Ok, with that caveat I shall go ahead and say that the extreme Christian fundamentalist morons at the "Answers in Genesis" compound in Northern Kentucky are about a stone's through away from insanity. Some of them are honestly a few radioactive isotopes short of a Carbon 14 molecule.
I can tolerate those who do not believe in evolution. I think they are wrong, ignorant, or just plain stupid, but they are not totally off the deep end.
The "young Earth" theorists in the creationist movement on the other hand are just pure idiots. For anyone who has taken basic Earth Science in high school to then actually think the Earth is only a matter of 6,000 to 10,000 years old is just ludicrous.
People can believe what they want to believe, but I really want to know why anyone takes this group seriously? Why would the Cincinnati Post take them seriously? Why don't they send a reporter to interview someone and ask some, oh....I don't know, CRITICAL questions?
The problem here is that it is pointless with the delusional folks at the creationist museum. They are part of a quasi-cult. The dogma they feed on is so circularly based, you can't tell where their head begins and their ass ends.
Full disclosure. If you don't know, I am an atheistic agnostic. I have my bias, but for the life of me, I just can't see why this group gets this kind of attention. It is like giving attention to NAMBLA, the KKK, or the New Black Panther Party. The only unfortunate difference, there are far more people who actually buy into the extreme creationist dogma than those extremist groups.
These same religious extremists most often correlate with other right-wing beliefs: anti-abortion, anti-homosexual, anti-intellectualism, and even anti-women rights. Yes, I am painting with a broad brush here, and their those who share some, but not all of these beliefs who don't fit into this category of paleo-thinkers. It is a cause for concern that these types of extremists are not shunned the way the KKK, NAMBLA, or the New Black Panther Party is. These types of extremists have money are have influence over a growing number of people. I will admit, they freak me out sometimes, and in the back of my mind I really don't trust them.
I hope I am just paranoid on this one. I don't want to be in Bush's Heathen Death Camps come 2005. (Tongue in Cheek, well just a little)
More on this from Wes Flinn, and Greg Mann.
Monday, December 15, 2003
Iraq: Time for Action
Ok, now that Saddam is out of the picture, this is the time to step up action. Send in more troops. Get the lid on security now while Saddam's followers are in the dumper. Time is not going to allow much dawdling; we need a first of the year change including more international human involvement with foreign troops or police forces on the ground.
If Bush sits back too long and tries to bid time to figure out what he is going to do about the mess that is an Iraqi transitional government, then I think he will have wasted another year of American's having to control the country. If he wants to turn over control to the Iraqi's by next summer and not have it turn into civil war, then he better hit the ground running now.
This is the test for Bush. Will it be home for the holidays for the administration or a new push for action? With Powell out of action for a while, I don't see Bush making much headway before January, which means no new troops for another month beyond that.
If April comes and we rotate large units of troops out, while security stays the same, I hope people on all sides, even the rabid Bush Hawks, will begin to question what the hell the plan is. Now, most of us rational folks (even many conservatives) have been wondering what the post-war plan was before the war even started. I just hope this cheerleading exercise does not lead to complacency by the media and the rest of the chattering class.
If Bush sits back too long and tries to bid time to figure out what he is going to do about the mess that is an Iraqi transitional government, then I think he will have wasted another year of American's having to control the country. If he wants to turn over control to the Iraqi's by next summer and not have it turn into civil war, then he better hit the ground running now.
This is the test for Bush. Will it be home for the holidays for the administration or a new push for action? With Powell out of action for a while, I don't see Bush making much headway before January, which means no new troops for another month beyond that.
If April comes and we rotate large units of troops out, while security stays the same, I hope people on all sides, even the rabid Bush Hawks, will begin to question what the hell the plan is. Now, most of us rational folks (even many conservatives) have been wondering what the post-war plan was before the war even started. I just hope this cheerleading exercise does not lead to complacency by the media and the rest of the chattering class.
Sunday, December 14, 2003
Insta-DickHead
Shorter Glenn Reynolds: In your face everyone who did not favor my hawkish stance on Iraq!
What an asshole. Now, I say that knowing full well that I piss people off, but most of the time I try to limit the scope of who I attack to a specific group or specific person. Here the 800-pound gorilla sounds like a jerk. A partisan hack of the Coulter vein. Why can't he just cheer for his side without trying to rub it in the face of people? I find it offense that Glenn, arguably and educated man, lumps people together just like a GOP partisan hack. He does it at a time that everyone is glad to Saddam caught alive. Now, Glenn might be pissed that the troops did not drag his dead body in the streets of Baghdad, but you can't quell blood lust via long distance. If Glenn wants revenge, he better hop on a plane and kill his own Arab with his bare hands.
Off the blogroll he goes!
For the record, just so my conservative readers don't try and tar and feather me: SADDAM IS DEAD, HIP-HIP HOORAY!
What an asshole. Now, I say that knowing full well that I piss people off, but most of the time I try to limit the scope of who I attack to a specific group or specific person. Here the 800-pound gorilla sounds like a jerk. A partisan hack of the Coulter vein. Why can't he just cheer for his side without trying to rub it in the face of people? I find it offense that Glenn, arguably and educated man, lumps people together just like a GOP partisan hack. He does it at a time that everyone is glad to Saddam caught alive. Now, Glenn might be pissed that the troops did not drag his dead body in the streets of Baghdad, but you can't quell blood lust via long distance. If Glenn wants revenge, he better hop on a plane and kill his own Arab with his bare hands.
Off the blogroll he goes!
For the record, just so my conservative readers don't try and tar and feather me: SADDAM IS DEAD, HIP-HIP HOORAY!
Friday, December 12, 2003
Better Start Swearing While You Still Can
If Congressman Doug Ose gets his way, you might get busted if specific words are broadcasted. Those words are included in this section from his proposed bill:
Actually I think anything "profane" is what he wants to punish. I would guess he did not like Bono's slip of the tongue at the Golden Globes this year getting a pass by the FCC.
I hope this fascist gets his bill stomped.
[Via Atrios].
As used in this section, the term `profane', used with respect to language, includes the words `shit', `piss', `fuck', `cunt', `asshole', and the phrases `cock sucker', `mother fucker', and `ass hole', compound use (including hyphenated compounds) of such words and phrases with each other or with other words or phrases, and other grammatical forms of such words and phrases (including verb, adjective, gerund, participle, and infinitive forms).So while I still can I will just wish Mr. Ose a shit kicking knock the piss out of your asshole kind of a day. I hope no motherfucking cocksuckers mess with his cunt. I guess Dickhead, God-Damn-It, asswipe, dickwipe, Dicksmacker, buttmuncher, butthead, asshead, asschin, bitch, son of a bitch, etc are ok?
Actually I think anything "profane" is what he wants to punish. I would guess he did not like Bono's slip of the tongue at the Golden Globes this year getting a pass by the FCC.
I hope this fascist gets his bill stomped.
[Via Atrios].
Canadian Prime Minister Jean Chretien Resigns
Ok, why did Chretien resign? I can't find a simple sentence or two explaining why he resigned. I think I have pieced together that he is resigning ahead of next year's elections, and by resigning now he gets out of the way for a new person to take over from his party. The assumption is that he is retiring and this is the traditional way to leave power in Canada.
I would hope that news stories might just explain that simple fact, especially for us Americans who don't know the details of Canadian politics.
I would hope that news stories might just explain that simple fact, especially for us Americans who don't know the details of Canadian politics.
Chewbacca Offense in the Making?
Ken Lawson has tipped his hat as to what his plan of attack will be in a soon to be filed lawsuit against the city by the family of Nathaniel Jones.
The key phrase is "Positional asphyxia" which basically means being positioned in a manner to stop breathing. "Cardiac dysrhythmia" was the official cause of death from the Hamilton County Coroner.
I predict if there is a trial, the Coroner's office will be put on trial along with the City. Lawson will seek to try and discredit them as much as possible, which he did last week right after the autopsy results were released.
The Chewbacca Defense is a growing concept in blog circulars that describes the typical method of confusing juries with meaningless points to try and get defendants without a good defense. I through out the phrase "Chewbacca Offense" as a similar concept that is used by civil trial lawyers to try confuse or mislead juries into wanting to punish Organizations, Governments, or other perceived faceless Institutions for doing wrong on society in general or a segment of society.
Now, don't get me wrong. Often those big behemoths do wrong and need to be punished, but trying in this concept they bring claims or theories that fit historical assumptions that have no basis in fact outside the plaintiff’s own "experts."
I wonder if Lawson will actually get a reputable pathologist to say in this case that Hamilton County Coroner was totally wrong. He would need that if he goes to trial and hopes to win. If he hopes to get a settlement out of City, then all he needs to do is to make the city think it will cost more to prove he does not have such pathologist to state the cause of death was certainly wrong.
The key phrase is "Positional asphyxia" which basically means being positioned in a manner to stop breathing. "Cardiac dysrhythmia" was the official cause of death from the Hamilton County Coroner.
I predict if there is a trial, the Coroner's office will be put on trial along with the City. Lawson will seek to try and discredit them as much as possible, which he did last week right after the autopsy results were released.
The Chewbacca Defense is a growing concept in blog circulars that describes the typical method of confusing juries with meaningless points to try and get defendants without a good defense. I through out the phrase "Chewbacca Offense" as a similar concept that is used by civil trial lawyers to try confuse or mislead juries into wanting to punish Organizations, Governments, or other perceived faceless Institutions for doing wrong on society in general or a segment of society.
Now, don't get me wrong. Often those big behemoths do wrong and need to be punished, but trying in this concept they bring claims or theories that fit historical assumptions that have no basis in fact outside the plaintiff’s own "experts."
I wonder if Lawson will actually get a reputable pathologist to say in this case that Hamilton County Coroner was totally wrong. He would need that if he goes to trial and hopes to win. If he hopes to get a settlement out of City, then all he needs to do is to make the city think it will cost more to prove he does not have such pathologist to state the cause of death was certainly wrong.
Top News Stories of 2003
I am working on my list of the top 10 locally based stories for GoXRay.com. I would love some suggestions on stories or which ones people think were the most important.
The Enquirer is doing the same thing, and you can vote here. Their list is odd. They are asking for the stories that "engaged" Cincinnati most this year. They list the Governator, Bob Hope's death, the Space Shuttle disaster, and SARS. I would have thought that the WAR IN IRAQ just might have been a international story people would have been "engaged" locally.
My list will stick with stories locally. There will be a ton of lists of National stories around. Lists are fun and easy to write, but if you are going to do one, try to make it unique. I am trying for that.
Also, any suggestions for Cincinnatian of the Year? That would the person, group, entity, or thing that most impacted the Cincinnati Region this year for good or bad.
The Enquirer is doing the same thing, and you can vote here. Their list is odd. They are asking for the stories that "engaged" Cincinnati most this year. They list the Governator, Bob Hope's death, the Space Shuttle disaster, and SARS. I would have thought that the WAR IN IRAQ just might have been a international story people would have been "engaged" locally.
My list will stick with stories locally. There will be a ton of lists of National stories around. Lists are fun and easy to write, but if you are going to do one, try to make it unique. I am trying for that.
Also, any suggestions for Cincinnatian of the Year? That would the person, group, entity, or thing that most impacted the Cincinnati Region this year for good or bad.
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