Worship With Every Meal

With the White JesusPan.

Poor Little Guy

I just saw X-Men III the other day, could the mutant invasion be starting already? (yes, I know, I'm going to hell). Hopefully they can fix this.

First Arrest For Violating English Only Law

No Amnety indeed! Back to Mexico you go.

Lou Baby, Good Looking Out

Lou Dobb's use of a map from the Council of Conservative Citizens did not go unnoticed:

Welcome Lou Dobbs
I knew you were one of us all along. Also, thanks for the citation, on CNN, no less.

Winner Of The TP Design Contest

Kurtis, Rob, TraB and I had some decent ideas for the best design to put on a roll of tp but we got blown out by Bush and Cheney's design. As usual, us lefties were thinking too small.

A Small Dose Of Rock

Mini KISS is now touring with with Mini Motley Crue. Pamela Anderson unavailable for comment.

Reconquista? The Roof is On Fire

SALEM, Ore. — The debate over immigration, which has filtered into almost every corner of American life in recent months, is now sweeping through the woods, and the implications could be immense for the upcoming fire season in the West. As many as half of the roughly 5,000 private firefighters based in the Pacific Northwest and contracted by state and federal governments to fight forest fires are immigrants, mostly from Mexico. And an untold number of them are working here illegally.

Read the rest at the NY Times.

Baby Got Back

From Overheard:

Girl on cell: Seriously George, I gained twenty pounds while I was in LA, and now every black guy in the city can't stop talking to me about my ass!

Guy slowly driving by and waving out window: Oooh girl, you so fiiiine...you gorgeous.

Girl on cell: Jesus Christ! There's another one! I've gotta call you back, I'm going to the gym.

History of Memorial Day - With Waving Flag Bonus

Before stuffing your face with BBQ and Bud Light this weekend, check here for information about the history of Memorial Day. Here's a good option for those inclined to open their wallets in support of veterans. And a quick shout out to the veteran in my own family, my brother Dennis, aka, Little D. Glad you made it back in one piece, bro.

Followup: Yellow Is For Journalism, Not For Jews

TORONTO — A Canadian newspaper apologized Wednesday for publishing an
erroneous story last week claiming that an Iranian law would require Jews and
Christians to wear badges identifying them as religious minorities.

Read the rest here. Of course retractions only do so much, once these seeds are planted it's hard to completely weed them out.

Good For A 15 Year Old But Not A Grown Man

They throw children into adult jails but will protect a grown fucking man. Disgusting:

SIDNEY, Neb. (AP) — A judge said a 5-foot-1 man convicted of sexually assaulting a child was too small to survive in prison, and gave him 10 years of probation instead. His crimes deserved a long sentence, District Judge Kristine Cecava said, but she worried that Richard W. Thompson, 50, would be especially imperiled by prison dangers. "You are a sex offender, and you did it to a child," she said. But, she said, "That doesn't make you a hunter. You do not fit in that category." Thompson will be electronically monitored the first four months of his probation, and he was told to never be alone with someone under age 18 or date or live with a woman whose children were under 18. Cecava also ordered Thompson to get rid of his pornography. He faces 30 days of jail each year of his probation unless he follows its conditions closely."I want control of you until I know you have integrated change into your life," the judge told Thompson. "I truly hope that my bet on you being OK out in society is not misplaced."

Update: Here's a picture of the molester in question (from the Smoking Gun)

Move Over White and Black Jesuses

I bow before Hindu Jesus:

DURBUN: A Hindu woman has said she is Jesus Christ and claims to have the
“stigmata of Jesus” on her palms, feet and stomach, as well as the power to heal
the sick.

Read the rest here.

Morning Subway Demographics

Some guy's look at morning subway demographics:

3:00-4:00 AM
Drunks of all sorts, club kids, and winos. Late night workers,
busboys, getting off their shifts. Only a handful of people per car. 6:1
male/female ratio.

Read the rest here.

Tampons, I Dare Not Say Thy Name

First, could the new pope be any more evil looking? I swear I saw this guy in Creepshow. More importantly, in anticipation of his visit to Poland, State run TV will not air anything "inappropriate" before or during his visit:

When Pope Benedict visits the homeland of his predecessor this week he will find Poland and its Catholic Church struggling to adapt to life after John Paul - but he will not see any advertisements for lingerie, beer or tampons on state TV.

Broadcasters have banned the promotion of 'inappropriate products' during Benedict's visit, as well as ads carrying any whiff of sexual innuendo.

Silly Catholics. Ooh a tampon, destroy it lest the peasants learn that women bleed down there every month. Now build another statute and bring me my jewels.

Why Does The Ozone Layer Hate Freedom?

Knowledge and Science are dangerous. Some random 12th century monk Fox News.

Lou Baby, Check Your Sources

Lou Dobbs, business anchor at CNN, has been brooding over immigration since long before it became the wedge issue republicans see as their only chance of holding onto Congress this year. In response to the recent events, however, Lou's been in full xenophobic glory. This is a screen shot from one of his recent shows, which lays out the supposed target of the Reconquista. Apparently, a multibillion dollar news organization such as his is a bit understaffed in the fact checking department - this map was taken from a known white supremist group - the Council of Conservative Citizen's (the CCC - a nice play on an old fave of theirs). Here's some background on the CCC. Somewhere, Michelle Malkin had an orgasm. Speaking of Reconquista, I wasn't planning on bringing it up but you won't believe who I ran into yesterday, yep, that guy. Tune in tomorrow for Reconquista III - Full Metal Chaqueta.

Equal Time

Some rightwinger thought this was cute. Tomorrow I will respond with some photoshops of my own.

Where In The World Is Big D?

425 Park Ave, somewhere on the 13th floor, up to my eyeballs in Title Reports and Reciprocal Easement Summaries. Apparently, my work stood out to one of the attorneys here because I was given the honor or tackling a shit storm of a project -- fixing the mistakes of all the other temps. Makes me real popular among my colleagues:

Excuse me, Lisa? Hi, I'm Dave. I was going over your Easement summaries and noticed that you really have no fucking clue as to what an Easement is. No, I don't think I'm better than you and yes I'm well aware that my shit does in fact stink but I think that's all besides the point ...

Another Great Post by Orcinus

The Southwest Strategy. I have to rely on the work of others b/c frankly, he's done a better job than I would have time to right now.

Feed-Burning (What Is?)

These icons to the left are called chicklets. You see these on various websites and blogs. They inform you that the particular site you are looking at has syndicated content which can be subscribed to. When you subscribe, content from that particular website or blog is delivered to you eliminating the need for you to go to the website (and saving you a ton of time). The different chicklets are there to provide you with the choice of which reader to use. The differences between them are minor, they all do the same thing (though the underling technology may differ between them).

Kwotebel is syndicated, however, rather than clutter my site with all those chicklets, I use which is a catch all service (located on the right side below the menu/links). Here's more on information on site syndication. You may prefer to check in on the blog directly but syndication can be useful if you frequent a lot of sites.

Yellow Is For Journalism - Not Jews

Late last week a story in the New York Post reported that Iran planned to force religious minorities to wear badges - yellow for jews, a different color for Christians, etc. OMG, are the Iranians that stupid? Uh, no. The response was predictable, it's a rehash of the Nazis! We need to attack Iran now! Small problem, the report was false, fabricated, invented; a transparent ploy designed to continue moving public opinion towards the view that we have no choice but to attack Iran. The folks over at Unqualified Offerings have de-bunked. Thank White Jesus newspapers can no longer lead a nation into war through propaganda and lies. Right, White Jesus?

Monday Morning Open Thread

Yep, I'm busy at work. What's new in your world. Discuss.

Time For Flood Insurance

Free At Last - Weekend Edition

Have a great weekend folks. (Photo by Travis Ruse)

Hell No

Me: Going to see The Davinci Code this weekend?
Black Jesus: Not even to save White Jesus' life.

The Remix

Know your roots, son. This video loads slowly so I recommend you let it load completely before trying to watch it. Tremendous work, Al and Leon, we really appreciate the show you put on for us. Bill out back has your pay - don't spend it all in one place and don't drink out of our fountains. Thanks!

The Apocalypse Is Nigh

I present for your pleasure the most ambitious el-caminoization project of all time, the Busamino. And behold White Jesus sayeth, verily, if it hath wheels, then it shall be made in the likeness of an El Camino. Amen.

Rove Would Be Proud

From a campaign mailing in California

Immitation - The Sincerest Form of Flattery

Some kids learn curse words from their parents, others learn how to make happy-crack. Whitney Houston unavailable for comment.

And Freedom Fries

[Tom Toles via The Washington Post]

So Many Possibilities

Finally, a good use for the Confederate Flag - wiping my ass. What custom design would you put on toilet paper?

Open Thread

Hey Folks, a little busy these last couple of days getting aclimated to a new gig. If you don't see many posts over the next day or two, that's why. In the meanwhile, here's an open thread. Tell us what's on your mind, what you had for lunch, your thoughts on global warming, whatev!

Cultural Differences

Here's an Indian print ad for McDonald - don't think this would warm over too many hearts in the states. Then again I'm sure Ronald McDonald is scary looking to people in some parts of the world.

White Jesus Says Eat Your Vegetables

He recommends Asparagus. It's an uncanny resemblance to some artist's medeival guess at what White Jesus looks like. God works in mysterious ways.

Questionable Role Models

From World Net Daily regarding Bush's planned speech tonight on immigration:

And he will be lying, again, just as he lied when he said: "Massive deportation of the people here is unrealistic – it's just not going to work."

Not only will it work, but one can easily estimate how long it would take. If it took the Germans less than four years to rid themselves of 6 million Jews, many of whom spoke German and were fully integrated into German society, it couldn't possibly take more than eight years to deport 12 million illegal aliens, many of whom don't speak English and are not integrated into American society. (emphasis mine)

Sometimes it's just laid out for everyone to see.

How Much Influence Do The Nutcases Have?

If you troll talk radio or the blogosphere, it's easy to find partisan voices on any given debate engaging in rhetoric that goes beyond civility, taste, and reason. Such characters are often quickly disavowed by the party that they are ostensibly affiliated with. These figures are denounced as extremists whom aren't taken seriously, and we're told they don't represent the party, etc.

A case in point is Ward Churchill, a leftist professor at the University of Colorado who essentially said the victims of 9/11 deserved to die. The right trots out Ward Churchill to demonstrate how corrupt and anti-American the left is. If most of the left supported Churchill, the right would have a point, problem is, he's an isolated figure, a pariah denounced by everyone. The right knows this but also knows that it's easy to incite a mob so they continue to extract whatever mileage remains out of tarring Democrats and the left with Churchill.

Conservatives like to use the same defense when a nutcase on their side of the fence goes off the plantation. However, despite the common refrain from the right about the liberal media, the truth is that today's biggest media stars are from the right; they have the highest rated cable and radio shows with audiences in the millions, and are the highest paid. Perhaps the foulest, most racist, and most hateful among this group is Michael Savage - famous for telling a caller into his show that he hoped the caller died of AIDS.

If Savage, and to a lesser degree, the semi-hot, bat shit insane barbie twins, Coulter and Malkin, were ostracized from the Republican party, rejected by mainstream conservatives, then the analogy to Churchill would resonate. The truth, however, is that these right wing media stars are embraced and championed by the right. Coulter has delivered speeches at the some of the biggest conservative conferences and functions, events that featured Vice President Cheney, other elected republicans and prominent conservatives.

One of Savage's favorite guests is Tom Tancredo, Republican Congressman from Arizona and chief proponent of draconian immigration reform. Rather than challenging Savage, Tancredo nods in agreement as Savage spews racist and inflammatory hate. Tancredo is a hero on the right, a straight shooter with balls. By embracing Savage, he imbues Savage with aura of respectability, taking Savage from crackpot to organ of the message.

Media Matters provides the transcript of Tancredo's lastest visit with Savage.

The Chickens (ha ha) Are Coming Home To Roost

With Bush's approval ratings at an all time low, even Bush's most ardent supporters have come out with harsh criticism and threats:

Some of President Bush's most influential conservative Christian allies are becoming openly critical of the White House and Republicans in Congress, warning that they will withhold their support in the midterm elections unless Congress does more to oppose same-sex marriage, obscenity and abortion.

On the issue of immigration, some of those crazy kids have even drafted articles of impeachment:

RESOLVED that George Walker Bush, President of the United States, is impeached for high crimes and misdemeanors, and that the following articles of impeachment be exhibited to the United States Senate:

Tough medicine for the man whose favorite philosopher is White Jesus. Glen Greenwald looks at the impeachment push by La Shawn Barber and Michelle Malkin and deduces:

I think a lot of the Malkin types have become bored with the whole "War on Terror" business, which provided them good, strong emotional sustenance for the last four years. But September 11 is now almost five years away. There have been no good "battles" for a long time; we don't even pretend to capture or kill any high-ranking Al Qaeda members any more; and while invocations of "war" will always be good for some blood-rushing excitement, the whole thing seems so distant and abstract at this point. It's just not enough any more ...

As a result, attention gets turned to immigration -- Mexican immigration specifically. It entails the opportunity to rail against "appeasement" (of Vincente Fox); to create the anti-terrorist/pro-terrorist dichotomy on which they thrive; and to demonize a clear, foreign enemy as threatening not just our economic prosperity but also our national security (the "Mexican invaders"). And if the weakened, ready-to-be-tossed aside failure, George Bush, is one of the spineless appeasers this time, so be it.

Sounds about right. So what are they going to do? This stuff is good for mobilizing the base, but what chance is there really of the religious right, for example, staying home and not voting in the upcoming elections? I'd say zero to none. Given what these people think about the left, a disappointing Bush has to still be preferable to Satan worshipping democrats. They're frustrated, they believed they had a mandate but failed to see that Bush was just pandering, playing them for fools. As for the immigration issue, why the sudden outcry? There's a serious disconnect between the business faction of the right and the culture warriors. It's apparently a lot easier to get middle America to support tax breaks for the rich than getting them to understand why a head of lettuce only costs $.99.

Complicated Relationships

Today's batch of postcards at postsecret all deal with the complicated relationships people have with their mothers. Definitely worth a look.

Orcinus

Since the Minutemen, those depraved souls who fantasize about murdering immigrants, continue to keep themselves in the news I wanted to share a link to a blogger who has assembled a treasure trove of information about the roots of the Minutemen, how they've tried to sanitize away their racist and neo-nazi origins, and how the rhetoric of anti-immigration leaders on the right is merely the same message toned-down for mass consumption. Definitely worth a read. The blog is Orcinus.

Bracing For The Ride Home

Have a great weekend and Happy Mother's Day! (yep, another subway pic by Travis Ruse.)

Sofrito

Here's the latest submission to the Writer's Showcase - Sofrito by Nilsa Moreno (aka Nittles). A heartfelt tribute to tradition, family and mothers that couldn't have come at a better time. Enjoy and as always, your comments are much appreciated.

Sofrito
By Nilsa Moreno

I felt like Tita in Laura Esquivel’s Like Water for Chocolate. I was overcome by the intense aromas of the sautéed cilantro and the joy of experiencing this Puerto Rican tradition as I stood in the kitchen and cooked pasteles with my mother. Pasteles, as any Puerto Rican knows, takes days to prepare. After several trips to the supermarket and specialty stores we found all of the ingredients we needed. The cooking process began with the making of the masa, a polenta like dough consistency made from root vegetables similar to potatoes and yams. We grated cassava root, squash, plantains and green bananas and mixed them together until they blended into an earthen like color. Then we doused the grainy textured meal with a vegetable stock that had been simmering since early morning. Traces of carrot, onion and green peppers moistened the masa into a succulent mound as we prepared to season the meat filling of this dish.

We made a Puerto Rican styled mirapois of cilantro, recao, onions, garlic, salt and olive oil, otherwise known as sofrito. I used my favorite caldero to heat the olive oil and achiote dye, the orange food coloring made from the achiote seed. The color blended into the oil turning the bottom of the pan orange. A tenor broke out as I spooned the sofrito onto the scalding surface, the onions and garlic yelping with joy making a crackling sound. Immediately the fragrance I love so much filled the kitchen air. I waved my hand over the pot to bring the aroma filled air to my nostrils, and inhaled the sweet scent. I said to my mom “smell that, it smells like La Isla Del Encanto.” Sounds and scents lapped over my senses as I looked over to my mother and smiled. The cooking process not only fused the ingredients but us as well.

As the sofrito cooked I added pieces of cubed pork and watched its color change from pink to brown. The caldero glistened as juice from the pork simmered on melted onions and garlic. The meat cooled as we began the next phase of combining all the ingredients to create the pastel.

The string was cut, the paper laid flat on the counter’s surface, the masa, meat, banana leaves and chick peas lined up as they waited their turn on the assembly line. I moistened the crisp paper with droplets of the colored oil, staining the starchy white paper with spirals of color I made with the back of my wooden spoon. Then I laid the banana leaf on the dampened paper to blanket the masa that I spooned on next. A spread of meat, capers, olives and chick peas blanketed the masa like frosting on a cake.

My mother folded the parchment paper in half, then again on its edges, bringing it back to the center of the rectangular mass of ingredients. She creased the paper with her fingers pinching its folds as if she were making origami. The air from within released when she sealed the sides in the same fashion folding them over twice bringing the ends to the center of the mass again. Putting her experience at an Italian bakery to use she tied up the pastel like a box of anisettes, sliding the string under and then criss-crossing it over length wise, being sure to tighten the cord around the ends of the paper. She was so good at this she didn’t need a finger to press down around the knot.

Finally, the pasteles were done – well at least with the preparation part. After grating, sautéing, staining, spreading, folding and tying three dozen pasteles they were ready to be cooked and we were ready to eat. Fluffy white rice had been cooked to perfection and a pot of boiling water neighbored on the next burner. The water slowed to a simmer as the pastel was gently lowered into the pot and covered. Forty minutes later, I removed from a pot of orange stained water my first pastel. Excitement layered over us as my mother shouted “muchacha!” I smiled gloating knowing that my grandmother and family members would be proud that this hybrid Puerto/Peruvian could throw down Boricua style.

Who Has Time To Cook?

From Overheard:

Girl #1: I am, like, so sick of eating matzah!
Girl #2: I'm not Jewish, but I like to eat it.
Girl #1: Do you know why the Jews eat matzah at passover?
Girl #2: I think it's, like, because the Jews were baking bread when the Nazis came and they didn't have time to wait for it to cook, right?

I Know You Got Soul

Back when I used to break, my trademark move was the Gut Swirl. It was pretty hot but I have to admit, this guy is a little better. By popular request, the strongest, most flexible breakdancer - EVER!

Breaking News - Che Guevara Behind 9/11

From the Architect of the War on Terror, Douglas Feith:

Days after 9/11, a senior Pentagon official lamented the lack of good targets in Afghanistan and proposed instead U.S. military attacks in South America or Southeast Asia as "a surprise to the terrorists," according to a footnote in the recent 9/11 Commission Report.

More from Newsweek.

How Adult Were You at 15?

An Escambia County inmate has been charged with raping two other inmates, including a 15-year-old boy serving time as an adult, authorities said.

How can a 15 year old boy be allowed in the same cell space as adults? The kid commits a crime and gets punished like an adult, what will the adults who put this kid into a this situation be charged with? Disgusting. More here.

Luke My Son - Grab The Jetta

VW gets all futuristic on us with this incredible storage garage. When customers finalize a purchase, their new car is automatically retrieved and delivered in the most gee-whiz fashion EVER. Apparently this design takes up a fraction of the space of a tradional car garage.

Time For Welfare Reform

All those luxury condos you see going up around the city, the ones where studios are often priced above 400K, guess what, they're subsidized by your tax money. In one of the gravest ironies of the this red hot real estate market, subsidies that were designed to spur development during the '70s are being exploited by developers to build today's high end residences that would have no problem selling sans subsidies. Budgeting 101 says when the government forgoes a tax payment, it is the accounting equivalent of an expenditure. When the value of the mortgage interest deduction is added to direct giveaways, tax abatements, and other breaks, the amount of welfare that goes towards the real estate of today's middle and upper classes dwarfs what is spent on public housing programs. Further:

"There’s no catch to the 421-a subsidies. Unlike other city handouts, developers receiving the tax abatements are not obligated to include affordable housing in their projects — except in Williamsburg and Greenpoint, where a recent upzoning to encourage residential development included an affordable-housing component."

Read the rest here.

Nittles, I Feel Your Pain

It's Confederate Day in South Carolina, a celebration of Southern Heritage, or as I like to call it, the day treason is celebrated in Red America.

Burberry Only Looks Good In Scarves

Mama mia, what foolish athlete or rapper commissioned this atrocity? (It's a Benz, btw)

Some Headlines Can't Be Made Up

"Despite Senator’s Efforts, Juvenile Marriage Ban Advances:

Citing Loretta Lynn and the Virgin Mary as successful women who married young, Sen. Kay O’Connor voted against a bill that would prohibit 14-year-olds from marrying."

Somehow, Lorreta Lynn and the Virgin Mary don't strike me as the best examples for this argument. Read the rest here.

The Party Of No Ideas ...

That's we Dems for those who might not have been listening to conventional wisdom for the past few years, but alas, all things must come to an end:

"By better than two to one, Democrats were seen as having more new ideas than
Republicans."

I will grant that in a race to the bottom, the winner shouldn't be all that proud.

Take The Money And Run

From Bloomberg News, bastion of Commie America haters:

May 8 (Bloomberg) -- Republican lawmakers, facing the prospect that their power to cut taxes may soon be curbed, plan to extend breaks that mostly benefit the wealthy and Wall Street at the expense of reductions for middle-income households.

Read the whole article here.

Yummy!

Hulk Hogan is exactly who I would go to for health realted products and information. This looks almost as tasty as this source of positive energy.

Impressive, Yet Stupid

Hypotethically speaking, if I had an elaborate pot farm, ensconced in a mind-blowing cave of my own design and effort, that generated substantial sums allowing me to live a lavish lifestyle, I wouldn't get cheap by stealing electricity. I mean, this guy was clearly smart enough to develop an alternative, instead, local citizens now suffer. Can you imagine how much local prices have spiked? Damn, glad I don't have those issues ...

Pure Class

No vehicle is safe from the threat of El Camino-ization. Please, to all God fearing car owners I implore thee, you must fight creeping el-caminoization wherever you see it. In the meanwhile, I present the Bimmerino. Sweet.

How The Elephants Will Win

According to Hugh Hewitt, Bush's 31% approval ratings don't spell disaster for the Republican party in the upcoming election because the debate will soon turn to issues that move the base:

Win the war
Confirm the judges
Cut the taxes
Control the spending
Secure the border

Hugh my man, puh-leezee - have you learned nothing from the Big Brain Rove? Who needs issues? Seal the deal by focusing on how much Democrats hate freedom, hate God, want fags to corrupt your children, and how Hillary will force you to live next to black people on welfare (who by the way will be eating filet mignon while hard working folks have to get by on chicken - which btw, they don't love nearly as much as Black people do). That should do it. Then make sure to throw in a tax bill that only the rich benefit from and the base is yours - this one's hard to figure out but average income rightwingers find pleasure in cutting taxes that reduce services to them while benefitting the wealthy. Why argue with them?

As for the substantive claims, if you need to elaborate, here are some ideas.

Win the war - That Mission Was Accomplished like three years ago. Duh.
Confirm Judges - Remember, we don't require litmus tests of judges as long as they view abortion as murder.
Cut Taxes - It's outrageous how much tax the CEO of Exxon was unable to avoid on his $400 Million bonus. Outrageous!
Control Spending - We tried to gut Social Security and enrich our friends on Wall Street but Dems wouldn't let us.
Secure the Border - We're just trying to make sure there are some jobs for the Blacks.

If things start looking extra bleak, just suggest through innuendo that your opponent is a pedophile - that one always works.

We Can Only Hope ...

That this fiction becomes a reality. Now in all honesty, this investigation is clearly a witchhunt, I mean it's not like a blowjob is involved ...

Self Explanatory

Hat tip TraB, Photo by Chrislarson

Treason in Baseball - Supporting El Queda

As part of their Cinco De Mayo celebration, the Texas Rangers wore jerseys with "Los Rangers" in place of "Rangers." The players signed the jerseys which are to be auctioned off for charity. I noticed it while watching a replay of the Yankees/Rangers Friday night game. Ignoring the prudent business policy aspect of the decision, I applaud the Rangers organization, their owner, Tom Hicks, and the people of Texas (never thought I'd say that) for embracing the identity of their community and the history of their state. It shouldn't be so remarkable but given the current political climate, I'm impressed. Of course, our favorite pretty-hot, easily-outraged lunatic is, well, outraged. She wants to know why it's ok to celebrate the heroism of another nation's armed forces but not of - are you sitting down - the confederate army. Because writing a word in Spanish is exactly like honoring a symbol of treason, oppression, and hatred. But you know, if it wasn't for people like Malkin inventing reasons to be outraged, where would I find material to mock? Back in the day I would have been irritated at the commodification of another culture for profit but in this case since it so irriates the right my own irritation has somehow faded. Go figure. Jon Secada unavailable for comment.

For those confused about the threat of El Queda, Neil Cavuto at America's most trusted news source was on the case.

Happy Cinco De Mayo!

From Overheard:

Young guy #1: So are you doing anything for Cinco de Mayo?
Young guy #2: Uh, I guess I'll just go out like regular.
Young guy #1: Yeah, that's cool.
Young guy #2: Actually, one of my friends knows a ton of Puerto Rican people, so that'll be good.
Young guy #1: Um...yeah...

The Bond Market is Just Killing Me!

By Travis Ruse

Very Subtle Advertising

Check out the Phillips/Norelco Bodygroom.

"A" Is For Brilliant

From the hard to believe department:

"What's in a Surname? The Effects of Surname Initials on Academic Success" by Liran Einav and Leeat Yariv, Journal of Economic Perspectives, Vol. 20, No. 1. Economists at Stanford and Caltech find that economists whose last names begin with letters earlier in the alphabet are more likely to receive tenure at top universities, more likely to become fellows of the top economics society and more likely to receive the Nobel Prize and other prestigious awards."

Daily Dose of Iran

The main characters in the following debate may only be familiar to the most wonkish of you but I thought it would be interesting to share how the debate against war in Iran gets played out among professionals who deal with the subject. On the one hand, pro-war writer and academic, Christopher Hitchens, on the other University of Michigan professor of History and Middle East expert, Juan Cole (who by the way speaks Arabic and Farsi). Juan Cole is one of the big enemies of the right, his blog, Informed Comment has been covering Iraq since before the war. His blog is the essence of the white guilt article we were discussing yesterday, Cole catalogs and presents the horror of war on a daily basis, much to the chagrin of the right.

As you'll read, Cole belongs to a private discussion group with other academics, writers, and interested parties about Iraq, Iran, and related matters. Hitchens somehow obtained a transcript of one of their discussions and selectively quoted Cole in a intentionally misleading article in Slate. The following is Cole's response of which I wanted to highlight a particular passage about Iran.

"Moreover, Iran cannot fight Israel. It would be defeated in 72 hours, even if the US didn't come in, which it would (and rightly so if Israel were attacked). Iran is separated by several other countries from Israel. It has not attacked aggressively any other country militarily for over a century (can Americans say that of their own record?) It has only a weak, ineffective air force. So why worry about it?

What is really going on here is an old trick of the warmongers. Which is that you equate hurtful statements of your enemy with an actual military threat, and make a weak and vulnerable enemy look like a strong, menacing foe. Then no one can complain when you pounce on the enemy and reduce his country to flames and rubble.

It is obvious that powerful political forces in Washington are fishing for a pretext to launch a war on Iran, and that they are just delighted to have Ahmadinejad as cartoon villain and pretext. But they had a moderate, reforming president in Mohammad Khatami for 8 years, and just blew off all his overtures to the West. Iranians organized big candle-light vigils for America after September 11, in sympathy!"

The relationship of arms deals between Iran and Isreal is particulary interesting. How many times can Isreal and the US reset the Middle East like a checker board and still claim the high ground or expect anyone to believe their veracity? Read the rest here.

I Always Knew Bush Was A Puppet

Enjoy. Move with your cursor if it gets stuck.

Everybody Has A Price - Except This Guy

The owner of this house turned down millions of dollars from developers even though all his neighbors sold. Eventually, they figured out a way to build around him. Read the story here.

Latin Anthem (II) - He Was For It Before He Was Against It

Most of you have already heard about this but I thought I'd follow up anyway. The United States government COMMISSIONED a Spanish-language version of the Anthem in 1919. The State Department also currently has four versions of it in Spanish on their website. Of course Bush has to toe the party line today but at his inaugural ceremony in 2001 he invited Jon Secada to - drum roll please - sing the anthem in Spanish.

Longing For The Good Old Days

Shelby Steele crapped out a big one yesterday in the Wall Street Journal's Opinion Journal. You can read it and decide for yourself but essentially his argument goes like this.

Because liberals made America give up White Supremacy (which we learn, had its good points and its bad points), whites feel undue guilt whenever they do mean things to brown people. As a result, these liberal hangups prevent the US from fighting war the way it should be fought, ie, with dumb bombs instead of smart bombs. This is why we're losing in Iraq and our military's resulting need to be politically correct has emboldened the enemy. Therefore, the only solution, the only way to liberate Iraq, to win the war, and to spread American democracy, is to stop being so picky about who we kill, to get serious and indiscriminatly bomb every living cell, creature, and organic particle back to the soupy mush from whence they came and when they are dead, to kill them again.

It makes perfect sense to slaughter as many Iraqis as possible because afterall the reason we are in Iraq is to eradicate weapons of mass destruction, no, it's to plant the seeds of democracy, no, it's to get revenge against the perpetrators of 9/11, no it's to carry out the international communities wishes, no, it's to ... I guess one day Bush will tell us. For a good set of links to bloggers who analyze Steele's argument in greater detail check here.

Percentage of Misled Americans At All Time Low

"A USA TODAY/Gallup Poll taken Friday through Sunday found Bush's approval rating at 34%, two points under his previous low. He also received the lowest ratings of his presidency on his handling of the economy, energy and foreign affairs. He tied his previous low on Iraq: 32%.The poll showed Democrats leading 54%-39% among registered voters who were asked which party they would prefer in a congressional race."

I stole that headline from dailykos

Busted

Speaker of the House, Dennis Hastert, exiting a hydrogen fuel vehicle that carried him to a press conference on gas prices, and boarding his SUV. We must ease our dependence on foreign oil and begin caring for our environment - when the cameras are rolling!

Latin Anthem

The spanish version of the national anthem doesn't offend me but I do feel it's something that's being hoisted into the debate unnecessarily. I resent the fact that the song is being used to measure the character, loyalty, and other qualities of immigrants, none of whom have anything to do with the song. Nonetheless I think it's important to remember that free speech is the cornerstone of our constitution and whether we agree with something or not, we should recognize the value of allowing people to express themselves. According to the Daily News, even Condi rice is cool with it but I wouldn't be surprised if that pandering ass known as Hillary comes out as having a problem with it.

God Help Us

Conceptual drawing for future "standing room" airfare. One ticket in low class, please. Looks comfy, no?