August 2008 archive

Warning-Coming Satanic Memes

It has come to my attention that my home state mAssachusettes has taken the lead away from California as the leading focus group state for new Globo-Corp/Illuminati satanic ideas, memes and legislative “models” for the nation.

Docudharma Times Sunday August 31



Are We Caught In The Sarah Palin

Twilight Zone?




Sunday’s Headlines:

US election: It’s the most vicious election campaign ever – and here’s why

Christians hide in forests as Hindu mobs ransack villages

Thai PM turns to parliament to defuse protests

Race against time to save Congo’s apes

Hannibal Gadaffi accuser fears his brother is a victim of revenge

Where’s next in Vladimir Putin’s sights?

Russian collective farms become hot capitalist property

Hezbollah warlord was an enigma

Drug Violence Alters the Flow of Life in Mexico  

New Orleans Empties as Gustav Closes In

Mayor Orders a Full Evacuation as Storm Gathers Over the Gulf of Mexico

 By Dana Hedgpeth and Jacqueline L. Salmon

Washington Post Staff Writers

Sunday, August 31, 2008; Page A01


NEW ORLEANS, Aug. 30 — Mayor C. Ray Nagin on Saturday night ordered a mandatory evacuation of this city ahead of Hurricane Gustav, which swelled from an already deadly tropical storm into a monster depression with winds of more than 150 mph.

“This is the real deal, not a test,” Nagin said as he issued the order, effective 9 a.m. Eastern time Sunday for low-lying areas and 1 p.m. citywide. He warned residents that staying would be “one of the biggest mistakes of your life.”

Troop ‘Surge’ Took Place Amid Doubt and Debate

?

By MICHAEL R. GORDON

Published: August 30, 2008  


WASHINGTON – When President Bush speaks to the Republican convention on Monday, he is expected to tout the “surge” of forces in Iraq as one of his proudest achievements. But that decision, one of his most consequential as commander in chief, was made only after months of tumultuous debate within the administration, according to still-secret memorandums and interviews with a broad range of current and former officials.

In January 2007, at a time when the situation in Iraq appeared the bleakest, Mr. Bush chose a bold option that was at odds with what many of his civilian and military advisers, including his field commander, initially recommended. Mr. Bush’s plan to send more than 20,000 troops to carry out a new counterinsurgency strategy has helped to reverse the spiral of sectarian killings in Iraq.

USA

Lots of no-shows expected at Republican National Convention

So many GOP lawmakers have sent regrets — citing tough reelection battles, previous commitments or other scheduling conflicts — that a Senate official notes ‘it’s probably easier to say who is atten

 By Bob Drogin, Los Angeles Times Staff Writer

August 31, 2008


DAYTON, OHIO — As Sen. John McCain prepares to accept the Republican presidential nomination this week, his party’s four-day convention will be notable in part for who isn’t attending.

Compared with past GOP conventions, a surprising number of prominent lawmakers and candidates will stay away from the festivities Sept. 1 to 4 in St. Paul, Minn. — chiefly citing tough reelection battles, previous commitments or other scheduling conflicts.

At least 10 incumbent senators, plus several Senate candidates, have sent their regrets. Only three incumbents in hotly contested races, including Kentucky’s Mitch McConnell, the Senate minority leader, will join the partygoers.

“It’s probably easier to say who is attending,” said Rebecca Fisher, spokeswoman for the National Republican Senatorial Committee. But the list is “a moving target,” she added.

Republican officials have encouraged candidates to focus first on winning their own elections. But an aide to a Republican senator, who spoke on condition of anonymity, offered another reason for the no-shows.

 

Palin Paid $150 to Murder Wolves


Defenders of Wildlife Asks Judge to Shut Down Palin’s Wolf Bounty Program

“The Governor is overstepping her legal authority by offering cash payments for each wolf killed by aerial gunners,” stated Tom Banks, Defenders of Wildlife’s Alaska Associate. “That’s a bounty by anyone’s standards regardless of what they call it.”

Crossposted at Native American Netroots

Obama’s Cheney

Original article, by Justin Raimondo and sub-headed “Is there a curse on the office of the Vice President?”, via antiwar.com:

The office of the Vice President has surely undergone a transformation in recent years: from Dan Quayle to Dick Cheney is a long way to travel. The role of the VP, with Cheney acting as the eminence grise of the Bush regime – and, some would say, the real President – has been amplified to the nth degree, and it looks like the administration of Barack Obama is going to continue this ominous tradition.

Governor Palin is McCain’s Dan Quayle

Hello, douchebags!

Not exactly a winning way to start a conversation, is it?

Yep. Too bad Dems haven’t learned a fucking thing about dis-respecting folks on the basis of gender.’Beauty queen’, ‘virgin’, and ‘no-nothing’ from `bum-fuck` Alaska is how a mother of five is being greeted by many of the morally and intellectually superior souls ‘transforming’ America for the better.  Faking a down-syndrome pregnancy? Openly comparing Gov. Palin to older porn stars? The bumper crop of crap at Huffpo is my favorite.

Change for the better?

If that means Andrew Sullivan on the front page of the Good Ship Lollipop insulting Governor Palin  as a ‘beauty queen’ you can keep it.

Forget that fact that Sarah Palin almost certainly knows a lot more about firing a gun than Sully. Or that Sully’s notion of ‘taking on the elements’ is a day on a P-Town beach without sunscreen; or an afternoon of rugby in wet underpants that really bunch.

Andy also seems to have forgotten that the last candidates he deemed fit to lead America created Abu Ghuraib. Not exactly a record of objective judgment to be proud of. Silly Sully still creams at the mention of murderous Maggie Thatcher and the man who did so much to bring the bomb to Pakistan: Ronald Reagan. But I digress.

Sarah Palin is a Governor for fuck sake. And Gov. Palin enjoys an 85% approval rating from her many constituents, which is a lot better than the candidate for change and the grandfather he drafted to butch up his campaign with ‘experience’ and ‘bare-knuckle’ toughness.

Governor Palin is a flake? Well, the flake sure is generating a lot of ink for a soul so light and facile. And if Dems are breathing an enormous sigh of relief, they’re doing a stupendous job of hiding it.

Given the enormous amounts of energy expended attacking McCain’s game-changing VP pick in just the last 48 hours, it seems Dems finally understand that McCain just might win the White House fair and square, unless Dems can make the charges of ‘racism’ stick. Dems may have already gone to the well once too often with that canard.

I was never going to support Obama. The cynicism of all three leading Dem candidates was a wake-up call for me. Edwards lied his fucking face off about banging his campaign staff while using his wife’s cancer as a shield to fend off pesky reporters, all the while bilking good, honest folks out of their nickels. Talk about a new standard in low.

Forget 75,000 screaming fans. America already has. The point is: Gov. Palin has shaken the Dems to their core. Dems can’t wait to pile on, and pile on the manure. Nice temple, btw.

Everyone is talking about Gov. Palin and the twist she puts in the race. You can smell Dem fear and the reason is simple: paint Gov. Palin as you like: Sarah Palin still represents a side of American life many of us love, respect and admire.

Gov. Palin is John McCain’s Dan Quayle? Maybe, but not quite yet. Truth be told, Gov, Palin still has to live up to that ‘high’ standard. Which makes the current panic all the more telling.

At first glance Gov. Palin more than fits the bill. Gov. Palin looks and sounds the same as Dan; and will definitely appeal to many of the folks who supported Hillary Clinton. The only one around here who really seems to understand the dynamics, and to be willing to talk openly about the threat Palin poses is Jay Elias. No surprise there.

As for the rest, whistling past the ice-cream stand, ask yourself this: how exactly did Dan Quayle spend the years 1988-1992? And if Palin really is McCain’s Quayle, what does that say about grandpa Biden, his thirty years in Congress, and the message of change?

Crack off about McSame all you like. That kind of comment hasn’t dented McCain’s support a bit; or raised Obama’s numbers.

Planning to volunteer in Obama’s wars to restore America’s image abroad in Pakistan or Afghanistan? Better give that one some thought, cause preaching peace Obama ain’t. More people are likely to end up dead with Obama trying to act tough than with McCain.

One thing for sure, should team ‘change’ carry the day: Obama’s daughters and family aren’t going to get any closer to combat than Dubya’s did. That job will fall to you or your kids.

McCain and Palin will stay the course and provide the support the Carter doctrine demands for US troops in the Middle East. Obama and Biden will tell Americans that the war in Iraq is over/lost and that American troops are leaving Iraq.

Problem is Obama and Biden will be sending US troops straight into Afghanistan and beyond.

Suck on that.

Gustav Realities

The Environmentalist has an article for Reuters on Gustav.

We’ve had reports of people ignoring the mandatory evacuation order.  Here’s what those who stay will (not may, will) face:

  • Gustav is pulling more heat out of the Gulf than Katrina.
  • The Gulf loop current is nearing 90 degrees.  That exceeds the high temperature that fed Katrina.
  • Tidal surges could exceed 20 feet; greater than Katrina.
  • The cone is narrowing toward Louisiana with New Orleans in the bullseye.
  • While it may not hit New Orleans, it still may.
  • There will be no city services.
  • The cool waters just offshore may not be able to sufficiently stop its momentum.
  • The wetlands, New Orleans’ only protection, are not returned enough to health to slow it down.
  • The levees are not built to hold above a certain strength of surge; one that Gustav may exceed.

Also: there are three named storms in Gustav’s wake that are on the same path; one that is nearing hurricane strength just east of the Caribbean.  

Anyone still there should get out fast.  Don’t leave it until the last minute.  The evacuations could break down at any time.  

Even climate scientists who ride in hurricane planes are getting out of the way of this one.  It’s a potential monster with no way to know how high the surge will become.  

Midnight Thought on Why We Fight

It is not for:

  • a parochial devotion to our team colors
  • the thrill of the contest
  • the debasement of our adversaries
  • the adulation of crowds

We fight so those who cannot fight themselves, will one day be able to do so.

Pony Party: Lazy

I live near the slow moving part of the Mississippi River….

P1000047

P1000041

Everything ambles…

P1000040

Nothing much happens on this part of the Mississippi

P1000039

And really that is the point of it ….

P1000025

What the NOLA Blogs Are Saying (Update in Comments)

Just a few quick links from the NOLA blogs.  Nice thing about these blogs is if you visit one, you end up linking to all the others, and they are all worth reading.

Oyster at Your Right Hand Thief:

I’ve been enjoying the professionalism of Gov. Bobby Jindal’s hurricane preparation updates during the past few days. He’s not afraid to lay a lot of detailed information on his audience. Yesterday he went on for about 10 minutes straight, in granular detail, citing all the numbers of buses, people, and provisions that are coming into New Orleans to help with evacuation and post-storm relief. Afterwards, he described the laundry list of statistical information as a brief “survey” of what is being done. His directness and command of the details was the key thing, throuout. He didn’t seem overwhelmed. He stayed on target. He instilled confidence.

The Great Lakes: fresh water seas

They say the best way to protect something is to personalize it.  So please, meet the Great Lakes…

Photobucket

The environment of the Great Lakes region is blessed with huge forests and wilderness areas, rich agricultural land, hundreds of tributaries and thousands of smaller lakes, and extensive mineral deposits. The region’s glacial history and the tremendous influence of the lakes themselves create unique conditions that support a wealth of biological diversity, including more than 130 rare species and ecosystems.

The environment supports a world-class fishery and a variety of wildlife, such as white-tailed deer, beaver, muskrat, weasel, fox, black bear, bobcat, moose and other furbearing animals. Bird populations thrive on the various terrains, some migrating south in the winter, others making permanent homes. An estimated 180 species of fish are native to the Great Lakes, including small- and large-mouth bass, muskellunge, northern pike, lake herring, whitefish, walleye and lake trout. Rare species making their home in the Great Lakes region include the world’s last known population of the white catspaw pearly mussel, the copper redhorse fish and the Kirtland’s warbler.

The region’s sand dunes, coastal marshes, rocky shorelines, lakeplain prairies, savannas, forests, fens, wetlands and other landscapes contain features that are either unique or best represented withink the Great Lakes basin. For example, the world’s largest freshwater dunes line the shores of Lake Michigan.

Over the course of history, many types of pollution have inflicted and been reduced in the region, yet significant challenges remain. These range from threats to divert water out of the Great Lakes basin to the introduction of nonindigenous invasive species and airborne toxics into the basin. Protection of water quality and sustainable development remain long-term goals.  Link

Unless otherwise specified, all pictures are courtesy of: SeaWiFS Project, NASA/FSFC, and GeoEye

Weekend News Digest

Weekend News Digest is an Open Thread

From Yahoo News Top Stories

1 Gustav swells to dangerous Cat 4 storm off Cuba

By WILL WEISSERT, Associated Press Writer

1 minute ago

HAVANA – Gustav swelled into a fearsome Category 4 hurricane with winds of 145 mph (235 kph) on Saturday as Cuba raced to evacuate more than 240,000 people and Americans to the north clogged highways fleeing New Orleans.

Gustav already has killed 78 people in the Caribbean and the U.S. National Hurricane Center in Miami said it could strengthen even more after hitting Cuba and entering the warm Gulf of Mexico on a projected course for the Katrina-battered U.S. coast.

Cuba grounded all national airline fights, though planes bound for international destinations were still taking off at Havana’s Jose Marti International Airport. Authorities also canceled all buses and trains to and from the capital, as well as ferry and air service to the Isla de Juventud, the outlying Cuban island-province next in Gustav’s path.

SeaWorld: otters, sea lions, and the big guys

The scene to the left is a view from above of the exhibit called Rocky Point Preserve.  The exhibit allows a person to get up close and personal with sea otters and dolphins.  I’ve saved the dolphin picks for a later essay.

Today is about the sea otters and sea lions because they appear together in a play performed later:  Clyde and Seamore’s Risky Rescue™.  There is nothing some people like more at a zoo or circus than seeing how clever other humans are at teaching some “dumb animal” how to do tricks to amuse humans.  The play speaks to the craving of such people.  I figure it could have been worse, however.  The stars of this show also perform a take off of the Tonight Show called Sea Lions Tonight.  We were spared that one.

One should always remember when one is in San Diego that above all else, it is a Navy town.  Every public gathering seems to begin with a salute to the people currently in uniform, an invitation to veterans to stand (an invitation which I find I never accept), and an invocation of nationalistic pride and/or jingoism.  In the case of Clyde and Seamore, the play has a naval theme.

Load more