Judi is out of the Joint!

NY Times reporter Judith Miller got sprung from the slammer yesterday, CNN reports

She was held for 12 weeks on a contempt citation for withholding the identity of government officials she may have spoken with about the role Valerie Plame played in getting hubby Joe Wilson sent to Africa to look for Iraq nuke connections.

Miller agreed to speak to a grand jury afrer being released from a vow confidentiality by VP Dick Cheney's Chief of Staff Lewis "Scooter" Libby.

Previously, Time magazine reporter Matthew Cooper avoided jail after White House Deputy Chief of Staff Karl Rove released him from a similar confidentiality agreement.

The flap arose after columnist Robert Novak revealed that Wilson had been picked for the Africa mission by Plame, a CIA analyst -- not the vice president and the CIA director, as Wilson had implied. Plame was apparently operating undercover, and revealing intentionally revealing her identity could be a crime.

It gets confusing, because Plame apparently had multiple identities and it's not clear who knew which one she was using when or that she was undercover.

I'm going to point out the obvious now -- although, apparently it's not obvious to everyone because I have seen no major news organization report it.

If Libby or Rove had actually revealed Plame's undercover status to Cooper and Miller:

1) The reporters would have written stories saying so, which they did not;

2) Libby and Rove would not have released the reporters from their confidentiality agreements.

Blanco gets big wet kiss from Congress

One day after former FEMA Director Michael Brown was subjected to what can only be described as a beating by Congress' Finance Committee, that same committee gave Louisiana Governor Kathleen Blanco a free pass.

No puncturing remarks, no pointed questions, no personal insults like Brown was subjected to -- although they did offer Ms. Blanco an "opportunity" to respond Brown's accusations that state and local authorities were slow to act in the face of the storm.

''We are looking forward, not backward," she replied.

In the PR game, our technical term for a response like that is "a sack of monkey crap."

Why are Blanco and New Orleans Mayor Ray Nagin getting away with this?

Smells like...politics.

Some of the questions the committee COULD have asked, but didn't:

-- Why did Blanco and Nagin leave 100,000 people stranded in the city?

-- Why was the sheriff of neighboring town Gretna allowed to block a bridge with shotgun-toting deputies, refusing to allow city residents to leave?

-- Why was Blanco slow in activating the National Guard to respond to the disaster and why did she impede the National Guard and the Red Cross from entering the city to provide assistance to the stranded?

-- Why did Blanco refuse to cooperate with federal agencies, including FEMA, in coordinating assistance?

Rep. Christopher Shays, R-Conn., -- who subjected Brown to some of the most brutal and personal remarks during Tuesday's hearing -- said on Wednesday that while Brown made mistakes, so did others.

"He can't be the scapegoat. First responders are local and state, and the governor and mayor did a pathetic job of preparing their people for this horrific storm," Shays said on NBC's "Today" show."

Too bad he didn't say something like that to Blanco and ask her why she failed in her responsibilities.

Dennis in the Hopper for E-Ring?

Okay, I'm just not sure this is gonna work. They've got Dennis Hopper playing a military officer in this new show about the Pentagon -- E-Ring.

I mean, I know he's been a Republican since, like, 1980, but I just can't erase the memory of Hopper as the hippie-biker in Easy Rider from my mind.

I dunno, maybe he can do it.

It's a new Bruckheimer series, and all his stuff seems to turn to gold lately.

Act Now, Don't Delay

Congressman Tom Delay has been indicted in an illicit campaign financial scheme.

Let's be clear: he deserves his day in court. If found guilty, he should be punished.

But if he's accusers are really truthful, let's not stop here -- let's have a thorough housecleaning of all campaign finance practices in Congress.

How about we go with, say, Barbara Boxer, who's been known to pad the payroll with relatives, something else Delay has been accused of.

The charges against Delay stem from a scheme to funnel campaign money to other Republican candidates. Back in May, Bloomberg reported that Delay was one of the most generous Congressional donors to other GOP candidates, writing checks for roughly $3.5 million over the last decade. In the #2 slot behind him is Democrat Nancy Pelosi, at $2.74 million in donations.

Shall we have a peek at how Big Nancy moves HER money around? Might be interesting.

One thing that's pretty clear: there's no lack of wheeling and dealing on either side of the aisle, and some of it comes up to and even crosses the line.

FEMA's Brown Testifies that the locals failed

He's right, of course. But no one wants to hear it from him.

Brown and the Feds have some culpability in this, no doubt. But the primary failure was at the state and local level -- ask the locals and they'll tell you.

But no one cares what Brown has to say -- I'm surprised he was called before Congress.

Air America Loots Children's Charity

The Gloria Wise Boys and Girls Club of the Bronx has been booted from the national organization for illicitly diverting $875,000 for use as start-up money for the liberal radio network Air America, the NY Post reports.

In addition, the club has lost nearly $10 million in city funding as a result of the investigation.

The New York Sun reports that according to court depositions the money was moved by Gary Cohen, development director for the club and a co-founder of Air America. A shell corporation was created to hide the transaction, said the deposition given by David Goodfriend, a former Clinton administration official and top official at Air America, who was a college buddy of Cohen.

Not nice. I didn't think Liberals did stuff like this. Couldn't they just hold a bake sale or something?

Al Jazeera Reporter Jailed as Terrorist

Spain has jailed an Al Jazeera reporter who interviewed Osama Bin Laden for funneling money to Al Quaida, the BBC reports.

I mean honestly -- is anyone really surprised?

Blown speaker - UGH!

Blew the speaker in my D115XLT last night. Ugh. Was using it with my WT550 and my D210XST, which kept chugging along just fine.

Not sure why it blew-- I wasn't pushing it that hard. Master volume was at about 10 o'clock and the preamp volume was at about 2 o'clock. EQ was essentially set flat (slight bump in the lows, slight decrease in the highs), enhance knob at about 1 o'clock.

From the minute I started playing it was buzzing and rattling -- sounded like someone russling torn paper.

In almost 30 years of playing I don't think I've ever blown a speaker, so I'm probably due.

The cab is only six months old though, so it's under warranty. My guess is that it was simply a defective speaker.

Have to admit, I'm not looking forward to dealing with customer service -- last time I had an equipment problem, with another manufacturer, it was one long continuous headache. I'm hoping Eden will be better.

What I'm really hoping is that they'll ship me a new speaker pronto -- I have to play again in two weeks and I need that cab.

Antiwar Protest: Who scheduled this thing?

If the antiwar nuts scheduled a protest in Washington, and there was no one there to hear it, would it matter any less?

Just another example of how out-of-touch and clueless the antiwar boneheads are.

They're having their great, big protest in Washington D.C. this weekend.

Not sure who is supposed to hear their message though -- the president is out of town, as are most members of Congress, which is in recess.

Dopes.

Since there's no one there to hear their protest anyway, maybe the could do something constructive. Do you think if we set them all to typing for a million years, one of them would produce a script for "Hamlet"?

Who is A.N.S.W.E.R.? That's the Question

This weekend major antiwar demonstrations are planned for Washington, sponsored largely by an organization called A.N.S.W.E.R.

Who are they? They are, in fact, a front group for the Communist organization Workers World Party, reports David Corn in LA Weekly.

How do they feel about the terrorists fighting against the U.S. and the legitimate government of Iraq? Well, by golly, they're heroes darn it, praised and cheered around the world for their armed resistance.

Lessee, people who blow up carbombs in open markets filled with women, children and old people -- not military targets -- are to be praised and cheered.

Well, then I guess that means rapists are actually sex therapists of some kind.

As Glenn Reynolds notes over at Instapundit, these folks aren't really opposed to the war -- they're just on the other side.

Even commies are entitled to their opinions here in the U.S., but there is such a thing as truth in advertising.

Lessee, that's two double cones of Infidel Fudge Ripple...that'll be $4,862.48

Wasn't this a Cheech and Chong movie about 20 years ago, but without the terrorists?

A Yemeni man has been convicted of funneling more than $21 million to terrorists through a Brooklyn ice cream shop, the Associated Press reports.

Abad Elfgeeh could get up to 15 years in prison for assisting a Yemeni cleric in sending the money to Al Qaida and Hamas in the scheme. The cleric was previously convicted for funding terror.

Nazi Scourge Wiesenthal Dies

A life well spent. Famed Nazi hunter Simon Wiesthentahl died today at age 96, reports the AP.

A former concentration camp detainee who cheated death by the Nazis more than once, Wiesenthal was credited with tracking down more than 1,000 Nazi war criminals after the war.

Among them was Adolf Eichmann, architect of the "Final Solution" to exterminate all Jews in Europe. Based on information from Wiesenthal, Israeli agents kidnapped Eichmann in Argentina in 1960 and brought him to Israel for trial.

It was Weisenthal's vow that the Holacaust would never be forgotten.

Afghan Elections: Success Despite "Low" Turnout

Afghans again braved the threat of terrorist attacks to participate in the second democratic elections held in the country, the Associated Press reports.

The story is full of the typical caveats about continuing violence, opium trade, blah, blah, blah, and most notably the "low" voter turnout.

Turnout was actually about 50 percent registered voters -- lower than the last election, but still higher that we do here in the U.S.

I think this comment from the U.S. ambassador sums it up:

"For the millions of Afghans who turned out to vote, this was a significant . . . advance on the road to democracy," U.S. Ambassador Ronald Neumann said in Kabul. "Four years ago, the Taliban were here and women were being stoned to death . . . and now you have women running polling centers and women voting."

Freedom's march countinues in the Middle East.

N. Korea: No More Nukes

North Korea has agreed to give up its nuclear (that's pronounced nu-cu-ler) weapons programs, Reuters reports this a.m.

While not a definitive agreement, it's a major step that resulted from the multi-party talks the Bush administration has favored with North Korea and which detractors said wouldn't work.

In fact, it appears that offers of aid including everything from food to energy from China, Russia and South Korea are what turned the tide.

Also, the U.S. has promised not to attack North Korea.

Looks like the old carrot-and-stick approach does work.

This may also increase pressure on Iran to disarm as well.

Lousy day to be a liberal, I suppose.

Update 9/20: Uh-oh, L.A. Times reporting that N. Korea is trying to change the deal already. Goes to show, you just can't trust a commie.

The light-water reactor condition was already on the table though, so it may not derail this after all.

Weasels on the run!

Chris Christner has the Axis of Weasels scorecard posted over on his blog.

Not looking so good for the Weasels right now.

Call it love conquering hate, I guess.

Update 9/19: Not so fast on the German election -- looks like the results are in contention at this point, says Reuters.

ABC Post-Katrina Speech Interviews: Transcript

To preserve it and make sure it's easy to find later, I'm posting the entire transcript of the ABC interviews with New Orleans evacuees following the President's speech Thursday night.

This was compiled by Brent Baker over at Newsbusters:

Reynolds elicited reaction from the group sitting in chairs: “I'd like to get the reaction of Connie London who spent several horrible hours at the Superdome. You heard the President say retpeaedly that you are not alone, that the country stands beside you. Do you believe him?”

Connie London: “Yeah, I believe him, because here in Texas, they have truly been good to us. I mean-”

Reynolds: “Did you get a sense of hope that you could return to your home one day in New Orleans?”

London: “Yes, I did. I did.”

Reynolds: “Did you harbor any anger toward the President because of the slow federal response?”

London: “No, none whatsoever, because I feel like our city and our state government should have been there before the federal government was called in. They should have been on their jobs.”

Reynolds: “And they weren't?”

London: “No, no, no, no. Lord, they wasn't. I mean, they had RTA buses, Greyhound buses, school buses, that was just sitting there going under water when they could have been evacuating people.”

Reynolds: “Now, Mary, you were rescued from your house which was basically submerged in your neighborhood. Did you hear something in the President's words that you could glean some hope from?”

Mary: “Yes. He said we're coming back, and I believe we're coming back. He's going to build the city up. I believe that.”

Reynolds: “You believe you'll be able to return to your home?”

Mary: “Yes, I do.”

Reynolds: “Why?”

Mary: “Because I really believe what he said. I believe. I got faith.”

Reynolds: “Back here in the corner, we've got Brenda Marshall, right?”

Brenda Marshall: “Yes.”

Reynolds: “Now, Brenda, you were, spent, what, several days at the Superdome, correct?”

Marshall: “Yes, I did.”

Reynolds: “What did you think of what the President told you tonight?”

Marshall: “Well, I think -- I think the speech was wonderful, you know, him specifying that we will return back and that we will have like mobile homes, you know, rent or whatever. I was listening to that pretty good. But I think it was a well fine speech.”

Reynolds: “Was there any particular part of it that stood out in your mind? I mean, I saw you all nod when he said the Crescent City is going to come back one day.”

Marshall: “Well, I think I was more excited about what he said. That's probably why I nodded.”

Reynolds: “Was there anything that you found hard to believe that he said, that you thought, well, that's nice rhetoric, but, you know, the proof is in the pudding?”

Marshall: “No, I didn't.”

Reynolds: “Good. Well, very little skepticism here. Frederick Gould, did you hear something that you could hang on to tonight from the President?”

Frederick Gould: “Well, I just know, you know, he said good things to me, you know, what he said, you know. I was just trying to listen to everything they were saying, you know.”

Reynolds: “And Cecilia, did you feel that the President was sincere tonight?”

Cecilia: “Yes, he was.”

Reynolds: “Do you think this is a little too late, or do you think he's got a handle on the situation?”

Cecilia: “To me it was a little too late. It was too late, but he should have did something more about it.”

Reynolds: “Now do you all believe that you will one day return to your homes?”
Voices: “Yes” and “I do.”

Reynolds: “I mean, do you all want to return to your homes? We're hearing some people don't even want to go back.”

Mary: “I want to go back.”

Reynolds: “You want to go back.”

Mary: “I want to go back. That's my home. That's all I know.”

Reynolds: “Is it your home for your whole life?”

Mary: “Right. That's my home.”

Reynolds: “And do you expect to go back to the house or a brand new dwelling or what?”

Mary: “I expect to go back to something. I know it ain't my house, because it's gone.”

Reynolds: “What is the one mistake that could have been prevented that would have made your lives much better? Is it simply getting all of you out much sooner or what was it?”

Mary: “I'm going to tell you the truth. I had the opportunity to get out, but I didn't believe it. So I stayed there till it was too late.”

Reynolds: “Did you all have the same feeling? I mean, did you all have the opportunity to get out, but you were skeptical that this was the really bad one?”

Unnamed woman: “No, I got out when they said evacuate. I got out that Sunday and I left before the storm came. But I know they could have did better than what they did because like they said, buses were just sitting there, and they could have came through there and got people out, because they were saying immediate evacuation. Some people didn't believe it. But they should have brung the force of the army through to help these people and make them understand it really was coming.”

London: “And really it wasn't Hurricane Katrina that really tore up the city. It was when they opened the floodgates. It was not the hurricane itself. It was the floodgates, when they opened the floodgates, that's where all the water came.”

Reynolds: “Do you blame anybody for this?”

London: “Yes. I mean, they've been allocated federal funds to fix the levee system, and it never got done. I fault the mayor of our city personally. I really do.”

Reynolds: “All right. Well, thank you all very much. I wish you all the best of luck. I hope you don't have to spend too much more time here in the Reliant Center and you can get back to New Orleans as the President said. Ted, that is the word from the Houston Astrodome. And as I said, when the President said that the Crescent City will rise again, there were nods all around this parking lot.”

News Shocker: Evacuees Don't Blame Bush

Try as he might, ABC news reporter Dean Reynolds couldn't provoke New Orleans evacuees into blaming President Bush for the Katrina disaster.

Reynolds, who went to the Houston Astrodome for reaction to the president's speech last night, got an earful from the six people he interviewed -- they said they were heartened by the president's promise to rebuild New Orleans, thought that federal authorities did a good job despite a slow start, and placed blame for the disaster squarely at the feet of state and local authorities.

"I feel like our city and our state government should have been there long before the federal government was called in," said evacuee Connie London. "They should have been on THEIR jobs."

You can see a clip of Ms. London's interview on Realplayer or Windows Media.

All six interviewees are black -- I hate to inject race into the discussion, but that's already been done by others so it's important note it for the record here.

Ally-ally-all-come-free for Blogs

Okay this is cool -- Google has launched a new search function for Blogs.

I'm playing with it -- found my own stuff.

Those guys really dominate their domain.

Hurricane Relief: Put The "Experts" On The Job

How to manage the next catastrope? Simple, says Chicago Tribune columnist Dennis Byrne: abolish FEMA and put the "experts" in charge.

You know, folks like Jesse Jackson, Ted Koppel and Nancy Pelosi, who know oh so much better than anyone else how this stuff should be done.

"Jackson would run relief logistics, because of his impressive ability to transport himself to any place on planet Earth where a camera is rolling. Newsweek contributing editor and talk-show mouth Eleanor Clift would single-handedly pilot a helicopter on rescue missions. Kicking on the automatic pilot, she'd lower herself in a harness to personally rescue thousands of rooftop survivors and fly them back to a rescue area, which she already had previously prepared with all necessary medical provisions, food, water and a big party. She can do this because she knows everything."

Read every word -- worth the time.

Some vacation!

With all the whining about President Bush's month-long vacation in Texas, Gannett political reporter Richard Benedetto takes a look at the tradition of presidential vacations in a recent column.

Worth reading the whole thing but his two main conclusions are:

-- Lengthy presidential vacations are long-standing tradition and;

-- They're not vacations.

"If there is any lesson here, it is that presidents — all presidents — are never on vacation. We just call them that, and pretend,." writes Benedetto.

Presidents continue to perform all the duties of office during these so-called vacations -- it's virtually impossible to escape those responsibilities.

And contrary to current carping, the longest-vacationing president was not Mr. Bush. It was Lyndon Johnson, who spent 484 days at HIS Texas ranch during his five years in office.

Yet I don't recall anyone shrieking about Johnson's audacity for taking a "vacation" during wartime -- that's right, that was during Vietnam. You know, when Liberals invented the "quaqmire."

"Instead of cutting brush on his ranch, Johnson should grab an M-16 and wade out into a Mekong Delta rice paddy to provide covering fire for a platoon of pinned-down Marines," no one said at the time.

Palestinian Gaza Celebrations All Fired Up.

As the last Israeli troops departed, Palestinians celebrated their triumphant return to the Gaza Strip last night -- by setting fire to four abandoned synagogues, the Associated Press reports.

"Palestinian police stood by helplessly as gunmen raised flags of militant groups in the settlements and crowds smashed what was left in the ruins. Initial plans by Palestinian police to bar the crowds from the settlements for the first few hours quickly disintegrated, illustrating the weakness of Palestinian security forces and concerns about growing chaos after Israel's departure," the AP story says.

Reuters also reports that Palestinians used Gaza to launch a rocket into Israel just hours after the IDF departure -- exactly the type of thing those opposed to the return of Gaza to the Palestinians feared.

Wow, rioting gunmen, helpless police and rocket attacks-- not exactly a recipe for success there.

The return of the Gaza Strip was a major concession by the Israelis and a tremendous opportunity for them and the Palestinians stop the ongoing conflict. I hope the Palestinians don't squander it, but it's not looking good so far.

Why, It's Gun-Totin' Sean To The Rescue!

I was at the barbershop today when I spied this photo on the cover of the NY Post -- that's famous actor and American traitor Sean Penn in New Orleans, helping the locals.

With a shotgun in one hand and a body armor vest in the other.

Not exactly sure how one "helps" people with a shotgun.

And I would have thought Sean would be opposed to personal ownership of firearms and body armor.

His publicist said he didn't actually shoot anyone and had already left New Orleans.

The headline on the right doesn't go with the photo, but the juxtaposition is apt.

To quote of one my favorite philospher-poets, Napoleon Dynamite: "IDIOT!"

Don't lefties know how stupid and hypocritical they look when they're photographed with a gun?

While in the barbershop, the guy in the chair ahead of me was mouthing the usual "They didn't do anything fast enough" blather, when I asked him "Have you ever been in a disaster area? I have."

I then filled him in on how things work -- or rather, don't work -- in a disaster.

But I was nice about it, and he thanked me for my perspective.

Mexican Army Invades Texas!

Actually, this is pretty cool.

The Mexican Army has dispatched a convoy carrying cooks, mobile kitchens and food to San Antonio to provide meals for people displaced from the Gulf Coast by Hurricane Katrina, says an AP story in the Houston Chronicle.

The story reports that the invading force will be able to feed up to 21,000 people a day.

Wow. Awesome.

The story notes that this is the first time the Mexican Army has been on U.S. soil in 159 years. Needless to say, this is a much more welcome visit than the last time they came to San Antonio.

Three cheers to our good neighbors to the south. Nice to know that even though we don't see eye to eye on everything, they're there for us in time of need.

Gilligan finally gets off the island: Bob Denver RIP

Bob Denver, star of the eternal sitcom Gilligan's Island, passed away due to complications from cancer treatments on Friday.

One of the longest-running and most beloved of 1960s television shows, in a sense Gilligan's Island was the perfect sitcom. I mean, think about it. It's the same plot EVERY WEEK -- the castaways contrive to get off the island and ALMOST make it, but at the last minute Gilligan screws it up.

In a sense, it's a miracle it didn't turn in to Lord of the Flies.

Probably one of the most surreal TV experiences I ever had was watching Gilligan's Island in French during a trip to Europe.

"Gilligan! Voulez-vous avec les coconuts. *KLUNK* Ow!"

"Oooh, Gin-geair...ooh, la, la..."

Or something like that.

Trippy.

Hurricane Katrina: Blame Bush!

Well, that didn't take long.

Eighty-percent of the city of New Orleans remains under water, yet the partisans are already out in force blaming President Bush for the "slow" response to Hurricane Katrina disaster.

Blogger Austin Bay -- who has worked in disaster areas before (as have I) -- commented that the response has actually been quite swift, compared to the relief efforts in the Darfur Genocide and the South Asian Tsunami.

Within days, National Guard troops and relief workers were streaming into New Orleans despite the fact that -- as I already mentioned -- the city remains 80 percent under water.

That's one of the major challenges of working in a disaster area -- it's a disaster area. Communications and electricity are cut off, roads are impassable, areas remain unsafe. What would normally take minutes can take days, weeks or months.

Yet, within four days relief had arrived.

While some partisans say the "slow"public response is the result of racism, interesting to note that more than $350 million in private funds was raised within five days of the disaster. Cities and towns around the U.S. are accepting refugees and people are opening up their homes to the displaced.

Interesting to note also that none of the blame for the disaster seems to be sticking to New Orleans Mayor Ray Nagin and Louisiana Governor Kathleen Babineaux Blanco -- both Democrats -- the two public officials closest to the disaster, who failed to evacuate the city prior to the flooding and only issued a mandatory evacuation order afterward at the insistence of President Bush.

Nagin and Blanco -- having fled the city for the relative safety of Baton Rouge -- content themselves to rail at the Feds for the "slow" response.

Smells like...politics. No surprise there.

Update 9 a.m.: WCBS News now reporting that the Army Corps of Engineers has repaired the broken levees in New Orleans -- less than one week after the disaster.

New Orleans Take Heart: The Celebrities Have Arrived!

I was watching ongoing coverage of the Hurricane diaster this a.m. and saw singers Harry Connick Jr. and Faith Hill interviewed on the Today Show.

Wow, we can all breathe a sigh of relief now -- the celebrities have taken notice!

Now, I have no doubt that both Mr. Connick and Ms. Hill -- both of whom have strong ties to the storm area -- are sincere in their expressions of sympathy for the storm victims and geniune anguish over the situation.

But to be honest, neither of them had anything particularly constructive to add to the dialog other than "gosh, it's just really, really awful and I wish we could help these people more and faster."

I mean, as we've watched the news footage of this human tragedy over the past four days, is there anyone among us who doesn't already get this?

"Wow, I knew it was bad, but I didn't realize how bad until I heard Harry say it's really, really bad..." Come on -- no one is saying that.

Perhaps they have something to share that will benefit the relief effort -- I believe Mr. Connick is performing in a benefit concert tonight -- but public commentary is not it.

I don't really blame them -- I blame the Today Show for pimping the disaster with celebrity interviews.

New Orleans: From Bad to Worse

Events like those happening in New Orleans always bring out the best and the worst in people.

But CNN is now reporting that a gunman shot at a convoy of ambulances and military vehicles returning to a hospital after evacuating some sick people.

Earlier in the day, someone took a shot at a military helicopter doing the same thing.

Dude, that is just so beyond messed up.

Don't really have much else to add. Donate to the Red Cross.

Protesters lose excuse, skeedaddle: Media in Mourning

"Anti-war demonstrators leaving Bush's Texas ranch to take their message to the people, leaving media short of story ideas"

That was the subhead on the San Francisco Chronicle's story on the war protesters leaving Crawford -- since President Bush left to tend to the Hurricane Katrina crisis.

If ever there was any doubt that this was a media-made spectacle, there is no more.

Interesting to note that this article goes on to praise the protesters for 25 paragraphs, and barely mentions the military families who support the president and the war.

Tribune columnist Kathleen Parker comments on the ridiculousness of the celebrity-fattened spectacle, noting:"Indeed, recent events surrounding the war protest led by Cindy Sheehan have added a new dimension to the definition of tragicomedy. Not just tragic, not just comedic, but also ridiculous. The theater of the absurd has found pay dirt in central Texas."

Parker is not without sympathy for the antiwar cause, but at least has the integrity to admit the Crawford protest was becoming increasingly absurd.

YEEEEEE-HAAA!: Sharpton Driver on "Hazzardous" Thrill Ride

One wouldn't expect a member of Al Sharpton's entourage to be a fan of redneck humor.

Yet one must wonder whether it was inspiration from the recent "Dukes of Hazzard" movie remake that drove Rev. Sharpton's driver to take local cops on a nine-mile, 110-mph chase through the rural Texas.

The Chicago Tribune reports that driver Jarrett Mauphin was seen weaving in out of traffic at high speeds in a 2005 Lincoln, apparently taking Rev. Sharpton to the airport after his visit with famed war protester Cindy Sheehan.

It gets better -- apparently, after police detained Maupin, Rev. Sharpton THUMBED A RIDE from a passing motorist and made his flight.

You know, you just can't make this stuff up. I can't wait to see what other celebrities show up in Crawford and do goofy things.

Oh, Martin Sheen was there, but *sigh* he didn't do anything.

(A-neerder neerderder neerderder neerderder neerderder neerderder neerderder neerderder neerderder neerderder neerderder neerderder neerderder neerderder neerderder needer-neer) Son, you're gonna drive me to drinkin' if you don't quit drivin' that hot * rod * Lincoln...

Apologies to Charlie Ryan -- I couldn't resist.

It's a Zoo out there

It's off to the Bronx Zoo today for the family.

My five-year-old discovered zoos this year and loves them. Ashamed to say in five years of living back in the Northeast, we have yet to make it to the Bronx Zoo.

Should be a lot of fun -- weather is supposed to be gorgeous.

And here it comes....the backlash

Media are starting to report -- in small doses -- about the backlash against the Sheehan antiwar protest at the President's ranch in Crawford, Texas.

In story titled "Families Angered By Crosses At War Protest," the AP reports today that the father of one fallen soldier yanked out of the ground three crosses the protesters had erected at the site bearing his son's name.

You would have thought the protesters would have gotten the message the first time, but then that lot isn't known for its sensitivity.

"It wasn't our intention to upset anyone," said one protester.

Sorry, but I'm afraid I'm gonna have to call "bullsh*t" on that one. They don't give a rip who they upset, and to say otherwise is as pathetic as it is disingenuous.

It will be curious to see how much coverage these developments get. The media have pretty much positioned this as a one-sided issue, illustrating what they describe as waning public support for the war and implying in spades that Cindy Sheehan is the surrogate for every military family member everywhere.

But the "You Don't Speak For Me, Cindy" caravan of military families, who have denounced her in the broadest terms possible, is quickly making its way from California to Crawford this week, undermining the conventional wisdom promulgated by the press.

Will they report it or ignore it?

On the one hand, most major media are disinclined to cover events that don't square with their viewpoint if they can get away with it.

On the other hand, they like nothing more than a foodfight.

They Printed My Letter!!! III

News-Times printed it today -- here's the link.

To be honest, this is becoming a little dull. I hope this doorstop doesn't respond again -- I'm getting a little bored.

Pat Robertson -- He's Nuts!

Judas H. Priest -- just to prove that not all the lunatics are on the left, "evangelist" Pat Robertson is now advocating that we assassinate Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez, the AP reports.

Chavez's wears his commie cred as a badge of honor, and he's certainly no friend of the U.S. But Assassination?

Venezuela is also a major oil exporter to the U.S., at a time when oil supplies are sagging and prices are soaring. Translation: we need them.

Good grief, what is this man thinking?

Someone please get Pat off the air and back on his meds.

R.I.P. Moog

Robert A. Moog, inventor of the electronic synthesizer died as a result of a brain tumor this weekend in Asheville, NC, the Associated Press reports.

From Rock to Bach, the Moog was a fave among musicians throughout the late 60s and 70s. The Beatles, the Who, Stevie Wonder and others used this new musical technology.

And just think -- without Moog's invention, there would have been no Pink Floyd.

Father of Fallen Soldier Speaks -- Offers Another View

Like Cindy Sheehan, Ronald Griffin lost a son in Iraq. But he takes a position diametrically opposed to hers on the war and the president in today's WSJ.

He comments on NY Times Columnist Maureen Dowd's statement that the parents of fallen soldiers have "absolute moral authority" on the subject of the war, asking how that can be true since not all parents of fallen sons and daughters agree.

It's worth reading in its entirety.

It's an important reminder that while Cindy Sheehan lost a son in Iraq, she is not the only one who has, and she does not -- as the media and her friends have portrayed -- speak for them all. In fact, she may not speak for most of them.

The Office Marathon

NBC ran a mini-marathon of it's adaptation of the British series "The Office" tonight.

I watched the first two episodes again.

Still very funny, although I still prefer the original series -- the British series just worked better.

Even so, the stapler in the Jello transcends every culture.

I believe NBC is renewing the series this fall.

Revenge of the Eggtimer

John Schneider comes back for more.

I have to give him a little credit -- it looks like he actually did a teensy bit of homework this time.

But he's still wrong.

So I'm gonna drill him again.

Hey, everyone needs a hobby -- mine is puncturing gassy, misinformed liberals.

And I can keep this up as long as he can.

Loved him as "Bo" in the original Dukes of Hazzard though -- okay, that was gratuitous, but I couldn't resist.

Tech Support. Yeah, right

I somehow lost all the bookmarks in my Firefox browser.

Hunted around for it -- couldn't find a folder on the hard drive. They're just gone.

Called tech support for my company.

Their response -- you'll have to manually reload them. Maybe you got a virus or something.

Wow, we pay people for keen technical insight like that.

Uh huh.

I Went Down to the Crossroads...

Wife and kids away this week, so I watched videos. Both disks from the Crossroads Guitar Festival in Dallas last year.

Awesome stuff. I mean, the Clapton stuff is always great, but put him beside folks like Carlos Santana -- Awesome!

Interesting and diverse group of performers. James Taylor put in an endearing set, with Joe Walsh backing him -- odd, but cool. Walsh later did a set of his own -- with Steve Cropper and Duck Dunn as his sidemen!!!

Newboy John Mayer was entertaining. Country guy Vince Gill ripped it up on a Tele -- who knew?

One of the most entertaining bits was Steve Vai's performance -- him and Tony MacAlpine, Billy Sheehan, and youngster David Weiner just shredding it to pieces like a bunch of first-graders amped up on caffeinated soda and chocolate ice cream. Playing at lightning speed, all at once -- it was audacious, incredible, a little wanky and hysterical all at the same time.

I also watched "Heist" -- your usual caper flick, starring Gene Hackman and Danny Devito. Total genre stuff and the plot didn't hang together all that well. But Hackman is just such a great actor.

And the dialogue was incredibly good -- pitch perfect.

"Is that the thing?" "Yeah, that's the thing."

"Don't you want to hear my last words?" "We just did."

"I try to imagine what someone smarter than me would do, and then I do that."

Pimping the Dead: Cindy Sheehan and the War

Okay, first rule: people who've lost a loved one in Iraq get to say anything they want.

Whether we agree with it or not, we all have to understand that in grief people are entitled to make whatever statements they wish, and we'll respectfully and politely give them room to grieve.

But...

And here's the big but...

That doesn't mean what they have to say is necesarily true, relevant or rational.

In fact, it's just because they ARE grieving they the may be irrational, and therefore say things that are untrue or irrelvant.

Such is the case for Cindy Sheehan, who has staked out the President's ranch in Crawford, Texas, demanding that he meet with her to discuss her views on the war. Ms. Sheehan's son, Casey was killed in Iraq last year.

You can read her comments on the issue here, but in essence, she's demanding that the U.S. pull out of Iraq immediately.

An understandable position for someone who has lost a son in the war, but hardly a reasonable one. Can you imagine the chaos that would erupt if we just pulled up and went home now?

Not to say that the outcome in Iraq is guaranteed if we stay -- so much must be done to stop the terrorist attacks and get the fledgling nation on its feet.

But the outcome pretty much IS guaranteed if we leave now -- it will be a disaster.

Ms. Sheehan also asks what "noble cause" her son died for.

I think he died so that 27 million people could live under the same freedom we enjoy. I believe he died to stop a madman who subjected those 27 million people to unspeakable torture and murder administered in the cruelest methods possible. I think he died to stop a maniac who repeatedly threatened and attacked his neighbors, persecuted minorities, refused to comply with international demands that he completely dismantle his WMD programs, and who was an ardent advocate and sponsor of global terror.

That may not seem like a very good answer to Ms. Sheehan -- it wouldn't to me either.

But it's a lot better than the one she gets from liars and cowards who call themselves her friends and supporters -- that Casey died for a a lie and it wasn't worth it.

Those same supporters have taken this grieving mother's vigil and turned it into a publicity stunt -- there's good press to be had, after all, in pimping the dead.

To their shame. But then, they probably have no shame.

One final thought. Interesting to note that Ms. Sheehan's own family has refused to endorse her position and has actually asked her to stop.

Business Travel: It Still Sucks

Got the the Atlanta airport yesterday for my flight home.

Flight delayed 90 minutes -- American Airlines and Amex Travel clueless and unhelpful. They didn't know what was happening, but I suspect the thunderstorms that rolled through Atlanta earlier had bolluxed things up.

By the time we actually had a plane and boarded, it was two hours. Then we sat at the gate for 20 minutes -- had to wait for them to push planes out of our way so we could taxi.

Then we taxied for 40 minutes -- a gazillion planes ahead of us. So we're now three hours late getting out.

Get to LaGuardia, go to baggage claim -- baggage coming out on wrong carousel. Again. I suspect they use monkeys to do this work.

In the car, headed out. Traffic on the Whitestone Bridge and all the way up the Hutch -- construction.

Finally got home and crawled into bed at 12:30 a.m.

Business travel sucks.

Business Travel: It Sucks

Two days back from vacation, I was once again reminded of the "glamour" of business travel.

I had to get up at 4:30 a.m. to catch an early flight. The car service dropped me at LaGuardia at about 6:20.

Inside the terminal, it was chaos. You ever see one of those movies where there's a civil war in an third world country, and everyone is at the airport trying to get out? It was kind of like that.

It took me over an hour to get through ticketing, baggage drop and security -- I love the whole "take your shoes off" thing, but hey, they gotta do it.

Barely had time to hit the head and grab a cup of coffee before it was time to board.

I turned on what little charm I have with the the flight attendent, and she moved me to an exit row, aisle seat -- sweet, legroom!

Then we sat on the tarmac for a half hour. Apparently they only had one runway open. Finally took off, made up some of the time in the air.

Landed in Atlanta, and we sat on the tarmac for a half hour. Apparently they were slow getting planes off the gates, and there was some construction holding us up.

Hey, no big deal -- it's not like I had anything important to do today. Like, oh I don't know... GO TO WORK!!!!!!!

Got into the terminal, went to baggage claim. I'm standing at the carousel 1, which has a marquee very specifically stating that bags from my flight are coming there. I wait about 15 minutes. I glance over at carousel 2, and think "wow, that sure looks like my bag over there." It was.

Thirty minutes and a smelly cab ride later, I finally made it to the office.

Business travel sucks.

Peter Jennings Signs Off

ABC Newsman Peter Jennings passed away yesterday from lung cancer.

Not a particular fan of network news, but I thought Jennings made more of an attempt to be balanced than his competitors Dan Rather and Tom Brokaw.

In particular, I thought his coverage of 9/11 was noteworthy, not only for it's content but for his constitution. NPR reported this morning that Jennings was on-air pretty much non-stop for four days.

Best wishes and prayers for his family.

They printed my letter!!! Part 2

Been away on on vacation, as you know, but the News-Times printed my letter pointing out the obvious flaws in John Schneider's claims about the Downing Street memo.

Those darn liberals -- for a bunch of people who are so much smarter than the rest of us, it's amazing how they can't manage to put together an intelligent argument. I'm surprised some of them can finish a sentence.

Note: I do actually know many very smart people on the opposite side of my political views. It just seems that none of them write letters to the News-Times.

Note 2: They archived the letter after seven days, so here is the text of it:

To the Editor: Poor John Schneider (Letters, 7/19). So overcome with emotion. So incapable of seeing past his own rage and hysteria that he continues hurling accusations he can't support.

Mr. Schneider returns to his claim that the Downing Street memo proves the Bush administration guilty of lying -- this time not because of its substance, but rather its context.

His argument is: this is an "official" British Government document, and he knows in his "heart of hearts" that the Bush administration is "full of war criminals."

Serious charges, but not a particularly compelling argument. Frankly, I could easily produce an "official" document declaring Mr. Schneider is an Irish Sheepdog. That doesn't prove he actually is one, even if I really, really believe it's true.

Shaping so-called evidence to a predetermined conclusion and wrapping it all up in an emotional outburst is not proof, Mr. Schneider. It's a tantrum.

Sound familiar? That's right, you're doing exactly what you accuse the Bush administration of. Again.

So let's focus on what the document actually is and says. And just for fun, let's make it interesting.

If Mr. Schneider can point to anything in the document -- anything at all -- that would be legally admissible as PROOF of guilt of any crime by any member of the Bush administration, I'll donate $100 to the humanitarian charity of his choice.

If he can't provide such proof, he pays 100 bucks to one of my favorite charities -- the International Justice Mission (www.ijm.org), which fights child prostitution and slavery around the world.

"Clever" solution, huh?

What do you say, Mr. Schneider? Care to put your money where your overwrought emotions are?

Headin' for Holden

Holden Beach -- headed there tomorrow.

And you're not.

Spock and IT, Great Expectations Crash Into Reality

I was discussing this with my sister Lo this morning, how our expectations of technology -- particularly personal technology -- don't match up with what it can actually deliver.

This, as her laptop was locked up trying to download a massive file someone sent her.

I said our expectations are wildly out of sync with reality. And I blame Star Trek.

Here's the thing. For my generation, our earliest impressions of what technology could do were formed by watching Star Trek. This provided the basis for what we expect it TO do, and it most regularly fails to even approach that standard.

Typically, there'd be a scene where three Romulan Birds of Prey had just de-cloaked off the port beam of the Starship Enterprise and were preparing to attack.

We'd then cut to the bridge of the Enterprise, where a serene Mr. Spock would be having a very casual conversation with the computer, asking it to apply more power to the forward shields and prepare to fire a full spread of photon torpedoes.

And the whole thing would be just completely effortless, with the computer responding, "No problem Mr. Spock, I'll take care of that right away. Is there anything else I can do for you today?"

And here I sit, typing away on my computer, knowing full well that if the Romulans de-cloak off my port beam, I'm in a buttload of trouble.

Because my laptop can't do that.

I call this "Star Trek Socialization of Technology: Expectations Versus Reality." I'm pretty sure there's a doctoral thesis in there somewhere.

Update: Just after I uploaded this, my laptop completely tanked on me. Totally locked up, couldn't move the cursor. Ctrl-alt-del -- no response. I had to unplug the power cable and remove the battery to turn it off, then plug it back in to reboot. Do you think I hurt its feelings?

In My Mind I've Gone to Carolina

Yeah, and in body and spirit too.

In Raleigh, visiting family for a few days. Then out to the beach for a week.

My blogging may be spotty -- don't want to get sand in the laptop.

Amstrong lances 7th TDF

Lance Armstrong won his seventh Tour de France Sunday.

He's an amazing athlete and an incredible inspiration.

And anytime we can beat the French at their own sport on their on turf -- well, that's just gravy, now isn't it?

Dem Principal shows lack of Principles; Fires GOP Teacher

The Smoking Gun reports that a Long Island elementary school teacher claim she was fired for displaying a photo of President Bush in her classroom.

Jillian Caruso has filed suit against the Massapequa Union Free School District for wrongful termination, claiming that Principal Joyce Becker-Seddio became outraged by the photo -- displayed along with pictures of several other presidents -- and demanded its removal.

Caruso claims she was later forced to resign by Becker-Seddio, who had previously written her a glowing performance evaluation.

The trouble started, Caruso contends, when Becker-Seddio found out that Caruso was active in local Republican politics.

Becker-Seddio is the wife of Brooklyn Democratic State Assemblyman Frank Seddio.

Nice. Very tolerant.

Next President: The Bottom Line

Could a bass player be the next president?

Columnist David Broder discusses various aspirants for the job, and notes among the credentials of Republican Arkansas Governor Mike Huckabee that he's the bass player for rock band Capitol Offense.

The concept seems a little dorky, but apparently this is a real band that has played real gigs with middling and top acts.

Well, I can think of worse qualifications for the job.

And let's face it -- isn't it about time there was a bass player in the White House?

Actually, I know very little about his political record, so I'll reserve judgment. But I'll be keeping my eye on him.

Schneider Responds: Asks For Another Beating

I can't believe this eggtimer actually responded to my letter in the News-Times.

Takes a beating and comes back for more. Well you can say one thing to his credit...one thing...nope, I got nothing.

Of course, I'm going to pile-drive him (in a literary sense, of course). I sent a response to the paper today.

Yeah, I know it's not nice to pick on the puzzled and emotionally frail. But I see it as a public service -- we should discourage the dull-witted and confused from sharing their addled opinions.

Scotty: RIP

James "Scotty" Dohan has passed away at age 85, says Reuters.

Best known for his role as the always nervous chief engineer aboard the Starship Enterprise, I'll always remember his signature line: "Captain, the di-lithium crystals -- they won't HOLD!"

To which, of course, Captain Kirk would reply, "Scotty, I need MORE POWER."

Rock Star: In Excess

Okay, what can we say here...well, at least the music doesn't suck.

Not a big fan of the "reality TV" genre -- never seen Big Brother, or Survivor. And American Idol? Puh-leez!

Not really into all the posturing and primping on this one either -- only been watching it occasionally and casually. Something disingenuous about a bunch of wannabe rockers worrying about their "look."

And Dave Navarro? The dude is just creepy looking.

The music is pretty good though, most of these guys can sing, and I'll tell you the house band rocks hard.

War on Terror: Moral Equivalence V.2.0

Max Boot writes in the LA Times that those criticzing the War on Terror sound familiar themes to those who did so in the past -- about the Nazis.

It seems the "who are we to judge?" and "we're no better" philosophy still holds currency for some.

One confused Brit twit, pacifist poet D.S. Savage (funny, huh?), actually equated the British democracy with Nazi totalitarianism -- at a time when the Germans had overrun most of Europe and were slaughtering up to 10 million, jews, poles, slavs, and basically anyone else who got in their way.

Such equivocation pervades even the MSM media, with the BBC declining to call those who perpetrated the recent London bombings "terrorists."

Can't Plame Rove

It's official. The New York Times reports today that Karl Rove was not the confidential source for Bob Novak's story that outed CIA spook Valerie Plame.

It has already been widely reported that Rove did speak to reporters on background about the issue -- largely to discount statements that VP Dick Cheney sent Plame's hubby Joe Wilson to Niger to look for Iraq-Uranium connections.

But that he did not name Plame by that, her undercover name, and didn't in fact know she was an undercover agent for the CIA. (I guess that would be the "undercover" part.)

In fact, the story reports that Rove learned out who she was FROM Novak, not the other way around.

So I guess Nancy Pelosi and Ted Kennedy will have to unbunch their petticoats and figure out something else to be hysterical about.

Robbins: Loving the Aliens

Interesting scene in the new "War of the Worlds" remake.

It's when Tim Robbins exhorts everyone to stop resisting the aliens. He explains that the invasion is really a result of predatory economic and political behavior by the United States.

Under the circumstances, he says, the aggression of the aliens is understandable and frankly we deserve it.

Then one of those huge Alien robot things stomps him flat.

Okay, that's not really in the movie.

I won't be seeing it -- I don't give my money to liars, cowards and traitors. And Mr. Sarandon is all three.

P.S. Is that a firearm he's holding in that picture? I would expect he'd be opposed to the private ownership of guns. Funny.

Hillary Clinton Suffers From Irony Deficiency

Hillary Clinton has demanded a Federal Trade Commission inquiry into hidden XXX content in the latest release of video game Grand Theft Auto, the New York Times reports.

Players can use keys readily available on the Internet to unlock the censor function in the game and view explicit sex scenes.

The Times reports Mrs. Clinton made the discovery when she overhead a phone call between her husband, former President Bill Clinton, and his former VP Al Gore. President Clinton apparently was asking Mr. Gore if he knew how to get those special codes off that Internet thing he invented.

Okay, the Times didn't really have that part.

"Baghdad suicide bomb kills 27, mostly children"

I think the Reuters headline pretty much says it all.

The children were playing near a U.S. military checkpoint. It is highly likely that the bomber saw them -- and didn't care -- before hitting the detonator.

Another 25 people -- again, mostly children -- were injured, some severely.

Wow, and they call U.S. troops "babykillers."

Journalists as Junkies

"In many ways, anonymous sources have become the crack cocaine of journalism: easy, addictive and dangerous," writes Richard Stengel in today's Philadelphia Inquirer.

Read it.

New Hate from Terrorists

Did you know that Muslim fanatics didn't hate us unto George Bush the Younger was elected.

Well, it's true. Read here.

Hitchhiking Son

My 14-year -old has started reading the series -- he's on Book Two.

Glad I kept those around -- haven't read them since college, but always thought they were darn-spankin' funny and surprisingly well written.

Oh and dig this -- they're on his summer reading list for school! I don't recall ever having anything this cool on my summer reading list -- I always got stuff like Ivanhoe and Wuthering Heights.

AP Goofs on Blair Comment

In a report on a BBC interview with GB Prime Minister Tony Blair, the Associated Press reported that Blair had linked the London terror bombings to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.

Nuh-huh, apparently -- here's a correction from the AP.

Nothing like getting out ahead of your story.

Amusement Park Day

Yesterday was Lake Compounce day for my family -- resched from last Friday.

The weather was iffy -- overcast and muggy, with about a half-hour of rain. But that meant no crowds -- we walked onto every attraction. Rode the Thunder Rapids water ride six times without stopping.

To the left is Boulderdash -- the longest wooden coaster in the U.S. It runs about a minute fifty seconds and tops out at 60 mph
Exhausted today. Skipped the gym this a.m.

Bombings in London

Seven separate bombs were detonated by terrorists in the London subway and on city buses, Reuters reports. An unknown number of injured and at least two dead.

It's not clear who's responsible yet, although the informed opinion is that it was Al Qaida and the attacks were timed to coincide with the opening of the G8 meeting Scotland today.

It will be curious to see what the British response to this is. After the Madrid train bombings last year, the Spanish reaction was to cower, but I think the Brits may be made of sterner stuff than that -- recall "The Blitz" during World War II and the more recent IRA bombings.

I also wonder how this will affect London's plans for the 2012 Olympics, announced only yesterday.

Update: 9:16 a.m., CBS radio now reporting 40 dead, with Al Qaida claiming "credit."

They printed my letter!!!

In the Danbury News-Times -- my reply to another letter claiming the Downing Street Memo is the "proof" needed to impeach George Bush.

Yeah, I know, the memo came out in May. We're a little slow here in Western Connecticut.

Going Fourth

Enjoyed the usual holiday festivities for the Fourth yesterday, beginning with the parade in our small town. I stood and applauded the vets from current and past conflicts as they marched past.

I cheered friends who passed by in the parade.

And I was quite impressed with the local Republican Committee entry -- a large truck-borne float, covered in red, white and blue, with flagwaving children and patriotic music.

Then the came the Democrats' entry -- it was all black, with the words "America Sucks" in large red letters. A hooded man with a microphone recited all the real and imagined crimes committed by the U.S. throughout its history. And they were playing Rage Against The Machine CDs.

Okay, that part didn't really happen.

We spent the rest of the day at the lakehouse of some friends, swimming, boating, eating and enjoying the company. We capped the day sitting on their lakeside patio watching as neighbors around the pond launched their fireworks.

We are very fortunate.

Took the big kids to see Batman Begins last evening -- a consolation for not going to an amusement park (lousy weather -- we're going next week)

Didn't really care to see it, personally, but actually enjoyed it more than I expected. The acting was pretty wooden, as you would expect, but the story held together well, the action was pretty good and the effects were excellent.

And that proto-Batmobile! Woo-hoo! As Detective Gordon said in the movie, "I gotta get me one of those!"

Be awesome for the commute to work -- if I signal a lane change in that thing, the guy behind me freakin' better let me merge!

My lovely bride took our five-year-old to see the Lovebug movie -- I actually would have preferred to see that, but I'm sure we'll get it on Netflix (which I love, btw).

The Bose Sound

Marveling at the sound of my Bose Wave system. Had it since Christmas -- my lovely wife gave it to me.

Incredible sound for a small system. Not as good as my "big" stereo in the family room, but pretty darn good -- great clarity, excellent bass response.

Interesting, you can't eq it in any way -- no controls. This is *the* sound, apparently. Perfect for my livingroom, where I work, read and blog.

Time Caves on Spy Notes

Time magazine announced yesterday it would turn over notes from reporter Matt Cooper that could reveal who leaked the name of a CIA agent in the Joe Wilson scandal.

Cooper and NY Times reporter Judith Miller face jail time on contempt charges for not revealing their sources -- whoever gave up Wilson's wife broke the law.

(Happened to me once, too -- thought I was going to jail)

Slippery slope time here, folks.

On the one hand, journalists must maintain their independence from government intervention and must not appear to be tools of the government -- otherwise they have not credibility and can not perform their important role in a free society.

On the other hand, reporters are not above the law, and must not break the law or allow their sources to do so in providing information -- particularly anonymous sources.

The use of anonymous sources is a sometimes necessary but always perilous thing. I think reporters do it far too often and far too casually these days, without examining the motives of those sources or the consequences of using them.

Pelosi still clueless about War on Terror

Could she get it less?

House Dem Leader Nancy Pelosi issued a response to President Bush's speech on Iraq, specifically criticizing his remarks about 9/11 and its role in changing our perspective on global terror.

"The President's frequent references to the terrorist attacks of September 11 show the weakness of his arguments. He is willing to exploit the sacred ground of 9/11, knowing that there is no connection between 9/11 and the war in Iraq."

Yeah, Nance, I suppose that' "no connection" thing is true -- in the same sense that the Germans had nothing to do with the attack on Pearl Harbor. Yet, we went to war against them as well as the Japanese and Italians in WWII.

Perhaps it was because then as now, some people understood that the conflict and the dangers were far broader than a single event.

Nancy also criticizes the president for not outlining an exit strategy for Iraq.

Exit strategies are for losers. We intend to win.

What I can't figure out is if she's cowardly, stupid or both.

Iranian Terrorist Now President

Only in a Iran can an idealistic young kidnapper dream of becoming president one day.

Reuters reports that for former U.S. hostages held in Iran 25 years ago have identified Iranian President-elect Mahmoud Ahmadinejad as one of the hostage-takers -- "hardline" guy who humiliated them.

Since Amnesty International has declared humiliation of Gitmo inmates by the U.S. military an atrocity, one wonders how long it wil be before they single out Ahmadinejad for the same thing.

Actually, one doesn't wonder and is not holding one's breath.

Still think Iran isn't part of the Axis of Evil?

War on course? Ask those who pay the price.

If you want a good assessment as to whether we're following the right strategy in Iraq, it's not a bad idea to ask the people doing the bleeding and dying.

Reaction from soldiers who fought in Iraq tilts toward Bush following his speech last night at Fort Bragg, saying we need to finish the job, according to accounts published in the New York Times, the San Diego Tribune and others.

"He hit it right on the head," said Petty Officer Jesus Garcia, who recently returned from Iraq and may be sent back. "We've got to stay there. Our mission will be complete when we feel the Iraqis are ready."

Among Iraqis, opinions are mixed, but many say that while they don't like the war and aspects of the American presence, they don't want the U.S. to leave.

No Veggie Burgers at Garden Shows Either, I'm Guessing Then..

Those PETA guys, they just never quit, now protesting the sale of fish entrees at an aquarium.

"Serving fish at an aquarium is like serving poodle burgers at a dog show," says Karin Robertson of PETA's -- get this -- Fish Empathy Project.

Uh huh.

Geez, you'd think they'd be too busy butchering abandoned animals and throwing the body's in dumpsters for this kind of nonsense.

What never ceases to amaze me is how predictably the media falls for this crap from PETA -- seems like every publicity stunt they pull get's coverage. I'd never get away with that.

SacBee Hack Faked Sources

Okay, this isn't good. The Sacramento Bee says it can't confirm the identity or existence of 43 people quoted in columns by former staffer Diana Griego Erwin.

Erwin, a Pulitzer and George Polk award winner, resigned for "personal reasons" in May after the Bee tightened up its policies on anonymous sources and found discrepancies in her writing dating back 12 years.

Erwin's response the continuing investigation: "The story has been told and I am sad that The Bee continues to pursue this. Surely there are more important stories out there than another about me. I know there are. Even now, I come across them every day."

Really? Found more important stories? What's she been working on lately?

Stories more important that journalists breeching the public trust and making stuff up...nope, nothing more important comes to mind.

Lieberman's Mother Passes On

Senator Joe Lieberman's mother, Marcia, has passed on.

I frequently disagree with Mr. Lieberman's political views, but he has always struck me as a moral, decent man -- somewhat of a rarity for a senator.

Prayers and sympathies to the family.

Voices of Piglet., Tigger Die

What great sadness, but John Fiedler, who lent his voice to the Winne the Poo character Piglet, and Paul Winchell, who voiced Tigger, have both passed on.

I remember watching Mr. Winchell perform regularly on his Winchell-Mahoney Show on TV when I was a kid. It was a regular for me, right along with Soupy Sales and Wonderama.

He was a very talented ventriloquist, who created characters Jerry Mahoney and Knucklehead Smith.

Mr. Fiedler was a popular character actor -- a slightly portly, balding and spectacled fellow -- was a regular on a wide range of TV shows, from the Odd Couple to Star Trek to Bob Newhart.

Sorry to see them both go.

My hotel in Mexico City -- the Four Season. Beautiful hotel in the a lovely part of the city. Marathon day today -- exhausted, but having fun. 

Hola from Mexico

Blogging from Mexico tonight -- here for the week to visit our team in Mexico City and Guadalajara.

Staying at the lovely Four Seasons hotel and had a wonderful dinner tonight, visitng with our country communications manager -- great guy.

I love visiting new places -- I find it invigorating.

PETA Murders, Dumps Animals

You just can't make this stuff up.

Psst...Did you hear the good news?

Not if you've been reading the mainstream media apparently.

NPR correspondent David Folkenflik noted in a report this morning that most U.S. news organizations failed to report on positive developments in Iraq, such as the introduction of new currency, the resumption of mail service and the restoration of cell phone service.

That nugget was tucked into his report on allegations that management at U.S. government-run Voice of America is asking reporters to *shudder* inject more balance into their coverage.

One former VOA employee interviewed expressed her shock -- SHOCK -- that the VOA board of directors are actually giving direction on how VOA should be run.

Um...isn't that what they're supposed to do?

Gosh, reporters being expected to do balanced reporting. Media managers actually providing direction on how things should be done. What is this world coming to?

These are not surprising developments -- we all know reporters list toward stories about things that are bleeding or on fire.

But someone in those news organizations has an obligation to step back and make sure that coverage is balanced and provides an accurate picture of what's going on -- seeing the forest for the trees, as one of my own editors used to say in a not particularly original but illuminating way.

Columnist John Leo noted Afghan media reported recent rioting that killed 17 people was not in protest of alleged Koran abuse at Gitmo, but rather was stirred up by Al Qaeda and Taliban agitators as show of force. But no U.S. media picked up on that.

He also noted that the U.S. media has been largely silent on reporters' union President Linda Foley's unsupported accusations that U.S. soldiers are deliberately targeting and killing journalists -- only the Chicago Sun-Times has reported on the issue, and Boston Globe technology columnist Hiawatha Bray has blogged it.

Why aren't the New York Times, CBS News and the Associated Press reporting on these issues?

Saw another today. Some poor guy driving down the highway, still sporting a Kerry bumperticker on his car. Seven months after the election.

Now, it's a free county, and people have a right to vote for whomever they want. But to still be riding around with the sticker of the guy who lost seems kind of silly.

I dunno, maybe the think they're being defiant or something. But I just think it makes them look goofy.

Sort of liking having a bumpersticker on their car that says "Loser." Or, perhaps more sadly, "I Don't Matter."

Move on, .org.

Michael Jackson Found Not Guilty

There. Now, can we all get on with our lives?

Please?

It's the Eden D210XST speaker cabinet, which I run along with a D115XLT, driven by my WT-550 head. This is THE cab, IMO -- equipped with heavy duty 10-inch cast-frame speakers and a horn, it can handle up to 450 watts. Frequency response goes down to 3o Hz -- that's actually LOWER than the 1x15 cab -- while still producing a tight, middy punch. Sounds great as a solo cab for smaller gigs. Maybe the best cab I've ever owned. It's the nuts!

Dean Unrepentent

Okay, I might as well had made the headine "Sky Not Falling" or "Today Is Sunday," right? I mean no surprises here.

Despite awkward shuffling of feet and throat-clearing by fellow Dems over his divisive and insulting remarks about Republicans, Dem Party Chair Howard Dean says he's going to keep going.

First, Dean -- who I refer to as "the David Duke of the Left" -- called GOPs lazy and dishonest with his "never made an honest living" remark. Then he called them "a white Christian party" -- sounds awful close to White Aryan Nation. How far is that from calling them a bunch of Kluxers?

Yet fellow Dems have a hard time distancing themselves from his bombthrowing. "We can use some of your passion," said Rep. Leonard Boswell, D-Iowa, in his best June Cleaver impression ("That's very interesting music you boys are listening to...").

Tough to not back him since they picked him though.

And thus the Democrats continue their march toward irrelevance.

A 1940s taxi Cuban refugees converted into a boat and used in a daring attempt to flee Castro's dictatorship for America. They were intercepted by the Coast Guard. Not the first time desperate Cubans have attempted this. Is it just me, or don't these seem like the kind of people we'd WANT to let into America? Hardworking. Innovative. Industrious. Yearning to be free. As opposed to ingrates like this. Go figure.

UPDATE -- They're letting the Cuban's stay in the U.S.

Elizabeth Butler: Did your parents know?

The Journal-News continues reporting on the murder of 17-year-old Elizabeth Butler, reportedly stabbed and strangled to death by her 27-year-old former boyfriend, Ariel Menendez.

Memendez is accused of attacking her in her family's car, parked in the lot of the local market where she worked.

I can't imagine the horror and agony this family must be going through right now -- her parents discovered their daughter's body. And I have no wish to inflict any more pain or guilt on them -- I'm sure their suffering enough.

But as a parent, one questions just nags and nags and nags at me: who let's their 17-year-old daughter date a 27-year-old man?

Kerry Dumber Than Portrayed

John Kerry, so often portrayed as being ever so much smarter than George Bush in the election run-up last year, in fact had a nearly identical grade-point average to his opponent while at Yale, the Boston Globe reports today.

The information appears as part of Mr. Kerry's military records, which the former presidential candidate finally agreed to release. Throughout last year's election, while his partisans repeatedly attacked President Bush's military record and while he campaigned on his own military career, Mr. Kerry had declined to release his military records.

Oddly, the records provided no significant new information about Mr. Kerry's military service, and certainly no explosive revelations, prompting speculation as to why he waited so long. In fact, if released during the campaign, the records might have been used to answer some of the charges from his critics about his service.

Getting back to his academic record, among other things the transcripts show Mr. Kerry racked up four D's in his freshman year, had an overall cum of 76 -- one point lower than President Bush -- and never rose above an average of 81 for any year of his undergraduate career. Not unusual for your average college student, but somewhat astounding for someone who later would be portrayed as the intellectually superior choice for president.

And thus another liberal myth comes crashing down.

A photograph of a mass grave in Northern Iraq holding the bodies of about 2,500 people, including women and children, murdered by Saddam Hussein. The civilians were shot in the back of the head and shoved into the grave with a bulldozer. Just in case you forgot why we're in Iraq. 

Dems Condemn Dean

I don't know whether it was a pang of decency or they finally woke up to what a nut he is, but prominent Democrats Senator Joe Biden and former VP candidate John Edwards both criticized Howard Dean for his verbal attacks on Republicans, reports the Associated Press.

Comments made by Dem Party Chief and former Presidential Candidate Dean that provoked the response included a remark that Republicans "never made an honest living in their lives."

"[Dean] doesn't speak for me with that kind of rhetoric and I don't think he speaks for the majority of Democrats," said Biden, while Edwards remarked similarly, "[Dean] is not the spokesman for the party."

While attempting to distance themselves and their party from Dean, however, they apparently forgot that "spokesman" is pretty much the job description for a party chief.

Dean later revised his "decent living" remark, saying he wasn't talking about "hard-working" people, but the Republican leadership.

Thanks, for clearing that up Howard.

Next thing you know, he'll be telling me I'm a credit to my race.

D-Day

Today is the 61st anniversary of the Allied landing at Normandy -- the beginning of the end for the Nazis. The allies reported 10,000 casualties that day, including 2,500 killed.

I can't help feeling tremendous gratitude to those brave young people who fought and died to protect our freedom, just as they do in Afghanistan and Iraq today.

Some unanticipated nice weather on Saturday, so I waxed the Olds. I use Duragloss products -- very easy to use and they produce a fantastic, lasting shine. My Dad turned me on to them about 15 years ago.

I wonder how the Tripp for Felt will Feel

Now that Watergate snitch Mark Felt has outed himself, I wonder how he'll be portrayed in the popular media.

Chicago Tribune columnist John Kass draws an interesting comparison between Felt and Clinton Oralgate informant Linda Tripp, noting that both did essentially the same thing -- they exposed a U.S. President who broke the law. In Nixon's case, the charge was obstruction of justice. In Clinton's, it was perjury.

Will Felt now become a favorite punchline of the late-night comics. Will we see frequent derisive comics about him on the editorial page. Will he be parodied on Saturday Night Live.

That's what happened to Linda Tripp.

Till now, while he hid in anonymity, Felt has been portrayed heroically -- the Washington insider who risked much to right a great injustice and expose evil.

Will that change now that he has revealed his identity, particularly given his motive for coming out -- to get a book deal and make some money?

Doubt it.

Animal Nuts Claim Terror Constitutionally Protected

Six animal rights activists charged with acts of terrorism in New Jersey are claiming their free speech rights are being violated, says Reuters.

The charges resulted from actions taken against pharmaceutical firm Huntingdon Life Sciences, which conducts animal testing.

And just exactly how were these folks exercising their "speech" rights? By invading offices, damaging property, stealing documents and -- get this -- spraying cleaning fluid in the eyes of Huntingdon workers, smashing the windows of their homes and threatening to kill their families.

Someone's been watching a little too much HBO -- normally, stuff like that happening in Jersey is more closely associated with the Sopranos.

I'm not really sure how attempting to blind someone qualifies as "speech," but hey, what do I know?

The group charges that they are being targeted as part of a Bush administration crackdown.

Sounds like we're going after the right people.

Is there a draft in here?

Congressman Charles Rangel has reintroduced a bill to reinstate the military draft, the New York Daily News reports.

This is the second time the antiwar Democrat has introduced the bill -- he did the same thing last year in an attempt to whip up hysteria about the war and win votes for John Kerry. Didn't work then either.

All the hand-wringing about how the the Bush administration is "gonna" resinstitute the draft, yet the only one proposing it is a Democrat.

And hey, if it didn't work the first time, why not try it a second time? There's some logic for ya.

No wonder these people keep getting their butts kicked in elections.

An Afghan child, injured in the recent suicide bombing at a mosque in Kandahar. Just in case you forgot who we're fighting against -- people who blow up churches full of civilians. 

Watching the Eagles Farewell I Tour on TV. Great songs from a great band. Looks like it's Henley, Frey, Walsh and Schmit on the tour. Good lineup. Great touring band too -- fat horn section. So many memories of their music from when I was a kid. 

"Deep Throat" Revealed

After more than 30 years of rumors and speculation, the identity of Wash. Post Watergate unnamed source "Deep Throat" has finally been revealed, says CBS News.

Former FBI #2 man Bernard Felt outed himself in Vanity Fair magazine as the anonymous source for many tips to Post reporters Bob Woodward and Carl Bernstein, who's reporting helped unveil the workings of the Watergate conspiracy and contribute to the deserved downfall of President Richard Nixon.

As portrayed in their book, "All the President's Men," W&B and Felt would arrange to meet via signals (a potted plant on a patio, etc.) and confer late at night in dimly lit parking garages. W&B swore not to reveal Felt's identity until after his death, and kept their word until he revealed himself. Very cloak-and-dagger.

The event ushered in an era of using unnamed sources in stories -- a sometimes necessary tactic for journalists, but one whose standards and integrity have eroded over the years. Witness the recent Newsweek Koran-desecration fiasco recently.

As I told a reporter one time, I understand why journalists use anonymous sources sometimes -- to get at stories that otherwise might not be gotten. But doing so is kind of like buying street drugs -- there's no one to guarantee the purity of what you're getting, and you bear all the risk.