Britney Spears' mother has had enough with the media trying to paint her daughter as trashy.
Yeah! She's... ummm... something else...
And I've had enough of people trying to paint me as fat...
Lynne Spears writes on her daughter's Web site she's come across numerous photos trying to paint her daughter that way. Lynne Spears says in one photo, Spears stepped on her floor-length skirt and it pulled down too low in the front. She said she's sure that's happened to lots of girls before -- but there weren't hordes of paparazzi around.
And lots of girls have marriages that last 20 minutes or less...
Also, Lynne Spears said her daughter has been appearing barefoot a lot because she needs to wear only tennis shoes because of her knee problems and they're too hot. Lynne Spears said Britney "is not one that is going to give into the pressures of dressing up every single day in order to impress the paparazzi vultures."
Posted by: Fred ||
09/14/2004 4:02:39 PM ||
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#1
Amazing how a girl with a serious speech impediment was accepted as a performer (note: not musician, or composer, or artist.)
#2
Note to Lynn Spears: Your daughter is over 21 already. She's an adult, so why not just leave her alone? If she has a problem with how she's being portrayed, then it's her job to do something about it. If she wants to.
#3
Hey Lynne,
Perhaps if you (or her - when did she start her 'career'?) hadn't prosituted her out to the record companies like a trashy whore she wouldn't have that sort of image.....
#5
"Stop trashing my daughter! She's my meal ticket! I need to milk* her for all she's worth before she gets married, and that two-bit back-up dancer divorces her and takes everything!"
*bad choice of words, but I couldn't think of anything else.
If you insist, Shipman. Although I remain confident that very few of us would have noticed the resemblance had you not brought it to our attention yourself.
Never mind!
Turkey's government backed off its plan to outlaw adultery after criticism within the European Union, strident protests from opposition politicians and a march on parliament Tuesday by hundreds of outraged Turkish women.
"Sex! Sex! We want sex!"
Posted by: Fred ||
09/14/2004 9:05:03 PM ||
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#1
I guess it's safe to say that they are still serious about joining the EU.
After today's Turkish and French threads, I'm beginning to think that Turkey and the EU truly deserve each other.
#3
Well it is an issue that is best left to individuals no need to make a law for it. Unless you fornicate by cutting a hole in a sheet then ofcourse your wife will wannah get some REAL ACTION but the only prevention is to get better in sex, not outlaw the competition.
Posted by: Robert Crawford ||
09/14/2004 22:05 Comments ||
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#6
Several jurisdictions in the United States still have laws on the book against adultery, fornication and sodomy. I smell a double standard.
If it's within the police power of Alabama to criminalize the sale of sex toys, and Virginia can have a law against adultery, why can't the majority in a Muslim country pass a law that would not only be constitutional but still enforced in several American jurisdictions?
#8
Yeah Anonymous, but the anti-adultery law would then become justification for more revenge killings and one more step down the road to sharia. Can't blame the Turkish women for marching when they're faced with that. It's almost never the women killing men, it's usually the men killing women.
There's something else on the EU's wall, big letters obscured by the posters and aggressive propaganda. It's called "the writing".
The European Union is poised to overtake America to become the premier superpower, according to an EU exhibition launched yesterday in the heart of Brussels. The pop-art collage mounted in a tent outside the European Commission narrates 50 years of EU history and projects events into the future in an unusually frank display of European delusion ambition. Segments sketched across 80 yards of canvas predict that the 21st century will be the "European Century" as the EU pushes its borders deep into Eurasia, North Africa, and the Middle East and comes to dominate world affairs through its vast "legal and moral reach". Damn them! They ain't left no room for parody...!
Under the heading the "Holy Roman Empire returns", it says the EU will be renamed "The Union" once it grows to 50 states over the next three decades. The United Nations headquarters will be moved to Gibraltar SAYS WHO?!
as the EU defends the international order against the "American onslaught". The euro will break the "overbearing monopoly of the dollar" by 2010 as China and India switch their reserves to punish America for its "stratospheric deficit". Casting the United States as the villain of modern times, it says: "The lonely superpower can bribe, bully or impose its will almost anywhere in the world, but when its back is turned, its policy is weakened." Entitled "The Image of Europe", the display is not a formal expression of EU policy but it captures views that can be heard every day in the corridors and canteens of the Union's institutions. The exhibit was co-ordinated by the European Commission and sponsored by the European Council. The EU's Dutch presidency said yesterday it was designed to narrow Europe's "iconographic deficit" by conjuring up forceful images. There you have it: the future as anticipated to the EU's insanely arrogant and deluded 'masterminds'. Who wants in?!
Posted by: Bulldog ||
09/14/2004 4:45:19 AM ||
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#1
LOL, what have they been smoking? And why would anyone want to expand into North Africa and the Middle East (unless of course it's North Africa and the Middle East that expand into Europe, which is more likely). As the guy said in True Grit: "that's bold talk for a one-eyed fat man"!
#3
Yea they are going to do that all with the armies they don't have and can't afford. Meanwhile they assimilate every "migrant" from "north africa" and "asia" who comes knocking. I was thinking it was a joke then I read the article at the Telegraph and realized they are that delusional. Oh well "good luck."
#4
"... it was designed to narrow Europeâs "iconographic deficit" by conjuring up forceful images."
Meaning, we don't stand for anything and we have no new ideas.
Good luck, new Roman empire.
Posted by: Baltic Blog ||
09/14/2004 6:21 Comments ||
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#5
The Former Soviet Union was also known for their iconography.
Dutchgeek,
Bread and Circuses was the first welfare program. The New Roman Empire seems determined to surpass the Old Roman Empire in this regard.
Posted by: ed ||
09/14/2004 7:22 Comments ||
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#6
New Roman Empire. Hmm⦠we last heard that used of Germany between 1933 and 1945â¦
Posted by: Steve from Relto ||
09/14/2004 8:54 Comments ||
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#7
1. how are you gonna be a superpower when none o f their members can get along? 2. PLEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEASEtake the UN too gibralter. then don't ask for any more money too run the crap with.
#8
I can see this -- but it is the declining Roman Empire and the rise of Islam. France is going Islamic, Turkey will eventually enter the EU, etc. Can Syria be far behind? Oh, and they can move the U.N. right now as far as I'm concerned.
Posted by: Tom ||
09/14/2004 9:01 Comments ||
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#9
EU art show proclaims Europe as âthe new Roman Empireâ
I agree. They're in the ass end phase of it. The part with the barbarian invasion.
#13
Well, they *almost* got it right. The EU will be like the next Holy Roman Empire.
If you think of the Italian Roman Empire as being the first and best, and the German HRE as being the second and mediocre, perhaps this Franco-Kraut "Third Reich", will encompass at that is petty and stupid in Europe.
#14
" The European Union is poised to overtake America to become the premier superpower, according to an EU exhibition launched yesterday in the heart of Brussels."
..Wasn't this on one of those alternate universe eps of Star Trek ?
Mike
Posted by: Mike Kozlowski ||
09/14/2004 10:02 Comments ||
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#15
...comes to dominate world affairs through its vast "legal and moral reach".
I see that the first thing the new Emperor did was to buy a fine new set of threads.
#16
1. Gibbon posited that the decline and fall of the Roman Empire was due to the adoption of Christianity. But it took 150 years. Europe has now repudiated Christianity. It will be interesting to see how soon it adopts Islam and how soon thereafter the fall occurs.
2. Anybody else find it interesting that while the Americans are reviled for seeking to establish an empire they don't want that the Europeans are actively seeking to reinstall one less than 100 years after the most recent outbreak of European imperialsim destroyed Europe?
3. While I'm not happy with what is happening to the dollar, anybody want to review the political, demographic and economic trends here vs Europe and see which currency looks more likely to retain its value?
Maybe this is a good readon not to legalize dope. Cause it sure loks like they're smokin a lot of it over there.
Posted by: Mrs. Davis ||
09/14/2004 10:33 Comments ||
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#17
The pop-art collage mounted in a tent outside the European Commission narrates 50 years of EU history...
I wonder if 50 was a randomly selected number. How would the exhibition have been different if they had used, say, 70?
#18
The jokes in the comments kind of write themselves, don't they? Heh.
Posted by: Baltic Blog ||
09/14/2004 10:37 Comments ||
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#19
"I wonder if 50 was a randomly selected number."
Ofcourse not.
How would the exhibition have been different if they had used, say, 70?"
Starting date of the EU project was either 1952 with the Treaty of Paris (and the Coal and Steel Community), or 1957 with the Treaty of Rome and the EEC. So the EU doesn't have 70 years of history, it has about 50. So hardly "random" this.
Mrs. Davis, the difference between the Roman Empire and the EU is that all our members want to be a part of it. It's a *voluntary* union. Did you see the referendum results in the new member states?
#20
The euro will break the "overbearing monopoly of the dollar" by 2010 as China and India switch their reserves to punish America for its "stratospheric deficit
silly euros, making forecasts based on the last 3 years. Anyway, I thought we wanted China to delink the Yuan from the dollar?
#21
So, Aris-does that mean that the composition of the exhibition strictly pertains to the EU? Wouldn't the exhibition be fairly small between 1952 and say 1991?
#23
The EU collage should have featured one of Rembrandt's portraits of pensive old folks. The EU nations are dying and will not be a threat to anyone except themselves.
The one thing we know for certain is that the EU's population by 2050 will become either very old and smaller than it is today, or very muslim.
If the EU average age does reach 52 by 2050, as demographic trends indicate it will (absent a sea-change in attitudes toward feminism, child-rearing, the family etc), then the EU welfare state collapses. The numbers don't add up. You can't go from a worker-to-beneficiary ratio of 3:1 (as in the postwar era) to 1:2 today without destroying the welfare state that underlies the social contract at the heart of the EU.
That financial collapse is already underway; France's health care system's already bankrupt, and most EU pension funds are facing bankruptcy in the next 5-10 years.
The alternative path is a massive increase in the number of young, working, paying into the system immigrants, who of course will come mainly from muslim nations in Africa and the mideast. Which means sharp social divides and more ChiraK-style triangulation or outright tilting toward the jihadists. You can't have a pro-US foreign policy when 20% or more of the electorate is angry young muslim resenters.
So it's either the EU Old Folks' Home or EUrabia. What's your preference, Aris?
If it's such a voluntary union, how come so many state governments don't want to let the people vote on the adoption of the new constitution that will really make it a union?
Posted by: Mrs. Davis ||
09/14/2004 11:28 Comments ||
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#25
Can the Italians sue for defamation of history?
Posted by: Mrs. Davis ||
09/14/2004 11:33 Comments ||
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#28
Actually I like the idea of designating the EU as a retirement home. Lovely villages, great food, beautiful and empty cathedrals, nice old grannies and gramps.... Wouldn't harm or annoy anyone.
Have to do something about those violent young beurs, though. Maybe they could create a gated community for the old folks stretching from Auxerre south to Cadiz and east to Ljublana?
#29
hules> So, Aris-does that mean that the composition of the exhibition strictly pertains to the EU?
Since the first time I hear of this exhibition is this post here, you tell me. The article said "50 years of EU history" and that's the number you commented on and so that's what I'm talking about.
Aris, if it's such a voluntary union, how come so many state governments don't want to let the people vote on the adoption of the new constitution that will really make it a union?
The majority of nations will be voting on it, I believe. Some of the remaining ones (like Greece) have an allergy against referendums which is unrelated to chances of it passing -- polls in Greece for example show a large majority in favour of the constitution, but we're not gonna get a vote on it sadly. Germany prohibits all national referendums in its constitution -- that's because referendums had been seen as aiding in the Nazi rise. I don't know much about the remaining ones.
And you've been seriously deluded if you think that the "constitution will really make it a union". With the exception of abolishing the rotating presidency, it hardly changes *any* of the current function of the EU. It mostly makes a few changes that make the EU *slightly* more functional, less prone to deadlock, and turns a simplifies a mass of different treaties and agreements into a single entity.
What exactly did you think the EU constitution would do?
But either way we're not talking about the constitution solely, whose particular version may or may not be disagreeable. We are talking about the EU as a whole. Check the referendums for admission into the EU -- rather than guess about the future of a possibly-passing-possibly not constitution.
#30
There is a debate going on in Germany to lift the constitutional ban on national referendums.
People are still kinda pissed that they didn't get to vote on the Euro. Since the major parties supported the Euro there was no democratic way of rejecting it.
The EU constitution certainly disfavors Germany which is underrepresented considering the ratio vote/inhabitant. I agree though that the status quo with 25 members (growing to 28) is unsustainable.
But I'm most worried about the partly undemocratic, unelected status of those who influence our life more and more, trumpeting democratically elected leaders.
#31
Don't suppose any Rantburgers live around Brussels? It might be fun to take a peak at the exhibition. The EUâs Dutch presidency said yesterday it was designed to narrow Europeâs "iconographic deficit" by conjuring up forceful images--it's a marketing tactic (nothing wrong with that) but I'd like to see exactly what it is the EU is promoting. Do you think it might actually be a promo piece on "European political sagesse"?
#32
Just some minor tinkering, but the Germans want to lift the constitutional ban for it. OK, I'm convinced. It's all voluntary and in the interest of the people.
Posted by: Mrs. Davis ||
09/14/2004 12:15 Comments ||
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#33
Mrs Davis, it's hugely *symbolic*, ofcourse. It's the first treaty that's labelled a "Constitution" for example.
But, lady, you don't have to take my word on it on how huge or small *actual* changes it makes on the EU's functions. The proposed constitution is available on the Internet, and so are the past treaties, and commentaries on what it changes and what remains the same.
The European Union is poised to overtake America to become the premier superpower
HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!
On what planet?
Yeah, right - they'll become the "premier superpower" as soon as we give them our technology and we pay for it for them, and we place our military at their disposal.
I want some of what these clowns have been smoking. ;-)
The United Nations headquarters will be moved to Gibralter
Don't wait! Do it NOW. Please! I'll even volunteer to help them pack.
Posted by: Barbara Skolaut ||
09/14/2004 12:41 Comments ||
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#37
It changes the voting rights, but only in Spain and Poland it changes them significantly, I believe -- and that's because it was felt they were hugely overrepresented in European Council votes in past treaties, each country having only half the population of Germany for example but about the same number of votes.
Germany is favoured by the new constitution I believe in this respect I believe -- in past treaties it had the same number of votes in the Council as the UK, France and Italy, even though it was significantly larger in population. Now population enters the game with the double majority (population+number of states).
I would understand Spain or Poland turning down the constitution for this reason -- and indeed they almost did; that's what held it up for so long. But I wouldn't understand Germany doing the same for this reason.
#38
I guess it depends on what you mean by the Roman empire - the Byzantines on their last legs or the Romans at the peak of imperial glory. The Roman empire was known for its barbarian pacification campaigns. Is the EU up for that?
"The exhibition also sees the Common Agricultural Policy (CAP) being phased out in 2012 after a massive "scrap the CAP" campaign by citizens. Also in this vision of the future, the EU will adopt Chinese as its official language in 2012. "
Lex> "Aris, which outcome do you prefer-- EUrabia or the EU Retirement Home?"
Hasn't your momma taught you about the bad logic of false dilemmas?
#42
Third option? How about a change in the welfare system? Or the true assimilation of immigrants? Or both?
Oops, no we can't ever believe in the mere *possibility* of those occuring, because those aren't catastrophic scenarios and so are inconvenient to contemplate in a EU-bashing session.
#43
Aris,
As a Europhile, please assign probabilities to:
1 How about a change in the welfare system?
2 Or the true assimilation of immigrants?
Posted by: ed ||
09/14/2004 12:59 Comments ||
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#44
The change in the welfare system is already happening.
And not every Turk in Germany is a sharia loving Islamist. Most Turkish girls prefer mini skirts to hijab.
#45
OK, then what becomes of the EU's self-image as the un-capitalist, un-American, socialist alternative to US hypercapitalism when the EU is forced to abandon the welfare state?
PS raising the retirement age from 55 to 58 won't cut it. Raising it to 70 won't cut it either.
Do the math. One paying worker for two elderly retirees = bankruptcy of pension and health systems.
#46
Look, we have a milder version of the same problem, but we easily and successfully assimilate even arab immigrants. We get the strivers; the EU gets the resenters. Our racist xenophobes get at most 1% of the national vote; Le Pen got 18% last time around (and defeated the sitting Socialist PM in the first round). Perhaps this situation will change for Europe, but I've yet to see any evidence of it.
More private pension funds (not taxed on income)
A better immigration policy that favors young qualified people (preferably not "religiously challenged")
Aggressive tax cuts
Much less bureaucracy
Do that for ten years and the EU will look much brighter
#49
TGA, what's the probability of that occurring, in your opinion, in Germany at some point in this decade? My guess is that there's a decent chance of that kind of intelligent retrenchment in Denmark and the Netherlands, the UK under Brown, perhaps also France under Sarkozy in the future. If Aznar had not lost to Bambi Z, perhaps in Spain as well.
But I don't see much chance of reform elsewhere.
Anyway, keep fighting the good fight. Hope you succeed, for our sake as well as Europe's.
#53
On a related note, I wonder if the compulsive authoritarianism of the pop-left is somehow related to the hierarchy of the drug culture, in which sources are progressively more fearsome and ominipotent authorities and users have their own hierarchy of slavery, with financially secure trustafarians and media authorities at the top, and impoverished criminals and prostitutes at the bottom?
#54
Anon6446-Could you connect one thought to another? It would make it clearer what your political philosophy is; the ramblings, which make sense to you, have us scratching our heads.
#55
National unity and its EU analog will be a critical long-term factor in this conflict.
There is no serious separatist movement in the United States, hasn't been since 1865. How many are there in the EU countries? 50? 100? It depends on the definition of separatist, I suppose, but the intensity of such conflicts as that between, say, Walloons and Flemings in Belgium amazes Americans. The lid has been kept on this for a century or more, but attempts at cultural and legal unity may actually highlight regional differences.
It is also worth noting that quite a few of the EU member states are comparatively young compared to the United States, in terms of their existence as constitutionally unified nation-states. Germany dates only from 1871, Italy from about the same time. Norway has been independent nation-state only since 1905 and many of the east European countries achieved this status only very recently.
I love the way the Europeans tell us we're just a "young" country and they're so much older with so much more experience.
But our form of government has remained exactly the same since 1789 - through internal as well as external wars, changing of parties in power, etc.
Which European nation can say the same?
(Note to Bulldog and Howard: Yes, I know your Constitutional Monarchy has been around a long, long time, but I'm pretty sure the King had far more actual power in 1776 to wage "King George's War" than the Queen does today. If I'm wrong, I apologize and defer to your knowledge of your own country.)
Posted by: Barbara Skolaut ||
09/14/2004 14:41 Comments ||
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#57
jules,
I'm perfectly satisfied with the post as A6449 wrote it. Clarity might engender a response which would lead to further offerings from A6449. Somehow, I doubt we want to encourgae that.
Posted by: Mrs. Davis ||
09/14/2004 14:46 Comments ||
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#58
Thereâs something else on the EUâs wall, big letters obscured by the posters and aggressive propaganda. Itâs called "the writing".
"The moving finger writes, and having writ, moves on. Nor all thy piety and wit can call it back to cancel half a line, nor all thy tears wash out a word of it." -Omar Khyyam
But Le Monde and ChIraq will sure try.
(Note to nitpickers: the quote may not be exact, having been done from memory, but it's close enough for the purpose. Go Google something else.)
Posted by: Barbara Skolaut ||
09/14/2004 14:46 Comments ||
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#60
A6449: If several other nations that intend to switch from a US dollar based economy to the EURO based, and independently without undo interference from the US, do so.
A6449 suffers from a kind of economic illiteracy that is widespread. People don't use dollars because they like the US any more than they buy oil because they like the Arabs. Mercantilists tend to look at America's trade and budget deficits and point to them as a sign of economic weakness. But they are not. The twin deficits are a sign of economic strength. Foreigners incur trade surpluses with the US not because they like us, but because they need to keep their factories going. Note that they don't run these trade surpluses with countries like Botswana or Burma. Foreigners buy American government debt because the US economy is the largest in the world, and a tiny increase in taxes or a tiny decrease in government spending would wipe the annual deficit out. A $500B annual deficit and a total debt figure of about $6,800B looks like a lot until you realize that America's annual output is $11,000B. By comparison, most families have mortgages several times their annual income. And what is the trade deficit as a percentage of America's total output? A mere 5%, and this includes oil, which has skyrocketed in price in the past year.
#61
The dollar's weakness is indeed a cause for concern, but nor anything having to do with Europe or the euro. Everything hinges on the degree of confidence in the US economy shown by the central banks of the really crucial nations today, China and Japan. They (and SO Korea) are the ones who hold something like 50% of US treasuries. If they decide to buy euro-denominated debt instead, which is far-fetched but not inconceivable, then a downward spiral would begin. But that spiral would take them down first by depriving their biggest market of significant purchasing power (which is why CHina resists revaluation of the yuan).
In short the economic warfare arguments are asinine. We and the Asians, and also the Europeans, are economically joined at the hip. Can't bring down one economy without screwing all the others.
#62
What's also significant is that the EU is trying to build up their perceived "image" by attacking the US, instead of standing on their own political feet. Anybody can look like a "big dog" for a bit, when they're "condemning" an opponent. And BTW, where are the LLL's cries against "imperialist expansionism?" Colonialists by any other name are still colonialists, aren't they?
#63
xl, good point. one would think that after looking at how the peace of WWII worked out versus the peace of WWI and how we chose to fight Stalin as opposed to the way they chose to fight Hitler that the Europeans might have picked up on the fact that life is not a zero sum game, but Nooooo.
Posted by: Mrs. Davis ||
09/14/2004 15:38 Comments ||
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#64
lex: If they decide to buy euro-denominated debt instead, which is far-fetched but not inconceivable, then a downward spiral would begin.
What downward spiral? If they decide to buy euro-denominated debt, US bond yields will go up, and more Americans will buy Treasury bonds. Note that Americans have 34 trillion dollars in assets of all kinds. Assets that can be converted to cash to buy higher-yielding bonds. The interest alone on these assets is enough to buy up the annual Treasury bond issue several times over, never mind the principal.
#65
As to the value of trade surpluses, veryretired at samizdata puts it best:
The Japanese ran huge trade surpluses for decades, and then their economy collapsed into a depression that has lasted over ten years.
The ultimate trade surplus was the gold and silver looted from the Americas by the Spanish. By the time they had brought home tons of new wealth, their money supply collapsed, and their economy never recovered.
The key to vibrancy is not how much wealth can we obtain and hold, but how much can we create? The genius of a capitalist economic system protected by a reasonably free representative government is the creativity it nourishes. Everything else is a secondary consequence.
The countries of the world watched in amazement as the economy of the US, declared dead in the water in the 70's, created millions of jobs and entire new industries in the 80's and 90's. During much of this time, the nation had a trade deficit, and the government operated in the red.
While there is enormous room for improvement, as long as money can move to the point of best return, concepts which resonate with the public will be rewarded. I am typing on one of those concepts now, and that is why ideas matter.
#66
I don't pretend to have the answers on this, but I do know that Asian confidence in our prospects is key to everything. Which is another reason that this liberal is so determined to win the war on the jihadists: the Asians are sober realists and do not give a sh*t about human rights. They adhere to ObL's "strong horse/weak horse" view, and would probably begin to dump Treasuries not from some hard economic analysis but from a much more subjective sense that the US was in decline and incapable of defending itself. Financial panics are funny that way.
As to the hard econmics, from here forward I'll defer to Bill Gross of PIMCO, the superstar bond fund manager and for my money the smartest analysis of US Treasuries on the planet.
#67
If they decide to buy euro-denominated debt instead, which is far-fetched but not inconceivable, then a downward spiral would begin.
would a downward spiral begin? If dollar were no longer the reserve currency then we couldnt maintain the same exchange for a give set of fiscal and monetary policies, and wed have to accept more expensive imports and a lower standard of living, but i dont see why this wouldnt reach a new equilibrium fairly quickly.
One thing that has always puzzled me about the EU concept is why no one has thought to mimic the US Constitution with regards to representation and separation of powers. The whole big state, little state controversy was solved in 1789 and works pretty well. Two houses, one by population, one equal. Popular vote every 2 years for the volatile house and every 6 years for the moderating influence of the Senate.
Federal Gov't. has certain powers, all others devolve to the individual states. Even the electoral college approach has benefits for getting started, even back to the point where electors are elected and get to cast representative votes. Also the idea that exact methods of electing Reps and Senators can be left to the individual states.
Don't you think that with a few tweeks in the details this could work to balance the interests?
#70
If you want to know when the Euro is becoming a reserve currency, the first sign will be that large quantities of Euros are seized in Durg busts. $500 billion of the $700 billion of U. S. currency outstanding is $100 bills. No doubt, most of this is in the hands of foreigners. The Euro is issued in 200 and 500 denominations also and so would be more portable for those seeking to move large quantities of money quickly.
In addition, there is a rumor that may be urban legend that every $100 bill that is over 1 month old has traces of cocain on it. If so, how long does it take for a 500 Euro bill to give a good snort?
Posted by: Mrs. Davis ||
09/14/2004 16:38 Comments ||
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#71
would a downward spiral begin?
Yes. To cover the massive sell-off in Treasuries, assets would have to be shifted from either stocks (down goes the Dow) or cash holdings, which would likely depress consumer spending, which would result in less demand for Asian exports, hence less retained earnings that Asian banks could invest here, hence less Asian demand, and on we go.
We could indeed do with a lower standard of living-- drive smaller cheaper cars, move from 4,000 square foot houses to 2,500 sq ft, etc-- but since consumer spending accounts for about 67% of GNP, that would mean lower growth and less tax revenue for Washington. Which would mean a larger deficit and more borrowing, which would further depress Treasury prices....
#72
To get more serious - maybe - I bet that fundie/evangelical Christians who are into biblical prophecy are going wild over this news item. After all, ever since Hal Lindsay wrote _The Late Great Planet Earth_, it's been almost an article of faith among many conservative Christians that the EEC/EU is a forerunner of the end-time world-state. In fact, Lindsay - and a lot of others - call it the "Revived Roman Empire", following a prophetic scheme that I don't really have the time to get into now. The fact that the EU is now declaring itself openly, at least in that particular forum, to be the revival of Rome can only add fuel to this fire.
Posted by: Joe ||
09/14/2004 17:54 Comments ||
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#73
To get (sorta) serious about this hogwash, let's remember that the Roman Empire (post-Caesar) had two main methodologies for conqured nations - they would either
1) be very, very nice to the local king, giving him more money and power than he ever dreamed of, thus ensuring his eternal loyalty to the Empire, or
2) they would wipe out the local nobility root and branch, right down to the kids and pets, thus ensuring that they would never be a problem in the future.
#76
The E.U. led by German-Franco banking interests is in a replay of the last time Nazi Germany & Vichy France plus Axis Italy attempted A New Roman Empire in the 1930's & early 1940's.
Posted by: Mark Espinola ||
09/14/2004 20:28 Comments ||
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#77
AlanC, the disagreement between big and small states is a minor sidepoint to the real question which is federalism versus intergovernmentalism: that's shown by the fact that it was neither the big nor the small states that had a problem with the double majority system (states, populations) introduced, it was two middle-sized nations (Spain and Poland) that felt they were getting a rough deal, because the bizarre voting arrangement of past treaties favoured them, even if illogical.
I bet that fundie/evangelical Christians who are into biblical prophecy are going wild over this news item
Yeah: when Greece entered the EU (EC back then) becoming the tenth member state, the EU was the ten-horned beast of the Apocalypse. The religious crazies were *so* disappointed when EU just kept on adding member states: Revelations alas didn't describe a twenty-five-horned beast. :-)
#78
As a sidenote, and to make myself clear, that's just my own *interpretation* of events, that the actual point isn't big-vs-small states. I'm sure many people think that's the real issue, it's me who doesn't.
#81
It sure is easy to pick out the US from the Euros, just look for the Muslim bashing, illiterate and slightly scewed to walls types of comments and you have it!
The EU very well has the ability to wrest defacto control of the Economic future within reach. If several other nations that intend to switch from a US dollar based economy to the EURO based, and independently without undo interference from the US, do so. Well lets just say a confrontation with the US would likely invite even more invasions in the near future, to balance the power shifting towards the EU. Probably at or around Election time, maybe..... OIL bearing states like say.... Syria, or Iran eh?
Watch your backs there's Amrrrcins everwhere, an we don't want a strong EU, get it? It just makes us feel like we won't be able to support our SUVs and Rabid anti-Muslim wars, if the dollar gets devalued any more. Thanks for your cooperation with the UN, holding back the Bucks just don't seem to control them like it used to, maybe the move will do them good. HEH HEH
CBS EXPERTS SAY THEIR CONCERNS WERE IGNORED,
ABC News' Brian Ross reports...
BUSH IN THE NATIONAL GUARD
ABC's Brian Ross interviewed the two experts who CBS hired to validate the National Guard documents and reports they ignored concerns they raised prior to the CBS News broadcast. "I did not feel that they wanted to investigate it very deeply," Emily Will told Ross. "I did not authenticate anything and I don't want it to be misunderstood that I did," Linda James told Ross. Ross reports 2 experts told ABC News today that even the most advanced typewriter available in 1972 could not have produced the documents. Ross also reported that Lt. Col. Jerry Killian's secretary says she believes the documents are fake but that they express thoughts Killian believed. . .
#1
254 Swift Vets express thoughts they believe and have supported with REAL documentation and it is not news. But a secretary expresses beliefs contrary to what Killian's son said and despite fake docs - it's as good as GOD's own word.
#1
Few probably remember the great forgery of "Cleopatra's Love Letters to Marc Antony", in which Cleo made the one little mistake of dating her letters "B.C."
By PETE SLOVER / The Dallas Morning News
HOUSTON — The former secretary for the Texas Air National Guard colonel who supposedly authored memos critical of President Bush's Guard service said Tuesday that the documents are fake, but that they reflect real documents that once existed. Since they don't exist anymore - who's to say.
Marian Carr Knox, who worked from 1956 to 1979 at Ellington Air Force Base in Houston, said she prided herself on meticulous typing, and the memos first disclosed by CBS News last week were not her work. "These are not real," she told The Dallas Morning News after examining copies of the disputed memos for the first time. "They're not what I typed, and I would have typed them for him." Yup!
Mrs. Knox, 86, who spoke with precise recollection about dates, people and events, said she is not a supporter of Mr. Bush, who she deemed "unfit for office" and "selected, not elected." Blaah Blaah Blaah. Yeah, but at least you told the truth about the stuff. God forgives your error about the Prez.
"I remember very vividly when Bush was there and all the yak-yak that was going on about it," she said. But, she said, telltale signs of forgery abounded in the four memos, which contained the supposed writings of her ex-boss, Lt. Col. Jerry Killian, who died in 1984. MS Word?
She said the typeface on the documents did not match either of the two typewriters that she used during her time at the Guard. She identified those machines as a mechanical Olympia, which was replaced by an IBM Selectric in the early 1970s. She spoke fondly of the Olympia machine, which she said had a key with the "th" superscript character that was the focus of much debate in the CBS memos. Experts have said that the Selectric, and mechanical typewriters such as the Olympia, could not produce proportional spacing, found in the disputed documents. Rather's lonely th
CBS officials have defended their report. They have declined to say who provided 60 Minutes with the documents, other than that it was an "unimpeachable source" — or exactly where they came from, other than Lt. Col. Killian's "personal file." The memos, if real, would show that as a pilot, Mr. Bush defied a direct order to obtain a flight physical, enjoyed the benefit of pressure from high officials to "sugar coat" his record, and was grounded for failing to meet military performance standards. Mrs. Knox said she did all of Lt. Col. Killian's typing, including memos for a personal "cover his back" file he kept in a locked drawer of his desk. CYA probably shredded when Killian retired. But did they really exist? We don't think so. That's OK Mrs. Knox. Vote Kerry, be happy.
She said she did not recall typing the memos reported by CBS News, though she said they accurately reflect the viewpoints of Lt. Col. Killian and documents that would have been in the personal file. Also, she could not say whether the CBS documents corresponded memo for memo with that file. Uh-huh
"The information in here was correct, but it was picked up from the real ones," she said. She has a "solid" memory?
She said that the culture of the time was that men didn't type office-related documents, and she expressed doubt that Lt. Col. Killian would have typed the memos. She said she would typically type his memos from his handwritten notes, which she would then destroy. Uh-huh
Mrs. Knox, who left the Guard before Lt. Col. Killian died, said she was not sure of the disposition of his personal files when he died while still serving at Ellington. But, she said, it would have been logical that a master sergeant who worked in the squadron headquarters would have destroyed any such nonofficial documents after Lt. Col. Killian's death. Uh-huh
That man, reached Tuesday, declined to comment. "I don't know anything about the matter," he said. Wise.
She also said the memos may have been constructed from memory by someone who had seen Lt. Col. Killian's private file but were not transcriptions because the language and terminology did not match what he would have used. For instance, she said, the use of the words "billets" and a reference to the "administrative officer" of Mr. Bush's squadron reflect Army terminology rather than the Air National Guard. Some news reports attribute the CBS reports to a former Army National Guard officer who has a longstanding dispute with the Guard and has previously maintained that the president's record was sanitized. But the fact that forgeries are in the mix makes ANY supposed memos suspect.
Mrs. Knox also cited stylistic differences in the form of the notes, such as the signature on the right side of the document, rather than the left, where she would have put it. Yup. Thanks Mrs. Knox. You have integrity. As a Kerry person, that is special.
Posted by: Frank G ||
09/14/2004 19:05 Comments ||
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#4
Read that piece carefully, she said that she saw memos that reflected the contents of CBS's fakes (riiiiiight). Tomorrow's NYT/WaPo/Globe/CBS headline, "Killian's Secretary Confirms Contents of Bush Memos".
#6
for 86 she's got a hell of a memory, no? I can't remember last week's memos without seeing them again. Hmmmmmm
Posted by: Frank G ||
09/14/2004 19:25 Comments ||
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#7
âI remember very vividly when Bush was there and all the yak-yak that was going on about it,â she said.
You know, at this point I begin to be suspicious. "Poppy" had been a two-term Rep and in '71 was appointed UN ambassador. According to Molly Ivins, Bush's unit also included Lloyd Bentsen's and John Connally's sons, plus several of the Dallas Cowboys. So what made Bush so memorable?
Now, Mrs. Knox says she remembers the "yak yak", but does she mean the yak yak about Bush, or about those privileged young fellers in general?
Also, I've been wondering just how much sugar coating a politician thinks his son needs. To hear some people tell it, W. was already destined to become President at that time. Why else would all these people -- both for and against -- obsess so much about sanitizing his record? And this at a time when a little drinkin' and carousin' was not held to be too big a black mark against a man's characer.
I think you hit the nail on the head. There was some disgruntlement in TANG re: the senators' sons. But good catch. Why just quote "yak,yak" without getting a more specific, clear quote on this very important point? I think we all know why.
One thing missing here is that she should have some insight into the whole AWOL mess. But nada a word is mentioned. And why not? Clearly she remembered him as she made specific comments about how he was always polite, etc.
Also, back then, an officer was practically rated on his ability to consume large quantities of alcohol. It was still ok to drive drunk, and official command parites would have encouraged drinking. So none of this would have been considered a black mark for a young jo.
#9
Personal secretaries have a tendancy to project theirown beliefs onto that of their bosses. I would still like to see the Post Office called confirm that the PO Box was factitious. One indisputable fact is enough to establish the fact that these documents were forgeries.
Posted by: Super Hose ||
09/14/2004 21:10 Comments ||
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#10
It's not clear why CBS wants to go kamakazi for Kerry, it's clear that they are.
If it is indeed going to come out that Kerry's superiors rated him "unfit for command", then what Kerry's MSM surrogates are desperately trying to do is to throw anything, anything at all, that will show Bush was also stupid and reckless while he was young.
They will ignore the 254 swift vets, Kerry's fake ribbons, Cambodia, the treachery against his commrades, etc., etc. - and hang their hat on Bush missing a physical. Pathetic. Even thought she said the memos were fake, expect them to make Mrs. Secretary the wise ol' owl whose voting for Kerry.
These people in the DNC and MSM are so freaking deluded. Someone needs to get them a clue-by-four.
#11
One indisputable fact is enough to establish the fact that these documents were forgeries.
Like Staudt having retired over a year before he was supposedly pressuring people?
Posted by: Robert Crawford ||
09/14/2004 21:28 Comments ||
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#12
I'm wondering if Mrs. Knox really did say all those things attributed to her that were not in quotes. Is it possible that Pete Slover attended the same journalistic ethics classes as the AP reporters, Scott Lindlaw and Tom Hays? Forgive my cynicism about all 'professional' journalists, but I wasn't born a cynic.
#13
I was listening to Boortz this week on the radio....he said the whole furor is moot due to the fact that every year Bush was in the Tex ANG he earned more then the required 50 points a year to satisfy his reserve duty - to include the year he was in 'bama - this is undisputed fact. The whole documents thing is a smokescreen. Hell, his squadron was never going to 'Nam anyhow due to the drawdown in the early 70's, too bad most people are too stupid to know the history.......typical.
#14
You are right, they aren't in quotes. Let's parse this:
She said she did not recall typing the memos reported by CBS News, though she said they accurately reflect the viewpoints of Lt. Col. Killian and documents that would have been in the personal file. Also, she could not say whether the CBS documents corresponded memo for memo with that file.
whoa, whoa, she said she didn't type the memos - then who did?
Killian didn't type.
Is she saying there were handwritten memos in the file?
The language on this is intentionally vauge, and considering the source, probably misleading. I wish someone would get her to claify if this is what she meant.
Likely Bedfellows
If it's good enough for 60 Minutes, it's good enough for the DNC.
by Stephen F. Hayes
09/14/2004 3:30:00 PM
A NEW attack ad from the Democratic National Committee features footage lifted from the much-disputed 60 Minutes segment aired by CBS News last Wednesday and from an interview last February from NBC's Meet the Press. When the Bush-Cheney campaign in February used footage from an interview President Bush gave NBC's Meet the Press, the network immediately demanded that the campaign pull the ad.
"NBC News did not, and does not, authorize this misuse of our copyrighted material," the network said in its February 10 statement. "As a news interview program, 'Meet the Press' takes very seriously the unauthorized use of its content for partisan political purposes."
NBC lawyers are working on a formal letter asking the DNC to pull the ad. Will CBS do the same? CBS spokeswomen Sandy Genelius and Kelli Edwards did not return telephone and emailed requests for comment. (The smart move, of course, would be for CBS to follow NBC's lead and demand that the ad be pulled or, at least, that the 60 Minutes footage be edited out.)
>Will CBS do the same?
>Inquiring minds want to know. . .
Posted by: Mrs. Davis ||
09/14/2004 19:35 Comments ||
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#4
Dan Rather could not be here tonight, so I am taking his place. New documents have been discovered showing that Colonel Killian has been found to have a secret highly experimental word processor unknown to even his secretary. . .
Posted by: Frank G ||
09/14/2004 20:55 Comments ||
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#9
How does one make a complaint to the FEC? I mean it's pretty obvious CBS is part of this weeks "Favored Son" attacks. It even sounds like a Rather hit job.
Regardless of CBS and NBC claims the DNC is claiming "fair use" So it ammounts to undecalred support of a political party or candidate by a corp.
#12
In a related story Karl Rove was seen running naked on the south lawn yelling: "I'm King of the world!" Admit it if you were him you would be doing the same thing about now.
Yes, the Rathergate schtick is getting old, but this was on the NRO Corner and I can't stop laughing.
A reader cc'd me on his letter:
Mr. Rather.
I have followed with interest your interest in historical documents, and wish to offer the following items for your consideration. They are available at a reasonable price to be negotiated later.
1. A 1972 e-mail reprimanding then Lt. George W. Bush for playing 'Halo' on his X-Box while on-duty.
2. A 1973 Excel Spreadsheet of Nixon's Enemies List.
3. John F. Kennedy's Viagra prescription from 1960.
4. Franklin Roosevelt's Segway.
5. A polaroid photograph from 1919 of Karl Marx playing Ms Pac-Man with Gertrude Stein.
6. Stonewall Jackson's rollerblades.
7. Abraham Lincoln's weblog. (Including his Flame War with Stephen Douglas. Truly, a historical treasure.)
8. Thomas Jefferson's Outlook calendar. (Entry for April 5, 1795: "Booty Call with Sally H.")
9. The PowerPoint slides used by Benjamin Franklin at the First Continental Congress.
10. Guttenberg's first LaserPrinter.
To confirm the authenticity of these items, I refer you to a Mrs. Umaji Kwanzaa-Ujabara, the wife of the former Finance Minister of Nigeria, and an expert in the verification of historical artifacts.
This and, THAT Hannity - That SOB Actually figured out that the Dallas Morning news mentions one of those documents that Dan Rather had long BEFORE last Wednesday's broadcast. Curses. Curses. Carville : get him.
#7
I can see that line being inserted into a fitness report. Usually the last sentence of the report says something along these:
"Deserving of more responsibilty"
"Ready for promotion to the next grade"
"Promote before all others"
Oh wait those are mine ;-)
Symptoms include facial contortions, shaking, stomping of feet, and an irresistable urge to talk with the accent of a minister of a African-American Church.
#9
Deserving of more responsibilty"
"Ready for promotion to the next grade"
"Promote before all others"
Oh wait those are mine ;-)
Yours, mine and about 85% of everyone else's APRs as well.
Posted by: Steve ||
09/14/2004 18:06 Comments ||
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#10
'Unfit for command' does sound like a bullet one would read in a bad fitness report. Aren't there still people around who were Kerry's superiors in Viet Nam? They would have seen and possibly signed his report. This makes sense!
Tip to NRO.
Now I know the truth! I formally apologize to Danforth Rather and the entire CBS crew. They were right and I was wrong! Just like in 'W' WRONG, WRONG, WRONG!
#1
What's The Frequency
Sung to the Tom Jones Song
What's new Pussycat...
What's the frequency? Kenny-kenny Kenneth
What's the frequency? Kenny-kenny Kenneth Oooooh
Danny boy, Danny boy
I've got documents
And many hours
To spend with you.
So go and fire up your cute little Smear machine Oooooh!
CBS, CBS
Weâve got work
Yes, lots to do!
Me and my MS Word Ooooh!
What's the frequency? Kenny-kenny Kenneth
What's the frequency? Kenny-kenny Kenneth Oooooh
CBS, CBS
I got forgeries
Lots of forgeries
To share with you.
So go and fire up that good old Xerox Ooooh!
CBS, CBS
I love you
Yes, I do!
Weâre gonnaâ get Double-UUUUUUUU!
Weâre gonnaâ get Double-UUUUUUUU!
Yes, it's from a blog - but it's way too good not to pass along. (Delete if you like, Fred)
I'd feel like I was beating a very dead horse at this point, except that CBS is still dragging it behind a truck and calling it dressage.
ROFLMAO!
Posted by: Barbara Skolaut ||
09/14/2004 1:36:10 PM ||
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#1
That's too good! I read that they (CBS) was working on this story for over three years! Geez guys how many time do you have to hurt your hand before you realize the fire is hot? The upside is that the DNC launched a video along the same lines as the Rathergate memos. Is it possible to take Kerry and Rather down in the same year? Dare I dream?
#2
CS, Are you sure that wasn't three person years since last Thursday? If it was really three years and this was all they got, somebody needs a new budget.
Posted by: Mrs. Davis ||
09/14/2004 13:56 Comments ||
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#3
Dragging a dead hose behing a truck attracts all the stray dogs, doesn't it?
#4
Kerry, yes; Rather, no. If Sumner Redstone's smart, he'll go the whole nine yards with CBS News and turn it into a partisan, niche offering like NPR or Pinch's NY Times: lots of coverage of gay issues and other stuff of interest to the bicoastals. Maybe the affiliates could run ads for local Mercedes, Volvo and Lezbaru dealers.
*snicker*
Tue Sep 14 2004 12:06:00 ET
In last week's WASHINGTONPOSTWABCNEWS Poll, John F. Kerry was viewed favorably by 36 percent of registered voters, down 18 points over the past six months.
But just how low Kerry's standing has fallen cannot be appreciated fully without comparing his standing with that of other household names in GALLUP polls over the years, the POST's Dana Milbank reported on Tuesday.
Kerry finds himself in a dead heat with Martha Stewart and Joseph McCarthy, and behind Herbert Hoover -- although he narrowly beats O.J. Simpson.
Michael Jordan: 83 (2000)
Tony Blair: 76 (2003)
Pope John Paul II: 73 (2003)
Democratic Party: 54 (2004)
John Ashcroft: 49 (2003)
Michael Dukakis: 47 (1988)
Prince Charles: 45 (2003)
Herbert Hoover: 43 (1944)
Jesse Jackson: 38 (2003)
Vladimir Putin: 38 (2003)
John Kerry: 36 (2004)
Martha Stewart: 36 (2004)
Joseph McCarthy: 35 (1954)
Posted by: Frank G ||
09/14/2004 1:07:58 PM ||
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#1
Just saw this on Drudge myself, but it really seems to be a non-story. It certainly doesn't warrant top billing on the site. Where's Dubya's name in this poll for comparison? How 'bout Nader? I don't know why Matt is posting this so prominently on his site. It's incomplete.
Posted by: Dar ||
09/14/2004 13:33 Comments ||
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#2
Exactly Dar, but I think they are alluding to Kerryâs surge (downward) in âbattlegroundâ states. However, Kerryâs has never had a high âlikeabilityâ on every poll taken and lags far behind the President.
#3
Well, if there's anything about it that really encourages me, it's that he ranks lower than Dukakis. Reagan won 49 out of 50 states' electoral votes when he faced Dukakis.
Posted by: Dar ||
09/14/2004 13:50 Comments ||
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#4
The Gipper was a lot more likeable than W.
Posted by: Mrs. Davis ||
09/14/2004 14:03 Comments ||
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#5
Dar: Reagan won 49 out of 50 states' electoral votes when he faced Dukakis.
#7
If Nader gets on the ballot in FL PA and OH, then Kerry's toast.
He can't move to the left without sacrificing normal, moderate, hawkish Dems esp jewish ones in Miami, Philly, Cleveland (goodbye FL PA OH). He can't move to the right without sacrificing enough lefties to Nader top tip those states to W.
#8
ZF--D'OH! You're right! I'm a doofus! Dammit! Oh, well--Dukakis was still beat by a Bush, so hopefully Kerry's even lower showing will amount to the same thing. Thanks for pointing that out.
Lex--FL is putting Nader on the ballot, but PA ruled him out a couple weeks ago (I posted here but am too lazy to search for link right now). Don't know about OH.
Posted by: Dar ||
09/14/2004 14:56 Comments ||
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#9
PA and OH dhimmi's are probably regretting their decision not to put Nader on the ballot about now. If sKerry's numbers fall any farther, Nader is their best shot.
#10
Do these numbers show the average, or the lowest numbers achieved by the folks in question. I'm guessing they were cherry-picked to make the point.
Posted by: Charles ||
09/14/2004 20:08 Comments ||
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#17
I think you're right on the money in #7, lex. But I also agree with Bomb-a-rama. It was raw strength of will that most Americans were looking for. They made their collective decision during the RNC.
George Bush is a fighter. John Kerry is not. Should the poll results reverse again, Karl Rove will just dream up a new way to put Mr. Kerry in a bad light.
Mr. Kerry can blame it all on his campaign advisors. But he is still the one ultimately responsible.
Ok..I know about linking to blog comments - but this is actually very interesting....hat tip to links from Belmont Club
Referring to Rather's daughter Robin, it notes:
One report describes Robin Rather as an environmentalist and "a likely candidate for Austin Mayor in 2006." Another report states that she lives in the same congressional district as the former Texas lieutenant governor and heavyweight Democratic contributor Ben Barnes. He is the man behind most of the charges about President Bush's service record. Potential mayoral candidates and heavyweight campaign contributors tend to mingle. And according to that second report, Robin Rather and Barnes worked together on Democratic party fundraisers--perhaps including that March 2001 event described above.
Dan Rather refuses to disclose the provenance of the forgeries, and CBS claims that they came from Lt. Col. Jerry Killian's "personal" files, which his widow and son deny. So where did they come from? And why is Dan Rather stonewalling--despite the terrible risk both to himself and to CBS News?
"When you have eliminated the impossible, whatever remains, however improbable, must be the truth."
Did the documents come from Barnes? If so, how did they make their way to Dan Rather? Was Robin Rather the conduit, either for Barnes or for some unknown party? If so, then Dan Rather's seemingly inexplicable conduct suddenly makes sense. If the disclosure of certain facts could be expected to cause his daughter severe damage, what father would not risk everything he had to attempt to insulate her?
Is that what happened? Who knows? I don't. There are too many ifs. Ask the Rathers.
posted by S.Y. Silverstein at 9:08 PM
Far from convincing proof, but certainly an interesting speculation.
...Not all nuanced like Thurston
Teresa Heinz Kerry said Monday that President Bush is unwilling to change, a character flaw that shows "inattention and indifference" rather than strength. Speaking to the Congressional Hispanic Caucus, the wife of Democratic Sen. John Kerry said her husband is a more capable leader who would respond to issues important to Hispanics, something she said the Republican incumbent has not done. She said of her husband, "His value in understanding complexity and not being afraid to face it and take action and follow through have been a trademark throughout his life."
Of Bush, the Republican-turned-Democrat said the president "demonstrates he cannot and will not change. The president thinks this shows strength when all it shows is inattention and indifference." Voters see Bush as the more decisive of the two candidates, according to a recent Associated Press-Ipsos poll. Of registered voters, 75 percent labeled Bush as decisive while 37 percent described Kerry that way. But along with the ability to decide comes stubbornness, many believe. Bush is considered stubborn by 75 percent of the people polled, Kerry 39 percent.
Heinz Kerry's 30-minute talk focused on health care, education and jobs. She received a standing ovation when she said her husband would sign into law the "DREAM ACT" if elected president. The Development, Relief and Education for Alien Minors Act would allow undocumented young people to become legal U.S. residents, a status that could earn them in-state college tuition and other benefits. Said Steve Schmidt, a spokesman for the Bush-Cheney campaign: "John Kerry has taken eight positions on the war in Iraq and has taken both sides of nearly every important issue facing America today."
#5
The Development, Relief and Education for Alien Minors Act would allow undocumented young people to become legal U.S. residents, a status that could earn them in-state college tuition and other benefits.
Why is it when those people dream it always come out of my paycheck?
#6
If Bush cannot and willnot change perhaps she can explain the Bush flip-flops in the recent Democrat talking points. Certainly Bush changed his opinion of nation building after Sept 11. I'm sure a dozen other policies were changed as well.
I think she might want to rephrase that to be that Bush won't change with the wind.
EFL - Reg Req'd
By Michael Dobbs and Howard Kurtz
The lead expert retained by CBS News to examine disputed memos from President Bush's former squadron commander in the National Guard said yesterday that he examined only the late officer's signature and made no attempt to authenticate the documents themselves. "There's no way that I, as a document expert, can authenticate them," Marcel Matley said in a telephone interview from San Francisco. The main reason, he said, is that they are "copies" that are "far removed" from the originals.
And for another reason, he's a handwriting expert, not a documents expert.
Matley's comments came amid growing evidence challenging the authenticity of the documents aired Wednesday on CBS's "60 Minutes." The program was part of an investigation asserting that Bush benefited from political favoritism in getting out of commitments to the Texas Air National Guard. On last night's "CBS Evening News," Rather said again that the network "believes the documents are authentic."
"They constitute evidence that Microsoft Word was in use in the early 70s. It's indisuputable!"
A detailed comparison by The Washington Post of memos obtained by CBS News with authenticated documents on Bush's National Guard service reveals dozens of inconsistencies, ranging from conflicting military terminology to different word-processing techniques. The analysis shows that half a dozen Killian memos released earlier by the military were written with a standard typewriter using different formatting techniques from those characteristic of computer-generated documents. CBS's Killian memos bear numerous signs that are more consistent with modern-day word-processing programs, particularly Microsoft Word. "I am personally 100 percent sure that they are fake," said Joseph M. Newcomer, author of several books on Windows programming, who worked on electronic typesetting techniques in the early 1970s. Newcomer said he had produced virtually exact replicas of the CBS documents using Microsoft Word formatting and the Times New Roman font.
Posted by: Frank G ||
09/14/2004 12:06:10 AM ||
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#1
I have knowledge of "Texas Air National Guard Operations" They fscking fly planes. Would I qualify, too? I wonder if such illustrious knowledge such as knowing that swift boats operate motor boats on rivers would make me sufficiently an expert to synthesize discover documents regarding Kerry's inability to serve due to seasickness?
#6
Drudge is having fun with this stuff. Evidently, GW was in the Air Force - they overlooked the 120 days of active duty required I assume for officer training prior to flight school. Drudge provides this link to the actual document which looks an awful lot different than a word document - I noticed one spelling mistake - no spell check available to the enlisted person who typed this.
Posted by: Super Hose ||
09/14/2004 0:46 Comments ||
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#7
Easy Brute, I have noticed the similarities between ALLGGGOOORREEE and Moore-on. Both are ready for the Subway diet, time to staple their lips closed.
Posted by: Capt America ||
09/14/2004 1:02 Comments ||
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#8
Game on! That's a pretty brutal piece of reporting by a member of the MSM going after one of their own. It's only a matter of time until the scavengers arrive en masse to pick apart the carcass.
#10
The MSM vultures are circling over Rather's desiccating carcass as I write this. Their coverage of this topic tonight was just slamming the door in their thumb again to make sure it's really broken.
I checked my favorites on my remote tonight. I already boycott them.
Posted by: Tom ||
09/14/2004 8:31 Comments ||
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#14
for drudge's document, I'll throw in a little
irritant of my own: the ones and lower case L's
look identical. This was true for nearly all
manual typewriters I've seen -- heck, I learned on a typewriter which didn't have a "one" key.
#17
It's preposterous to believe that anyone could "authenticate" a copy of a copy of a copy... simply ridiculous.
So even if their signature expert believes one signature to be authentic... so what? Takes one minute with Photoshop.
Jeez the Hitler Diaries were at least handwritten and dipped into coffee to make them look old.
#18
My bet is CBS won't back down because it would hurt their cred with their core market to do so. They're likely to do what Pinch SUlzberger's Times has already done, ie abandon the pretense of "objectivity" and strive for a consistent left-lib "perspective" to news selection and reporting.
We will soon see the same kind of openly partisan media alignment that you see in Britain (Torygraph, Al-Guardian etc). Probably a good strategy for increasing shareholder value at Viacom's floundering news subsidiary.
#20
I don't care what they claim, they're obviously now a niche publication dedicated to bicoastal liberals, gays and college-educated NPR types in big cities and college towns. Note the vast increase in coverage of gay issues and fashion during Pinch's tenure. A smart marketing strategy that targets a high-income, 30-55 year-old demographic. Fox is doing the same.
At some point, CBS News will drop the pretense and cater directly to the NPR/aging baby-boomer crowd. No one under 30 watches network news anymore, so why bother going after the increasingly centrist or right-center under-30 market?
#22
As John Podhoretz titled his editorial in the NY Post, "CBS Forges Ahead".
Reminds me of Tolkoen's, "The Hobbit".
After his 1st enounter with Gollum, Bilbo tells what happened (sort of) to Gandalf. To which the old wizard replies, "Mr. Baggins, your story has the ring of truth..."
I think "Gandalf" Podhoretz senses a trainwreck coming.
#23
mhw - but the pretense is wearing thin. On many issues the NYT's reporters simply don't have anything like the expertise or access to expertise that the blogosphere can rally. All the Times has left is its readers' trust. Which is why, again, a niche strategy aka preaching to the choir is the likely path forward.
#25
Well, I'm not in the media biz but I'd guess that CBS has a loyal following among heartland 55+ year-olds who don't bother with this newfangled innernet thing and don't listen to radio neither.
I'd guess there are several very distinct demographics that could easily be targeted by network and cable news if they chose to go the full partisan route. The bicoastal and gay left-lib baby boomers are an affluent, upscale, desirable niche. Beats selling geritol to a dying market.
The other route is to go young. Maybe not as young as Pepsi but perhaps the iPod and Dell market. I'd bet they could be pulled with streaming video news delivered over the web and aggregating multiple sources, including bloggers and expert sources from all over the WWW
#26
If I were a journalist looking to breech the CBS citadel, I would call the Post Office in question. If the PO Box doesn't exist or didn't belong to the Texas Guard, then the CBS wall falls down. CBS probably already has an operative on the way to firebomb the Post Office.
Another angle would be to find the typist for the legitimate documentation in Bush's record. Killian didn't know how to type, yet many of the documents released by the White House from Bush's record are typed. Obviously, Killian had an enlisted person who performed a portion of his administrative tasks. Where is that person? That person would certainly know whether Killian had a secret laser printer hidden in his office - possibly procured from area 51.
Posted by: Super Hose ||
09/14/2004 16:53 Comments ||
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#27
Super H. : Area 51 at night...
Dan Rather is hiding somewhere. Contacting Kenneth about frequencies and such...
from the Islamic Circle of North America website
Insha Allah, on September 17, 2004, the New Jersey theme park, Six Flags Great Adventure, is set to be transformed as 'The Great Muslim Adventure Day', an event organized by ICNA. This event is designed to provide entertainment for the entire family! Alhamdulillah, the entire park is reserved for this event!
- no doubt innocent -- the park will be open for non muslims also that day -- I was hoping they would prohibit non muslims and then we could get a handle on the alcohol and pork consumption of the guests
#1
New ride for the day!
You will be transported to Wahabistiland you will see, while Koranic verses are read over a loudspeaker,
Stoning the Adultresses!
Maiming of the pickpockets!
Whipping the chess players!
And at the end ---
Beheading of the infidel hostages!
#4
I can't see what the problem is as long as the same offer is made to those of other faiths and I think that is probably the case. Six Flags is always doing things like this event.
However, I think they should probably give fair warning to other people. They might want to avoid the park that day. I know I wouldn't want to see nothing but a sea of "hoodies" on my day off after paying an extortionary price at the gate!
Hoodies just annoy the hell outta me.I know its wrong and I admit its a weakness. I should just be able to see them as women who just happen to be wearing a scarf but I just can't. Its funny how the muslim apologists claim that the scarf makes that easier isn't it? What gets more attention the woman or the damn stifling strangulating scarf??
But I digress. Other than any potential to cause me personal annoyance, I think its harmless as long as the muslims don't make any exclusionary demands or demand that others can't enjoy themselves as they please.
#5
Well then I volunteer to be the guy wearin' the Porky the Pig outfit. Now that would be a hoot wouldn't it? I can see it now....."ah c'mon over here an' give ol' Porky a big hug! That's it....now smile for the camera. Everybody....say 'babaganoush!"
Posted by: Rex Mundi ||
09/14/2004 18:01 Comments ||
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#6
Ya think they'll allow "Parabellum's South Carolina Style Pork Butt Barbecue Pit" in as one of the food vendors?
Nah, me neither. Too bad. A good pulled pork sandwich could make even a hardcore jihadi change religions right quick.
Hey mhw, were you listening to 101.5 this afternoon too? (It's a Joisey thing)
#10
naaaahhhh some of them have heavy gag reflexes as well
Posted by: Frank G ||
09/14/2004 20:08 Comments ||
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#11
"Great Muslim Adventure Day"? While America is at in a counter Islamic terrorist war? This is insane.
Posted by: Mark Espinola ||
09/14/2004 20:24 Comments ||
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#12
This event has to be very closely watched. The ICNA has very deep roots in Wahabi/Salafi organizations in Arab/muslim world. The Aamir of Islami Jamiat E Tulaba (Student wing of Jemat Islami Pakistan) just presided over their last convention. This is gonnah be one hell of a radical Wahabi gathering
No way they could keep out people of other faiths though, could they? That whole civil rights cake of Race and religion. I hope the little kids have a good time though.
Disney's "It's a small world", after all, would be a nice touch.
Device dropped in ocean off Georgia during Cold War Monday, September 13, 2004 Posted: 10:38 PM EDT (0238 GMT) WASHINGTON (CNN) -- Government experts are investigating a claim that an unarmed nuclear bomb, lost off the Georgia coast at the height of the Cold War, might have been found, an Air Force spokesman said Monday. The hydrogen bomb was lost in the Atlantic Ocean in 1958 following a collision of a B-47 bomber and an F-86 fighter. A group led by retired Air Force Lt. Col. Derek Duke of Statesboro, Georgia, said in July that it had found a large object underwater near Savannah that was emitting high levels of radioactivity, according to an Associated Press report. The group said it used radiation and metal detection equipment to search an area in Wassaw Sound off Tybee Island where the bomb reportedly was dropped, the AP reported. Air Force spokesman Lt. Col. Frank Smolinsky said Monday that it's "only prudent to completely evaluate the evidence" from the group's search.
Smolinsky said experts from the Air Force, the Department of Defense and the Department of Energy were examining the information and may decide soon to conduct their own tests with more sophisticated equipment on the scene. Smolinsky said if the bomb were found, a decision would have to be made about whether to try to recover it or leave it where it is. An Air Force investigation concluded in 2001 that the bomb is probably harmless if left where it is. It also said a recovery operation could set off the conventional explosives in the bomb that would put the recovery crew at risk and do serious environmental damage. The 7,600-pound, 12-foot-long thermonuclear bomb contained 400 pounds of high explosives as well as uranium. The Air Force insists the bomb was being used for practice and did not contain the plutonium trigger needed for a nuclear explosion.
The accident took place the morning of February 5, 1958, over the coast of Georgia. According to the 2001 Air Force investigation, a B-47 carrying a Mark 15, Mod 0, nuclear bomb on a simulated combat mission from Homestead Air Force Base in Florida collided with an F-86. The pilot of the F-86 bailed out safely and his plane crashed. The B-47 was damaged but flyable. The B-47 crew tried landing three times at Hunter Air Force Base in Georgia with the nuclear weapon onboard. But because of the damage and the risk that the conventional explosives could be detonated, the crew was granted permission to jettison the nuclear bomb into the Atlantic Ocean off Savannah. The bomb was dropped from an altitude of about 7,200 feet at an air speed of about 200 knots. The B-47 crew did not see an explosion when the bomb hit the ocean. The plane later landed safely at Hunter.
Continued on Page 49
Posted by: Zenster ||
09/14/2004 1:57:08 AM ||
Comments ||
Link ||
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#1
I believe it is the legendary lost bomb of the Confederacy.
Let's look at a couple details that the article most convienently doesn't bring up.
The reason the crew never saw an explosion is that the chute deployed on the bomb when it was jettisoned. (Chute-deployed bombs - and until the 70s, most were - deploy as soon as they leave the plane, whether they're dropped or jettisoned.) The bomb had a reasonably soft landing, but through sheer weight alone (the Mk15 weighed nearly four tons)would have sunk into the muck down there off Tybee - I've been within sight of where it went in several times, it's pretty much marsh/bog/God only knows all the way around. This sucker is not only easily fifty feet or so under the mud, it's going to stay there for a while.
Secondly, the biggest hazard is an uncommanded detonation of the conventional explosives inside the bomb. Obviously, you can't get a nuclear yield, because there's nothing nuclear about this thing. But why in God's name anyone wants to make a Titanic - level recovery operation just to pull up what is for all practical purposes a fairly small conventional weapon (there's roughly the saem amount of explosives in it as in a standard Mk82 500-lb weapon) is beyond me. The problem here is that after almost fifty years underwater, the explosives have probably deteriorated to the point where they couldn't go off if they had to, though in all honesty that possibility cannot be ruled out.
Another question that needs to be answered is one that Ship inadvertantly brought up. This thing is roughly the size of a Volkswagen, and it is some distance (perhaps as much as 50 feet) under the mud. Compare it to CSS Hunley, the Confederate sub raised off Charleston in 2000. Hunley is about the same weight, but almost forty feet long, about three feet across, and was only a foot or so beneath the mud of Charleston Harbor. Yet she evaded detection for more than one hundred and thirty years, including some very high tech searches. And we are to believe that LTC Duke found a 'radioactive object' (with no radioactive material in it) with what he had on his dive boat? The only 'radioactive' material aboard the weapon would POSSIBLY be deuterium (heavy water), and I guarantee he didn't pick that up.
My conclusion: LTC Duke is looking for a financial killing and a book contract by using existing documentation to claim there's a nuclear weapon where everybody already knows there's one. The USAF is in a no-win situation: if they find it, they get bitched at for leaving it there, if they don't; they're covering it up. Believe me, if anybody here has a vacation scheduled for Tybee Island, take it. It'll still be there.
Mike
Posted by: Mike Kozlowski ||
09/14/2004 10:32 Comments ||
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#3
Wrongo!
That deep sea glow comes from a bioluminescent shark!
#4
Big Ed-
No, those are the secret NAVY experiments...let's keep our consipracy theories straight here, shall we?*S*
Mike
Posted by: Mike Kozlowski ||
09/14/2004 13:05 Comments ||
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#5
Mike, the AF is getting ready to remove an F-15 which crashed in the muck off St. George Island FL a year or so ago, it's been under 24/7 guard ever since. I was hoping for souvenirs but wasn't allowed to get close enough for a peek.
#6
Deuterium isn't radioactive. You are thinking about Tritium which is used as a booster inside plutonium cores.(Implosion causes some fusion which gives off neutrons which causes more fission in the plutonium)
Even without the plutonium trigger though, the Nuke might contain uranium 238 as a jacket as in three stage weapons (plutonium trigger, fusion package, surrounded by U238 jacket which releases more energy from fissions from high neutron flux)
Dirty as all getout.
Anyone know what type of fusion weapon a Mk15 is?
Posted by: Aussie Mike ||
09/14/2004 18:35 Comments ||
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#7
Mike Kozlowski, you mentioned how:
Obviously, you can't get a nuclear yield, because there's nothing nuclear about this thing.
Yet the article states:
The 7,600-pound, 12-foot-long thermonuclear bomb contained 400 pounds of high explosives as well as uranium. The Air Force insists the bomb was being used for practice and did not contain the plutonium trigger needed for a nuclear explosion. EMPHASIS ADDED
Even if it's just a U-238 jacket, isn't this a significant chunk of radioactive material? The article and your post don't seem to match up.
Posted by: Charles ||
09/14/2004 20:12 Comments ||
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#9
Zenster -
Sir, my bad entirely. Let me explain. Without the plutonium core - IIRC called the 'pit', the weapon cannot go nuclear in any way. WHat you have - at worst - is a 'dirty bomb', but underwater and under the ocean floor, even if the conventional explosives went it's a whole lot better than having it happen up top. Aussie Mike is also right - my mistake was in that I was working from memory and when you get to the advnaced age of 44, it gets ugly. My sincerest apologies to everybody on this one for the technical errors, but my basic point does still stand: without the pit, no nuclear yield, just a conventional explosion that scatters whatever radioactive material might be inside the casing.
Best regards,
Mike
Posted by: Mike Kozlowski ||
09/14/2004 22:57 Comments ||
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A multi-volume chronology and reference guide set detailing three years of the Mexican Drug War between 2010 and 2012.
Rantburg.com and borderlandbeat.com correspondent and author Chris Covert presents his first non-fiction work detailing
the drug and gang related violence in Mexico.
Chris gives us Mexican press dispatches of drug and gang war violence
over three years, presented in a multi volume set intended to chronicle the death, violence and mayhem which has
dominated Mexico for six years.
Rantburg was assembled from recycled algorithms in the United States of America. No
trees were destroyed in the production of this weblog. We did hurt some, though. Sorry.
