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You Can't Take The Sky From Me
Warning: Spoilers Ahead. Last night, Mister Priapus and I went to see a midnight showing of Serenity. For those who may not know, Serenity is a feature film based off the television series Firefly. For people who are not familiar with the television show, there may be some gaps in the movie's plot, but the movie does include enough background so that newcomers aren't completely lost. For those who are familiar with Firefly, it's like getting reacquainted with old friends. The wit and banter amongst the crew of the space ship Serenity is as it was on the show. For example, the show starts with Serenity entering atmosphere, and a piece of the ship comes off, causing the ship to start bucking. Wash: Mal, you might want to tell people to strap in. Things might get a little interesting.
Mal: What do you mean by interesting?
Wash: [calmly] Oh, God. Oh God. We're all going to die.
Mal: [into microphone] Attention crew, this is the captain. Strap yourselves in as were going to encounter some turbulence...and possibly explode. Serenity is funny, serious, and exciting, all at the same time. We learn the origins of the Reavers. More importantly, we learn the secret behind River Tam, and why the Alliance is so hot to get its hands on her. In my own humble opinion, Serenity is, by far, the best movie to come out this year. Go see it.
The Vast Vortex - Expanded
Yesterday, I wrote about the Vast Vortex of Suckitude that has engulfed Hollywood. It was an oversight on my part not to have included the music industry. That oversight is now being corrected. Last night, Mister Priapus and I, along with some other friends, went to a midnight viewing of Joss Whedon's Serenity. The movie theater we went to has speakers scattered around the parking lot so that moviegoers can listen to music as they waited outside. In this case, these speakers were emanating some angsty, whiny, Prozac-popping punk, whose balls had apparently either not yet dropped or had been removed in some horrific fashion, singing a song I'd never heard before...or so I thought. After a few seconds, some of the lyrics began to sound familiar. You could have heard the collective screaming of "NOOOOOOOOOOO!" as we recognized the song. This whiny, angsty punk was singing an emo version of the Beastie Boys' "You Gotta Fight For Your Right To Party!" The pain of that moment was indescribable. For several years, I've felt that the modern-day music industry is nothing more than cookie-cutter crap. It all sounds the same to me. This belief is cross-genre. Elton John had this to say about modern musicians: Nowadays, record companies want the quick buck from the Backstreet Boys, Britney Spears, Travis Miscia, S Club Seven, Steps. They've always been around, I'm not knocking the music perhaps, but it's like packets of cereal. There are too many of them, too many of them are just mediocre. And I think it damages real people's chance, real talent, of getting airplay. It's just fodder. Hank Williams III agrees. From his song "Dick in Dixie": Well we're losing all the outlaws
that had to stand their ground
and they're being replaced by these kids
from a manufactured town
And they don't have no idea
about sorrow and woe
'Cause they're all just too damn busy
kissin' ass on Music Row Simply put, the music industry is contributing to the Vast Vortex of Suckitude by refusing to put out quality music. This, of course, leads right into the music industry's jihad against people who download music off the internet. The RIAA states that "internet music piracy" is cutting into their profits. However, if you look at the numbers, and compare the amount of music the RIAA is losing, and the amount of money being made by up-and-coming idependent music labels, such as Rick Rubin's American Records, you'd see that the amounts are nearly identical. The reason for this is simple: RIAA is putting out CDs with one or two good songs buried amidst loads of crap, while the indedpendent labels are putting out CDs with a better quality of product. In addition, many of the independent labels support the downloading of music because it gets their product out to the ears of the masses; it allows them to compete with the RIAA's near-monopoly of the music industry. It is my hope that the independent labels can break the back of the RIAA, and return some semblence of quality to the music industry, lest we be subject to more travesties like the "You Gotta Fight For Your Right To Party" remake mentioned above.
New Blog
Ladies and Gentlemen (and you too, Mr. Priapus), I present to you Tammy Bruce and her new blog. Check it out.
The Vast Vortex of Suckitude
Over at GayPatriot there's a discussion going on about what Hollywood can do to stop its free-fall into irrelevancy. Here’s my idea: How about Hollywood making movies that aren’t complete crap. If you look at the movies that have come out this summer, they’re comprised almost solely of remakes, sequels, 2-hour long SNL skits, or bastardizations of television shows of years gone by. To be blunt, this whole summer movie season has been a vast vortex of suckitude of a scale never before imagined. And that's just this summer. This downward trend has been in the making for at least the past decade, and shows no sign of letting up in the forseeable future. This is not to say, of course, that all the movies that have come out have been total write offs. There were two movies I've seen this year that didn't completely suck. Batman Begins was surpisingly well done, despite its plot being being somewhat formulaic. Revenge of the Sith was a nice surprise; I was expecting another letdown along the lines of Attack of the Clones. A couple of gems, however, do not make up for the cinematic travesties known as Fantastic Four, Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy, Bewitched, and The Dukes of Hazard.
If I were a Republican, I'd be pissed that Senate Republicans are not holding Louisiana Governor Kathleen Blanco's feet to the fire. This incompetent boob's inaction, petty political turf games, and refusal to allow relief aid into the city of New Orleans cost many people their lives. Blanco was asked to answer charges made by former FEMA head Michael Brown in regarding the Louisiana government being corrupt and "dysfunctional." Naturally, the spineless Republicans let her get away with not answering the charges and deflect from the purpose of asking her to speak. Come to think of it, I'm not a Republican, and I'm pissed about this. Via: Malkin. Gov. Blanco gets no Katrina questions
September 29, 2005
Combined wire dispatches
Louisiana Gov. Kathleen Babineaux Blanco, blamed by the former leader of the Federal Emergency Management Agency and New Orleans Mayor C. Ray Nagin for many of the city's post-hurricane problems, was given no questions about her response to Hurricane Katrina when she appeared before a Senate committee to plead for more federal money.
She asked not to be questioned about it and the senators agreed.
Mrs. Blanco, a Democrat, was invited by the Senate Finance Committee to respond to charges by former FEMA Director Michael D. Brown, who the day before called Louisiana officials "dysfunctional" in handling the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina.
"Today, I came really to talk about job creation," she said.
Later, she told reporters, "The facts will speak for themselves. I will tell our story when the time is appropriate."
Mr. Brown, who resigned from FEMA under a hail of criticism, testified Tuesday before the House select committee investigating the response to Katrina and blamed Mrs. Blanco and Mr. Nagin for the slow reaction to the flooding and devastation to the city.
He was questioned sharply by committee members of both parties. Rep. Christopher Shays, Connecticut Republican, called Mr. Brown "clueless."
Republican senators at yesterday's hearing by the Finance Committee -- Charles E. Grassley of Iowa, Orrin G. Hatch of Utah, Trent Lott of Mississippi, Olympia J. Snow of Maine, Jon Kyl of Arizona, Craig Thomas of Wyoming, Rick Santorum of Pennsylvania, Bill Frist of Tennessee, Gordon H. Smith of Oregon, Jim Bunning of Kentucky and Michael D. Crapo of Idaho -- agreed to Mrs. Blanco's request not to discuss her performance after the hurricane.
Instead, she devoted her appearance to pleading for help to rebuild businesses and creating jobs in Louisiana. She said Hurricanes Katrina and Rita had wiped out a third of the state's economy.
"It's very important to have incentives for our workers to return, and in order to do that, we have to have incentives for business to return," Mrs. Blanco said, asking specifically for business tax write-offs for new investments, low-interest bonds for business borrowing and emergency business loans.
"Katrina and Rita brought our people and our economy to its knees," she said. "These storms knocked us down, but they didn't knock us out. And with your help and support, we will come back stronger and more prosperous than before."
Longwang threatens to give Okinawa a hard time
Nobody tell Falwell or Roberson about this obviously pornographic name. While we're at it, no one tell Sheila Jackson Lee, either, because the name of this storm is not black enough. Typhoon could threaten Okinawa
Longwang expected to pass 45 miles south of Kadena on Saturday
CAMP FOSTER, Okinawa — Kadena Air Base weather officials cast an eye eastward Tuesday to Typhoon Longwang, which spawned on Sunday near the Northern Marianas Islands and began tracking west-northwest toward Okinawa.
Longwang gained strength overnight and was upgraded from a tropical storm to a typhoon at 9 a.m. Tuesday by the Joint Typhoon Warning Center in Hawaii.
Longwang’s maximum wind gusts of 127 mph made it equivalent to a Category 2 hurricane.
Read more.
Don Adams of 'Get Smart' Dies at 82By BOB THOMAS, Associated Press Writer 13 minutes ago LOS ANGELES - Don Adams, the wry-voiced comedian who starred as the fumbling secret agent Maxwell Smart in the 1960s television spoof of James Bond movies, "Get Smart," has died. He was 82. Adams died of a lung infection late Sunday at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center, his friend and former agent Bruce Tufeld said Monday, adding the actor broke his hip a year ago and had been in ill health since. As the inept Agent 86 of the super-secret federal agency Control, Adams captured TV viewers with his antics in combatting the evil agents of Kaos. When his explanations failed to convince the villains or his boss, he tried another tack: "Would you believe ... ?" It became a national catchphrase. Smart was also prone to spilling things on the desk or person of his boss — the chief (actor Edward Platt). Smart's apologetic "Sorry about that, chief" also entered the American lexicon. The spy gadgets, which aped those of the Bond movies, were a popular feature, especially the pre-cell-phone telephone in a shoe. Smart's beautiful partner, Agent 99, played by Barbara Felden, was as brainy as he was dense, and a plot romance led to marriage and the birth of twins later in the series. Adams, who had been under contract to NBC, was lukewarm about doing a spy spoof. When he learned that Mel Brooks and Buck Henry had written the pilot script, he accepted immediately. "Get Smart" debuted on NBC in September 1965 and scored No. 12 among the season's most-watched series and No. 22 in its second season. "Get Smart" twice won the Emmy for best comedy series with three Emmys for Adams as comedy actor. CBS picked up the show but the ratings fell off as the jokes seemed repetitive, and it was canceled after four seasons. The show lived on in syndication and a cartoon series. In 1995 Fox network revived the series with Smart as chief and 99 as a congresswoman. It lasted seven episodes. Adams never had another showcase to display his comic talent. "It was a special show that became a cult classic of sorts, and I made a lot of money for it," he remarked of "Get Smart" in a 1995 interview. "But it also hindered me career-wise because I was typed. The character was so strong, particularly because of that distinctive voice, that nobody could picture me in any other type of role." He was born Donald James Yarmy in New York City on April 13, 1926, Tufeld said, although some sources say 1923 or 1927. The actor's father was a Hungarian Jew who ran a few small restaurants in the Bronx. In a 1959 interview Adams said he never cared about being funny as a kid: "Sometimes I wonder how I got into comedy at all. I did movie star impressions as a kid in high school. Somehow they just got out of hand." In 1941, he dropped out of school to join the Marines, lying about his age. In Guadalcanal he survived the deadly blackwater fever and was returned to the States to become a drill instructor, acquiring the clipped delivery that served him well as a comedian. After the war he worked in New York as a commercial artist by day, doing standup comedy in clubs at night, taking the surname of his first wife, Adelaide Adams. His following grew, and soon he was appearing on the Ed Sullivan and late night TV shows. Bill Dana, who had helped him develop comedy routines, cast him as his sidekick on Dana's Jose Jiminez show. That led to the NBC contract and "Get Smart." Adams, who married and divorced three times and had seven children, served as the voice for the popular cartoon series, "Inspector Gadget." In 1980, he appeared as Maxwell Smart in a feature movie, "The Nude Bomb," about a madman whose bomb destroyed people's clothing. Tufeld said funeral arrangements were incomplete.
Aftermath
We're still here. The worst of the storm has passed far to the east of us. We got a little wind and rain, but not much else.
Rita or Bust
We're coming up on midnight, and conditions are still relatively mild here in Houston. It appears that Rita will be making landfall near Cameron, La., sparing Houston and Galveston the worst of the storm. I'll post more info as the situation continues to develop.
Impact
The leading edge of the storm has hit the area, but it isn't anywhere as severe as originally speculated. As the storm moves further to the east, the risk of severe damage in Houston lessens. Right now, Rita is headed for the Sabine Pass/Cameron, La. region. Lake Charles is already reporting isolated incidents of flooding. Will update as I have more information.
5...4...3...
The impact of Rita is iminent. Already, we're starting to see gusts of up to almost 30mph. The good news, at least for those of us holed up at Vulture's Nest, we're not going to bear the brunt of the storm. We're still going to get hit with wind and rain, but it looks as though Rita will hit the Tx/La border. There's also an outside chance that Rita will hit Cameron, La. And, for those who have asked, Dad, Mike, and Star have evacuated Lake Chales, and have relocated to Natches, Mississippi.
Error? Or Wishful Thinking?
Hurricane Blogging
Sep. 23, 2005, 1:40pmHurricane Rita has been downgraded to a Cat 3 storm, and continues its eastward migration. It looks like landfall will occur between Beaumont and the Tx/La border. In Galveston, the wind and surf are steadily increasing as the storm gets closer to land. Here in Spring, we're predicted to get tropical storm strength winds of approximately 70mph. We'll see how things go, and we'll update as the situation develops. Sep. 23, 2005, 11:54amHere I am at the home of Vulture 6, aka Vulture’s Nest. The sun is now disappearing behind the clouds, and the winds are picking up as Hurricane Rita nears the Gulf Coast. Rita continues to shift ever-so-slightly to the east, and will not directly hit the Houston/Galveston area. The leading edge of the storm isn’t scheduled to hit the coast for another 4-5 hours. I’ll be here, and will be Hurricane Blogging for as long as I have power and an internet connection.
Batten down the hatches!
Well, this could possibly be my last pre-Rita blog post. If I can post again before the storm hits, I'll do it. Right now, though, I'm logging off and packing up to head to Vulture 6's place.
Calm Before the Storm
This time last week, I was staying at Vulture's Row, enjoying the hospitality of Vulture 6 and the Vulturette, and the company of my good friend Darth Apathy, as I helped at a Red Cross shelter for Katrina Victims. Now, Rita is bearing down on Darth and the Vultures. The Vultures live in Spring, a northern suburb of Houston, and due to Vulturette's medical condition, cannot evacuate. They're hunkered down and waiting for the storm. Our prayers go out to you, Vic. Be safe. More news as it is available. Secure Channel message to Darth Apathy:
GET OVER TO SCOTT'S RIGHT FREAKING NOW!Mutual aid and all that -- you guys can help each other. I know you don't plan to evacuate, so at least stay put somewhere where you're useful and safe.
Brilliant. Absolutely brilliant. Now people can misinterperet their religion in less time than normal.
With all due respect...
...STFU, Cindy. During the month of August, when Cindy Sheehan held her so-called vigil in Crawford, Texas and danced in her son's blood beneath the lights of the "un-biased" mainstream media's cameras, I remained silent. I did this out of respect for her right to stage her protest. Did I agree with her what she was saying? No, but I supported her right to protest nonetheless. As time wore on, it became clear that her "vigil" was nothing more than a grand media-whoring episode. Ms. Sheehan's activities transformed from being the public protest of a grieving mother into the Liberal Talking Point of the Day. It was no longer the grieving of her son, whom she lost in Iraq. It became a "Blame Bush For Everything That Goes Wrong In The World" fest. Ms. Sheehan blamed the death of her son on Bush's "war for the Jews," or the "illegal war for oil," etc. All of a sudden, in mid-sentence, it was about global warming and Kyoto, "stolen elections," or whatever else was determined to be the "gripe of the day." As the blood dance continued, I became disgusted with Ms. Sheehan's antics. She was using her son to become the public mouthpiece of every bit of half-baked leftist tripe fed to her by her masters at MoveOn.org. Still, I kept my silence out of respect for her right to freedom of speech. I can remain silent no longer; the hypocrisy has become too much to tolerate. Just as the military began to enter New Orleans, I made a joke about how some on the Left would complain about "Bush's unilateral invasion of New Orleans." Lo, and Behold: In her most recent blog entry at the Huffington Post, Ms. Sheehan calls for Bush to "...pull our troops out of occupied New Orleans and Iraq." Back the fuck right up here: " ...pull our troops out of occupied New Orleans...." What the royal fuck is this bullshit? First, people are complaining that Bush didn't send in the National Guard fast enough all the while completely ignorning the fact the president cannot dispatch military forces into an area without the permission of the state governor. Now, after the military has been dispatched to provide relief in the affected areas, it's being called an "occupation" of an American city. What are you doing to help, Ms. Sheehan? Are you on the ground with the troops providing food, water, and transportation out of the city? No. You're at "Camp Casey III," some 30 miles away, with your entourage, your makeup artists, your cameramen, and your puppetmasters. Ms. Sheehan, your antics have dishonored your son and the friends and comrades-in-arms who served with him in the military. Even worse, you have disgraced yourself and have brought embarassment to your entire family. If you possess even an ounce of shame, you will shut the fuck up and allow the "occupiers" of New Orleans to do the job they've been sent to do without your shrill and brainless accusations.
Iowahawk turns his blog over to Joshua Markos Mikos Atrios to get a the official Moonbat opinion on the Katrina Disaster: Every Little Bit Hurts
Iowahawk Special Guest Commentary
by
For the Angels of Indignation
Two weeks ago, millions of Americans watched in horror as the city of New Orleans was savaged by the relentless, pollution-fueled fury of Hurricane Katrina. Later, we witnessed the human rights atrocity as George Bush's incompetent racist henchmen dynamited the levees, unleashing a tidal wave of contaminated Halliburton turdwater which forced thousands of our fellow citizens to flee into the dank slave ship-like bowels of the Superdome.
Now, as the floodwaters recede, the survivors of Bush/Katrina face an even greater danger: the danger of complacency. Even as you read this, Chimpy's pals in FEMA and the Red Cross are buying off evacuees with food and cheap blankets and debit cards, slowly robbing the survivors of God's most precious gift -- the gift of focused political rage.
The statistics are staggering. If we do not act soon, tens of thousands of Katrina victims will soon succumb to false hope. Many will return to Louisiana and begin rebuilding, lacking even the most basic idea of BushCo's culpability. Worse, many other poor and minority survivors will remain where they are, anonymously absorbed into the overwhelmingly Repugnican districts that were suspiciously ready to "set up" evacuee "help" "centers."
That's why we in the online progressive community have teamed up to form the Angels of Indignation, a new charity dedicated to getting the survivors of Bush/Katrina disaster back off their feet and on the road to class action. Angels of Indignation is proudly supported by a coalition of some of the top reality-based political sites -- sites like FrenzyBloc, RetardedChimp, Don't Bogart That Truth, BushTard, ConspiraScream, Puke Uprising, Dubyacide, Sanity Underground, Zit Popper, ScreamPukeRageScream, Screamette, and my own online community diary, The Daily Shriek.
Together, we represent the "can-do" sites that millions of progressives like you turn to for clear, level-headed political insight and activism to help you survive the coming holocaust schemes of the Rupugnican Xtian Jihadis in Washington. And now, we are asking for your financial help on behalf of the needy people of New Orleans and the Gulf Coast. As you think about your decision, please consider just a few of the things Angels of Indignation can achieve with your one-time contribution of $100 :
* 1000 printed leaflets to inform survivors about Cheney and Rumsfeld's secret ties with the Klan
* Enough red plastic kegger cups to equip over 100 Sean Penn flood rescue safaris
* Limo service to whisk the Reverend Al Sharpton from the airport straight to a waiting French Quarter video news appearance
* A flack jacket for an emergency MoveOn voter registration worker
* Over 25 hours of video tape for a cadaver-hunting camera crew
* Enough reserve battery packs to power 3 protest bullhorns for 24 hours
* Enough bottled water and mints to supply an emergency 2-day Duke University hurricane racism symposium
* Thousands of more important fundraising emails like this one
And that's just for $100; just think of what larger contributions can accomplish! For example, your generous gift of $1000 will make a thoughtful campaign donation for a needy progressive Senator on an important investigative committee; a Founder's Level gift of $10,000 will retain a top plaintiff's attorney for almost two days.
Whatever level you choose, your gift will prove the cynics wrong: sometimes a tragedy can bring out the best in people, as we all unite in a joyous harmony of blame. So please, give what you can, whether it is $10,000, $100, or even $1. In the fight against premature Hurricane recovery, every single bit hurts the cause of the illegal BushCo regime.
PS - remember, your gift is probably completely tax deductable. At least according to Al Franken and the Air America lawyers.
Once again, Tom Delay opens his mouth, and absolutely nothing remotely resembling reality comes out. In this case. Mr. Delay says that all possible fat has been cut out of the federal budget. Let's look at this laughable claim: DeLay declares 'victory' in war on budget fat
By Amy Fagan and Stephen Dinan
THE WASHINGTON TIMES
September 14, 2005
House Majority Leader Tom DeLay said yesterday that Republicans have done so well in cutting spending that he declared an "ongoing victory," and said there is simply no fat left to cut in the federal budget.
Mr. DeLay was defending Republicans' choice to borrow money and add to this year's expected $331 billion deficit to pay for Hurricane Katrina relief. Some Republicans have said Congress should make cuts in other areas, but Mr. DeLay said that doesn't seem possible.
"My answer to those that want to offset the spending is sure, bring me the offsets, I'll be glad to do it. But nobody has been able to come up with any yet," the Texas Republican told reporters at his weekly briefing.
Asked if that meant the government was running at peak efficiency, Mr. DeLay said, "Yes, after 11 years of Republican majority we've pared it down pretty good."
Read the rest here. What utter bullshit. I can think of several ways fat can be trimmed from the federal budget:
- Slash welfare.
- Slash Social(ist) Security.
- Abolish the EPA, DEA, NEA, FDA, FCC, BATF, IRS and many others in the alphabet soup.
- Make it so that our so-called "representatives" can't vote themselve a pay raise every year.
- Impose term limits on politicians so they don't become entrenched mouthpieces for special interests.
- Stop giving out free money (aka "foreign aid") to every country that holds their hands out - especially ones that support terrorism, such as Saudi Arabia, Egypt, Syria, etc.
- Stop paying 25% of the UN's total budget. Better yet, either withdrawl from or abolish this modern-day League of Nations.
- Cut all the rampant pork that gets attached to many bills in Congress.
- Elect a president who will actually use the presidential veto power once in a while.
I can think of many more places where the fat can be cut from the budget, but I'd be here all day listing them.
Update
Over the weekend, my good friend Vulture 6 and I went to pick up our other good friend Brian from Memento Moron who has flown in from Oregon to assist in the Katrina relief efforts. We hung out for a while after that. Yesterday, I went to Lake Charles to visit my sister, who is still in the hospital there in Lake Charles. All things considered, she's doing very well. There's a good possibility she'll be released to go home sometime this week.
Dear NYT
Go fuck yourselves. Signed, Pissed Off Houstonian Two versions of NY Times article paint different pictures of Houston
by Tom Abrahams
ABC13 Eyewitness News
(9/06/05 - HOUSTON) — You've likely heard the saying that there are two sides to every story. But there's an interesting twist to that adage. A world-renowned newspaper apparently found two stories are better than one when it comes to Houston's efforts in the wake of Katrina.
Houston is home to the largest relief shelter in American history. From donating shelter, clothes, and food to making room in its schools, the city and its people have given of themselves.
So who could find anything bad to say about Houston? Apparently the New York Times could, which on Tuesday printed an article about Houston's response to Katrina in two different newspapers. In one, the article seems relatively even handed. But in the other, some say it is overly critical, ill-timed, and in poor taste.
In the Times, there's an above-the-fold article by Houston-based reporter Simon Romero. And apparently what's in the Times is not all the news that's fit to print.
In The International Herald Tribune published by the Times in Paris, Romero's article is on page 15 and it begins with a line not in the Times, which reads "No one would accuse this city of being timid in the scramble to profit from the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina."
It later contends, "A surge of business activity in Houston might lift the fortune of a city that is still struggling to recover from the collapse of Enron and two decades of job cuts in the energy industry."
Both papers compared a Houston real estate company to ambulance chasers for offering special financing to hurricane victims.
"Houston isn't profiteering," contends Houston Mayor Bill White. "I found it remarkable that you'd have a publication that has two different versions of an article about Houston. Looks to me like some editor wanted an angle to put on a piece."
"This article did not help our image across the world," says Massey Villareal with the Great Houston Partnership.
Villareal runs economic development for both the Greater Houston Partnership and the Governor Rick Perry. He read both articles.
"I think it's hogwash," he said. "I don't know why anybody would want to print anything negative about the situation now."
The reporter who wrote the article referred me to New York and as of mid-afternoon, the times offered no explanation as to why the same article had two very different takes.
The people who survived Katrina say you just can't understand what's going on in their home towns unless you've been there. And when you look at those same people get the help they need in a city not their home, maybe that sentiment applies to Houston, too.
Late Tuesday, a spokesperson for the New York Times told us the two online versions can differ because of different deadlines, but that, "The two versions are not substantially different. The thesis is the same: that Houston is benefiting from the situation in New Orleans."
(Copyright © 2005, KTRK-TV) In edit:Here are the links to both the domestic version and the international versions of the same article. Notice that both articles were written by the same author. "Domestic" version. "International" version.
More comment spam
And more banned IP addresses. If you can't post here because of it, then you know the drill.
Update
Got a call from Mike earlier. Star is being transferred from the hospital in Georgia to Moss Regional Hospital in Lake Charles.
Lies, and the Lying Liars Who Tell Them
So long, Little Buddy
Bob Denver, best known for his role as Gilligan from Gilligan's Island, has passed away.
From the "Oops" Files
Race-baiting asswipe and graduate of the Dan Rather School Of Journalism Randall Robinson has admitted his "cannibalism" claim was made out of whole cloth and has published a retraction after having been caught is a bold-faced lie. RETRACTION: The claim in the first sentence in my post was incorrect. I had been told this was happening, but these claims have turned out to be unsubstantiated. I therefore retract them -- but stand behind everything else I wrote without reservation.
Bush is Responsible for Cannibalism
Shamelessly stolen from Vulture 6.
No, seriously it’s true. I read it on the internet
Randall Robinson, in a piece for The Huffington Post, that President Bush forced Blacks in New Orleans to eat dead people.
Before we address his article, we would like to ask the Huffington Post what kind of editorial process, if any, do they have?
Robinson: I have an article I want you to post
HuffPost: Um, OK, is it factual?
Robinson: well… um, uh…
Huffpost: well, does it at least blame Bush for something?
Robinson: That is does!
Huffpost: Go ahead and put it up.
I think someone over there should for at least look at what goes up in their name.
"It is reported that black hurricane victims in New Orleans have begun eating corpses to survive. Four days after the storm, thousands of blacks in New Orleans are dying like dogs. No-one has come to help them."
Reported where? What is the link? Please cite your source.
Four days? These people can’t eat for four days before resorting to cannibalism? The storm hit Monda, food was arriving on Friday, hundreds of stores were looted “for food” in the meantime, you are saying that they had to eat bodies to survive?
Again, we ask, WHAT IS YOUR SOURCE?
"I am a sixty-four year old African-American. New Orleans marks the end of the America I strove for."
What does your race have anything to do with your point in this "paragraph”? is the America that you strove impossible because you are 64 years old?
I am a thirty-seven year old diabetic. No, Mr. Robinson I doubt this America, which you vowed to quit, and by the way, have not done so yet, is the racist America you wanted to build. (Do you see how we linked to our source there, Mr. Robinson? That is so our readers will find our arguments more credible when they read them)
"I am hopeless. I am sad. I am angry against my country for doing nothing when it mattered."
On the first two points we whole heartedly agree. On the third, we have to agree once again about your anger but regarding the rest, we disagree. America is doing something. Americans are doing a lot of things. From giving money to donating supplies to opening enrolment at schools for displaced children. America, maybe not the racially divided one you pine for but America is responding and doing something.
"This is what we have come to. This defining watershed moment in America’s racial history. For all the world to witness. For those who’ve been caused to listen for a lifetime to America’s ceaseless hollow bleats about democracy. For Christians, Jews and Muslims at home and abroad. For rich and poor. For African-American soldiers fighting in Iraq. For African-Americans inside the halls of officialdom and out."
How the hell is this a watershed moment in America’s racial history? Is it because you want to use this as a further wedge between our races? We see rescue workers of all colors on the ground in New Orleans. We see victims of all colors in New Orleans. We see AMERICANS of all colors donating money, food, cleaning product, diapers, and their time and love to the people of New Orleans. How is this racial thing?
As for the rest of your “paragraph” it is just a collection of sentence fragments. We can not figure out what the point is. If taken in context with the first sentence, there is no logic in the flow of the paragraph. If taken by themselves, well, again what it the point?
"My hand shakes with anger as I write. I, the formerly un-jaundiced human rights advocate, have finally come to see my country for what it really is. A monstrous fraud."
We have no doubt you shake in anger. You should get help, anger leads to stress. Hypertension is one of the leading medical killers of African-Americans, plewase seek help. The only fraud here is you. You wish to see hate and oppression, you can not look beyond your own frame of reference to the good that is happening; you can only see racial strife. Again, we offer the suggestion that you do seek help for your anger.
"But what can I do but write about how I feel. How millions, black like me, must feel at this, the lowest moment in my country’s story."
You could get up and come to Houston and cook for the homeless, you could go to Mississippi and help clear damage, you could go help remove boddies in New Orleans, Biloxi, or Gulf Port, you could write a check to the red cross, or if that offends you to a Black Church here in Houston to help them fund thier releif efforts. There are many things you could do other than stoking the fires of a racial hatred.
Mennonite Disaster Service - revisted
I'm going to do something I rarely do: make a plug for a religious organization. Make a donation to the Mennonite Disaster Service. They have a reputation for being very efficient in disaster relief programs. Say what you will, but I would trust these guys far more than the politically-minded bureaucrats running the Red Cross or the Salvation Army.
WASHINGTON (Reuters) - U.S. Supreme Court Chief Justice William Rehnquist died on Saturday at his home in Arlington, Virginia, after battling thyroid cancer since October, a court spokeswoman said. Rehnquist, 80, had experienced "a precipitous decline in his health in the last couple of days," and died in the evening surrounded by his three children, court spokeswoman Kathy Arberg said. Rehnquist's death creates a second opening on the court, following the announced retirement of Justice Sandra Day O'Connor.
Comment Spam
Ok, folks. I just finished cleaning up a bunch of comment spam. As I promised in April, I have banned the entire subnet the spammer was using from my comments and my trackback sections. If you are unable to post because of this, email me, and I'll think about considering the possibility of pondering whether or not to remove or lessen the ban.
Update
Just got a call from Mike. Star has been moved to a hospital in Monroe, Georgia. She had to leave her cell phone in N.O. - (don't ask why) - so I don't currently have a direct line of communication to her. I do know, however, that she's doing well.
How not to conduct a fundraiser
Hat tip: Malkin. Watch this. You could almost hear checkbooks across the nation slamming shut.
What's next for the Big Easy?
So far, we have seen the following:
- Hurricane.
- Levee breach.
- Rioting and looting.
- Assaults on rescue teams.
- Explosions and fires.
- Massive oil spill.
The only thing missing here is Godzilla. The situation in N.O. is looking more and more like a game of SimCity with the Disaster Level set on "Insane."
On a more personal note
Without any power in the New Orleans hospital where my sister has been located, Star has been unable to recharge her cell phone. As a result of this, I have no new information as to her whereabouts or to her condition. At last contact, she was saying she would be transferred to either Baton Rouge, Lake Charles, or Houston. I'll update when I get more information.
Good Luck
The reservist unit in which my good friend Nicki is currently serving is being deployed into the war zone known as New Orleans. Good luck and take care.
Governor Blanco of Louisiana has just given the order to use any means needed to bring order to New Orleans. About damn time. 02/09/2005 01:51 BATON ROUGE (AFP)
Iraq-tested soldiers in New Orleans with shoot to kill orders
A detachment of 300 Arkansas National Guard troops landed in anarchic New Orleans on Thursday, with the authorization to shoot and kill "hoodlums" Louisiana Governor Kathleen Blanco said.
"Three hundred of the Arkansas National Guard have landed in the city of New Orleans," said Blanco.
"These troops are fresh back from Iraq, well trained, experienced, battle tested and under my orders to restore order in the streets," Blanco said.
"They have M-16s and they are locked and loaded.
"These troops know how to shoot and kill and they are more than willing to do so if necessary and I expect they will," said Blanco.
Sniper fire?
There are unconfirmed reports that University Hospital in N.O. is taking sniper fire which has halted evacuation efforts. FYI: University Hospital is where my sister is currently holed up.
Y'know....
I'm really getting tired of reading all the leftist venues such as DailyKos and AmericaBlog blaming Bush for the devastation caused by Katrina. I'm not Bush's biggest fan, but I think he's doing the right thing here: staying out of the way and letting people do their jobs. There's no need for anyone, especially the president, to run to a camera every time there's a new development in a situation.
Truman headed to the Gulf
More Navy Ships Headed to the Gulf CoastSep 01 10:24 AM US/Eastern By LOLITA C. BALDOR Associated Press Writer WASHINGTON The aircraft carrier USS Harry S. Truman was heading to the Gulf Coast Thursday to serve as a floating command center for Hurricane Katrina relief operations. The Truman and the dock landing ship USS Whidbey Island will join five other Norfolk-based Navy ships that were already under way or in the Gulf as part of the Defense Department contingent being deployed to the stricken region. In addition, a fast combat support ship based at Naval Station Earl in New Jersey was expected to arrive in the Gulf later Thursday, and there were plans to bring in a rescue and salvage ship to assist with underwater surveys. Marine Corps spokeswoman Capt. Gabrielle Chapin said the Marine Corps Air Station at New River, N.C., had dispatched six CH-53 and two CH-46 transport helicopters to the Gulf Coast, although she did not have more details. At least 120 Marines were headed to the area from New River, Chapin said. Also, Lt. Col. Bob Thompson, spokesman for Air Force Reserve Command, said volunteer pilots and crews were flying C-130 transports and HH-60 helicopters from Reserve bases in Florida, Alabama and Texas to ferry medical supplies and bring in para-rescue airmen for search and rescue missions in the stricken region. The military's plans to assist with recovery efforts don't involve a large-scale shifting of U.S. troops from Afghanistan or Iraq, a spokesman for the U.S. Central Command said Thursday. But the Pentagon is looking at ways to bring home from the war zones individual service members whose families suffered from the hurricane and need their help, said Lt. Col. Trey Cate, based in Qatar.
A friendly word of warning
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