UPDATE: Think Progress (via LQ) reminds us of what the Bushes said not even a year-and-a-half-ago: “The advance of women’s rights and the advance of liberty are ultimately inseparable.” – President Bush, 3/14/04 “President Bush has made the advance of women’s human rights a global policy priority. … We all have an obligation to speak for women who are denied … Read More
Here We Go Again
A vacationing president snubs war mothers, the Iraqi Constitution is a piece of shit, U.S. soldiers death toll climbing, gas prices going through the ceiling . . . let’s face it, current events are a downer. Fox News has the antidote to distract its minions. You guessed it: another missing white woman! And here’s an added bonus — not only … Read More
Discovery Institute Exposed
The New York Times has an excellent backgrounder on the Discovery Institute, the right-wing think-tank that has propelled intelligent design to the fore: SEATTLE – When President Bush plunged into the debate over the teaching of evolution this month, saying, "both sides ought to be properly taught," he seemed to be reading from the playbook of the Discovery Institute, the … Read More
Below 40 And Dropping
This poll from American Research Group is the first non-partisan poll I’ve seen where Bush’s approval rating goes below 40%. I expect to see more. Overall, 36% of Americans say that they approve of the way George W. Bush is handling his job as president, 58% disapprove, and 6% are undecided. Bush job approval Approve Disapprove Undecided Aug 2005 36% … Read More
North Carolina Now Has A State Religion
This is an unbelieveably unconstitutional decision: GREENSBORO, N.C. — Traditionally, witnesses taking the stand in court are sworn in by placing their hand on the Bible . But when Muslims in Guilford County, N.C., tried to donate copies of the Koran for courtroom use, judges turned them down. Chief District Court Judge Joseph Turner says taking an oath on the … Read More
Disorder In The Court
These are from a book called Disorder in the American Courts, and are things people actually said in court, word for word, taken down and now published by court reporters who had the torment of staying calm while these exchanges were actually taking place. ATTORNEY: Are you sexually active? WITNESS: No, I just lie there. ______________________________ ATTORNEY: What is your … Read More
RIP: Moog
I must have been 13 years old, or so. Sometime in junior high. In music class, some guest speaker came in with this really huge thing. It was like a piano — I recognized the black and white keys. But it had buttons and dials and lights. He demonstrated it for the class, and we were all bowled over. He … Read More
More “No, You Can’t Have A Pony” Tweaks
Most of the overhauls were under the hood, but I did change a few things: Got an AOL IM account and made my "online status" known Widened the sidebar, and made the main page font more readable Added more webcams, and changed the presentation (it is a rotation slideshow). Not sure how I feel about the "reload" button — I … Read More
Democracy In Iraq – For Men Only?
It is now common knowledge that the new Iraqi Constitution will be grounded in Islamic law which, as everyone knows, spells bad news for the women of Iraq. Most of them will actually have been better off under the secular regime of Saddam Hussein where they enjoyed western-style equality for more than 40 years. What do the neo-cons say about … Read More
Not What They Need
From Yahoo News: "If you believe the liberal media’s reporting on the American military effort in Iraq, you’re almost forced to be ashamed of America," the Media Research Center, a conservative media-watchdog group, said in a recent message to potential donors. In return for a donation, the organization will send a specially inscribed military-style dog tag to a soldier in … Read More
LaShawn’s Carefully Constructed World
From Jesse Taylor at Pandagon, we learn that conservative Christian blogger LaShawn Barber (pictured at right) is making sure that everybody acts as the no-insult-Barber police: LaShawn Barber has a set of rules for tracking back to her site that have me giggling a little bit. Here are the good ones: 4) Trackbacks leading to offensive, ad hominem-laced, and/or libelous … Read More
Swiftboating Sheehan Fails To Pay Off
Frank Rich: THIS summer in Crawford, the White House went to this playbook once too often. When Mr. Bush’s motorcade left a grieving mother in the dust to speed on to a fund-raiser, that was one fat-cat party too far. The strategy of fighting a war without shared national sacrifice has at last backfired, just as the strategy of Swift … Read More
More Rats
NRO’s Andrew McCarthy, NOT the one from "Weekend at Bernie’s" pictured here, rejects the Iraqi War now, too: For what it’s worth, this is where I get off the bus. The principal mission of the so-called “war on terror” – which is actually a war on militant Islam – is to destroy the capacity of the international network of jihadists … Read More
Like Rats From A Sinking Ship
Militias are on the rise, the Iraqi Constitution is founded in Islamic law (making Iraq a theocracy, not a democracy), and we’re going to be in Iraq until 2009. So much for the quick and easy victory, roses at our feet, etc. Which probably explains why conservative blogger and smart guy Professor Bainbridge writes: It’s time for us conservatives to … Read More
Friday Random Ten
Roam – The B-52s Look Mama – Howard Jones Honeysuckle Rose – A’int Misbehavin’ (Original Cast) Feel Like Makin’ Love – Bad Company Addicted To Love – Robert Palmer Satisfaction – Rolling Stones Time For Livin’ – The Association Adult Afraid Of The Night – Lauren Christy I Never Wanted To Love You – March of the Falsettos (Original Cast) … Read More