How many evangelists can dance on the head of a pupil? There is a post coming on about teaching creationism or intelligent design theory. I'm just trying to beat down any urges to launch into a rant. This is so stupid it is mesmerizing. I have a really difficult time in any attempt to understand the spiritual and philosophical hubris of individuals that think their personal religion should be taught in public schools.

Every argument these zealots have for rational consideration of teaching catechism falls away with the most rudimentary examination. Ten tons of talk about traditions doesn't wipe away the sweep of western civilization. These protestants should get in touch with the Reformation in their past.  ¶ 3/30/2005 09:17:00 PM 0 comments

  Whiskey Bar: My Back Pages I share a great many of his feelings about writing but this highly rated post affected me for entirely different reasons.

While I was reading it I came to a rather unsavory realization. We, as citizens of a great country, have politically accepted torture as a readily used tool at our disposal. The
occurrences have been both open ("Hey, I'm taking pictures; Smile guys and gals.") and clandestine.

I've never been much of a proponent of the sick society school of thought. I've always figured we had our quirks and missteps by which we learned (and, hell, some simply gave us character).

This acceptance of torture is really wrong. I hope the lessons from this mistake come quickly and as low cost as possible.  ¶ 3/27/2005 01:03:00 AM 0 comments

  OpinionJournal - Best of the Web Today All you have to do in order to read Mr. (I can't believe he has a web presence) Taranto is swallow an initial fallacy, indulge a few gross misrepresentations and pretty soon he's making sense. I subscribe to his newsletter just to get a feel for these things.  ¶ 3/25/2005 05:47:00 PM 0 comments

  Shrub's new Clean Air Initiative Personal ownership at work.  ¶ 3/25/2005 08:06:00 AM 0 comments

  Poynter Online/E-Media Tidbits/ Google News vs AFP Google News has dropped content from AFP because of a pending suit by the French press agency (a year ago or so and we'd be declaring war on France for this).

Ah, it seems like such a long time ago, but there was that time when inclusion on Google was quite the thing. There's been enough of that inclusive openness. Now is the time to mark off your turf. Of course this could be just the start and more news outlets will follow.

I think Google could have fought this in one or more of a number of ways; both legally and through judicious editing. I think AFP's attitude is one that if carried to an extreme could very well impact RSS. Google being so spineless bodes poorly for others further down in the pecking order.  ¶ 3/22/2005 05:59:00 PM 0 comments

  Desperately Seeking System@ebay I've been doing that ebay poker thing. To me, it seems like that.

I closely follow the items I'm bidding on and still keep a watch out for the best deal. I've turned up things that have made me change my mind in mid auction about the amount I'm willing to bid. Being the all around miserly Luddite that I am, this is serious play.  ¶ 3/21/2005 09:24:00 PM 0 comments

  Spooky Cable Labeled Writer a Spy for Iraq (washingtonpost.com) This attempt to impeach a critic of the administration was put forward by the Moonie Washington Times. That says a whole lot about it right there.  ¶ 3/18/2005 05:05:00 PM 0 comments

  This Was Not Looting - How did Saddam's best weapons plants get plundered? By Christopher Hitchens Allow me, please, to explain this to Mr. Hitchens. The machinery was of a class referred to as "dual use". The possession of such does not constitute a WMD program.

There were more players on the ground in Iraq at the time than Hitchens gives credit for. From the start, this venture in Iraq was bound to destabilize the region. Unfortunately for us, there were others who recognized this better than our leaders and made plans to take advantage of the situation.

  ¶ 3/16/2005 05:25:00 PM 0 comments

  Cursor.org - Table of Contents page A New York Times editorial spanks "the nation's news organizations" for playing a "large and unappetizing role in deceiving the public," while the Washington Post editorializes that "it's disingenuous for administration officials to blame the stations, given that many releases are crafted precisely to disguise their government origin." via Cursor sans links

It appears that everyone in the media just can't seem to concentrate during this, Sunshine Week, festive occasion. I'm assuming you all know what Sunshine Week is. A bunch of dead wood editors decided we should celebrate the laws and practices that keep our society open and free. No one seems to get the point here. Karl Rove planned for this to come out now, just to screw with you. He wanted to make it clear that the administration could spank you and use you as dupes any time they wanted. They seem to have a handle on what cheap, greedy bastards the media has become.

Yeah, I hear you, those idiots over in broadcast are making fools of us. If it wasn't for press release journalism and the NYTimes' own Judy Miller, I'd feel better about the whole thing.

This kinda thing keeps up and people aren't going to care. They might even lose respect for the work journalists do. What a shame, particularly now, during Sunshine Week.  ¶ 3/16/2005 04:58:00 PM 0 comments

  Michelle Malkin Where have I been? Why didn't anybody tell me she had a new picture up?

From bad to worse.  ¶ 3/15/2005 05:43:00 PM 0 comments

  Sunshine (up my ass) Week Penheaded finds delightful irony in this story making big play during this, Sunshine Week, festive occasion. I'll be back on this in a minute.  ¶ 3/15/2005 12:23:00 AM 0 comments

  James Goodale's NY Review of Books article Goodale touches on a point I've already made- Rather's 60M report had factual substantiation. A much larger question for CBS news to address is how they could come so close to a good report and choke on it in the end.  ¶ 3/14/2005 09:06:00 PM 0 comments

  AP via law.com On Friday President Bush chose Paul D. Clement as solicitor general, Clement has already held the job for eight months on an acting basis. Clement served as Solicitor General Theodore Olson's deputy. Clement drew criticism when he assured justices that the administration could be trusted with broad authority to detain terror suspects without giving them a chance to be heard in court.

Well, business as usual.  ¶ 3/14/2005 05:26:00 PM 0 comments

  Roger Ailes- Condi dances Like Roger needs the link charity from me. Anyway, it was the jumping off point for some thought:

Condi Rice should not stand a chance in any real world election (it was her job to not be snoozin' like her boss in 2001). But after seeing what the Swill Boaters did to the Democrats this time, they should probably just give Condi a prime time slot speaking at their convention.  ¶ 3/13/2005 11:31:00 PM 0 comments

  Reuters News Article- via Cursor George Scott, founding baritone of gospel vocal group the Blind Boys of Alabama, died Wednesday, according to a statement. He was 75.

These guys were amongst the best. I have this thing for traditional gospel music. I'm pretty sure it has to do with the mutually enriching relationship it shares with the blues. Believe me, brothers and sisters, you'd have to look quick to catch me in church.  ¶ 3/11/2005 06:00:00 PM 0 comments

  Who Is a Journalist? - Anybody who wants to be. By Jacob�Weisberg There is actually a lot more going on with the statement above than what first comes to mind.

I firmly believe journalists need to become less parochial in their thinking and this inclusive sounding statement is a start. I stand firmly in my belief that journalists enjoy the freedoms they do in this country because of the constitutional rights of every citizen, journalist or not.

What all of this does not address is the question of shield laws and who we can afford to grant the protections of such.  ¶ 3/10/2005 04:43:00 PM 0 comments

  City Pages - Killer Moths Attack Strib! Noted conservative commentator, Hugh Hewitt, is moving into what may be the next great thing for blogs- local media commentary. Already thought about it; possibly productive but most likely just squeezin' pimples on the gnat's ass. Uh, an unintended James Lilek reference.  ¶ 3/09/2005 04:27:00 PM 0 comments

  Rather be Rather Mondo respect for the guy and unwavering appreciation for what he did to Nixon. We could use someone like that now.  ¶ 3/09/2005 12:28:00 AM 0 comments

  Labor Blog Simply put; screw these nazi, autocracy worshipping bastards that would attempt something like this.  ¶ 3/07/2005 08:10:00 PM 0 comments

  Post-Dan Rather, New York City is in the Neo-Nineteenth Century Kurt Anderson has some valid insights in this piece. He touches upon one of my favorite little ironies, a great deal of the intellectual groundwork for the thrust of rightist thought today was laid by those goofy hippies of yore. And he manages to hit another of the favorites around here; as much as things change, they often stay somewhat equivalent.

But he also takes a parochially journalistic stance on the bloggers. I think it would be fair to say that neither the bloggers nor the MSM have good, well-rounded appreciations of what the other offers to the mix.  ¶ 3/07/2005 07:47:00 PM 0 comments

  law.com - keeping the tug-of-war on judicial nominees in perspective. All the shrill, self-serving indignation aside: It is just a matter of whose ox.  ¶ 3/07/2005 04:22:00 PM 0 comments

  Eschaton- tremblings of a groundswell So a bunch of the chorus over on the right thought they had another example of our enemy as a godless, heathen murderer. Unfortunately, it was just another case of plain ol' American robbery/murder. An Egyptian Coptic Christian family in N. J. was killed by their upstairs neighbor.

When the pajama clad army of the right finally catches their breath from yelling about/at MSM, they might come to realize that a social institution, such as the news business in this country, evolves over time under the influence of a great many factors. They are economic as well as social and political. It will have contradicting normative and pragmatic standards of values.

An upstart from that same society will find itself imbued with many of the same traits as the institution it hopes to overturn (that's right- admit it!).

When the bloggers swarm on something like these Coptic Christian martyrs to stupidity, they've got that same ol' MSM "pressure to publish/broadcast, etc.". Guys (that includes you Ann), hits transfer into ego points and dollars. And that's what drives the same ol' thing in new clothing.  ¶ 3/05/2005 02:39:00 PM 0 comments

  Yahoo! News - Freed Journalist Recalls U.S. Shooting They shot another one. Nothing to see here, move along.

Probably not as clear cut a case as firing a tank shell at journalists.  ¶ 3/05/2005 01:05:00 PM 0 comments

  Fort Worth Weekly Online -- I see a movie This was one of those really colorful journalists that seem to be a passing breed. His passing comes on the heals of Doc Thompson's and in a way they were alike. However, on one side we have drug use for exploration and recreation; on the other, a likely case of self-medication.  ¶ 3/03/2005 05:52:00 PM 0 comments

  Poynter Online - E-Media Tidbits Our buddies over at Poynter are shilling this link to a petition against Google's AutoLinks; really wrong-headed. The user is in control and it is very much part of the individualized experience the web can be.

Instead of whining about this, they should be making the easy shift to turning this into a good web services research tool.  ¶ 3/02/2005 07:11:00 PM 0 comments