Electronic Darwinism

Starting a soapblox group blog

2008-02-05T11:06:00.000-08:00

Starting it over at Thinking Meat. I'll keep this as an archive.

Absolution

2007-10-23T13:27:00.001-07:00

It's official.

I am officially absolved for comparing the Republicans to the Soviets.

None other than the Shooter himself, Darth Cheney, said so in a recent speech.

As time passed, the terrorists believed they'd exposed a certain weakness and lack of confidence in the West, particularly in America. Dr. Bernard Lewis explained the terrorists' reasoning this way: "During the Cold War," Dr. Lewis wrote, "two things came to be known and generally recognized in the Middle East concerning the two rival superpowers. If you did anything to annoy the Russians, punishment would be swift and dire. If you said or did anything against the Americans, not only would there be no punishment; there might even be some possibility of reward, as the usual anxious procession of diplomats and politicians, journalists and scholars and miscellaneous others came with their usual pleading inquiries: 'What have we done to offend you? What can we do to put it right?'"

So, apparently we were not fighting the Soviets in the Cold War to protect the world from Soviet totalitarianism. Apparently, we were fighting them because they got to be totalitarian and we couldn't.

The Rule of Law Died Again Today.

2007-10-18T10:38:00.000-07:00

Kagro X over at Big Orange says it better than I can:

So what we're saying here is that secret memos can now be drafted (retroactively and be backdated if necessary?) that purport to be "legal directives" upon which the telecom companies can claim to have relied in "good faith." Or worse, they may even be able to say they received nothing but oral assurances that their activities were "legal." And if you want to see these "legal directives," it just so happens that since they've been prepared by the Office of Legal Counsel or some other close advisors to the president, executive privilege may just prevent you from doing so.

Or "national security."

Or "I just don't feel like it, and you can't make me."

And that's the real problem here. How is anyone to tell the difference between law that meets the commonly accepted definition we all work with every day on the one hand, and "whatever the hell the president says" on the other?

What is "law," anyway? Is it the stuff that Congress passes in public and that you can read in order to be able to obey it? Or is it just anything that can in practice frighten you into obeying? If you can be sent to jail, or immunized from suit, or whatever, based on a secret showing that you relied in "good faith" on a memo an "administration" official gives you (and literally nothing more -- and perhaps even a lot less), you really have to ask yourself that question. What. Is. Law?

Randi Rhodes Attacked

2007-10-16T10:25:00.000-07:00

From the Village Voice:

The Talking Radio blog reported on Tuesday that liberal talk radio host Randi Rhodes was mugged and brutally attacked while walking her dog near 39th Street and Park Avenue, but the NYPD can't confirm the report.

From the blog:

According to Air America Radio late night host Jon Elliott, Rhodes was beaten up pretty badly, losing several teeth and will probably be off the air for at least the rest of the week. At of late Monday night we have not able to locate any press accounts of the attack and nothing has been posted on the AAR website....Elliott was extremely agitated when he reported on the incident. He opened his show by saying "it is with sadness that tonight I inform you that my Air America colleague Randi Rhodes was assaulted last night while walking her dog near her New York City home."

The NYPD has no reports on file, and the corporate media has nothing to say. The same people who still think Saddam was behind 9/11 and that we're winning in Iraq think that Randi is just making this up.

Updates when I hear more.

UPDATE: From Air America:

October 16-NEW YORK-On Sunday evening, October 14, Air America host Randi Rhodes experienced an unfortunate incident hindering her from hosting her show. The reports of a presumed hate crime are unfounded. Ms. Rhodes looks forward to being back on the air on Thursday.

Air America Radio

So, what happened?

Been a while

2007-10-14T08:40:00.000-07:00

Real Life's been too busy, and I've been down.

But I did have to tell y'all about this Frank Rich column.

Here's the heart of it, but please go read it all:

By any legal standards except those rubber-stamped by Alberto Gonzales, we are practicing torture, and we have known we are doing so ever since photographic proof emerged from Abu Ghraib more than three years ago. As Andrew Sullivan, once a Bush cheerleader, observed last weekend in The Sunday Times of London, America’s "enhanced interrogation" techniques have a grotesque provenance: "Verschärfte Vernehmung, enhanced or intensified interrogation, was the exact term innovated by the Gestapo to describe what became known as the ‘third degree.’ It left no marks. It included hypothermia, stress positions and long-time sleep deprivation.

Emphasis mine.

I agree. "Bush lies" just doesn't cut it anymore. And Frank, welcome to Moody Loner three years ago.

Courage Campaign

2007-09-23T06:47:00.000-07:00

You know an election is coming up when the Republicans start looking for a way to throw it. This time they came up with the great idea of making California - the state with the most electoral votes, as they're allocated by population - give up a third of their electoral votes to the Greedy Old Perverts for showing up.

Sure, allocating electoral votes by Congressional district instead of by state would be fair if everyone did it, and if the Congressional districts weren't so gerrymandered that they were safe votes for one party or the other. That the GOP isn't pushing this in Texas and Florida tells me all I need to know about their motives: change the rules to favor themselves.

So what do we do about it? Head on over to the Courage Campaign and find out. They have a conference call coming up on Monday that specifically addresses this issue.

Oh, and Californians, when you see a paid signature gatherer with this petition - and they are out there - don't sign it. Unless there's a solid provision that it goes into effect when a majority of states vote for it - and not until - then all it would do is hand the Republicans another election they didn't earn and don't deserve.

It's Official: I Live in the Soviet Union.

2007-09-17T13:44:00.000-07:00

Those of you who remember the USSR - remember how we'd get on them about the whole "internal passports" thing? How we said that one of the hallmarks of totalitarian Stalinism was having to beg permission from the government to move around within your own country?

Well, take a look at this.

Oh, it gets better. Blue Patriot Woman at the Great Orange has analysis.

In related news, a music scholar had her visa torn up, was groped during a search, threatened with detention in a Santa Clara, CA facility, and kicked out of the country - apparently for being brown. Or Welsh.

And these are just the cases we hear about. How many do we miss? And since when does DHS have a detention facility in Santa Clara?

And why the hell are we hearing O.J. crap when this is going on?

How to Second Life Part 1 - Creating Kossack Fullstop

2007-09-16T07:01:00.000-07:00

With the little literally climbing on me all morning, I can't do a "Week in Review" this morning - so here's the first of my "How to Second Life" series from dKos.

When I offered the community the option of having in-world tutorials for Second Life, or a howto diary, the community overwhelmingly chose howto diaries.

Notice I snuck in a plural there - due to screenshots this is going to be a series. But, I will be making this as thorough as possible so that everyone will be able to join the growing Daily Kos community in Second Life.

I won't bother to try to sell Second Life here, and if you're not interested or think it's pointless, don't bother commenting to that effect - this diary is help for people who have shown an interest.

That said, join me over the flip, and I'll introduce you to Kossack Fullstop.

Oh, and lots of screenshots, so be warned.

Well, technically I can't introduce you to Kossack Fullstop- I haven't made him yet. Follow along with me, and we'll make our accounts together.

You can click on a screenshot thumbnail for a larger version.

So, we're looking at a Daily Kos diary - like, say, this one, and we think ”What the hell – let's get in on this – but I'm not running Linux and all these terms scare me. Now what?”

Well, the first thing we want to do is go to the Second Life website and check the system requirements. A little checking now will save a lot of trauma later. The system requirements link isn't immediately obvious - use the link I've provided. Oh, and here's a screen shot of the system requirements.

Already we learn that if you're running Vista, you're hosed. Well, even more hosed than you are just by running Vista. Mee. Yow.

Update [2007-9-15 13:52:53 by Moody Loner]: We learn from brillig, in comments, that Vista works for her. Go ahead and try if you're running Vista, just make sure ou meet the system requirements.

If your system meets the requirements (you may have to get the manual and compare) go ahead and click the friendly orange "Download" button next to your operating system and go to the Download page, and download the free Second Life client.

First, however, we're going to finish setting up your Second Life account. Go to the top left and click on "Second Life". When you're back at the home page, click on the big orange "Sign Up Now" button.

The first thing you are asked is to select a community. Instead of starting on Orientation Island wit the plebes, several companies and organizations have set it up so that you can start at their new users' areas. I hope that someday Netroots Nation and/or Daily Kos has a community here - but for now we'll skip this step.

Next, we choose your avatar's name and enter your email address. They also want your birthdate - Second Life is for 18 years old or over. Yes, they have a list of last names for your avatar to choose from. No, I don't know why they insist on this.

You can use your dKos handle, an anagram or derivative of it, or come up with something on your own. Here, you can see I've chosen "Kossack Fullstop".

Next, you're asked to select an avatar. You don't have to, and you won't have your "newbie av" for long, but these provide a nice, quick, and easy start for your avatar. I've chosen one at random.

Now they're going to want your real name, a password, a security question, and they'll have you complete a captcha to make sure that you are a person and not a robot or script.

Feel free to make shit up here - I did - but be warned that they're talking about identity verification systems, and avatars without a verified identity won't be able to go to Mature areas with adult content. Personally, I don't give a crap, but some people do.

Oh, and write the avatar name and password down somewhere - you're going to be running the install for your client after this, and it wold suck to have forgotten one or both of them.

Finished! You'll see a friendly screen saying that they've sent a confirmation email to the address you've given. Go to your email client - yes I made a Gmail account for this - and click on the link in the confirmation email.

Now run your client install - if you're running Linux then the link to fareast's diary at the start provides a handy guide, while Linux and Mac users can just run the executable file downloaded from Second Life and the installer will take care of that for you.

You're ready to get going - in part 2 I'll meet you on Orientation Island.

Guest Blog: Top 10 Censored Stories 2006-07

2007-09-13T09:17:00.000-07:00

DJShay at Daily Kos guest blogs at Electronic Darwinism:

The San Francisco Bay Guardian has a must read article today. It’s a list of the Top 10 Underreported Stories of the last year. The list is part of a list of 25 Top Censored Stories of 2006-2007 from Project Censored, group that tracks underreported news stories in the National Media. Below is a summary of the Top 10 list. I urge you to read the entire San Francisco Bay Guardian article as well as visit the Project Censored Web site and view the entire list.

From the article:

There are a handful of freedoms that have almost always been a part of American democracy. Even when they didn't exactly apply to everyone or weren't always protected by the people in charge, a few simple but significant rights have been patently clear in the Constitution: You can't be nabbed by the cops and tossed behind bars without a reason. If you are imprisoned, you can't be incarcerated indefinitely; you have the right to a speedy trial with a judge and jury. When that court date rolls around, you'll be able to see the evidence against you.

The president can't suspend elections, spy without warrants, or dispatch federal troops to trump local cops or quell protests. Nor can the commander in chief commence a witch hunt, deem individuals "enemy combatants," or shunt them into special tribunals outside the purview of our 218-year-old judicial system.

Until now. This year's Project Censored presents a chilling portrait of a newly empowered executive branch signing away civil liberties for the sake of an endless and amorphous war on terror. And for the most part, the major news media weren't paying attention.

The stories that are listed and linked to below are stories that have been diaried here [at Daily Kos] as well as at other blogs. But none has been given the scrutiny that they deserve in the MSM, Traditional Media, Corporate Media, Legacy Media, etc. Choose your own terminology. And some of these stories I am hearing about for the first time. So, start spreadin' the news.

No. 1 - Suspension of Habeas Corpus

"Why does it contain language referring to 'any person' and then adding in an adjacent context a reference to people acting 'in breach of allegiance or duty to the United States'?" Parry wrote. "Who has 'an allegiance or duty to the United States' if not an American citizen?"

No. 2 - Martial Law

Tucked away in the deeper recesses of that act, section 1076 allows the president to declare a public emergency and dispatch federal troops to take over National Guard units and local police if he determines them unfit for maintaining order. This is essentially a revival of the Insurrection Act, which was repealed by Congress in 1878, when it passed the Posse Comitatus Act in response to Northern troops overstaying their welcome in the reconstructed South.

No. 3 - AFRICOM

Though the official objective may be peace, some say the real desire is crude. "A new cold war is under way in Africa, and AFRICOM will be at the dark heart of it," Bryan Hunt wrote on the Moon of Alabama blog, which covers politics, economics, and philosophy. Most US oil imports come from African countries — in particular, Nigeria. According to the 2007 Congressional Budget Justification for Foreign Operations, "disruption of supply from Nigeria would represent a major blow to US oil-security strategy."

No. 4 - Secret Trade Agreements

"The overall effect of these changes in the rules is to progressively undermine economic governance, transferring power from governments to largely unaccountable multinational firms, robbing developing countries of the tools they need to develop their economies and gain a favorable foothold in global markets," states a report by Oxfam International, the antipoverty activist group.

No.5 - Slaves Construct Iraq Embassy

Once on site, they're often beaten and paid as little as $10 to $30 a day, CorpWatch concludes. Injured workers are dosed with heavy-duty painkillers and sent back on the job. Lodging is crowded, and food is substandard. One ex-foreman, who's worked on five other US embassies around the world, said, "I've never seen a project more fucked up. Every US labor law was broken."

No.6 - FALCON

Though the US Marshals Service has been quick to tally the offenses, Whitney says the numbers just don't add up. For example, FALCON in 2006 captured 462 violent sex-crime suspects, 1,094 registered sex offenders, and 9,037 fugitives.

What about the other 7,481 people? "Who are they, and have they been charged with a crime?" Whitney asked.

No.7 - Blackwater

"It's become nothing short of the Praetorian Guard for the Bush administration's so-called global war on terror," author Jeremy Scahill said on the Jan. 26 broadcast of the TV and radio news program Democracy Now! Scahill's Blackwater: The Rise of the World's Most Powerful Mercenary Army was published this year by Nation Books.

No.8 - KIA - Knowledge Initiative on Agriculture

The deal provides a captive customer base for genetically modified seed maker Monsanto and a market for cheap goods to supply Wal-Mart, whose plans for 500 stores in the country could wipe out the livelihoods of 14 million small vendors.

No.9 - Privatization of Infrastructure

As Daniel Schulman and James Ridgeway reported in Mother Jones, "the Federal Highway Administration estimates that it will cost $50 billion a year above current levels of federal, state, and local highway funding to rehab existing bridges and roads over the next 16 years. Where to get that money, without raising taxes? Privatization promises a quick fix — and a way to outsource difficult decisions, like raising tolls, to entities that don't have to worry about getting reelected."

No.10 - Vulture Funds

Named for a bird that picks offal from a carcass, this financial scheme couldn't be more aptly described. Well-endowed companies swoop in and purchase the debt owed by a third world country, then turn around and sue the country for the full amount — plus interest. In most courts, they win. Recently, Donegal International spent $3 million for $40 million worth of debt Zambia owed Romania, then sued for $55 million. In February an English court ruled that Zambia had to pay $15 million.

9/11

2007-09-11T06:38:00.000-07:00

I was going to post something summing up Iraq and 9/11, because God knows that's all we're going to be hearing about today, but God damn if Bill in Portland, Maine beat me to it:

Most of the 9/11 hijackers were from Saudi Arabia, yet that country has paid no price for producing and harboring terrorists. Neither has Pakistan, the country in which Osama bin Laden is now hiding.

The PDB said: Bin Laden determined to Strike in U.S.

Iraq had nothing to do with 9/11. 9/11 had nothing to do with Iraq.

Sitting in a classroom for seven minutes after being told "America is under attack" is a poor display of leadership, especially if you're America's president.

If the administration had tried to sell the Iraq war based on anything other than the fear of weapons of mass destruction, we never would have invaded.

Colin Powell, the most trusted man in the administration, said: "My colleagues, every statement I make today is backed up by sources, solid sources. These are not assertions. What we're giving you are facts and conclusions based on solid intelligence."

There were no WMDs. Not "in the area around Tikrit and Baghdad and east, west, south and north somewhat," and not even in the Oval Office "somewhere."

Four and a half years after declaring that "major combat operations have ended," major combat operations have not ended.

Taunting the insurgents by sneering "Bring 'em on" was really dumb because the insurgents brought it on.

The insurgency wasn't "in its last throes" then, and it isn’t in its last throes now.

The Taliban has bounced back in Afghanistan. The Maliki government has flatlined in Iraq.

Osama bin Laden has not been caught, either dead or alive. He is still making videos.

Now, if you'll excuse me, since we're celebrating a terrorist attack on our nation by turning it into a national fucking holiday, I'll need to go get 9/11 cards and a 9/11 tree for us to exchange 9/11 gifts under before 9/11 dinner. Yes, tell me that's not what it's going to be in twenty years.

Electronic Darwinism - The Week in Review

2007-09-09T06:54:00.000-07:00

For the third time, I have a collection of random links, some funny, some serious to post here and at Daily Kos.

Yes, just to practice - I don't expect too many readers at weird o'clock Sunday morning.

Okay then. Let's kick off this week's review with David Neiwert's Swiftboating of American Journalism, from which I obtained this quote:

Chicago Tribune Editor Charles M. Madigan says: “If you are a journalist, you should probably just assume that you come across as a liar.”

Like me, he points out this story in Salon. Want to know how to turn two men who shot a fleeing, unarmed suspect and lied about it into martyred heroes of the Right? That story will tell you.

Noted anti-videogame ~~crackpot~~ attorney Jack Thompson, at the hearing for his disbarment, has subpoenaed none other than the Chimp in his defense. Oh, and Jeb! too, for good measure. That can't help but to go well.

The Rude Pundit reports on yet another humiliation the Chimp has inflicted upon our international standing. God, can we just amend the Constitution to put "Not an idiot" in the qualifications for President already?

Glenn Greenwald tells us of the new tough guy over at National Review - Mark Hemingway. And before you ask, of course he's too tough and manly to, you know, pick up an M-16 and drive a truck in Iraq.

Okay, so maybe Giuliani is the proper heir to the Bush administration. After all, his first response is to lie.

I don't have any Linux news handy - but I do have the weather.

Good news - the ACLU wins and takes down the part of the Patriot Act authorizing national security letters. Thanks, Firedoglake and thanks ACLU.

One has to wonder about te minds that can produce Realtime ASCII Goggles. No, really. Just seeing those three terms together gives me a headache.

Oh, and Prim Perfect, the Second Life magazine that Ms. Korobase writes for, has been mentioned in the New York Times and the Daily Telegraph. It would be darkly humorous in a story-of-Moody's-life way should her writing grow more popular and famous than mine.
Yes, I always have a hard time ending these. Until next time -

I still live, I still think: I still have to live, for I still have to think.
Friedrich Nietzsche

Electronic Darwinism: Week In Review

2007-09-02T07:13:00.000-07:00

Yes, to try to establish a blogging schedule and to practice for a weekly series, here is my Electronic Darwinism Week in Review.

Stories that, while they may not be major or earth-shaking or even make much sense, somehow managed to capture my attention enough for me to inflict them upon you, Gentle Reader.

Yes, crossposted on the Daily Kos.

By the way, this is my record for a series and schedule - two in a row. W00t!

Okay, first - go sign up for Second Life, dammit, and go see my friend csk's WTC Memorial. I'll wait.

Oh, you can find it by clicking the Map button and searching for Celestial Requiem NYC. Yes, I'll wait.

So, I heard some guy resigned from the Attorney General's office. Wake me when the war crimes trials start.

So, it's Magical September. Oh, and still no pony. And the Magic Everything-Gets-Better Fairy is dead.

Speaking of dead...

Melanie Sloan weighs in on the resignation of Larry Craig (R-Self-Hating Hypocrite).

On a lighter note, Ubuntu 7.10 finally gets rid of manual graphics card configuration. If you don't understand what that means, then savour your good fortune.

Stop me if you've heard this one before. God, maybe it is the Sixties all over again.

There's a new TV program starting on BBC America next Saturday. Spun off from Doctor Who - kind of a CSI/X-Files sort of thing - it's called Torchwood. Was watching the Doctor Who marathon on BBC America yesterday (I liked the original series, and Little Loner is a biiig fan of the new Doctor) and they had a "sneak preview" Every God-damned Break. How can I anticipate you if you won't go away?

Oh, and speaking of next Saturday...

All right, that's it for me - but feel free to add any strange, peculiar, or interesting links in comments. Yeah, I need a clever sign-off line, so I'll rotate through 'till I find a good one.

Hakka paale!

The Week in Review:

2007-08-26T04:54:00.000-07:00

Okay - to help me add content to my blog, and to get some kind of schedule established, I'm going to take Sunday mornings to do a Week in Review.

This will probably be a quick intro and a list of links to things I think are important, interesting, or weird that happened in (or that I came across in) the past week.

There may well be random weirdness and pictures of a cat involved.

And, to get practice in doing a weekly series, I'll sacrifice one of my daily diaries at the Daily Kos to languish, unread, bearing this content.

So, the Week in Review:

Because I am what I Am, let's start with the news that Hasbro/WOTC is releasing a Fourth Edition of Dungeons and Dragons - news that I would normally greet with cartwheels of sarcasm and misery, were there such a thing and were I able to do cartwheels.

Nevertheless, I hear that feats and prestige classes are gone which in itself is enough for me to give it a look, even though they're claiming to have simplified it yet again - one wonders if Fifth Edition is going to be printed in cave pictograms and require rocks. Yes, the Geico cavemen can bite me.

Oh, I'm sorry - you want some real primal screams of outrage? Read this article from the Rolling Stone.

Ohh, this is going to go well.

The Democrats are threatening to kick Florida's electors out. Like that's going to happen.

Justice finally comes for two teens murdered before I was born.

Oh, and some idiot is comparing Iraq to Vietnam. God, it's like he's not even trying anymore. I, of course think no national re-exploration of Vietnam is complete without exploring the part that Five Deferments Dick and AWOL the Chimp played in avoiding it personally while demanding that others go to die in their place.

Okay, drop your own tidbits that you've discovered over the week in the comments.

Minuteman Snuff Video Saga Part III - Wherein My Prayers are Answered

2007-08-26T04:51:00.000-07:00

Crossposted from the Daily Kos:

Again, don't know how I wound up with this, but my prayers have been answered - the video I found here and updated about here has been claimed by Robert Crooks, leader of the Mountain Minutemen, to be faked.

Again, hat tip to Casey Sanchez at Hatewatch, and more below the fold.

[edit] imagine a fold here.

Here's the first three paragraphs of Casey's story - read the rest at Hatewatch:

For the first time, Robert Crooks, leader of California’s nativist extremist Mountain Minutemen, has admitted to filming and posting videos (here and here) that seem to depict an undocumented immigrant being shot on the border. But Crooks now says the video was staged.

"Who in their right mind is going to shoot a smuggler, videotape it, then post it to YouTube?" Crooks asked KGTV 10News in San Diego.

That’s a change from last week, when Crooks, in an E-mail to the Intelligence Report, insisted he neither filmed the video nor posted it to a video-sharing site. A local police spokesman told 10News the video did appear to be fake.

Yeah, Robert, its that whole "in their right mind" bit where y'all fall down, but thank God it wasn't the death of an unarmed man that we saw - just the fantasy of a bunch of gun-toting nutjobs down there, watching the border through their scopes.

Yeah, it's not often an agnostic gets his prayers answered - and I'm casually curious as to when the terrorism charges get leveled against him and his "Minuteman" buddies. Hell, Jose Padilla is looking at life in prison for less than this.

Hey, I promised an update when I learned more, and now we know.

Minuteman Snuff Video Saga Part II - Wherein I Has an Enemy

2007-08-26T04:48:00.000-07:00

Crossposted from Daily Kos:

Okay, I'm still not certain how I got this as my issue - but I wanted to give y'all some updates on my last diary.

Plus to lighten the mood a little, I'd like to take a moment to discuss the guy smack-talking behind my back at Democratic Underground as well.

Yes, bet y'all didn't know I was an 3-l33t h4xx0r and t3h right hand of Kos, as well as his biggest problem. Came as a stunner to me, too. The things you learn on t3h interwebs.

Okay, first the serious.

David Neiwert has picked up the story over on Orcinus and provided analysis. While it's his opinion that the bulk of the video appears authentic and the gravesite coda is faked, he's not willing to call it either, absent an investigation by law enforcement.

It's also being covered on Colorado Confidential.

Hope anyone interested downloaded it, because I hear YouTube pulled the video for violating their service agreement. Those of you thinking I'm giving undue attention to right-wing propaganda, take note. Those of you uncomfortable with YouTube hosting snuff films, I share your sigh of relief.

I also wanted to point out Duncanives' insightful comment, highlight ImpeachKingBushII's action, and for fairness' sake, some concerns by phrogge prince.

While the jury's still out, I said I would keep y'all updated, and that's every development I know of. Holler if you hear something.

On a lighter note, this little incident introduced me to a charming fellow over at Democratic Underground by the nom de guerre of Thunder Rising.

Yeah, I know - but as he both apparently reads Kos and felt no shame in going behind my back, this is completely fair.

Anyway, our brave investigative reporter, Mr. Rising, discovered a secret, grave threat menacing Daily Kos, the progressive netroots, and the very fabric of the spacetime continuum itself - Moody Loner.

Dun-dun-DUHHHHNNNN!!

Yes, hijinks ensue. He also takes some time out of his busy schedule to call me names. Apparently, Democratic Underground doesn't have the "calling-out" rule for titles that The Daily Kos has.

However, his talk quickly went to GBCW when he found out I was on my way over to inquire directly just what the hell he thought his problem was. I was going to say that he screamed like a little girl and fled, but in the interests of fairness and accuracy I tested it with my own daughter by unexpectedly sticking my head in through the kitchen window and making faces at her.

Okay, let's just say that Brave Sir Rising did not scream and fling a ketchup bottle at my head, and leave it at that.

So, to recap:

Story at Hatewatch.
Video not directly linked to here. YouTube yanked it anyway.
Further analysis at Orcinus and Colorado Confidential.
I'm still not a front-pager at the Daily Kos. Nor do I speak for the site.
Oh, and we need ketchup.

Minuteman Snuff Video Saga Part I - Wherein I Pray It's Faked

2007-08-26T04:43:00.000-07:00

Crossposted from Daily Kos:

First off, props to Casey Sanchez at Hatewatch.

Okay, I was hoping someone else would diary this - and I hope to Christ this video is fake.

Was doing my daily system install surfing when I happened across the Southern Poverty Law Center's Hatewatch site - and a stunning video that certainly looks, to my untrained eye, to be one of those "brave" Minutemen watching the border murdering an unarmed man.

I'm going to quote the post at Hatewatch. They also have the video there, I'm not going to embed it here even if I could.

The video, filmed with night-vision equipment and low in quality, is not always easy to understand. Here is a detailed description:

The footage starts by showing a single figure wearing a backpack sneaking along a rugged desert trail. A male voice, off-camera, says: "I got him. He’s low crawling. Guy with a backpack. I betcha it’s probably full of dope."

And here - after a few minutes - is where it gets uglier:

At this point in the video, the backpack-wearing figure begins to slowly emerge from behind the rock outcropping. "You know what? I’m going to take a fucking shot," the first voice says. There are two flashes of light and the sound of two semi-automatic rifle shots in quick succession. The figure wearing the backpack appears to fly backward and drop from view.

Please take a look and tell me this is faked. American citizens are not lurking at the border, shooting people for sport.

Are they?

OK So Maybe I Won't Quit

2007-08-26T04:40:00.000-07:00

I was going to GBCW - but by popular demand I'll keep doing this - at least Week in Reviews Sunday mornings.

Today I'll also post the Minuteman Snuff Video Saga from Daily Kos, to gve y'all some content.

On Hate

2007-07-17T06:26:00.000-07:00

Here, we'll do this Terrorist Sympathizer style:

Daily Kos:

Tonight, we remember Sgt. Courtney T. Johnson and 1st Sgt. Jeffrey R. McKinney; they came from different states and different units, but both are mourned tonight by the many people who knew and loved them.

Tonight we honor a courageous American soldier who calmed the sorrows and soothed the pain of many Americans and Iraqis

Tonight, we mourn three sailors -- Petty Officer First Class Jason Dale Lewis, Petty Officer First Class Robert Richard McRill, and Petty Officer First Class Steven Phillip Daugherty – killed together when an IED detonated near their Humvee.

Brothers in arms. Families united in sorrow. Their stories follow.

O'Reilly's supporters, via Kos' inbox:

I hope you all die a slow death. Much like you wish on good honest people like T. Snow, the Pope, etc. Liberal Fucks! I hope you choke on the smog & drown in the global warming waters caused by cows. You people are so stupid.

IE: San Fransisco is much better now a days since the liberal invasion 1/2 century ago. Hmmmm: It's full of disease, poverty, queers(goes with disease.....), and polution. You people can't keep your backyard clean, but cont. to impose your views on other parts of the country. I'm so sad your still around. I'm sure you'll die off sooner than later. Much like you morals have. Go eat some grass

Any questions?

God, a month and a half!

2007-07-07T07:01:00.000-07:00

Second Life is a vampire!

So, let's see what the Obstructionist-in-Chief is doing...

Lying about our troop strength in Iraq, and setting us up for another Friedman Unit in Magic September? Check.

Lying about why we're there in the first place? Check.

Scaremongering with the failed UK terror attacks? Oh, so check.

Promising to keep American soldiers in harm's way until they find the pony or he can get his war-criminal ass to Paraguay? Check.

Demonstrating utter contempt for due process and the rule of law? Check and check.

That's the most depressing part about doing this - it's like I never went on hiatus.

Local news: San Jose City Council District 4

2007-05-22T16:01:00.001-07:00

Oh. My. God. Look at the idiot the GOP is inflicting upon the nation's tenth-largest city.

Here, you just have to see for yourself. Sure she's cute - but is this really the best they could do?

Week in Review

2007-05-21T08:59:00.000-07:00

Yeah, Second Life is eating all my time. How the hell does the General do it?

Anyway, for our Must Reads we've got Orcinus documenting Lou Dobbs' losing battle with reality (with a quick aside regarding the fundies' mistrust and loathing of, God help us, science fiction), and the inestimable Glenn Greenwald busting Mike McConnell's lying op-ed on FISA.

Here's a link to the NYPD surveillance targets before the Republican 2004 convention. Enjoy, and props to Bob Harris.

Oh, and speaking of warrantless surveillance - here's a preview from the UK courtesy of Slashdot.

Also, I'd like to welcome Cap'n Dyke to the blogroll - we share certain proclivities. For brightly-lit desktops, you perverts. She's added me to her crew, so I guess I need to brush up on my pirate lingo. Belike. Says I.

Wi' a curse.

Go over there and give her an Electronic Darwinism ahoy. And mind your manners, she runs a tight ship, scupper me wi' a belayin' pin, else!

Hey, this pirate bit is fun! Keelhaul the quartermaster! Jettison the mizzenmast! Splice the mainbrace!

Music!

2007-05-14T17:41:00.000-07:00

Helmet tip to the General. Here, try some tunes from Moody:

They Voted Us Out. Again.

2007-05-11T09:01:00.000-07:00

From this Washington Post story:

A majority of members of Iraq’s parliament have signed a draft bill that would require a timetable for the withdrawal of U.S. soldiers from Iraq and freeze current troop levels. The development was a sign of a growing division between Iraq’s legislators and prime minister that mirrors the widening gulf between the Bush administration and its critics in Congress.

The draft bill proposes a timeline for a gradual departure, much like what some U.S. Democratic lawmakers have demanded, and would require the Iraqi government to secure parliament’s approval before any further extensions of the U.N. mandate for foreign troops in Iraq, which expires at the end of 2007.

“We haven’t asked for the immediate withdrawal of multinational forces; we asked that we should build our security forces and make them qualified, and at that point there would be a withdrawal,” said Bahaa al-Araji, a member of parliament allied with the anti-American Shiite cleric Moqtada al-Sadr, whose supporters drafted the bill. “But no one can accept the occupation of his country.”

Isn't that lovable, how they're passing laws about us and wanting us out just like a little sovereign nation. That's sooo cuuute! And look, they even think it's still their country. God, puppet imperial client-states are just so adorable sometimes.

So yeah, how about that purple-finger moment? And, now that we've firmly established that they don't want us occupying their country anymore, can we please get out now?

We Win. They Lose.

2007-05-08T14:05:00.000-07:00

Apparently, they're serious.

Christ.

It's official, our political discourse has hit kindergarten.

What's next, BecauseMommySaidSo.com?

Words fail me. Words just fail me.

Making sure we referee a civil war is "supporting the troops". Keeping our soldiers in an unwinnable occupation, dying by ones and twos and fives and tens because otherwise the Chimp might look bad is "victory".

And trying to salvage the last shreds of our nation's standing and dignity is "surrender". What kind of fucked-up Bizarro world do we live in?

Here's a hint, guys - it's their country. They will "wait us out" for as long as it takes because they fucking live there. And the day we leave, whether that's tomorrow or a thousand years from now, will be the day they declare victory.

The only thing that will change is the number of American soldiers' lives lost.

They Just Don't Get the Whole "Rule of Law" Thing

2007-05-02T10:15:00.000-07:00

Here, let's let Glenn Greenwald lead it off:

The Wall St. Journal online has today published a lengthy and truly astonishing article by Harvard Government Professor Harvey Mansfield, which expressly argues that the power of the President is greater than "the rule of law."

The power of the President, Mansfield says, is greater than the rule of law. And he says it like it's a good thing.

When Benjamin Franklin, when asked what kind of government the fledgling United States had famously replied, "A republic, if you can keep it", this was what he was talking about.

Oh, and in case you're writing this off as the bloviating of a pundit, let me assure you that it is, in fact the policy of this Administration:

Administration Pulls Back on Surveillance Agreement

By JAMES RISEN
Published: May 2, 2007

WASHINGTON, May 1 — Senior Bush administration officials told Congress on Tuesday that they could not pledge that the administration would continue to seek warrants from a secret court for a domestic wiretapping program, as it agreed to do in January.

Rather, they argued that the president had the constitutional authority to decide for himself whether to conduct surveillance without warrants.

The Chimp has the authority to decide for himself whether or not he needs to follow the law?

Did I miss the coronation?