Taken Memorial Day
Friday, May 30, 2008
Hear all evil, See all evil, Do all evil ... that's it, right?
US News & World Report publishes a daily synopsis of the political news from all the various outlets. Interesting that these two ran back to back today.
CIA Chief: Al Qaeda On Defensive Around World
The Washington Post reports on its front page, "Less than a year after his agency warned of new threats from a resurgent al-Qaeda, CIA Director Michael V. Hayden now portrays the terrorist movement as essentially defeated in Iraq and Saudi Arabia and on the defensive throughout much of the rest of the world, including in its presumed haven along the Afghanistan-Pakistan border." In "a strikingly upbeat assessment, the CIA chief cited major gains against al-Qaeda's allies in the Middle East and an increasingly successful campaign to destabilize the group's core leadership."
US Officials Say Iran In Talks With Al Qaeda
In an exclusive Web report, ABC News reports "senior US officials" tell the network "that in recent months there have been secret contacts between the Iranian government and the leadership of al Qaeda," a "development that has caught the attention of top officials in the White House, the Pentagon and the intelligence community." According to US officials "familiar with highly sensitive intelligence on this issue, the contacts are on the status of high-level al Qaeda operatives, including two of Osama Bin Laden's sons, who have been under house arrest in Iran since 2003." US officials "don't believe Iran will allow these operatives to go free, but said they don't know Iran's motivation for initiating the talks." One US official told ABC News, "Iran likely sees these individuals as major bargaining chips," but "how and when they're going to use those chips or whether they are going to keep them in the bank is part of an ongoing strategic discussion they are having internally."
At no time am I sticking up for Iran as being the model citizen of the Mid-East.
HOWEVER, the entire thing strikes me as typical of how powers-that-be choose to play us now through the media. Make sure that there are multiple conflicting assessments and opinions out there. That way, you can always point back to the one that ended up being true and claim prescience.
First of all, it's amazing that the CIA can claim such a turn around regarding al Queda in merely a year. However, it's also important in the next article to maintain the high evil quotient of Iran in the public's mind. And what better way than to point out that they are in communication (secretly, of course ... except that 'senior US officials' know .. they are soo crafty) with Al Queda.
Play it both ways ...the lesson of the past 8 years.
One outcome of the Bush Presidency is the complete skyrocketing of cynicism on the part of people. (as you can tell)
And one of the methodologies seems to be to obfuscate the masses by putting so much BS and conflicting opinion out there that we just get tired and nothing has any impact anymore. An example is the path of the Scott McClellan book the past few days. Former press secretary of the Administration comes out with a critical book. The administration has lower level "colleagues" voice their "disappointment and sadness" at his betrayal... as if he's now ill. They roll out the same responses that are always brought out when someone criticises them: "If they felt that way, why didn't they speak up when they were here?" etc... If you notice, there's NEVER any rebuttal to the actual accusations anyone makes.
If you fill up the cable "entertainment" shows for a few news cycles with a barrage of opposition and condescension, then people will get weary of all the crap and forget about the original accusations. No defense necessary.
Which reminds me of another thing ... (yes, I am on a rant). How come there are basically NO restrictions on what is "reviewable" regarding a political candidate as they are running for the presidency, yet once they are IN office, they apparently owe the citizens NO accountability.
The media will overturn every stone, relevant or not, in their supposed vetting of a potential president, but once they are elected, they can don't have to answer to anyone.
It annoys me to NO end that to question a leader's actions as head of government is basically labelled as unpatriotic or disloyal, or political maneuvering, yet there's no end to the search for juicy tidbits when they are running. Everything they did, anything they ate, who they played with in kindergarten, whether they mulch their lawn, and any other detail of their past and present is scrutinized. And each thing is turned into an extrapolation of how the pundits THINK they will act once elected. Yet after that, we are to take them at their word. How dare we question them? Even though COUNTLESS times they might be shown to have misled or even lied, we are NOT to question them, lest we be seen as all but treasonous....
Bitter? you bet.
CIA Chief: Al Qaeda On Defensive Around World
The Washington Post reports on its front page, "Less than a year after his agency warned of new threats from a resurgent al-Qaeda, CIA Director Michael V. Hayden now portrays the terrorist movement as essentially defeated in Iraq and Saudi Arabia and on the defensive throughout much of the rest of the world, including in its presumed haven along the Afghanistan-Pakistan border." In "a strikingly upbeat assessment, the CIA chief cited major gains against al-Qaeda's allies in the Middle East and an increasingly successful campaign to destabilize the group's core leadership."
US Officials Say Iran In Talks With Al Qaeda
In an exclusive Web report, ABC News reports "senior US officials" tell the network "that in recent months there have been secret contacts between the Iranian government and the leadership of al Qaeda," a "development that has caught the attention of top officials in the White House, the Pentagon and the intelligence community." According to US officials "familiar with highly sensitive intelligence on this issue, the contacts are on the status of high-level al Qaeda operatives, including two of Osama Bin Laden's sons, who have been under house arrest in Iran since 2003." US officials "don't believe Iran will allow these operatives to go free, but said they don't know Iran's motivation for initiating the talks." One US official told ABC News, "Iran likely sees these individuals as major bargaining chips," but "how and when they're going to use those chips or whether they are going to keep them in the bank is part of an ongoing strategic discussion they are having internally."
At no time am I sticking up for Iran as being the model citizen of the Mid-East.
HOWEVER, the entire thing strikes me as typical of how powers-that-be choose to play us now through the media. Make sure that there are multiple conflicting assessments and opinions out there. That way, you can always point back to the one that ended up being true and claim prescience.
First of all, it's amazing that the CIA can claim such a turn around regarding al Queda in merely a year. However, it's also important in the next article to maintain the high evil quotient of Iran in the public's mind. And what better way than to point out that they are in communication (secretly, of course ... except that 'senior US officials' know .. they are soo crafty) with Al Queda.
Play it both ways ...the lesson of the past 8 years.
One outcome of the Bush Presidency is the complete skyrocketing of cynicism on the part of people. (as you can tell)
And one of the methodologies seems to be to obfuscate the masses by putting so much BS and conflicting opinion out there that we just get tired and nothing has any impact anymore. An example is the path of the Scott McClellan book the past few days. Former press secretary of the Administration comes out with a critical book. The administration has lower level "colleagues" voice their "disappointment and sadness" at his betrayal... as if he's now ill. They roll out the same responses that are always brought out when someone criticises them: "If they felt that way, why didn't they speak up when they were here?" etc... If you notice, there's NEVER any rebuttal to the actual accusations anyone makes.
If you fill up the cable "entertainment" shows for a few news cycles with a barrage of opposition and condescension, then people will get weary of all the crap and forget about the original accusations. No defense necessary.
Which reminds me of another thing ... (yes, I am on a rant). How come there are basically NO restrictions on what is "reviewable" regarding a political candidate as they are running for the presidency, yet once they are IN office, they apparently owe the citizens NO accountability.
The media will overturn every stone, relevant or not, in their supposed vetting of a potential president, but once they are elected, they can don't have to answer to anyone.
It annoys me to NO end that to question a leader's actions as head of government is basically labelled as unpatriotic or disloyal, or political maneuvering, yet there's no end to the search for juicy tidbits when they are running. Everything they did, anything they ate, who they played with in kindergarten, whether they mulch their lawn, and any other detail of their past and present is scrutinized. And each thing is turned into an extrapolation of how the pundits THINK they will act once elected. Yet after that, we are to take them at their word. How dare we question them? Even though COUNTLESS times they might be shown to have misled or even lied, we are NOT to question them, lest we be seen as all but treasonous....
Bitter? you bet.
Tuesday, May 20, 2008
Ummm...Get an Original Thought, Maybe?
I just can't think of it... what's the word....?
Benchmark? No.
Highpoint? No....
Signpost? ...Naaa.
Indicator? Nope.
Marker? Noooo.
I know! I know!! MILESTONE!!!
Gee, do you think perhaps that no one is having an original thought here? Remember when this country actually HAD reporters instead of "cut & pasters"?
Obama May Hit Delegate Milestone (CNN.COM)
Obama on the Brink of Delegate Milestone (MSNBC)
Obama Is Expected to Hit a Milestone in Today's Votes (NYT.COM)
Obama Eyes Milestone in Marathon Race with Clinton (Google News)
Pledged Delegate Milestone (ABC.NEWS)
Obama to Reach Delegate Milestone Tuesday: NPR (NPR.COM)
Obama To Reach Delegate Milestone Tuesday (AP)
I figure that the AP probably came up with this initially. The rest are paraphrase lemmings.
Monday, May 19, 2008
The "Aye's" DON'T Have It
If you ever get a chance, see a documentary called "Hacking Democracy". It explores the electronic voting systems in this country.
Form your ownn opinion.
Form your ownn opinion.
Friday, May 16, 2008
Tuesday, May 13, 2008
Thursday, May 8, 2008
Stop, Speed Racer...!
Please! There's still time. It doesn't open until tomorrow, so we can prevent this atrocity from making us all even dumber. We all have to do our part.
Look ... Fine - the CGI methodology is cutting edge.
And it's got Christina Ricci in it.
But HONESTLY, who thought this was a good idea?? It was a LAME cartoon in the 60's and even as a KID I could recognize that. UGH!!! Please - put us out of our misery and pull this back. If you HAVE to put it out there, give it away as a DVD with the purchase of a happy meal or Celine Dion CD.
Look ... Fine - the CGI methodology is cutting edge.
And it's got Christina Ricci in it.
But HONESTLY, who thought this was a good idea?? It was a LAME cartoon in the 60's and even as a KID I could recognize that. UGH!!! Please - put us out of our misery and pull this back. If you HAVE to put it out there, give it away as a DVD with the purchase of a happy meal or Celine Dion CD.
Friday, May 2, 2008
Pictures
A couple of pictures I took yesterday morning ...
The first two are at dawn looking across Narragansett Bay from outside of PAwtuxet Cove. This is the area where the English ship Gaspee was attacked and burned in 1772 in what became a precursor to the Revolutionary War.
(Story here http://www.warwickri.gov/gaspee.htm )
The last one is a historical building in Providence ...
The first two are at dawn looking across Narragansett Bay from outside of PAwtuxet Cove. This is the area where the English ship Gaspee was attacked and burned in 1772 in what became a precursor to the Revolutionary War.
(Story here http://www.warwickri.gov/gaspee.htm )
The last one is a historical building in Providence ...
Thursday, May 1, 2008
Mirror, Mirror
I was in the gym locker room yesterday and overheard two gentlemen in the next aisle talking about online dating. One guy, with typical "guy" bravado, was lamenting all the "really ugly women", as he put it, that were coming up on Match.com as his compatible partners.
He loudly griped on that these unattractive women obviously HAD to be on Match because there was NO WAY they were going to get men just out there in the world.
I don't think he truly understood the irony of his comments, seeing as how HE was on Match looking, too. That completely qualified him for a "DUH".
The he walked around the corner and by me on his way out ....
Hello, Kettle? Meet Pot. Pot? .... Kettle.
You HAVE to be kidding, buddy.
This guy was as unattractive as a man could be and still qualify as sapian in nature. He said he was 54, but easily looked over 60, haggardly, patchy baldness, extremely overweight, unshaven, bad complexion AND a 4" high mermaid tattoo on his arm.
I mean, this guy wasn't even symmetrical....
Yeah, sorry there are all those unattractive women out there cluttering the path to your door so the hot chicks can't get through.
Just a little humble-ness, how 'bout, hunh?
He loudly griped on that these unattractive women obviously HAD to be on Match because there was NO WAY they were going to get men just out there in the world.
I don't think he truly understood the irony of his comments, seeing as how HE was on Match looking, too. That completely qualified him for a "DUH".
The he walked around the corner and by me on his way out ....
Hello, Kettle? Meet Pot. Pot? .... Kettle.
You HAVE to be kidding, buddy.
This guy was as unattractive as a man could be and still qualify as sapian in nature. He said he was 54, but easily looked over 60, haggardly, patchy baldness, extremely overweight, unshaven, bad complexion AND a 4" high mermaid tattoo on his arm.
I mean, this guy wasn't even symmetrical....
Yeah, sorry there are all those unattractive women out there cluttering the path to your door so the hot chicks can't get through.
Just a little humble-ness, how 'bout, hunh?
Explosive News
NYTimes.com
Shortages in Fertilizer Threaten Farmers’ Key Tool
Wednesday April 30, 4:35 pm ET By KEITH BRADSHER and ANDREW MARTIN
Damn terrorists are using it all on bombs...
Shortages in Fertilizer Threaten Farmers’ Key Tool
Wednesday April 30, 4:35 pm ET By KEITH BRADSHER and ANDREW MARTIN
Damn terrorists are using it all on bombs...
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