comes from The Tony Snow Show. On more than one instance Tony accuses senators Byron Dorgan, John Kerry and Richard Durbin of trying "to bury forever documents alleging that senior government officials tried to transform portions of the IRS and the Justice Department into a goon squad for attacking political enemies and aiding political friends." He explains how Dorgan tried to attach an amendment to the Emergency Supplemental Appropriations bill, which is intended to continue funding military operations in Iraq.

In additional reporting Tony describes how "... the 400-page Barrett report is a bombshell, capable possibly of wiping out Hillary Rodham Clinton's presidential prospects. At the very least, it would bring to public attention a scandal that would make the Valerie Plame affair vanish into comical insignificance."

Robert Novak seconds the sentiments with his December 15, 2005, column in which he claims that the reports' "political significance [is the] shocking allegations of high-level corruption in the Internal Revenue Service and Justice Department [and they] are likely to be concealed from the public and from Congress." Despite the Democrats attempts to send the Barrett report to an early demise, Novak believes that "Sen. Chuck Grassley will still try to force its release. As chairman of the Senate Finance Committee with oversight of the IRS, he wants the first real investigation of the tax agency."

Human Events Online believes the Barrett report has drawn the ire of "three of the toughest Democrats in Congress: Sen. Carl Levin, Sen. Byron Dorgan and Rep. Henry Waxman. At the same time, the powerhouse Washington law firm of Williams & Connolly — representing not only Cisneros but also the Clintons — was filing multiple suits with federal appellate judges supervising the independent counsel. The sympathetic judges sealed everything concerned with the case, including the report. Barrett was instructed to remain deathly silent on pain of criminal prosecution."

Despite attempts at revisionist history (see also, Hillary Becomes A Revisionist ... Again), the Billary presidency was corrupt and it continues today. It will be interesting to see the tricks and tactics the Clintons will use to continue their "political legacy." They're almost smoother than a Bill Clinton apology.

See also:

Google Blog Search: Bill Clinton and Williams & Connolly
Google Blog Search: Clinton and David Barrett
WorldNetDaily: The hazing of Judge Lamberth: "Over the last several years, Judicial Watch has brought over 60 lawsuits against a corrupt and unrepentant Clinton-Gore administration — frankly a small number given the widespread criminality rampant in the Executive Branch."
Broadcast news ignores Juanita Broaddrick story
The Cisneros Probe: Key Stories
FOX News Violates Journalistic Ethics and Agreement with Judicial Watch

Goodbye, Monday Night Football

2005-12-27T04:29:00.000-08:00

Last night was the final broadcast of ABC's Monday Night Football. The NFL will move the broadcast to ESPN.

MNF started the year I was born. Sure, it's the end of a 36 year run; however, despite being a die-hard football fan, I can't say I'm disappointed. In fact, I can't decide how I feel. For me, MNF won't be missed as much as the days in the 1970s and 1980s when NFL dominated the Sunday airwaves. I enjoyed Sundays watching the games with my Father and brother. Being much younger than my brother (and of course my Father), I enjoyed listening to them and learning the game through their comments and such.

Additionally, perhaps it's the fact that in recent years MNF hasn't held the mystique it once had when Howard Cosell and Frank Gifford were in the booth. It wasn't the same with Dennis Miller and his ilk. Don't get me wrong, I enjoyed Dennis during his one-year stint on the show and felt he added an angle to the broadcasts that possibly many viewers couldn't appreciate or comprehend. I believe the vituperative attitude towards him was similar towards Cosell in his later years.

Other than Joe Theisman's broken leg, I don't have memories of the individual Monday Night Football games. It's more of the charactors who were a part of the show from days long gone who I miss. Perhaps that's why I have no sadness now for the transition to ESPN.

See also:

I love Cindy Sheehan

2005-12-25T19:34:00.000-08:00

Thanks to It's All George Bush's Fault!!! for the image.

Merry Christmas, bin Laden

2005-12-25T02:36:00.000-08:00

Dear Usama bin Laden,

As part of the holiday cheer, I give to you a Christmas ham.

Regards,
Saint Christopher

P.S. Merry Christmas and I hope you rot in hell.

Rapes post-Katrina

2005-12-23T10:09:00.000-08:00

Reports of rape in and around New Orleans in the crisis following Hurricane Katrina are conflicting. It was originally reported that rapes and murders during those dark and chaotic days numbered in the hundreds. Then it was reported that those were just rumors.

People at the New Orleans Rape Crisis Center have their own opinion. In a public service announcement, a well known New Orleans resident tells her story.

“Hi. My name is Charmaine Neville. I was in New Orleans at a school after Hurricane Katrina and I was raped. I know many more women were raped and are afraid to talk about it.”

Can you write a better headline?

2005-12-22T20:00:00.000-08:00

This from the NASA news site ...
NASA's Hubble Discovers New Rings and Moons Around Uranus
Of course, there's always ...

Two New Rings Found Around Uranus

And how could I pass up this ...

More Rings Found Around Uranus

Exit strategy ...

2005-12-22T05:16:00.000-08:00

From The Onion (U.S. Troops Draw Up Own Exit Strategy):

"My marines are the best-trained, best-equipped, most homesick fighting force in the world," said Staff Sgt. Cornelius Woods. "Just give us the order, and we will commandeer every available vehicle to execute a flanking maneuver on the airstrips of Mosul. By this time tomorrow, we will have retaken our positions at our families' dinner tables in full force."

Keep in mind that The Onion is a parody site. Who else is going to run a news brief that Natalee Holloway has been elected to the Aruban parliament?

The other major news from The Onion is the identification of Karl Rove as a leak "revealing Santa Claus to be 'your mommy and daddy' ..."

The Great Cajundome Flushoff

2005-12-21T05:57:00.000-08:00

Read the UPDATE.

Louisiana. It's been an interesting year. First there was a hurricane and the fiasco that followed. Then there's an earthquake.

Now comes the The Great Cajundome Flushoff. Yes, volunteers are needed to help flush the facilities toilets as part of the process from cleaning up after housing Hurricane Katrina evacuees. So far Cajundome administrators have found "a brick wrapped in a towel, a t-shirt and diapers."

Hypocrite of the Day Award

2005-12-21T05:43:00.000-08:00

By now it's all over the sportscasts how much of a hypocrite Minnesota Vikings head coach Mike Tice is for blasting the team's season ticket holders for selling their tickets to Pittsburgh Steelers fans. The two matched up last week in Minnesota in a game that, if they had won, would have brightened the Vikings playoff hopes.

If you recall, Mike was caught scalping his 12 tickets to last year's Super Bowl. The NFL and Vikings management had a problem with that.

Deadspin (You're Doing A Heckuva Job, Ticey) makes the point this way: "Imagine, if you will, Ron Artest blasting fans for getting in fights, or Damon Stoudamire organizing a protest against High Times, or Fred Smoot screaming at those who would use contraptions to 'please' two women who happened to be lying prostrate on the deck of a boat. Hypothetically speaking. Vikings coach Mike Tice, continuing his pitch-perfect sense of proper public relations, told the Minneapolis Star-Tribune that there were too many Steelers fans at the Metrodome last weekend and that fans who scalped their tickets [are] 'not really diehard season-ticket holders.'"

Reporting last year on Mike's ticket scalping fiasco, Charles Robinson makes in interesting point about the NFL's hypocricy.

Charles tells the story of New England Patriots season ticket holder Marcia Kringel and the hoops she had to jump through to be at Super Bowl XXXVIII, which featured New England and the Carolina Panthers. Marcia was in a 10-year season ticket contract to the tune of $75,000. She was having problems finding tickets until the Patriots front office called to offer two Super Bowl tickets. They came at a price well beyond the $500 face value of each ticket. Marcia said, "... I had to extend the lease on my club seats another five years. And during that five-year extension, the price of my two season tickets would be $9,000 a year total – an increase of $1,500 a year more than I was paying on the first 10-year contract.'"

See also:

Philadelphia Daily News: Tice re-sells out fans: "So, it's perfectly fine for Mike Tice to scalp tickets but it's not fine for anyone else. Remember earlier this year when Tice, the Minnesota Vikings coach, was caught scalping some of his NFL-provided 12 Super Bowl tickets? He was reprimanded and, some thought, might even lose his job. He even was fined $100,000. Well, Capt. Scalp, something of an expert about re-selling tickets, told Minneapolis' Star Tribune that he is annoyed with the number of Steelers fans who watched Pittsburgh beat the Vikings on Sunday in the Metrodome."

Kyoto Protocal a must

2005-12-20T19:40:00.000-08:00

Perhaps Cindy Sheehan, Michael Moore, Sean Penn and other neo-political environmentalist hacks will find a way to blame Pres. Bush, global warming and the Kyoto Protocal for today's earthquake in Louisiana. Does that mean Bush still doesn't like black people?

Pres. Bush involved in northern alliance with fat man, short people

2005-12-19T23:36:00.000-08:00

It's unclear if Pres. Bush signed an executive order or needed NSA clearance on this; however, if you have children who still believe in Santa Claus and you love them, check out NORAD Tracks Santa 2005.

Here's the history:

This is the 50th Anniversary that NORAD and its predecessor, the Continental Air Defense Command (CONAD) have tracked Santa. The tradition began after a Colorado Springs-based Sears Roebuck & Co. store advertisement for children to call Santa on a special "hotline" included an inadvertently misprinted telephone number. Instead of Santa, the phone number put kids through to the CONAD Commander-in-Chief's operations "hotline." The Director of Operations, Colonel Harry Shoup, received the first "Santa" call on Christmas Eve 1955. Realizing what had happened, Colonel Shoup had his staff check radar data to see if there was any indication of Santa making his way south from the North Pole. Indeed there were signs of Santa and children who called were given an update on Santa's position. Thus, the tradition was born. In 1958, the governments of Canada and the United States decided to create a bi-national air defense command for the North American continent called the North American Air Defense Command. Canada and the U.S. believed they could better defend North America together as a team instead of separately.

The Command carried out its first Santa tracking in 1958 after inheriting the tradition from CONAD. Since that time, Canadian and American men and women who work at NORAD have responded to phone calls from children personally. Additionally, media from all over the world call NORAD on Christmas Eve for updates on Santa's location. Last year this Website was visited by millions of people who wanted to know Santa's whereabouts. This year, the information is provided in six languages.

NORAD relies on many volunteers to help make Santa tracking possible. Many people at Cheyenne Mountain and Peterson Air Force Base spend part of their Christmas Eve with their families and friends at NORAD's Santa Tracking Operations Center in order to answer phones and provide Santa updates to the many thousands of children who call in.

NORAD is the bi-national U.S.-Canadian military organization responsible for the aerospace defense of the United States and Canada. NORAD was created by a 1958 agreement between Canada and the United States. The agreement has been renewed nine times - most recently in 2000. NORAD provides warning of missile and air attack against both of its member nations, safeguards the air sovereignty of North America, and provides air defense forces for defense against an air attack.

NORAD's mission has evolved over the years to meet the aerospace defense needs of Canada and the United States. The most recent "evolution" in NORAD's mission came as a result of September 11, 2001. Because of that day, NORAD now monitors the airspace within Canada and the United States, too. There are men and women in NORAD constantly watching the skies to keep the United States and Canada safe. Visit NORAD's kids' Pages at www.norad.mil.

Microsoft, Yahoo, Google, et al ... made in China?

2005-12-19T23:21:00.000-08:00

The other day I briefly mentioned the involvement of various U.S.-based companies in assisting the Chinese government filter Internet content.

Concurring Opinions (Should Google, Yahoo, and Microsoft Help China Filter Searches?) brings up some great points with the benefit of some legal insight as well as just plain common sense.

Should Google, Yahoo, and Microsoft be cooperating? Is business always business? Or should businesses refuse to cooperate with certain foreign legal regimes? If it is acceptable for businesses to cooperate, is there a limit to the level of cooperation that should be provided?

These questions don't have an easy answer. Is it acceptable when Yahoo or Google help France and Germany filter out pro-Nazi websites? Hypothetically, would it have been acceptable for Yahoo or Google to have helped the Nazi regime in identifying Jews? Where should the line be drawn?

It's deja vu all over again

2005-12-19T23:01:00.000-08:00

It's being reported that Hillary Clinton may have to forgo her presidential aspirations once a report from Independent Counsel David Barrett is released. According to Tony Snow, host of FoxNEWS Radio's The Tony Snow Show, "By all accounts, the 400-page Barrett report is a bombshell, capable possibly of wiping out Hillary Rodham Clinton's presidential prospects. At the very least, it would bring to public attention a scandal that would make the Valerie Plame affair vanish into comical insignificance."

NewsMax.com (Report Could Torpedo Hillary Clinton's Prez Plans) is reporting, "Two Washington pundits are warning that Hillary Clinton's 2008 presidential plans may depend on whether congressional Democrats can continue to keep Independent Counsel David Barrett's final report on IRS abuses during the 1990s under wraps ... When he launched his probe in 1994, Mr. Barrett's initial focus was former Clinton Housing Secretary Henry Cisneros. But his investigation quickly zeroed in on allegations that the Clintons were using the IRS to persecute their political enemies - including scandal witnesses against them."

It will be interesting to see how this plays out and if the Clinton luck has run out.

Thanks to Blogs Against Hillary for the update.

See also:

Independent Online Edition: Clinton on Clinton: "After undergoing heart-bypass surgery last year, the former President reveals to Diane Salvatore how the experience not only changed his life - but also his relationships with those closest to him"

Pat Robertson on science

2005-12-19T22:36:00.000-08:00

It's a curious thought if environmentalists who are so worried about pollution of the air and water really understand the positive impact the industries they despise have on their lives. From Iranian nuclear weapons and Israeli pistols to Chinese food and acid relief medicines, science and industry is involved.

Then there are people like televangelist Pat Robertson who want to push creationism into the scholastic arena. When people don't do what Pat wants, as was the case in Dover, PA, he warns of "the wrath of God for not voting in a school board that would teach Intelligent Design in classes."

The American Association for the Advancement of Science responded, "We'd like to say to the good Reverend Robertson: if there is a disaster in your area, don't turn to science, you just rejected it from your life ... And don't wonder why it hasn't helped you when problems begin, if they begin. We're not saying they will, but if they do, just remember, you just pushed science out of your life. And if that's the case, don't ask for its help because it might not be there ... In particular, you won't have a phone to call the ambulance, and it won't exist even if you could call it. And even if the doctor lived next door and you could call her, she would only bleed you and put smelly poultices on your forehead to balance your humours. And she would be a guy.'

'Actually, we're just kidding,' the AAAS later corrected. 'Science works whether you believe in it or not. That's what's really cool about it,' they said.

'What they said,' indicated Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez, in an independent statement.

Speaking of Hugo, he just had a 'succesful' political election. It's been a hell of a year for the man. According to Pajamas Media (The day Chavez staggered):

"Chavez through the last quarter of the year kept pushing his agenda on a 'Socialism for the XXI Century' which included: more property confiscation, more free giving overseas, more incendiary rhetoric, more pro Castro, more anti US (even if disguised as anti Bush) and many more confrontational elements. In other words Chavez decided not to wait for his own reelection in December 2006 to make it a referendum on a new Venezuelan economical and social structure, but instead decided to get right now an assembly that would start implementing the changes as early as January 2006. Sweeping changes in the still brand new 1999 constitution were even discussed!"

Thanks to Brad Ideas for the update.

Life post-9/11 a lot like Orwell's 1984

2005-12-19T22:17:00.000-08:00

Like Daily Kos, I couldn't resist running a ditto of Think Progress' Cheney: Warrentless Wiretapping ‘Might Have Led Us To Prevent 9/11′:

Vice President Cheney from tonight’s Nightline:

It’s the kind of capability [that], if we’d had before 9/11, might have led us to be able to prevent 9/11.

We had two 9/11 terrorists in San Diego prior to the attack in contact with al Qaeda sources outside the U.S. We didn’t know it. The 9/11 Commission talks about it. If we’d had this capability, then we might well have been able to stop it.

This is false and sensational. The secret surveillance program authorized by President Bush did not provide the National Security Agency any new “capability.”

The NSA “already had the capacity to read your mail and your e-mail and listen to your telephone conversations. All it had to do was obtain a warrant from a special court created for this purpose. The burden of proof for obtaining a warrant was relaxed a bit after 9/11, but even before the attacks the court hardly ever rejected requests.” Indeed, from 1979 to 2002, the FISA court issued 15,264 surveillance warrants. Not a single warrant application was rejected.

Nothing in the law pre-9/11 prevented the federal government from conducting surveillance operations on terrorists. Cheney simply can’t resist using that tragedy to shield himself from criticism.

See also:

The Volokh Conspiracy - Legal Analysis of the NSA Domestic Surveillance Program:

There's no going home

2005-12-19T22:09:00.000-08:00

Last week California Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger denied a stay of execution for Tookie Williams. A few people weren't happy about that (I'm guessing Tookie was one of those), including Arnold's Austrian hometown of Graz.

Schwarzenegger severs ties with Austrian hometown: "California Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger cut his honorary ties to his hometown in Austria on Monday after officials in Graz criticized him for denying clemency to a death row inmate.

Schwarzenegger demanded that Graz stop using his name on a sports stadium and in promotions and returned a 'ring of honor' he had been awarded by city officials in 1999, saying politicians in his hometown appeared to have rejected him.

A petition drive had been launched in Graz to have the town rename a stadium that has been named after Schwarzenegger because the Austrian-born governor allowed the execution of death-row inmate Stanley Tookie Williams this month."

See also:

Affairs of a Sordid World: Tookie, Snoop Dogg and Monday Night Football

Something about inmates taking over the asylum?

2005-12-19T22:02:00.000-08:00

Who's more foolish? The fool or the fool who follows the fool?

Such is the case with Guidance Software which, according to their website, specializes in the development of "solutions that search, identify, recover and deliver digital information in a forensically sound and cost-effective manner ... Guidance Software’s suite of EnCase® solutions provide an enterprise investigative infrastructure that enables corporations, government and law enforcement agencies to conduct effective digital investigations, respond promptly to eDiscovery requests and other large-scale data collection needs, and take decisive action in response to external attacks."

The problem is that hackers broke into Guidance Software's network, "resulting in the exposure of financial and personal data connected to thousands of law enforcement officials and network-security professionals."

Tag team

2005-12-19T21:56:00.000-08:00

Call me sadistic, but I've wondered how I would react if someone pointed a gun at me in the process of a crime. I'd like to think my response would be similar to that of two Milwakee men who were confronted in their home during a robbery.

The victims were relaxing in their hom when two men entered with guns at the ready. Two of the residents, a father and son, fought back. While one of the robbers escaped, the duo apprehended the other assailant and "injured the man so badly that an ambulance had to come to the home. (The father) said he stabbed the man three times in the leg with a cheese knife and his son hit the man in the head with a snow shovel, which authorities took for evidence."

Israel planning to open a can of whoop ass?

2005-12-19T21:14:00.000-08:00

Things aren't going well in the Middle East. Do they ever?

In the latest episode of my god is better than your god, Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad called the Holocaust a myth and that "Europeans are responsible for any crimes that may have been committed against Jews, and that the 'oppressed Palestinian nation' should not have to pay the price of land." The Iranian president "said the West has 'fabricated a legend' which it holds 'above God' of the systematic killing of millions of Jews by Nazi Germany during World War II."

In other news, Israel is preparing for war against Iran.

According to Human Events Online:

Israel is sending increasingly clear signs that it is gearing up for a major military confrontation with the soon-to-be nuclear power of Iran.

Consider that in recent weeks:
Israeli military intelligence chief Aharon Zeevi Farkash said Israel will have to admit the failure of diplomatic efforts to contain Iran’s nuclear weapons program if Iran is not referred to the U.N. Security Council before the end of March.
Israeli Defense Minister Shaul Mofaz declared that Israel must get ready for actions “other than diplomatic” to solve the Iranian problem.
And citing Iran as an “existential threat,” Likud Party Chairman candidate Benjamin Netanyahu was even more blunt, making an attack on Iran an explicit campaign promise.

Kanye gets some help

2005-12-19T21:03:00.000-08:00

MTV's Brooke Crittendon wasn't happy with a recent article on The Conservative Voice about rapper Kanye West. If you recall, Kanye thinks Pres. Bush doesn't like black people.

Apparently, Brooke doesn't like Nathan Tabor, publisher/editor-in-chief of The Conservative Voice and author of the Kanye story. In an e-mail to Nathan, she claimed to be "a friend of Kanye West and was upset with Tabor's story. As far as West making the controversial statements on NBC TV's star-studded fundraiser, Ms. Crittendon claims that West 'did not know going in that he was going to make those comments, and as a multi-platinum selling rapper he definitely did not need the 'free publicity.'"

See also:

Affairs of a Sordid World: It wasn't racism, it was ineptness: "Yet, it was Jesse Jackson, Al Sharpton, and hip-hopper Kanye West, who urged their people to spit in the face of their salvation. The proponents of black activism are thus fueled with a lust for unearned revenge."

Here's a way to save a few bucks

2005-12-19T19:11:00.000-08:00

NOT A SPONSORED AD

Here's a tip. Calling 411 from your landline or cell phone incurs a charge which ranges from 90 cents on up to a few dollars. There is an alternative in 1-800-FREE-411. The service "was created to provide callers with a free alternative to the skyrocketing rates being charged by phone companies for directory assistance (411)."

It's like being sea sick. Once you think it's done, it comes right back up.

2005-12-18T16:40:00.000-08:00

Over the past several months I've made multiple comments about Cindy Sheehan. Mostly in a negative light. I'm not about to change my ways.

Sheehan has been spotted in Spain leading a war protest as "about 100 protesters carried banners criticizing President Bush."

As Gregory Cole puts it, "Who is financing Sheehan?"

In other news, Woody Allen is mediocre and makes miserable films.

Thanks to Little Green Footballs for the update.

Stuff your Dad doesn't want you to know ...

2005-12-18T11:25:00.000-08:00

Censorship by the Chinese government? Guess which U.S.-based companies are helping out.
A South Korean scientist who claims to have successfully cloned a dog is under investigation for deceit. Chinese take-out restaurants upset.
It's been a very bad week for Wikipedia.
"Bomis peddled smut while Jimmy Wales spoke of changing the way the world found its information ."
It's never easy being a teenager, much less a Muslim teenager.
Can you name the closest star to the Earth?
JibJab has their take on the year-in-review according to Pres. Bush.
The last time the Vikings were on a boat they discovered North America.
Are you going to hell?
I thought racism only happened in the South.
Watch what your kids say at school.
Watch what your kid's teachers say at school.
Here's another reason for the death penalty.
Yes, downloading music you haven't paid for is illegal too.
Google is fast becoming the next Microsoft.
Republicans don't think it's very nice to discuss the impeachment of Pres. Bush.
Will The Real Al Qaeda No. 3 Please Stand Up?
Was Jesse Jackson right?
Bah hum bug!
Wal-Mart hates Christmas. Loves your money though.
Sometimes it just doesn't pay to be a good samaritin.

Pelosi admits knowledge ... who knew?

2005-12-17T19:37:00.000-08:00

House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi has admitted her knowledge of the NSA's domestic surveillence activities. The spying on American citizens began as early as 2002 when Pres. Bush signed the order.

Hotline On Call (Pelosi Admits She Knew About NSA Collection Program): "The National Security Agency's domestic collection activities are classified based on their stati as 'unacknowledged special access programs'. That status requires that the originating authority — in this case — the White House — notify the majority and minority leaders of the House and Senate, as well as the chair and ranking members of the intelligence committee.

So did Nancy Pelosi and Harry Ried know about the program? Pelosi admits she did but says in a statement today that she expressed concern about the program when she was briefed."

Thanks to Political Wire for the update.

Michael Jackson's excuse?

2005-12-17T16:45:00.000-08:00

Here's some fodder for Louie Farrakhan, Jess Jackson, Archie Bunker-types and all other racists.

Scientists Find A DNA Change That Accounts For White Skin: "Scientists said yesterday that they have discovered a tiny genetic mutation that largely explains the first appearance of white skin in humans tens of thousands of years ago, a finding that helps solve one of biology's most enduring mysteries and illuminates one of humanity's greatest sources of strife.

The work suggests that the skin-whitening mutation occurred by chance in a single individual after the first human exodus from Africa, when all people were brown-skinned. That person's offspring apparently thrived as humans moved northward into what is now Europe, helping to give rise to the lightest of the world's races."

Patriot Act blocked, steroids to blame

2005-12-17T14:14:00.000-08:00

Set to expire December 31, renewal of the Patriot Act was stalled when Senate Democrats and a few Republicans blocked "action on a volatile issue that pits anti-terrorism efforts against civil liberties protections." (U.S. Senate Roll Call Vote)

This didn't please Pres. George Bush who used his weekly radio address "to criticize Democrats who have blocked the renewal of the anti-terrorism law that Congress passed overwhelming after the Sept. 11 attacks. In a live broadcast from the White House, the president said the effort to stall a vote was 'irresponsible and it endangers the lives of our citizens.'"

The Patriot Act is an offense to American civil liberties through such stipulations as roving wiretaps and secret warrants. For instance, let's suppose that Pres. Bush "signed a secret order in 2002 allowing the National Security Agency to spy on hundreds of U.S. citizens and other residents without court-approved warrants."

While Congress was dealing with important issues such as the BCS and steroids in baseball, they could have been taking action on this:

— the Republicans' $40 billion-plus, five-year spending cut plan. It would take on the spiraling growth of federal benefit programs such as Medicaid, Medicare and student loan subsidies. It is part of a campaign by Republican leaders to burnish their party's budget-cutting credentials as they try to reduce a deficit swelled by the Iraq war and Hurricane Katrina.

— the $453 billion defense budget. Sen. Ted Stevens, R-Alaska, is trying to add a plan for oil drilling in a wildlife refuge in Alaska. The legislation already combines Pentagon money with that for the war in Iraq with hurricane relief aid and a scaled-down plan to fight bird flu.

— a $602 billion appropriations bill for the departments of Labor, Education and Health and Human Services. GOP moderates in the Senate dislike the spending levels for many programs.

See also:

EFF: E-mail your senator: "At the very last moment in the passage of the PATRIOT Reauthorization Bill, 46 senators stood up for civil liberties. Their filibuster prevented the enactment of a law that would make permanent several key PATRIOT powers, maintain the secret seizure of records using National Security Letters, and introduce wide-ranging surveillance powers that name neither a subject or location with no prior judicial oversight. The rejection of PATRIOT was a terrific victory for civil libertarians. For once, we have something to thank our representatives for. If your senator voted for the filibuster to continue, you can write a letter to them below, and give your support to their fight. We'll make sure only those senators who voted for the filibuster receive the mail."
FOXSports.com - 2005: The sports year in weird
The Robesonian Online: Hypocrisy continues to be rampant in the NCAA

A faster Internet at whose expense?

2005-12-17T04:18:00.000-08:00

AT&T and Bellsouth are leading the telcom charge for a two-tiered Internet. The issue? The telcoms want faster services for their customers and slower transfer rates for their competitors.

The Boston Globe reports (Telecoms want their products to travel on a faster Internet):

"AT&T Inc. and BellSouth Corp. are lobbying Capitol Hill for the right to create a two-tiered Internet, where the telecom carriers' own Internet services would be transmitted faster and more efficiently than those of their competitors.

The proposal is certain to provoke a major fight with Google Inc., Yahoo Inc., Time Warner Inc., and Microsoft Corp., the powerful owners of popular Internet sites. The companies fear such a move would give telecommunications companies too much control over a fast-growing part of the Internet.

The battle is largely over video services. Several major telecom companies are working on ways to deliver broadcast-quality television over the Internet. Currently, online video can be slow to download and choppy to watch, even with higher-speed Internet services"

"The prospect of a tiered Internet with ''regular' and ''premium' broadband services is spawning fierce debate as Congress takes up a major overhaul of telecom regulations. The House of Representatives last month held hearings on a preliminary draft by two GOP congressmen, Joe Barton of Texas and Fred Upton of Michigan, that would give the telecom companies the freedom to establish premium broadband services. The telecom bill is due for action early next year.

A change along these lines would be different from the way the Internet has operated. ''The Internet model has been that carriers cannot interfere with the choices that consumers make,' said Alan Davidson, Google's Washington policy counsel.

Google is fighting the proposal, along with other large Internet companies including Amazon.com Inc. and eBay Inc. They fear they may have to pay telecoms millions of dollars to gain access to customers who use the premium Internet services. In addition, they argue, many small Internet start-ups would be unable to pay the fees, which could reduce consumer choice."

Who is that stranger on the Internet? Part II

2005-12-16T10:10:00.000-08:00

It's now thought that the story about the French guy and his Mom who accidently hooked up online is a fake. Concurring Opinions [If Oedipus Tried Online Dating...] reports, "It appears that this story might indeed be dubious. It comes from a tabloid, Weekly World News. I thought it might be credible because it was coming from Yahoo! News, but now I don't think the story is credible — or Yahoo! News for that matter."

Online lyrics issue garners an apology

2005-12-16T03:15:00.000-08:00

As I mentioned earlier this week, the UK's Warner Chappell Music was targeting music lyric sites for copyright issues and had already shut down PearLyrics. Billboard.Biz now reports that executives with Warner/Chappell spent the day "privately and publically apologizing to Walter Ritter, the 31-year-old Austrian programmer behind PearLyrics."

Publisher Apologizes To Online Lyrics Tool: "W/C’s apology was the right move, but may have come as a result of a publicly posted argument from the Electronic Frontier Foundation. Not only was Ritter’s application probably legal in the United States, reasoned the EFF, but such threats against U.S. developers could open Warner Music Group to federal liability.

The music industry might want to think these actions through more thoroughly, and not just to avoid legal strife. Dyball’s letter to PearLyrics was copied to Kevin Saul, an Apple Computer lawyer, and links to similar applications quickly disappeared from the Apple Web site.

This was two opportunities lost. For one, by taking the text from illegal lyrics sites, applications such as Ritter’s—which seek no revenue and are, at least arguably, legal—were taking eyeballs away from, and thus diminishing the ad revenue of the very illegal, very revenue-seeking sites that archive and distribute unlicensed lyrics."

Apparently the Electronic Frontier Foundation played an integral role in the change of attitude by Warner Chappell Music executives.

Thanks to Boing Boing for the update.

Who is that stranger on the Internet?

2005-12-15T20:52:00.000-08:00

[See the UPDATE.]

Brain Droppings points out the story for a French bachelor who scored a date with a women he met on the Internet. Daniel Arceneaux shows up at the rendevoux point to find out his online sweetheart — "wearing white shorts and a pink tank top" — is actually his mother.

MAN DATES GAL ON INTERNET FOR SIX MONTHS — AND IT TURNS OUT SHE'S HIS MOTHER!: "Skirt-chasing playboy Daniel Anceneaux spent weeks talking with a sensual woman on the Internet before arranging a romantic rendezvous at a remote beach — and discovering that his on-line sweetie of six months was his own mother! 'I walked out on that dark beach thinking I was going to hook up with the girl of my dreams,' the rattled bachelor later admitted. 'And there she was, wearing white shorts and a pink tank top, just like she'd said she would. 'But when I got close, she turned around — and we both got the shock of our lives. I mean, I didn't know what to say. All I could think was, 'Oh my God! it's Mama!'"

Drugs and what they do

2005-12-15T20:39:00.000-08:00

One day you're a Pro Bowl-caliber player and the next day you're dead after the car you're riding in hits "a curb, tree, newsstand, fire hydrant, light pole, another tree and an unoccupied transit bus ..."

Copyright and blogging

2005-12-15T19:16:00.000-08:00

When blogging, I try to be aware of certain copyright issues. Whether it's a photo or text, I always strive to credit the source.

However, as pointed out on Concurring Opinions [What If Copyright Law Were Strongly Enforced in the Blogosphere?], "Suppose the mainstream media, fed up with the buzz bloggers keep getting and with bloggers criticizing their stories, decided to exact revenge. They initiate a vigorous copyright enforcement strategy, launching a barrage of lawsuits against bloggers as the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) has done to music file sharers. What would happen?"

It's an interesting supposition, but one any blogger should consider.

Then, there is always the issue of blog post piracy.

Tookie, Snoop Dogg and Monday Night Football

2005-12-15T03:45:00.000-08:00

Tookie Williams was executed earlier this week despite the efforts of Jesse Jackson ("Reader Doug from Upland e-mails that the crusading Rev. Jackson did not know the names of Williams' victims when asked by KFI-AM radio talk show hosts John and Ken."), Snoop Dogg and other hacks.

Tookie's execution garnered international attention, mostly in a negative manner. The Guardian Unlimited, reporting on the "controversial execution," quoted Prime Minister Tony Blair as saying, "There is a difference between Europe and America on this issue. There always has been and there will be so long as the death penalty remains in the United States of America ... When you put the USA alongside China and Iran and so on, it is just worth pointing out that the rule of law applies in the USA."

The night of the execution the New Orleans Saints and Atlanta Falcons played on Monday Night Football. To get the show started, Disney-owned ABC did a skit with former Crips gang member, pornographer and rapper Snoop Dogg trying to motivate a bunch of children on a youth football team.

Is it just me, or does it seem a bit comical in a sadistic manner? The Snoop Dogg introduction seemed to be in bad taste more so than last year's Desperate Housewives/Terell Owens farce.

Another issue with Wikipedia

2005-12-13T20:11:00.000-08:00

UPDATE (12/20/2005): Note the comment from 'ta bu shi da yu', who is mentioned in the story from OfficialWire.

Trolling various news sources, I came across an interesting article about Wikipedia. This is unrelated to the class action lawsuit against the online encyclopedia.

According to an article from OfficialWire, this is about an "underground cabal of pedophiles who edit WikiPedia, trying to make WikiPedia a distribution center for pedophile propaganda."

One user, who goes by the name of Zanthalon, writes on his profile, 'Many of you have commented that the majority of my edits are on pedophilia-related articles. This is an area of interest for me since I am myself a pedophile, a girllover to be specific.' He then goes on to add the standard disclaimer that is echoed by many convicted child molestors, 'I would stress, however, that, I am not a child molester, having never broken the law or engaged in any intimate physical activities with any persons under the statutory age of consent'.

Zanthalon is a frequent editor of the Pedophilia article, ensuring it is written from a pro-pedophile standpoint. It seems that WikiPedia's administration supports what he is doing.

One WikiPedia Admin, by the name of Ta bu shi da yu, who is a self-described liberal marxist, goes on to commend Zanthalon's contributions.

Another WikiPedia admin, by the name of Schissel, thanks Zanthalon for uploading an image. Schissel also has a curious looking red star on his WikiPedia profile.

Zanthalon is not without fellow pedophiles at WikiPedia. LuxOfTKGL shares pleasantries with his friend Zanthalon, and says that it is 'nice to see you here.' You see, Zanthalon and LuxOfTKGL keep in touch on a frequent basis outside of WikiPedia, as they're quite familiar with each other. They're part of the pedophile underground that has infiltrated WikiPedia.

Pump and dump

2005-12-13T20:04:00.000-08:00

Now that they're being caught with their collective hands in the cookie jar, Congress wants us to believe they are taking steps to protect the integrity of the legislative branch. House Democrats have proposed reforms regarding lobbyists as well as restoring checks and balances.

At the same time, though slightly unrelated, Rutgers University Press has released Pump and Dump. The book is a history of Wall Street scandals.

"The authors explain how it was that so much of corporate America came to resemble a two-bit securities scam by focusing on the rules that mattered in three critical industries-energy trading, telecommunications, and dot-coms. Free-market hype and policies at the national level set the tone. While Wall Street wrapped itself in star-spangled packaging and celebrated its purported 'democratization,' in the real halls of democracy congressional allies of business gutted protections for ordinary investors. In the regulatory vacuum that resulted, regulators and auditors who were supposed to watch corporations instead promoted New Economy doctrines and worked with executives to endorse their firms as New Economy contenders. Ringleaders in the inner circles that committed fraud made their own rules, which they enforced through a mix of bribery and bullying."

What money can buy

2005-12-13T19:57:00.000-08:00

Shortly after 9/11 New York Mayor Rudy Giuliani rejected a $10 million donation from Saudi Prince Alwaleed bin Talal. The prince had "suggested U.S. policies in the Middle East contributed to the September 11 attacks."

However, the universities of Georgetown and Harvard didn't have any problems accepting the prince's December 12 donation of $40 million "to expand their Islamic studies programs."

U.N. control of the Internet

2005-12-13T19:26:00.000-08:00

As mentioned last month, "abusers of civil rights — Cuba, China, Iran, Brazil and others — want the U.S. to rescind control of the Internet to the U.N."

A few weeks later the Chinese government shoots a bunch of people, tries to hide it and then makes 'a rare public admission'.

However, Reporters sans frontières notes that "Chinese authorities have imposed a news blackout after police brutally put down demonstrations in Dongzhou, a provincial village in south-eastern Guangdong province. Reporters Without Borders has uncovered draconian measures put in place to prevent news filtering out about the 6 December incidents through the local and foreign media, as well as by censoring any message posted about it on the Internet ... The authorities have completely distorted news about these events. It is a striking demonstration of China’s capacity to censure both the traditional media and the Internet, the worldwide press freedom organisation said."

I figure this is how the Internet will be once the U.N. takes control of it. Looks like I may actually read a newspaper again.

Call Jamie Foxx and Michael Moore

2005-12-13T17:00:00.000-08:00

Here's something that you won't see Michael Moore, Jamie Foxx, Sean Penn or any other hacks of similar ilk protesting. The communist government of China has "made a rare public admission about an incident in which policemen opened fire on civilians protesting a local grievance, However, the government denied reports that 20 or more people had been killed, saying only three had died."

More on the Wikipedia class action

2005-12-13T15:01:00.000-08:00

It's not known whether a class action lawsuit against Wikipedia will continue. However, the perpetrator of a 'joke' accusing John Seigenthaler Sr. of involvement in the Kennedy assassinations has apologized. Brian Chase created a Wikipedia entry "that falsely implicated [John Seigenthaler Sr.] in both Kennedy assassinations and prompted a row about the online encyclopaedia's reliability ..."

According the the Guardian Unlimited (Wikipedia hoaxer apologises):

"The author of a Wikipedia entry that falsely implicated a prominent writer in both Kennedy assassinations and prompted a row about the online encyclopaedia's reliability has apologised to his victim, saying that it was a 'joke that went horribly, horribly wrong'. In a hand-delivered letter to journalist John Seigenthaler Sr, Brian Chase, an employee of a Nashville delivery company, said he inserted the false online biography as a prank on a co-worker. His contribution had falsely accused Mr Seigenthaler of having been linked to the assassination of John as well as Robert Kennedy, and of having lived in the former Soviet Union for 13 years."

Music industry is at it again

2005-12-13T04:01:00.000-08:00

The music industry is continuing its efforts to alienate their customers. This time it's the UK music industry leading the charge over copyright issues.

The problem? Sites providing music lyrics, guitar chords and scores.

According to Telegraph newspaper online, this was the inevitable next step after successful legal battles against music download sites.

Websites face a war on 'theft' of lyrics: "Executives at Warner Chappell are fed up with internet entrepreneurs 'ripping off' songs - from perennial favourites such as Happy Birthday and Rhapsody in Blue to the music of Madonna and Sir Elton John ... The move comes ahead of a campaign by the Music Publishers Association of America, which represents sheet music companies. It is to target "very big sites" that internet surfers think are legitimate."

Have you seen this?

2005-12-13T03:51:00.000-08:00

It's become a running joke, "If it's on the Internet, it must be true." That's one of the reasons why I'm always wary about certain e-mails or information I find on the Internet. One source of information I've consistently used is Wikipedia; though with some caution since it is based on the input of random "experts."

Wikipedia Class Action: "There is a problem with the operation and functionality of Wikipedia. The basic problem is that none of the Trustees of Wikimedia Foundation, Inc., nor any of the volunteers who are connected with Wikipedia, consider themselves responsible and therefore accountable for the content. They believe themselves to be above the law. WikipediaClassAction.org is currently gathering complaints from the entire Internet community, including individuals, corporations, partnerships, etc., who believe that they have been defamed and or who have been or are the subject of anonymous and malicious postings to the popular online encyclopedia WikiPedia."

Islamic Crescent of Embrace

2005-12-11T16:17:00.000-08:00

Though the memorial for Flight 93 has been re-designed, it is still considered by many to be an Islamo-fascist shrine.

According to Error Theory:

"The redesigned flight 93 memorial, announced today, still contains all of the features that made it a terrorist memorial. Architect Paul Murdoch's infamous red crescent is still there, still planted with red maple trees, still inscribed in the exact same circle as before, and with the same two crescent tips still intact. Thus the crescent bisector defined by these crescent tips is also the same as before. It still points almost exactly to Mecca, making the crescent a Mihrab (an Islamic prayer station, where the believer faces into a crescent, towards Mecca, to perform his ritual prostrations). The design still incorporates a separate upper terrorist-memorial wall, centered precisely on the red-maple crescent [placing this upper section of wall, and the copse of trees that surround it, precisely in the location of the star on an Islamic flag]. There are still 44 translucent blocks on the flight path to the crash site, matching the total number of dead, instead of just the forty translucent blocks that are dedicated to the forty murdered Americans. Lastly, the Tower of Voices part of the memorial is still an Islamic prayer-time sundial." (The plans, provided by the National Park Service, can be found here.)

In case you missed it, the site will memorialize the 44 people who died on Flight 93. To be exact, that's forty "murdered Americans" and four terrorists. Yes, the terrorists (murderers) are being memorialized.

The issue of the memorial first came to my attention with a FOXNews.com blurb about a Pennsylvanian minister who argued about the Islamic symbolism. According to Ron McRae, the site "resembles Islam's symbolic crescent moon and star." Shortly thereafter, Rep. Tom Tancredo of Colorado was called Islamophobic by the Council of American-Islamic Relations for agreeing that the memorial "too closely represents the symbol of Islam."

See also:

More on Forbes, blogs

2005-12-11T10:57:00.000-08:00

In November, Forbes published an article about the impact blogs have on business success and failure. The article suggested victims become vigilant in monitoring the blogosphere for potential problems.

I haven't 'bashed' any products or companies, but today I noticed a visit from Brandimensions. According to the company's web site:

"The Internet is an enormous and rapidly growing wellspring of dynamic information. The Brandimensions market intelligence service captures and analyzes buzz commentary generated on a daily basis by customers, potential customers, competitors, journalists and industry professionals. The research and information captured in Brandimensions market intelligence reports enable global companies to drive critical business decisions about brands, marketing, product development and public relations, in a timely, results oriented, tactical manner. Within hours of a new product or message release, Brandimensions analytical indexes deliver business value through a series of leading indicators, including consumer purchasing intent, customer satisfaction, brand and message perception, product performance and competitive positioning."

See also:

Kill, ask forgiveness, go free

2005-12-11T10:28:00.000-08:00

Jamie Foxx, Bianca Jagger and other 'celebrities' want us to believe that Tookie Williams is reformed. They believe he should not be executed for the murder of "Albert Owens, a 7-Eleven clerk in Whittier, Calif., and three members of the Yang family — Yen-I Yang, Tsai-Shai Yang, and their daughter, Yee-Chen Lin — at the Brookhaven Motel in Los Angeles."

After all, Tookie has written a series of books aimed at convincing youths to avoid gangs.

Jeff Jacoby of the Boston Globe points out this (Misplaced sympathy for killers):

"As cofounder of the deadly Crips street gang in 1971, Williams's criminal legacy goes well beyond the four murders for which he was convicted. The gang violence he unleashed 34 years ago has destroyed thousands of lives and left countless other victims scarred by rape, assault, and armed robbery. Though he now claims to have reformed and has written books with an antigang message, he has never admitted his guilt or expressed any remorse for the slaughter of Albert Owens and the Yang family. If his supposed contrition amounts to anything more than lip service, he has yet to prove it. Williams adamantly refuses to be debriefed by police about the Crips and their operations or to provide any information that could help bring other killers to justice. In fact, officials at San Quentin have said he continues to orchestrate gang activity from behind bars."

Jamie Foxx and Snoop Dog carry no credence with me. Ask the victims families what they want.

See also:

Something is wrong, let's sue

2005-12-11T09:47:00.000-08:00

Instead of returning the product and getting his money back, Robert Byers is suing Microsoft because he feels the Xbox 360 he bought has a design flaw.

On the other hand, two sisters injured during the Macy's Thanksgiving Parade don't plan to sue. As the father said, it was "a freak accident," and "accidents just happen."

At least someone in this world has some common sense.

10 things I saw on the Internet today

2005-12-09T17:18:00.000-08:00

When it comes to shopping, ever wonder where would Jesus shop?
A soldier involved in providing faked photos of Iraqi abuse at the hands of British soldiers has "escaped facing criminal charges and a military court martial."
Your wife leaves you to marry your step daughter's biological father and you still have to pay child support.
Certainly not because they deserve it, but somehow Florida State is matched up with Penn State in the FedEx Orange Bowl.
It's snowing so expect gas prices to increase.
Some people still believe we can stop global warming.
Be afraid. Be very afraid. PETA is on the hunt.
Don't ever forget that you have no privacy when at work.
The Hurricane Katrina victimes crying 'racism' really just don't like Bush.
New Orleans residents are biting the hand that feeds them.

I love it!

2005-12-09T10:47:00.000-08:00

It's only been a few months and the Saints are already losing their allure in San Antonio. With Saints owner Tom Benson pulling his usual antics, the San Antonio Express News is reporting that "local officials shouldn’t jump on the Saints part-time bandwagon." In fact, "... the Saints got a lot of front page coverage during the first few games, they’ve been relegated to the back pages, in favor of the Cowboys, in recent weeks."

See also:

Frustration builds over Saints' '06 plans

Freedom of speech in a blogging world

2005-12-08T18:29:00.000-08:00

When it comes to the freedoms we in the United States are afforded, the line between it and persecution can sometimes get blemished. For example, I believe NBA players should conform to the rules about their uniforms but should not have their freedom of speech stripped.

For a better example, take a look at the case of a blogger and student at Marquette's School of Dentistry. According the the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel (Marquette suspends dental student for blog comments), the student was "suspended for the rest of the academic year and ordered to repeat a semester after a committee of professors, administrators and students determined that he violated professional conduct codes when he posted negative comments about unnamed students and professors on a blog." The unnamed student "was brought before the committee for a conduct hearing last week after a classmate complained about his blog, a Web site that contained musings about topics ranging from his education to videogames and drinking."

This is an interesting case of freedom of speech and blogger rights. It should be noted that Dr. Daniel D’Angelo, the dental school's ethicist, maintains "... that [the student’s] entries on his blog do not rise to the level of ethical violations of the [school's] codes of conduct."

As blogging becomes more and more popular, we will start seeing an increase in the number of court cases involving freedom of speech, libel, privacy and the like. Blogging and the Internet are still in their infancy and that means there are many legal challenges ahead in determining how to police them.

Until then, take a look at Electronic Frontier Foundation's Legal Guide for Bloggers or the Handbook for bloggers and cyber-dissidents provided by Reporters Without Borders.

See also:

Infamy

2005-12-07T05:15:00.000-08:00

"Yesterday, December 7th, 1941 — a date which will live in infamy — the United States of America was suddenly and deliberately attacked by naval and air forces of the Empire of Japan."

See also:

American Rhetoric: Franklin Delano Roosevelt - Pearl Harbor Address to the Nation (12-08-41)
The History Channel: This Day in History - Pearl Harbor Bombed
Franklin Delano Roosevelt
Overview of the attack

It wasn't racism, it was ineptness

2005-12-06T19:55:00.000-08:00

A House committee is investigating racism as a factor for the poor response in New Orleans following Hurricane Katrina.

I wonder if the New Orleans refugees complaining to the committee are the same ones who used their Red Cross credit cards to buy liquor, Dolce & Gabbana handbags, DVD players and the like.

These people also fail to realize that "Orleans Parish is heavily represented by Democrats and blacks in the political system. It also seems to me that they are not doing anything to protect their people and to help get them out of poverty. Oh, I almost forgot, the great mayor of New Orleans is black and, you guessed it, a Democrat."

As Norman Liebmann wrote shortly after the hurricane, "When catastrophe befell what was largely a city whose population is mostly black, those who showed up with sustenance were mostly white. Yet, it was Jesse Jackson, Al Sharpton, and hip-hopper, Kanye West, who urged their people to spit in the face of their salvation. The proponents of black activism are thus fueled with a lust for unearned revenge. Bitterness seems to be the one emotion of which this minority does not seem to feel emotionally deprived."

See also:

Affairs of a Sordid World: I'm going to hell for this too ...
White Hat News Group - Free Speech, So Long As You Agree With Us (Revisited): "Remember, this is the same Reverend Jackson who in 1984, during his first run for the presidency, when he made what he assumed was an off-the-record comment to a black reporter in which he called Jews 'Hymies' and New York 'Hymietown.'Recall that many of these same liberal gasbags that now seek to squelch Bennett were the same crusaders who spoke up for Ward Churchill's free speech rights, when he referred to the victims of 9/11 WTC attacks as little Eichmanns."

The electric bill, Part II

2005-12-06T19:18:00.000-08:00

Forget about ExxonMobil and Royal Dutch Shell with their disgusting profit margins.

In October I wrote about how my electric bill had doubled in one month despite the fact we used less electricity. Entergy Corp. is the major utility company for the Gulf Coast region and they piled on an energy conversion charge which was more than double the actual rate for electricity usage. Keep in mind that despite lost profit from hurricanes Rita and Katrina, Entergy is still making record profits.

It was announced earlier this week that Entergy "filed a $496 million rate hike request with the Public Service Commission in an attempt to recoup costs from hurricanes Katrina and Rita." This must be the company's follow through on a November threat to "raise rates by 140% unless it gets a $500 million federal bailout ..." Don't these companies carry some sort of insurance policy or rainy day fund in the cookie jar for occassions like hurricanes, snow storms, employee injuries and the like? Perhaps this is all too esoteric for me.

Jack Ware writes about his concern that Entergy may move its corporate headquarters from New Orleans to Jackson, Mississippi. Frankly, I don't care much for New Orleans nor the phenominal murder rate and the detestable Saints of the NFL. Maybe the Saints and Entergy can share a U-haul.

See also:

Affairs of a Sordid World: Reason #935 not to live in New Orleans: "Murder in New Orleans is so popular that, although the city's murder rate is lower than it was a decade ago, it's rising and is nearly 10 times the national average."
KTLA: Doubts Now Surround Account of Snipers Amid New Orleans Chaos

Where's help for Lake Charles

2005-12-06T05:48:00.000-08:00

Granted, New Orleans is a much larger city and has a greater economic impact; however, southwest Louisiana (where Lake Charles is located) received nominal news coverage and subsequently diminished federal aid following Hurricane Rita.

Despite this, "(Lake Charles) leaders exude a can-do attitude that offers a sharp contrast with unrelenting criticism of state and federal officials elsewhere." (See "Google Blog Search: Louisiana, Politicians). In fact, the AP and KPLC-TV reported right after Hurricane Rita that FEMA could not help the Lake Charles "because the region hadn't been declared a disaster area."

This didn't stop victims of Hurricane Rita. When evaluating them, Michael Graham described the people of southwest Louisiana as being 'made of sterner stuff then you'll find in the Ninth Ward.' Pushing the point home, Graham notes that TV news viewers will not see these residents "blaming Pres. George Bush, looking for handouts and wondering where FEMA is."

See also:

Google Blog Search: Hurricane Rita
Google Blog Search: Hurricane Katrina
Google Blog Search: New Orleans Mayor Ray Nagin
Google Blog Search: Louisiana Gov. Kathleen Blanco

Blogs, privacy, protection

2005-12-05T22:35:00.000-08:00

Jason Burks (They Call Me Jason …) noted a Nov. 7, 2005, article detailing the release of IBM's Public Image Monitoring Solution. The software, "assesses the tone of blogs and posts: positive, negative or neutral. It also identifies hot topics of discussion. For example, using the software to look at a particular make and model car would return content about fuel economy, roominess and safety."

As Jason points out, "The battle for freedom of speech might get a little trickier if this thing catches on."

This relates to a recent Forbes magazine article [Attack of the Blogs (They destroy brands and wreck lives. Is there any way to fight back?)]. Commenting on the article at the time, I wrote, "... how the business community is affected by blogs, how bloggers feed off of each other and how misinformation (either intentionally or unintentionally) spreads fervently ... It's difficult, the Forbes article points out, to fight a blog attack because of specific laws protecting the digital community. Therefore, it's harder to fight the libel often found in these extreme blogs much less track down the typically anonymous bloggers."

Basically, at this point and time, bloggers are able to get away with breaking the law because there really is no cyberspace law. Yet.

The first amendment protects freedom of speech in the United States. However, it doesn't guarantee full absolution for anything a person says or writes. There is always the potential for retribution no matter if what you have to say is right.

See also:

Latest on N.O.P.D. resignation

2005-12-04T14:58:00.000-08:00

When New Orleans Police Superintendent Eddie Compass resigned udruptly in September, many speculated he did so for reasons related to corruption.

The Dead Pelican reports from sources that the resignation was "brought about by a number of factors that were rapidly approaching critical mass. In other words, the situation had reached a level at which things can no longer be concealed, hushed up or downplayed without calling in too many favors or costing too much money. In other words, Ray Nagin wasn't about to risk his political career to cover up for Compass any more than he already had without implicating himself in the upcoming scandals, so he orchestrated Compass' move to the private sector, sources tell The Dead Pelican ... Sources also say that both Compass and his wife were in possession of, and using daily, cars that had been 'appropriated' from Sewell Cadillac right after the hurricane! This was widely known at 'street level' and also known to AG Foti's investigation of the post-Katrina looting of Sewell Cadillac by NOPD, sources tell Rogers. Well placed insiders tell The Dead Pelican that it is all being 'hushed up' for political reasons. Compass isn't the only big shot who got a 'free ride,' sources tell The Dead Pelican."

See also:

Affairs of a Sordid World: The latest on resignation of N.O.P.D. leader: "Compass' resignation was no loss"
Affairs of a Sordid World: Police ... abuse of responsibilities: "Back in New Orleans, one of Ray Nagin’s first actions was to appoint his lifelong friend Eddie Compass as Police Chief. Compass was a good beat cop, but no leader."

Katrina and Rita's lost children

2005-12-04T14:11:00.000-08:00

It's been more than three months since Hurricane Katrina wreaked havoc across the Gulf Coast. In Louisiana, Hurricane Rita caused more damage a few short weeks later.

Since that time, "the fate of more than 1,300 children remains unknown."

See also:

Katrina Missing Persons: "Help Identify People Missing as a Result of Hurricanes Katrina and Rita"

Louisiana documents events surrounding Hurricane Katrina

2005-12-04T13:54:00.000-08:00

Documents recently released by Louisiana Gov. Kathleen Blanco confirm that the catastrophe of Hurricane Katrina was also taking a toll on the state's political infrastructure.

According to the FOXNews.com report, "Three days after the storm, Blanco wrote Bush asking that the 256th Louisiana National Guard Brigade be sent home from Iraq to help. The governor also asked for more generators, medicine, health care workers and mortuaries."

I'm not sure why Gov. Blanco was asking for the 256th to come home from Iraq since the state had a steady supply of guardsmen and reservists on hand. Not to mention the offers from such states as New Mexico to send their guardsmen to help out in New Orleans and surrounding areas.

"The stack of documents also includes a timeline put together by Blanco's staff detailing the state response; notes expressing frustration about missing items such as a communications center for police and rescuers promised by the Federal Emergency Management Agency; and e-mails working out logistics for New Orleans visits from Bush and cabinet members," the FOXNews.com report continues.

All Gov. Blanco, New Orleans Mayor Ray Nagin and other state agencies and politicians had to do is read the New Orleans Emergency Preparedness Management Plan. It details how everything should have been handled before and after the storm.

As I've written before, Nagin and Blanco never had a clue as to how to respond to such an event as post-Hurricane Katrina. Their lack of coordination and confidence (including that of the state's local and federal politicians) diminished any hope of saving lives and minimizing damage to the city.

See also:

Affairs of a Sordid World: Blanco and Nagin: A Timeline of Ineptness
Affairs of a Sordid World: Blame game
Affairs of a Sordid World: Michael Moore is a fool: "The Pentagon says there are enough National Guardsmen to handle the destruction, despite the fact that 35% of Louisiana's Guard and 37% of Mississippi's Guard are deployed in Iraq."
FOXNews.com: New Orleans' Elections Face Delay
Blanco's office scrambled to spin Katrina

Exterminate white people

2005-12-03T20:06:00.000-08:00

I received an e-mail the other day with a video of Kamau Kambon addressing Howard University Law School during “Hurricane Katrina Media Coverage,” broadcast in its entirety on C-SPAN. In the October 14, 2005, address, Kambon said:

"There is only one nigger on the planet. And the nigger that's on the planet is the one that's destroying the water. The one that's polluting the air. The one that's exploiting people and resources. The only nigger on the planet is the white man and the white woman. Our people are not niggers, we are imitation niggers. The one idea is how we are going to exterminate white poeple because that, in my estimation, is the only conclusion I have come to. We have to exterminate white people off of the face of the planet to solve this problem. We need to solve this problem because they are going to kill us ... The problem on the planet is white people"

Kambon's response to the public outcry can be found here.

Bill Bennett's remarks about black baby abortions and crime reduction was all the media rage a few months ago. David Duke was front page news when he ran for election in Louisiana due to his history with the KKK. A few stupid Wal-Mart employees get over-zealous and the company gets media exposure as being racist.

Where is the media coverage of this heinous speech? The Fair & Balanced network is incongruous in its coverage of the genocidal Kamau Kambon. CNN's coverage is even more innocuous.

See also:

Video: C-Span coverage of Kamau Kambon's Issues Facing African Americans
C-SPAN.org (complete coverage): "On the eve of the Million Man March 10th anniversary, activist and radio personality Joe Madison joins a forum on the image of Blacks in American media. Black writers and media professionals discuss media coverage of race during Hurricane Katrina. The event takes place at the Howard Univ. School of Law, in Washington, DC."
Google Search: Kamau Kambon
BlackNificent: "Dr. Kambon has given NO interviews and made no comments since his speech at Howard University. No radio, no phone, no television, no newspaper, no magazines, no journals, no on-line, no private or public media interviews whatsoever. READ THE FIRST AND ONLY TRUE INTERVIEW given to a private community group Sunday Nov. 6, 2005."
HUMAN EVENTS ONLINE: "The Vast Left-Wing Conspiracy: Attack on Bill Bennett Was Staged"
Independent Conservative - About Kamau Kambon’s comments: "Being a Black Man who attended a Historically Black College (HBCU), hearing Kamau Kambon’s comments was not that much of a shock. Because I’ve been hearing psychotic Blacks speak of 'revolution' in the violent and bloody sense for most of my life. Most Blacks are not psychotic at all"
Missing and The Media: "For a missing child to attract widespread publicity and improve the odds of being found, it helps if the child is white, wealthy, cute and under 12."
Affairs of a Sordid World: Abortion and crime: "... radio host and former Reagan administration Secretary of Education Bill Bennett dismissed such 'far-reaching, extensive extrapolations' by declaring that if 'you wanted to reduce crime ... if that were your sole purpose, you could abort every black baby in this country, and your crime rate would go down.'"

Sending out Christmas cheer ...

2005-12-03T19:33:00.000-08:00

It's the time of year again where the political speech police want to wish us all a 'happy holiday.' Soon, at the pace the ACLU is going, we'll be wishing each other a 'non-sad ambiguous time of year.'

Kevin McCullough needs your help in wishing the ACLU a merry Christmas.

We are excited to be launching the opportunity today...between now and Christmas we are asking you to send the ACLU direct 'Merry Christmas' cards.

And we aren't talking about these generic 'happy holiday' (meaning nothing) type of cards...

Go get as 'Christmas' a Christmas card as you can find... something that says.. 'Joy To The World', 'For Unto Us A Child Is Born', but at least 'Merry Christmas', put some of your own thoughts into it, sign it respectfully and zip it off in the mail to

ACLU
'Wishing You Merry Christmas'
125 Broad Street
18th Floor
New York, NY 10004

SOURCE

More contradictions on global warming

2005-12-02T03:42:00.004-08:00

Global warming is a serious issue of conflict among intellectuals, experts, environmentalists and the lay person alike. There seems to be no agreement among any of these groups and arguments continue to develop even among those purported to be environmental experts.

In an article on FOXNews.com, Steven Milloy of JunkScience.com writes, "... the U.S. isn’t the 'real problem' for global warmers – reality is. First, the available scientific data simply don’t add up to their desired conclusion that humans are harming global climate ... the Kyoto protocol itself has been a colossal flop. European signatories to the treaty aren’t meeting their current emissions reduction targets, aren’t likely to in the future, and are looking for ways out of their commitments."

Environmental pundits are never happy unless we're all miserable. Greenpeace and other leeches want to halt the efforts of Mother Nature. They do this despite scientific fact that the earth is exiting an ice age and no evidence can contradict "that global warming is NOT a normal cyclical trend between periods of global cooling, or that it is caused by CO2 and other so-called 'greenhouse gasses'."

Sure, one day the polar ice caps will completely melt and the earth as we know if will cease to exist. The best we can hope for with such actions as the Kyoto Protocol is the prolong the inevitable.

See also:

FOXNews.com - Global Warming Blues
Affairs of a Sordid World: The stupidity of some. The ignorance of all.: "Is it stupidty or ignorance that drives groups such as Greenpeace?"
Affairs of a Sordid World: Global warming: "Man doesn't cause global warming. It is a natural process. Man can't STOP global warming."
Affairs of a Sordid World: What the hell?: "And, should I dare say 'global warming?' and be branded as a 'conspiracy theorist' on top of everything else the reich-wingers say about me."
Oak Ridge National Laboratory: "A quick background to the last ice age"
GlobalWarming.org and the Cooler Heads Coalition: "The Cooler Heads Coalition formed May 6, 1997, to dispel the myths of global warming by exposing flawed economic, scientific, and risk analysis."

Protecting your family

2005-11-22T10:33:00.000-08:00

I think sex offenders should be subjected to a number of consecutive beatings by their victim(s). To protect you and your family, there is the free Family Watchdog. Simply enter your address and a map will display your location and any registered sex offenders in the area.

Also see:

Affairs of a Sordid World: Map Sex Offenders - Free US Sex Offender Registry Mapping System

Sometimes, no news is good news

2005-11-16T10:52:00.000-08:00

It's been one hell of a year for Louisiana Gov. Kathleen Blanco. It started with her run ins with N.O. Saints owner Tom Benson (who I despise) over tax-based subsidies. It continued wtih threats from Benson that he was going to move the team if a new stadium wasn't built. Follow that with state deficit issues and a hurricane, and things just aren't going well for her.

Now Time magazine has named her one of the top five worst governors across the country.

As we all know, New Orleans was one giant cess pool after Hurricane Katrina (which isn't a stretch from what it was before the storm) and the nation was able to see ineptness on her part, New Orleans Mayor Ray Nagin, other state politicians and the federal government. As the Time article puts it, "Failures aren't born. They're made."

See also:

Kathleen Babineaux Blanco: "Failures aren't born. They're made. Before Hurricane Katrina, it wasn't the job of Louisiana Governor Kathleen Babineaux Blanco to plan for the evacuation of the elderly and poor from New Orleans. Afterward, she wasn't in charge of the federal response. But it was her job to give her constituents heart by looking decisive, steadfast and capable. Even if she wasn't. When it mattered most, Blanco appeared 'dazed and confused,' says Bernie Pinsonat, a bipartisan political consultant in Baton Rouge, La. When NBC's Matt Lauer asked her whether it was hard to find words to reassure the public, she tried to muster optimism, then circled back to despair. 'You know, our people out here are so fearful. They're so worried ... It's a nightmare.'"
Site Search: Gov. Blanco
Site Search: Hurricane Katrina

Follow-up to subjection of Internet to world control

2005-11-15T23:35:00.000-08:00

Iran is one of the countries wanting the U.S. to relinquish control of the Internet. If anything, the U.S. simply led to the development and implementation of the Internet.

On October 28, 2005, I wrote:

Affairs of a Sordid World: Right about now I'm glad I don't live in Iran ...: "Your life could be worse. You could be Omid Sheikhan, an Iranian blogger sentenced to a year in prison and 124 lashes for satirizing his country's political leaders. Oh, and for having a birthday party."

Are you willing to spend time in prison and get whipped 124 times just so you can bask in the light of Cindy Sheehan while dousing Pres. Bush with sloven jeers?

I don't think so.

Sign the petition to keep Iranian blogger Omid Sheikhan out of prison

Internet control up for discussion at global summit

2005-11-13T00:11:00.000-08:00

I'm not exactly sure what the United Nations does and, therefore, cannot speak with any validity on talks to dismantle the organization. Now, on the other hand, an issue will come to the forefront this week that — in my humble opinion — could lead to American resignation from the organization.

The issue is control of the Internet. Abusers of civil rights — Cuba, China, Iran, Brazil and others — want the U.S. to rescind control of the Internet to the U.N. "The goal of a coalition of foreign governments is to wrest control of the Internet from the United States, and the goal of the United States should be to gently explain to them why that's not an option."

A Brief History of the Internet:

"The Internet was the result of some visionary thinking by people in the early 1960s who saw great potential value in allowing computers to share information on research and development in scientific and military fields ... The Internet, then known as ARPANET, was brought online in 1969 under a contract let by the renamed Advanced Research Projects Agency (ARPA) which initially connected four major computers at universities in the southwestern US (UCLA, Stanford Research Institute, UCSB, and the University of Utah) ... The Internet was designed in part to provide a communications network that would work even if some of the sites were destroyed by nuclear attack. If the most direct route was not available, routers would direct traffic around the network via alternate routes. The early Internet was used by computer experts, engineers, scientists, and librarians. There was nothing friendly about it. There were no home or office personal computers in those days, and anyone who used it, whether a computer professional or an engineer or scientist or librarian, had to learn to use a very complex system."

The accusations by certain countries that the U.S. maintains a monopoly on the Internet are ridiculous. Considering that the Internet is available to everyone with no limitations (except those in oppressed countries such as Cuba, China, Iran and Brazil), the obvious agenda here is greater global control of content and information disimination.

It's easy to imagine a world where the North Korean government — which already controls Internet access in its country — has control of what content is found online. For example, the North Korean government could easily control the in- and out-flow of [damaging] information on its nuclear program, civil abuses, riots, etc.

It would be a clear mistake of judgement to allow every member of the U.N. to have a voice in how the Internet is controlled and monitored. Hans Klein, an associate professor of public policy at the Georgia Institute of Technology, said, "Right now, the status quo is sort of an awkward status quo. If you look past the hype, the U.S. is saying, and not unreasonably, if every government gets involved, it could really politicize things. And that's true — that's the downside — you're stuck between a rock and a hard place. Things are more efficient if one government controls it but that's make everybody uncomfortable. You get everybody involved, you get stuck with a bunch of different committees and it becomes less effective."

So, if other countries get their way the Internet will be controlled by an inept organization. We're bound to face the following issues:

A lose in available news and other information.
Revisionist news information as governments have greater control over filtration of web content.
An increased ability for global failure of the Internet.
Massive security issues with increased sabotage of military and political infrastructures.

Despite the faults of our government and country, political hands have stayed away from policing the Internet. If so, it would have become a quagmire of sloth. This is what will happen if the U.N. gains control. Say goodbye to the Internet as we know it when that day arrives.

See also:

Tug-of-War Over Internet Control: "Currently, a private-sector group in California called the Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers (ICANN) supervises the Net, assigning domain names and addresses. Although countries like China demand an end to what it calls America's 'monopoly,' in reality ICANN's 15 voting board members include four each from Latin America and Asia Pacific, two each from Africa and Europe, and three from North America. Its president is an Australian and staff from 13 countries work on three continents. Moreover, an ICANN governmental advisory committee, which meets 3-4 times a year, is open to representatives of all national governments."
JournalStar.com: "On the Internet these days, the United States is less trusted and more alone."
PluggedIn: Showdown looms over U.S. Internet control: "The United States is headed for a showdown with much of the rest of the world over control of the Internet. Countries like China, Brazil and Iran don't like the fact that the world's only superpower oversees the system that guides traffic across the global computer network, and have pushed for an international body to take over that role. The United States believes such a body would slow the pace of online innovation to a crawl, requiring entrepreneurs to win permission from a cumbersome bureaucracy before introducing services like Internet telephony."
Technology News: Commentary : World Summit Drama Threatens Internet's Future: "It's clear why authoritarian governments don't like the Internet and why they seek to control it -- open dialogue poses a threat to their power. But that doesn't explain European reasons for wanting to place the information highway into the precarious hands of the UN."
Who Should Control the Internet?: "But the United States and some other governments, while acknowledging ICANN isn't perfect and some kinks need to be worked out, are worried that internationalization could threaten the Internet's ability to serve as a medium of free expression. They fear it would subject the Internet to censorship by countries that are also U.N. members."

Holloway back in the news

2005-11-08T19:08:00.000-08:00

Beth Holloway-Twitty and Alabama Gov. Bob Riley have called for a 'nationwide travel boycott of Aruba' due to their belief that the country's government has not done enough to find Natalee Holloway. If you recall, the teenaged Natalee went missing after a night of alcohol induced fun and excitement. A number of people have been questioned about the girl's disappearance but no arrests have been made. Natalee's mother, Beth, isn't happy.

The Associated Press reports, "(Beth Holloway-Twitty) contends Aruban authorities have failed to adequately investigate the possible murder of her daughter, who was with a Dutch teenager and two Surinamese brothers on the night she disappeared."

I have empathy for the mother; however, the amount of coverage this issue has received is beyond reproach. Let's take a look at the bigger picture.

A simple Google search for missing children from Alabama turned up about 163,000 results; including the Alabama Department of Public Safety which lists 15 children with loved ones looking for them. Then, of course, there are the nearly 70 adults missing from the state of Alabama.

Do you suppose the parents, family and friends of these missing people wish the state's governor would help them out? Sure they do. Do you think Greta "more botox please" Van Susteren has helped them any? I doubt it.

Have you heard of Abigail Louise Angel? The six-year-old has been missing since 2001. Surely FoxNews and CNN did an expose on her and the alleged abduction by her biological mother? Gov. Riley must have initiated a nation-wide call for assistance and I'm positive the FBI is helping.

The point is, the abduction and exploitation of individuals is a major problem across the United States. What is being done for the families desparate to find their loved ones?

See also:

Affairs of a Sordid World: EXTRA, EXTRA - NATALEE HOLLOWAY IS STILL MISSING
Affairs of a Sordid World: Why is Natalee Holloway so important?
Affairs of a Sordid World: I've always liked his sports coverage
Alabama governor calls for Aruba boycott
Katrina Missing Persons: "Help Identify People Missing as a Result of Hurricanes Katrina and Rita"
Alabama governor calls for Aruba boycott: "Gov. Bob Riley called for a nationwide travel boycott of Aruba on Tuesday on behalf of a missing Alabama teenager's family, who accuse the island's government of not fully cooperating with the investigation into her disappearance."
National Center for Missing & Exploited Children: "Records Found:23 Alabama"
Affairs of a Sordid World Google Blog Search: "Natalee Holloway"

All U.S. problems solved, government looks to cure those of other countries

2005-11-08T18:32:00.000-08:00

When I lived in Saudi Arabia, it took an act of Congress (literary license) to get my mother a driver's license. At Christmas, the local police made rounds and forced people to remove any exterior displays of the holiday from their homes. TV was basically nonexistent other than daily televised prayer. Luggage was searched for contraband when entering or departing the country. Speaking of contraband, my father (and many others) discretely made their own beer and wine since alcohol is outlawed in the country.

However, we lived by their rules just as American's (except for the ACLU and like-minded fools) expect foreigners to do here.

As we've seen with the Iraqi fiasco, the U.S. government is more eager to become involved abroad than domestically. When our elected officials decide to solve home-based issues, they focus on steroids in baseball. I'm guessing that issues with education, social security, political abuse of power, and other issues of the ilk are not as important as getting Saudi Arabia to provide greater religious freedom. Apparently that country's 'restrictions on the freedom of worship' are of great concern for the state department and Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice that discussions are in place to develop 'progress on important religious freedom issues.'

See also:

Saudi Arabia Still Persecuting People for Their Faith

Shocking news ... Saints lose

2005-11-06T16:38:00.000-08:00

The shameful New Orleans Saints lost to the horrific Chicago Bears in a stupefying game of errors. Fearing for his life, Saints owner Tom Benson made good on his promise to not attend another Saints game in Baton Rouge "where last week he swatted at a TV news camera and argued with a heckling fan."

The world is a better place.

See also:

Affairs of a Sordid World: Saints get their marching papers

More lies from Iraq

2005-11-06T14:18:00.000-08:00

You wouldn't know it from the picture, but this guy is a former Marine. As a matter of fact, he's a former Marine Corps staff sergeant and Iraq War veteran. Meet Jimmy Massey.

Jimbo was first introduced to us with tales of Iraqi genocide at the hands of American soldiers.

Including:

Marines fired on and killed peaceful Iraqi protesters.
Americans shot a 4-year-old Iraqi girl in the head.
A tractor-trailer was filled with the bodies of civilian men, women and children killed by American artillery.

As it turns out, little Jimmy is a liar. According to the St. Louis Post Dispatch,

"Is Jimmy Massey telling the truth about Iraq?", the answer is a resounding no. However, I'm sure Michael "pass me that burger" Moore and Cindy "living on my dead son's life insurance" Sheehan will find a way to spin the lies into their own sordid truth.

According to the article, the Marine Corp. investigated and found that Jimbo's claims were unsubstantiated. Evidence stated in the article includes how "Massey misled reporters" in various interviews about being fired from a "furniture store because of his anti-war activities ... He also backtracked from allegations he made in a May 2004 radio interview and elsewhere that he had seen a tractor-trailer filled with the bodies of Iraqi civilians when Marines entered an Iraqi military prison outside Baghdad. He said the Iraqis had been killed by American artillery ... But when told that the newspaper's photographs and eyewitness reports had identified the trailer contents as all men, mostly in uniform, Massey admitted that he had never seen the bodies."

There are more lies.

SOURCE

See also:

Recruiter-turned-peacenik hits nerve in N.C.: "If you were young and tough and wanted a challenge, Jimmy Massey was the man to see. He was gung ho. He was Semper Fi. He was the strutting, cussing, tobacco-chewing Marine recruiter. The staff sergeant won scores of recruits in this and other patriotic mountain towns by talking courage, honor, commitment. Then, following his own adage — 'you gotta walk the walk' — he went to Iraq."
"Jimmy Massey" site:michaelmoore.com - Google Search
What a Weekend!: "So what broke this career marine so thoroughly? It happened, he said, the first time he killed a group of civilians at a checkpoint. They didn't stop at the right spot, so Massey says, he and his comrades 'discharged our weapons.' At the moment he realized what they'd done, Massey says, he 'got a conscience,' and all the power the US military's patriotic rhetoric had over this man's mind was gone. That was the beginning of the end for Massey's stay in the Iraq and the marines."

Saints get their marching papers

2005-11-06T08:45:00.000-08:00

The New Orleans Saints are a burden to the state of Louisiana.

Prior to the damage received by Hurricane Katrina, Saints owner Tom Benson demanded the state build a new facility or they were leaving. This was quickly followed by a demand that the state invest tax dollars in the team to offset Benson's financial losses (the lone NFL team "with a guaranteed cash subsidy from a state"). Like a Mardi Gras reveler being beat by a New Orleans cop, the state succumbed.

The subsidies, to the tune of $15 million each, come from a state that, even before hurricanes Katrina and Rita, was in financial straits and historically ranks at the bottom of the barrel for teacher salaries and education.

With the Superdome in such bad shape (and not expected to be reopened until November 2006) and Benson's earlier demands for a new dome, what is the incentive for the team to come back? I see none for the state or its citizens other than a financial burden.

If the state's subsidy of the Saints isn't enough to show the ineptness of the team's owner, then it's clearly evident in his antics post-Hurricane Katrina. Benson's historic lack of decisiveness was thrown out of the window once he saw an opportunity to kick a down-and-out city and state in the groin after a category 4 punch to the gut. His quick decision to move the Saints to his home town of San Antonio and lack of emotion towards the city's population are inidicative Benson's acumen towards failure and elitism.

Let San Antonio have the team and its detestable owner. Louisiana needs an NFL team, but one with a knowledgeable owner who can see the forest and not just the trees. Yet, listening to the politicians and a handful of fans, the Saints seem to be the transcendental key to the state's survival.

By the way, the media — local, state, national and international — always note how New Orleans identifies the whole of Louisiana. They are wrong. This state is a diverse enigma of personalities, religions, terra firma, music, food and more. All too recently it was noted that, "murder in New Orleans is so popular that, although the city's murder rate is lower than it was a decade ago, it's rising and is nearly 10 times the national average."

See also:

The Shreveport Times: "The center has records to 1990 but the Saints didn't show up in the top 20 until 2000. It was after the Saints' first playoff game win in 2000 that Benson began demanding a new stadium. That demand led to the current 10-year, $186 million subsidy from the state that was signed in 2001 by then-Gov. Mike Foster -- a deal that calls for annual cash payments of $12.5 million to $23.5 million from the state to the team. The Saints is the only team in the National Football League with a guaranteed cash subsidy from a state, according to stadium financing specialist Dan Barrett of Barrett Sports Group of Manhattan Beach, Calif."
BayouBuzz.com - Louisiana Politics and News: "One fan claimed this is a “Tom Benson conspiracy” to hold down ticket sales and make the local area look bad to the NFL. Well, it may have been the plan because there was almost no advertising spent prior to the game and only four people were hired to handle ticket sales. In addition, the Saints abandoned their local office, moving everything to San Antonio."
Saints: Owner still undecided on return to Baton Rouge: "'I will not return to Baton Rouge for any reason, including any games scheduled for the end of this season or a contemplated next season,' Benson said in the e-mail. 'No person, much less the owner of NFL team, should have either he, his family or his friends subjected to this form of danger, intimidation and abuse. I was advised not to go but wanted to support the league.'"
Dallas owner says it's not time to discuss Saints move: "But there have been reports Benson would like to move the team to San Antonio and has been talking to city officials there. He also fired executive vice president Arnold Fielkow, an outspoken proponent of keeping the team in New Orleans."
LA Daily News - Sports: "In recent weeks, owner Tom Benson has left a trail of signs indicating that a move to San Antonio, where the Saints have been based the last two months, might be made permanent. There are also increasingly louder acknowledgments from within the NFL that the team may eventually end up in Los Angeles."
Dem Saints: A team only New Orleans could love: "Saints quarterback Brooks was hit hard as he delivered one errant pass. 'Hey, that's roughing the passer,' someone yelled. Said Larry, dryly, 'Nah, that would infer that he can pass.'"
Will they go marching out?: "Saints fans see a level of looming infamy that not even the most notorious exit scenes in sports could match, not the Browns abandoning Cleveland, the Rams bolting from Los Angeles, the Dodgers leaving Brooklyn or the Colts packing up trucks in the middle of a Baltimore night."
HoustonChronicle.com - State officials work to keep Saints in New Orleans: "In a letter this month to the Saints, state officials said they are willing to discuss adding enhancements to the Superdome to help boost team profits. Although he envisioned the Saints remaining in New Orleans, Tagliabue said they needed to become more of a Louisiana, or even a regional team. The state and Saints need to take a fresh look at the team's deal with Louisiana, Taqliabue said."
Page 2: Benson should say good-bye: "I can't begin to relate to the losses of lives -- and lifes -- in this hurricane-ravaged region. Homes destroyed, identities lost. But I do know this: Nothing can reunite a community like a sports team."