I may be an idiot. Not sure.

Can't figure out how to comment on Dennis Perrin's site so I post here.

Please read him. I can relate completely.

Is he insane? I seriously doubt it. Am I? Probably.

I'm not totally mentally challenged

So I can't really recommend this site, but suggest you read it from time to time.

Right? Wrong? Demented? Even the National Inquirer occasionally gets it right.

At the very least its things to think about.

Everyone is doing it, so me too

Nobel Laureate

Hmmm

"Isn't it meaningless to speak of a 45 degree angle unless you specify Fahrenheit or Celcius? [edited because I can]"

-- Jonco

Must read IMHO

Its Paul Krugman.

Don't let the picture scare you. He's no uglier than I and he ain't as lazy ass as I.

Personal

Someone once told me they had nick named me "Dr Death" because I wore nothing which wasn't black.

I suppose it was appropriate. I've had an iguana, tarantulas, scorpions, piranha, hamsters, Boston fern, ficus tree, bull calf, pigeons, chickens, geese. All dead. No hint something was wrong. They just died.

OK, I killed the calf. Mighty tasty too.

Thankfully my children survived.

I've no clue why I'm posting this, but its part of the fun of the internets tubes.

Cat blogging

Do you really ever think you'll see a cat? Muhahaha.

Must read IMHO

Not just a must read, but a fucking eloquent one.

Damn, I wish I could write like that.

Go now.

Better late than never

Still a fitting homage to a very talented singer.

Personal

Many think I'm stupid. Hell, I'm related to many of them.

I'm quite intelligent and stupid in some ways as we are all.

Why anyone would accept Bush's foreign policy as acceptable is stupid.

Why anyone would accept the Democrats' ignoring what the American public voted for is stupid.

To allow so many to die, on both sides, in Iraq and Afghanistan is stupid.

Maybe I am stupid.

Stupid is as stupid does, right?

Gimme a break

“IF YOU HAVEN’T DONE ANYTHING WRONG, YOU DON’T HAVE ANYTHING TO HIDE.”

OK, say it with me: WE ALL HAVE DONE WRONG THINGS!!!1!!.

We cheated, lied, drove badly, spit on the sidewalk.

Humans, unfortunately, often behave like humans.

I'm at a loss here

Sweet Nancy.

How Much Chaos is Iran Exporting to Iraq?

File under lazy ass blogging and must read.

Not as much as the wingers would want you to believe.

Via FPW.

Must read IMHO

Jeb Koogler has a great post you should read. Then I decided, what the fuck, he has several.

Just go now. I'll miss you, but will survive.

Must read IMHO

Yes I'm being totally lazy ass right now, but you don't know where I am. Muahahaha.

Please read Echidne's post.

What do I fear? Death? Destruction? Terrorists? Come on, you have to be kidding.

Nope, heartburn.

More please

File under must read, but please do read the post.

Via Big Shot Bob in Texas.

great name

I have no idea why, but I love this name:

San Leandro, CA.

Must read IMHO

I won't intercede. You need to read this.

H/T Watertiger.

Have a beer with the guy? Hell, I don't want to be in a fucking room with him.

Stolen

Stolen in its entirety from Jonco who should appreciate his being displayed on this totally awesome site. Typos included. Hahaha

The National Transportation Safety Board recently divulged a highlysecret plan they had funded with the U.S. auto makers for the pastfive-years.

The NTSB covertly funded a project, whereby the auto makers wereinstalling black boxes in four wheel drive pick-up trucks in an effortto determine, in fatal accidents, the circumstances in the last 15 seconds before the crash.

They were surprised to find in 49 of the 50 states the last wordsof drivers in 61.2% of fatal crashes were, "Oh, Shit!"

Only the state of Texaswas different, where 89.3% of the finalwords were, "Hey Y'all, watch this!"

Alright!

I'm finally getting the hang of key words. I've been found on searches for...

24/7 sex tv

hyena brain in china pharmacies

cheerios tsp

socialized medicine quackery

It really wasn't that difficult. Muahahaha.

Quote of the day

Next Stage: Denial

"For example, just a few years ago, I sometimes linked approvingly to Michelle. Now I think she is a gaping asshole and everything that is wrong with the Republican party. See? Things do change."

-- John Cole
Former Republican

And no, I'm not about to gloat over John's deciding to abandon the Republican party. I'm just grateful he did.

Via Balloon Juice.

Must read IMHO

Its scathing and ugly, but so true.

The post.

Cry if you must and you do need to.

Suicidal......................

I've said before I'm a sick puppy, but this one set me to laughing.

I was feeling a bit depressed the other day, so I called the Help Hotline.

I was put through to a call center in Pakistan.

I explained that I was feeling suicidal.

They were very excited at this news and wanted to know if I could drive a truck or fly an airplane....

Apparently I'm not the only sick puppy out there.

Via Big Shot Bob in Texas.

What's the difference between a million, a billion and a trillion?

1,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000.

The above is a nonillio, or about how much money I usually carry around.

Its a joke, folks. Drop the zeros and you pretty much have what I usually carry around.

Just a snippet. There's much more.

A million dollars ago was five (5) seconds ago at the U.S. Treasury.
A billion dollars ago was late yesterday afternoon at the U.S. Treasury.

Via Jonco (who else?).

Must read IMHO

Oh my, but this one is a gem.

Was that buildup a tad bland? OK, how about READ THE FUCKING THING! Is that more like what you'd expect?

Seriously now. It is an excellent post. One I wish I'd written from an angle I hadn't noticed.

Grapes of Galilee, Using Jesus To Sell Wine

Hahaha.

This is your world, folks. Deal with it.

Using a cute rabbit or a kangaroo to sell wine is old news. Last week I mentioned wines with Hitler on the label; this week comes news of a wine importer going in a completely opposite direction -- it has Jesus on the label. The Grapes of Galilee is a new Israeli wine label aimed at American Christians. The grapes are grown in the region where Jesus Christ is said to have lived, and they are irrigated with water from the Jordan River, where he was baptized. Wine from Israel is nothing new, but most of the Israeli wine sold in the U.S. has previously been to Jewish consumers. In fact, the Grapes of Galilee wine comes from an existing Israeli winery, only the Jesus-themed label is new. As Ad Age reports, the importer, Pini Haroz, sees the chardonnay, merlot and cabernet sauvignon wines as being perfect for holidays and he is marketing it in areas with high concentrations of Catholics. The wine sells for $13.99 a bottle online.

Via Lisa @ rangeragainstwar.

H/T Deidre Woollard.

10 feared dead in skydiving plane crash

This isn't important to most people, but to us who have skydived its enormous.

A pilot and nine skydivers were feared dead today after a plane crashed in the US's Washington Cascades.

Yeah, that's really me. Always the dark glasses.

I have a better pic showing my free fall, but its poster size and I can't scan it.

Via Independent.

Pakistani civilians flee after clashes kill 195

This is getting out of hand. Jesus H Christ with a laptop, what is happening in Pakistan? Is the whole Mid-East exploding?

Sorry, stupid question. the whole Mid-East is exploding, just not as fast as some would like.

Hundreds of people fled a Pakistani tribal town on Tuesday after some of the heaviest-ever clashes near the Afghan border left 150 militants and 45 soldiers dead, officials and witnesses said.

Via Agence France-Presse.

Bring on the Recession

No sense following the link. Its there just as a courtesy. His whole report is here:

How else will the destructive effects of growth be stopped?

I'll expand if I may. Why do taxes get raised? Why can't government function on the growth or decline of the economy? If everyone is making less, the streets should fall into disrepair. If everyone is making more its possible to build that new library.

Perhaps I'm naïve and don't understand government finances even though I have a degree in business administration, but the taxes collected are a budget. Live with it you fucking fools.

Via Monbiot.

Japan must be part of 'war on terror': Fukuda

When I read this two things immediately come to mind. Being lazy ass, I couldn't wait around for more thoughts.

Firstly we have a country, Japan, with a pacifist constitution. It isn't much globally, but its something and I sincerely hope they stay pacific.

Secondly I wonder what's really operational here. The US takes in tons upon tons of filthy lucre from armament, munitions, warefare sales. Is Fukuda envious? Does he want Japan to start producing such things? It isn't out of the realm of possibilities.

Prime Minister Yasuo Fukuda Tuesday told a resurgent opposition that Japan must not be a "bystander" in the US-led "war on terror" as he fought to extend a naval mission in the Indian Ocean.

The opposition won control of one house of parliament in July elections and has vowed to defeat government proposals to extend the naval mission providing fuel and logistical support to US-led forces in Afghanistan.

The opposition has so far ignored a government compromise that would stop refuelling operations backing combat troops, restricting support to ships policing the Indian Ocean.

Terrorists are about as much a threat to most people as muggers or traffic accidents.

Where I live there are AK-47 and M16 toting, C-4 explosive wielding, hand grenade carrying terrorists. Am I afraid or brave?

Neither.

This is pure, unadulterated bullshit.

Wake up folks. The politicians are trying to turn you into sheep and you're falling for it.

Via Agence France-Parsse.

Quote of the day

I'm a sick son of a bitch which is why I can't get enough of Emo.

"At my lemonade stand I used to give the first glass away free and charge five dollars for the second glass. The refill contained the antidote."

-- Emo Phillips
Comedian

Which I also could say about Steven Wright. Wait! I just did say it about Steven Wright.

I think the meds have kicked in again.

Via: Quotes of the day

Music lyrics

Ah, some more memorable song lyrics from my favorite band, AC-DC:

"Ain't no fun waiting round to be a millionaire".

I can relate.

Hey, please add your suggestions in comments. I want to know what lyrics you find important, humorous, memorable, life changing, sage, interesting, unforgettable, poignant. I'm sure you have something to offer.

Source.

Wizard of Oz - The short version

Do you realize by now I love Jonco? Well, not literally, but...

There's much more to Jonco than what I post. You might want to visit and see if I'm missing things you want to see. Just go to Bits & Pieces.



BTW, I won't watch the Wizard of Oz. The fucking songs get stuck in my head for weeks and I just want to shoot myself. In fact, just posting this may cause me suicidal thoughts.

Via Jonco.

A Look at Federal Government Blogs

One blog only, actually. Who is the idiot who chose this name for a US State Department blog?

And who was the idiot who approved it?

"Dipnote" by the State Department: http://blogs.state.gov/

But seriously folks, why is the US considered the center of the universe?

You see it almost always on blogs and very often in the media including international media. Mention of federal government, military, state department. In all cases its implied it's the US, but US State Department isn't stated specifically.

Why is the US treated this way?

Japanese investors are already fleeing Los Angeles which they own much of.

Then there's this:

Foreign holdings of U.S. Treasury securities now total $1.75 trillion. This accounts for approximately 41% of debt owed by the public.

Hell, at $885 billion combined, Japan and China could team up and wreak havoc on the US financially as soon as the banks open.

Militarily the US can't defeat its "enemies" in Afghanistan and Iraq. And the Bush administration is seriously considering invading Iran?

This is so 20th century thinking.

Via USNews.

Do Progressives Have the Wrong Idea About Change?

Nothing to argue about here. The authors are right, but...

First you have to get their attention. Unless people perceive a problem that needs fixing, offering solutions is a waste or time.

The authors of the new book Break Through argue that scaring people with bad news about the environment is no way to get them to change -- what's needed is a dream we all want to be a part of.

Via AlterNet.

Bush tries to halt execution of convicted killer in Texas

This is another story not getting much play. Bush, ever the hypocrite is trying to prevent an execution in Texas.

Not only is he hypocritical about executing people, he's hypocritical about obeying international law.

This is the same guy who mocked a woman sentenced to execution with, "'Please,' Bush whimpers, his lips pursed in mock desperation, 'don't kill me,'"

President George Bush, who signed the death warrant for 152 prisoners as governor of Texas, this week faces a rare challenge from his home state against his efforts to block the execution of a convicted killer from Mexico.

The case of Jose Ernesto Medellin, to go before the supreme court on Wednesday, examines whether the president has the power to set aside a state law that conflicts with an international treaty.

It puts Mr Bush in the unusual position of arguing against the death penalty and against the very same Texans who helped put him in the White House. Even more unusually, it puts Mr Bush on the same side of the dispute as the International Court of Justice in The Hague.

What did the American people ever do so heinous they should be visited by Bush? What?

Via Japan Herald.

Swiss far-right rally sparks riots

Thank gawd the only weapons they had were Swiss Army knives. Although I think the larger blade and corkscrew could inflict serious injuries.

Uh oh, I read the rest. What? The police had guns with rubber bullets? Sacré bleu!

OK, I apologize for being so flippant about a serious situation. Couldn't help myself.

Via Japan Herald.

War on terror seen fuelling al Qaeda

Jesus H Christ with dark glasses, why am I struggling at near poverty when I could be raking in the big bucks just by writing reports on things we all know?

I do have to start my own think tank.

Six years after the September 11 attacks in the United States, the "war on terror" is failing and instead fuelling an increase in support for extremist Islamist movements, a British think-tank said on Monday.

And apparently I wouldn't even have to get dressed. Kewl.

Via Reuters.

Top Iraqis Pull Back From Key U.S. Goal

As usual, I scour the internets tubes reading others' blogs to see what's being written. What are the hot topics? If they cover them well, I have no desire to waste my energy. Lazy ass all the way.

But no one (I've read) seems to think this is important or needs be reported and I disagree.

For much of this year, the U.S. military strategy in Iraq has sought to reduce violence so that politicians could bring about national reconciliation, but several top Iraqi leaders say they have lost faith in that broad goal.

This is essentially a complete negation of the Bush administration's currently stated objective.

This is essentially a request the coalition forces get the hell out of Dodge. What Bush is trying to accomplish is impossible.

Bear in mind, "lost faith" is political-speak for fuhgeddaboudit.

Via WaPo.

H/T Kevin Drum.

'Socialized Medicine' Quackery

Ezekiel J. Emanuel over at WaPo has a fine article about snake oil salesmen who want to tell you the US is flirting with "socialized medicine" because those words scare people.

He makes the cogent point Americans already embrace socialism in police and fire protection, which is true.

In some places, socialism works quite well. I'm not in favor of wholesale implementation, but it seems a perfect fit when it comes to health care and particularly when it comes to needy children.

To the extent that any health insurance scheme involves spreading among members of society the financial risk of getting sick, all insurance "socializes" the risk. This is, of course, not what people mean when they level charges of "socialized medicine." This term is never used in reference to police protection, fire departments or highways -- all of which are provided by government.

...

It is absurd to call an expansion of government payments for health care in the existing private delivery system socialized medicine. Politics may be full of hype, exaggeration or partisan bickering, but there should be no place for overt deception. A serious debate about whether and how to reform the American health-care system requires that we eliminate comments whose only purpose is to mischaracterize and misinform.

Those who invoke the specter of "socialized medicine" should answer this question: Do you think the government should help fund medical care for those who cannot afford it, just as it funds education for children whose parents cannot afford to educate them? If not, say so explicitly and justify your position. But, please, spare us the derogatory language.

Just examine the facts and ask yourself what is best. If you think being gouged by insurance companies is fun, then tell your Congress critter you don't want SCHIPS, Medicare, Medicade. Tell them you're perfectly comfortable paying higher and higher premiums, whether directly or through your employer's withholding that raise you want.

Then go to the slums in your area and tell the parents there you are content and not concerned with helping their children. If you get out alive you'll be lucky.

There are two huge priorities*, to my way of thinking, for any government: make sure your people aren't starving and make sure they can get medical care. This is particularly true for the US.

One needn't look outside the US to find people living in third-world conditions. Its appalling.

I'll stop here before I begin really ranting about money for munitions to kill innocents abroad, but none for the American people.

* There are others such as fire and police protection, but they are provided for the wealthy too, so they get top priority.

Via WaPo.

Whatever You Do, Don’t Eat the Chicken!

Some more mindless nonsense to amuse you.

I was gonna make some snide remark about the lack of proper education these days, but decided against it.

We've all made such silly mistakes. We think we hear one thing and we're wrong. For many years I was convinced my grade school teacher said the equator was an imaginary lion running around the middle of the earth. Having a vivid imagination as a child, this made perfect sense to me. I could picture that lion. A line would have been boring.

Via Neatorama.

A diversion

Or if you just need to relax. It includes soothing music.

Via Bitsong.

Quote of the day

An oldie, but a "goodie".

"Not all Muslims may be terrorists, but all terrorists are Muslims."

-- Ann Coulter
Witch

Well, except for those pesky Basque separatists (ETA) in Spain, Timothy McVeigh and Ted Kaczynski in the US, but I guess they don't support her position.

Via Helsinki, which has many more such quotes.

Survey finds people are in committed, destructive relationships with PCs

Wow, but I've found a mother lode at The Sign.

According to recent research, people spend more time with their computers than with their spouses/significant others (64%). 84% claim to be more dependent on their computers today than they were three years ago. 19% admitted to wanting to throw their computers out the nearest window when it gave them problems.

Guilty as charged.

Via The Sign.

Propaganda Alert! Warpimp Petraeus steps up accusations against Iran

I've covered this already and called Petraeus a sock puppet.

Damn! Wish I'd thought of "warpimp". The term is perfect.

Via The Signs.

Isn't 1984 required reading in school?

Big Brother is creeping closer and closer and few seem the least bit concerned.

Hoping to deter crime by expanding the use of surveillance cameras, Aberdeen passed a measure that empowers the city government and police to require cameras in new developments. The Police Department, the Department of Planning and Community Development, and the Department of Public Works will decide whether a new residential, commercial or industrial development must install cameras at "strategic locations" before a development permit is issued. The City Council passed the measure, which becomes effective next week, by a 4-1 vote. Cameras installed at new developments will be connected to a watch room at the police station, Mayor S. Fred Simmons said.

So based on "hope", the police will intrude into the lives of presumably innocent civilians? Instead of putting police officers on the streets they'll give them comfy chairs so they can sit around eating donuts and drinking coffee while they're paid to be voyeurs.

Ya better watch out who ya kiss in the hallway.

Via The Signs.

The Israel Lobby - Mearsheimer and Walt Weigh In

This is very much a must read IMHO. Jeb gives an honest, thoughtful, dispassionate look at the connection between the Israel Lobby and Washington.

Last night, I watched an interesting hour-long interview with both of the authors (I'll post it below) in which Walt gave a very compelling explanation of the [Israel] lobby's influence in Washington. He started off by noting that during the Cold War, the US maintained connections to Israel for strategic and moral reasons. Strategically speaking, Israel was considered a bulwark and a useful ally against Soviet expansion. Walt also suggested that the US felt compelled to support the Jewish homeland on moral grounds, as a response to the horrors of WWII and preceding decades of anti-Semitism.

Over time, however, both of these justifications for supporting Israel have gradually eroded. Rather than being a strategic asset, Israel has become a liability. With the fall of the Soviet Union, Israel has become less of an important partner; in fact, its continued rivalry with its Arab neighbors has made close association with it increasingly problematic. The moral justification has also diminished. With Israel's ongoing occupation of Palestinian territories, aiding Israel can no longer be easily justified on moral grounds.

Via Foreign Policy Watch.

World's best kept (obvious?) auto secret

Its over at Jonco.

Myanmar junta says weapons seized from Buddhist monastaries

With no evidence or information to substantiate my position, I just don't believe this. It doesn't jibe with my experience.

Myanmar's military leaders stepped up pressure on monks who spearheaded pro-democracy rallies, saying Sunday weapons had been seized from Buddhist monasteries and threatening to punish all violators of the law.

Then there's this headline:

Junta eases up on security in Myanmar

The details are as follows:

Myanmar's junta removed the last barricades in Yangon on Sunday, apparently confident it would face no further mass protests against military rule, but the streets remained unusually quiet and arrests continued.

Duh! Mass arrests and executions will tend to limit protests. No surprise there.

Via IHT.

Petraeus says Iran stoking Iraq violence

Gen David H Petraeus
This clown really is turning into a real sock puppet for Bush. This is a purely political accusation. Its a ploy to garner acceptance of a US attack on Iran. Its really that simple.

The U.S. military commander in Iraq has stepped up accusations that Iran was stoking violence in Iraq and said Tehran's ambassador to Baghdad was a member of the Revolutionary Guards Qods force.

I've no doubt Iran encourages the anti-occupation forces in Iraq. After all, if Iran is perceived as an ally by Iraqis, there's a pretty slim chance of another Iraq-Iran war.

But, and this is a huge but, no encouragement is required for those fighting in Iraq. The presence of the coalition forces is the only thing necessary to keep the fighting going.

BTW, rumor has it that a couple more awards and Petraeus will be assigned another aide to wear his new hardware because Petraeus's chest isn't large enough.

Oh yes, and there's this where Petraeus basically is implying, "We've tamed Baghdad and can do the same in Iran".

The U.S. military commander in Iraq, General David Petraeus, suggested over the weekend that security had improved enough in Baghdad for him to walk parts of the capital's streets without protection.

"Arguably you could do that now," Petraeus told a small group of reporters at a U.S. military base in Diyala province on Saturday when asked if there would come a day when he could walk the capital's streets without plenty of armed guards.

"Nobody will let me do it," he said, smiling.

Via Reuters.

Taliban 'to bomb Bhutto when she returns'

Well, now Musharraf has his cover. If something happens to Bhutto, he can claim the Taliban did it.

Pakistani Taliban militants vowed to launch suicide bombers against Benazir Bhutto, the former prime minister, when she returns home after eight years of self-imposed exile.

Via Telegraph.

6 years into Afghan war, U.S. expanding main base as troop levels, violence grow

Bagram Air Force base, Afghanistan.
Make no mistake about it. Even though success has been illusive at best, the US is intent on staying in Afghanistan and Iraq for an open-ended time period.

Six years after the first U.S. bombs began falling on Afghanistan's Taliban government and its al-Qaeda guests, America is planning for a long stay.

Originally envisioned as a temporary home for invading U.S. forces, the sprawling American base at Bagram, a former Soviet outpost in the shadow of the towering Hindu Kush mountains, is growing in size by nearly a third.

Today the U.S. has about 25,000 troops in the country, and other NATO nations contribute another 25,000, more than three times the number of international troops in the country four years ago, when the Taliban appeared defeated.

The Islamic militia has come roaring back since then, and 2007 has been the battle's bloodiest year yet.

Via SignOnSanDiego.

Mitsubishi Motors seen increasing production capacity in Japan

The story over at Agence France-Presse.

All I need are the headlines. You don't grow your economy by cutting manufacturing while your competitors are increasing their's.

Engineer vehicles people want and need. Streamline production methods as much as possible. Trim waste. Hell, the Japanese are quite willing to show you how they do it.

Closing all these plants is "bottom line" thinking. The productive capacity will be reduced, not go unchanged. This is dangerously myopic thinking.

Toyota Expanding in North America - New York Times

Toyota Expanding N.J. Parts Center to Keep Up With Growing Vehicle ...

Toyota expanding Bodine transmission casting American Metal Market ...

Ford cutting 35000 jobs, closing plants - Jan. 11, 2002

KickingTires: Ford Closing Dealerships: What it Means to You


Ford to close 14 North American manufacturing plants - Jan. 23, 2006

Detroit News: Chrysler to close Newark plant « First State Politics

Chrysler Closing Set In St. Louis - New York Times

Chrysler will close two large-vehicle plants in America in 2008 ...


GM Closing Plants, Cutting 30000 Jobs - The Car Connection

I could go on, but what's the point? Toyota is competing in the back yards of Chrysler, GM, Ford and they're winning. So much for the American idea of competition and supremacy.

And "the big three" aren't the only ones who should be concerned.

Digg - Toyota has overtaken GM to become the world's biggest carmaker

Can't find a link, but years ago Toyota management said (paraphrased), "Toyota's goal is to be the world's transportation supplier".

Thus far it appears they're doing a great job of getting to that goal.

Quote of the day

"Indecision may or may not be my problem."

-- Jimmy Buffet

You know who he is

Via: Quotes of the day