Message of the Day Blog

2002-12-19T00:32:00.000-08:00

The Truth About the Dixiecrats

A good takedown of the Dixiecrats and their 1948 presidential run can be found in the National Review of all places.

2002-12-18T18:50:00.000-08:00

War In Iraq - Another Vietnam?
The Bush administration is forming a new office whose primary job is to provide false information to the public about their war efforts. This should ring familiar to some of you, at least the ones who know anything about the Vietnam war. For those of you who are too young to remember, the reason that the US got into the war was because the Johnson administration told the American public that a US ship was attacked in neutral waters. The Johnson administration in fact, lied. The ship that was attacked was in Vietnam territory, a distinction that could change public opinion about going to war. Now the current administration wants to lie to you. Would there be as much support for a war in Iraq if we knew, for example, that the strongest weapon Iraq has is a super soaker? I, for one, do not want to lose any fellow Americans without knowing that there is just cause. Haven't enough mothers suffered?

2002-12-16T23:00:00.000-08:00

Telephone John Poindexter
Matt Smith is my hero. Matt published John Poindexter's, keeper of your data, address and phone number in the San Francisco Weekly. Wired has additional information, including the sex offender with the last name Poindexter and the names of his neighbors. Right on public records.

2002-12-13T17:03:00.000-08:00

Forgiving Trent Lott
Trent Lott has apologized many times for his comments about how the country would be better off if segregationist Strom Thurmond had won in 1948. So the question is, should we forgive him? I would be likely to forgive his gaffe if I thought he made a mistake and he meant that Thurmond's other policies would have made a stronger country. I have to admit that I tend to believe in the best in people and so Trent Lott couldn't possibly be racist, because how could anyone be racist? I think this is a fool's interpretation, though. Trent Lott voted against making Martin Luther King Jr. day a national holiday and spoke in favor of giving federal funding to an institution that forbids inter-racial couples. He also voted against naming a day in honor of the slain civil rights workers in Mississippi. If this was an isolated incident then I would say lets give him the benefit of the doubt. It is not an isolated incident though, so I am going to call him what he is: racisit.

2002-12-13T01:07:00.000-08:00

Where Was the Police?
No, not the 80's rock band. The RIAA (Recording Industry Association of America) and the Secret Service raided an alleged music piracy ring in New York. Why oh why was a private organization allowed to raid anything??? You know, I think that the guy down the street stole my bike. Does that mean I can come with the police to bust him?

2002-12-12T18:37:00.000-08:00

Trent Lott is in Trouble With Mississippi Racists
Poor Trent Lott. First he gets blasted for saying that he agrees with segregation, now he pissed off the racists in Mississippi. An open letter to Trent Lott from Richard Barrett of the Nationalist says in part:

I am distressed that after proudly "standing up for Mississippi" and the values, heritage and people of our state, by stating that we proudly voted for Strom Thurmond in 1948, you have opted to embarrass Mississippi by "recanting" in favor of the Northeast leftist establishment. Neither you nor Mississippi owes anything to the Kennedy clan. Mississippi deserves not only an apology but leadership. What an opportune time to simply reiterate that "integration is morally, politically and socially wrong." And, thereby, not only inspire the nation with hope but your own home-state with pride.

If Mr. Barrett thinks that only the northeast thinks that these beliefs are unacceptable, then he is sadly mistaken. I for one am going to start a petition to give the south away. Right now I am in favor of giving it to Cuba, but for awhile, Spain was a top competitor.

2002-12-12T14:53:00.000-08:00

Workers Face Jail Time
Three years ago, a pipeline exploded in northern Washington, killing three children. Today three workers might go to jail for their negligence in the explosion. While this seems like a harsh punishment for people who screw up on the job, remember the crusade of Senator McCain against the automobile industry. When a flaw is discovered in automobiles, the number crunchers calculate the amount a recall would cost versus the amount they would have to pay in damages. Frequently, it is cheaper to settle lawsuits than to fix the defective product, so people die and the automobile company pays out. Senator McCain rallied with the people to punish the people who value money over life with criminal sanctions. Of course, the automobile lobby squashed McCain's attempt to punish the greedy bastards. It looks like the state of Washington will send a message that it is not OK to put profits ahead of community safety.

2002-12-12T12:41:00.000-08:00

Lott's History of Discrimination
Trent Lott wrote a letter of support when Bob Jones University was going to lose federal funds. Defending Bob Jones' policy against interracial dating. I don't know about you, but there are times when I have said things without thinking and normally, I would let such a thing slide. However, when there is a pattern, we must start to consider that represents how a person feels. I think it is time to believe Trent Lott, not the Trent Lott that apologized, but the Trent Lott that said he wishes the segregationist won.

2002-12-11T21:18:00.000-08:00

Trent Lott is a Racist. Wait - We Already Know This
In order to not learn the news about Trent Lott, you would have to have your head stuck in the sand. Here is the scoop for the ostriches in the audience. Trent Lott was speaking at Strom Thurmond's 100th birthday party. Remember Strom Thurmond, the guy that ran for president in 1948 on the "let's keep the country segregated" ticket. Trent Lott said that the country would be much better off if Strom had won the presidential race then the country would be much better off. This is not the first time that Trent Lott has said such things. More to come on this topic...

2002-12-11T21:03:00.000-08:00

Abortions requiring Death Warrants?
I come back from a nice trip to Philadelphia to find that civilization has collapsed. Georgia legislators have decided to put forth a bill that would require pregnant women go through a jury trial to determine whether a death warrant should be issued for the fetus. Guess I shouldn't go on vacation.

2002-11-25T17:24:00.000-08:00

Bush Backs Oxnard (CA) Police Brutality

In a frightening story, a farm worker in Oxnard California was manhandled and then shot by Oxnard police. Of five bullets, one entered Oliverio Martinez's left eye and exited his right, another hit his spine and three others hit his legs. All of this happened when Mr. Martinez was found with a knife (used for picking strawberries) as he was riding his bike late one evening. The search was questionable since he was not actually doing anything wrong as was the shooting since he was on the ground at the time. Worse yet, when Mr. Martinez was transported to the hospital, the police supervisor continuously questioned him, asking him to incriminate himself even after being asked to leave. Mr. Martinez survived, but is blind and paralyzed from the incident. The police officers that shot him have not been disciplined and remain on the force.

The ensuing lawsuit pitted an injured man against the Oxnard police officers and now, the US cabinet (read: Bush's henchmen). The crux of the case seems to be that the police continued to question Mr. Martinez even after he asked them to leave. The US Solicitor General has sided with the police saying that they can coercively question as long as the results do not end up being used in trial. When all is said and done, it comes down to the fact the police ruined a man's life and they should both pay for this and not be allowed to severely injure innocent civilians again. Judge for yourself.

2002-11-23T18:00:00.000-08:00

Filtering Software Just Won't Work
People generally can agree there are some web sites that children just shouldn't see. In fact, I would be a happier person today if I never saw a few sites. So the congress in its infinite(simal) wisdom has decided that all libraries should use filtering software. This is good in theory, but filtering software just does not work. Remember the case of Dick Armey (R Texas) whose web site was banned because his name resembled a male appendage? In an equally absurd case, a library has banned their own web site.

2002-11-22T23:50:00.000-08:00

Better Breathe Now - While You Can

The White House, in its infinite wisdom, has decided that by loosening clean air standards, they can get manufacturing plants to produce less emissions in the long run. I am going to follow the White House's example. I know if I tell my children that they can decide what time they go to bed then they will start going to bed earlier and earlier. In fact, I predict in a few months they will be going to bed right after dinner, without asking for dessert.

2002-11-22T16:22:00.000-08:00

Large Families - Cruel to the Children?

Before I start, I would like to convey my sympathies to Kevin Kelly in the death of his daughter. Mr. Kelly's 21 month old daughter died in the culmination of accidents involving Mr. Kelly's 13 children. You heard me right, 13 children. I have long believed that once parents had over a certain number of kids, they lost the ability to effectively care for them unless they had a committee helping out with the chores. Unfortunately Mr. Kelly helps to prove my point. Some of the accidents include the time one of the toddlers got out of the house and headed for the street. The child was not stopped by a family member, but a passing police officer. Another incident happened when Mr. Kelly went to the video store with 4 of his kids. He returned home with only three. The disturbing part is that he never noticed. Employees of the video store saw the lone three year old in the store and tracked down the parents from store records. The last accident happened when Mr. Kelly left his 21-month-old in the car after returning from an errand. Seven hours after the child was left, strapped into her car seat, a neighbor found her dead from hyperthermia. The point is, Mr. Kelly never noticed she was missing. I am not dredging this up to vilify Mr. Kelly because I don't think that he is a bad person. It just seems that having 13 kids is too much for someone in our society where the caregivers consist largely of two parents without the benefit of an extended family.

2002-11-19T00:02:00.000-08:00

The Fox is Guarding the Hen House

Are you eating cow feces? You might be surprised. The federal government shut down the ConAgra beef plant after finding cow carcases smeared with feces. The real problem is it took 19 warnings to do it. After finding the meat contaminated with feces 19 times, they decided to close the plant down. Last summer, the plant was found to have beef that contained E. coli, but the USDA waited 10 days to notify the plant. If I believed conspiricy theories, I might think that the delay came because a former mucky-muck for ConAgra is now a higher up in Bush's administration.

2002-11-17T23:02:00.000-08:00

Farmers Ruin Land, Demand We Fix It

In 1940, Arkansas rice farmers (Free Reg Required) found out that the aquifer where they were getting their water would run out if they continued to consume it at the same rate. Rather than switching to a crop that required less water or finding a way to ration the 50 inches of rain water they get, these farmers are demanding we pay millions of dollars to divert water from a nearby river. What happens when the river does not provide adequate water? This is not the free market at work. Bring back capitalism!

2002-11-15T12:55:00.000-08:00

$11 Theft Gets Man 25 Years To Life

Calling Inspector Javert. Instead of a loaf of bread, this man stole mouthwash, lip balm and wine. I guess these aren't essentials so it is worthy of a third strike. On a related subject, Winona Ryder was convicted of two felonies and she only got community service and probation. If she gets another felony conviction, will that be her third strike?

When teenagers complain that the Scarlet Letter is old fashioned and so they shouldn't have to read it, just point them to the newspaper. It is filled with people being punished out of vengence. The idea that someone has paid for their crime after they are released from prison seems to have escaped the American public. In the city of Seattle, it is difficult to get an apartment if you have ever been convicted of a felony, no matter if it was shoplifting in 1979 or murder in 2002. In Florida you can't vote. All people convicted of felonies are not out there prowling for you, waiting for you to drop your guard so they can jump on you like the big, bad wolf. Some of these people have made mistakes in their past, have paid for them and deserve for us to accept them into our society. All I am really asking for is a little forgiveness.

2002-11-15T09:15:00.000-08:00

Gay Linguists Need Not Apply

While fighting the war on terror is all well and good, it's not as important as keeping gays out of the military: Army Dismisses Gay Arab Linguists. This despite a shortage of Arabic speakers in the Army.

2002-11-15T08:28:00.000-08:00

Unfreedom of Information Act

Publishers are trying to get the Federal Government to stop releasing information paid for by our tax dollars. The publishers want to sell us the information instead.

2002-11-15T08:14:00.000-08:00

Moderate Islam on the run
Khaled Abou El Fadl is a moderate Muslim professor at UCLA. He has been receiving death threats from fellow Muslims. Why? Because he disagrees with the school of Islam promoted by Saudi Arabia, our allies in the war on terror.

2002-11-15T02:18:00.000-08:00

Abortion Clinic Bombers Help Defeat Bankrupcy Bill

Sometimes liberals and conservatives really can agree. Liberals were against this bankrupcy bill because it weakened protection for consumers and made it harder for them to declare bankrupcy if they so need. Conservatives were against the bill because there was a clause in there that said someone can not declare bankrupcy if they are saddled with debts from crimes against abortion clinics. Imagine the local abortion clinic bomber who is brought to civil trial for destroying property and found liable in the tune of millions of dollars. Good luck for the clinic bomber because their conservative congressperson is on their side.

2002-11-15T01:58:00.000-08:00

US Handing Over Private Data To Felon

In many states, convicted felons are not allowed to vote, but this one is handed a big database with the personal data of each and every US citizen. You might remember John Poindexter from the Iran Contra Affair, but if not I suggest you refresh your memory.
This is so boneheaded, even the British are making fun of us.

2002-11-13T23:15:00.000-08:00

Earth to Bush - bin Laden is Back

Pay attention. Hey, you promised to do something about him and nothing has happened. I will give you the credit for getting rid of the Taliban, but really, ObL should be taken down. In fact, bin Laden, if you are listening, I challenge you to an old fashioned street fight in Times Square. Just you and me baby.

2002-11-13T23:10:00.000-08:00

California To Require Notice Of IT Break-ins

Loopholes abound.

2002-11-13T14:29:00.000-08:00

The Nepotism Party

The inspector general of the Health and Human Services Department is a nut. She likes to wave a gun around in her office at work. She also tried to install a loyalty pledge. So how did she get her job? She's Chief Justice William Rehnquist's daughter .

2002-11-13T01:54:00.000-08:00

Random Checkpoints To Begin in Detroit

An old federal law allows agents to stop and search anyone within 25 miles of an international border. Now Detroit residents will have to answer questions about their nationality without the benefit of search and seizure laws. Does this not violate the equal protection clause of the Constitution?

2002-11-12T21:08:00.000-08:00

Senator Hollings Takes the Hard Stand Against Talking Dog Collars

The Consumer Broadband and Digital Television Promotion Act will regulate devices that could possibly record or distribute pirated music. The RIAA is obviously a big supporter of this bill, but Fritz's Hit List shows that the last person to write legislation regulating technology should be a politician. Read the list, its funny.

2002-11-12T16:58:00.000-08:00

Interesting. The Commonweal Institute is a new think-tank dedicated to countering the right-wing think-tank propaganda machine.

2002-11-12T16:47:00.000-08:00

Get Your Money's Worth

Republican Maureen O'Conner has just been elected to the Ohio Supreme Court. In her victory speech, she promised the efforts of her financial backers will "pay off".

2002-11-12T16:42:00.000-08:00

Trent Lott's Priorities

Trent Lott has vowed to bring legislation banning late term abortions to the floor of the Senate.

2002-11-12T16:19:00.000-08:00

Tough on Terror

According to a USA Today / Gallup Poll, 64% of voters think the Republicans are tough enough on terror. Yet a recent audiotape has emerged that provides evidence that Osama bin Laden is still alive. What would constitute not being tough enough on terror? Osama becoming Speaker of the House?

2002-11-12T01:47:00.000-08:00

Free Speech Not So Free

In the small town of Virgin, Utah, citizens are charged $25 to speak their mind at town meetings.

2002-11-11T14:38:00.000-08:00

Republicans Go Back On Campaign Promises In 6 Days

On the 7th day, they rest. More on the tax cut or lack thereof.

2002-11-11T13:46:00.000-08:00

Governor Wins on Confederate Flag Platform, Changes Mind

The new governor of Georgia campaigned on the fact that the incumbent pushed through legislation to change the state flag. Sonny Perdue promised to back a referendum that returned the Georgia flag to the old one - the one containing the Confederate emblem. It seems that the new governor changed his mind. Oh well, they can talk about this again in a few years when he is the incumbent.

2002-11-11T08:13:00.000-08:00

Maureen Down reports from Saudi Arabia, our ally in the war on terror.

2002-11-11T07:51:00.000-08:00

Global Warming, Yes!

I know that according to the media there are some questions about whether global warming is really happening. And yet, by a strange coincidence, the polar ice caps are melting. Within five to ten years, container ships will be plying the Arctic Ocean.

Once the ice cap melts, it will be hard to spin global warming as questionable science. So I suggest that the Republicans try to rebrand global warming. After all, "global" is a nice fuzzy word, and who doesn't like "warming"? They just need a good slogan, like Global Warming, Yes!.

2002-11-10T20:35:00.000-08:00

Over 300,000 Oregonians Vote To Keep Racist Constitution

Measure 14 would remove references such as Negro and Mulatto as well as remove the word white when referring to granted rights. Over 28% of voters desired to leave the state constitution as-is.

One portion to be amended:

No free negro, or mulatto, not residing in this State at the time of the adoption of this Constitution, shall come, reside, or be within this State, or hold any real estate, or make any contracts, or maintain any suit therein;

2002-11-10T18:23:00.000-08:00

US Senator Wants to Follow North Korea's, East Germany's Lead

Trent Lott is encouraging the United States to post troops at the borders. What's next, barbed wire and minefields?

2002-11-09T10:21:00.000-08:00

That 80s Show

Remember the 80s, when we could look forward to government deficits as far as the eye could see? Well, they're back! What next? They bring back Miami Vice?

2002-11-08T22:19:00.000-08:00

Who said it?

Pat Robertson, Jerry Falwell or Osama bin Laden? You take the quiz and see if you can do better than my measly 8/20.

2002-11-07T22:17:00.000-08:00

Left-Wing Media Bias Watch

The New York Times suggests that feminism has turned our daughters into sluts: She's Got To Be A Macho Girl

2002-11-07T14:35:00.000-08:00

And we're off...