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.

Maybe I'll get into this Later...

...but i found this funny. the Jackson, MS Mayor's office was asked why the Jackson Free Press is excluded from many normal public information requests:

Redd told Adam and Casey the city would not fill the JFP’s requests because we took information the city provided, did further research on it and then “twisted it.” She said that other media, such as The Clarion-Ledger, did right by the mayor, implying that we were not loyal enough because, as she put it, we do “research and stuff.”

way to go Clarion Ledger! print anything you're fed! how embarassing!

'Chicks' Build a Nest at No. 1

Despite lingering radio bans in a few spots and a crazy amount of negative protest, the Dixie Chicks' new album is number 1 on the Pop AND Country charts. i guess being right sometimes helps smooth things over.

Start Off on the Good Foot

(Video) - Well, it seems Family members of the New Iraqi ambassador to the US were killed by US Marines. The claim is that it was intentional. no word on whether this is tied to the recent revelation (from a military investigation) that US troops killed a few dozen unarmed civillians in 2005.

Yes, you shall clean my pool...

Why DO a Good Job when you can FAKE IT!?!

Interesting how much this is covered in the UK press. in America where the news organization could be exposed? not so much:

Federal authorities are actively investigating dozens of American television stations for broadcasting items produced by the Bush administration and major corporations, and passing them off as normal news. Some of the fake news segments talked up success in the war in Iraq, or promoted the companies' products.

"Who watches the watchmen?"
--A. Moore

Click Here Because I Can't Do a Better Job!

Seems Dick Cheney may be called to testify in court on the scooter libby, valerie plame matter! holy crap. Salon has the quick breakdown. Hmm...i say cheney pulls out all the stops to avoid talking to ANYONE about this under oath.

Quote of the Week

Bill O'Reilly of Fox News warned that "many far-left thinkers believe the white power structure that controls America is bad."

Only Because the President Loves You....

The NY Times has an interesting article: Despite Pledge, Taxes Increase for Teenagers Seems the kids not only have to pay for Bush's tax cuts when they get in the workforce, they get to do a little now while they're in school.

Nice to see he's LITERALLY putting our teens future on the credit card while millionares will average $46,000 in extra tax cuts next year. brilliant.

James Dobson Hearts Son of Sam

Religious fundamentalist powerbroker James Dobson wants you to hear about how great of a guy David "Son of Sam" Berkowitz is. He also wants you to know just how slimey the gays are too. See this facinating article called An Ounce of Prevention that shows you how to keep your kid from getting gay-i-fied. These guys are so helpful.

Its a Done Deal Now

You may want to keep an eye on the letters column over at The Clarion-Ledger. The told me they're running a thing by me on the Pennies/Abortion display i mentioned a couple of posts down. what i wrote was a reworking of that item, actually.

TOTALLY IN LOVE with Dahlia Lithwick.

My pal Gorj. is "TOTALLY in love with Dahlia Lithwick" I thin she's a great writer. I just don't quite want to marry her. Sorry, it's late and i feel like Mocking. As you can see in the Column on the right, I like Dahlia a lot too. she's my favorite writer about the law.

First Baptist Church of Jackson--or--Let me tell you where you can find $500,000 just sitting on a street corner.

The Link above goes to the First Baptist Church of Jackson. Clicking on that link will take you to the website with an informative link called "The DaVinci Code. Fact or Fiction?"

Oddly enough, I can help you out on that score here. it's fiction. know how i know? when i got my copy from the Jackson Library, it was in the Fiction section. The Author calls it a work of fiction too (for the uninitiated, that means 'made up' or 'not true'). Why is it that the people REALLY upset about this book/film are so ADAMANT about letting us know this is a work of fiction? Seriously, do they feel our tie to reality is so weak that we might confuse fictional stories at the movies with reality? Do they live in fear that someone will try to get their hands on a lightsaber and start fights?

...ah, but i digress.

The First Baptist Church is about 2 blocks from my office. I sometimes walk by it if i have business anywhere near our capitol. A week ago i noticed they constructed a small glass building on the sidewalk on a back corner of the Church's lot. Today i saw what the building was for. its to house 50,000,000 pennies. this is to symbolize the (claimed) 50 million abortions that have happened since Roe v. Wade in 1973.

This sort of thing is an exquisitely perfect metaphor for the church and the misguided emphasis of so many social conservatives. Instead of dealing with any of the societal pains that exist within walking distance, they build a monument of money on their very sidewalk. Think about what 50,000,000 pennies mean. it means that this Church, nestled in the middle of downtown, walking distance from some of the most crushing poverty in this city, is more interested in the issue of abortion than the living souls within eyesight of its own walls. This is a church willing to put a half a million dollars in a box on the sidewalk before they'd spend a dime of that money on the lives on the other side of that glass.

The saddest point to me is that this church is erecting a giant, clear piggy bank who's whole goal is to hold HALF A MILLION DOLLARS in plain sight of the homeless of this city. everyday on this very street homeless people walk along with nothing but their own pains and needs. This church, the church who's website devotes not one paragraph to the poor...denotes not one charitable activity that enriches the least among us...would prefer to stack a half million dollars on the street than use it. They are erecting a box of money to memorialize a political issue.

Could Mammon have designed a better honorary himself? This church would rather sit a half million dollars on the streets of Jackson than spend the money on the streets of Jackson. I am somewhat taken aback by the vigor with which this church turns its back on the lord.

"Do your duty. Make more babies,"

This really offends me. It offends me that this guy is still on the air. Fox News wingnut John Gibson (you'll recall he even went beyond Bill O'Reilly by writing a BOOK about the 'war on christmas'!) is really concerned about America being taken over by non-whites. i don't mean this in the sense of an invasion. he's worried that the majority of people here won't be white (Norh American having spent most of the last 500 years having a non-white majority).

He ranted at length about the risks of our society not being white enough. "[d]o your duty. Make more babies," concerned that there are not enough white people in America, he added: "You know what that means? Twenty-five years and the majority of the population is Hispanic....To put it bluntly, we need more babies."

When is it ok to say we don't need anymore of YOUR race. we need more of MY race. MY race is better than yours. with John Gibson and FoxNews i'm offended...just not shocked. not at all. i guess they're playing to their viewership. i hope not. there shouldn't be a receptive ear to this crap.

Former Congressman Sonny Montgomery dies - The Clarion-Ledger

The Clarion-Ledger Reports today: "MERIDIAN — Gillespie V. “Sonny” Montgomery, who during 30 years in Congress representing east central Mississippi earned the reputation on Capitol Hill as “Mr. Veteran,” died at 4:15 a.m. today at Jeff Anderson Regional Medical Center in Meridian of complications from a prior abdominal surgery. He was 85."

GV Sonny Montgomery was my congressman from my childhood into my college life. He was the creator of the "GI Bill" and, in many ways, an architect of the modern US military. His campaign in 1994 was the first i was actively involved in (i'd worked nominally in 1992 on the Clinton campaign). You may recall 1994 was the year the Congress went to the Republicans. despite that day, we won our race. Sonny was also a Mississippi State Alumni as well. I really liked him a lot.

Stan "the balloon man" Lee

This is pretty neat. a balloon version of Marvel Comics legend Stan Lee.