I’ve shut down comments and trackbacks temporarily. Over the past 12 hours, I’ve been pummelled to death with SPAM from (what appears to be) a single server. Hopefully they’ll get tired of the bounce backs and I’ll be able to reopen soon.
Sorry.
UPDATE: OK, it’s been 36 hours or so. I’ll open things back up and see if it’s safe.
The blog is pretty weak today. Too many things got in the way, and now it’s late and that’s that. I’m leaving for Germany on Saturday and will be attending the Frankfurt Book Fair in the middle of the week. I’ll be in Munich before that. Travel prep has a way of shifting priorities, and there is no way to avoid the extra time needed to align the ducks properly. It won’t get any better before I leave either. So, it’s hard to know what the blog will look like between now and then. Just a mild warning.
Yeah, OK, so I did it. I drank the Kool-Aid.
Gerhard Schroeder is a sore loser.
Outgoing German Chancellor Gerhard Schroeder has aimed a broadside at US President George W. Bush, saying Hurricane Katrina showed what happened when a state neglected its duty.
Schroeder made his comments in a speech to a trade union in Hanover on Wednesday in which he warned of the dangers of eroding the welfare functions of the state.
“I can think of a recent disaster that shows what happens when a country neglects its duties of state towards its people,” said Schroeder, who will soon cede his post to conservative rival Angela Merkel.
“My post as chancellor, which I still hold, does not allow me to name that country but you all know that I am talking about America,” Schroeder said to laughter and applause.
Whatever.
Gerhard, it’s time for you to go.
Al Gore says he has no plans to run for president again. Riiight.
“I have absolutely no plans and no expectations of ever being a candidate again,” said Gore, who lost the 2000 election to President Bush.
However, Gore did not completely shut the door to political endeavors.
“I don’t completely rule out some future interest, but I don’t expect to have that,” he said during a visit to Sweden.
Al, we’re on to you.
Why do politicians play this game? More importantly, why does the MSM constantly publish these non-denial denials? It’s so boring.
What’s good for the goose is good for the gander, I guess.
The legal battle between Rep. Tom DeLay (search) and a Texas district attorney continued on Tuesday as DeLay’s attorneys subpoenaed the prosecutor to try to show that he acted improperly with grand jurors.
The filings made in Austin late in the day accuse Texas District Attorney Ronnie Earle (search) of misconduct and call for him and two of his assistants to appear in court to explain their conduct.
Heh. Like two little kids on the playground.
Fox News posts PDF documents of the brief in support of motion to quash indictment, a letter to Ronnie Earle, and the petition for disclosure.
Laura Bush was interviewed by Matt Lauer on the Today Show this morning and was asked if she thought sexism might be playing a role in the controversy surrounding the nomination of Harriet Miers. Mrs. Bush took the bait, and agreed with Lauer.
“It’s possible. I think that’s possible. . . . I think people are not looking at her accomplishments.”
Did Mrs. Bush intentionally bring the subject of sexism into the Miers debate? Anyone who interviews the president or his wife has to present their line of questioning to advisors ahead of time. Did Matt Lauer plan to ask the sexism question and did the White House agree that it was legitimate? One would have to believe that they did. Otherwise, Lauer would be getting spanked right now by press-secretary Scott McClellan for his inappropriate line of questioning and about how sexism isn’t a part of the debate over Miers. Well, we don’t have the push back. So…now the real question is, does the president believe that a majority of conservatives reject Harriet Miers because she’s a woman? Is the White House really trying to turn the Miers matter into a discuss of sexism?
Is anyone at 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue paying attention to people like William Kristol, Charles Krauthammer, John Fund? Isn’t there someone following the evolution of this debate in the blogosphere?
Helloooooo?
The Miers issue is not one of sexism. The issue is perception. The cronyism argument is a perception. Miers lack of a judicial record leads to a perception that she won’t be able to navigate the unique waters of the Supreme Court. Her lack of gravitas leads to a perception that she’ll be weak when it comes to high caliber cases like Row.
In dozens of ways, conservative columnists, bloggers, and cable TV news pundits have been telegraphing their discontent with Miers. The problem is PERCEPTION, and due to the lack of a relevant record on Miers, the White House hasn’t been able to address this, nor have they thought they needed to.
Time has run out. Minds have been made up. The cow is not only out of the barn, it’s 50 miles down the road and the White House is sound asleep.
Terrorism doesn’t have to result in the death of humans, the destruction of buildings, or the hijacking of airplanes. A simple threat of terrorism can be just as effective. CNN reports today that our informant in Iraq admits information about a terror plot against the New York City subway was a hoax. By putting out false information, New York City was disrupted, people avoided their normal daily routines, the public walked around afraid of what ‘might’ happen…
It’s exactly what the terrorists want. They want to spread fear, doubt and uncertainty. Their mission was accomplished.
We’ve still got a long way to go.
Others: NBC11.com |
If you’re an epileptic, or easily prone to anxiety attacks, you’ll want to stay away from this site. Otherwise, turn your computer speakers up and prepare yourself for Badger Badger Badger!
See if you can stand it for more than 10 seconds…
Starting Monday, Yahoo News will publish work written by bloggers side by side with news from professional journalists.
Yahoo said its move to combine professionally edited news alongside the work of grassroots commentators promises to enrich the sources of information on breaking news events.
“Traditional media doesn’t have the time and resources to cover all the stories,” Joff Redfern, product director for Yahoo Search said. “It really does add substantially to what you are looking at when you are looking for news.”
The Reuters story quotes blogdaddy Jeff Jarvis who argues that sites like Yahoo and Google patronize bloggers by treating them like second class citizens.
Jarvis, who is a former TV critic for TV Guide and People magazines, mocked the notion that journalists live by a shared set of professional standards, that they are better trained or more trustworthy than the anyone-can-join blog movement.
“What made the voice of the people somehow less important than the paid professional journalist?” he asked. “You don’t need to have a degree, you don’t need to have a paycheck, you don’t need to have a byline,” Jarvis said.
“If you inform the public, you are committing an act of journalism,” he declared.
Indeed.