Woo. I hadn't realized, but it's tech bubble time!

Here_Comes_Another_Bubble_-_The_Richter_Scales
by kingofdoper

Rumsfeld Flees France Fearing Arrest

Of course, the French did not catch him. But then, the unresolved situation as it stands is so very much more elegant than the potential unpleasantness and paperwork involved in actually catching and prosecuting him, which would have allowed Bush to do something.

This situation leaves the White House impotent - and leaves Rumsfeld an official fugitive from justice.

Of course, the honorable thing would have been to INSIST that the matter be resolved before a court. But under Napoleonic Law, you have to establish your innocence, rather than our system, where the prosecution has to prove your guilt.

I can understand why Rummy might prefer a venue with different standards.

A FISA court, for instance.

clipped from wor.ldne.ws Former US Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld fled France today fearing arrest over charges of "ordering and authorizing" torture of detainees at both the American-run Abu Ghraib prison in Iraq and the US military's detainment facility at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, unconfirmed reports coming from Paris suggest. US embassy officials whisked Rumsfeld away yesterday from a breakfast meeting in Paris organized by the Foreign Policy magazine after human rights groups filed a criminal complaint against the man who spearheaded President George W. Bush's "war on terror" for six years. Under international law, authorities in France are obliged to open an investigation when a complaint is made while the alleged torturer is on French soil.

It's only five bucks - but the irony is priceless.

So I drop by PayPerPost to see how the balance between conscience and greed work out today - seeing as I've just finished bashing Dan Rather for that, my day as a semi-pro Journalist would not be complete without emulating the realities of the MSM. And guess what I find.

Custom-writing.org is professional custom essays, research papers, term papers, dissertations and theses writing service. All our papers are 100% plagiarism free. We offer unlimited revisions and free plagiarism report for out customers.

Grammar checking and proofreading might be a thought, too. Oh, and they add this note:

This opportunity is only for posts that do not include a sponsored disclosure within the post (site-wide disclosure only).

Ooops. Did I imply that I was being PAID for this?

Somehow I doubt that will occur. But that's ok - 'cause I'm banning your asses, for two reasons - asking me to compromise my integrety (by not clearly identifying this as a paid post) AND for expecting me to do that for five bucks.

But first, you get to see this and what a non-humor- impaired Libertarian does when someone such a thing of him.

He CHARGES you for his refusal. And mentions your name.

By the way, I did not visit the link. Hell, if you can't even write one paragraph of basic English, when you are in the business of writing (supposedly) A-quality research papers so frat-house dinks like George Bush can buy essays, I can't be bothered to waste those precious photons.

Because, not even George Bush would click though with that example of writing, and my readers are, I hope to Ghu, SMARTER than Shrubaru.

However, I will suggest Jon Swift review this post; after all, he, in a long and enlightening relationship with Amazon.com, has pioneered exactly the sort of review this firm is seeking, and a good editorialist always seeks the tension of a countervailing opinion.

Due to his inspiration, it occurred to me that I should review a product at amazon myself - without of course actually commending the Luv Ewe to either my attempted client or Jon Swift.

When you embarrass yourself in public, you should just Move On

If they don't laugh, MoveOn (dot org)
by
webcarve

Get this custom shirt at Zazzle

An op-ed in the LA Times notes "it's amazing that MoveOn would try to squelch
political speech." One of the designers withdrew her T-shirt because she didn't want to fight "a large group with the money to run ads in the NY Times demeaning a four star general."

And The LA Times supplies the punchline to this whole sorry mess with the last 'graph:

Perhaps the most delicious irony here is that MoveOn hasn't exactly been scrupulous in its regard to other people's intellectual property. After all, it seems to have borrowed the Petraeus/Betray Us rhyme from a familiar radio host -- without crediting him, of course.

Now THERE'S the humorless, irony impaired Left Wing I remember from my youth! This demands WIDESPREAD bi-partisan blogmockery - and T-shirts! Until we get a rueful admission of stupidity on Colbert's show, I shall taunt you!

read more | digg story

UPDATE: T-Shirt Created, on Zazzle. Why? Well, I kinda think it's their turn for some huge free publicity. C'mon, MoveOn, don't stop NOW!

Note: I have "Blogmockery" as a category. Click it and see how often I get a chance to mock the LEFT wing. I try to be an equal-opportunity offender, but the pickings are slim on the left. For the most part, I think that's because the targets on the right are SO obvious that you don't have to be all that clever or take many risks to launch a devastating counter attack.

So, even as I criticize, I forgive. Goddes knows, my beloved and often silly lefties, it's not surprising your hunting skills are rusty. It's what you might call a "target-rich environment" on the right. It's like trying to shoot a jackrabbit, just for fun, after spending years clubbing them to death with your rifle butt just to keep from nibbling your personal carrot. You ARE gonna miss - especially seeing as you are still up to your ass in carrot-obsessed jackrabbits.

Anyway, admit it, get over it, laugh ruefully and MoveOn. It was wrong, it was stupid, and it's kinda nice to know that you are just as human as the rest of us. Get over yourselves and remember there are more important things going on than ensuring there's a particular ideological outcome, other than a future without a recreational nuclear encounter.

Have I missed anything?

No, apparently not.

Iraq: A Tale of Two Cheneys [VIDEO] By Adam Howard Why is Dick Cheney contradicting statements he made not just in 1994 but also in the year 2000 about the foolishness of an Iraq invasion?

Bill "Falafel" O'Reilly: "I Think Everybody's Got to Relax On All This Gay Stuff" By Steve Benen O'Reilly's gone out of his way to convince his audience that gays are bad people, sometimes dangerous, oftentimes violent, and a hazard for children to avoid.

More Giuliani 9/11 Lies Exposed, He Only Spent 29 Hrs. Total at Ground Zero By Adam Howard Turns out Rudy made mostly cameo appearances after the September 11th attacks.

Sexual Violence On the Rise in US Prisons By Liliana Segura Last year there was a 21 percent jump in sexual violence in US prisons and in more than half the cases, the perpetrators were guards.

Domestic Abuse, Grand Theft, Perjury and Sexual Impropriety! Just Another Day in the GOP By Pam Spaulding The Republican Party's hypocrisy parade continues.

Iraq Round-Up! By Joshua Holland This week: Iran and Iraq cut an oil pipeline deal; the "Petraeus report" to be a political document written by the White House; more US troops up on murder charges; the Brits say the "surge" is likely to fail, and much, much more!

FBI Director: Bush Officials Tried 'to Goad a Sick, Medicated Ashcroft' to Approve Warrantless Wiretapping By Faiz Shakir FBI director Mueller's notes indicate Ashcroft "was in no condition" to see visitors, much less decide whether to authorize the program.

Feds Train Clergy To "Quell Dissent" During Martial Law [VIDEO] By Adam Howard Pastors and other religious representatives could become secret police enforcers who teach their congregations to "obey the government."

UNICEF Germany Pulls Ad Campaign Featuring White Children in "Blackface" By Malena Amusa UNICEF Germany comes to its senses and acknowledges their ad campaign was "not appropriate."

Jose Padilla: Imprisoned Nearly Four Years Without a Lawyer, Convicted on Terrorism Charges By Lindsay Beyerstein By destroying Padilla, the government cheated us all out of justice.

I think I'll go back to ignoring email and news for a few more hours, at the very least.

John, John, why persecuteth thou me?

Mike Savage needs a hug. He's clearly gotten all tense and irrational, though I should resist suggesting that he could benefit from some Hot Savage Love. I wouldn't wish to presume upon Dan Savage's sense of decency and propriety. (Dan Savage is the Liberal answer to Michael Savage and is therefore completely unsafe for work outside of Portland, Seattle and San Fransisco.)

Media Matters - Savage: "You're telling me there's no possibility of a conspiracy by the Democrats" to cause Roberts' seizure?: "Savage asked, 'Am I to believe there's no connection between Charles Schumer on Friday saying he would never appoint, or never, excuse me, approve another Bush appointment to the court, to any court? And then the chief justice suffers a so-called seizure two days later? You're telling me there's no possibility of a conspiracy by the Democrats to have caused this seizure in some manner?' He added: 'Tell me it's not possible, and I'll tell you you're a liar.'"

I should point out that it's pretty clever rhetoric, too. Can I definitely state it's impossible? Nope. I'm a pretty good rhetorician myself, but even I can't prove a negative.

I cannot prove that 9/11 was not a conspiracy. Actually, it had to be a conspiracy, the open question is "by whom and to what end?" But likewise, absent much relevant evidence to rule it out, I cannot prove it was not a conspiracy that included Bush and Cheney.

See how this works?

Absence of evidence is not evidence of absence. It's just absence of evidence - and the only thing we can say for sure is "we don't know." And therefore, if we deny his claim as absurd, he actually can characterize it as dishonest. We can only honestly take bets on the likelihood of some possible causative factor. So I cannot HONESTLY rule out the possibility that John Roberts was fed something to trigger a seizure, any more, than, say, I can rule out that the seizure was caused by the stress of a troubled conscience or sheer, overwhelming cognitive dissonance.

I would have to say that stress of some type - either physical or mental - is more probable than, say, a liberal getting their hands on a drug or device that would trigger a seizure at a particular place and in a particularly convenient point in the news cycle.

I'd have to render it as being as likely an occurrence - I mean, in terms of predictability and certainty of causation - as Paul being struck down on the Road to Damascus.

Come to think of it, Paul, prior to his seizure, enjoyed a social role not entirely unlike that Roberts has played over the years. I suppose the only way to come to even a tentative speculation is to see what Roberts' rulings look like in the coming years.

But as for "Dr." Savage - Well, let's just say I smell the funk that comes from seeing the end of the gravy train in the near distance. Savage, like the rest of the remaining Right Wing noise machine, are a remaining fringe speaking to a an ever-diminishing fringe, with the general ratings of right-wing talk and tabloid formats plunging like stunned ducks.

If they manage to convince themselves of what they say enough to be convincing to their remaining audience, I presume it's either due to medication, or the lack of it. And in Savage's case, I think that, unlike Rush or O'Rielly, it's due to a clear absence of essential medication!

Yes, folks, marijuana (and to a lesser, but significant extent, Cuban seed and Dominican tobaccos) are appropriate herbal treatments for bilious humors, while alcohol is contraindicated.

So, as a caring gesture, why don't you send him a nice, big black cigar...

...and tell him to suck on it.

tag: Michael Savage, Dr. Savage, Savage Nation, Freudian References, Homophobia, Paranoid Fantasies, Right Wing Talk, Hate Speech, Hate Radio, Dan Savage, Penis Substitutes, Nielson Ratings, blogmockery, Ridicule

Faux Outrage: Ellison under fire for comparing 9/11 to Reichstag fire.

The only thing worse than comparing Bush to Hitler is to point out that history and behavior make those comparisons inevitable and unfavorable to George Bush and Dick Cheney.

When they cannot argue the facts or reasonable conclusions drawn from the facts, Faux Noise targets the messenger.

clipped from www.foxnews.com

Democratic Rep. Keith Ellison, the first Muslim elected to Congress, is defending himself Monday after comparing President Bush to Adolf Hitler and leaving the impression the administration may have rigged the Sept. 11, 2001, terror attacks.

Speaking to an atheist group on July 8, Ellison said that the president acted much the way Hitler did when the Reichstag, or German Parliament building, was burned in 1933 ahead of elections that pitted Hitler's Nazi Party against others, including the Communists. Hitler, who was suspected of ordering the fire, declared emergency powers that helped him launch his dictatorial and murderous reign.

"It's almost like the Reichstag fire, kind of reminds me of that," Ellison told the group, according to The Minneapolis Star Tribune. "After the Reichstag was burned, they blamed the Communists for it and it put the leader of that country [Hitler] in a position where he could basically have authority to do whatever he wanted."

Faux is actually quoting a favorable article in The Minneapolis Star Tribune.

On comparing Sept. 11 to the burning of the Reichstag building in Nazi Germany: "It's almost like the Reichstag fire, kind of reminds me of that. After the Reichstag was burned, they blamed the Communists for it and it put the leader of that country [Hitler] in a position where he could basically have authority to do whatever he wanted. The fact is that I'm not saying [Sept. 11] was a [U.S.] plan, or anything like that because, you know, that's how they put you in the nut-ball box -- dismiss you." [emphasis mine]

Note that Ellison is refusing to say anything abut 9/11 or government involvement in it. If you are left with the "impression" he did, read what he said again. What he's speaking of is something in the realm of facts on record - the behavior of the Bush Administration in response to 9/11. He wasn't trying to leave the impression that the administration may have planned 9/11, but he was and is directly stating that the Administration took the opportunity presented to militarize, gut the Constitution, concentrate power within a "Unitary Executive," attack a foreign enemy, silence dissent and, yes, set various groups of Citizen against one another.

Muslims, for example, are not unreasonably concerned that they might be targeted by thugs, literally, or as above, figuratively.

Now, I happen to believe that Administration behavior tends to lend some credibility to the idea that there was some sort of foreknowledge of the attack, especially given a wide variety of disturbing gaps in the record and unexplained issues. But an unexplained issue is just that - unexplained. When I see a UFO, I do not leap to the conclusion that it is an intergalactic spacecraft. The "U" stands for "Unidentified."

I can be pretty sure I wouldn't like the facts being hidden from us, that they would not reflect well on Bush or Cheney, there integrety oor capacity for leadership, without going out on a limb and saying "They PLANNED 9/11." In many ways, it doesn't matter, so why confuse the issue? There are plenty of perfectly respectable facts in evidence to work with that, in my humble opinion, should lead to both men breaking rocks at Levenworth after a fair and speedy trial.

Rep. Ellison was careful to limit his comments to what is and pointedly avoid what might be, apparently in response to a direct question, Faux was reduced to one of the oldest tactics of propaganda, which is to attempt to discredit the messenger.

Democratic Rep. Keith Ellison, the first Muslim elected to Congress, is defending himself...

Let us suppose I were writing a similar article, say, about something Sen. Lieberman had said regarding the Middle East situation, and it happened to be an accurate observation that I'd very much like to go unconsidered.

Democratic Senator Lieberman, a Jew with a long history of commitment to Zionist causes, is defending himself...

When you see this phraseology used anywhere, check around to see if whoever it is is actually having to defend himself against anyone other than the writer. Odds are rather good it's either the first shot, or one shot of a pre-arranged volley in an orchestrated smear campaign.

This article really says little against Rep. Keith Ellison, but it speaks volumes about Faux News, and what it doesn't want you to think about. And that, by the by, is the way to read and source Right-Wing propagandists, such as Faux News, "Newsbusters" and Freep. Consider the source and it's intended message along with what any particular message it might have.

That and a good fact-checking will keep your credibility intact when opining upon such matters.

Edit: I found this article at Right Web just after I hit "publish."
"A Great Little Racket": The Neocon Media Machine

Not by any accident, the neoconservatives' time of greatest influence on U.S. foreign policy coincided with the explosive growth of mass media outlets from which they could promote their policies. The omnipresent fluttering American flag on Fox News exemplifies the new über-patriotic packaging through which the invasion of Afghanistan, the invasion of Iraq, and the escalation of tensions with Iran are marketed packages.

When asked why the Weekly Standard and Fox News have increased in popularity over the past few years, Matt Labash, a senior writer at the Weekly Standard responded that it was "because they feed the rage. We bring the pain to the liberal media. I say that mockingly, but it's true somewhat. We come with a strong point of view and people like point of view journalism. While all these hand-wringing Freedom Forum types talk about objectivity, the conservative media likes to rap the liberal media on the knuckles for not being objective. We've created this cottage industry in which it pays to be un-objective. It pays to be subjective as much as possible. It's a great way to have your cake and eat it too. Criticize other people for not being objective. Be as subjective as you want. It's a great little racket. I'm glad we found it actually."

If Irving Kristol intended to start a revolution with his writing on the culture wars and U.S. Cold-War foreign policy, he certainly laid the groundwork in academic journals and periodicals. What may never have entered his imagination at the time was the degree of success the second generation of neoconservatives would experience in marketing neoconservative ideas to a mainstream audience. The original network of journals and think tanks has been amplified by a powerful, streamlined media machine. The neoconservative revolution has, quite literally, been televised.

tag: Fox News, Faux Noise, MSM, Smear Tactics, Right-Wing Propaganda, Kieth Ellison, Racism, Religious Intolerance, conservatism, Hate Speech.

Bill-O Blitzed by HS Junior

Dear Bill O'Rielly: Do you KNOW how much your producer hates your loofa-waving guts?

The following painfully viral video demonstrates what happens when your staff doesn't care to send you out properly prepared, or do a decent background on the student. Oh, wait, maybe they mentioned he was on the debate team, and you didn't grasp the significance. Yeah, I bet that was the way it went down.

Of course, since you HAVE been "the driving force" behind this controversy, the Other Side sent their very best debater, prepared with - heh - evidence! Then he just had to wait for a lie he could document. And the "other side" was represented by someone who was apparently conservative - and whom I will bet is in the Drama club. He played the "good cop."

I give them a 1. You get a 4.

I mean, the kid didn't even have to break a sweat. All I can say, Bill, is you are lucky they didn't send a senior.

clipped from www.radaronline.com

Last week, O'Reilly imploded during an interview with Jesse Lange, a rising junior at Boulder High School in Colorado (video above). He was on the program to address O'Reilly's criticism of the Boulder High sex-education program. Lange tells Radar that he knew he was brought on for an opposing view, but his main concern before the show was how to address O'Reilly. "I wasn't sure whether or not I should call him Bill or Mr. O'Reilly," Lange tells Radar. "In the end, I decided to call him Bill, because if I called him Mr. O'Reilly, it would imply that I viewed him as some sort of expert or authority figure." Lange also says that in a brief pre-show interview, O'Reilly asked him not to quote the incendiary parts from The O'Reilly Factor For Kids. "Bill expressly asked me not to talk about it on the air," he says, but the book was the perfect counterpoint to O'Reilly's thinly constructed premise.

Oh, and the comments! My God, the comments! There are actually people who honestly think Bill won that exchange!

But I think the best summation comes from Bill's Arch Nemesis.



Ouch. That's gonna leave a welt.

AZ school district recognizes heroic work of special educators with pat on the head, conditional gold star.

S/T Special Education Teachers Will Receive $1,000 Stipend

The Snowflake School District is suffering a shortage of certified special education teachers, partly due to a shortage in the marketplace, so the school board approved a stipend for each in an effort to retain those they have and attract new ones.

Superintendent Monte Silk advised the school board June 14 that the shortage is disproportionate to regular teachers. The district chose not to renew one special education teacher’s contract, three others have resigned and the supply of applicants is low.

In an effort to compete with the demand and provide support for current employees who have stayed with the district, Silk recommended a stipend for all case managers within the district.

The case managers’ workloads are heavy, and their students are many times the hardest to reach and teach because of specific learning disabilities, negative attitudes toward school, and sometimes a lack of parental support and communication. Silk explained that in addition much time is taken to collaborate with regular teachers regarding accommodations for special education students. The case managers are the orchestra leaders for the daily activities of an average of 25 students with high need for academic and emotional support. The job they do is next to impossible, but they are dedicated and committed to special students, he said.

Silk suggested that each case manager within the district receive a $1,000 stipend for the responsibilities related to case management upon signing a memorandum of understanding that each Individualized Education Program (IEP) is held on or before the annual renewal date and each IEP signature page is to the district office within ten days of the IEP meeting date. A $40 deduction shall be made for each requirement not met for each IEP. Funding will come from Fund 020, Indian Gaming, which may be used for teacher compensation.

Gee, a thousand bucks, conditional upon actually meeting the terms of the job description, as opposed to the rational response to a shortage of workers in a high-demand occupation?

Special educators have jobs that are tremendously more challenging than regular education teachers, but are simply not paid accordingly, much less granted the degree of professional respect accorded any other top professional in any comparable field.

Say, a Systems Analyst.

To double retention, start by doubling pay, as in the Real World.

tag: Snowflake School District, Special Education, Monte Silk, Arizona, AZ

At CBS, the Eighth Deadly Word is "gays."

Mass. Lawmakers Block Gay Marriage Vote, Constitutional Amendment Would Have Let Voters Decide Whether To Ban Gay Marriage - CBS News: "Mass. Lawmakers Block Gay Marriage Vote"

Great story and all that, hurrah, triumph for civil liberties... but the REALLY funny part is that CBS is censoring the comments submitted by readers, and one of the words censored is "gays." Now, I was not aware that "gays" was deemed an offensive word. And it does rather make it awkward to write coherently about the right to gay marriage without, you know, THE FUCKING PLURAL FORM!

But I guess that's their objection, that if they DID allow the word "gays," somehow their readers would jump to the conclusion that The Grey Lady was approving of plural gay fucking within the sanctity of marriage.

However, as I pointed out in my own somewhat incoherent comment, designed to determine if self-censorship were at work, or if CBS was being bizarrely prudish.

um. What's this with censoring the words "gay" and "***?" If it's self-censorship, it's silly, if it's CBS, it's freakin' bizarre.

Well, we will see which it is after I punch the send button. Meanwhile, a wry observation that if marrage were to be officially linked to particular sexual practices, I doubt more than ten percent of the population WOULD be legally qualified to marry.

It's both bizarrely prudish and freakin' bizarre, so it's off to Fark and the Rude Pundit to help spread the gleeful mockery.

tag: CBS, prudes, prudery, gay marriage, bluenoses, bluestockings, the grey lady, prunefaces, Ms. Grundy, censorship, the eighth deadly word, blogswarm, blogmock, bizarre, funny, hilarity ensues