Monthly Archives: September 2004

Just Don’t Mention the War

Posted on September 24, 2004 by Michael Froomkin

Something else with which to stoke your outrage — how the Bush/RNC slime machine is trying to suggest that anyone who suggests the Boy Emperor's Iraq campaign may be having a wardrobe malfunction is unpatriotic, or maybe even treasonous.

Posted in Politics: US: 2004 Election | 1 Comment

Slime

Posted on September 24, 2004 by Michael Froomkin

The New York Times: Republicans Admit Mailing Campaign Literature Saying Liberals Will Ban the Bible.

As Mark A.R. Kleiman says, “If voters fail to become enraged at this sort of slime-mongering, Republicans may be emboldened to repeat it.”

Beware of outrage fatigue. Very very dangerous this time of year.

(On the other hand, there is a cheerful aspect to this. The more desperate and crazy the slime, the better the Democrats must be doing or why would the RNC/Bush crowd bother?)

Posted in Politics: US: 2004 Election | 1 Comment

NASA’s Cool World Viewer

Posted on September 24, 2004 by Michael Froomkin

From Slashdot:

Nasa has released a comprehensive world viewing tool that allows you to zoom from planetary resolution down to where you can pick out individual streets. Really cool, but it needs a good internet connection and a decent graphics card. There's all sorts of interesting features, such as the ability to tilt your view for a flight-sim like experience and a data display feature that shows current natural disasters, political boundaries, weather patterns, and landmarks on the Earth's surface, all while providing a dynamic satellite's eye view of the planet.”

Of course it's already Slashdotted.1

1 A site is slashdotted when its server dies under the weight of the flash crowd suddenly and unexpectedly directed there due to a link on slashdot.

Posted in Sufficiently Advanced Technology | Comments Off on NASA’s Cool World Viewer

Frit

Posted on September 24, 2004 by Michael Froomkin

I have no idea if this story that Lt. GW Bush was grounded for cowardice is true. I have no idea how you would tell.

The story, unlike the one by Swift Boat Vets for Lies, has the merit of being consistent with much of the documentary evidence. (I would have expected to see something about this in the medical section of his file? Is this why he didn't report for they physical, because they planned psychological tests?) It may also explain why GW Bush has never produced his separation codes.

But there's no way to tell now, I'd wager.

One thing is for sure: even though it is more plausible than the Swift Vets' tall tale, this story will never get one one-hundreth of the media play.

Posted in Politics: US: GW Bush Scandals | 1 Comment

Perfect Summary of the Allawi Visit

Posted on September 24, 2004 by Michael Froomkin

Josh Marshall has the perfect summary of Iyad Allawi's “state” visit to the US.

Talking Points Memo: Here we have a US-installed foreign head of state, whose travel schedule is determined by the US State Department, visiting the US to buoy the president's election campaign and spouting demonstrable lies in order to support a retrospective rationale for war that the White House wants Americans to believe but lacks the gall to state explicitly.

(As someone said, Bush has a 100% approval rating among foreign leaders he appointed.)

Posted in Iraq | 6 Comments

GasPriceWatch: Great Idea — If It Worked

Posted on September 24, 2004 by Michael Froomkin

GasPriceWatch is a great idea: harness the power of crowds to identify the cheapest gas station in an area. Help markets be more efficient! Strike back against temporary locational monopoly and impulse purchases! Make the oiloligopolists fight for your dollar!

GasPriceWatch claims 105,690 “Volunteer Price Spotters” who turn in 43,762 prices per weekly, covering 126,860 US Gas Stations.

But none, it seems, near where I live.

Posted in Internet | 2 Comments