82nd Chairborne Strikes Again

Vietnam war hero, Iraq war critic, and former US Senator, Max Cleland, has publicized his decision to seek treatment for post war traumatic stress disorder. James Taranto of the Wall Street Journal's Opinion Journal selectively quotes Cleland to mock him:

How credible is Cleland as "a vocal critic of the Iraq war" when by his own admission his approach to it is "avoidance, not wanting to connect with anything dealing with" it, and trying "to disconnect and disassociate" from sources of information about it?

Greenwald retorts:

To chest-beating warriors like Taranto who so endlessly impress themselves by cheering on wars from afar, the slaughter and brutality of wars is purely abstract -- akin to losing (or gaining) points in a video game that they play while slumped safely on their couch or in front of their computer. Only weak, whiny, spineless, freakish losers like Cleland suffer effete emotional disturbances as a result of the endless bloodbath in Iraq. It's the tough and resolute guys like James Taranto who can call for more and more killing and bombing and invasions and slaughter while sleeping perfectly well at night ...

Cleland lost three limbs in military service on behalf of the United States, and now he speaks publicly about his mental struggles with war in order to make it easier for other veterans who could benefit from treatment to seek that treatment. But to Taranto, it's Cleland whose views on war we should ignore because after being "engrossed" by the war for three years, he has finally become so emotionally affected by the endless killings that he finds it difficult to read about it every day.

I've said it previously, if we are - as the war mongers say - in an age of unparalleled terror and nuclear proliferation, facing an ominous threat that could very well lead to the destruction of this country, the dhimmification of our Western culture, our leaders would be negligent if they didn't institute a mandatory military service requirement for all citizens. Our armed forces are not large enough to fight all the wars that need to be fought. Service is the patriotic thing to do. Everyone will pay their fair share for protecting our country and perhaps then we won't have people like Cleland losing limbs that should have come from the likes of Bush, Cheney, and Rove.

Comment Trouble

Is anyone having trouble posting comments? I've gotten one email about it so far and was wondering if anyone else has been affected.

Update: Um, if you're having trouble commenting you may have to email me to let me know.

Update II: Ok, several people have confirmed having trouble leaving comments. I (foolishly) switched over the new blogger beta and I think it screwed up my code. Since I'm using a third party template for the site, it's going to take me a little tinkering to figure out - something that there simply isn't time for right now. In the meanwhile, if you have something to say, I'll create a comment round-up post in which I'll post comments emailed to me.

Dangers of All You Can Eat Buffet

A No Value Added Post

Latest Headlines from the Onion.

From the straight out of Brooklyn department:

Sometimes I Feel Like I'm The Only One Trying To Gentrify This Neighborhood

From the seize the day department:

Area Man Finally Works Up Courage To Sexually Harass Secretary

And my personal favorite:

War-Torn Middle East Seeks Solace In Religion

The Fringe ... Is Freakin' Everywhere

More unintentional truth telling from the right. Michelle Malkin asks her readers to guess where this defaced stop sign is located. Her sympathetic readers respond, respond, and respond some more. With a nationwide list of sightings Malkin unintentionally confirms what the rest of us already know - how widespread and commonplace the sentiment is. Her readers say:

Joe. M - "I encounter those signs regularly in Massachusetts. Mostly in the Northampton area."

Leza - "This stop sign is on the corner of my street in Atlanta. (Or perhaps its clone?) I keep calling the City to get it cleaned up but so far no response. If you did visit, hope you had a great time!"

Glenn - "Is it in the people's republic of Maryland?"

Eric S. - "I'm gonna go with Dallas, TX as I've seen quite a few of those here,unfortunately."

EiP - "Totally Seattle."

Ed - "I've seen several of these but this looks like one I pass from time totime in PA near Philly."

Ted K. - "I saw one like this in Phoenix, Arizona. So, this is my guess."

Sean - "That is something I see at least a dozen times a day in lovely Portland, Oregon, the capital of Bush Hatred for sure. Perhaps outside of Paris, anyway. There are more Kerry '04 bumper stickers on cars than there are cars, nearly."

Paul - "Just a guess but the trees made me think of the Northeast, maybe Massachusetts or eastern Pennsylvania."

Carolann - "Has to be the Hamptons. Growing up on Long Island and knowing the people, it's my best guess."JC -

"Outside of Clinton's home."

Hah. Several nominations for Crawford, Texas.

And there were scores of votes for Santa Cruz, San Diego, Hollywood, and San Francisco. Right state.

And the winner is...Chris H., who was first with the most precise guess: Berkeley Hills.

Money and Swine ...

A perfect combination! From the makers of Bacon Bandaids comes, the Bacon wallet.

White Jesus, Is That You?

These folks think they see White Jesus in their sonogram.

Personally, I think it looks more like Cassie, the Irish Setter.

Growing Up in NYC

One of the things I love about Travis Ruse's photography is how adept he is at capturing candid moments in difficult situations. Usually, he's snapping shots on jam-packed subway cars, here, however, he captures this nice family scene on an empty train yet the family doesn't seem to notice that's he's pulled out a camera.

Why Microsoft Is Scared

Here's a feature-filled word processing program recently purchased by Google and available for free online. Google also has a free online spreadsheet application (click "more" on the Google homepage).

Katrina

Last night on HBO was the first installment of Spike Lee's documentary on Katrina. I'm tivo-ing the series but am not currently in the mood to watch it. Much like the 9/11 films, it's a bit much for me to deal with right now. My reaction as Katrina unfolded made me realize that I was no longer able to stay un-fazed by things I saw - an ability that as a younger guy I was always proud of. Now a days, sensitive dude that I am, these things hurt - and linger. So I'll save it and wait a while. I definitley want to see them eventually. Anybody catch last night's installment? FYI, the entire documentary will be shown in one airing on August 29.

Thanks For Disproving Your Own Article

Michael Barone, over at Townhall, spews forth the oh-so-tired yarn about America's covert enemies, you know, not the Islamofacists, they're overt, but the more insidious, and less honorable enemies, Democrats. Unintentionally, Barone reveals the lie:

We have always had our covert enemies, but their numbers were few until the 1960s. But then the elite young men who declined to serve in the military during the Vietnam War set out to write a narrative in which they, rather than those who obeyed the call to duty, were the heroes.

Let's see, obeyed the call of duty: Kerry, Gore, Murtha; Too yellow to defend America: Bush, Cheney, Rove. If you check out the article you'll see it addresses one of our favorite topics here at Kwotebel, white guilt.

Trick Question

From Overheard:

Chick: Is that Broadway? I think it is. I can't see.
Burly guy: Yeah. Didn't you put your contacts in?
Chick: No. I haven't bought new ones yet.
Burly guy: Jesus, Jen! You'll buy boobs but you won't buy contacts?
Chick: What's more important: contacts or boobs?

--Union Square

It All Makes Sense Now

What republicans see when they look at the NY Times.

Where I'll Be Heading After Work

(photo by Travis Ruse)

Damn Activist Judges

Upholding the Constitution and shit.

The Future of Flying?

Only two carry-ons for women, three for men. Shit, how'd we get stuck on the AARP plane?

C'mon Bernie, You Can Do Better!

Bernie Goldberg, author of 100 People Democrats, Liberals, and Black People Who Are Screwing Up America, on Mike Wallace's 60 Minutes' interview with Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad:

"In fact, instead of seeming like a modern Hitler (a not unreasonable comparison, given that one wanted to exterminate all the Jews while the other wants to wipe Israel off the map), Mr. Ahmadinejad came across as, well, a fairly typical, run-of-the-mill liberal."

C'mon Bernie, an article in the Wall Street Journal comparing liberals to a Hitler-esq dictator and you don't mention the French or the UN. You're slippin' dude. But hey, in all fairness Bernie, because it's clear you're a Journalist with integrity, someone who values fairness and all, the next time you start comparing where Ahmadinejad stands on the issues, don't forget to ask him his position on the free press, due process, civil liberties, the proper role of religion in government, abortion, gays, and the role of women in society. Thanks.

$1.99

Domains on sale at Yahoo for $1.99. Ever dreamed of owning Iamsuperspecial.com, well now's your chance.

More Bullets Than G-Unit

• My Dell laptop battery is one of the defective ones. I feel special. In all seriousness, my Dell has easily been the best computer I've ever owned. I know Dell is taking a lot of heat these days but I got a great computer cheap so I've got nothing but love. Besides, I admit, I've always admired the story of Michael Dell. With a healthy loan from family (200K), he turned a passion and smarts into an empire.
  
• A lot of hand wringing on the right over the ceasefire agreement between Israel and Hezbollah. The Israelis, according to several of their most ardent American supporters, are acting most unbecoming - anti-semitic even.
  
• Regarding the UN, harbinger of the anti-christ and useful target of the right, when it comes to native intelligence, knowledge of history, diplomatic skill, sophistication, integrity, and other characteristics that define the core of an individual, is there any question that Kofi Annan trumps Bush in every single category? BTW, that comment is not born out of hate, I don't hate our president. Not at all, I just think he's a lying piece of shit.
  
• When I first heard about the controversey involving Virginia republican senate candidate (a possible presidential candidate) - that confederate flag loving, noose displaying, sayer of all sorts of thinly veiled racist things - George Allen, where he called a melanin-enhanced staffer of his opponent's campaign - Macaca - my first thought was of Ace Ventura 2. For those who don't remember that fine film, Shakaka was the name of the albino bat the African natives worshipped. Shakaka! Allen tells us he didn't mean anything negative by it, and as they say, one should not be judged on the basis of a single event or comment, but on the totality of an individual's life's actions and comments ... Oops!
  
• I'm wearing new pants today. They feel like buttah! I only wear the finest wool products Syms sells. (If you must know, I AM a smart consumer, I paid $40 for pants that were originally $109).
  
• I hope the new Marbury $15 sneakers are a big hit. These would have been on my shopping list had they been around when I was a kid. Jordans were definitely out my family's price range (buddies were usually out of our price range). Now that I can afford Jordans I still don't buy them because (a) I think they're ugly, (b) I'm dangerously anti-consumerist, and (c) for the principalities involved.
  
• I had a huge steak last night at the Strip House. I still haven't taken a dump. That's not like me. Should I be worried? All better now, thanks.
  
• I want to give a shout-out to three individuals (they know who they are). Through thick and thin these individuals have supported me, schooled me, laughed at and with me, picked me up when down, and shared appreciation when I did the same for them. So far that could be lots of people I know (I'm lucky), but these three get the gold star because no matter what the scenario, no matter what their personal issues, they've never let ego get in the way of friendship, they've never kicked a brother when he was down (no matter how tempting it might have been), and most importantly, they've shown true loyalty and respect. These are the kinds of friends that help you get ahead in this world. Hopefully you all have people like these in your life too.

Meet Whiplash

The Taco Delivering Monkey

Fido Wants A Menthol

From Overheard:

Goth smoker: What kind of cigarette brand is that?
Vegan smoker: They're the only vegan cigarettes that exist.
Goth smoker: Cigarettes aren't vegan?
Vegan smoker: Well, these aren't tested on animals.
Goth smoker: So they're tested on humans then?
Vegan smoker: Um...

500 Billion and Counting

Here's what our billions of dollars and the lives of thousands of American soldiers has produced for us in Iraq - a fiercely divided and shell shocked nation where Islamist extremists have more power than they ever dreamed of:

This is how staggeringly pointless the killing in Iraq is getting: shepherds in the rural western Baghdad neighborhood of Gazalea have recently been murdered, according to locals, for failing to diaper their goats. Apparently the sexual tension is so high in regions where Sheikhs take a draconian view of Shariah law, that they feel the sight of naked goats poses an unacceptable temptation. They blame the goats.

Ah religion, the stupidest invention ever. We didn't create Islam of course, we've just made sure its craziest practicioners now run Iraq. Add to that massive civil unrest that is leading to a civil war, a huge pro-hezbollah/anti-american rally, and the engendering of even more hatred for the US and Israel then before. Awesome. But you know, the defeat of Lieberman emboldens the terrorists, or so we're told. I hear a lot of terrorists subcribe to the RSS feed of the Hartford Courant and let me tell you, they don't make a move without seeing where the Democrats stand first. Six years into a Republican White House, Congress, and Court System and the terrorists still look to the Dems to find out what to do? Wow, who knew (aside from Rove of course). Here's Krugman's take on Lieberman's post defeat posture (sorry, no link, the article is behind the Times Select subscription wall):

There’s an overwhelming consensus among national security experts that the war in Iraq has undermined, not strengthened, the fight against terrorism. Yet yesterday Mr. Lieberman, sounding just like Dick Cheney — and acting as a propaganda tool for Republicans trying to Swift-boat the party of which he still claims to be a member — suggested that the changes in Iraq policy that Mr. Lamont wants would be “taken as a tremendous victory by the same people who wanted to blow up these planes in this plot hatched in England.”

Forgive us Joe, we're sorry, you know best. We voters, well, it's not like there are any requirements to vote so sometimes whe need people like you to remind us that we don't know what we're doing.

More Bullets

• Republicans are feigning a lot of concern for the well being of Democratic Party since their boy Joe Lieberman lost the Democratic primary in CT. Funny thing about Democracy, the voters get to decide who they want to represent them (if I remember correctly, Bush's 52-48% win over Kerry was deemed a mandate, apprently Lamont's victory over Lieberman by the same amount simply means Lieberman should keep fightin'). Despite the transparent dishonesty of the republicans who are simply continuing their habit of spinning all news, no matter how bad for them, as bad for Democrats, it has gotten me thinking. Is there a republican out there who I would feel badly for if he or she lost a primary or general election? At one point I might have offered John McCain, not so much anymore. This is not to say that there aren't republicans who I respect, generally speaking though, I'm more concerned about politicians who are pursuing the agenda that follow my beliefs, and usually, except for a stray issue here or there, that doesn't include many republicans.
  
• My cell phone was on the fritz but I wasn't eligible for a discounted price on a new phone b/c my contract isn't up for another 8 months. I considered signing up with a different carrier and getting a free phone from them but the early termination fee is $175 and I'm happy with Verizon Wireless so switching didn't make sense. I ended up staying with Verizon and buying the cheapest phone they sold - a Samsung for $129. No camera, no exterior screen, just a basic cell phone that works, holds a charge. Nice. I can tell you one thing, I won't be tying myself up in two year contracts anymore just to get a discounted phone. Even at the cheapest monthly plan- $50 - (which I have), a two-year contract ties you into a roughly $1200 commitment all to get $100-$200 off a phone. The numbers don't add up. I guess if you're the type whose cell phones last for years, it pays to get the discount, for me though, phones rarely last two years.
  
• Boxing fans, if you missed the Jaedang/Marquez fight this past weekend on Showtime, try to catch the rebroadcast. Great action packed throwdown. The loser's first name is Terdsak. Nuff said.
  
• I'm bloggin', that means I'm not working. No focus. Not good. I need it to be Friday night already. Shit, I'd settle for it being Thursday night.
  
• Here's a conspiracy-tinged article about the timing of BP's decision to shut down the Alaskan Oil Pipeline. Could be entirely bunk, but, if recent performance numbers are any indication, BP knows a thing or 10 Billion about maximizing profits.

Tilapia Tales

As promised, I cooked Tilpia this past weekend, here's how it went. I decided to go with a blackened style. It was easy and good. Black pepper, red pepper, paprika, thyme, garlic powder, lemon, basil, and melted butter, cooked in a hot cast-iron skillet. It was Irie, man. I ate in on a toasted whole wheat french baguette with baby spinach leaves, tomato, and mayo. Good stuff for Big D.

Ron Mück

Enjoy the works of artist Ron Muck. (more pics)

I'll Be Burning in Hell For What?

This is what passes for blogging these days, bulleted thoughts. But I do have some things in the works that should be enjoyable. In the meanwhile, here we go:

• A West Indian guy preaching on the subway this morning, you know the type, all fire and brimstone, kept screaming that we would all be punished for our immortality. It's immorality, asshole. We will all be burning in hell for our immorality. Geez, if you're gonna scream during my entire train ride at least get it right.
  
• The Mel Gibson scandal reveals the strange marriage between fundies and Israel. On the one hand, the birth of the nation of Israel is to many evangelists/fundamentalists, the key sign that the end times are near. Yet, on a whole, fundamentalists don't really care for Jews and believe that Jews won't be in heaven unless they accept Jesus. As for Gibson, he would have been dismissed long ago as just another pompous celebrity who shouldn't open his mouth if it weren't for the fact that he was making a movie that the fundies supported - The Jesus Chainsaw Massacre.
  
• I feel like I need to take advantage of the remaining summer weeks. Anybody have anything cool planned before summer ends?
  
• I finished reading Jose Saramago's Seeing and hope to have the review up soon. I know, you're all waiting with bated breath. I just started and am seriously digging John Banville's The Sea.
  
• I live in a railroad style apartment which means there are no windows, and more importantly, no AC in my bedroom. I've taken to sleeping on the couch during the heat wave so I could benefit from the chill of my 12,000 btu best friend. The other night in the early stages of sleep I was awoken by the sounds of the power flickering off and on. The thought of trying to sleep through the night without my AC was one of the scariest moments of my life.
  
• Of all the tech I've purchased over the last couple of years my favorite is my self-setting alarm clock. What a joy. Daylight savings, power outages, Bring It! You may remember, I didn't have high hopes for the relationship when it started but things have worked out nicely.
  
• I'll be making some Tilapia this weekend. I'll let you know how that goes.
  
  
• Happy Birthday Sheila, Luz, and Emmely. If you're in BK tonight swing by the party at Ripple (Washington and St. John's). Should be fun.

I Speak English and Stupid

Note the Minutemen sticker. Reminds me of the rage against Amnety.

Time To Get Nosy

New York City co-op records have been made public. Want to find out how much your boss or neighbor paid or borrowed for his place? The information is now online through ACRIS - New York's online information system. Start snooping.

[This information has always been available for "real property" - land, houses, condos, etc., but because coops aren't real property (when you buy a coop you are actually buying shares of a corporation), this information has not until now been publicly available.]

King Castro Has The Shits - Poor Baby

Reigning monarch Fidel Castro has temporarily handed over reigns of the Cuban government to his brother Raul while he recovers from intestinal problems. What a joke. There's a reason Kings are passe Fidel, you're long past your expiration date. I would have loved to have seen a progressive and representative government emerge out of Cuba but Fidel's 40+ year monarchy ended any hopes of that. Hopefully his death will give US hardliners enough political cover to remove the useless and punitive embargo that has punished innocent Cubans for so long. Die already, and take Raul with you.