Look out, Straussians about

Billmon has a good post/review on Shadia Drury’s book: Leo Strauss and the American Right;

The rationale – or rationalization – for the populist ploy is that the common folk are a hell of a lot less liberal (again, using the Enlightenment definition of the word) than what the Straussians like to call America’s “parchment regime” – that is, the ideas and principles enshrined in the Declaration of Independence and the U.S. Constitution. The masses want their opium, in other words, and with the right guidance, will happily sweep away the liberal elites who have been denying it to them.

As Mykeru has been posting on, with all this chit-chat about ripping up the "parchment", it seems like a good time to sort your fightin' tools. Me? I don't think so. Won my last fight by a hundred metres.

Raison d'etre

roy edroso;

Some idiots, like myself, do it with only mild recompense from confused Blogad shoppers who perhaps picked a handful of sites from top of an alphabetical list, and some bloggers get nothing from it but the satisfaction of knowing that unseen dozens of bored office workers now know what the blogger had for dinner last night, what sort of stool the dinner engendered, and the blogger's thoughts on Faulkner and the Law of the Sea.

Hmm, some great ideas for post topics.

Iraq government formed

However, al-Jafari failed to name permanent ministers to five ministries - oil, defence, electricity, industry and human rights - underlining just how divided the new leaders are over the shape of the government.

The acting oil minister will be Ahmad Chalabi, a Shia once close to the Pentagon, and the acting defence minister will be al-Jafari.

Chalabi, eh? What the F*ck? I thought he was tainted as a collaborator.

Update: The cabinet comprises 16 Shias, eight Kurds, five Sunnis, one Christian and one Turkman. Six portfolios are yet to be allocated.

Russian reflux

Combined Forces Command - Afghanistan
Coalition Press Information Center (Public Affairs)

BAGRAM AIRFIELD, Afghanistan - A U.S. Soldier was killed Tuesday when insurgents ambushed his unit while it conducted a patrol northwest of the town of Deh Rahwood in Uruzgan Province.

The Soldier was medically evacuated to the forward surgical team in Tarin Kowt where he was pronounced dead by medical personnel. His remains were transported to Kandahar Airfield for movement back to the United States.

No other Coalition or Afghan forces were injured in the ambush.

A memorial ceremony was held this morning at Kandahar Airfield. The name of the deceased is being withheld pending notification of next of kin.

Apparently women in Afghanistan have a much improved lifestyle, since the fall of the Taleban.

I remember seeing an article in a glossy fashion mag a couple of years ago, about a beauty school being set-up in Kabul. I assume it is still there... and 'teaching'.

Hero-Warrior worship

A moment ago, the drunk kids (alright, they're a day or two over 18) in the house down the road are listening to somebody play 'The Last Post' on a trumpet (quite well, too) and are 'woo-ing' and 'yeah-ing'.

They must love the stories of blood in the water and swollen corpses teeming with maggots. As I do. Woo-hoo.

Good round-up post from Wayne Wood, When will we ever learn?

Split the difference

Ken Parish comments on falling Global temperatures;

That means we should take modest, considered action to moderate CO2 emissions, but extreme, drastically growth-inhibiting measures simply aren't justified by the current state of knowledge and evidence. It would be a good idea for the US and Australia to ratify the Kyoto Protocol, and for carbon taxes and an international and domestic emissions credits trading system to be developed. And it's very important that the third world be required to sign up to Kyoto-style emission reduction targets. First world governments should also continue and expand funding for development of sustainable, non-carbon energy sources (e.g. hydrogen).

But that's about as far as it goes. There's certainly no overwhelming case for major conversion to nuclear energy, at least until generation costs come down and waste disposal and proliferation problems can be more securely managed.

At this point, my simple little brain is siding with the 'Nuclear, are you nuts!?!' argument. Though I'm sure as soon as the heavyweights (Lambert & Quiggin) step in and commence discussions, I'll be left in the dark (and their dust).

Criminal incompetence

Double trouble for Halliburton

The new overcharges bring to $2 billion, or 42% of the contract amounts, the grand total of questionable bills from Halliburton.
...

In letters to government auditors, Halliburton subsidiary Kellogg, Brown & Root (KBR) explained that it redacted statements it considered proprietary or "factually inaccurate or misleading" and gave consent for the release of the audits to international auditors "in redacted form". The administration then sent the heavily edited report to the IAMB.

For f*cks sake. This is just too predictable. Corrupt politicians who were former employees (and not mere executive level shit-kickers), current employees obviously corrupted by the money (like previous employees turned pollies) and a level of 'incompetence' which could not occur without really working at it.

To top it off, these c*nts get rich by swindling public funds while other folks are having limbs blown off, killing civilians and being killed.

War profiteering. Poor form.

Nuclear secrets

Nuclearfiles;

Timeline

Age of Discovery
From Leucippus in 500 BC postulating the theory of atoms and void to Einstein's theory of relativity.

1930's
In the 1930's key discoveries are made about the fissioning of atoms by Enrico Fermi, Otto Hahn, Fritz Strassmann and Lise Meitner. These lay the groundwork for the development of nuclear weapons in the next decade.

1940's
The United States' Manhattan Project builds and tests the first atomic bombs. The new weapons are used on Hiroshima, then Nagasaki leading to the end of World War II. The beginning of the Cold War follows with the USSR's detonation of a atomic bomb in 1949.

1950's
The Korean War opens this decade that sees the first space travel by human beings, the construction of bomb shelters and the deployment of the first Intercontinental Ballistic Missiles by the United States in 1958.

1960's
France and China join the "Nuclear Club". The Cuban Missile Crisis brings the world to the brink of a nuclear war and back. In 1968 an unpopular war in Vietnam and the rise of social demonstration across the world present the backdrop for the Non-Proliferation Treaty in which the nuclear powers promise to bring about complete nuclear disarmament.

I haven't sniffed around the whole place, yet. So far, couldn't find a mention of Israel's nukes. Not to worry, I'm sure they'll update their info soon enough.

Just following orders

Senior US army officers cleared of abusing prisoners

The only senior army officer recommended for punishment for the failures that led to abuses at the Abu Ghraib prison is Brig Gen Janis L. Karpinski, who was in charge of US prison facilities in Iraq in late 2003 and early 2004.

Scapegoating the World.

Proper gander

Kurt Nimmo;

Notice how it is now a foregone conclusion that Abu Musab Zarqawi—who was reported killed some time ago—is “al Qaeda’s leader in Iraq.” (Gertz tells us Abu is “formally” linked to al-Qaeda.) If the corporate media “reports” spurious “facts” long enough, they simply become gospel. “We were basically paying up to $10,000 a time to opportunists, criminals and chancers who passed off fiction and supposition about Zarqawi as cast-iron fact, making him out as the linchpin of just about every attack in Iraq,” a military intelligence agent told Adrian Blomfield of the UK Telegraph last year. “Back home this stuff was gratefully received and formed the basis of policy decisions. We needed a villain, someone identifiable for the public to latch on to, and we got one.”

I grew up with the constant threat of the U.S. and the U.S.S.R. on a knife-edge, teetering brinkmanship which may have turned to descending fingers on buttons.

It didn't happen, then anyway.

Now, we have the threat from swarthy characters lurking in war ravaged Iraqi cities, carrying dirty bombs in backpacks.

Scary stuff.

Invade Iran, I reckon.

Precise statement

Twelve Afghan 'militants' killed

At least 12 suspected militants have been killed in a clash with US-led coalition troops in south-eastern Afghanistan, the US military says.

US forces responded with artillery fire and dropped two 500lb bombs from warplanes.

US army Lt Col Robert Cornejo said: "These [militant] rocket attacks are, by their nature, indiscriminate. They attack not only our forces but innocent civilians as well. This seems to be the norm with insurgent rocket attacks."

So, dropping bombs from the sky should not be considered indiscriminate? Got it.

Death of a mercenary

A former member of the Australian Army working as a private security guard in Iraq has been killed in a roadside attack in Baghdad.

There are thought to be as many as several hundred Australians working as security guards in Iraq - some of them former SAS members - and 10,000 to 20,000 foreign security contractors in all.

Spewin'. I know my job wasn't worth dying for. Guess it doesn't matter how much the pay is. Still, I'm sure these guys couldn't live without the rush of throwing themselves into dangerous situations. Addicted to the rush. Perhaps we can look at this like another OD.

Feel better about it, now?

Killer Bloggers

Kurt Nimmo;

But never mind guys spewing hatred toward people of color from remote rural compounds. Last year “eco-terrorism—acts of violence, sabotage or property damage motivated by concern for animals or the environment—was the nation’s top domestic terrorism threat,” not gun-toting Nazi wannabes robbing banks or Christian zealots blowing up abortion clinics.

A new enemy is identified. A new war to fight. You're either with us or with the 'net surfers.

Morally objectionable work

edwardpig;

While various state legislatures are considering legislation which would explicitly support a pharmacist's right to refuse to fill prescriptions to which s/he has a moral objection, here are other possible conscience clauses for them to consider:

* The right of Catholic waiters/waitresses to refuse to serve meat on Fridays.
* The right of Jewish waiters/waitresses to refuse to serve pork or cheeseburgers.
* The right of Jewish supermarket workers to refuse to restock or sell pork products.
* The right of Hindu waiters/waitresses to refuse to serve meat or alcohol.
* The right of Hindu supermarket workers to refuse to restock or sell meat or alcohol.
* The right of vegan waiters/waitresses and supermarket workers to refuse to restock or sell any animal products of any kind.

...

I refuse to do my job when the surf is 6 foot and the wind light off-shore.

The wait of your life

Following his fourth (at least) visit, Andrew Bartlett describes Baxter detainees;

From the figures given to us today 1 person (Peter Qasim) in Baxter has been in immigration detention in Australia since 1998, 7 since 1999, 43 since 2000, 46 since 2001, 8 since 2002, 17 since 2003 and the rest more recently.

The fact that this sh*t (detention) works on Australian voters is absolutely shameful.

Killer Catholics

Maxspeak;

RATZINGER

Oh great. Pope Wingnut the First.

"To have a clear faith according to the church's creed is today often labeled fundamentalism," he said, "while relativism, letting ourselves be carried away by any wind of doctrine, appears as the only appropriate attitude for the today's times. A dictatorship of relativism is established that recognizes nothing definite and leaves only one's own ego and one's own desires as the final measure."

Keep your Church out of my state.

UPDATE: This man is going to be a huge pain in the ass. The quote above looks like it was written around the corner from me, at the American Enterprise Institute. It's part of the rightist moral conceit we've been getting for years from sinners like Bill Bennett and Newt Gingrich.

Roy Edroso; WANNABES. Membership has its privileges, but so too has apostasy, and this alumnus of a working-class Catholic grammar school and a Jesuit prep is getting a great kick out of the present Popemania.

I love Blogs, you can let much wiser and holders of heaps more wit speak for you merely through association by link.

Check, check 1, 2....

Tim Dunlop's Road to Surfdom is back (in MT 'safety' mode, much to his chagrin) with a post requesting for directions to the pros and cons of Nuclear Power.

The comments seem kind of naive. I wouldn't know, being completely ignorant about the subject.

I don't like the idea of 'The World' stampeding to a particular solution for the provision of power. I'm thinking of lots of eggs and very few baskets. Perhaps only one basket.

Diversify, man.

I believe we have enough nuclear reactors on this little planet of ours.

Almost too quiet...

Lieutenant General David Barno said militants would look to score a "propaganda victory" by staging attacks aimed at generating significant media coverage.

You rang?

The pre-dawn blast destroyed one of the trucks parked outside Kandahar airbase - a major US military base in southern Afghanistan - and caused four others to catch fire, said General Muslim Hamid, army corps commander for Kandahar province.

There has been heaps of reports recently about a 'resurgent Taliban'. It may be fact or it could be psy-ops (from which side, I have no idea). This may be the first sign.

What is it good for?

War veteran backs anti-government advertisement

The RSL reckons it is dangerous to misappropriate the 'Anzac spirit' for a particular cause, such as attacking the Government.

"Anzac day is for all Australians and particularly those who fought in any of the wars that Australia was involved in," he told reporters in Melbourne.

"Any of those Australians has the right to say what he wants to say on Anzac Day if it involves him and his experiences."

Nice smack down and a bit of schoolin' along with it.

John Jones obviously isn't much of a fan of John Howard and/or his Government;

Mr Jones defended his fellow soldiers who have appeared in the ads saying the federal government's attitude was not in the "Anzac spirit" and Prime Minister John Howard was not welcome at their Anzac Day parade.

Imagine a crowd of Diggers turning their backs on Howard?

Defini-mi-tion... huh?

My partner's Grandad served his country in World War II. He once told me a story of when they finished their job in a particular theatre and jumped on ships to head for the next. A couple of hours into their journey, enemy bombers attacked. 8 ships sunk, hundreds, likely thousands, dead. The ship convoy turned around and returned to their original departure point to undertake repairs.

He managed to communicate to his wife back home, "I'm alright, survived the attack," he wrote.

Her response was that she was optimistic when hearing of the attack, local reports stated that no ships were sunk, lives lost minimal. Oblivious.

U.S. eliminates annual terrorism report

The Counter Terrorism Blog was there first with this post;

Goodbye patterns of Global Terrorism?

It is tough to argue we are winning the war on terrorism when the numbers in the official Government report will show the largest number of incidents ever recorded since the State Department started reporting on terrorist incidents. In the Secretary's defense, however, the sharp jump in numbers has more to do with a change in methodololgy of counting rather that an actual surge in Islamic extremist activity. In fact, if you take time to parse the numbers, the actual scope of terrorism by Islamic extremists in 2004 appeared to decline relative to the attacks during 2003 (except for Iraq). Rather than run from the numbers the State Department and the Intelligence Community should seize the opportunity to really get their hands around the issue and provide Congress and the American people with a clear, apolitical assessment about the reality of the terrorist threat we face.

The dumb c*nts just wouldn't understand and too much nuance would be required to convey the reality. Not a Bush Govt tactic, they've spent too much on 'simplifying' discussions and ridiculing political opponents who don't.

Seattle Times report via.

Dead strangers

Mortar fire kills three US troops

Attacks against US forces have declined since Iraq held elections at the end of January, figures show. But more than 100 troops have died since February 1, including 20 this month.

Could you imagine the way these fella's died? I couldn't. Bled to death perhaps? Or more of a 'vital organs hangin' out of an existing orifice due to a powerful concussion'? Maybe it was a quick death.

Either way, it's hard work.

Book 'em, Danno!

Oil-for-food tycoons held in police swoop

A Texas tycoon, a British oil trader and his Bulgarian associate have been indicted by US authorities investigating the United Nations oil-for-food scandal.

Now for the culprits in Jordan and Turkey also responsible, only on a much larger scale, to be 'brought to justice' (say in corny movie voice-over stylee). These two countries are vital (at the moment) US allies, so we'll have to wait and see. I'm holding my breath, starting... now!

PS. Love a good police 'swoop'. Almost as good as a police 'haul', of drugs, usually.

Communists strive for historical accuracy

Thousands march on Japanese consulate in Shanghai

They certainly feel quite strongly about a bunch of school text books in another country. Strong enough to receive days off work to attend rallies via supplied bus in order to burn the Japanese flags they've been provided.

China is also opposed to Japan's drive for a permanent seat on the United Nations Security Council.

Oh.

66 to 6

Kurt Nimmo, Israeli Blackjack with Iran;

Here's a novel idea... if the flipping Israelis are so hot to invade (or at minimum bomb) Iran, let them do it themselves. Of course they will not do this since there are around 66 million Iranians and about 6 million Israelis, including a couple hundred thousand rabid settlers in the West Bank, Gaza, and the land Israel filched from Syria. Better to get the stupid Americans to do it, although it appears the Pentagon is not exactly chomping at the bit to invade Iran considering the mess in Iraq. So here we have Sharon and his mass murder advisor presenting Bush the Dumber with photos, obviously contrived since nobody can find nukes in Iran except the Israelis and their Neocon buddies, who are, just like the Likudites, demonstrated and practiced liars and deceivers, well tutored in making up fake "intelligence," as the Neocon lie factory, the Office of Special Plans, did in the lead up to mass murdering around 100,000 innocent Iraqis.

Off you go, have a read.

Serious threat to your.... freedom!

Juan Cole;

Many are suspicious that if he got the ministry, he would immediately purge it of ex-Baathists appointed in the interim regime of Iyad Allawi. Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld's recent warning against a purge of the ex-Baathists was believed directed at al-Amiri.

Get 'em, Rummy! Show 'em what you mean by freedom, democracy, stuff happens.

The diplomatic prick

World O'Crap (never short of stuff to write which perfectly fits the title, I'm sure);

John Bolton and the Intelligence Analysts

Back in 2002, Bolton, who was then the Undersecretary of State for Arms Control, wrote a speech he was planning on delivering to the Heritage Foundation. In the speech, Bolton claimed that Cuba had an offensive biological-weapons program, and was providing bio-weapons assistance to rogue regimes. Christian Westermann, the chief bio-weapons analyst in the State Department's Bureau of Intelligence and Research (INR), was asked to approve language in a Bolton speech.

Another Bush Govt appointee. Here we go again... "Ride the whirlpool!"

F*ckin' shills.

Was the Schiavo memo a fake?

No.

No it wasn't.

Martinez Staff Probes Memo Origin.

Wait, hang on... the Washington Times reported;

A survey by The Washington Times found that every Republican said the memo was not crafted or distributed by him or her.

Well then, seems Dan Rather was a mentor to many. It seems. Hmmm.

Dudes dig scars

Girl in the Locker Room! reports;

The FDA never had any longterm data on the safety of breast implants before licensing their sale to women. Now they're starting to get the stats, and it's not pretty. Ladies, are you aware: some 93 percent of silicone breast implants for reconstructive surgery will rupture within 10 years. And most implants for "enhancement" will also rupture within a decade, leaking non-biodegradable fluid into connective tissue.

Every now and again I think, "Make-up. Weird. On Women? NOW that.. is weird". But implants? Holy F*cking shit! They're braver men than I.

Whorin'

Lunch with the influential Tiny Tyrant:

Shout me a lunch at Machiavelli's or better yet, fork out 2 hunjy to attend TT's "Leaders of Yesterday, Today" seminar and you will receive a 2 to 25% discount on your next killer empathy purchase.

Give me Taser

Increased use of Tasers

A number of the stories in the Amnesty report involve police use of tasers on people who were already restrained, including two who were strapped to gurneys and on their way to, or already inside, hospitals. In one such case in Pueblo, Colo., "a police officer applied a taser to the man while he was restrained on a hospital bed, screaming for his wife," said Amnesty.
"That was a case where a rookie officer did not understand appropriate use of a taser," says Pueblo Police Chief Jim Billings. Although the incident involved a misunderstanding of policy, rather than maliciousness, he says, the officer received "a pretty heavy suspension."

Misunderstanding the policy? What are they saying, the policy is not to stop a man screaming for his wife, looking like a sook in public? Damned non-right wing, anti-pro-authoritarian, non-4wd driving luvvies.
No wonder I feel so emasculated due to my inability to sweet talk the princesses whom catch my eye and respond to my advances with a glazed look and a raised middle finger. Here I was, thinking it was my fault.

From hero to shill-o

Giuliani rips Ward Churchill;

Giuliani gave a talk on leadership as part of CU's Distinguished Speakers series. He raised the topic of Churchill after no one brought it up during a question-and-answer period following his talk.

...

Giuliani compared Churchill being on CU's faculty to having a geography teacher who believed the world is flat.

"He's entitled to that opinion, but you don't want him to be teaching geography, do you," Giuliani said.

Ha ha, way to make yourself look like a nutbag, champ. Keep spouting those talking points.

Via Kurt Nimmo.

Oh what a revival, Ta-li-ban!

Revival of the Taliban;

The vast majority of Taliban commanders retreated to Pakistan or adopted a low-profile private life in Afghan villages pending Mullah Omar finalizing a new guerrilla strategy similar to that adopted by the Iraqi resistance. The results of this are expected to manifest themselves within a few months.

M'eh, this is Musharraf's problem.. perhaps.

PS The title of this post should not be construed as being celebratory of the article.

And so on: Tom Engelhardt;

The U.S. military and our intelligence services have had a free hand in setting up various detention centers, prisons, and holding camps (where anything goes and no law rules) that add up to a foreign mini-gulag stuffed with prisoners, many not Afghan, beyond the reach of any court. Our fourteen airfields and growing network of bases and outposts are now to be "upgraded" as part of a 'strategic partnership" with an Afghan government that we put into power and largely control.

I wish I could go back to those blissful days prior to my reading of PNAC's 'Re-building America's Defenses'.

3 easy pieces

In the ensuing discussion thread of John Quiggin's post
at Crooked Timber, one Richard Cownie leaves this succinct comment;

It seems you can evaluate the Iraq war in at least
three different ways, and whichever way you prefer,
it’s a disaster:

1) Realpolitik. We’ve crippled the volunteer army,
spent a fortune, alienated many allies, and
created a situation which is likely to lead to
blowback – at worst a failed state, at best a
regime dominated by Shiite Islamists and friendly
to Iran.

2) Just War. Disproportionate harm, clearly not
a last resort – arms inspectors were at work,
weapons were being destroyed, negotiations were
very possible. Probable outcome worse than
what we started with (at least for Sunnis and
all women).

3) Humanitarian. Massively expensive, has killed
a lot of people. Infrastructure in terrible
condition – less electricity than pre-war,
higher infant malnutrition, massive crime.

Pro-war people like to play three-card monte with
these justifications, but it’s a failure on all
three.

Posted by Richard Cownie · April 6th, 2005 at 12:38 pm

Simple enough for my limited intellectual resource to follow.

Fanatics on the move

Palestinians gather to defend holy site

Organizers have said Sunday's event was a trial run for the summer's withdrawal, when they want to divert as many troops as possible from dismantling Jewish settlements in Gaza by forcing them to secure other areas, including al-Aqsa.

Whatever happens, I'm sure I'll be outraged and confused.

Cut and run

Up to 300,000 Demonstrate in Baghdad

Edmund Sanders reports that the crowds in downtown Baghdad protesting the US troop presence in the country may have been as large as 300,000. If it were even half that, these would be the largest popular demonstrations in Iraq since 1958!

Leave? I don't think so.

Inertia

Harry over at Scratchings;

I really wonder if the radical statists now caught up in emotional clamoring for torture law framework, rolling back protections against abuse by government and private power, and in favor of increasing amounts of executive power ever took a basic civics class. Their impulse seems to be to take an imperfect, often bad situation, and make it much, much worse; rather like children who destroy their toys completely when parts of them don't function the way mommy and daddy promised.

Synergy Update: Mithras;

It puts me in mind of a toddler with a favorite toy.

The Pope-a-lympics

Flicking around the tube (in an attempt to get away from bloggers crappin' about Catholic school days) I've just stumbled upon something which really, really irks me.

On Channel 9, Ray Martin, and team, are providing commentary for the Pope's funeral ceremony.

It ain't right. Not by a long shot.

The ABC are translating. Fair enough.

SBS give you the ceremony. No mess, no fuss.

The footy starts in 10 minutes or so. We should see a clear winner from that game.

Given the opportunity

F*ck Catholicism. While you're at it, f*ck your old Catholic school, too.

Felt the need to type this since reading so much unctuous crap from bloggers about the place.

I can almost hear them saying to themselves, "Gee, the Pope has carked it, how can I cash in?" Off they go, picking up their familiar old teddy bear, recalling their school days. So comforting.

Over it. Bury the f*cker and let's get back to the real world.

Kurt Nimmo on the reality of Iraq's WMD;

Fact of the matter is, Cheney and the Strausscons knew precisely what they were doing and that’s why they created the Office of Special Plans, essentially a lie factory designed to produce “Feith-based intelligence,” a malodorous bouquet of falsification and prevarication, a natural extension of “A Clean Break: A New Strategy for Securing the Realm,” a venomous shibboleth written for Israeli settler leader Benjamin Netanyahu by leading Strausscons Richard “Prince of Darkness” Perle, Douglas Feith, David Wurmser and his wife Meyrav. Naturally, none of this is mentioned in the Post article. Instead, we are told the CIA is to blame. Of course, the CIA deserves condemnation, but not for Strausscon lies.

Googlebomb: Michelle Malkin

Michelle Malkin
Michelle Malkin
Michelle Malkin
Michelle Malkin
Michelle Malkin
Michelle Malkin
Michelle Malkin
Michelle Malkin
Michelle Malkin
Michelle Malkin
Michelle Malkin
Michelle Malkin
Michelle Malkin

Snake like, turns and bites the holder

My only Pope-related post.

A couple of smart cookies in the comments of this post, War Montage Disrespectful To A Man Of Peace, at Newshounds;

Faux is once again combining disparate ideas in news media to weld them together in a new interpretation of reality. This widow's grief is being combined with viewer grief for the Pope so that Iraq will resonate as a necessary Holy War for viewers in years to come. They are masters of propaganda in so many ways. Faux is just sickening.

Posted by: Kent Brockman at April 5, 2005 12:35 AM

------------------------------------>

Exactly! Exactly! Exactly! What Fox perpetrated was a willful and utterly despicable propagandistic techniques. Kudos to whoever produced this segment - they sure know their eye-brain psychology and propaganda techniques!

Specifically, such juxtapositions are know as "Idea-Associative" montage sequeces (aka "The Kuleshov Effect") and they're very powerful. Such techniques were pioneered by the soviets in the early 20th century for the use in government propaganda films.

Nice to see techniques like Idea-Associative montage - which is esentially a form of brainwashing, being re-visited NOW - right here in the good old USA, courtesy of Fox News.

Posted by: BushIsOurRuination at April 5, 2005 07:26 AM

Saddam had WMD

Bush was right.

Cheney was right.

Iraq did have WMD.

Proof of Iraq's WMD (will be coming soon).

It will be worth it. Republican's will not look like the noughties Nazis.

Perfect prejudice

Homophobic crusader Graham Capill pleads guilty to pedophilia

This fits in perfectly with my idea of Invisible Cloud Buddy believers. Maybe I should campaign and agitate to have laws passed in order to persecute them?

Down with OSP

Maureen Dowd;

As the commission's co-chairman, Laurence Silberman, put it: "Our executive order did not direct us to deal with the use of intelligence by policy makers, and all of us were agreed that that was not part of our inquiry."

Huh? That's like an investigation into steroids in baseball that looks only at the drug companies, not the players who muscled up.

Not to mention the players chose their suppliers.

Oh well, those of us concerned about this issue should just 'get over it' and be thankful for the opportunities generated. The taste of freedom, unquenchable.

Loaded dice

From the Crikey email, an "anonymous insider" writes on the Australian Army's faulty equipment;

In the event, only one manufacturer was able to comply with the specifications. Combat Clothing spent nearly $8 million on this jacket. Interestingly, shortly after the contract was awarded, the technical officer who liaised directly with the various manufacturers resigned from Defence and began working for the company that won the contract.

Nice work if you can get it.

We have every colour, only blue

What kind of revolution is this?

Boris Kagarlitsky, director of the Institute for Globalization Studies in Moscow, offers a more nuanced explanation: "As soon as Washington realizes that popular dissent is rising in a country and that regime change is imminent, it immediately begins to seek out new partners among the opposition. The success of this policy owes in part to the widespread belief that you're better off enlisting shady characters' support than crossing swords with them. The money invested in the opposition by various [non-governmental organizations] is a sort of insurance policy, ensuring that regime change will not result in a change of course, and that if change is inevitable, it will not be radical."

I don't understand, somebody explain this to me.

Dissin a fat kid

Falling Iraq death toll cheers diplomats

Forty-one American military personnel died in March and American diplomats say this is an indicator that the insurgency may be easing.

F*ckin' well hope so.

Dropping bombs, spraying chemicals: Harmony

Washington prime suspect in deadly opium war

By morning his eyes were so swollen he could not open them and the sheep around him were dying in convulsions.
...

Some US officials, particularly those in international narcotics and law enforcement, have for months advocated aerial spraying to control the problem.

The drug division.

The whole system is out of order!

Brazil massacre: 'rogue police' suspected

The gunmen then cruised to Queimados, where they killed another 12 people in two separate shootings.

Hmm, makes you think.