Monthly Archives: September 2004

Shameless

Quoted from uggabugga:

Remember June 28? Here is how PBS’ News Hour reported what happened that day: (emp add)

The U.S.-led coalition in Iraq transferred sovereignty to the interim Iraqi government two days ahead of schedule, in an effort to avert possible insurgent attacks.

The unexpected handover ceremony came at mid-morning Baghdad time, the middle of the night in the U.S. The event was convened hastily and secretly inside Baghdad’s heavily guarded green zone.

Sounds grim, doesn’t it? But here is what Bush had to say about it in today’s radio address: (emp add)

We’re making steady progress in implementing our five-step plan toward the goal we all want: completing the mission so that Iraq is stable and self-governing, and American troops can come home with the honor they have earned.

The first step was achieved on June 28th, not only on time, but ahead of schedule, when the coalition transferred full sovereignty to a government of Iraqi citizens.

Not only was it “ahead of schedule” but it was done in such a manner that the people in Baghdad were not inconvenienced. Since the handover was performed “secretly”, that meant no traffic jams or other problems that a public event would have caused. But somehow Bush failed to mention that this morning.

Is anyone prepared to defend this by arguing it depends on what the meaning of “lying” is?

Posted in Iraq | 18 Comments

Jon Stewart For Debate Moderator

Works for me: Jon Stewart For Debate Moderator.

Posted in Politics: US: 2004 Election | 4 Comments

MIA: Facts

Things must be bad when even Howard Kurtz notices you are making stuff up:


Missing: 983,000 Tax Pages
: Looks as though President Bush is due for an audit of his tax code facts. “The tax code is a complicated mess,” he said in Bangor, Maine, on Thursday. “You realize, it's a million pages long.” Most Americans probably did not realize it was that long, because it is not. It is, in fact, 17,000 pages long, according to such experts as the conservative Heritage Foundation and Rep. Jim DeMint (R-S.C.).

Update: As the an commentator noted, this was by Dana Milbank, who's about as good as it gets at the Post. I hate to think what these proofs I'm working will look like when they are printed.

Posted in Politics: US: 2004 Election | 3 Comments

Elizabeth Edwards Is Wonderful

One of the reasons I ended up being a John Edwards fan was Elizabeth Edwards. I figured anyone who she would marry had to be OK. Here's more evidence for the proposition that she's great: Elizabeth Edwards reads Daily Kos. She also contributes to the Kerry-Edwards blog.

Posted in Politics: US: 2004 Election | 17 Comments

Two Articles on UM Hosting the Presidential Debate

The Herald has two puffy but not inaccurate articles about how UM snagged the first presidential debate, and what it hopes to get out of it.

Posted in U.Miami | Comments Off on Two Articles on UM Hosting the Presidential Debate

Yet More on Hurricanes and Divine Providence

Looks like I'm not the only one having fun with this. Jim Defede is the Miami Herald's best local muckraker, but he took a break from that to induldge in some speculation today:

The juice is loose — and it's windorific: Lately, I've begun to wonder if there were some sort of biblical implications to the recent storms. Red wine and reading Revelations by flashlight during a hurricane will have that effect on you.

“And the fifth angel sounded and I saw a star fall from heaven unto the earth; and to him was given the key to the bottomless pit. And he opened the bottomless pit and there arose a smoke out of the pit, as the smoke of a great furnace …''

When I read that section I recalled those fires on the western edge of the county two months ago and how the smoke billowed across the whole county.

“And there came out of the smoke locusts upon the earth …''

Come on people — mosquitoes carrying West Nile virus?

And now four hurricanes.

“… Loose the four angels which are bound in the great river Euphrates. And the four angels were loosed … ''

REPENT NOW!

Hello! Don't most hurricanes come out of Africa? And isn't that where the Euphrates is located?

OK, let's be clear. I'm not saying that Hurricanes Charley, Frances, Ivan and Jeanne are some version of the four horsemen of the apocalypse, but I'm not saying they aren't, either.

For a while I seriously considering slaughtering a lamb and smearing its blood over my doorway. But then I realized I was confusing my Old Testament with my New Testament.

Besides, where can you get a live lamb on short notice in this town? Don't get me wrong, I'm sure if I had the right connections I could score a really good sacrificial lamb easier than you can Dolphins tickets.

Posted in Florida | 5 Comments