Bill Burkett's Whiny-Ass, delusional, self-serving family.

They have a blog now.

Go get 'em, guys.

No, this isn't the same one.

{Update:} Let's see how long it stays up this time. I posted a comment on their blog they apparently didn't like, because it was immediately removed.

This is their post, and my comment.

The Nation: The Evidence Continues to Mount.
by Administrator at 06:50PM (PDT) on September 29, 2004 | Permanent Link
Go to the Nation (Online) Magazine and read tonight's new posting concerning testimony from a new witness in the saga of President Bush's military service record.

This is another new witness that has come forward with corroboration on filling in the blanks and answering the questions concerning where Bush was when the rest of the Nation was at War in Vietnam.

As Ms. Knox (LTC Killian's secretary) indicated, even if "the CBS documents are faked, the content is absolutely accurate."

And she should know. She now says that she actually typed documents that said the same thing as was in the CBS documents.

Strange?? It seems so. If these documents are real, then Ms. Knox didn't type them. There were three other assigned personnel within that office who could have typed them and had open access to the equipment, which was capable of typing these documents. Could it have been?

If the documents were recreations, as suggested by Ms. Knox, then the recreator would have had to have detailed intimate knowledge of close held facts, according to Ms. Knox.



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Re: The Nation: The Evidence Continues to Mount.
by arkanssouri at 10:42AM (CDT) on Sep 30, 2004 | Permanent Link
"As Ms. Knox (LTC Killian's secretary) indicated, even if 'the CBS documents are faked, the content is absolutely accurate.'"

Oh PLEASE! That's like saying, "This check I'm writing you is both forged and counterfeit, but I'm pretty sure there's actual money in the account it's written on!


Reply

You want fries with that crow, CBS?

From June 17, 2003:

CBS News yesterday responded aggressively to the Times story; it played the Jayson Blair card:

"Unlike the New York Times' own ethical problems, there is no question about the accuracy or integrity of CBS News' reporting," it said by way of opening its lengthy statement addressing yesterday's front-page article. The reference, of course, is to the New York Times reporter who was booted for fabricating some stories and plagiarizing others. The careers of the paper's executive editor, Howell Raines, and managing editor, Gerald Boyd, were caught in the downward flush of Blair's.

From April 3, 2004:

As Jane Kirtley says, news organizations have historically been loath to bring cases against former reporters. The fear being that such a case would open the organization's editorial practices to public scrutiny. What's more, Lynne Bernabei, Kelley's lawyer, told the Daily News that she isn't worried about any legal trouble from the government. She's probably right not to be. If what happened with Jayson Blair is any indication, the government seems similarly disinclined to prosecute fraudulent journalists.

Someday, this may change. As further fraud is exposed, experts say, the law may be forced to deal with the issue more aggressively. "Up until recently, most journalists weren't in the business of defrauding their employers and their readers," says Kirtley. This area of the law is "very much in development." And it is developing quickly.

From July 20, 2004, assertions that Bush should be held accountable for believing forgeries:

Wilson's work was thrown into the stew. The CIA continued to disseminate a report noting that a foreign intelligence service had told U.S. intelligence that Niger had agreed to supply Iraq with hundreds of tons of uranium. And in the National Intelligence Estimate produced in October 2002, the intelligence community reported that Iraq had been trying to strike a uranium deal with Niger in 2001. But the NIE noted that INR strongly disagreed with this assessment. And when the National Security Council drafted a speech for Bush in October 2002 the CIA recommended the address not include the Niger allegation because it was "debatable" whether the yellowcake could be obtained from Niger. In a follow-up fax to the NSC, the CIA said "the evidence is weak" and "the procurement is not particularly significant to Iraq's nuclear ambitions because the Iraqis already have a large stock of uranium oxide in their inventory." Still, in late January 2003 -- after the INR's Iraq analyst had concluded that papers recently obtained by U.S. intelligence related to the supposed Iraqi-Niger uranium deal were "clearly a forgery" -- Bush went ahead and accused Iraq of seeking uranium in Africa.

Pleasure Gait Farms sucks ass!

pleasure
Originally uploaded by Arkanssouri.

They are a buncha f---ing whiners.

Libertarians get creative regarding debates.

Libertarians have long struggled with exclusion from Presidential debates, but like it or not, the debates are organized by private organizations.

This year, however, the Libertarians have focused on funding for the debates, and they DO have a point.

From eworldwire:

Libertarians To File For Injunction To Stop Third Bush/Kerry Debate

Press conference Friday in Phoenix


For Immediate Release

PHOENIX/EWORLDWIRE/Sep. 30, 2004 --- The state shouldn't be making donations to political candidates, say Arizona Libertarians -- and they're going to court to stop Arizona State University from donating up to $2 million to presidential candidates George W. Bush and John F. Kerry.

At issue: The presidential debate scheduled to take place in Tempe on October 13th.

"It's a clear case of misusing state funds," says David Euchner, attorney for the Arizona LP. "Arizona recognizes three political parties. A debate which included all three of those parties would be a legitimate expenditure on education and public information. A debate including only two of the three candidates is a partisan campaign commercial -- and an illegal donation to partisan political associations."

Barry Hess is the Vice Chair of the AZLP, and he is currently in Pennsylvania with Libertarian presidential candidate Michael Badnarik assisting with preparations for Badnarik's upcoming debates. Hess provided additional explanation by telephone, "It is so outrageous because the Republicans and the Democrats clearly violate their own Finance Reform Act, which in this case operates against all parties except the Republicans and the Democrats. Additionally, this use of these particular funds is in clear violation of the Arizona Constitution."

The suit, in which AZLP and its treasurer, Warren Severin, are listed as plaintiffs, will seek an injunction or restraining order against the use of state funds for the debate.

Hess, along with other representatives of the Arizona Libertarian Party and a spokesperson for Michael Badnarik's campaign will meet with members of the press. The conference will begin at 2 p.m., Friday, October 1 on the steps of the Maricopa County Superior Courthouse at 201 W Jefferson Street in Phoenix.

Eminent Domain meets resistance in Blue Springs.

From The Examiner:

M-7 TIF skeptics unmoved

By Stephanie Howard
The Examiner

Despite a commitment to make changes to the Missouri 7 redevelopment plan, business owners in Blue Springs are still skeptical.

Jim Kennedy, owner of Ken nedy's Custom Jewelers, is one of the most outspoken opponents and says the city should let the redevelopment happen naturally.

"The innerworking of the Blue Springs city administration needs to become, once again, the city of cooperation," Kennedy said. "Let us streamline and not stonewall people who want to come into this city, and the problem will take care of itself."

Monday night, the City Council decided to revise plans to create a tax increment financed redevelopment district at Missouri 7 at U.S. 40 and Missouri 7 at Interstate 70, connected by the right of way between the intersections.

Councilmen, commissioners and business owners have ex pressed concerns that the plan allows use of eminent domain to acquire property if owners refuse to sell.

"I won't support it, and I won't say it's right," Kennedy said. "To have a city take it away and give it to another business is unconstitutional. The city is using this as a tool to selectively get what they want."

The suggestion that the city revise its TIF policy to use eminent domain as a last resort was little comfort to Kennedy. Likewise, the idea that the policy would also include language that handle relocation on a case-by-case basis, didn't calm Kennedy's concerns.

Kennedy believes the area will redevelop on its own.

"They just need to sit back and let it happen," Kennedy said.

TIF Commissioners, during Monday's meeting made suggestions to the city administration of changes they'd like to see. Commissioner Steve Westermann suggested breaking the area into two separate districts.

Commissioner Bob Markey wouldn't say how he'd like to see the plan amended before it's sent back to him, but he did express a desire to see changes.

"If they put on the same show, there may not be a change in the vote," Markey said.

On Sept. 2 the TIF Commission recommended denial in a 9 to 1 vote.

One change definitely being made is around the country club. The plans included part of the country club parking lot and swimming pool. The revised plans will eliminate those areas from the plan.

Eric Johnson, acting director of Economic Development, did not know when the plan would go back to the TIF Commission.

To reach Stephanie Howard, send e-mail to stephanie.howard @examiner.net or call her at (816) 229-9161, Ext. 25.

More Missouri Land Theft.

From Tuesday's STL Today:

$40 million center is planned for city

By Tim O'Neil
Of the Post-Dispatch
Tuesday, Sep. 28 2004

A $40 million shopping center that would be anchored by a new Schnucks
supermarket and a Lowe's hardware store is being proposed for a 30-acre tract
along Interstate 55 in far south St. Louis.

The plan would require demolition of 20 homes and an athletic club as well as
tax subsidies of about $14 million, according to City Hall and Desco
Development Group officials. The site includes an existing Schnucks store at
950 Loughborough Avenue and the former Nordyne Inc. furnace plant at 7100 South
Grand Avenue, which closed last year.

Desco, which handles property development for Schnuck Markets Inc., wants to
call the new center Loughborough Commons. It would include a third large store,
possibly an electronics outlet, and several smaller lots for restaurants and
other businesses.

"This will be one of the most positive developments to happen on the South Side
in years," said Alderman Matt Villa, D-11th Ward. "It's really going to boost
the desirability of the neighborhood."

Barbara Geisman, development director for Mayor Francis Slay, said the plan
needs about $11 million in tax-increment financing and another $3 million in
transportation-development taxes. They would be paid by taxes generated by
business activity at the shopping center.

The transportation tax would pay for improving the entrance at Loughborough,
just west of Interstate 55.

The former National chain built a supermarket there in 1978, and Schnuck
Markets took it over in 1995. The store would remain open until the new one is
ready, a spokesman said.

Because it is downhill from Loughborough, the site is known locally as "the
hole." Desco would build the new major stores on the west side of the tract,
facing eastward, and raise the ground about six feet for a 1,100-car parking
lot.

The Desco spokesman said the company has contracts to buy Nordyne and
Carondelet Sunday Morning Athletic Club, 1012 Loughborough. Desco agents began
contacting homeowners last week and plan to make offers within two weeks, he
said.

The plan needs the approval of the Board of Aldermen. Villa said he would ask
the board to include the right to take properties by eminent domain if some of
the homeowners refuse to sell.

A spokeswoman for Comptroller Darlene Green said her staff is working with
Slay's and endorses the idea. If all goes well, the Desco spokesman said,
demolition would begin in February and construction would be completed in
spring 2006.

Gail Schuermann, who lives in a brick bungalow in the 6900 block of South
Grand, said Desco agents spoke to her family last week. Schuermann said she
supports the idea and believed that many of her neighbors did as well.

"Our house isn't big enough, and we'd been talking about selling anyway," she
said.

The site is less than one mile north of an area along Weber Road in Lemay that
Pace Properties Inc. is considering for a similar project.

Rick Randall, a Pace vice president, said his company still was planning its
development there but has not bought any homes in the 33-acre area.

Reporter Tim O'Neil
E-mail: toneil@post-dispatch.com
Phone: 314-340-8132

Vote for Me! Vote for Me!

And get all your friends to vote for me!

PLEEEEAAAAZZZEEEE!

Go here.

Begging is SO becoming of me!

All-in-one post

Brick-and-mortar obligations (not the least of which is figuring out a way to pay for a new roof for my house) will take up most of my time today, so here's what's on my mind.

Good news, bad news, D.C. The good news is that you're getting a baseball team. The bad news is that it's the Expos.

About a half an hour from now, Earth will have a close shave with a planet-killer asteroid.

Fans who throw beer bottles at baseball players should receive a lifetime ban from MLB and MLB-affiliated minor league ballparks.

My long list of boycotted companies . . .

... just got longer, with the addition of H&R Block.

Demolition for Block HQ is set to finish Saturday
Jim Davis
Staff Writer

Demolition will be done by Saturday for buildings Kansas City acquired through eminent domain to make way for H&R Block Inc.'s new downtown headquarters, a city spokeswoman said Monday.

Donna Mandelbaum, a spokeswoman for Kansas City's Capital Improvements Management Office, said The Gold Mine Lounge at 1333 Main St. has been razed. To be leveled are buildings that housed American Formal Wear Co. Inc. at 1331 Main St. and a seasonal haunted house called the Main Street Morgue at 1327 Main St.

Ben Penner, whose family owns the American Formal Wear and Main Street Morgue buildings, said Monday that he expects to file a lawsuit in Jackson County Circuit Court disputing the amount of the award the Economic Development Corp. of Kansas City offered for his family's property.

Andi Udris, the EDC's CEO, had offered $750,000.

Sherwin Epstein, a lawyer with Sherwin L. Epstein & Associates who represents The Gold Mine's owner, said Monday that he has filed a lawsuit in Jackson County. Robert and Faye Reid seek a jury trial on a condemnation award of $333,000. A trial date hasn't been set, Epstein said.

H&R Block will conduct a ceremony Oct. 12 to begin construction of the headquarters at 13th and Main streets. Its opening is planned for 2006.

Block ranks No. 2 on The Business Journal's list of area public companies.

I don't do business with people that steal other people's property.

The Von Mises Institute certainly has a way with words.

You gotta admit, nobody else masters concise excoriation quite like the Von Mises Institute.

Time for George Bush to claim his opposition to big government, yet not mention how he made tens of millions of dollars in a shady deal that included government subsidized construction of a new stadium for the Texas Rangers baseball team, a sleazy transaction in which the powers of eminent domain were perverted to make Bush, then owner of the team, even richer.

Sorry, Mike, but "most free" outweighs "safest" and "most prosperous."

I may have to reconsider voting for Ferguson.

From the AP via the KC Star:

Libertarian candidate says he's voting for Republican Blunt
Associated Press


BELTON, Mo. - The Libertarian candidate for lieutenant governor says he plans to vote for Republican Matt Blunt for governor rather than his party's nominee.

"Elections are supposed to be about selecting the best person for the job, not about raw partisanship. Matt Blunt is simply the best person for this job in this election," Mike Ferguson said in a statement, in which he encouraged others to vote for Blunt as well.

The Libertarian Party's nominee for governor is John Swenson. Ferguson said Swenson is not active in the state Libertarian Party and does not represent its views.

Swenson has no listed phone number, and the party had no contact information, so he could not be reached for comment.

Ferguson said the differences between his philosophy and Blunt's are outweighed by the fact that both "want to make Missouri the safest, most prosperous state in America."

I need Picture In Picture . . . In Picture . . . In Picture ... In Picture.

Simultaneously, thanks to my remote control, I watched the following yesterday --

The Nascar Nextel Race at Dover.
The Chiefs/Texans game.
The Rams/Ain'ts game.
The Yankees/Red Sox game.
The Cubs/Mets game, in which the Cubs seemed determined to snatch defeat from the jaws of victory this season.


How'd I do on my football picks so far this week?

Got the AZ/ATL game.
Got the MIN/CHI game.
Missed the HOU/KC game.
Missed the Ain'ts/St. Lou game.
Got the PIT/MIA game.
Got the Colts/Packers game, which although I only caught glimpses of it, from the score (45-31), must have been a junior high school girls basketball game.
Got the Oakland/Tampa game.
Missed the BALT/CIN game.
Missed the Browns/Giants game.
Got the Jags/Titans game.
Missed the Lions/Iggles game.
Got the Broncos/Chargers game.
Got the Seahawks/Niners game.

So I'm at 8 out of 13. I'm getting better.

BOLOBI.

Arkansas handicapped plates 180708, Silvery-gold Buick:

If you can drive the speed limit in the passing zones, why can't you drive that speed in the no-passing zones?

'Don't Ask, Don't Tell" hurting military effectiveness.

It's too long to post the whole article, but go read this article in the Air Force Times.

Here's an excerpt:

Some colleagues suspected she was a lesbian, and they tried to find out for sure by skirting the “don’t ask” policy. They would ask whether she ever went to a local lesbian bar or would drive around to see if her truck was parked near the bar.

“Some guy friends would claim they were my boyfriend. That kind of helped out a little bit. It helped keep certain people off my back,” Biehl said.

Biehl now sells metal detectors in Florida. She said the “don’t ask, don’t tell” policy was a big reason why she chose not to re-enlist. “I really wasn’t happy hiding who I really was, and it gets frustrating after a while,” she said.

Good men and women are leaving the military. How can that possibly be a good idea?

"No blood for oil!"

How about Blood For Beer?

Prague, Czech Republic, Sep. 24 (UPI) -- A campaign will be launched in the Czech capital Prague Saturday to attract donors by offering them two beers in exchange for their blood.

Anyone have any frequent-flyer miles they aren't planning on using? I feel a trip to Prague may be in order.

First Amendment concerns re: eminent domain?

This isn't anywhere near Arkanssouri, but it does raise some interesting points.

From CentreDaily.com:

Pittsburgh's sole adult theater fighting for survival
Case pits free speech against redevelopment

By Mike Crissey

The Associated Press


PITTSBURGH - The fate of Pittsburgh's last X-rated movie theater is in the hands of the state Supreme Court, which heard arguments earlier this week pitting free speech against a $45 million plan to rebuild a blighted neighborhood.

The courts' ruling could finally end a seven-year legal battle that has cost theater owner George Androtsakis of New York and the Urban Redevelopment Authority of Pittsburgh more than $500,000 each in legal fees.

The state Supreme Court could also clarify how far municipalities or officials can go to get rid of adult businesses, according to one legal expert.

"It is an important case because it will define how municipalities can use eminent domain -- in this particular instance in respect to adult theaters -- and it could have an effect even on future zoning cases, depending on how broadly the justices write," said Robert D. Richards, co-director of the Pennsylvania Center for the First Amendment. "Municipalities all across the country have been struggling with these issues."

Since 1997, Androtsakis has tried to prevent the Garden Theater from being taken under eminent domain, saying the agency wants to shut the movie house down because it would be difficult to lure developers if there were an adult business in the middle of the block.

Androtsakis has said he has a right to show the movies under the First Amendment and a similar free speech clause in the state constitution, and that moviegoers have rights to watch them. Closing the theater would restrict those rights, in part because zoning laws would make it difficult to reopen the theater elsewhere, Androtsakis has argued.

The Urban Redevelopment Authority has countered that the seizure is legitimate because the movie theater was one of 47 properties included it its plan. Any free speech concerns are incidental, because the intent was to revive a blighted neighborhood, the authority argues. The agency has planned to use the theater, one of the largest buildings in the area, as an opera house or other cultural venue to anchor the block it dominates.

An Allegheny County judge and a state appeals court have turned away the theater's claims after rejecting stricter legal reviews of the seizure.

James Sargent, an attorney for the theater, urged the justices to apply a stricter review of the seizure -- which would require the agency to seek other alternatives the theater's closure -- because the Urban Redevelopment Authority had no other reason for seizing it other than to eliminate speech it thought was objectionable.

"The reason the property is being taken is because the URA wants to substitute a form of speech for a more desirable form of speech," Sargent told the justices.

The justices tried to inquire about whether the Urban Redevelopment Authority's decision to seize the movie house was solely because it showed adult films and whether the authority's use of eminent domain was legitimate.

"Why should we accept the premise that this is a neutral, unpointed application of law?" asked Chief Justice Ralph Cappy.

The Urban Redevelopment Authority would have tried to take any building in the three-block area, said Joel Aaronson, an attorney for the agency. "There is no question that the take of that theater, if it was empty and wasn't showing movies, would be legitimate."

Aaronson also tried to draw parallels to highway projects, which often use eminent domain, and businesses which claim free speech was limited by a forced move.

"The URA's action, taking one piece of property, doesn't reasonably or unreasonably limit speech," Aaronson said.

Aaronson also tried to counter arguments that the adult speech would be limited by closing down the theater, noting that people who wanted to see such materials could go to a video store or on the Internet.

Lost in the shuffle.

Shouldn't this be a bigger story than hurricanes, polls, and maybe even Rathergate?

Spy meeting

By Associated Press |
Published on Wednesday, September 22, 2004

WASHINGTON -- A South Korean embassy official who met with John Kerry fund-raisers to talk about creating a political group for Korean-Americans was in fact a spy for his country, raising concerns among U.S. officials that he or Seoul may have tried to influence the fall presidential election.

South Korean and U.S. officials told The Associated Press that Chung Byung-Man, a consular officer in Los Angeles, worked for South Korea's National Intelligence Service at the time he was meeting with Kerry fund-raisers.

A spokesman for the South Korean consulate office said Chung was sent home in May amid "speculation" he became involved with the Kerry campaign and Democratic Party through contacts with fund-raiser Rick Yi and that his identity couldn't be discussed further.

"According to international tradition, we cannot identify, we cannot say who he is, because he is intelligence people," spokesman Min Ryu said.

The State Department said it has discussed Chung's reported activities with the South Korean government and has no reason to doubt Seoul's representations he was an intelligence agent.

The department believes Chung's contacts with donors and fund-raisers, if accurately described in reports, were "inconsistent" with the 1963 Vienna Convention that prohibits visiting foreign officials from interfering in the internal politics and affairs of host countries, a spokesman for its legal affairs office said.

Kerry campaign spokesman Chad Clanton said the campaign did not know Chung was an intelligence agent or that Yi, one of the campaign's key fund-raisers in the Asian-American community, was meeting with him until it was brought to light by the AP.

CBS in a different kind of doo-doo now.

Besides Rathergate, I mean.

LOS ANGELES (Reuters) -

An Australian has died during a 400-mile race in the northwestern U.S. being filmed by CBS for a sports program, organizers said on Friday.

Australian Nigel Aylott, 38, was killed in a rockslide on Helena Peak in Washington state on Wednesday while he and his three teammates were leading the Subaru Primal Quest, race spokesman Gordon Wright said.

"He was hit in the head by a very large boulder and suffered very serious head injuries. He was killed instantly."

The race, involving running, mountain biking and kayaking, was halted after Aylott's death but resumed on Thursday at the urging of his friends and family.

Some 24 hours later, a second team used emergency beacons to summon help from the same peak. Wright said they had become lost or stranded but walked out of the mountains four to five hours later, before search teams could find them.

Week 3 Football Picks.

Arizona @ Atlanta.
Chicago @ Minnesota.
Houston @ KC.
Ain'ts @ St. Louis.
Steelers @ Dolphins.
Packers @ Colts.
Tampa Bay @ Oakland.
Ravens @ Bengals.
Browns @ Giants.
Jags @ Titans.
Iggles @ Lions.
Chargers @ Broncos.
Niners @ Seahawks.

MNF
Cowboys @ Redskins.

Ever worked in a cubicle?

Then I'm sure you can relate to this bit from Refrax as well as I do:

The girl I share a desk with here at work is so filthy. Every night I come in there are coffee cups with cold nasty coffee sludge in them, and ripped up paper, and snotrags. It's disgusting. Keyboard also has foodcrumbs and shit all in it, and things crusted all on the keys. I've got one neat little stack of papers, she's got a MOUNTAIN of crap.

Gossip and speculation...

I don't normally deal in such, but this is just priceless.

Outing someone else is reprehensible, but I can think of nobody better for it to happen to.

Swaggart: "Thou shalt not kill, unless they're a fag."

Go to Hell, Jimmy.

"And I’m gonna be blunt and plain; if one ever looks at me like that, I’m gonna kill him and tell God he died.”

Political Astrology.

Bret Burquest suggests an alternate method for deciding whom to support in the Presidential race.

An excerpt:

Libertarian Party: Michael J. Badnarik • Platform: Less government and more individual freedom. A free economy and an end to the war on drugs. • Personality type: Honest Judge – Courageous with confidence. Logical with prodigious energy. • Astrology: Leo (8/1/54) – Confident, honorable, creative, expressive. • Numerology: (5, 8) – Versatile adventurer wanting to be a leader.

How much you wanna bet . . .

. . . this story won't be covered in the South Missourian News?

Thayer, MO--Shannon Johnson Reports

Thayer Couple Says Mold is Making Them Sick and the City is to Blame.

September 22, 2004 -- Posted 9:16 p.m. CDT

THAYER, MO--A Thayer, Missouri couple says mold in their home is making them sick and the city is to blame. They claim it all started when the city accidentally caused raw sewage to blast into their home in October of 2001.

"It was kind of like having molasses thrown all over your house," said Jimmie Conely.

City utility workers were working on sewage lines when they accidentally caused the blast. The Conelys cleaned up the mess, but mold began to grow in the house. They say a few weeks passed before the city's insurance inspector came out to look at the damage. The inspector said the problem could be fixed with $3,800. In the meantime the Conely's insurance company came out to inspect and said the damage was much more complicated. The Conelys turned down the city's $3,800 offer and received $16,000 from their insurance company. The city of Thayer has admitted to the fact that the sewage blast was their fault. But three years later the problem still hasn't been solved because mold keeps growing.

The Conelys' doctor says the mold and mildew is taking a toll on their health. They have advised the Conelys to leave their home, but the family says they don't have anywhere else to go.

The Conely family did file a lawsuit against the city around April of 2003, but so far nothing has come of it. They say as time ticks away, so does their health.

KAIT can report it because the railroad and small clique of politicians that controls Thayer doesn't control Jonesboro.

Found by clicking through one of the ads on tom-hanna.org.

This is a fine example of the maturity of the left.

Wanted.

I'm trying to find some code I can plug into the left-hand column on here that will give the current projected electoral count, according to reliable polls.

Anyone have any ideas where I can find one?

Music Sweet Music: More things that interest me.

I realized I had left out my musical tastes in my post yesterday about things that interest me.

I like BOTH kinds of music -- country AND western.

Actually, my musical tastes are much varied. Here is a very incomplete list.

Classic Rock
The Doors
Pink Floyd
Rush
Steppenwolf
Led Zeppelin

80's
Duran Duran
Genesis
Sting & The Police
George Michael
Boy George & Culture Club

Grunge
Pearl Jam
Collective Soul
Nirvana
Soundgarden

Hip-hop/honky tonk
Sir Mixalot
Western Swing
Outlaw Country
Outkast
Clint Black
Alan Jackson

Classical
Bach
Brahms
Elgar
NOT Lukas Foss! (Cut to Mommy Dearest screaming "NO Lukas Foss! NO LUKAS FOSS EVER!!!"

Soundtracks/Showtunes
Star Wars
Moulin Rouge
Romeo + Juliet
Dances With Wolves

VROOM VROOM! Is it just me . . .

. . . or doesn't it seem to anyone else like this problem would eventually be self-correcting?

"Microwave Guns"... FREAKIN' MICROWAVE GUNS!?!!??

Darth Vader would be proud.

John Kerry writes off Missouri and Arkansas.

I guess we're not so battlegroundy after all.

Dead Democrats can run, but not Dead Libertarians.

From the dreadful News-Leader:

Sticker to cover name of Libertarian candidate who died in car accident


News-Leader Staff
After the death Monday of a Libertarian Party candidate for state representative in the 133rd district, absentee and military ballots in Polk County will be distributed with his name covered by a sticker, Polk County Clerk Sue Entlicher said.
Jesse Watson of Bolivar died Monday in an accident on Polk County PP, nine miles north of Bolivar.

Watson's Chevrolet pickup ran off the left side of the road, struck a mailbox, ran off the right side of the road, back off the left side of the road and struck a tree, the Missouri Highway Patrol said in a report.

Watson, 56, who was not wearing a seat belt, was thrown from the truck, the patrol said. He was dead at the scene.

Anyone who replaced Watson on the ballot would face Democrat Marvalene Pankey of El Dorado Springs and Republican Mike Parson of Bolivar in the November election.

The Libertarian Party has until Oct. 8 to replace Watson on the ballot in District 133, which includes all of Cedar and part of Polk counties.

Ivan: The storm that wouldn't die.

If you haven't been paying attention, take a guess where Tropical Depression Ivan (nee Hurricane Ivan) is now.

He's over the Gulf Of Mexico.

How the hell'd he get there, you ask? Wasn't he last seen heading northeast, out to sea, from New England?

He got out to sea, made a loop, crossed back over Florida, and is now in the Gulf, headed for Texas.

While he's currently at about a fifth of his former strength, the warm waters of the Gulf may allow him to restrengthen a bit. Maybe even to low hurricane levels.

Things that interest me.

[Are you listening, Google Adsense people?]

Ayn Rand.
Stephen King.
Libertarianism.
Pepsi.
Mountain Dew.
Cigars & Cigarettes.
Shiner Bock.
Puppies & Kittens.
Extreme Makeover: Home Addition.
Objectivism.
Poetry.
Dallas Cowboys.
Miami Dolphins.
Chicago Cubs.
New York Yankees.
Roger Clemens. (WOOF!)
Dale Earnhardt Jr.
Terry Labonte. (Again, WOOF!).
Other NASCAR drivers.
Yard Sales.
Freebie sites.
Fox News.
Trigger Happy TV.
South Park.
Star Wars.
Star Trek.
Braveheart.
The Last Castle.
Missouri.
Arkansas.
Specifically, Thayer Missouri and Sturkie and Salem Arkansas.
Hamburger Helper's Soft Taco Bake.
Cappucino.
Spoons.
Many other things.

See? I have other interests besides Blogging!

I wouldn't particularly describe John Kerry as "manly."

He's not even the manliest one in his marriage.

But the Glorified Coloring Book has this headline today:

Election is turning into a duel of the manly men

I note that neither one of these "manly men" drives one of the new International pickups.

And it was just a little over a week ago that Bush's brother Jeb was imploring the men of Florida to be girlymen and run.

"This is not the time to be defiant and let people know you are a macho man," he said.

Libertarian candidate for Arkansas 133rd killed.

From Ozarks Newsstand:

BOLIVAR - An area candidate in the November election was killed Monday night in a one-car crash north of Bolivar.



Jesse O. Watson, 56, of Bolivar, was the Libertarian candidate for state representative for the 133rd District.


Polk County Clerk Sue Entlicher contacted the Secretary of State's office Tuesday morning after learning the news of Watson's death.

"They are talking with legal counsel, and everything is on hold until we hear back from them," Entlicher said.

Absentee ballots will not be sent out until Entlicher receives word from the Secretary of State's office. Voters may vote absentee six weeks prior to the election. Absentee voting began Tuesday, Sept. 21, for the Nov. 2 election.

The delay also allows the Libertarian party some time to come up with another candidate, Entlicher said.

The 133rd District includes Cedar County and a portion of Polk County.

Uncle Sam and John McCain want your airwaves.

From Michael Grebb at Wired News:

02:00 AM Sep. 22, 2004 PT

WASHINGTON -- U.S. lawmakers are increasingly willing to contemplate bold action to get people to stop watching analog, over-the-airwaves television and switch to digital TV. How bold? They will consider a bill Wednesday that pays a $1 billion subsidy to make it happen.

For a sense of how frustrated lawmakers have become, observers point to a new bill introduced Tuesday by Sen. John McCain (R-Arizona).

The legislation -- pointedly named the Spectrum Availability for Emergency-Response and Law-Enforcement to Improve Vital Emergency Services Act, or just the Save Lives Act -- sets a new deadline of Jan. 1, 2009, for the federal government to free up the analog TV spectrum for use by public-safety agencies.

The bill also would clear the way for auctioning spectrum to commercial interests -- like wireless broadband service providers.

And in a nod to subsidy programs in Europe, the legislation would provide $1 billion to help 17.4 million U.S. households without cable, satellite or digital TV tuners pay for equipment that would enable them to go digital.

"Since the industry isn't going to do it, the government has been forced to take action," said Gerry Kaufhold, a principal analyst at research firm In-Stat/MDR.

The bill highlights a congressional conundrum. On one hand, lawmakers are loath to turn off analog signals all at once, which would render an estimated 45 million analog TV sets -- those not hooked up to a cable or satellite service or to a digital-to-analog converter box -- utterly useless. And they are reluctant to spend money on any program that smacks of corporate favoritism.

On the other hand, emergency agencies want to use parts of the analog broadcast spectrum for public-safety uses. And wireless companies are anxious to pay billions for the right to provide broadband wireless services over large swaths of spectrum. All the while, Europe and Asia are pulling significantly ahead of the United States when it comes to broadband wireless services.

Under current law, broadcasters don't have to relinquish their analog spectrum until 2007 or until after at least 85 percent of American households have the equipment to receive over-the-air digital TV signals, whichever comes last. But few expect Americans to reach the 85-percent threshold for many years.

"It won't be until 2020 at the rate we're going," said Adam Thierer, director of telecommunications studies at the Cato Institute, a libertarian think tank. "We're trying to figure out a way to get out of this industrial policy mess."

Despite the potential backlash, lawmakers are starting to support the idea of a hard deadline that forces consumers off analog. Low-income households would get first priority under the subsidy program contemplated by McCain, but it's unclear how broadly the program would apply to everyone else.

Some support the subsidy concept. "Every successful rollout of digital (over-the-air TV) has come with a free box," said Kaufhold. "The model for digital TV in the world has been to give people a free box. The U.S. is starting to fall behind."

According to the bill's text, the subsidy would amount to a small portion of the $30 billion to $70 billion the federal government expects to collect when it auctions off large portions of the analog TV spectrum to wireless companies. (Other estimates, however, have been much smaller.)

McCain plans to hold a vote on the bill Wednesday at a meeting of the Senate Commerce Committee, which he chairs.

The broadcast industry has already started lobbying against the measure, which it fears will strip away its rights to the analog TV spectrum before the country is ready.

"What do you do about the people who haven't purchased a new TV set?" asked Dennis Wharton, a spokesman for the National Association of Broadcasters. "Do you just turn them off? NAB opposes the bill on grounds that tens of millions of Americans could potentially lose access to local TV stations if the McCain bill becomes law."

Wharton added that while the broadcasters' association supports the subsidy concept "to ensure that no American is denied access to local TV stations," it's unclear how such a subsidy would work.

It's also unclear how much, if any, of a subsidy would be necessary. Already, the Federal Communications Commission has mandated that all TV sets sold after July 2007 contain a digital TV tuner.

Considering that nearly 90 percent of American households already subscribe to cable or satellite services, it also begs the question: Is protecting free analog TV really worth the trouble?

"Finally, policymakers are starting to understand the serious opportunity cost of using spectrum in this fashion," said Thierer. While low-income households might need subsidies, other consumers might need to bite the digital bullet. "The cost-benefit analysis is very clear," he said. "The benefits outweigh the costs."

Even consumer advocates are accepting a hard date as a way to drive the transition forward -- as long as subsidies go to consumers rather than commercial interests.

"We fully support the notion that no TV should go blank," said Mark Cooper, director of research for the Consumer Federation of America. "But the cable and satellite guys could get a whack at this subsidy money, and they should be required to provide compatibility without the subsidy."

To be sure, McCain's bill is still in its infancy. While it likely will pass through committee Wednesday, few expect it to advance far in the few remaining weeks of this session of Congress, especially in an election year.

But with Congress poised for a planned rewrite of the 1996 Telecommunications Act next year, the bill's provisions could end up in a larger piece of legislation. Of course, McCain's chairmanship of the Senate Commerce Committee expires this year, meaning that he won't wield nearly as much power in 2005.

But in the remaining weeks of his reign, he's likely to make noise.

"McCain is kind of the maverick," said Kaufhold. "He'll push hard, and the rest of the industry will drag its feet behind him."

From the opinion page of the dreadful News-Leader:

It can e found here.

Fighting for liberty, freedom

When I tell people I am seeking public office, I'm often asked, "What's a Libertarian?" Some think we're all anarchists, which is unfortunate and incorrect; anarchists want no government or authority. Libertarians want just enough government. For instance: national security is a legitimate and necessary function of government; subsidizing artists with taxpayer money is not.
We need to make fundamental, structural changes to the system. Example: the idea of a national retail sales tax. Those opposed to this either don't understand it, don't want it to happen because it would take power away from politicians who use the tax codes for social engineering, or are just too wrapped up in hatred of "the rich." Some of "the rich" are small-business owners, the cornerstone of our economy. Rule of thumb: Free-market capitalism, while imperfect, is always the best option; socialism only works on paper.

I believe liberty and security are inseparable. I believe government should always be the last place to turn for solutions, not the first. The Constitution is an "instruction manual" for a free nation, and I will always refer to that document and those beliefs before making any decision as a representative of the people.

Keith L. Rodgers, Republic Libertarian Candidate, Missouri House, 134th District

Free Ice Cream.

DQ is celebrating the last day of summer with free ice cream. Today only.

Go. Indulge. Dr. Atkins isn't looking.

What's next, locusts?

They actually let a Libertarian debate.

Newberry's camp accepted the opportunity, along with Libertarian Kevin Craig, to respond to questions from reporters from the Springfield News-Leader, Joplin Globe and Nixa News-Enterprise. Although invited, Constitution Party candidate Steve Alger, Carthage, did not attend.

...

Libertarian Craig seated between the two major party candidates campaigned for almost no government. Libertarians believe in liberty under God, he said. And added, "I am a fanatic and an extremist."

Craig said both major parties stray from the nation's founding principles of less government and personal responsibility. He used his time to express gratitude at being included in the debate, acknowledged that he didn't expect to win the election but hoped he had "planted seeds" for discussion of the Libertarian ideals. Those ideals include abolishing public schools, the income tax and the war on drugs.

Q-2 Neck strain/shoulder injury.

That's the format football simulation game Football Pro used to denote an injured player. Basically, it means "Questionable for 2 weeks due to a neck strain/shoulder injury."

It also means the player, if put in the game, plays at about 60% of his regular level.

I've pulled a muscle in my left shoulder and neck by being an idiot yesterday and trying to mow the ditch out front of my house with the lawn mower instead of the weed eater. The aroma of BenGay wafts around me in a minty cloud.

It makes typing rather difficult, so I don't know how good this blog'll be for a while.

I would go to a doctor, but I already know what he'd do -- prescribe muscle relaxers and painkillers. Luckily, I already have an effective medicine that will do both rather nicely:

Rather: I f---ed up!

BREAKING

Ah, Drudge . . .

EXCLUSIVE // Mon Sep 20 2004 11:58:02 ET

STATEMENT FROM DAN
RATHER

Last week, amid increasing questions about the authenticity
of documents used in support of a 60 MINUTES WEDNESDAY story about President Bush's time in the Texas Air National Guard, CBS News vowed to re-examine the documents in question—and their source—vigorously. And we promised that we would let the
American public know what this examination turned up,
whatever the outcome.Now, after extensive additional interviews, I no longer have the confidence in these documents that would allow us to continue vouching for them journalistically. I find we have been misled on the key question of how our source for the documents came into possession of these papers. That, combined with some of the questions
that have been raised in public and in the press, leads me to a point where—if I knew then what I know now—I would not have gone ahead with the story as it was aired, and I certainly would not have used the documents in question. But we did use the documents. We made a mistake in judgment, and for that I am sorry. It was an error that was made, however, in good faith and in the spirit of trying to carry on a CBS News tradition of investigative reporting without fear or favoritism. Please know that nothing is more important to us than people's
trust in our ability and our commitment to report fairly and truthfully.

OK, Dan. Now explain to us exactly why you owe anonymity to a source that burned you deliberately.

Well, there you go.

The Examiner reminds us that a naked firefighter is not always a good thing.

A male firefighter accused of stripping naked in front of a female
colleague and parading around with her underwear on his head has been suspended
for 20 days following a Fire Commission disciplinary hearing.

Dear CBS:

Here is an analogy that may help you understand why "The documents might be fake, but the substance is real" is an illegitimate argument.

Suppose I own a small, second-hand bookstore. Dan Rather walks in and
picks up a copy of Earth In The Balance. He comes
to the cash register and hands me an obviously counterfeit, forged check.

"I can't take this," I tell him. "It's both a fake and a
forgery."

"The check may well be both a fake and a forgery," Rather responds.
"But my producers and I are confident that the account it's written on contains
actual money."

Gee, you think this might be SPAM?

In my inbox today were two messages containing garbage, with this at the bottom:

Hi,Why so long did not write? I am very long you searched and at last kind
people have said yours e-mail, now all our messages and photo can find on this
reference - [a website link I'm not going to pass on]

I very wait for your answer!

Ohfergawd'ssake.

As long as cassettes have existed, people have been recording off the radio for private use. But now that it's INTERNET radio, the RIAA has it's panties in a wad.

Football & Nascar

Jr.'s in the lead in the chase for the Nextel Cup.

This weekend's NFL scores:

Lions 28, Houston 16.
Falcons 34, Rams 17.
Bears 21, Packers 10.
Jags 7, Broncos 6.
Giants 20, Skins 14.
Colts 31, Titans 17.
Ravens 30, Steelers 13.
Panthers 28, Chiefs 17.
Ain'ts 30, Niners 27.
Seahawks 20, Bucs 6.
'Boys 19, Browns 12.
Jets 34, Chargers 28.
Raiders 13, Bills 10.
Pats 23, Cards 12.
Bangles 16, Fins 13.

So far this week, I am .467 on my picks.

Face transplant?

Isn't it bad enough that this idea has infected the host of bad movies out there? Do we really need it in reality too?

Actually, my only major problem with it is that, until the procedure is perfected, those with disfigured faces may wind up looking worse AFTER the transplant.

CXT-3-full

CXT-3-full
Originally uploaded by Arkanssouri.

7 MPG! Yikes!

And you thought a Hummer or an Explorer got lousy mileage?

Can you say overkill?

On the bright side, at least it will give John Kerry and Al Gore sleepless nights and ulcers.

Friday Night Football.

Pierce City Eagles- Eleventy billion, Thayer Boobcats - minus 6.

Well, okay. I admit that's a bit hyperbolic. The actual score was 46-26, dropping the Boobcats to 1-2. Yay Eagles!

I can't find a score for Salem AR. But it's a pretty safe bet they lost too.

Walter Matthau cigarettes.

[Picture here; it's too big to put in the post.]

Question: Why do Seneca cigarettes have a picture of Walter Matthau on the pack?

Jolt Cola

...has some new flavors out.

Unfortunately, none of them are low-carb.

I think a low-carb Jolt Cola is doable. You'd just have to alter the tagline to "None of the sugar, but thrice the caffeine!"

Aston Martin overtakes Jaguar.

Story here.

Oddly, the Sterling was not mentioned.

REUTERS: CBS lucks out.

Story here.

Maybe they should go at it from a standpoint of "Does CBS serve the public interest?"

I am not alone.

There is at least, like, one more Libertarian in Missouri.

Some students sat and listened to the rally's political speakers, one representing the state Democratic party and the other the Missouri's Republican party, debating domestic and foreign policy issues.

The debates, however, didn't resonate with Chris Righter, an SMS student from Nevada, Mo., who was passing through the grassy area behind Plaster Student Union. Righter, 19, plans to vote for a Libertarian presidential candidate.

"I think it's kind of sad because it further, like, proves there's no chance for a third party," Righter said, noting the absence of independent parties from the rally.

"It's just limited to two parties," he said, adding that many independent-minded are turned off to politics because the major parties "don't feed their interests."

Coughlin: A is not A.

I'm a little late in posting this, but in Coach Coughlin's world, that must mean I'm early.

The three players were late for a meeting, a common cause of fines in the NFL. But the twist is that Coughlin's definition of "late" differs from most coaches. He previously told players his meetings start five minutes early; Emmons, Green and Cousin apparently were early but not early enough.

Foxsports.com reported Sunday that star defensive end Michael Strahan was similarly not quite early enough for a meeting last week and was fined, leading to a spirited talk with Coughlin, and that Strahan, too, plans to appeal.

Strahan and Coughlin refused to comment on Strahan's reported fine. Coughlin seemed upset by a series of questions yesterday about his on-time policy and eventually walked out of his news conference after one last question about Strahan's situation.

Coach, it's very simple. Early is not late. Freedom is not slavery. War is not peace. And A is not the opposite of A.

If you want them there at 12:55, tell them to be there at 12:55. Don't tell them to be there at 1:00 and then fine them for showing up at 12:58.

You obviously wanted to set the tone of being a hardass. But what you've done is set the tone of unreasonableness. Expect players to now appeal every one of your decisions they don't like to the players' union.

And I wouldn't blame them. You caused it.

CBS: When you find yourself in a hole, keep digging no matter what.

In a news release/"clarification" yesterday, CBS, defending their own indefensible pressroom tactics, blames some of the problem on "misrepresentative" sources.

Two of the examiners, Mssrs. Matley and Pierce, attested and continue to attest to their belief in the documents’ authenticity. (see attachments 1 and 2) Two others, Ms. Will and Ms. James, appeared on a competing network yesterday, where they misrepresented their conversations and communication with CBS News. In fact, they assessed only one of the four documents used in the report, and while one of them raised a question about one aspect of that one document, they did not raise substantial objections or render definitive judgment on the document.

Do they not realize that in so doing, they have admitted that the sources they use are unreliable?


[Update: My openly-straight friend Kevin has collected a bunch of the mishmash on this subject in one handy post on Reductio.]

What's the difference between a conservative and a Libertarian?

W. James Antle III of American Daily paints a pretty good picture of the differences.

However, it's more concise to say that Libertarians believe individuals should be able to decide for themselves on both fiscal/economic and social matters.

Liberals believe economic liberty is a bad thing, and conservatives believe social liberty is a bad thing.

When they told him to "Take the bus..."

... he thought they meant "Take the bus."

How silly of him.

See B.S. may as well just cancel their whole news division.

CBS and Dan Rather continue to stonewall, so we have to get information on Memogate from others:

Reports Fuel Doubts on CBS Bush Story

Reports Fuel Doubts on Documents Used in CBS News Story on Bush's National Guard Service

The Associated Press


NEW YORK Sept. 15, 2004 — Two experts hired by CBS News to examine records of President Bush's Vietnam-era service in the Texas Air National Guard told ABC on Tuesday that they could not vouch for the documents' veracity.
Meanwhile, a former secretary in the guard said she believed the documents CBS used were fake, although they accurately reflected the thoughts of one of Bush's commanders.

As questions continued about Dan Rather's report on "60 Minutes" last week, CBS News on Tuesday said it did not rely on assessments made by the two examiners quoted in the ABC report, and found it notable the secretary affirmed the content of the documents.

"We continue to believe in this story," said Betsy West, CBS News' senior vice president.

CBS said its story about Bush's guard service relied on much more than documents. But the controversy has raised credibility questions for the network news division and it's not certain if those questions will be definitively answered.

CBS says the documents from one of Bush's commanders, Lt. Col. Jerry B. Killian, indicated Bush didn't follow orders to take a physical and that Killian was being pressured to sugarcoat his performance ratings. Bush's father was a Texas congressman at the time.

Questions were immediately raised about the documents' legitimacy, with some believing they were produced by a computer not available at the time.

Emily Will, a documents examiner from North Carolina hired by CBS, said she told the network before the report aired that she questioned handwriting in the documents she was shown and whether it could have been produced by a typewriter.
Her main concern was that she was not provided a known sample of the signature to use for comparison.

"Although I never told them, and I still would say the documents were definitely not authentic, I had some problems with the documents," Will told The Associated Press late Tuesday.

Will said she e-mailed a CBS producer and urged her the night before the broadcast not to play up that a professional document examiner had authenticated the papers.

"I did not feel that they wanted to investigate it very deeply," Will told ABC News.

Another expert hired by CBS, Linda James of Plano, Texas, told ABC that "I did not authenticate anything and I don't want it understood that I did."

James told AP late Tuesday she raised similar concerns about signature samples.

"I really pressed that because I knew that other document examiners looking at the same documents would have a real problem authenticating these," she said.

CBS News said that Will and James played only a "peripheral role" in assessing the documents, and had seen only one of the four used in the report. Ultimately they deferred to another expert who has seen all four documents, Marcel Matley, and who continues to back up CBS' account.

West said Will did not contact the network the night before the report aired.

"I am not aware of any substantive objections raised," she said. "She did not urge us to hold the story."

James told CBS News that she needed to know more about the documents before rendering any judgments, West said. CBS contacted five document experts before the report aired and two since, and continues to report the story, the network said.

Killian's former secretary, 86-year-old Marian Carr Knox, also questioned the documents in an interview with The Dallas Morning News.

"These are not real," Knox said in a story posted Tuesday on the newspaper's Web site. "They're not what I typed, and I would have typed them for him."

Knox told the newspaper she did not recall typing the memos, but that they echoed Killian's views on Bush. She said he retained memos for a personal "cover his back" file he kept in a locked drawer of his desk, but she was not sure what happened to them when he died in 1984.

When contacted Tuesday at her Houston home, Knox's son, Pat Carr, told The Associated Press his mother did not wish to elaborate on her comments to the newspaper.

CBS News spokeswoman Sandra Genelius said CBS did not believe Knox was a documents expert and that the network believes the documents are genuine.

"It is notable that she confirms the content of the documents, which was the primary focus of our story in the first place," Genelius said.

First lady Laura Bush was the first in the GOP campaign to say the latest documents were probably forged.

White House spokesman Scott McClellan said said the first lady was speaking for herself and that Bush felt no need to further address questions about his National Guard service. The White House has not come to any conclusions about the documents and is not investigating them, he said.

CBS, look on the bright side -- axing your entire news division would free up lots of morning time, and half and hour each weeknight, for more Survivor, Big Brother, and CSI spinoffs.

Question to Dan Rather: Was one of your sources Jayson Blair?

See BS

See BS
Originally uploaded by Arkanssouri.

Here is the screen capture of See B.S.' absurd claim that it would be difficult to type a lower-case 'L' instead of a '1' on today's word processors.

I don't even have Times New Roman font and I managed it.

Not difficult at all.

CBS' playing Cover Your A$$ grasps at absurd straws.

I saw this on the CBS evening news last night, and luckily their site editors don't realize how patently absurd it is, or they wouldn't have put it up.

Richard Katz, a software designer, found some other indications in the documents. He noted that the letter "L" is used in those documents, instead of the numeral "one." That would be difficult to reproduce on a computer today.

Excuse me? Difficult? In what bizarro universe do these guys live? Let's do a little typing exercise, shall we?

I was born on 0l/20/l970. This was well after the l9th century. When I was ll, I moved from Illinois to Arkansas. It would be another l0 years until I was 2l.

Not at all difficult.

And yes, I did a screen capture of it for when someone realizes how absurd the claim is at their site and removes it.

Space news.

In the last couple of weeks, we have (maybe) the first picture of a planet outside our solar system.

And (maybe) First Contact.

ETs phoning Earth? Somebody take the call!

Reuters reported Sept. 2: ``An unexplained radio signal from deep space could-just might be-contact from an alien civilization.'' The story excited astronomers around the world, as it was based on an earlier New Scientist magazine article that concluded the signal was from 1,000 light years away.

``The signal, coming from a point between the Pisces and Aries constellations, has been picked up three times by a telescope in Puerto Rico,'' Reuters said.

``New Scientist said the signal could be generated by a previously unknown astronomical phenomenon or even a byproduct from the telescope itself,'' the story went on.

The mysterious signal, named SHGb02+14a, had been analyzed by the Search for Extraterrestrial Intelligence (SETI), an institute set up at the University of California, Berkeley, to catch extraterrestrial radio signals from civilizations that may exist in outer space.

At the time the New Scientist and Reuters articles appeared, expectations were high for discovering extraterrestrial life because the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) had just announced the first discovery of a new class of ``non-gaseous'' planets-probably ``rocky'' like Earth-beyond the solar system.

But SETI was quick to disclaim the magazine and wire service reports as ``exaggerated,'' noting that even though the signal was on the institute's ``best candidates'' list, the possibility of its being a message from an extraterrestrial civilization was practically nil.

But what if it were indeed a message from outer space? The International Astronomical Union (IAU) has agreed not to respond until a decision has been reached by an international conference. [Either it IS or it ISN'T. What is, is, regardless of what a committee says about it.]
It is exciting, though, to imagine SETI withholding information while secretly making preparations for an IAU conference.

However, even if Earth were to respond, it would be a millennium before the response reaches the signal's sender-an astronomically lengthy lag in communication indeed.

Project Vote Smart.

Handy little tool in comparing candidates' positions.

Badnarik's positions here.



Bush refused to participate.



Kerry refused to participate.



What is it they don't want you to know?

More NFL gobbage.

Packers 24, Panthers 14. Improved my average a LITTLE.

Here are my picks for this week.

Panthers @ Chiefs.
Broncos @ Jags.
Colts @ Titans.
Niners @ Saints.
Skins @ Giants.
Bills @ Raiders.
Pats @ Cardinals.
Fins @ Bengals.
Bears @ Packers.
Texans @ Lions.
Steelers @ Ravens.
Rams @ Falcons.
Seahawks @ Bucs.
Browns @ Cowboys.
Jets @ Chargers.

MNF
Vikings @ Iggles.

As you can see, I don't foresee a very good week for the home teams.

Picking football winners . . .

. . . is harder than Michael Jackson at a Boy Scout Jamboree.

How'd I do?

These were my picks so far:

-- Colts at Patriots. WRONG.

9/12 -- Cardinals @ Rams. RIGHT.
Bengals @ Jets. RIGHT.
Jags @ Bills. WRONG.
Chargers @ Texans. RIGHT.
Bucs @ Redskins. WRONG.
Falcons @ 49ers. RIGHT.
Giants @ Eagles. WRONG. (Damn Iggles!)
Ravens @ Browns. WRONG.
Lions @ Bears. WRONG.
Raiders @ Steelers. RIGHT.
Seahawks @ Saints. RIGHT.
Cowboys @ Vikings. WRONG.
Chiefs @ Broncos. WRONG.

Out of 14 games, I got 6. Not very good.

Tuesday, September 11, 2001. 8:46 AM EST.

A Poem

by Jack Buck


Since this nation was founded...under God
More than 200 years ago
We have been the bastion of freedom
The light that keeps the free world aglow
We do not covet the possessions of others
We are blessed with the bounty we share

We have rushed to help other nations ...anything...anytime...anywhere

War is just not our nature
We won't start...but we will end the fight
If we are involved we shall be resolved
To protect what we know is right

We have been challenged by a cowardly foe
Who strikes and then hides from our view

With one voice we say, "There is no choice today,
There is only one thing to do"
Everyone is saying - the same thing - and praying
That we end these senseless moments we are living

As our fathers did before...we shall win this unwanted war
And our children...will enjoy the future...we'll be giving.

September 10, 2001.

It was the last day the world we grew up in existed.

Would we have done anything differently had we known this?

Kerry camp's mudslinging blows up in their faces.

From The State:

WASHINGTON — Documents unearthed by CBS News that raise doubts about whether President Bush fulfilled his obligations to the Texas Air National Guard include several features suggesting that they were generated by a computer or word processor rather than a Vietnam War-era typewriter, experts said Thursday.

Experts consulted by a range of news organizations pointed to typographical and formatting questions about four documents as they considered the possibility that they were forged. The widow and son of the National Guard officer whose signature is on the bottom of the documents also disputed their authenticity.

The documents, aired Wednesday on “60 Minutes II,” bear dates from 1972 and 1973 and include an order for Bush to report for his annual physical exam and a discussion of how he could get out of “coming to drill.”

William Flynn, a forensic document specialist with 35 years’ experience, said the CBS documents raise suspicion because they use proportional spacing. Documents generated by the kind of typewriters widely used in 1972 space letters evenly across the page, so that an “i” uses as much space as an “m.” In the CBS documents, though, each letter uses a different amount of space.

Full story here.

A FABulous endorsement for Badnarik.

Michael Badnarik, the Libertarian candidate for President, has picked up an endorsement that, if not key, is at least fabulous.

Pink Pistols site.

Pats 27, Colts 24.

Well, so far my winning percentage in picking game winners this year is the same as Doug Dascenzo's E.R.A. with the Cubbies.

Happy Birthday Luke Duke.

And to Otis Redding as well.

Apparently, removing an unwanted trespasser is now considered "Assault."

This is just pathetic.

Has someone bought the rights to a 'Porn N Chicken' sequel?

If not, you oughtta go ahead and do it.

'Cause the story's already written.

Mountain Dew Pitch Black.

I tried Mountain Dew Pitch Black this week. I wasn't impressed.

I used to love grape soda, but my tastes have changed since I was three years old.

Mountain Dew Livewire is good, but I just wish it came in a diet version.

I tried to make my own version with Diet Mountain Dew and Diet Orange Crush once.

The results were underwhelming.

My NFL picks for this week.

My pick for winners in bold.

Tonight -- Colts at Patriots.

9/12 -- Cardinals @ Rams.
Bengals @ Jets.
Jags @ Bills.
Chargers @ Texans.
Bucs @ Redskins.
Falcons @ 49ers.
Giants @ Eagles.
Ravens @ Browns.
Lions @ Bears.
Raiders @ Steelers.
Seahawks @ Saints.
Cowboys @ Vikings.
Chiefs @ Broncos.


9/13 -- Packers @ Panthers.

Genesis? CAROL! Who's taking Genesis?

Apparently, these people in a helicopter are.



[Update:] Well, apparently, the helicopter dudes are NOT taking Genesis, but the force of gravity IS.

Note to NASA:

The next time you want to waste in excess of 200 million dollars, why not just give me half and pocket the rest?

You just knew THIS was coming.

The War On Pleasure continues.

No posts Monday.

Labor Day.

If Labor gets a day, why isn't there also a Management Day?

VW Bugs

If the margins of this blog appear messed up to you, it is because they are. Blame it on the picture of the "General Lee" a few posts ago. It's too big. That's one drawback of Blogger -- you can't resize the pictures. Or if you can, I haven't found out how.

At the NASCAR time trials yesterday, there were two Volkwagens painted up like Herbie, the Love Bug, promoting an upcoming Love Bug movie. The Love Bug movies were the first movie franchise I was really into. Until Star Wars came around, the Love Bug movies were my favorites.

Of course, I was, like, five at the time.

But even now, just the sight of Herbie brings a warm smile to my face.

I just wish they'd let him actually attempt to qualify for the race Sunday. Maybe they'll let him ride around the track in the back of the pack (that's too many 'ack's in one sentence, I know) during the parade laps.

A clue in a long-standing mystery.

Notice the picture of Cooter a few days ago.

It has long been a mystery what state Hazzard County is in. Most believe it is either Alabama or Georgia. There are some references in the show to going to Atlanta.

But examine Cooter's hat.

Apparently, Cooter at some point was a contestant in the Georgia Special Olympics.

But that state picture looks oddly like Missouri.

[Great pic of the "General Lee" here, but it's so big, it screws up my blog if I display it.]

Yesterday/Today.

Gaston? Frances? Can't they come up with any better names than that?

I suggest well-known fictional characters. How about Hurricane Chewbacca? Hurricane Pooh?

The school siege is over.

The Cowboys won their final preseason game.

Tonight is the first game of the high school football season. Thayer, the school that is currently making me pay through the nose in property taxes, is playing Salem, the school that previously made me pay through the nose in property taxes until I moved.

Is it wrong of me to hope they both lose somehow?

Bye Bye, BlogAds.

You'll notice a conspicuous absence in the left-hand column. I'm in the process of applying to Google's AdSense now.

Developments from yesterday.

Charges against Kobe Bryant were dropped after the accuser refused to cooperate any longer. This case was riddled with inconsistencies from the start, not the least of which is the very idea that a girl who had just been raped would be in the mood to have sex with someone else before reporting the attack.

Her civil case will go forward, and if she wins that, she may well become the highest-paid whore in the history of whoredom. Maybe even higher-paid than Michael Jackson's first accuser.

Al-Qaeda-linked Islamic terrorists (though the media refuses to call them that) siezed a school full of hundreds of children and adults in Russia. They've released some, but hundreds remain.

My solution? Get a good idea of the identities of the terrorists, sieze their children and parents and enough relatives until you have TWICE the number of hostages than the terrorists do. Send the terrorists a message that says "If your hostages die, OUR hostages die." Then break off communications.

Or, do like you did when they held a theater full of people hostage. Tunnel under the school, pump knock-out gas into it, then storm the building.

Zell Miller ripped Kerry a new one in his convention speech last night.

Predictably, before he even finished, the networks were already telling us what the reaction from America was. And, predictably, they were wrong.

The Passion of The Christ sold 4.1 million copies on the first day of it's DVD release. I wonder how Farenheit 9/11 will stack up to that.

Meanwhile in North Dakota, a day before the filing deadline, Michael Badnarik is the only candidate to be on the Presidential Ballot. Maybe the paperwork from the Anticapitalist and Theocrat Parties will get lost, and they won't make it.

Blogger's having some problems.

That's why no posts lately.

Hope they clear it up soon.