Impeachment On/Off The Table? US Attorney Scandal? Harriet Miers Isn't Subpoena-able? Nothing Effing Matters Anyway, We're All 90% Empty Inside
Published by BG on Thursday, July 12, 2007 at 6:26 PM.Hydrogen Atom Scale Model
I used to think that things like rocks and buildings and my own skeleton were fairly solid. But they're made up of atoms, and atoms, as you can see here, contain so little actual material that they can barely be said to exist.
We are all phantoms.
If you want your mind blown on a Thursday evening, click the link to see a scale model of a hydrogen atom.
Damn. I mean, damn.
Powered by ScribeFire.
Homeland Security: Making You Feel Safe Without Any Results
Published by Pokerwolf on at 1:22 PM.
A Nuclear Ruse Uncovers Holes in U.S. Security - New York Times
Our tax dollars at work! I feel safe, don't you?
Undercover Congressional investigators set up a bogus company and obtained a license from the Nuclear Regulatory Commission in March that would have allowed them to buy the radioactive materials needed for a so-called dirty bomb.
The investigators, from the Government Accountability Office, demonstrated once again that the security measures put in place since the 2001 terrorist attacks to prevent radioactive materials from getting into the wrong hands are insufficient, according to a G.A.O. report, which is scheduled to be released at a Senate hearing Thursday.
Our tax dollars at work! I feel safe, don't you?
How Many More Months Until This Is All We See On TV?
Published by BG on Wednesday, July 11, 2007 at 8:00 PM.Hey! Guess What? Lou Dobbs Is Wrong!
Published by BG on at 1:28 PM.Media Matters - CNN's Dobbs said Clinton is "selling out our middle class" on H-1B visas, but ignored GOP candidates
On the July 9 edition of CNN's Lou Dobbs Tonight, Dobbs reported that Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton (D-NY) "repeated her call for an increase in the number of H-1B visas" during a recent speech to the Indian Institute of Technology, adding that Clinton "backs a plan that would raise the number of H-1[B] visas to 115,000 from the current level of 65,000." Dobbs teased the segment by saying, "Tonight, Senator Hillary Clinton facing charges she's selling out our middle class to boost her presidential ambitions. Is the senator putting the interest of India ahead of working Americans?"
As someone who has first-hand real world data on this subject, let me just say that Lou Dobbs is an idiot. H-1[B] visas are the lifeblood of corporate America right now. Whether Lou Dobbs wants to admit it or not, these visa'd immigrants are absolutely essential to the economy.
Why? Because American students and American technology workers can't be bothered to learn the hard stuff on the IT side in big enough numbers to choke off the visas.
Let me give you a concrete example of what I mean. In a wholly unscientific survey, I looked at the names of the last 100 candidates submitted for high-level IT contract jobs at a Fortune 500 company, and took an educated guess as to whether these candidates were born and educated outside the country, and would presumably be here on a visa.
81% had names of obvious foreign origin, mostly from India.
This is not to say that Americans aren't out there in the marketplace, but if they're pricing themselves above the Indian H-1[B] price point, I guarantee you that eliminating the visa doesn't guarantee more Americans those jobs. On the contrary, outsourcing then becomes vastly more prevalent than it is now, and those IIT educated Indian nationals get the jobs anyway.
This is what happens when free market capitalism collides with globalism. Like it or not Lou, when Hillary says she wants more H-1[B] visas here in the states, she is actually preserving American jobs through this policy.
Powered by ScribeFire.
Giuliani's "All Stars"
Published by BG on at 12:44 PM.American Thinker: Rudy Giuliani's New Foreign Policy Team
Giuliani's adroit choices for his foreign policy team are likely to enhance his popularity among members of the Republican Party. His campaign has announced the lineup (appropriately enough on the day of the All-Star game - because they are certainly stars) and will likely win praise from the right.
[snip]
Lassoing a foreign policy titan with Reagan-era credentials is a coup for Giuliani.
Norman Podhoretz has long been one of America's leading intellectuals; from his post as editor of Commentary magazine (he is now editor-at-large) he was able to enliven our public discourse and promote a diverse range of ideas that later became commonly accepted wisdom. He has argued for a forthright approach toward Iran and Islamic extremism. Republicans increasingly measure their leaders by this yardstick: will they appease Islamic extremists or defend America from them? Rudy already scores well in this area; Podhoretz will buttress his credibility.
Christ almighty, can someone take the car keys back from the neocons before they do any more damage? And how in the world does adding Norman Podhoretz "buttress" Rudy's credibility? These guys were uniformly wrong about America's pre-emptive policy of "Regime Change," have been relentlessly hawkish as the failures and bodies pile up, and continue to beat the war drums to bring us into conflict with Iran.
This is Norman Podhoretz, from March 2007:
Not so George W. Bush, a man who knows evil when he sees it and who has demonstrated an unfailingly courageous willingness to endure vilification and contumely in setting his face against it. It now remains to be seen whether this president, battered more mercilessly and with less justification than any other in living memory, and weakened politically by the enemies of his policy in the Middle East in general and Iraq in particular, will find it possible to take the only action that can stop Iran from following through on its evil intentions both toward us and toward Israel. As an American and as a Jew, I pray with all my heart that he will.
These PNAC/AEI "intellectuals" simply refuse to be discredited. They've been wrong about everything for the last five years, and still they are deemed "serious" enough to join a campaign as a foreign policy advisor. These roaches aren't scurrying when the lights come on, they're simply too damn busy gnawing on the carcass of our political discourse to run.
Powered by ScribeFire.
Security: It's There To Keep You Safe........Really
Published by Pokerwolf on at 9:21 AM.
Fake Bomb Eludes Airport Test - Times Union
Testing the system to look for holes is a good thing. It's called "quality assurance testing" in most cases, but in this case it's called "making sure people don't get killed" (that's the reason that was given for all of the airport security was set up, anyway). So, when something goes wrong with the system, management should state that they've failed the test or that they have problems to fix, right?
So, let me get this straight. The TSA doesn't discuss the results because it makes their people look bad. But, the test is designed to make their people fail, so they look bad when the public finds out that they failed a test anyway. Wouldn't the smart decision be to actually point out how well their people are doing instead? Do some sort of PR damage control? Or are they afraid that talking about how well their doing will actually show how many real mistakes they've made?
The unannounced inspection by TSA officials took place early last week. The airport's security measures failed in five of seven tests, most of the problems occurring at the passenger checkpoint, the sources said.
In one test, TSA inspectors hid the components of a fake bomb in carry-on luggage that also contained a bottle of water. Passengers are prohibited from carrying containers holding more than three ounces of liquids, gels or aerosols through airport checkpoints.
The screeners at Albany International confiscated the water bottle but missed the bomb. In all, the inspectors slipped four banned items through the main checkpoint during the test, sources said.
Testing the system to look for holes is a good thing. It's called "quality assurance testing" in most cases, but in this case it's called "making sure people don't get killed" (that's the reason that was given for all of the airport security was set up, anyway). So, when something goes wrong with the system, management should state that they've failed the test or that they have problems to fix, right?
Paul Varville, the TSA's security director at Albany International, could not be reached for comment.
Ann Davis, a TSA spokeswoman, declined to discuss the circumstances of the covert test at Albany International.
"We don't discuss the results because they tend to paint an inaccurate picture of the competency of our work force," she said. "The tests are designed to be incredibly difficult and TSA does anticipate a fair level of failure."
Screeners who flunk the test routinely receive immediate training on the mistakes to improve their detection skills, according to officials familiar with the spot checks.
So, let me get this straight. The TSA doesn't discuss the results because it makes their people look bad. But, the test is designed to make their people fail, so they look bad when the public finds out that they failed a test anyway. Wouldn't the smart decision be to actually point out how well their people are doing instead? Do some sort of PR damage control? Or are they afraid that talking about how well their doing will actually show how many real mistakes they've made?
Who is nuttier?
Published by StB on at 9:13 AM.
Who is crazier? Robert F Kennedy Jr, an irrelevant person in the world who keeps screaming "listen to me, I am a Kennedy!" or Jane Goodall, queen of the chimps?
RFK Jr basically says believe my fascist message or I am sending you to jail. If you don't agree with his position on global warming, you are a traitor.
Newsday
I can't argue the first part. Our politicians continue to spend and spend on their favorite pork projects contrary to what they said in their campaign speeches. It should be noted that neither party is living up to those promises so there will be no elephant roaring or donkey braying.
But to claim those who think global warming is a sham is an act of treason is beyond ridiculous. Can we come closer to the definition of fascism? Yes, this is a liberal making such an announcement, not some "neocon" warlord. Believe in the money making global warming industry or go directly to jail!
Can someone please get Mr. Kennedy a big glass of shut the hell up?
Hell, he makes Jane Goodall seem sane. From the same Newsday article, we are told that
Uh, yeah. A greeting in chimpanzee language? She thinks she can talk like a chimp. She may be nuttier that a fruitcake. What they forgot to mention was she flung her poo at the crowd as she left the stage.
RFK Jr basically says believe my fascist message or I am sending you to jail. If you don't agree with his position on global warming, you are a traitor.
Newsday
"Get rid of all these rotten politicians that we have in Washington, who are
nothing more than corporate toadies," said Robert F. Kennedy Jr., the
environmentalist author, president of Waterkeeper Alliance and Robert F.
Kennedy's son, who grew hoarse from shouting. "This is treason. And we need to
start treating them as traitors."
I can't argue the first part. Our politicians continue to spend and spend on their favorite pork projects contrary to what they said in their campaign speeches. It should be noted that neither party is living up to those promises so there will be no elephant roaring or donkey braying.
But to claim those who think global warming is a sham is an act of treason is beyond ridiculous. Can we come closer to the definition of fascism? Yes, this is a liberal making such an announcement, not some "neocon" warlord. Believe in the money making global warming industry or go directly to jail!
Can someone please get Mr. Kennedy a big glass of shut the hell up?
Hell, he makes Jane Goodall seem sane. From the same Newsday article, we are told that
"Primatologist Jane Goodall offered a greeting in chimpanzee language, before
saying, "Up in the North the ice is melting, what will it take to melt the ice
in the human heart?"
Uh, yeah. A greeting in chimpanzee language? She thinks she can talk like a chimp. She may be nuttier that a fruitcake. What they forgot to mention was she flung her poo at the crowd as she left the stage.
Tom Tomorrow on Schroedinger's Cheney
Published by BG on Monday, July 09, 2007 at 9:48 AM.Apples and Oranges, I'm Sure - Because Christians Would NEVER...
Published by BG on at 6:39 AM.Orcinus - Getting It Right On Hate Crime
Three Burleson men who belong to a "radical Christian activist group" were in the Johnson County Jail on Friday night after a church deacon caught two of them attempting to ignite an explosive device on Independence Day at a church under construction in north Burleson, authorities said Friday.
Radical Christian "warriors" trying to bomb a church? Fort Worth Star-Telegram. Had they been Muslim? Non-stop coverage on all the major networks through the entire week and a flurry of "See!?!?! We told you!" posts from LGF, Hot Air and the rest of the Keyboard Kommandos.
Oh, and just for context, let's be absolutely clear that this was terrorism, by any definition that you want to use:
Cmdr. Chris Havens, the Police Department spokesman, said the suspects boasted about belonging to a leaderless group of 10 or 15 who share a belief that society has become too focused on self-improvement and self-gratification and has lost focus on the glorification of God.
"They admit to being Christian and being brought up Christian, but they believe there should be one denomination and one church, not multiple denominations," Havens said.
"They did not say they had a name for their group, other than they were a radical Christian activist group. That was the way they explained their group," he said.
The suspects said the group has three levels of involvement: Bible study, consensual fighting and destructive acts. Because one of their beliefs is free thought, however, participation in all three levels is not mandatory, they told police.
The three admitted to being in a core group of seven that created the explosive weapon as a test to draw attention to the demise of society and to see whether the device would work, Havens said.
Sara from Orcinus goes further to reinforce that this "demonstrates once again how important hate crimes laws are in protecting everyone's rights," an idea I'm not sure I agree with. Regardless of motivation, a criminal act is a criminal act, and I'd like to think First Amendment protections extend to what's in your head, and those thoughts aren't used against you to amplify the punishment of a crime. Far be it from me to say that criminals should go unpunished, but the point is that there really shouldn't be a difference in punishment between a guy who kills his wife to cash an insurance policy and another guy who kills a Puerto Rican because he hates adobo pork. To me, there's no difference. But Sara does hit this part squarely on the head:
When fascism comes to America, this is precisely what it will look like: cults that incite violence, firebombed churches, the young men caught up in a noble cause; the emphasis on national purification; the hostility toward religions (even other Christian groups) that don't hew to their orthodoxy; the belief that the world is corrupt ("accumulated trash") and the only answer is eliminationist violence against those they believe are doing the devil's work.
And we cannot count on all of them to be this inept. The only mistake these guys made was not in testing their device somewhere more remote before inflicting it on their local churches. If they are connected to other groups, this event may simply be an additional point on an upward learning curve -- one mistake the next group won't make again.
Shorter Sara: If you think this is an isolated incident and these are the only seven Christian nationalist/fundamentalist/fascist idiots out there, you're being naive.
Powered by ScribeFire.
