"Executive" with "expletive":
Think Globally, Act Absurdly
by Scott McPherson.
Friday, December 17, 2004
As long as I've got this stuck in my cursor
"Caesar had his Brutus, Charles the First his Cromwell and George the Third — ." At that point he was interrupted by cries of "Treason!" from delegates who easily recognized the reference to assassinated leaders. Henry paused briefly, then calmly finished his sentence: "...may profit by their example. If this be treason, make the most of it."
I don't talk about Patrick Henry enough.
I don't talk about Patrick Henry enough.
Thursday, December 16, 2004
Crap! I haven't had time to digest this properly.
Does this blow chunks?
Badnarik's role in Ohio recount
causes controversy in party
WASHINGTON -- The decision by 2004 Libertarian presidential candidate
Michael Badnarik to play a leading role in the Ohio presidential recount
is causing a bubbling controversy within the Libertarian Party itself as
many members ask why Badnarik embarked on a venture that will cost
taxpayers money without changing the outcome of the election.
The recount, which started this week and will last for several days, was
formally requested on Dec. 7 by Badnarik and Green Party candidate David
Cobb. On Dec. 6, the state officially certified President George Bush
as the winner over Democrat John Kerry by a margin of 118,775 votes.
Badnarik received 14,695 votes in Ohio and Cobb received 186.
Ohio's 20 electoral votes put Bush over the top, and Kerry conceded the
state on Nov. 4, saying he thought there was no chance a recount would
result in his victory.
The national Libertarian Party played no role in the decision to seek a
recount, which was made by Badnarik himself and his campaign staff.
"The national Libertarian Party was unaware of this lawsuit until after
it was filed, and no party funds have been spent in the effort," said
the party's national chair, Michael Dixon. "Mr. Badnarik is making a
well-intentioned effort to protect the integrity of the voting process.
However, because no one anticipates that a recount will change the
outcome in Ohio, the Libertarian Party prefers not to see taxpayer
resources expended in this effort."
Badnarik's decision to join the lawsuit was made shortly after the Nov.
2 election, when Cobb contacted the Badnarik for President campaign.
Because Cobb's name was not on the ballot in Ohio, he lacked legal
standing, and needed Badnarik as a co-plaintiff. The campaign team also
considered challenging the outcome in New Mexico and Nevada, but
Badnarik said those plans have been put on hold.
"On Election Day we received dozens of e-mails from people on our list
saying something funny was going on in Ohio -- that votes weren't being
counted correctly," said Fred Collins, Badnarik's campaign chair. "We
felt that joining the lawsuit was something we could do at no cost to
us, and said we'd be willing to participate. I don't believe the vote
count will change dramatically. But this will go a long way toward
making sure that votes will be counted accurately in the future."
Collins said the driving forces behind the recount are nonpartisan
watchdog groups and the Greens, who raised more than 90 percent of the
funds -- not the Libertarians.
Badnarik pointed out that he and Cobb are being represented by attorney
John Bonifaz, founder of the nonpartisan National Voting Rights
Institute, who is doing the case pro bono.
"He contacted us and offered his services, and said the only way he was
willing to do the case was if it was for both of us, to ensure that it
would be nonpartisan," Badnarik said. "He wouldn't have taken the case
if it was only for one of us."
Under Ohio law, the parties seeking the recount are required to pay $10
per precinct, or $113,600 statewide. Badnarik and Cobb raised the
required money.
However, the Ohio secretary of state's office claims that the actual
cost of the recount is closer to $1.5 million, because 3 percent of the
ballots in each county have to be counted by hand; many counties lack
central counting equipment; and poll workers have to return and count
many of the ballots.
In mid-November, the two candidates announced their plan to file for a
recount, citing "widespread reports of irregularities in the Ohio voting
process."
The announcement triggered a wave of national publicity and became the
topic of discussion on cable TV news shows such as CNBC's "Hardball" and
MSNBC's "Countdown."
Most of the print coverage focused on the cost of the recount, and press
reports were especially critical in Ohio.
In a Dec. 9 interview with the Findlay Courier, Allen County Board of
Elections Director Keith Cunningham denounced the recount effort as "an
outrage" and a "theft." He said the recount will cost $6,000 to $12,000,
even though he received only $1,390 from Badnarik and Cobb.
A Dec. 9 article in the Chillicothe Gazette, headlined "Local board
disgusted by last-ditch efforts," quoted recount director Nancy Bell as
predicting that the $10-per-precinct fee "won't even cover one day" of
the estimated three-day process.
And an article on the same day in the Toledo Blade began, "The Green
Party and Libertarian Party have triggered a recount of the Nov. 2
presidential election in Lucas County, a recount that will cost
taxpayers tens of thousands of dollars."
As a result of the news coverage, phone calls and e-mails streamed into
the Ohio LP, according to State Chair Jason Hallmark.
"As you can imagine, Republicans hate us, Democrats and Greens like us,
but not enough to actually support us financially or join our party,"
said Hallmark, who added that the Ohio LP was not informed about the
lawsuit in advance. "It is unfortunate that the media keeps labeling
this as an action initiated by the Libertarian Party. We cannot stress
enough that the recount is not in any way an action by the Libertarian
Party of Ohio. No party funds have been spent to aid this action in any
way."
Hallmark said the state's estimate of the recount costs are overblown,
because it is counting the hours that election boards would have been
paying their employees in any case.
The publicity also sparked criticism from within the LP, as many members
complained that the Greens and Democrats were using Badnarik as a tool
with which to challenge the legitimacy of Bush's victory.
Longtime California LP member Manny Klausner said, "I'm puzzled by the
Badnarik campaign joining the legal actions to obtain a recount in Ohio
and other states where Bush won -- but apparently not in states where
Kerry won by narrow margins. It seems to me that for the Badnarik
campaign to seek to impose massive costs on taxpayers for an ill-
considered recount makes no sense for anyone who is a principled
Libertarian."
Party founder David Nolan said the recount makes Badnarik "look like a
tool of the Kerry campaign. Also, this effort appears to be part of an
ill-considered effort to build an alliance with the Cobb wing of the
Green Party, who have nothing to offer us."
Added Richard Rider, a leader in the San Diego LP, "Perception is
everything. Too many will interpret our effort as pro-Kerry. At this
point, if we can, we should back out of this mess. Let the Greens run
with it. Clearly, it's their show anyway."
Badnarik responded to the criticism by saying, "At first I was a bit
surprised. I never thought about a recount until I received about two
dozen passionate requests to do so from Libertarians in various states.
"I asked several people if they could think of any reasons not to
participate in the recount -- then I made the best decision I could with
the information available to me at the time. Of course, you will always
find Libertarians who have the opposite opinion on any issue, so I'm not
surprised that support is not unanimous throughout the party."
As far as backing out of the lawsuit, Badnarik said: "The recount is
going to continue with or without Libertarian support, so changing
course isn't an option at this time. The purpose of the recount has
always been to uncover voting irregularities (which certainly exist) and
to attempt to determine the extent to which they took place. A recount
may not be the most efficient way to put an end to vote fraud, but doing
so should be high on everyone's list of priorities."
Other Libertarians voiced support for Badnarik. According to Sean Haugh,
a former Libertarian National Committee representative: "This has
advanced cooperation between us and the Greens and others of the left.
And I'm not terribly concerned about the cost. The purpose of the
recount is to uncover corruption and errors in the vote-counting
process. I know it's taxpayer money, but beyond that I really don't have
a problem making government pay for uncovering their own corruption and
incompetence."
Trevor M. Southerland, chair of the National Libertarian Party Youth
Caucus, agrees.
"This has generated a lot of publicity for the Libertarian Party," he
says. "It has also given us a better relationship with Greens, and
helped us appeal to some Democrats who are upset at what they consider
the too-soon concession of Senator Kerry."
Both supporters and opponents of the suit agree that Libertarians have
good reason to be suspicious of Ohio election officials. In November
2003, Republican Secretary of State Kenneth Blackwell used a
technicality to throw out more than 60,000 ballot access petition
signatures collected by the Ohio LP, a ruling that left Libertarians
stunned and angry.
Specifically, Blackwell said the petition forms were illegal because a
space had been added for signers to put their last names, and because a
sentence about the legal penalty for falsification was slightly
different from the state's mandatory language.
Ohio Libertarians point out that Republican Party officials have made a
concerted effort to keep Libertarians off the ballot to protect GOP
candidates, and note that Blackwell also chaired the Bush-Cheney
campaign in Ohio.
The state LP had spent two years and about $50,000 collecting the
signatures, which would have let all candidates appear on the ballot
with a partisan label, including Badnarik. As a result, Badnarik had to
appear on the Ohio ballot as an "other party" candidate.
At the time, Ballot Access News publisher Richard Winger said the
decision proves that Ohio officials are "hostile" to third parties.
"Ohio's action in disqualifying a petition with over 60,000 names just
because the format and wording are slightly different from the approved
form is unheard of in other states," he said.
Barbara Goushaw-Collins, co-director of the Badnarik campaign, says the
track record of Ohio elections officials, combined with the voting
irregularities reported after the election, is sufficient to justify a
recount.
"The major complaint is that we're doing this because we don't like
Republicans -- which is flat-out silly," she said. "Our job as
Libertarians is to challenge government power. This is a state where
they arbitrarily pitched tens of thousands of our petitions, and we're
the only ones trying to keep the system honest.
"This recount action is perfectly consistent with who we are and what we
do. If not us, who? If not now, when?"
Badnarik's role in Ohio recount
causes controversy in party
WASHINGTON -- The decision by 2004 Libertarian presidential candidate
Michael Badnarik to play a leading role in the Ohio presidential recount
is causing a bubbling controversy within the Libertarian Party itself as
many members ask why Badnarik embarked on a venture that will cost
taxpayers money without changing the outcome of the election.
The recount, which started this week and will last for several days, was
formally requested on Dec. 7 by Badnarik and Green Party candidate David
Cobb. On Dec. 6, the state officially certified President George Bush
as the winner over Democrat John Kerry by a margin of 118,775 votes.
Badnarik received 14,695 votes in Ohio and Cobb received 186.
Ohio's 20 electoral votes put Bush over the top, and Kerry conceded the
state on Nov. 4, saying he thought there was no chance a recount would
result in his victory.
The national Libertarian Party played no role in the decision to seek a
recount, which was made by Badnarik himself and his campaign staff.
"The national Libertarian Party was unaware of this lawsuit until after
it was filed, and no party funds have been spent in the effort," said
the party's national chair, Michael Dixon. "Mr. Badnarik is making a
well-intentioned effort to protect the integrity of the voting process.
However, because no one anticipates that a recount will change the
outcome in Ohio, the Libertarian Party prefers not to see taxpayer
resources expended in this effort."
Badnarik's decision to join the lawsuit was made shortly after the Nov.
2 election, when Cobb contacted the Badnarik for President campaign.
Because Cobb's name was not on the ballot in Ohio, he lacked legal
standing, and needed Badnarik as a co-plaintiff. The campaign team also
considered challenging the outcome in New Mexico and Nevada, but
Badnarik said those plans have been put on hold.
"On Election Day we received dozens of e-mails from people on our list
saying something funny was going on in Ohio -- that votes weren't being
counted correctly," said Fred Collins, Badnarik's campaign chair. "We
felt that joining the lawsuit was something we could do at no cost to
us, and said we'd be willing to participate. I don't believe the vote
count will change dramatically. But this will go a long way toward
making sure that votes will be counted accurately in the future."
Collins said the driving forces behind the recount are nonpartisan
watchdog groups and the Greens, who raised more than 90 percent of the
funds -- not the Libertarians.
Badnarik pointed out that he and Cobb are being represented by attorney
John Bonifaz, founder of the nonpartisan National Voting Rights
Institute, who is doing the case pro bono.
"He contacted us and offered his services, and said the only way he was
willing to do the case was if it was for both of us, to ensure that it
would be nonpartisan," Badnarik said. "He wouldn't have taken the case
if it was only for one of us."
Under Ohio law, the parties seeking the recount are required to pay $10
per precinct, or $113,600 statewide. Badnarik and Cobb raised the
required money.
However, the Ohio secretary of state's office claims that the actual
cost of the recount is closer to $1.5 million, because 3 percent of the
ballots in each county have to be counted by hand; many counties lack
central counting equipment; and poll workers have to return and count
many of the ballots.
In mid-November, the two candidates announced their plan to file for a
recount, citing "widespread reports of irregularities in the Ohio voting
process."
The announcement triggered a wave of national publicity and became the
topic of discussion on cable TV news shows such as CNBC's "Hardball" and
MSNBC's "Countdown."
Most of the print coverage focused on the cost of the recount, and press
reports were especially critical in Ohio.
In a Dec. 9 interview with the Findlay Courier, Allen County Board of
Elections Director Keith Cunningham denounced the recount effort as "an
outrage" and a "theft." He said the recount will cost $6,000 to $12,000,
even though he received only $1,390 from Badnarik and Cobb.
A Dec. 9 article in the Chillicothe Gazette, headlined "Local board
disgusted by last-ditch efforts," quoted recount director Nancy Bell as
predicting that the $10-per-precinct fee "won't even cover one day" of
the estimated three-day process.
And an article on the same day in the Toledo Blade began, "The Green
Party and Libertarian Party have triggered a recount of the Nov. 2
presidential election in Lucas County, a recount that will cost
taxpayers tens of thousands of dollars."
As a result of the news coverage, phone calls and e-mails streamed into
the Ohio LP, according to State Chair Jason Hallmark.
"As you can imagine, Republicans hate us, Democrats and Greens like us,
but not enough to actually support us financially or join our party,"
said Hallmark, who added that the Ohio LP was not informed about the
lawsuit in advance. "It is unfortunate that the media keeps labeling
this as an action initiated by the Libertarian Party. We cannot stress
enough that the recount is not in any way an action by the Libertarian
Party of Ohio. No party funds have been spent to aid this action in any
way."
Hallmark said the state's estimate of the recount costs are overblown,
because it is counting the hours that election boards would have been
paying their employees in any case.
The publicity also sparked criticism from within the LP, as many members
complained that the Greens and Democrats were using Badnarik as a tool
with which to challenge the legitimacy of Bush's victory.
Longtime California LP member Manny Klausner said, "I'm puzzled by the
Badnarik campaign joining the legal actions to obtain a recount in Ohio
and other states where Bush won -- but apparently not in states where
Kerry won by narrow margins. It seems to me that for the Badnarik
campaign to seek to impose massive costs on taxpayers for an ill-
considered recount makes no sense for anyone who is a principled
Libertarian."
Party founder David Nolan said the recount makes Badnarik "look like a
tool of the Kerry campaign. Also, this effort appears to be part of an
ill-considered effort to build an alliance with the Cobb wing of the
Green Party, who have nothing to offer us."
Added Richard Rider, a leader in the San Diego LP, "Perception is
everything. Too many will interpret our effort as pro-Kerry. At this
point, if we can, we should back out of this mess. Let the Greens run
with it. Clearly, it's their show anyway."
Badnarik responded to the criticism by saying, "At first I was a bit
surprised. I never thought about a recount until I received about two
dozen passionate requests to do so from Libertarians in various states.
"I asked several people if they could think of any reasons not to
participate in the recount -- then I made the best decision I could with
the information available to me at the time. Of course, you will always
find Libertarians who have the opposite opinion on any issue, so I'm not
surprised that support is not unanimous throughout the party."
As far as backing out of the lawsuit, Badnarik said: "The recount is
going to continue with or without Libertarian support, so changing
course isn't an option at this time. The purpose of the recount has
always been to uncover voting irregularities (which certainly exist) and
to attempt to determine the extent to which they took place. A recount
may not be the most efficient way to put an end to vote fraud, but doing
so should be high on everyone's list of priorities."
Other Libertarians voiced support for Badnarik. According to Sean Haugh,
a former Libertarian National Committee representative: "This has
advanced cooperation between us and the Greens and others of the left.
And I'm not terribly concerned about the cost. The purpose of the
recount is to uncover corruption and errors in the vote-counting
process. I know it's taxpayer money, but beyond that I really don't have
a problem making government pay for uncovering their own corruption and
incompetence."
Trevor M. Southerland, chair of the National Libertarian Party Youth
Caucus, agrees.
"This has generated a lot of publicity for the Libertarian Party," he
says. "It has also given us a better relationship with Greens, and
helped us appeal to some Democrats who are upset at what they consider
the too-soon concession of Senator Kerry."
Both supporters and opponents of the suit agree that Libertarians have
good reason to be suspicious of Ohio election officials. In November
2003, Republican Secretary of State Kenneth Blackwell used a
technicality to throw out more than 60,000 ballot access petition
signatures collected by the Ohio LP, a ruling that left Libertarians
stunned and angry.
Specifically, Blackwell said the petition forms were illegal because a
space had been added for signers to put their last names, and because a
sentence about the legal penalty for falsification was slightly
different from the state's mandatory language.
Ohio Libertarians point out that Republican Party officials have made a
concerted effort to keep Libertarians off the ballot to protect GOP
candidates, and note that Blackwell also chaired the Bush-Cheney
campaign in Ohio.
The state LP had spent two years and about $50,000 collecting the
signatures, which would have let all candidates appear on the ballot
with a partisan label, including Badnarik. As a result, Badnarik had to
appear on the Ohio ballot as an "other party" candidate.
At the time, Ballot Access News publisher Richard Winger said the
decision proves that Ohio officials are "hostile" to third parties.
"Ohio's action in disqualifying a petition with over 60,000 names just
because the format and wording are slightly different from the approved
form is unheard of in other states," he said.
Barbara Goushaw-Collins, co-director of the Badnarik campaign, says the
track record of Ohio elections officials, combined with the voting
irregularities reported after the election, is sufficient to justify a
recount.
"The major complaint is that we're doing this because we don't like
Republicans -- which is flat-out silly," she said. "Our job as
Libertarians is to challenge government power. This is a state where
they arbitrarily pitched tens of thousands of our petitions, and we're
the only ones trying to keep the system honest.
"This recount action is perfectly consistent with who we are and what we
do. If not us, who? If not now, when?"
Wednesday, December 15, 2004
I'm always ready to help the Department of Homeland Security
in their efforts to profile us all:
Congradulations you are Snoopy! Snoopy is an
extroverted beagle with a Walter Mitty complex.
He is a virtuoso at every endeavor- at least in
his daydreams atop his doghouse. He regards his
master, Charlie Brown, as
Which Peanuts character are you?
brought to you by Quizilla
Cool!
Congradulations you are Snoopy! Snoopy is an
extroverted beagle with a Walter Mitty complex.
He is a virtuoso at every endeavor- at least in
his daydreams atop his doghouse. He regards his
master, Charlie Brown, as
Which Peanuts character are you?
brought to you by Quizilla
Cool!
OK, I guess I'm destined to post like an effin' fiend today.
I've run across a conservative Democrat The Moonbat Abattoir and a liberal, The Liberal Avenger, who are both great writers. Well worth reading.
Yeah! Here we go!
Economics With a Face!
I'm adding him to my Free Markets section.
Sam Kinison scream: AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAaaaaa
aaaaaaaggggggghhhhhhhhh!!!!!!
Thanks to John Rogers and (almost, I had some kind of problem via this route) Blog Explosion (but I still believe in them, really I do!).
I'm adding him to my Free Markets section.
Sam Kinison scream: AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAaaaaa
aaaaaaaggggggghhhhhhhhh!!!!!!
Thanks to John Rogers and (almost, I had some kind of problem via this route) Blog Explosion (but I still believe in them, really I do!).
No doubt.
p>
You're The Things They Carried!
by Tim O'Brien
Harsh and bitter, you tell it like it is. This usually comes in short,
dramatic spurts of spilling your guts in various ways. You carry a heavy load, and this
has weighed you down with all the horrors that humanity has to offer. Having seen and
done a great deal that you aren't proud of, you have no choice but to walk forward,
trudging slowly through ongoing mud. In the next life, you will come back as a water
buffalo.
Take the Book Quiz
at the Blue Pyramid.
Oh, I found this at Picasso Dreams.
You're The Things They Carried!
by Tim O'Brien
Harsh and bitter, you tell it like it is. This usually comes in short,
dramatic spurts of spilling your guts in various ways. You carry a heavy load, and this
has weighed you down with all the horrors that humanity has to offer. Having seen and
done a great deal that you aren't proud of, you have no choice but to walk forward,
trudging slowly through ongoing mud. In the next life, you will come back as a water
buffalo.
Take the Book Quiz
at the Blue Pyramid.
Oh, I found this at Picasso Dreams.
I don't know what I did to deserve
being on CDR Salamander's blogroll, but I'm deeply honored.
Thank you, sir.
Thank you, sir.
DECEMBER 15: BILL OF RIGHTS DAY!
So, I don't know... Read the Bill of Rights aloud to someone you love.
Addendum: Things To Do Today
1. Worship, speak, publish, assemble as you wish. Petition the government.
2. Bear arms. (A sword or knife would be fine, if you hate guns. Or bare arms.)
3. Refuse to quarter a soldier in your home.
4. Rebuff an unwaranted search.
5. Don't let anyone execute you, especially not twice, and for God's sake, don't help them do it by testifying against yourself! Insist on a trial. Get payment for that car they seized.
6. Make sure your arrest and trial follows all the prescriptions of the 6th Amendment.
7. Insist on a jury trial of your civil case.
8. Watch out for that excessive bail and fine, and make sure you're not cruelly nor unusually punished.
9. Assert other rights you retain.
10. Take back your power from the government.
"An it harm none, do what thou wilt," as Aleister Crowley is reputed to have said. I hear that, beyond that statement, the guy was quite an authoritarian. Actually, if you think about it, there's a loophole in that big enough to drive a Wabco through.
Source of picture.
All right, a Euclid.
Addendum: Things To Do Today
1. Worship, speak, publish, assemble as you wish. Petition the government.
2. Bear arms. (A sword or knife would be fine, if you hate guns. Or bare arms.)
3. Refuse to quarter a soldier in your home.
4. Rebuff an unwaranted search.
5. Don't let anyone execute you, especially not twice, and for God's sake, don't help them do it by testifying against yourself! Insist on a trial. Get payment for that car they seized.
6. Make sure your arrest and trial follows all the prescriptions of the 6th Amendment.
7. Insist on a jury trial of your civil case.
8. Watch out for that excessive bail and fine, and make sure you're not cruelly nor unusually punished.
9. Assert other rights you retain.
10. Take back your power from the government.
"An it harm none, do what thou wilt," as Aleister Crowley is reputed to have said. I hear that, beyond that statement, the guy was quite an authoritarian. Actually, if you think about it, there's a loophole in that big enough to drive a Wabco through.
Source of picture.
All right, a Euclid.
What a beautiful bridge!
Millau Viaduct was opened by Jacques Chirac. The Telegraph has a slide show here.
British architect.
Private money.
Picture
British architect.
Private money.
Picture
Phil - 1973
Phil was my Sunday School Teacher when I was 8.
I thought he was great.
He was tough.
Minnesota-Wisconsin Arm Wrestling Champion.
Spokesman for Jesus.
I followed him where I could.
To Pattison Park with the Youth Group.
He put my brother down,
but he let me win.
We lost him in the weeds of his own pond.
I couldn't get a ride to his funeral.
At least I couldn't see how.
Nobody knew how
I wanted to go.
My parents weren't around.
I thought he was great.
He was tough.
Minnesota-Wisconsin Arm Wrestling Champion.
Spokesman for Jesus.
I followed him where I could.
To Pattison Park with the Youth Group.
He put my brother down,
but he let me win.
We lost him in the weeds of his own pond.
I couldn't get a ride to his funeral.
At least I couldn't see how.
Nobody knew how
I wanted to go.
My parents weren't around.
Tuesday, December 14, 2004
GDSOB!
I was distracted by all the effort to make ™ work out right and forgot to give proper credit to LibertyBob and Deb.
HTML for ™
Commenters help me out:
I felt the need to make that a post because HaloScan comments aren't permanent. Though I like their simplicity to much to go with another system. From now on, if I need to archive them permanently, I'll do something like this post.
If you think your posts should be permanent, Blogger's comments, though a PITA (pain in the ass), are the thing to use.
[Y]ou make the trademark symbol by typing an ampersand "&", then the pound sign "#", the number "153" and finish with a semicolon. It should look like this ™. I spread it out above because puting it together may just appear as the trademark symbol in your comments. That would have been mean (therefore funny).
LibertyBob | Homepage | 12.06.04 - 12:14 am | #
------------------------------------
whoa! Just dropped by to see how you're doing... toys! :D
& trade; (minus the space) works as well. ™
Deb | Email | Homepage | 12.06.04 - 4:09 am | #
------------------------------------
I felt the need to make that a post because HaloScan comments aren't permanent. Though I like their simplicity to much to go with another system. From now on, if I need to archive them permanently, I'll do something like this post.
If you think your posts should be permanent, Blogger's comments, though a PITA (pain in the ass), are the thing to use.
Public Schools should be totally controlled locally
by the smallest feasible group that can muster the resources to hire a qualified teacher. Changes in the unit should be flexible. We're dealing with children here, not production units to be processed and warehoused.
Rant over. But trust me, you could fire it up again if you tried.
Rant over. But trust me, you could fire it up again if you tried.
Wow! I ran across this Web-Publication, Global Politician,
via a Google-News search on Alfredo Stroessner which was inspired by this Telegraph article on Pinochet's latest arrest.
I love their "About GP" statement. Excerpt:
My emphasis.
Don't miss Terrorism's Triple-Border Sanctuary: Islamists Organize World Terror from Bases in Argentina, Brazil and Paraguay 12/13/2004 By Thomas Muirhead, a rather worrisome account of growing activities of many international terror organizations in that region, although US attention has chased a number of terrorists into Brazil.
The article continues to cite specific cases of terrorists captured and subsequently escaping to Brazil while out on bail.
Looks like an excellent resource. I'll have to put them on my link list.
I love their "About GP" statement. Excerpt:
The journal is intended to be academic and non-biased. However, we do not believe that objectivity means supporting all sides equally, and our writers do support or oppose policies and politicians when circumstances require such. In fact, it is our belief that claiming that all sides have an equal claim is often not only wrong, but also ignorant.
Global Politician allows its writers to express opinions that differ from that of the Editors. We believe that by presenting different view-points, we allow the readers to understand all sides of the story.
My emphasis.
Don't miss Terrorism's Triple-Border Sanctuary: Islamists Organize World Terror from Bases in Argentina, Brazil and Paraguay 12/13/2004 By Thomas Muirhead, a rather worrisome account of growing activities of many international terror organizations in that region, although US attention has chased a number of terrorists into Brazil.
In reaction to the growth of terrorist connections in the area all three of the countries involved have begun to take the situation seriously. All three have made border controls tighter and the issuing of visas has become a more thorough affair. In recent years, the antiterrorist departments of the three countries' police forces (the so-called "Tripartite Command") have worked jointly to exert stricter controls on the activities of foreign nationals in the area. However the biggest real threat to the operating cells in the area is the new found interest the United States is taking in the area. Paraguay’s foreign minister, Jose Antonio Moreno, recently stated that 40 FBI agents had arrived in Paraguay and were headed to Ciudad del Este. It has also been suggested that US troops are working with the respective national military in both training and active faculties. We can only wait and see if these acts will prove sufficient to curb terrorist activity in the region.
The article continues to cite specific cases of terrorists captured and subsequently escaping to Brazil while out on bail.
Looks like an excellent resource. I'll have to put them on my link list.
Monday, December 13, 2004
The Electoral College Meets Today
to elect George W. Bush the President of the United States.
Here's a good article from Ohio on many aspects of Americans' feelings about it.
I like this line from Carlo LaParo, spokesman for Secretary of State Ken Blackwell:
Okay, you need a little background:
Here's a good article from Ohio on many aspects of Americans' feelings about it.
I like this line from Carlo LaParo, spokesman for Secretary of State Ken Blackwell:
"You get to the point where you essentially have to say, 'You know what? I prefer my nuts dry roasted. Thank you.' "
Okay, you need a little background:
"If they are permitted to select the next president of the United States, our democracy is at an end," thundered Ray Beckerman, a New York City lawyer who runs a Web log devoted entirely to Ohio's presidential election.
The Kerry campaign says Bush won Ohio. Democratic National Committee Chairman Terry McAuliffe says Bush won Ohio. The Democrats who serve on the county boards of elections say Bush won Ohio.
What are the chances of Bush's 119,000-vote victory, which puts him over the top in the Electoral College vote, being overturned?
"None," said Carlo LaParo, spokesman for Secretary of State Ken Blackwell.
"These accusations are absurd," he said. "Come on. You answer the questions and you provide explanations. And yet these folks still don't believe you. You get to the point where you essentially have to say, 'You know what? I prefer my nuts dry roasted. Thank you.' "
I wonder if Target was expecting the attention
Drudge can bring to bear on these.
And what's Drudge smoking that he feels the need?
Link to Drudge, for those who don't feel like typing it out, though I won't try to separate out the item. I wouldn't know how.
And what's Drudge smoking that he feels the need?
Link to Drudge, for those who don't feel like typing it out, though I won't try to separate out the item. I wouldn't know how.
Sunday, December 12, 2004
Inexplicably, I care about Silvio Berlusconi.
I want him to be proven to be a good guy, and I want him to fix the economic problems Italy suffers from.
Italy's politics are way too interesting. Somehow it reminds me of Zaphod Beeblebrox.
Berlusconi cleared of bribing judges
By Bruce Johnston in Rome
(Filed: 11/12/2004)
Silvio Berlusconi, the Italian prime minister, was cleared yesterday of two charges of bribing judges - one on a technicality.
The ruling did not clear Mr Berlusconi of corrupting a judge with a $434,000 bribe in 1991, but a conviction could not be allowed because of a time limit.
...
Hours before the verdict, it was announced that he would visit George W Bush next week.
This was Mr Berlusconi's sixth major trial. He was convicted before becoming prime minister for the second time in 2001 but avoided jail on appeal or by a statute of limitation on time.
Italy's politics are way too interesting. Somehow it reminds me of Zaphod Beeblebrox.
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