wiki justice (link)

From

In America, the term crypto-fascist has been revived by some critics to describe the neoconservative movement, especially in reference to various national security measures taken after the September 11th attacks. Many conservatives consider the term offensive, and some have even called it hate speech.

to:

In America, the term crypto-fascist has been revived by some critics to describe the neoconservative movement, especially in reference to various national security measures taken after the September 11th attacks. Many neoconservatives consider the term offensive, and some have even called it hate speech.

Personally, i disagree with any unsourced assertion that many or some of any group has any opinion.

I also feel that althouh williambuckley dislikes being called a crypto-fascist, and though he is a whole lot of conservative, he isn't most... or even some. I felt too lazy to find additional sources to beef up that (probably true) assertion.

Then I realized the simple lie and the simple correction. Occam's Razor (and Gore Vidal) says that ALL neoconservatives probably dislike being called any sort of fascist, as it blows their cover.

Best. Art. Ever.

I have seen the enemy

and it is the Granny Brigade.

This:

"What countries could not win or accomplish by force of arms is fast becoming a reality by Illegal Invasion and Prolific Breeding aided & abetted by Corrupt Politicians at all levels of government! At the present rate within 10 to 15 years & probably less, we will be a third world country!"


was chosen RANDOMLY from the comment thread linked in the post title

Seriously. Ducks in a barrell.

Granted, they are armed ducks in a barrel.

Tom's Store

this modern world dot com

Pass the football! (link to Eschaton)

QUESTION: Attorney General Gonzales, if the Senate does not reauthorize this provision for the Patriot Act, does the president have the authority under Article 2 and the authorization of use of force to give the go-ahead for these procedures on his own?

GONZALES: What I will say is we continue to have hope that these provisions will be reauthorized.

Perhaps, Perhaps, Perhaps

In all, officials say the program has been used to eavesdrop on as many as 500 people at any one time, with the total number of people reaching perhaps into the thousands in the last three years.

500 AT A TIME!!!???!1!!

Credit where due

"There, folks, is your new Patriot Motto: dude, I didn?t even know I had a right to be secure in my persons, houses, papers, and effects, against unreasonable searches and seizures! Besides, what does that really mean, anyway? It?s not like I was even using that right, so, like, whatever."

/Bérubé

His little red book

The student told Professor Pontbriand and Dr. Williams that the Homeland Security agents told him the book was on a "watch list." They brought the book with them, but did not leave it with the student, the professors said.

(from This Modern World)

I could not make this up, close to home too.

UPDATE 12-26-05: Apparently somebody else could make it up.

and did.

All these tapped wires

and we almost forget for a moment.....





I hear Washington is nice in January, we may have to visit.

How do you torture a compassionate conservative?

"The Patriot Act stalled after Senate Majority Leader Bill Frist, R-Tenn., fell eight votes short of the 60 votes needed to bring the bill up for a final vote.
Republicans threatened to use the vote politically against Democrats, portraying them as weak on national security. Democrats argued that an unchecked Bush administration was infringing on civil liberties in the name of fighting terrorism."

Bush is SO going to bomb someone for this.

Merry Christmas, War is Over??

I have to put this in the "war must almost be over" category. Emphasis added .

Bain, a Boston-based buyout firm, is teaming up with Carlyle Group and Thomas H. Lee Partners LP to acquire Dunkin' Brands Inc., the companies said today in a statement. Pernod had expected to get about $2 billion for the Canton, Massachusetts- based unit, which also runs the Baskin-Robbins and Togo's chains.

``This business is a cash machine,'' said Laetitia Delaye, analyst at Kepler Equities in Paris, who has a ``buy'' rating on Pernod. ``There's a good growth level and very high margins.''

I wonder what the margin is on..... well, read this

This makes me very unhappy.

Krispy Kreme, land of the one good donut.

This is your moment.

SEC. MIKE JOHANNS: BEEF FOR ALL!

Thank you, Larry. And good morning, everyone, back in the states. I am very pleased to be joined tonight by our U.S. trade representative, Rob Portman. And we are very pleased to announce that the Japanese market is now open to U.S. beef.

Resuming beef trade with Japan is great news for American producers, and I would also suggest it's great news for Japanese consumers. It's an important step toward normalized trade based on scientifically sound, internally recognized standards.

Reopening the Japanese market to U.S. beef has been a top priority since becoming Secretary, and I want to thank the many people and organizations that were involved in the process.

it was 20 (+1) years ago today?

--
On the courthouse steps after the arguments, Gilmore said he felt confident about the case and welcomed a verbal concession from the Justice Department. "I was glad the government admitted it was 'peculiar' and Orwellian to make secret laws," Gilmore said.
--

A shiny new blogroll

And now, outside to deal with that fierce snowstorm that hit here yesterday.

it was pretty awesome.

a blizzard with thunderstorms for 2 hours, then, nothing.

a cigarette

Good news.

at the X-mas party, my boss bummed a cigarette from me.

I will now not feel as bad when I forget my altoids.

Dept. of "not gonna step in THAT"

Can I just say it is absolutely crazy out there? Nobody involved in this little drama (except, we presume, Fitzgerald) has any clue what the hell is going on.

Would you leak under these circumstances?

Why I may be posting a touch less

over just the next few days.

(title is link)

A new leaf

I had one hell of a morning commute.

Didn't Uncle Joe populaize this form?

Patient and steady with all he must bear,
Ready to accept every challenge with care,
Easy in manner, yet solid as steel,
Strong in his faith, refreshingly real,
Isn't afraid to propose what is bold,
Doesn't conform to the usual mold,
Eyes that have foresight, for hindsight won't do,
Never back down when he sees what is true,
Tells it all straight, and means it all too,

Going forward and knowing he's right,
Even when doubted for why he would fight.
Over and over he makes his case clear,
Reaching to touch the ones who won't hear.
Growing in strength, he won't be unnerved,
Ever assuring he'll stand by his word.

Wanting the world to join his firm stand,

Bracing for war, but praying for peace,
Using his power so evil will cease:
So much a leader and worthy of trust,
Here stands a man who will do what he must.

I beg for submissions

(from first-draft)

Last FM 3

My experience is getting creepy, about 15 hours over 2 days (went to office alone today), and me telling them whait i like and hate.... and the last 3* songs were in my own anemic MP3 collection (2 GB).

I wish these guys were paying me.


*4, consecutive. eep. that's some algorithm.

A professor you tell me.... sigh

Hawks surrounds himself with unhealthy foods he especially craves.
...
He stopped feeling guilty about eating salt-and-vinegar potato chips.
He also stopped eating when he wasn't hungry.

Well, ummm. yeah.

Eat what your body wants, when it asks for it.

Rocket surgery i tell you!

Because the robots don't exist yet

Scientists say a species of non-stinging wasps can be trained in only five minutes [to react to the smell of explosives] and are just as sensitive to odors as man's best friend, which can require up to six months of training at a cost of about $15,000 per dog.

I can think of few better ways to get everyone to run away and generally avoid a suicide bomber than having a swarm of wasps clinging to him. This idea doesn;t work that way, but i'll bet it could.

If any mad entomologists and or botanists read this blog, please consider engineering a wasp feeding flower that smells like plastique and/or other roadside bomb material.

The "Wasp Hound" research by Lewis and University of Georgia agricultural engineer Glen Rains is part of a larger government project to determine if insects and even reptiles or crustaceans could be recruited for defense work. That project has already resulted in scientists refining the use of bees as land-mine detectors.

oh, good. Step it up then, bee season in baghdad is 365 days long and a lot of americans are dying for the lack. Or for some reason.

Last FM Redux (and fu blogger)

Pinko, I am going to kick someone at bloggers ass.

SURE they creat backups of posts in progress... that you've spent like 20 minutes on, seeding a music profiling machine, just so. and rightinthe middle of Emerson Lake and Palemer and the f'ing -wheeeeeeeee, snooner snoooooooner, dulaulalu dulalulalu dulalulalu, whaa whaa whaa whawawawasnosssswassss, bum bum bum, blogger f'ing crashes and I lose the whole post.

it seriously gave me Karn Evil 9: 3rd Impression off of Brain Salad Surgery.

They smoked a lot of weed those three. clearly. 4/10, no, last 30 seconds comletely ruined it, 2/10. BANNED FOREVER

So, I gave it:

jack johnson, the pixies, the dresden dolls, they might be giants, jethro tull, future sound of london

it gave also (aide from EL&P) gave me:

White Stripes - Can't come back 5/10, I like the stripes, not their best.

Radiohead- The Gloaming.
Hail to the theif is the ONLY radiohead CD, single, foriegn or domestic release that I don't have. They, as a band, well, they had me at 'you're a weirdo' in what? '93? 6.5/10, they're not all Pink Floyd quality.

Pixies - the happening
'They've got a ranch they call, number 51!' I love it when the pixies sing about aliens, I love it when Frank blck sings about aliens 8/10. Bossanova is underrated,

Ben Harper- the three of us
I was the best man at a wedding where the couple waled up the aisle to another song from this album. They are hippes and their chldren have hippie names. I love them, but they are hippies and I am not. That said, Ben harper has licks, and I would pay good money to see him live again, this time without the brownies, and somewhere smaller than the Eureca civic center. 8/10

Jethro Tull - Songs from the wood
i need a flagon of ale and a busty wench, henceforth my good fellow. Yes, bring be love from the fields! funk out that bassline my man! I also own about 20 Jethro Tull albums. They were my high scool obcession. This song is cool becuase it is the same song twice, once acoustic, once electric, more so in concert. 7/10

The beatles - Savoy truffle
Syncronicity, I am eating Kahlua truffle, half the size of my fist. I have choloate all over mt keyboard. I love the cholate emporium, and the pictures of the damned bake-off made me visit yesterday. 7/10, I think clapton is playing guitar on this one, anyone know?

Cake - Comanche
Well, I have the other two cake albums for a reason. they were stronger than Motorcade of generosity. 4/10.

SonicYouth - My friend Goo
You tell me who sounded like SY befor SY. Go ahead. 8.5/10. Hey goo, what's new?

Barenaked ladies - the old apartment
I heard this playing over the speakers at Walgreens a awhile back. Made me feel old, This song is better when drunk with old housmates. with some old housemates with different taste, it is a damed drunken ballad. Ive done a lot of drinking with a lot of housemates folks, everybody sings. 5/10. personally I've never broken ionto my old apartment inthe middle of the night. banned.

Dave matthes band - BANNED,. STFU Dave!

Interpol - NYC
eh. evokes little, reminds me of tha band interpol. 4/10

the Dreden Dolls - Chrisrtopher Lydon
Honestly. As a live and liveblog this. what are the chances?

okay, so far so good. sorta creepy a coulple times. total misses other times.

next up?

Yes - bring me to the power
I am really beginning to regret seeding this with Jethro Tull. 3/20. ban.

The Orb - Banger 'n Chips.
Isn't that like potato and potahtoe? slow, atmospheric, 4/10. not banned.

Rasputina - Hunters Kiss
whoa! eeeeeeee. shiver. i.... i.... I love this gypsy sound. hy heart, my mind, the flutter of her dress, the intoxicating strings, too bad it's transforms into gerade B hiphop. 6/10.

gnite all

Last FM

Okay, props where props are due.

I was just reacquainted with about a dozen bands that my friends have in their collections, and reminded why at the same time 'cuz they chose good tracks.

+5 Interpoints to lastfm.

A lot of power chords, er, cords. (link)

I think this put me in the holiday spirit,

and made me wish i lievd in a cooler neighborhood.




Pinko, this is all for you.

Take three movies

For me, off the top of my head,

The Young Poisoners Handbook
Alices Restaurant
Kelly's Heroes

I don't want to know which three they are, just which three.

Ann Coulters Straw Penis (link)

so, so sweet

An idea

Lets take up the abortion debate 30 cents on the dollar from now.

"Mitzvahpalooza"

For his estimated $500,000, I hear that 50 Cent performed only four or five songs - and badly - though he did manage to work in the lyric, "Go shorty, it's your bat miztvah, we gonna party like it's your bat mitzvah."

We all know there is good money available for that video.

Lobstrosities

The footprints of one of the most fearsome creatures ever found in the British Isles ? a water scorpion the length of a person ? have been discovered in Scotland.