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December 31, 2005
Happy New Year
by JeremyCara (my fictional fantasy wife) and I both want to wish you a Happy New Year.
May your 2006 be free of you know whats and you know whos and chock full of nudge-nudges and if-you-have-to-asks and may you finally make that change you've been putting off and finally get over yourself and go back to the way things used to be back in the day. And like that.
Posted by Jeremy at 11:49 PM | Comments (0)
December 29, 2005
'C' is for Cookie and That's Good Enough for Me
by JeremyThese are dark days (aren't they?):
NEW YORK (AP) -- The National Security Agency's Internet site has been placing files on visitors' computers that can track their Web surfing activity...These files, known as "cookies," disappeared after a privacy activist complained
So if you click onto the NSA website then your surfing activity is tracked (at least insofar as your surfing is limited to the NSA website. But as far as noticing when you are currently viewing the NSA website? Heh. well then they're tracking your ass, but hard. Believe it!
Until Tuesday, the NSA site created two cookie files that do not expire until 2035 -- likely beyond the life of any computer in use today.
Wow. 2035 is a long time from now. That's like thirty years!
I suppose I should let you know that if you cick onto certain pages of this blog you can also expect one of those cookie things to land on your computer (all the way over at your house! By way of a stream of high speed particles sent directly through a bundle of wires physically attached to your house!)
I'm moving to Canada where the websites don't have cookies.
Posted by Jeremy at 10:33 PM | Comments (0)
December 27, 2005
A Bit of Naughty Fun
by JeremyI suppose if the ancient Hebrews had had a word for Schadenfreude it would have made its way somewhere into the ten commandments. But they hadn't and it didn't. So let's turn Yahweh's little oversight into a bit of fun at the expense of Daily Kos, notwithstanding their strange assertion that having swallowed this wriggling guppy of a story whole makes them better than other bloggers. Click the links and read through their original posts. Note while doing this that you are liberated from the urge you'd normally have to blog about how paranoid and wrong they are (though I just did. But I blogged this for the common good, not simply to scratch an itch. That's what makes me better than the other bloggers.)
Posted by Jeremy at 09:46 AM | Comments (1)
December 25, 2005
Merry Christmas and Happy Hanukkah
by Jeremy
Posted by Jeremy at 08:28 AM | Comments (0)
December 24, 2005
Explaining Christmas & Hanukkah to Your Socially Conscious Friends
by JeremyChristmas
Explain the holiday to them this way:
1) The infinite power of the universe was made available to all of mankind in the form of renewable energy (you don't have to use the words 'resurrection' or 'transubstantiation.')
2) This was done without the drilling of virgin forest (In fact the drilling of virgins was entirely avoided.)
3) Encourage your friends to use this rallying cry of like minded activists: 'Merry Christmas.'
Hanukkah
1) This holiday was born of a grassroots insurgency against an imperial hegemon.
2) Through the use of sustainable energy consumption, a dangerous dependence on foreign oil was eliminated. You might want to use the phrase 'no blood for lamp oil.'
3) Ask them to raise their fists and chant 'Happy Hanukkah.'
Tip: if your friends try to hand you bumper stickers or posters employing the phrase, "Basta Ya!" you should reply with a Yiddish inflected "Enough already!"
Posted by Jeremy at 06:09 PM | Comments (1)
December 17, 2005
Iraq Vote
by JeremyWell I lost my long, cerebral post about the election in Iraq. The Good Lord must have needed it in heaven. So I'm just going to say this: yee haw!
Pajamas Media is a good place for a roundup of blog coverage of this incredibly successful election.
And consider this picture:
What I like about this picture is the almost self-conscious irony in the woman's expression. It's as if to say 'so what's the big deal? I'm just an Iraqi woman voting in yet another election. It's a free country, isn't it?'
Posted by Jeremy at 12:04 AM | Comments (1)
December 14, 2005
The Protocols of the Elders of Jihad
by Jeremy
Mahmoud Ahmadinejad is a name worth committing to memory (in much the same way we all finally memorized the correct spelling of the word 'Fahrenheit'). He's a dim little puss pimple, but a very dangerous puss pimple.
Still, given a potentially murderous emperor, it's safest when he parades around in transparent clothing. He is, to try a different metaphor, a steaming turd too large in Europe's living room to be savoir-faired under the diplomatic carpet. And that makes me feel a bit safer:
TEHRAN (Reuters) - Iran's President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad said on Wednesday that the Holocaust was a myth, ramping up his rhetoric and triggering a fresh wave of international condemnation.Last week Ahmadinejad first aired his doubts on the veracity of the Holocaust, in which six million Jews were killed by the Nazis. His comments drew a rebuke from the U.N. Security Council.
"They have fabricated a legend under the name 'Massacre of the Jews', and they hold it higher than God himself, religion itself and the prophets themselves," he told a crowd in the southeastern city of Zahedan on Wednesday.
The speech was broadcast live on state television.
European countries called the remarks unacceptable and said they could undermine plans for talks with Tehran on its controversial nuclear program.
Posted by Jeremy at 05:45 PM | Comments (0)
December 13, 2005
How to Get Nominated for a Nobel Prize
by JeremyStep 1:
Start a grassroots fascist organization and use alienated Black kids in poor neighborhoods as cannon fodder and for target practice.
Step 2:
Do something dramatic to set yourself apart from what Nietzsche would call sheep:
A) Shoot a guy in the back
...Williams, at gunpoint, ordered Owens to "lay down, mother f*****." Williams then chambered a round into the shotgun. Williams then fired the round into the security monitor. Williams then chambered a second round and fired the round into Owens' back as he lay face down on the floor of the storage room. Williams then fired again into Owens' back. (TT 2162).[...]
Once back in Los Angeles, Williams asked if anyone wanted to get something to eat. When Sims asked Williams why he shot Owens, Williams said he "didn't want to leave any witnesses." Williams also said he killed Owens "because he was white and he was killing all white people."
B) Show people that you're not some coward who has to shoot people in the back and try diversifying beyond killing only White people -- try shooting an Asian woman in the face (and killing the rest of her family too):
At approximately 5:00 a.m. on March 11, 1979, Stanley Williams entered the Brookhaven Motel at 10411 South Vermont Avenue. (Trial Ttranscript (TT) 1411). After entering the public lobby area, Williams broke down the door that led to the private office.Once inside the private office, Williams, using his shotgun, killed seventy-six year old Yen-I Yang; Williams also killed Yang's wife, sixty-three year old Tsai-Shai Yang; lastly, Williams killed Yang's daughter, forty-three year old Yee-Chen Lin. Williams then removed the currency from the cash register and fled the location.
[...]
Two deputies from the Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department arrived within approximately ten minutes...As they entered, they saw Yen-I Yang lying on a sofa. He was "soaked with blood," "gasping for air, and making gurgling noises." (TT 1501). They also saw the bloodied body of Tsai-Shai Yang. She was making "gurgling noises" and "gasping for air,"
[...]
According to the forensic pathologist, Yen-I Yang suffered two shotgun wounds. One shotgun wound was to his left arm and abdomen. This wound shredded Yen-I's left arm, fractured his ribs, and shattered his spleen, right kidney, bowel and large vessels. The other shotgun wound was to the lower left chest. This wound also fractured ribs and shattered the spleen, right kidney, bowel and large vessels.
[...]
Despite the severity of these wounds, Yen-I clung to life. He was transported from the scene by paramedics to Daniel Freeman Hospital where he died at 6:53 a.m.
Yee-Chen Lin was shot once in the upper left face area at a distance of a few feet. Despite the truly horrific nature of the wound Stanley Williams inflicted upon her, Yee-Chen also clung to life. She was transported from the scene by paramedics to Centinela Hospital where she died at 7:36 a.m.
Step 3: Mount Your Defense. Try making a Christlike appeal for mercy to the jury:
The foreperson confirmed the defendant mouthed the words "I'm going to get each and every one of you mother f******."
Step 4: Show Remorse for Your Wayward Past:
Eventually, Williams admitted he was the actual murderer. He stated, in referring to committing a future robbery, he will "blow them away just like I blew them Buddhaheads away on Vermont." (TT 1720).In addition to admitting his involvement in the Brookhaven murders, Williams also admitted killing Albert Owens. Specifically, Williams told Mr. Garrett that he had used his shotgun to blow away a white guy at a store, that Blackie (Alfred Coward) was with him, and that Blackie was a "punk" because Blackie couldn't eat after the murder. (TT 1688-1690).
Williams also told Mr. Garrett that he was considering killing Blackie. (TT 1689). Of course, this was subsequently corroborated by Williams' jailhouse note where he indicated Blackie was a "heartbeat away from death."
Step 5: Keep Yourself Busy in Prison. Consider taking up a hobby such as writing books about how admirable a person you are, how you're a man of peace, etc. Remember too that there's probably a weight room -- your body is, after all, a temple. See if you can make friends with a few celebrities.
* * *
POSTSCRIPT: I am opposed to the death penalty. All I'm saying is that people like "Susan Sarandon, Tim Robbins, Mike Farrell, Snoop Doggy Dogg..., Danny Glover, Anjelica Huston, Jamie Foxx, Biannca Jagger..., Bonnie Raitt...,Mario Cuomo, Jesse Jackson, Desmond Tutu, and...Tom Hayden" should use their cultural influence to fight for the repeal of the death penalty in ways not predicated on forgiving brutal murderers who have confessed their guilt. Asking society to forgive what it has no right to forgive is not making good use of what I have heard Mike Farrell refer to as the superior sensitivity of actors and other artists. Do you forgive Tookie Williams for the crimes described above? Personally I can't even apprehend the logic of the question. This case is a lousy and self-defeating route toward the repeal of capital punishment.
Posted by Jeremy at 05:35 PM | Comments (5)
December 12, 2005
Why? Because La-La and Thingy-Thingy
by JeremyWhen I heard this sound bite from John Murtha I thought I caught a whiff of the kind of internal logic breakdown that tends to characterize a person who hasn't thought his position through very carefully (because he feels demeaned by the implication that he ought to supply justifications for his opinions?):
We're caught in between a civil war right now. Our troops are the targets of the civil war.
That's the kind of logic that makes smoke come out of your computer's vacuum tubes.
But Mickey Kaus has done a better job with this [emphasis Kaus']:
Murtha vs. Murtha: Rep. Murtha on the prospects of an Iraqi civil war:[T]here's a civil war going. We're caught in between a civil war right now. Our troops are the targets of the civil war. They're the only people that could have unified the various factions in Iraq. And they're unified against us. --ABC's This Week, 12/4/05[W]hy should I believe what the CIA says about what's happening in Iraq, that there's going to be a civil war? First of all, al Qaeda was wrong. It was wrong on the nuclear stuff. It was wrong on everything they have said over there. So why should I believe that there's going to be a civil war? -- same show, a few moments later.
Rep. Murtha on whether the Iraqis will throw us out:
[T]he military won a military victory. They got rid of Saddam Hussein. ...[snip] ... Now, it's got to be a political win. They have to win this politically. The Iraqis themselves. We'll stay there forever. The Iraqis are never going to say turn it over. We can't allow them to say when it's gonna turn it over.--This Week, 12/4/05You're gonna see the Iraqis clamoring. Listen, anybody we support in Iraq loses the election. And so they're gonna be clamoring for us to get out. -- same show, a few moments later.
Sorry, this man seems confused. In his current state I wouldn't follow him either into battle or out of it
Posted by Jeremy at 08:06 AM | Comments (1)
December 08, 2005
Mahmoud Ahmadinejad is a Dangerous Bastard
by JeremyCould it be that Mahmoud Ahmadinejad wants his destruction of the Jews to be remembered as the first and only Jewish holocaust? Maybe that's it:
"Some European countries insist on saying that Hitler killed millions of innocent Jews in furnaces and they insist on it to the extent that if anyone proves something contrary to that they condemn that person and throw them in jail," IRNA quoted Ahmadinejad as saying."Although we don't accept this claim, if we suppose it is true, our question for the Europeans is: is the killing of innocent Jewish people by Hitler the reason for their support to the occupiers of Jerusalem?" he said.
"If the Europeans are honest they should give some of their provinces in Europe -- like in Germany, Austria or other countries -- to the Zionists and the Zionists can establish their state in Europe. You offer part of Europe and we will support it."
This might just win him a lunch date with David Duke and George Galloway. But they'd better act fast because Mahmoud Ahmadinejad will soon be condemned and thrown in jail.
Posted by Jeremy at 12:34 PM | Comments (1)
December 07, 2005
We Can't Win
by JeremyWhen Howard Dean uses a phrase like "can't win" one should not be too quick to scoff. It's wise to consider his authority in that area (being unable to win, I mean).
Here's a poster idea for the Democratic party's upcoming congressional and presidential campaigns under the stewardship of Master Dean:
We Can't Win!
Posted by Jeremy at 06:45 PM | Comments (0)
Pat Oliphant = Pol Pot
by JeremyI used to consider Pat Oliphant just about the best political cartoonist going. That was back in the 80's. These days he seems to be losing his mind along with about 90% of everyone else I used to admire. And I've thought about this very carefully: the only person I can really think to compare him with these days is Pol Pot. I say that dispassionately. I really don't care one way or the other. But I thought that was a pretty good comparison and one worth sharing. Here's his latest:
Posted by Jeremy at 06:16 PM | Comments (4)
December 04, 2005
White Supremacy in the Comments
by JeremyWe at this blog complain often about the organized threats of racism, anti-Semitism, fascism, and religious fundamentalism and the fact that Islamists and/or pan-Arab fascist groups are waging a bloody war to restore the world to their own conception of a pre-enlightenment hell on earth.
In so doing I have too often neglected the White Christian fascists and died-in-the wool Nazis here in the States who have a vision for the world that is quite similar (though different in color).
My recent post mentioning some of the milder views of David Duke inspired a comment from an evidently pro-Nazi white-washer who has been stocking the blogs with such civil comments as she presumably hopes will help clean up the old Nazi image. See the comments in the post below for that.
Anti-Israel hatred as expressed on the Western Left and on the extreme Right throughout the world has been accepted as valid political conviction (and I'm not referring to strong denunciation of Israeli policy). What I think these particular Nazis are trying to do is to join the dialog as though they were a sober, analytical voice in the hope that they can coax mainstream people across the river, one rhetorical stone at a time, to their side. They've seen Leftist apologists for Islamo-fascism do this with much success and they think they can do the same for themselves (and you'll see below how much they admire George Galloway.)
I approved the comment but obscured the link to the White supremacist hate site nationalvanguard[dotorg]. I do encourage you to read it, though, if you have the stomach for that kind of racist garbage, but I don't want to add even my one micro-measly bit of Google page rank to their campaign for 'legitimacy.'
The good news in all this is that the gap between reason and Nazism seems still to be separated not so much by a river as by the fucking Grand Canyon. Are you a once-principled critic of Israeli policy who has stepped out onto the ledge of anti-Israeli venom? Fine. Go ahead and take that next step and see where it leads you. A random example follows -- it's what happens to be the latest post on the nationalvanguard blog (permalink www.nationalvanguard[dot]org/printer.php?id=7092):
Holocaust Fundamentalism - You WILL Believe
Opinion; Posted on: 2005-12-04 10:37:15Holocaust state-enforced religion
by Mark Green
You've seen the films. You've read the books. You've taken the courses. You've heard the news. Soon, your children will be visiting the museums. Everybody knows it's true.
[...]
Recalcitrant non-believers are now being rounded up.
And I direct you to this post which I will excerpt without any more superfluous comments from me (permalink: www.nationalvanguard[dot]org/printer.php?id=7074):
Galloway confirms the obvious: Jews own/control the media
Anti-Israel politician George Galloway came under fire yet again this week after he told an Arab television interviewer that Zionists control the media.
The Bethnal Green and Bow MP’s latest comments came after he was introduced as “a former member of the British Houses of Parliament” during a live interview with Qatari Al-Jazeera television.
He responded: “I am still a member of parliament and was re-elected five times. On the last occasion I was re-elected despite all the efforts made by the British government, the Zionist movement and the newspapers and news media which are controlled by Zionism.”
Posted by Jeremy at 10:53 AM | Comments (3)
