Problem, AND it's A-GONe

Well, Amanda Marcotte definitely is fulfilling her main aspirations these days. First, getting hired onto the Edwards '08 campaign is probably one of the coolest things I've ever read. (And her campaign co-blogger, Melissa McEwan of Shakespeare's Sister, is one of the more interesting flaming liberals on my reading list.)

Second, she's caused one heck of a ruckus over the last two days.

Now, before I go any further, let me state a few things right off the bat. I don't like Amanda. I don't like her writing style. I don't like her political stance. I don't like her language choices. I don't like her rabid anti-Y-chromosomal rants. I really hate her constant rushes to judgment and her over-the-top-and-back-again in-your-face attitude.

But this post isn't complaining about what she wrote about the accused members of the Duke lacrosse team. That's the whole freedom of speech, civil-liberties absolutist in me. She has the right to say what she wants to say on her own forum. C'est la vie.

But no. She went and deleted what she had written after she caused all kinds of controversy. (Here. Here. Here. Here, plus her deleted comments. Here again. Here for a change. Oh, and here too.)

And that, to me, is a cardinal sin in the blogosphere. If you can't stand by what you have written about a topic, that's one thing. Hells, that's what HTML's strikethrough command is for: getting rid of stuff you can no longer support by the evidence and facts. But you bloody well leave it up! No cleaning. No purging. No memory-hole. No jack-all deletions. No clarification of "official stance" that is a complete and total rewrite. Nothing. You leave it, you strike it through, you update on the bottom or the top of the post, and you leave it so you can go back to it and say "My god, what a frickin' idiot I was for writing that!"

But this happened on her blog. Not the Official Edwards Presidential Campaign 2008 Blog. So no, she shouldn't be fired for it. What you do on your own time should never affect your job. (Again. Civil liberties absolutist.) Particularly when it happens before you officially start the job in question.

But if there's a single whiff of any whitewash emanating from her job site... Then we rise in arms for termination. If Edwards doesn't cave in to Bill Donahue's clarion call for her head on a silver platter, that is. And if he doesn't cave...

We will be watching.

Another Corrupt Democrat

The searchlight of justice seems to have pinned down yet another politician from my side of the double-yellow line: Pennsylvania State Senator Vincent J. Fumo.

From the San Francisco Chronicle:

State Sen. Vincent J. Fumo, one of the most powerful figures in Pennsylvania politics, was indicted Tuesday on 139 federal counts alleging he used a nonprofit group for personal and political gain and defrauded the state Senate out of $1 million.
...
Authorities had been investigating the Citizens' Alliance for Better Neighborhoods for more than four years. The group was started by Fumo aides in 1991 to serve the neighborhood where he grew up.

The 267-page indictment included wire fraud, mail fraud, obstruction of justice, conspiracy, mail fraud and tax counts. It also accused Fumo of engaging in a systematic cover-up through the destruction of e-mails and other electronic records.
...
"Fumo not only abused the Senate purse by paying employees who solely or partially did personal and political work for him, but further defrauded the Senate by overpaying employees who did both official and personal tasks," the indictment said.

Fumo, anticipating the indictment on Monday, temporarily stepped down as the ranking Democrat on the appropriations committee but remains in the Senate.

The Philadelphia Democrat, who has beaten two previous indictments, promised to clear his name.
...
"He directed that Senate employees and contractors employed by the Senate serve him in any manner he desired, throughout the regular workday and at all hours of the day and night, to further his political goals and attend to his personal wants," prosecutors said.

Enough is enough is enough is enough is enough. Too many Democrats have taken to heart the adage, as coined by the semi-mythical Nixon staffer, "Power corrupts. Absolute power is kinda neat, though." Actually, too many starts with the number one. He's bilked the Pennsylvania treasury, shafted the state Senate, and used his power for his own gain. This Fumo character has even gone so far as to accuse the judge of animosity against him by citing his "repeated personal attacks on Judge Davis' character, honor, independence, integrity, honesty, judicial temperament and suitability for office" so as to force the judge to recuse himself from the case. All this puts him at the same level as Congressman Jefferson down Louisiana way: political toilet logs that need to be flushed alongside their political careers.

The One And Only Angie wondered if this guy was a Republican, would we left-leaning folks be all over him like stink on toilet logs? Yup. Should we give him a free pass simply because he's not a Republican? Nope. Too bad that the only Democratic blogger even mentioning this whole escapade is teh Atrios, and he gives Fumo a nice slap upside the head. (Exceedingly rare it is that I give Duncan a credit instead of giving him a slap upside the head. Yet I give the credit when it's due.)

Only one person shining the searchlight on this? And now, including myself, two?

Not nearly enough.

Carpe jugulum.

(To respond to 186, only dishonest partisan hacks in the Democratic party try to pretend that corruption is only a Republican problem. And one thing I am not is a dishonest partisan hack. I try to be an honest partisan hack, thank you very much. Too bad I fail miserably at the partisan hackery.)

The Anodyne Of Distraction

As is usual for me, I have three separate blog posts running through my head. All at the same time. It is so very frustrating to try and think about how I'm going to write about Subject #1 just to find Subjects #2 and #3 sneak their ways in front of my train of thought like wandering cows on an Amtrak right-of-way. So rather than try and hammer my thought processes into some semblance of order, I just give up and keep reading through my blogroll.

And then I find that I'm not the only one I know that has problems with the new Blogger. Although for her, it's about Haloscan. For me, it's trying to figure out how to get my main column width back to the way it was under the old template.

Grrrr. Argh.

But the good news is that I no longer have Dueling Blog Posts playing in my brain. The bad news is that I completely and totally forgot everything I was going to say about them.

Win some. Lose some.

[LAST MINUTE EDIT THAT WAS LATER THAN THE LAST MINUTE: Speaking of forgetting what I was going to say, I almost forgot that David & Co. have finally released the location of the Rocky Mountain Blogger Bash v. 6.0. At the Wynkoop Brewing Company, better known as the place John Hickenlooper owned before becoming Hizzoner of Denver.

I Hear Yello In The Soundtrack

I feel like Ferris Bueller staring at a 1961 Ferrari 250GT California for some reason.

That cup of coffee just not getting it done anymore? How about a Buzz Donut or a Buzzed Bagel? That's what Doctor Robert Bohannon, a Durham, North Carolina, molecular scientist, has come up with. Bohannon says he's developed a way to add caffeine to baked goods, without the bitter taste of caffeine. Each piece of pastry is the equivalent of about two cups of coffee.

While the product is not on the market yet, Bohannon has approached some heavyweight companies, including Krispy Kreme, Dunkin' Donuts and Starbucks about carrying it.

The moon... is beautiful. The sun... even more beautiful. But this concept... oh yeah!

(Okay, fine. So it's not the same as the car. But I'll take it anyways.)

[Turn Signal: Fiat Lux]

Animation Revisited

Remember this guy? Poor unknowing bastage draws a stick figure and labels it "Victim"? And the unsuspecting victim has fun in the Flash menus until... Well, just watch the first clip.

And here's the sequel.

You may now proceed with your secret fantasies of visiting beautiful Irish meadows with Drew Barrymore. And going streaking.

Oh wait. That's my secret fantasy. Carry on.

Black Is Always Fashionable

Hmmm... Interesting.

The moment their teenage son or daughter dyes their hair black and starts getting creative with eyeliner can be a nightmare for parents. But a report suggests it should be a time for celebration.

Goths are likely to grow up to be doctors, lawyers or architects, the study by Sussex University says.

They are refined and sensitive, keen on poetry and books, not big on drugs or anti-social behaviour. They are also likely to carry on being goths into their adult life.

Nope. No complaints here. I still go to the goth clubs at the late age of [CENSORED] years, even though I was arguably not a true goth in high school. Black was too damn trendy for my tastes, so I wore all gray for a 18 months instead. Therefore, I was socially rejected from every single collective grouping on campus. Yes, even the chess team.

What excellent practice that ended up being. All because I heard Morrissey's line about wearing black on the outside because black was how he felt on the inside, which was followed by the sudden realization that I didn't know how the hell I really felt on the inside.

[Turn signal: Ang. Not Ana Ng.]

Why Liveblog The SOTU...

when you can liveblog Nancy Pelosi's reactions to the Presidents SOTU address?

At least Glenn didn't mention what she was wearing. But I still prefer the Vodkapundit's quirky analysis.

As for me... Dude, I just got off work an hour ago. And my boss took out my radio, so I couldn't even listen to the thing.

Indeedyheh!

Or, as the more cool kids say, "Heh. Indeed."

[Turn Signal: Blogometer and Snark: Second Life]

Really Serious Question

I believe I've mentioned to everyone my severe and paralyzing fear of heights and/or falling.

What would be the interest out there in an event called "Throw Off Colfax From A Plane"? Any?

Because for this group, I'd do it. While I still have a bit of time until the registration deadline, I'd want to know if I have people willing to back me up (If only to pray that the 'chute doesn't open!) before I sign the dotted line.

Winning The Unwinnable

John Cole, the Republican blogger who has disassociated himself from today's GOP, points towards this post (Specifically, the comment thread attached to the post.) by the (in)famous Jeff Goldstein. While John takes apart the commenters with amazing speed and clarity (Except for one, but I'll get to it later.), I find myself more puzzled by the root post. Now, I haven't done a lot of posts on Operation Iraqi Debacle just yet, so it's well past time for a traditional long-winded diatribe on the subject.

(FULL DISCLOSURE: I have, in recent memory, bought Jeff Goldstein exactly two beers. The first was a thank-you message for giving me my first trackback from a major-tier blogger. The second was in commiseration for, and my support for, his difficulties with a certain Oregonian blogger who now has a warrant [EDIT 02.12.07 0410 MST: Link changed to a non-dead page.] for her arrest, not to mention all those names Duncan Black had been calling him. The third, coming up on February 16, will be to toast "Justice." Or maybe simply Sláinte, 'cause Jeff does like the Guinness. I've just learned that Jeff Goldstein is not going to be there. And people call ME a cut-and-run surrender monkey.)

That being said, he does bring up a single set of good points, with his own distinguishing simile tacked on to the end.

To wit: that it was “unclear” that Saddam Hussein still had weapons of mass destruction is moot: the fact is, he wouldn’t let us know either way. And what we did know for sure was this: the weapons he had at one point have never been accounted for, his regime was involved in talks with al Qaeda, he was backing terrorist bombings in the middle east, he had tried before to assassinate a US President, and, if given the chance, he would have aided international terrorists against the West in any way he could find, even as he took Oil for food money to build his palaces and re-constitute his weapons programs in anticipation of a lifting of sanctions. So being right about weapons of mass destruction is like being right, in hindsight, about not having paused to slide on a jimmy: it’s only a good move if nobody gets pregnant, or picks up some nasty infection.

True. true. Maybe true. True. True. And, yet again, true. (The part about the jimmy is always true.)

Yet this part of the next graf down reads exactly like you can mentally exchange the name Campos with any given detractor of the Iraq debacle.

I will happily point out that his last point—“that the whole project was likely to end in disaster”—uses the past tense, suggesting that [Paul] Campos has already declared defeat, and, even more maddeningly, seems to be reveling in it. Or, to be more kind to professor Campos, is smugly satisfied that he “predicted” that defeat, though he is not too keen on waiting for the fat lady to sing, it appears.

To be blunt, most of us that are/were against this Iraqi adventure felt that it would not end well. While it is true that some few are using that prescient standpoint to advance their own media spotlight, such as Campos and Cindy Sheehan and every single one of the early Democratic contenders for 2008 as examples, the rest of us on the left side of Blogville Elementary Playground are simply pointing and saying "See? Told you so." While that may not be the best way of getting a point across, the resulting roar of indignation from the other side drowns out the one major point that we detractors have, which falls on the heels of those words: What could you do better? What can be fixed? What can be changed?

From the outset, as I noted over a year ago, the alleged "Iraq War" was like a Washingtonian three-card Monte game; we'll act like it's a war, even though we won't specifically declare war.

Then the media stories roll in about insufficient equipment, malfunctioning equipment, FUBAR'd rules of engagement, corporate kickbacks, corporations not fulfilling their commitments as listed in their kickback contracts, the hiring of the equivalent of mercenary groups where every man jack makes more than a Marine colonel, the Abu Ghraib scandal, the stop-loss exercises. There are a veritable Who's-Who of Charlie-Foxtrots out there to select from. (Look it up if you don't know it.) Whenever something bad, and worse than bad, came out about the execution of the Iraq invasion, those who called it a war were quickest to blame... the media outlets that reported the information.

So tell me honestly. With all these developments coming down the pike at a rapid clip, how else are we supposed to look at it? It's not the media's fault that they report the stories. It's not the soldiers' fault that they have a cruddy job, not to mention insufficient equipment and boots on the ground to do the job they have. And yet who gets the blame? From the supporters, it's the fault of the media for only reporting what has gone wrong instead of what has gone right, such as the toppling of the Ba'athist regime, building schools, secure Kurdistan, et cetera. (John Cole also links to this post by Hot Air's Bryan, who lists a bunch of positive things that the media has, whether due to it being against the "Bleeds = Leads" mantra or some other reason, not reported widely.) From the more violent detractors, it's the soldier's fault, for (a paraphrase) they signed on to be Myrmidons, ruthless crushers of humanity, et cetera.

The military has a slang term already available for both of these outlooks: experiencing a Rectal Cranial Inversion.

The full truth is that we sent our boys and girls off to do battle, and our leadership stayed home and had business as usual. And that, as notes the Flannel Avenger, was the Achilles' heel of the Republican Congress. The congresscritters went on securing their own power structures, being more concerned with political gains than doing their jobs. (Minor apology to Mr. Ray, however. Iraq was a part of the GOP losses in November, but it was a regrettable symptom rather than the cause.) Hearings that lasted 2 hours and performed to an empty room. Earmarks that spiraled out of control. Amendments that defeat the purpose of a bill rather than support it. Amendments that cause a perfectly good and necessary bill to die off because the authors couldn't even vote for their own bill anymore. The Republican Congress showed us, by their actions rather than their words, that they didn't take the invasion seriously, that it was just another political tool to bend into a shape of their choosing rather than a real-world disaster in the making.

But that was then. This is now. A new Congress is in, led by Democrats. And what is the magic bullet?

To withdraw funding and force the Pentagon to pull everyone home. If Pelosi & Co. could come up with a scenario more likely to spawn the "cut-and-run" accusation favored by the right, it would have to be a true thing of beauty. Not only does this kill off any chance that the still-unstable Iraqi government could stay on its feet, it sends a dour message to the boys and girls in uniform who would have to feel like kids who come home from summer camp to find that their parents had gotten divorced. "Hi kids. Guess what? You live with someone else now. Oh, and you don't get your allowance anymore, either." For can you guess what would be the first casualty of reduced funding? Late or non-existent payroll. It wouldn't be ammunition that suffers, as that's mostly in theater already and you can fire on full-auto less often. It wouldn't be fuel, as that's mostly in theater already, whether what we brought or what's being distilled on site. It wouldn't be Kellogg Brown Root, as they have binding contracts for certain services. Instead, it'd be the same kids that went where they were ordered to go by Congress and the President. Simply slashing the funding to zero wouldn't do a single bit of good for those who wear the boots. Indeed, how are those kids supposed to get home without even enough money for transportation?

Talk about a morale killer.

And then there's this gem by Nawoods:

The enemy’s tactic for achieving stratigic victory is to not fight in the traditional sense. Rather they plan operations designed to grab headlines in the western media in the hopes we become demoralized, convince oursleves all is lost, and head for home.

Essentially, what we have here is a complaint that the insurgents aren't fighting like real men. They aren't battling for strategic ground. They don't have a hill to take. They don't have a river to cross. That's because that we're fighting in what the normal folks in the military call FISH: Fighting In Someone's House. The insurgents don't have to take and hold land. They just have to deny someone else that ability temporarily. Or back off for a little bit, wait for the US forces to move on, and then return to their former attack runs. Or, just as likely, throw a rock at someone, walk around the corner, and be a suddenly upstanding citizen again. This isn't a traditional war, and our military leadership and supporters continue to make the mistake of expecting one. (See: Battle of Fallujah) So to Nawoods: You are experiencing a Rectal Cranial Inversion. Please remove head from bottom immediately. Thank you.

So what do we do to win the unwinnable?

For one thing, the "surge" plan is doomed to fail unless and until they scrape up every single bit of necessary and required materiel from stateside and ship it over to the sandbox with all overdue haste. It won't make a bit of difference to send in another fifty thousand, hundred thousand, two hundred thousand pairs of boots, plus the people to stand in them, if they don't have the gear they need. This is a must, period, ad infinitum, ad astra, ad nauseum.

Second, all talk of preemptively cutting funding must cease. Instead, we should actually stop diverting funds from the troops stationed in Iraq in the first place. We're putting more and more money into the Iraqi infrastructure than we are into the actual needs of the people fighting. This, as they say, is a Bad Idea. Fund them right, feed them right, equip them right. You want to show your support of the troops? Then do it where it counts. No more "I support my troops so I'm pulling them back home" garbage.

Third, one hard and vicious timetable. From all available reports, the Iraqi government doesn't seem to be able to step up and take the ball. If this is a question of them being incompetent and unable to lead, then the incompetent must be replaced. (Preferably by someone who is not chosen for their political friends, but by displayed competence levels.) If this is a question of them dragging their feet and hoping that the Americans won't leave, acting like a kid going to the dentist for fear of that great big needle... The shot will hurt a lot less than the drill. And they will get drilled if they aren't as ready as they think they are.

Fourth, an engaged Congress. This very moment, the idiots I helped elect into leadership positions are becoming more and more concentrated on gaining political leverage, scoring points against the loyal opposition, and leveling a few legislative booms on their enemies. Sound familiar? Exactly. It's what I just got done saying was one of the causes of the Republican downfall. No more business as usual under the Dome. Do your bloody jobs right by the kids who swore an oath to serve, protect, and defend the Constitution of these United States, just the same as you did.

Like it or not, this is our ball to run now. Don't like it? Tough. We wanted it.

Don't you dare drop it.

If They Like It...

If the good-natured, warm-hearted folks at the RIAA like a bill, then I have to be against it. Violently against it.

Satellite and Internet radio services would be required to restrict listeners' ability to record and play back individual songs, under new legislation introduced this week in the U.S. Senate.

The rules are embedded in a copyright bill called the Platform Equality and Remedies for Rights Holders in Music Act, or Perform Act, which was reintroduced Thursday by Sens. Dianne Feinstein (D-Calif.), Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.), Joseph Biden (D-Del.) and Lamar Alexander (R-Tenn.). They have pitched the proposal, which first emerged in an earlier version last spring, as a means to level the playing field among "radio-like services" available via cable, satellite and the Internet.
...

The Recording Industry Association of America applauded the effort and urged Congress to make passing the legislation a top priority this year. The lobbying group sued XM last year over a music-storing device offered by the service, arguing that it should have to pay licensing fees akin to what Apple pays to run its iTunes download service.

"We love satellite radio," RIAA CEO Mitch Bainwol said in a statement. "But this is simply no way to do business. It's in everyone's best interest to ensure a marketplace where fair competition can thrive."

For the love of all that is holy, let's not turn around and give these bastages from the RIAA exactly what they want whenever they want it. They've had enough of that over the past six years. Just ask Gertrude Wilson.

[UPDATE 02.07.07 1457 MST] Even the RIAA can't win them all. And now they're liable for the legal fees of the wrongly sued. Turn signal: Insty.]

I Can't Speak

Normally, I'll talk a mile a minute.

But after reading this article, I just can't seem to move my mouth. For the entire time I was reading through it, I couldn't even drink from my coffee mug that was sitting three inches away from my mouth.

Sergio Pelico, a 10-year-old boy from Webster, Texas, hanged himself from a bunk bed last Sunday.

On that same day, a 9-year-old Pakistani boy, Mubashar Ali, hanged himself, with help from his 10-year-old sister.

And three days later, in the suburbs of Kolkata, India, 15-year-old Moon Moon Karmarkar hanged herself from a ceiling fan.

Other than their tragic nature, the suicides of these children shared another link — each of the young victims had viewed the execution video of former Iraqi president Saddam Hussein on television.

Simply too disturbing for words. Way too disturbing. The article goes on to say that

The situation may have been different in the case of 15-year-old Karmarkar, who, according to reports by a foreign news agency, hanged herself to "feel the pain Saddam did during the execution."

When I first saw the bootlegged Saddam Execution video on YouTube, the main reason I felt disturbed was that it looked like he was being lynched by thugs pulled in from the street. Which was, in fact, true. They do look like thugs, as the picture to the right shows. Simple, honest-to-God thugs that, if sent to a movie set by Central Casting, the director of the movie would send them back with a pointed lecture about the evils and perils of typecasting. But now, with this further sad tale, I must state that this has gone beyond the pale.

Perhaps there's a child psychologist out there that can break this into simple words for me. Because I just don't understand it, even as the ABC News article tries to explain it.

I Ask A Silly Question

And yes, I really do expect a silly answer.

Why is it that I'm hearing reports that travel to the Denver area has already begun to increase? The Convention isn't for another 18 months, after all, and yet some of this early travel is being linked to the 2008 DNC by the travelers.

Discuss.

Also Presented Without Comment

The Whore Of MENSA

To quote a cheesy 80's movie:

I'll buy THAT for a dollar!

Too True

Presented without comment:

One does not generally think of the First Amendment as protecting the State from the people but the other way around—of the Amendment protecting individuals from the State.

[Turn Signal: Volokh via Insta]