Oh MY!

This looks about 3 shades of awesome. (otherwise, try here if you might be slow on the draw)

Flag Debate. The Final Word. (thanks swirly)

Here's just about all that need be said:

Finally, without the Constitution there wouldn't be an American Republic, or American liberty, or an American flag.

We love that flag, but we love the guarantees of the Constitution more.

For the Constitution is not just a symbol, IT IS, AS I SAY, THE VERY THING ITSELF {emphasis original}. -- Robert Byrd (D-WV), the longest serving member in the history of the Senate (take that, Strom, you big jerk!)

Not a Good Idea Until it's YOUR Idea.

The Washington Post reports:

Democrats Cite Report On Troop Cuts in Iraq: "Senate Democrats reacted angrily yesterday to a report that the U.S. commander in Iraq had privately presented a plan for significant troop reductions in the same week they came under attack by Republicans for trying to set a timetable for withdrawal."

As you may recall, the Republicans (from Karl Rove to Members of the House) have lambasted the idea that we should set a timetable to pull out of Iraq. This little GOP nugget goes something like this: if we have a deadline, then the bad guys will know and wait until we're gone to attack. The problem with this logic is that it assumes we DO have some endgame-withdrawal plan, then we have to keep it a secret. as if we'll magically move 135,000 troops and equipment out overnight and they'll be none-the-wiser. What they're really saying is: We can't have a PLAN or someone will find out and foil it...so lets not formulate a plan.

Think about the President's and Donald Rumsfeld's comments over the last few years. Never being able to give you a specific path to a goal, just listing general goals that read like pleasantries. "A peaceful Iraq." "As they stand up, we'll stand down." Of course, there's no discussion of a step by step process to achieve this standing down i hear so much about. I'm not even talking only about training here. Rumsfeld has offered budgets each year that have been so wildly off that anyone with such a poor 'guess' would have been fired by now. His common thread is that 'we can't give you an exact figure'. That's fine. that's understandible. the problem is when the real number is DOUBLE your best guess, there's a problem. Either you have no real notion of what you're doing with the military you've been given, or you're just lying to us to make the number look lower than it really is. The problem with number two is that we DO know a few months later when we have to pass a supplimental funding bill to keep Iraq afloat (of course it helps to alternate the $$ request with the latest tax cut request...makes it seem less idiotic).

We have to have a plan to leave Iraq and it must have an estimated end date. The military knows this. Some of our politicians know this. The Iraqis are going to have to be able to stand against those from within that would break their country in pieces. having an end date doesn't defeat them. Having not completed proper training with the responsibility of a deadline is what will defeat them. I don't mind tossing a fixed date (whenever that might be) if the president and the GOP had a better plan to move us along. They don't, because 'don't cut and run' isn't a plan. it's the last flailing insult from men who are out of ideas and are afraid all the world knows it.

G.O.P. Decides to Embrace War as Issue - New York Times

This reminds me of something i read the other day. Basically it stated that the Democrats are gonna run in 2006 on political scandals that no one cares about or understand (and they assume everyone's guilty) and the GOP is gonna run in support of a war everyone hates.

So, is this a race to who's the least stupid? There is no safe money in that bet.

Teacher's Pet

The Pentagon has banned all press from The Guantanamo Bay Prisons.

Welllll, everybody but Fox News. Seems they're allowed.

FRONTLINE: the dark side: watch online | PBS

Very Interesting. you can watch the whole thing broken down into 15 minute chunks:

FRONTLINE: the dark side: watch online | PBS: "Amid revelations about faulty prewar intelligence and a scandal surrounding the indictment of the vice president's chief of staff and presidential adviser, I. Lewis 'Scooter' Libby, FRONTLINE goes behind the headlines to investigate the internal war that was waged between the intelligence community and Richard Bruce Cheney, the most powerful vice president in the nation's history."

Keep On Rockin' in the Free World!

Wow. this is just the thing we need. roving gangs/militia/death squads blocking off roads and setting fires to control the flow and movement of people. Ominous.

AOL News - State of Emergency Declared in Iraq: BAGHDAD, Iraq (June 23) -- The Iraqi government declared a state of emergency and imposed a curfew Friday after insurgents set up roadblocks in central Baghdad and fired on U.S. and Iraqi troops outside the heavily fortified Green Zone.

SUPPORT OUR WAR IN IRAQ!!!

If YOU support the war in Iraq, then YOU should volunteer to help. The US Military now allows new enlistees up to 42 years in age!

GET OFF YOUR DUFF!!

"I've got a job!"
"I'm in school!"
"I've got a family!"

Those weren't excuses for our parents, grandparents, and great-grandparents! Why would ANYONE prove the coward on an Iraq war you believe in!?!

*Celebrating the big 4-0? feeling your youth slip away? then join up and show those kids how its done!

*Job outsourced? get training and a college education!

*Housewife tired of being at home? JOIN UP NOW!

Are You a Yankee or a Rebel? - alphaDictionary * Free English Online Dictionary

Heard about this on NPR today. it takes a look at how you speak. also gives a few funny comments. they also mentioned this collection of southern-speak.

Because They had a Better Plan...?

From Harper's:

It was revealed that in 2003 the Bush Administration refused an offer by Iran to end Iranian support of Palestinian terror organizations and recognize Israel in exchange for an end to sanctions and permission to peacefully develop its nuclear program.

GOP: Say NO To Prosecuting Rapists

The Durham, NC Republicans have announced a challenge to the current District Attorney because he's prosecuting the Duke LaCrose rape case.

So the GOP DOES stand for something...blocking rape prosecutions!

Slate blogs the Bible. By David Plotz

Slate blogs the Bible. By David Plotz

This is GREAT. read it now!

2500 dead

Incase you have not heard, as of today 2500 people have died in Iraq. that's just over 2 battalions. If you support the war in Iraq or know people that do, I encourage you and your friends to enlist right now. we need troops there that believe in the cause. the Army is taking people up to 37-38 years of age now, so that's no excuse. join up!

It's Going Awfully Well Down There

Seems the scene in Guantanamo is so good that they're expeling the US media from Guantanamo Bay entirely.

Kennedy made me do it! By Dahlia Lithwick

Dahlia Lithwick takes a look at a few judges in Alabama who are trying to get the state to secede from the union. again.

I'd Be Lying if I Didn't Say I Was Disappointed

AOL News - Rove Won't Be Charged in CIA Leak Case:

WASHINGTON (June 13) -- The prosecutor in the C.I.A. leak case on Monday advised Karl Rove, the senior White House adviser, that he would not be charged with any wrongdoing, effectively ending the nearly three-year criminal investigation that had at times focused intensely on Mr. Rove.

Gorj. Recommended Gnarls Barkley "Crazy"

I hear this is called rap. mabye. either way, its one of the better Soul Songs Since Hey Ya, and before that "Take a Long Walk" by Jill Scott (click and see).

Eric B & Rakim and a White Kid from Mississippi

As for delivery and complicated lyrical structure, Eric B & Rakim set the foundation in rap. It was the first time someone's raps were complicated in construction. Add to that the weight of the delivery and voice, and it was powerful. i remember hearing the delivery in this song and feeling chills. chills because of how powerful it was...how palpable it was. i remember hearing it when i was young trying to get involved in things that were often not done by people my age, i found strength in the songs.

I was a fiend before I became a teen/
I melted microphones instead of cones of ice cream.
Music orientated, so when hip-hop was originated/
Fitted like pieces of puzzles...complicated.
I grabbed the mic and try to say, "yes yall!"/
They tried to take it, and say that I'm too small.
Cool, cause I don't get upset/
I kick a hole in the speaker, pull the plug, then I eject.

That idea of being kicked out for being to small or too young, then being ok with it. i'll leave, then kicking a hole in the speaker--breaking it--on the way out just captivated me. Now, this isn't what it may sound like to you. its not about being pissed and breaking something because you are mad. Hip Hop came from house parties. block parties. neighborhoods where DJs, dancers, and MC's would 'battle' to be the best. just like many other forms of show business, you don't want to follow a tough act if you don't have the chops. its an embarassment to yourself. this, in one phrasing or anoter was rapping til you 'broke' the mic. this meant you did it all. no one wants to follow you because they weren't gonna be BETTER than you. the climax has left the stage and you will not make anyone happy if YOU got up there, so it was as if 'THE MIC WAS BROKE'. No one could follow up. I was facinated with that notion. About the time this came out, i was told i could not compete in debate because of my age. it just captivated me. this song was the first time i heard anyone say 'you can TELL YOURSELF anything you want, but that doesn't change that this is the way it is...You can tell me i'm too young to be here with you and rap, but that doesn't change the fact that i just BROKE this mic and that's still the fact when i walk out of the room."

Is it Real....? Slick Rick & Doug E Fresh perform (live)

oh mercy.

CNN.com - Murtha will run for House leadership if Dems win this fall - Jun 9, 2006

WASHINGTON (CNN) -- Rep. John Murtha, an outspoken opponent of the war in Iraq, announced Friday that he would run for majority leader if the Democrats take over the House in the fall elections.

"If we prevail as I hope and know we will, and return to the majority this next Congress, I have decided to run for the open seat of the majority leader," Murtha said in a letter to his Democratic colleagues.

"I would appreciate your consideration and vote and look forward to speaking to you personally about my decision."

Best news in a while. i'll elaborate more later.

U.S. Senate Blocks "The Dumbest Idea Ever"

...or at least the crappiest idea ever.

Quote of the Day

"I think I've broken the taboo. I'm not going to treat them like victims."
--Ann Coulter

----------------------------
This being her reaction to the backlash over her new book where she goes after the widows of people who died on 9/11, stating:

"These self-obsessed women seem genuinely unaware that 9/11 was an attack on our nation and acted like the terrorist attack only happened to them. They believe the entire country was required to marinate in their exquisite personal agony ... These broads are millionaires, lionized on TV and in articles about them, reveling in their status as celebrities and stalked by grief-parrazies. I have never seen people enjoying their husbands' death so much."

her newest line on this point is to wonder aloud about how many of these victims were headed for divorce anyway and now pretend like they actually LOVED their spouses.

ahem. yeah.

THANK GOD I'M USING A PC!!

Otherwise, how on earth would i have my computer crash 4 times while transfering files from a CD-Rom to the Hard drive. Seriously. what was i THINKING wanting a mac!?! how could i give this up!

*Note: this was after upgrading to a 'better' cdrom drive and adding more RAM. yay!

"Truly the Marijuana of Meats"

HAW! breaking down a vegetarian.

FINALLY, Some Good News Out of Iraq

Leader of Al Qaeda in Iraq Is Killed br / In American Airstrike North of Baghdad - New York Times:

BAGHDAD, Iraq, June 8 — Al Qaeda's leader in Iraq, Abu Musab al-Zarqawi, was killed in an American air strike on an isolated safe house north of Baghdad at 6.15 p.m. local time on Wednesday, top United States and Iraqi officials said today.

While I'm VERY happy about this, I think it really outlines the wrong headed-ness of our war on terror. this little victory against Al Qaeda only comes in a country where Al Qaeda wasn't around in the first place. we drew them in THEN had to get them. Osama Bin Laden, of course, still roams free. How long? With this administrations struggling policies...at least the soldiers executing know what they're doing.

DAMN DAMN DAMN DAMN DAMN

Another light goes dark.

Billy Preston, "fifth Beatle," dead at 59 - Yahoo! News: "LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - Keyboardist Billy Preston, a flamboyant sideman who added soul to recordings by the Beatles and Rolling Stones and enjoyed solo success in his own right, died in Arizona on Tuesday after a long illness. He was 59."

John Stewart Quote

Stewart on net assets: That was Comedy Central's Jon Stewart cutting up while emceeing yesterday's Peabody Awards for broadcasting excellence at the Waldorf-Astoria. 'This afternoon's program is sponsored by your Internet and phone records,' Stewart told the star-studded crowd. 'Isn't that interesting — your Internet and phone records, because 'blah blah blah, 9-11.'' In case anyone missed his point, Stewart also quipped: 'Thomas Jefferson once said: 'Of course the people don't want war. But the people can be brought to the bidding of their leader. All you have to do is tell them they're being attacked and denounce the pacifists for somehow a lack of patriotism and exposing the country to danger. It works the same in any country.' I think that was

Jefferson. Oh wait. That was Hermann Goering. Shoot.'

Weekly Review (Harpers.org)

So What Happened in Iraq this Week?

In Iraq, a car bomb in Basra killed at least 33 people, a
mortar attack in southern Baghdad killed 9 people, and 8
U.S. soldiers died. Police found 22 bodies with bullet
wounds and signs of torture in Baghdad; northwest of the
city, at an improvised checkpoint, 19 civilians were dragged from their cars and shot. Twenty-one Kurds and Shiites, many of them high school students, were ordered off a bus and executed in Ain Laila. In Baquba 7 policemen were killed, and the heads of 8 Sunni men were found in Dole banana boxes. Six more policemen were killed in Mosul. A Baghdad pet market was bombed, killing 5 people and several doves. It was reported that a U.S. Marine had been traumatized by his experiences cleaning up and documenting the alleged massacre of civilians by other marines in Haditha. "He called me many times," said the marine's mother, "about carrying this little girl in his hands and her brains splattering on his boots." A U.S. soldier was sentenced to 90 days' hard labor for threatening a prisoner at Abu Ghraib with a dog in 2003. "You can . . . end up losing the whole dang war," said the prosecuting attorney, "basically for boneheaded decisions and misjudgments."

I'd like an AppleBerry turnover, please

As some of you already know, i will soon replace my PC. I've spent my lifetime of computing on a PC in some form or another. This year I will toss my PC into the nearest bonfire and get an apple. I'm nearly giddy over the idea every day. Now it seems that my phone might need to be replaced in the nex year or so...:)

globeandmail.com : AppleBerry might be the next big thing: "s the day near when you will get music on your BlackBerry and e-mail on your iPod?

The idea of an “AppleBerry” partnership between Research In Motion Ltd. and Apple Computer Inc. was floated yesterday by Peter Misek, an analyst with Canaccord Capital Inc., who last year accurately predicted a partnership between RIM and Intel Corp."

Another GOP Saint

County subpoenaed in probe of lawmaker
: Looks like House Appropriations Committee Chairman Jerry Lewis of California might have some 'splainin' to do.