Are all of the imbeciles of the world employed at Sprint PCS...both in their company stores and in their call center customer service?

First of all, I'm not a rabid fan of Michael Jackson. He had a couple of good songs, and I especially enjoyed the now famous "Thriller" music video from several years ago. He's weird. The guy creeps me out. Nevertheless, I watched the Michael Jackson interview tonight on CBS' "60 Minutes" and became somewhat convinced that he is NOT GUILTY of the child molestation charges. The guy is so naive, so not of this world, so...so...so... I dunno... but until I hear anything conclusively different, I am very much going to presume at this point that he is INNOCENT of the accusations.

Happiness is when you discover that you didn't lose all of your saved Internet Explorer web site bookmarks after all.

This is good.... Such party unity! This is what we should replace the current regime with? Would this be any better?


Kerry Says Dean Has No Chance Vs. Bush

By STEPHEN FROTHINGHAM, Associated Press Writer

MANCHESTER, N.H. - With a month to go before the New Hampshire primary, John Kerry made some of his strongest attacks yet against Democratic front-runner Howard Dean, portraying Dean as inexperienced in foreign policy, wrong-headed on the economy and a muddled thinker.

"People are left wondering: What will he say next?" said Kerry, addressing about 180 supporters in a city library auditorium.

"We need more than simple answers and the latest slip of the tongue," he said. "This election is too vital for us to lose it if voters refuse to take a gamble on national security and the steadiness of our leadership."

He pointed to Dean's statements on Saddam Hussein 's capture and Dean's answer to a hypothetical question about where Osama bin Laden should be tried, if captured.

"What kind of muddled thinking is it if you can't instantly say that in your heart you know that bin Laden is guilty?" Kerry asked. "After every episode comes a statement trying to explain it away. Will Americans really vote for a foreign policy by clarifying press release?"

The Massachusetts senator and Vietnam war veteran said "this is a perilous moment in history and we cannot master that moment with a stubborn unilateralism or a soft and vacillating isolationism."

A great friend got me thinking today when he quoted a line from Austin Powers....a movie I still have not seen in its entirety: "Is that anything like the militant wing of the Salvation Army?"

Well, it would seem that Howard Dean has found Jesus. Gosh...could that be because that despite his popularity with democrats that he wants to appeal to conservative Republicans? And that early polling data suggests that he doesn't stand a chance in direct competition with President Bush. It just occurred to me that Dean's 8 other opponents will try to use this hook....they might out conservative, conservatives! We'll see I guess....

MANCHESTER, N.H. -- Presidential contender Howard B. Dean, who has said little about religion while campaigning except to emphasize the separation of church and state, described himself in an interview with the Globe as a committed believer in Jesus Christ and said he expects to increasingly include references to Jesus and God in his speeches as he stumps in the South.

Dean, 55, who practices Congregationalism but does not often attend church and whose wife and children are Jewish, explained the move as a desire to share his beliefs with audiences willing to listen. His comments came as a rival, Senator Joseph I. Lieberman of Connecticut, chastised other Democrats for forgetting ''that faith was central to our founding and remains central to our national purpose.''

The move is striking for a man who has steadfastly kept his personal life out of the campaign, rarely offering biographical information, much less his religious beliefs. But in the Globe interview, Dean said that Jesus was an important influence in his life and that he would probably share with some voters the model Jesus has served for him.

''Christ was someone who sought out people who were disenfranchised, people who were left behind,'' Dean said. ''He fought against self-righteousness of people who had everything . . . He was a person who set an extraordinary example that has lasted 2000 years, which is pretty inspiring when you think about it.''

He acknowledged that he was raised in the ''Northeast'' tradition of not discussing religious beliefs in public, and said he held back in New Hampshire, where that is the practice. But in other areas, such as the South, he said, he would discuss his beliefs more openly.

Some of Dean's competitors have made no secret of their religious beliefs. US Representative Richard A. Gephardt of Missouri regularly describes his son's recovery from an illness as a gift of God, while Lieberman takes pains to emphasize his inability to attend campaign events on Saturdays because of the Jewish Sabbath.

BEIRUT (Reuters) - Lebanese Mohammed Jaber said he went to Iraq (news - web sites) on a pilgrimage to Muslim holy sites, he ended up being 'tortured' with loud rap music by U.S. troops suspicious he might be a foreign fighter against their occupation.

Jaber said an Iraqi taxi driver handed him and three friends over to U.S. troops for $100 each in April apiece as fighters for ousted Iraqi President Saddam Hussein (news - web sites).
'They asked us why we were there and if we came to fight them. But we said we came only to visit the holy sites in Kerbala,' he told Reuters.
'They didn't torture us physically but they did psychologically by raising the volume of rap music all day until it became unbearable and by withholding food,' he said.
But Jaber said he kept one secret from his captors, fearing the treatment could get worse.
'I mean I like rap, just imagine them playing jazz.'
U.S.-led forces in Iraq freed Jaber and sent him and seven other Arab detainees home on Saturday. "

Priceless.

This is soooooooooo cute...


T'was The Night of the Capture
(a poetic Christmas VANITY tribute to the 4th Infantry Division) by “Hispanarepublicana” on Free Republic



'Twas 13th December, when deep in Iraq, the 4th I.D. had a big enemy to track. Saddam's stockings were smelly from months on the lam, In hopes that Dean or Kerry would soon take command;

Our soldiers were nestled in their desert humvees, they’d been told they were hunting Iraqi V.I.Ps;

And Saddam with head lice infesting his cap, Had just settled down for an Iraqi-type nap, When out on the farm there arose such a clatter, He sprang from his shack to see what was the matter. Away to his hideout he flew in a snit, Tore open his pants leaping into
the pit.

The searchlight on the dictator now caught in our snare, Gave the lustre of mid-day to his nasty wild hair. When, what to our soldiers’ wide eyes should appear, But a bedraggled old dictator cowering in fear!

Beneath the dirty old beard and the lice in his mane, They were amazed to discover that it was Saddam Hussein. More rapid than eagles they called up old Rummy, And he whistled, and shouted, and said, "This is yummy!"

"Now, Condi! now, Sanchez! now, Cheney and Bush! On, TV! on Radio! and Free Republic! Let’s Rush! To the top of the news! Get this video on! Call FNC first! Then Dan
Rather and Tom!

As a gloved doctor examined the smelly old goat, he shoved a big wooden stick down Saddam’s nasty throat, Around the world in a flash the footage it flew, As the French and Russians gulped, wondering what we now knew.

And then, in a twinkling, we heard from our leader, As he confirmed the capture of the despotic bottom feeder. As he concluded his announcement, they replayed the scene, (We heard nothing from Clark and nothing from Dean).

Saddam was covered in filth, from his head to his foot, And his clothes were all greasy, with ashes and soot; A bundle of money he had flung on his back, And he looked like a
peddler who’d sold out to Chirac.

His eyes -- how they sagged! his dimples now pits! His forehead was covered with curious zits! His head was examined for vermin and lice, shaved his face of the beard
that was his disguise;

A large piece of wood was probed in his mouth, (And we don’t even know if the gloved hand went South); He still had a fat face but had lost his round belly, His clothes were
a shambles and his feet downright smelly.

He was skinny and drawn, the lying old coward, And I laughed when I thought of the speech made by Howard;

But the spin of the media and a liberal talking head, Soon gave me to know I had nothing to dread;

Dean spoke not a word; Kerry went straight to work, And tried to get airtime; (sounds just like the jerk), Bush kept it short, not given to prose, And giving a nod, up the polls
he rose;

He sprang back to work, to his team gave a whistle, And to D.C. they flew like the down of a thistle.

But I heard him exclaim, as he went on his way....

"Happy Christmas to all, and God Bless the USA!”

Shock! I've been listening to a lot of 80's pop music and a lot of disco music over the past couple of days, and it struck me that all of these songs are so melodic, so positive, so uplifting....so contrary to listening the unmelodic, negative, songs of today. Please...give me "Shake Your Groove Thing," "That The Way I Like It," over "Smack Your Bitch Up."

If we don't blow up the earth within the next 10 years, what will archeaologists say about these lyrics found on the web (David Banner's "Like A Pimp"):

Real girls get down on the flo' on the flo' (4 Times)
Like a Pimp
Real girls get down on the flo' on the flo' (2 Times)
Like a pimp
Real girls get down on the flo' on the flo' (2 Times)

[Lil' Flip]
By the time I hit the door
I saw hoes on the flo'
Niggas dressed in suits
Tricking all dey hoes
Me imma pimp
I aint paying for no sex
Man I'd rather buy a car
Or a new rolex
Cause I got street paint
So hoes flock like birds
I got one hoe in the range
And another in the surbs'
When I hit the club
Imma be wit David Banner
A thug ass nigga
Wit bad table manners
We act bad (my nigga what is yall saying)
Like when we walk inside clubs
Niggas hold they gal's hand
Cause they know we run trains (choo choo) all night
How could yo gal leave me
And be wit you all night
But its all right
Cause you know we don't kiss
Like Too $hort said
Bitches aint shit
I tried to told ya
Dat most girls really freaks
And dis is how they gotta
make they money every week

http://www.raplyrics.circularmoney.com/davidbannerlikeapimplyrics.html.html

I was at the mall tonight with the rest of the throngs of Christmas shoppers and came to the conclusion that all of the sales people at the cell phone kiosks are the new used car salesmen of the 21st century with their "limited time offers," "let me ask my general manager if I can offer this special deal," "You are such a nice guy that I really want to offer you this great deal."

Ugh.

"DERRY, N.H. -- (Houston Chronicle) Moments after praising his opponents in the Democratic presidential race as worthy running mates, Wesley Clark said, in no uncertain terms, how he would respond if they or anyone else criticized his patriotism or military record.
'I'll beat the s--- out of them,' Clark told a questioner as he walked through the crowd after a town hall meeting Saturday. 'I hope that's not on television,' he added.
It was, live, on C-SPAN.
The campaign's traveling press secretary, Jamal Simmons, was with Clark at the time.
'If anyone tries to question Wes Clark's character, integrity or his commitment to this country or its security, they're going to be in the biggest fight they've ever had,' Simmons said. "

Well, it looks like Wesley Clark is now trying to beat Howard Dean on the flip flop game. As much as I agree with Howard Dean on a lot of issues, his reknown bad temper, and flip flopping on his flip flops really do concern me. Seeing how the Democratic presidential candidates are committing fratricide by bashing and sticking knives in each other and not addressing the issues straight on, one can only think that President Bush is going to perhaps find and eat the carrot. Sad.

Yahoo! News - Revised WTC Freedom Tower Design Unveiled

They've tried again to come up with a new design of the monuments and buildings to replace the bombed World Trade Center in New York City. And in my opinion, they have failed...in my humble opinion. It is soooo sterile...characterless. Not only that based on the models of the site are overpowering the Statue of Liberty. What about such classic designs as Seattle's Space Needle? We need a monument which characterizes warmth, power and strength.

On June 5th. 1973, Canadian radio commentator Gordon Sinclair decided he'd had enough of the stream of criticism and negative press recently directed at the United States of America by foreign journalists (primarily over America's long military involvement in Vietnam, which had ended with the signing of the Paris Peace Accords six months earlier). When he arrived at radio station CFRB in Toronto that morning, he spent twenty minutes dashing off a two-page editorial defending the USA against its carping critics which he then delivered in a defiant, indignant tone during his "Let's Be Personal" spot at 11:45 AM that day.

While it might be unusual for any foreign correspondent — even one from a country with such close ties to the USA as Canada — to such a caustic commentary about those who would dare to criticize the USA is best demonstrated by the fact that even thirty years later, a generation of Americans too young to remember Sinclair's broadcast doubt that this piece is real. It is real, and it received a great deal of attention in its day. After Sinclair's editorial was rebroadcast by a few American radio stations, it spread like wildfire all over the country. It was played again and again, read into the Congressional Record multiple times, and finally released on a record (titled "The Americans"), with all royalties donated to the American Red Cross. Sinclair passed away in 1984, but he will long be remembered on both sides of the U.S.-Canadian border — both for his contributions to journalism, and for his loudly proclaiming a friendship that few at the time were willing to embrace.

Here's a link to that memorable commentary.

Canadian Communications Foundation - Fondation Des Communications Canadiennes

And a link to the Real Player version where you can actually hear Mr. Sinclair read his commentary.

http://www.canadianaconnection.com/cca/gordonsinclair.htm

The Canadians are trying to influence our politics here in the USA. A website has been created by some Canadian citizen who thinks Wesley Clark should be elected President. I was so irritated by this that I sent them an e-mail voicing my opinion about their efforts. I have invited a representative for Canadians for Clark to respond to my comments which I offer here:

I'm neither a Republican or Democrat, but first clean up your own Canada before you raise judgement on my country. We'll see how you react when the CN Tower is bombed...or a skyscraper is plowed into by an airliner.

I was in Yellowknife a couple of years ago and saw how the Mounties and local police WERE BEATING drunken indigineous Canadians in broad daylight puttiing them in leg irons...and herding them into waiting police wagons. Please ensure and provide adequate healthcare for my grandmother in Ontario who must wait 4-6 weeks before she can see a doctor...and even longer before she can have a medical procedure done in a hospital. Give employment to an intelligent and well-schooled Canadian young person -- a good friend -- who has been struggling to gain an equitable employment situation where he doesn't have to compete with employment quotas reserved for Pakis and other non-citizen immigrants who have one-quarter of his education, knowledge and talent. Tell your politicians like that MP from Mississauga who went on a tirade earlier this year about the U.S. and referred to her citizens as "damn bastards."

Read and remember your own venerable Gordon Sinclair and what he said about America.

And don't forget that in these days of global terrorism that nobody is safe, not even your little Nirvana called Canada. The fact is that America is going to be by your side when the winds of a natural-or-manmade disaster befalls. Will you? America has its problems. Let us deal with them...

Please stay out of our politics... just as we Americans stay out and do not meddle in your national politics...

Thank you.

Canada For Clark (Canadians For General Wesley Clark)

I was thinking today how I would describe myself succinctly. "Highly creative" is more like it. Real intelligence is a creative use of knowledge, not merely an accumulation of facts.

I'll be honest, I am very troubled by the Presidential candidates so far and their response to the war of terrorism. They are bickering amongst themselves, are either namby-pamby, or want to give up the fight altogether. We cannot give up the fight. We lost 3000 of our American citizens due to the inept policies of the past. Pres. Bush IMHO hasn't been bad, but has gotten into the rut of listening to too many people and not being decisive. Our foreign policy is fractured if not non-existent as it has under previous administrations both Republican and Democrat. It is becoming to be more like business as usual with all of the politicians being more interested in their egos than solving problems. I want to hear way more DIALOGUE than DEBATE.

A friend said the nicest thing to me today...

"Ivars, I really respect the ideas, beliefs and morals you stand up for."

Wow....

Integrity is being the same on the outside as you say on the inside.

Do you do what you say?

Something a friend said today that put a smile on my face: It is good to make sure that one doesn't befriend an axe murderer...coz too many axes have been senselessly slaughtered....

It amazes me how Arabic vernacular is creeping into the American vernacular. The word "Jihad" (war) is now becoming very common in the context of, "You are engaging in a Jihad against me." We now regularly talk about abayas, chadors, and burhkas. But now Arabic vernacular is now sure to emanate more frequently from the boardrooms of corporate America with accusation that Disney CEO Michael Eisner has allegedly referred to former board members Roy Disney and Stanley Gold and Pixar (and Apple Computer) chairman Steven Jobs as "Shiite Muslims." The Los Angeles Times and other newspapers say Gold took that to mean that Eisner believed his critics were extreme in their views. A company spokeswoman said Eisner 'categorically denies' calling anyone a 'Shiite Muslim.' 'They're happy to have us gone. They're been pushing us out. They push anybody with dissent out,' Gold tells the paper... If we were to make it plain and simple, this would in American vernacular be as though Eisner accused Gold's, Disney's and Jobs' mothers of wearing army combat boots.

Oh boy..... All of you...back to your rooms...no dinner!