Epitaph for Jeane Kirkpatrick
Former US Ambassador Jeane Kirkpatrick died at home recently.
She was famous for not only being the inamorata of Bill D. Cat of Bloom County, but also for switching from being a "liberal" Democrat to a Reagan Republican.
What did that meann in practical terms? This article on her passing casually sums up a cornerstone of her legacy thusly:
In the Reagan years she played a quiet role in cutting off U.S. aid to a leftist government in Nicaragua and supporting a military junta in El Salvador.
A quiet role? Maybe it should have read,
"Kirkpatrick siphoned away money from a legitimately-elected government seeking to rid their country of foreign oil oligarchs who had been exporting Nicaragua's wealth for decades while the local population grew poorer, hungrier and ever-increasingly backwards. Her support of a military junta in El Salvador created the notorious Death Squads that raped, pillaged, burned villages and murdered with almost no self-control. Kirkpatrick's actions caused one government of the people to collapse, and another run by military dictators to flourish, while on all sides, civilians, children, nuns and other non-combatants were raped and murdered."
Wonderful work, there, Mrs Kirkpatrick. That's really the legacy one would hope for, as a "lifelong Democrat" and "champion of human rights."
[switch Irony OFF]
Monday, December 04, 2006
Neal Stephenson Was Here
Super giant cruise ships may become the wave of the future. An article by AFP today notes the head of the French Cruise Federation is planning a new line of cruise ships:
The next generation of liner will contain 1,700-seat theatres, shopping malls and even wave pools for surfing and be up to about 410 metres long.
A floating city...what a novel idea. Except of course Neal Stephenson wrote about such things in his 1992 novel "Snow Crash." Stephenson also went to great lengths to try and explain how in the "future" people would lead most of their lives in "virtual reality" rooms and would socialize through a giant web of interconnected computers.
Sounds like hooey to me.
Super giant cruise ships may become the wave of the future. An article by AFP today notes the head of the French Cruise Federation is planning a new line of cruise ships:
The next generation of liner will contain 1,700-seat theatres, shopping malls and even wave pools for surfing and be up to about 410 metres long.
A floating city...what a novel idea. Except of course Neal Stephenson wrote about such things in his 1992 novel "Snow Crash." Stephenson also went to great lengths to try and explain how in the "future" people would lead most of their lives in "virtual reality" rooms and would socialize through a giant web of interconnected computers.
Sounds like hooey to me.
NYC Banker Is Meth-Head
An article in the NY Post today details how a Citibank executive built a meth lab in his spendy loft.
Here's my question: what is so wrong about manufacturing your own drugs? This guy, Knibb, made only enough for his own use. He bought the chemicals on the "internets" and made the meth himself, assuring it was at least as pure as could be expected, no criminals/gangs/drug dealers got any money, no street crime was enhanced. In short, what's the difference between making beer at home or making meth?
An article in the NY Post today details how a Citibank executive built a meth lab in his spendy loft.
Here's my question: what is so wrong about manufacturing your own drugs? This guy, Knibb, made only enough for his own use. He bought the chemicals on the "internets" and made the meth himself, assuring it was at least as pure as could be expected, no criminals/gangs/drug dealers got any money, no street crime was enhanced. In short, what's the difference between making beer at home or making meth?
Man Utd 2 Middlesbrough 0
Okay, let's call a spade a spade: Cristiano Ronaldo (Man Utd) was not touched by Mark Schwarzer (MBoro), so it was clearly a dive. Ronaldo went down without any contact whatsoever, Louis Saha converted the penalty, and United sealed their win later on with a Darren Fletcher header. These things happen.
My question is, if the FA can go back and review match tapes to determine if players should have been red-carded or merely yellow-carded, and if they go back to review incidents missed by match officials (which they do all the time), why can't they go back and at least issue a booking to Ronaldo?
True, my team benefited from this referee error, but diving has got to be kicked out of the game. Sometimes Ronaldo is brilliant, and sometimes he reminds you he's just a spoiled 21 year old brat.
Okay, let's call a spade a spade: Cristiano Ronaldo (Man Utd) was not touched by Mark Schwarzer (MBoro), so it was clearly a dive. Ronaldo went down without any contact whatsoever, Louis Saha converted the penalty, and United sealed their win later on with a Darren Fletcher header. These things happen.
My question is, if the FA can go back and review match tapes to determine if players should have been red-carded or merely yellow-carded, and if they go back to review incidents missed by match officials (which they do all the time), why can't they go back and at least issue a booking to Ronaldo?
True, my team benefited from this referee error, but diving has got to be kicked out of the game. Sometimes Ronaldo is brilliant, and sometimes he reminds you he's just a spoiled 21 year old brat.
Uh... Mr. Bush, Your Ignorance Is Showing
Today the AP reports that comically-mustachioed obstructionist goon John Bolton will "resign" his position as "ambassador" to the UN. The Bush Death Cult clearly mistook the term "ambassador" to mean "stooge," when Bolton was given a recess appointment (i.e., an end-run around Congress).
Well, Bolton, let me give you the facts, since you are as clueless as your erstwhile employer. First, you were never truly an ambassador because you were not sent with the approval of your country through the Constitutionally approved method of having the people's representatives (i.e. Congress) agree to send you to do their work. Instead, you were sent as a purely vindictive gesture, a slap in the face to the minority party and the 50% of America they represented, and to the concept of the UN itself. Bolton, you miscreant, you were the only "ambassador" ever sent to the UN without the support of Congress. Ever.
Bush read a statement expressing his barely-controlled rage at the audacity of Congress to question Him. In part, it read:
"They chose to obstruct his confirmation, even though he enjoys majority support in the Senate, and even though their tactics will disrupt our diplomatic work at a sensitive and important time," Bush said. "This stubborn obstructionism ill serves our country, and discourages men and women of talent from serving their nation."
You got that half right, Bush! What you should have said was:
"I realize now that I am only an elected President, and not an anointed King from the Old Testament whose every whim shall be obeyed without question. My disruption of the US's diplomatic work ill-served this nation. My stubborn refusal to allow the minority party to have a seat at the table has certainly discouraged men and women of talent from serving their nation, as they could no doubt fail to want to serve under such a reprehensible leader as myself."
Today the AP reports that comically-mustachioed obstructionist goon John Bolton will "resign" his position as "ambassador" to the UN. The Bush Death Cult clearly mistook the term "ambassador" to mean "stooge," when Bolton was given a recess appointment (i.e., an end-run around Congress).
Well, Bolton, let me give you the facts, since you are as clueless as your erstwhile employer. First, you were never truly an ambassador because you were not sent with the approval of your country through the Constitutionally approved method of having the people's representatives (i.e. Congress) agree to send you to do their work. Instead, you were sent as a purely vindictive gesture, a slap in the face to the minority party and the 50% of America they represented, and to the concept of the UN itself. Bolton, you miscreant, you were the only "ambassador" ever sent to the UN without the support of Congress. Ever.
Bush read a statement expressing his barely-controlled rage at the audacity of Congress to question Him. In part, it read:
"They chose to obstruct his confirmation, even though he enjoys majority support in the Senate, and even though their tactics will disrupt our diplomatic work at a sensitive and important time," Bush said. "This stubborn obstructionism ill serves our country, and discourages men and women of talent from serving their nation."
You got that half right, Bush! What you should have said was:
"I realize now that I am only an elected President, and not an anointed King from the Old Testament whose every whim shall be obeyed without question. My disruption of the US's diplomatic work ill-served this nation. My stubborn refusal to allow the minority party to have a seat at the table has certainly discouraged men and women of talent from serving their nation, as they could no doubt fail to want to serve under such a reprehensible leader as myself."