Any parents out there with young kids? Young kids that like scary sci-fi flicks?
Well, take notice. I just came from a showing of War of the Worlds and, while it was a totally enjoyable and engrossing flick, the PG-13 rating on this one is totally questionable. I would strongly suggest considering whether or not any child under 10 should see this one. This big kid and his mother were freaked out. Multiple times.
No review of this film would be complete without the following words: creepy, scary, depressing, disturbing, emotionally draining and nightmare-inducing. The film is bloodier than most PG-13 flicks and clearly only received that rating on Steven Spielberg’s good name.
Children will be frightened. Of course, you all know your own kids better than I do, so it’s not my place to judge what they should see. Just be forewarned. It freaked me out, and I swear I’m of healthy mind. (Though I’m not certain.)
Posted by Mike Matthews in Movies at 9:57 PM PDT
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OK, so the EPA says DuPont’s teflon is a “likely” carcinogen to humans. I wonder how much DuPont will pay off a Bush-Administration official to butcher and doctor the report into:
“TEFLON IS GOOD FOR YOU!”
Shit, if it gives me cancer, what the hell do I care? Those things can fry up an egg like it’s nothing.
Posted by Mike Matthews in General at 2:38 PM PDT
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I guess this is what our disabled and wounded vets will have to look forward to in their future.
These veterans know war is never simple or easy, and they say this president, who never saw combat, overlooked these things in his rush to invade Iraq and install democracy.
“I have no respect for this president,” said Bud Lynch of Hallandale, a Korean War veteran. “He’s just trying to finish Daddy’s job. That’s all this was about. There was no nuclear [expletive] or WMDs to begin with … If it were my son who was being sent over there, I wouldn’t let him go.”
Unpatriotic veterans! Liberal media criticizing Bush! Screw them! What the hell do they know? Mr. Bud Lynch may have served in Korea, but he has no right to criticize our war-hero president.
Seriously, though, I hope our veterans will receive a hell-of-a-lot better treatment than those sad-sacks that came back from Vietnam. Unfortunately, veterans’ benefits are seen as fatty, pork-barrel expenses by some in our government. Why give our veterans great benefits when we’ve got tax-cuts to bankroll?
Posted by Mike Matthews in General at 10:44 PM PDT
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I hate reality TV. No statements expounding upon that sentence need to be written.
But, I think I would’ve watched a TV show we’ll never see, titled Welcome to the Neighborhood. ABC has pulled it because it will show a bunch of white Christian families for what some of them are: racist homophobes.
From the article:
In a statement Wednesday, ABC acknowledged the delicate nature of the series in which families asked to pick a new neighbor are made to expose and overcome their biases.
Pussies. That doesn’t stop them from airing shit like Extreme Makeover (both sappy and faux-tear inducing “Home Edition” and the one where all the fat bitches get cut up and trimmed down).
The six-episode show, which was to debut July 10, follows three families in Austin, Texas, who are given the chance to choose a new neighbor for a house on their street.
Each family initially wants someone similar to them — white and conservative.
Instead, they must choose from families that are black, Hispanic and Asian; two gay white men who’ve adopted a black child; a couple covered in tattoos and piercings; a couple who met at the woman’s initiation as a witch; and a poor white family.
OK, this would be my only complaint. The show would need to be more diverse. I know there are plenty racist Blacks, Hispanics and Asians, as well, so bring all that shit out of the closet. By selecting only White contestants, the producers are showing a major bias.
And, finally:
Before ABC announced its decision, the [conservative] Family Research Council said it was worried evangelicals would be made to appear judgmental and foolish.
Oh, because they aren’t? The Family Research Council just doesn’t want the racism of White evangelicals out in plainview in front of a national audience. Evangelicals are some of the MOST judgmental and foolish people I know.
Too bad the PC-police shut down this show before it even aired.
Posted by Mike Matthews in Craziness at 10:18 PM PDT
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Quotables from tonight’s PR-blitz at Fort Bragg by the Commander in Chief. Quotes in bold.
“The troops here and across the world are fighting a global war on terror.”
“After Sept. 11 I made a committment to the American people…this nation will not wait to be attacked again.”
Yeah, Iraq was going to attack us.
Bush defends Iraq by bringing up the 3,000 dead from Sept. 11. Cracks me up. This idiot still can’t differentiate from the thugs who killed our citizens on Sept. 11 and the acts we’ve committed in Iraq.
“The work in Iraq is difficult and it is dangerous.”
Yeah, thanks for telling us that now, asshole.
“Some wonder whether Iraq is a central fight in the War on Terror.”
Well, now it is, Georgie Boy.
“The terrorists failed to stop the transfer of [Iraqi] sovereignty.”
You mean the sovereignty before or after we invaded, George?
“The terrorists can kill the innocent but they cannot stop the advancement of freedom.”
Stupid purple fingers aside, it looks like they’re doing a damn good job.
“America’s mission in Iraq is to defeat the enemy.”
What enemy? The enemy without WMDs? Or the enemy who worked in collusion to help with 9/11? Or the enemy that actively supported al-Qaeda?
“One year ago today we restored sovereignty to the Iraqi people.”
Again, there was no sovereignty before we invaded?
“Our progress has been uneven.”
Finally, a concession being made, although it’s a huge overstatement.
“Whatever our differences in the past, the world understands success in Iraq is critical to the security of our nations.”
True, but at what costs?
“In the past month, Iraqi forces have led a major anti-terrorist campaign…called Operation Lightening.”
I wonder how many of these forces have walked away.
“To complete the mission, we will prevent al-Qaeda from turning Iraq in what Afghanistan was…”
Who’s winning?
“So, our strategy going forward has a military track and political track.”
“Our strategy can be summed up this way: As the Iraqis stand up, we will stand down.”
Good one. I’m sure the AP will be heavily quoting that one.
“We’re building up Iraq security forces as quickly as possible.”
Remember that old Heinz ketchup commercial? “Anticipation…anticip-ay-ay-shun.”
Three new steps for building up Iraqi forces:
“Partnering Iraqi units with Coalition units.”
Ok
“Secons, we are embedding Coalition transition teams inside Iraqi units…who live, work and fight together with Iraqi comrades.”
Ok.
“Third, working with iraqi ministries…to coordinate anti-terrorist forces. Also providing them with civilian leadership training.”
Ok.
“A major part of our mission is to train them [Iraqi forces] so that our soldiers can come home.”
On a timetable for withdrawal:
“It would send the wrong signal to our troops.”
“We will stay in Iraqi as long as needed–and not a day longer.”
Were we ever needed?
“Under the regime of Saddam huseein, the Shi’a and Kurds were brutally repressed.”
Cry me a river, bitch. Daddy and Ronnie could’ve done more to avoid that shit.
On Libya:
“Nu-cu-lar weapons.”
“Nu-cu-lar weapon programs.”
The more things change…
“We’re fighting against men with blind hatred…who are capable of any atrocity.”
Give it to ‘em, Mr. President!
“They are trying to shake our will, just like they tried to shake our will on Sept. 11.”
“Iraq now carries the hope of freedom.”
Hope being the key word there.
“We will stay in the fight until the fight is won.”
You’ll be gone by then, asshole. In fact, we’ll have been through a Jeb presidency and a George Bush III presidency before that fight is won.
“If evil is not confronted…it will stike again.”
Maybe we should’ve gone after evil not some dictatorial pariah of a nation. Some evil that was involved in the disgusting attack on our country.
“…Americasupportsyou.mil”
Gotta get a plug in there.
“Our enemies are brutal, but they are no match for the United States of America.”
Our dicks are bigger than yours!
“God Bless America.”
No comment needed.
Democracy Arsenal also did a bit of live-blogging.
Posted by Mike Matthews in ODB (Our Dumb Bush) at 7:05 PM PDT
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Every now and then The Huffington Post produces a great blog entry. I haven’t totally warmed up to Queen Huffington’s collaborative addition to the blogosphere, though with entries like this, by Larry David, where can you go wrong. The man behind Seinfeld lets loose with some hilarious stream of conscience thoughts on why liberal and conservative America should divorce each other.
Check it out. Here’s my favorite part:
In fact, we should just split into two different countries. Then, after our stem cell research gives us the cure for all these diseases, they’ll all be trying to get across the border for our medicine, but our minutemen won’t let them. And we’ll have a lot of minutemen. I think I’ll be a minuteman. “Sorry, but our scientists worked very hard to come up with a cure for Parkinson’s and there’s only enough medicine for our people. So beat it.”
Go Larry!
Posted by Mike Matthews in General at 6:07 PM PDT
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Thanks again to Jay, Amie and the rest of the crew at The Hott Spott for another enjoyable evening.
For you newbies, The Hott Spott is a locally-produced and broadcast public-access show in Wilmington, Del. airing live every Monday night from 10:30-11:30 on Comcast 73. Hosts Jay and Amie talk about everything from the local political scene to some of the weirder national and international news pieces. As well, they take phone calls from sundry freaks, fiends and perverts.
Last night’s show topics included the a recap of some awful rappers from a few weeks ago as well as a discussion of the alleged murderer of University of Delaware student Lindsey Bonistall.
No show next week, though. The gang is airing a repeat on July 4.
For more on The Hott Spott, check out the dedicated category I’ve started.
Posted by Mike Matthews in The Hott Spott at 9:34 AM PDT
Talk dirty to me »
Conservatives love it because it means the identity of the leaking-rat in the White House will go unmentioned. Liberals loathe it because said rat in White House will get off unscathed. What the hell am I talking about? The Valerie Plame Affair, of course. You all remember this story from a couple years ago.
(OK, some dramatics in that opening paragraph. To be fair to conservatives, they’re not actually *LOVING* the decision. It seems, via the conservative blogs I’ve read, they’re more or less just reporting the story as opposed to taking a side. To wit, Michelle Malkin.)
Former US Ambassador Joseph A. Wilson pens a July 2003 piece in The New York Times critical of some of the bullshit evidence Bush & Co. proffered in the run-up to the war in Iraq.
Allegedly, someone in the White House (Karl Rove, by some estimations) leaked the name of Wilson’s wife, Valerie Plame, a covert intelligence officer with the CIA. (Mind you, this leak was for nothing other than retaliation for Wilson’s gall to write such a critical piece of the administration’s bullshit war.) Repercussions for committing this act of TREASON include a jail term of up to ten years in federal prison.
Caught in the crossfire are two reporters, Judith Miller, of The New York Times and Matthew Cooper, of Time Magazine.
To make a long story just a bit shorter, these two reporters were held in contempt-of-court for refusing to disclose the name of the Bush Administration official who outed former CIA agent Plame. The journalists appealed several times, all the way up to the Supreme Court, which today refused to hear their final appeal:
Miller and Cooper have argued they could not do their jobs if they reneged on a pledge of confidentiality they gave to sources, and they have been backed by several major news organizations and 34 states in what has become a high-profile test of press freedom. “Important information will be lost to the public if journalists cannot reliably promise anonymity to sources,” the news organizations said in a friend-of-the-court brief.
As journalists, this disclosure would violate one of the many codes that promises a certain amount of confidentiality for sources wishing to remain anonymous.
Though not currently working for any formal news organization or well-noted publication, I am still a journalist. I started in 7th Grade and continued through until I received a Bachelor’s Degree this past winter. And, though I cringe when I think of a fool like Karl Rove throwing around the names of our covert CIA operators, I must stick by my journalistic ethics and respect Miller and Cooper for refusing to name the source.
This isn’t about politics, as liberals and conservatives like to think. Though I would like to see conservatives dance for joy if the roles were reversed and this disgusting name-game act was committed under President Clinton.
So, to make a convoluted story less so, here’s my thought: The journalists were right to not divulge the name of the source within the White House. The complaints that this leak “comprimised national security” are duly noted and valid, to a certain extent. When it comes to this issue I am neither liberal nor conservative (certainly not the latter!). I am a journalist seeking the protection of my craft from those who wish to continue to denigrate it.
Check out some interesting analysis and discussion at Democrats & Liberals. Their bottom line is, why hasn’t conservative columnist and White House asspillow Robert Novak also been brought up on charges.
Also, Kos has a more cohesive timeline than my choppy version.
Crooks & Liars has a nice, brief round-up
Roxanne’s got something to say, as well. She agrees with the whole “Reporter’s Privilage” issue I spoke of (a bit lengthily) above.
Posted by Mike Matthews in Rove, Libby, Miller et. al. at 7:38 PM PDT
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Donald Rumsfeld is on Meet the Press right now. I’ll try to “liveblog” if there’s anything interesting or outrageous this nutcase has to say. Rumsfeld’s quotes are in bold.
10:38 am: Russert shows a clip of Dick Cheney three days before invasion in 2003 spouting off the line “We’ll be seen as liberators.” Rumsfeld spins. Paraphrasing: “People in Saddam’s regime who were repressed were happy for us being there.”
10:40 am: Gen. Abizaid’s quote about the alleged “last throes” of the insurgency gets thrown in Rummy’s face. “Insurgency was up during election period and is now back down.” (?!?!?) Good one, Rum! “The insurgents are foreigners,” says Rumsfeld. Well, duh! Our war opened up the fucking border for these idiots to come in and do what they want.
10:43 am: “Foreign troops are not gonna beat the insurgency.” Yeah, the strong Iraqi army and national security forces will. They’ll clean shit up real quick!
10:45 am: Russert says: 107 Iraqi Battalions are needed to control country. We only have three right now. When will more be ready? Rumsfeld stumbles over his words. “The linkage between the police and military forces…they have to work together.” Rumsfeld says no timetable to when US troops can withdrawal once adequate Iraqi forces are in place.
10:48 am: Russert confronts Rumsfeld about the severe miscalculation on how many troops were needed to invade Iraq. Rumsfeld denies Russert’s referencing of a Washington Post article claiming the Pentagon only wanted 50,000 US troops in Iraq by end of year 2003. Of course, Rumsfeld saw Iraqis greeting us with chocolates and flowers, so perhaps his incorrect presumption of troop levels in 2003 isn’t surprising.
10:51 am: Downing Street Memo! Let’s see this bitch respond to this. “The infrastructure in Iraq has been neglected by Saddam for decades.” Yeah, Rummy. And we destroyed anything that was left. Rumsfeld says, “I never estimated the cost of the war.” OK, Tim didn’t spend enough time on the Memo. No shock there, though.
10:55 am: OK, let’s see what Mr. Secretary has to say about the piss-poor recruiting numbers. The Air Force, Marine, Navy recruting “is going well,” he says. It’s the Army not meeting its goals, he says. Fair enough. I haven’t kept tabs on the other branches.
10:57 am: Russert asks about initiating an independent commission to investigate Guantanamo Bay craziness. Rumsfeld, loosely: These are terrorists. Fuck them. No rights. Torture them. “These are bad people; these are not good people.” I like that quote.
11:00 am: This interview was too short. This asshole needs to be grilled with a heated curling iron up his ass and electrodes to his nuts. Then maybe we’ll get some good answers.
More eloquent: Justin at Digital Dissent talks about the Iraqi Battalion question I briefly commented on at 10:45. Much less rushed than my non-existent analysis.
Posted by Mike Matthews in Political Landscape at 9:36 AM PDT
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Awake at one in the morning. And look what I came upon. It seems liberals were right. Not by firepower alone will we be able to win this war against insurgent thugs.
U.S. officials held secret talks in Iraq with the commanders of several Iraqi insurgent groups recently in an attempt to open a dialogue with them, a British newspaper reported Sunday.
One of those present at this meeting was an unidentified Pentagon official who declared himself ready to “find ways of stopping the bloodshed on both sides and to listen to demands and grievances.” I thought we didn’t negotiate with terrorists? A few weeks ago I said these insurgents can’t be bargained with or rationalized with through means like this. Was Karl Rove correct in his assertion that liberals want to offer “therapy” and understanding to our attackers? Perhaps. But, this liberal isn’t interested in satiating the disgusting needs of these insurgents. And if these secret talks are meant to “understand” where the insurgents are “coming from,” then this whole war is based on hypocrisy. Kill the bitches. I don’t care what they want. Just like some loon Christian seeking the death of all abortion doctors based on some whacked-out interpretation of their Book, these Islamofascists have no sympathy from me.
Did not hawks like Donald Rumsfeld and Dick Cheney specifically emphasize the need for violent and bloody war to bring down such dangerous groups? Well, now that their plan seems to have failed I guess they’re taking a hint from us liberals.
Two of the terrorist groups represted at the meetings were Mohammed’s Army and the Islamic Army in Iraq. What quaint little factions!
And doesn’t this sound promising:
Iraq’s former electricity minister, Ayham al-Samarie, has told The Associated Press that two insurgent groups — the Islamic Army in Iraq and the Army of Mujahedeen — were willing to negotiate with the Iraqi government, possibly opening a new political front in the country.
Yes, let’s legitimize these loons! Let’s negotiate with them and offer their fundamentalist views a political outlet in the democracy of Iraq. Bring back Sharia law. Stone some premarital-sex-loving woman. Cut off the hand of a hungry child reaching for an apple in a crowded marketplace.
I can imagine the terrorists shouting: Who’s your daddy now, bitch?!?!?
It’s 1:15 am. I’m tired. Enough of this BS for one night (morning?). Maybe I’ll have more in a few hours.
Update I (06/26 at 11:00 am): Moxiegrrrl has some additional snark to throw on the fire.
Update II (06/26 at 11:50 am): Via the invaluable Crooks and Liars, I stumbled upon this Whiskey Bar post offering some additional analysis:
Over the past two years, the U.S. Army and its civilian overlords in the Pentagon have gone from denying the insurgency’s existence, to predicting its rapid demise, to claiming they are winning the war against it, to promising victory sometime in the future.
Update III: J. Marcus Xavier at Very Small Doses trackedback to my post, so check out what he has to add to the whole “negotiating with insurgents” brouhaha.
Posted by Mike Matthews in Craziness at 12:11 AM PDT
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I don’t feel like writing today, so let me share some of the things I’m enjoying.
Dana over at DelawareWatch has this interesting missive on human pesticide experiments.
Dan’s got some great additions to the American Film Institute’s 100 Best Movie Quotes. I added one, from Night of the Living Dead: “They’re coming to get you Barbara! Look! There’s one of them now!” Which leads me to…
Land of the Dead!. Anyone else going opening night to check out this one? The fourth film in George A. Romero’s “Dead” series. Can’t wait. Reviews are pretty good. And, with Dennis Hopper, where can I go wrong?
Hube’s got a nice reaction (with some good links, to boot) in response to yesterday’s Supreme Court decision rendering homeowners’ rights (pretty much) null and void. The decision in the Kelo v. New London case dictates that the homes of residents may be demolished for public use. Of course these homeowners would be reimbursed, but I don’t think it’s money these residents want.
9/11 widow Kristen Breitweiser gives a hearty “Fuck You!” to Karl Rove in this passionate response to Rove’s dumb comments. Read it. Then read it again.
Justin at Digital Dissent replies to Karl Rove’s idiotic comments.
Maybe more to come.
Posted by Mike Matthews in General at 8:51 AM PDT
Talk dirty to me »
Gotta love that Michelle Malkin. She agrees with boy-genius Karl Rove’s stupid comparison of liberals and conservatives in the months and years following the disgusting 9/11 attacks.
Rove’s comment:
Conservatives saw the savagery of 9/11 in the attacks and prepared for war; liberals saw the savagery of the 9/11 attacks and wanted to prepare indictments and offer therapy and understanding for our attackers.
No, you fuckwad. Liberals did want war with those who attacked us. Sure, perhaps we get a little more emotional when it comes to this stuff, seeing how war leads to death and that kind of nastyiness, but your comparison is stupid and disgusting. Again, liberals certainly demanded action against those WHO DID HARM TO US, YOU JERK. And, that didn’t include Saddam Hussein!
Mr. Dumb-Ass Rove, when did you EVER hear a liberal interested in preparing indictments and “offer therapy” for a satanic beast like Osama bin Laden? Gimme a name, because I’ll denigrate and chastise that person as well. You think you’re some god, Rove. But, just because you know how to maneuver your way through some PR-bullshit does not give you the right to make such dumb comments.
Now Senate Minority Leader Harry Reid and other Senate Democrats are calling for Rove’s head. To which I say: Who gives a shit? I don’t want an apology. You didn’t see me bitching about the alarmist right-wing blogosphere going overboard on Dick Durbin for his misinterpreted comments (and, yes, they were misinterpreted. Read the whole passage, right-wingers. Read it again. Read it again. And again). People can ask for apologies all they want. I’m just enjoying sitting back and watching our democracy implode before my very eyes.
More: Kos has it right and says it a bit more eloquently than me.
I’m hungry. Maybe a tomato-and-cream-cheese sandwich will put me in a nicer mood.
Update I: My new friend, Dan, has another liberal perpsective to add. Kudos: Good use of the word strategery.
Speaking of Bush, Dan has this to say:
Someone should take you out back and slap the crap out of you. There’s some “liberal pacifism” for ya, you divisive, hateful piece of shit.
Good stuff.
Posted by Mike Matthews in Rove, Libby, Miller et. al. at 1:20 PM PDT
19 Comments | Gimme some more »
So I was home today. Doing nothing until I got called into the shop to work at 11 am. So I decided to eat a little something so I wouldn’t stuff my fat face at work.
From the fridge I pulled out a deliciously plump and firm tomato. As well, I grabbed the tub of whipped cream cheese. The homies at Thomas’ make these awesome mini bagels. So, me being the fat ass I am, that means I’m entitled to about THREE of them as opposed to one regular-sized bagel.
I slather on a generously thick layer of cream cheese. On top of that I place a cold, juicy and thick slice of tomato. Then, some kosher salt and FRESHLY ground black pepper.
Jesus, Mary and Joseph were those three mini-bagel-with-tomato-and-cream-cheese sandwiches good. Biting into a sandwich with fresh summer tomatoes is damn near orgasmic. The tomato juices flowing down my chin while the chewy bagel and creamy cream cheese do a dance in my mouth. The aromatic ground pepper pleases my sense of smell.
And, of course, I’m a big fat pig. Because when I came home from work at 2 pm I made ANOTHER two sandwiches.
MMM…maybe tomorrow I’ll add some smoked salmon to the mix! I’m excited already.
Posted by Mike Matthews in Food and recipes at 9:10 PM PDT
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I have a simple question for my conservative readers:
Does freedom of speech not also allow for the open practice of lighting up a political symbol? Of, say, our flag? You say our soldiers “died to protect that flag,” but did they not also die to protect my right to burn said flag when our country seriously fucks up?
Seriously, I’d like an answer as to why you’re so scared the desecration of the American flag will lead to the downfall of society (pardon my exaggeration).
Posted by Mike Matthews in Political Landscape at 7:42 AM PDT
9 Comments | Gimme some more »
Read this unbelieveable article from the AP. I’m astounded, but not surprised:
[Metin] Kaplan — leader of the Union of Islamic Communities, also known as “Hilafet Devleti” (Caliphate State, in Turkish) — had been on trial since December following his expulsion from Germany on charges linked to his role as the leader of the group, which aspires to set up a state in Turkey based on Islamic law.
So, this nimrod wanted to overthrow the sovereign state of Turkey and install an Iran-like theocracy? Using terrorism to accomplish such acts, nonetheless. Geez. A life sentence is deserved, indeed. Imagine the amount of planning and funds needed to be involved in a project like this. I’d be interested in learning the progress Kaplan and his thugs made before finally being caught.
As much as I despise the religious ideologues in this country, I can honestly say I don’t feel the fundamental Christians here would resort to such lunacy and violence to overthrow the country. No, they’re much more tactical than that. They use our legislative process and assumed majority to gut our secular form of government. Sorry, had to include some amount of snark.
Religious nuttery has no place in politics. And Mr. Kaplan and his brand of whacked-out Islam are further proof of that.
Posted by Mike Matthews in Religion at 8:56 PM PDT
1 Comment | Gimme some more »
I’ve long considered creating my own editing and proofreading business. For the past several years I’ve proofed essays and reports for friends and family, usually at the price of a free meal or two. But, I’m pretty lazy, so I never furthered those ambitions.
So along comes La Shawn Barber, who opened her business site, The Language Artist, last week.
On this classy site, La Shawn offers up a menu of her services as well as their respective –and very reasonable– costs. So, if you need some editing or copywriting done, check her out. Just don’t send her a report at 3 am looking for it to be returned to you by 9 am to meet a 10 am deadline. (You all know who you are!
So, good luck with this venture, La Shawn. And don’t be surprised if you see my lazy butt in your work queue seeking some assistance in the future.
Posted by Mike Matthews in Friends at 4:24 PM PDT
Talk dirty to me »
In 11th grade I penned an essay rife with idealistic meanderings. I wish I still had it today, though I think I’d retract more than half of what I said. The essay, a piece on Martin Luther King, Jr., discussed my thoughts on race relations in America today and how I feel racism will never be eliminated. It’s a simple fact that there will always be racists of every race and that nothing can or will ever stop it.
Which is why Sen. Robert Byrd (D-W. Va.) still matters in the ongoing discussion of race in America.
For those of you who don’t know Sen. Byrd’s history, read this piece from The Washington Post. A staunch supporter of the KKK decades ago, Sen. Byrd has continued his attempts to disassociate himself with that most vile of hate groups.
Conservatives love bringing up the fact that this democrat was once a member of the KKK. Liberals like to sidestep it. So, I suppose I’m here to make sense of it all. Personally, while I may agree with Sen. Byrd on a plethora of subjects, I’m still disgusted by the fact that in his closet somewhere once hid a clean pair of white sheets.
Which is why I would never vote for him. Ever. Some sins can never be forgiven. Ever. Conservatives like to scream about how dead racist Sen. Strom Thurmond was such a “good” man for renouncing his racist past. But conservatives like Michelle Malkin still antagonize Sen. Byrd for his. It’s a double standard for sure.
In my world, I don’t feel any present or former public official should be praised for either holding or renouncing ties with such a disgustingly wicked group as the KKK. Conservatives need to get off their praise of a racist like Thurmond and liberals need to start criticizing Sen. Byrd a bit more. He may be one of the more rational voices against George W. Bush’s crazy Iraq War, but I don’t want to hear his arguments knowing his past is so rife with questionable activity. He needs to go.
Thanks for the apology, Sen. Byrd. But some things can’t be forgiven. And they certainly won’t be forgotten.
Posted by Mike Matthews in General at 3:45 PM PDT
6 Comments | Gimme some more »
When a country screws up big time an apology can make a world of difference. Which is why I feel conservatives are unjust in their criticism of last week’s formal Congressional apology for failing to act sooner on anti-lynching legislation over the past century. Conservatives make a somewhat thoughtful “forgive-and-forget” point, seeing as it’s been so long since lynching has been a mainstream form of intimidation and murder of blacks, but it doesn’t deny the fact that the United States government sanctioned its legality for far too long. And, for that, an apology was overdue.
La Shawn Barber called the resolution “one of the dumbest, emptiest, most politically correct piles of rubbish [she’s] heard in a long time.” This has nothing to do with political correctness, in my opinion. This has to do with the outright sanctioning of murder against mostly blacks in a disgustingly wicked practice by racist whites. For the record, yes, there were whites lynched in the past hundred years, many of whom also received no justice because of the pantywastes in the Congress.
So, why do apologies matter? How abaout asking The Stolen Generation of Australian aborigine children, who still have not received a formal apology for crimes committed by their government for nearly 75 years. Crimes that were only outlawed 30 years ago.
True, apologies will change nothing in the past. They’re only ceremonial and hold little actual weight for those victims affected. However, they are merely one step in atoning the wrongs committed. Governments screw up all the time. Having the courage to first admit the screw ups and then apologize for them is what makes good countries great.
Update I: Jill at Feministe has something to add. Nice and pithy, too.
Posted by Mike Matthews in General at 3:34 PM PDT
2 Comments | Gimme some more »
Absolutely hilarious and depressingly shocking at the same time.
Via Crooks and Liars, high school investigative journalism student David McSwane uncovers some military recruiters’ dirty tricks. It seems you can be dumb as a doorknob and still serve in our military.
Here’s the article from the Rocky Mountain News.
Most damning:
When McSwane was finished, Army recruiters in Golden had been caught encouraging him to manufacture a fake high school diploma and accompanying him to a head shop to buy him a drug detox kit.
At the risk of being called “anti-military” by the wingnuts, I suppose I should add this disclaimer.
Disclaimer: No, I do not believe only functional retards are accepted into the military. Accepting such an accusation would make me a functional retard. However, with cheap tactics like this, it’s no doubt people are leery of the powers of the military. The military should be a respected institution held to high esteem by all American citizens. They should not be held from criticism or above reproach when participating in extreme acts of craziness just to meet an (unattainable?) enlistment goal, however.
The type of rabblerousing investigative reporting is exactly what needs to be injected into the life-support-riddled “art” of journalism. This student, David McSwane, deserves his own medal of honor.
Posted by Mike Matthews in Craziness at 5:56 AM PDT
2 Comments | Gimme some more »
Because I have no life.
More amazingly shocking environmental-report edits by Bush Administration officials. Should we be surprised? This is the man who appoints corporate profiteers to positions meant to maintain the health and integrity of our environment.
See previous.
Another republican, Sen. Chuck Hagel, questions Bush’s bullshit. I’m waiting for the wingnuts to call him an anti-American traitor for displaying some common sense.
A credit card company fucks up again. Mastercard screws up and exposes the accounts of thousands of cardholders to possible fraud. Why is it this shit always happens in this particular way? Why is it they can’t just erase my balance or something like that. These screw-ups never work in our favor.
From the “Who Gives a Shit?” file: Leonardo DiCaprio reportedly hit in the head at a swanky L.A. party. I suppose it’s better than going down with the ship while some chick is floating on a door.
CBS plots papal miniseries, the headline reads. I’ve got some perfect casting for the pope’s later years. Seeing as how the pope showed no signs of life his last five years, just use his corpse and render some great CGI effects to get things looking fresh. I’d watch that.
Posted by Mike Matthews in General at 11:02 PM PDT
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More proof the administration had a major hard-on to get Saddam — even at the cost of putting their attention on a badass like Osama bin Laden.
Go no further than paragraph one:
When Prime Minister Tony Blair’s chief foreign policy adviser dined with Condoleezza Rice six months after Sept. 11, the then-U.S. national security adviser didn’t want to discuss Osama bin Laden or al-Qaida. She wanted to talk about “regime change” in Iraq, setting the stage for the U.S.-led invasion more than a year later.
So, at a nice dinner (presumably on the tab of the taxpayers of one of our respective countries), Ms. Rice decides to bring up Iraq, when it was well known that pariah of a nation had nothing to do with it. Idiot fools.
Jesus if this shit doesn’t bring down President Bush I don’t know what will. His administration wanted war. This war has been the ultimate distraction in the War on Terror.
To wit, Bush plays a fun game of semantics:
“Some may disagree with my decision to remove Saddam Hussein from power, but all of us can agree that the world’s terrorists have now made Iraq a central front in the war on terror,” he said. “This mission isn’t easy, and it will not be accomplished overnight.”
Note my emphasis. Finally, Bush gets it right. Since we’ve invaded Iraq terrorists have made Iraq a central figure in the war on terror. Fool. We created this mess. We did it. We did it knowingly and with cause. We brought the terrorists into Iraq by destabilizing an already weak country. Saddam was one nasty SOB, but he proved no imminent threat to us. And I don’t care what some dumbass democrats said in the 90s about his alleged weapons programs. Don’t use it to weaken my argument. Bush is the one that TOOK US TO WAR based on bullshit lies.
It’s vindication (of a sort) to finally see a majority of my fellow citizens interested in seeing Bush answer some real hard questions. And not by proxy, like that fool Scott McClellan does on his behalf everyday (check out the amazing video). We gave it good to Clinton for his adult affair with an intern. It’s about time Bush gets the same treatment.
And I hope he pays for it.
Posted by Mike Matthews in Common Sense at 3:28 PM PDT
9 Comments | Gimme some more »
