Showing posts with label Fox News. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Fox News. Show all posts
I have not said anything about her because of several reasons. First, she's not nearly as crucial to the Republican Party as pundits like Bill O'Reilly and Sean Hannity would have people believe. Second, she's not really worth talking about. I thought she was a lightweight, a soft politician unable to think for herself.This former beauty queen who is a maverick unto herself doesn't have the right character to be an elected official. If anyone criticizes her right or wrong, she has to attack them with legal proceedings. I know from just being a Political Science major that its a tough field. Politicians are built of tougher stuff than the average citizen. For her to cry foul on every statement, joke or insinuation about her or her family shows her naiveté and vulnerability. The fact that she allegedly looks for criticism reveals that she is more concerned with what others think of her than her job.
By constantly needing to "set the record straight" she actually creates a bigger firestorm. Lunging at all who say anything gives nameless and faceless bloggers a bigger podium form which to reach a larger audience. Also, by calling what we do the "record" is to give us far more credit than we deserve. I'm neither her constituent nor a fellow party-member (I'm a lib lib - that's Liberal Libertarian). She owes me nothing! But I can still criticize her to my heart's content. But does what I say become a record that can be used against her in a court of law? NO! I doubt I even have any effect on any voter's mind!
Now that she has announced her resignation as Governor of Alaska she has proven many of her critics correct. She lacked the integrity to stick to the job at hand. Instead she let her ballooning and evermore cartoonish profile overwhelm her. Her "personality" became bigger than the office she held but not in the way anyone would want. It also increased her political vulnerability because those in the Alaskan government knew she had something fragile to protect: her national image, her brand. Book deals and lecture circuits are far more lucrative than the pitiful Office of Alaska Governor.
I am angry at Moose Hunter Barbie! She has set women back a decade. It may be harder for anyone to take a female Presidential Candidate seriously. Thus far, we've achieved Secretary of State thrice and Speaker of the House once. The Glass Ceiling is still the Presidential Ticket. In addition, her public face helps to reinforce a stereotype that women have increasingly worked to obliterate. The ignorant, sheltered, naive soccer/hockey mom whose ambitions go only as far as her hairdo! A woman who cares more about what others think rather than how she has lived her life. It seems her biggest problem is that instead of thinking, she just reacts. To Everything!
So like any young insecure girl uncomfortable with what she has, she stays with the "in-crowd". The trend right now is to distrust all government. Glenn Beck, a political commentator who recently left CNN for Fox News, has pointed out repeatedly how little we can trust our elected officials (Common Sense, Beck). If Palin is reading her tea leaves, she probably sees herself in the grouping that are currently unpopular. So, like a teen girl who must be seen in the latest fashion, she bails on her state in favor of more money and a maverick image that few take seriously.
I sincerely wish her luck with whatever she does. I don't think it matters much. Mostly, I think she's gunning for Ann Coulter, Michelle Malkin or Laura Ingraham's job or at least their profiles and bloated bank accounts. Though I'd remind her that these women have what they have by inviting criticism! They sell more books by being polarizing and pushing so far to the right. They have what they have because of their thick skins and ability to use other's anger against them (which though I disagree with much of what they think, say and do, I do applaud this rare characteristic). I have serious reservations about Palin's ability to survive jumping from the frying pan into the fire.
On a personal note: I am an unemployed College Student who has next to nothing. Try and sue me!
I watched a particular segment on CNN about a man in New Zealand who'd purchased a used MP3 player at a thrift store. But later he discovered that the player held top secret information including lists of soldiers and pertinent contact information. Also, it appears they may have been plans on the player that date to 2005.I should not have to ask what makes this startling. There's plenty! Like how did such a breach even occur? Government servers probably log whenever a file is copied. If the copy was authorized then what the hell was it doing on an MP3 player? If they were unauthorized... well, there are plenty more questions that need asking like how did they not track it down? Who did this? And if they didn't know?!?! sigh....
Its too much ask the people whose job is our security to bother with security it seems. But I will wait until this turns into nothing and forget about it like a Good Stupid Fox watching idiot. Alas, I'm not. Sorry.
Anyways...
President Obama met with House Republicans today behind closed doors. The President's $825M stimulus plan is now the Republicans are now calling it theirs. They claim the problem is the Democrats who are drifting from the President's original plan. There are things the Democrats pulled out of the plan such as a plan to pay for contraceptives and help for the Middle Class. John Boehner does not need to fear that women who could not afford birth control let alone the children they might have will be getting pills to prevent unwanted pregnancies.
I think as much as it sounds like the GOP are in bed with Obama, I'm thinking this is political chess. Eventually they will build a plan that resembles little to nothing that Obama initially presented to Congress. Then they'll vote it down! And it seems the bipartisan President may have sacrificed his own majority for the sake a lukewarm Republican pool?
Also, I have to commet on Obama's first formal interview. It was on al-Arabiya if you haven't heard. He has I think made a huge positive move. Here's why. Terrorists are political actors albeit non-state actors but so are Churches and Greenpeace. The War on Terror as it were actually legitimizes the terrorists. We s
ank to their level by taking the war to them. Again, sacrificing our principles is always a losing tactic. By going to the Saudi based network and doing a cordial and well spoken interview sends an important message to the Middle East. The USA is going to treat the sovereign nations of the world as just that. We cannot, should not and shouldn't have sunk to their level, which is what the invasion of Iraq was: State sanctioned Terrorism.Author John Updike passed away. I would have said died but saying John Updike died is awkward. John Updike won the Pulitzer Prize Rabbit twice with Rich and Rabbit at Rest published in 1981 and 1990 respectively. He was the "chronicler of suburban adultery". He passed today at Beverly Farms, Massachesetts.
Personal Notes: I'm debating some changes to this blog such as adding podcasts and thereby putting more into the podcasts and posting links on the page. I started this blog in reaction to then President Bush's second term and my rising ire towards it. I'm thinking of changing the bland conservative look of this site that doesn't change. Stay Tuned!
A reaction to Fox News and its onscreen "typo" misidentifying McCain's political party. On the Huffintgon Post, there was this comment from someone called Randomizer.
Yeah, man. Drew Pederson is identified as Democrat as is Bin Laden, Kim Il Jong, and Mahmoud Ahmadinejad. All of them with the (D) underneath their names. Heres some others:Love it!
Satan (D-Hell) Hitler (D-Germany) Stalin (D-USSR) Skeletor (D-Eternia) Megatron (D-Chaar)
Pretty much all Democrats.
If you read this and were annoyed that I stopped blogging, I apologize. Several things happened and I shall break them down as succintly as possible:1. FINALS! Yes, there was finals and I was stressed beyond all measure. But I got out with an A, 2 B's and a C. I call that a good semester. I can do better, however.
2. I had things to worry about like the holidays.
3. I worked a ton during the break.
4. I really didn't care but I did remember. I cannot use the lame excuse of forgetting.
5. I rediscovered my love for all things Galactica, Firefly and Science Fiction novels in general.
So as you can see, I just wasn't ready for running a blog of this nature. Speaking of "nature", I want to add that nature is fucking cold right now. It's like 10 and were happy for 10 here in Minnesota.
Besides that, I want to ask what is the nature of this site? I must reiterate that I basically posted a mission statement right at the top of this page. See it up there? I will, however, restate it now in a different form. I will try, to the best of my ability, to distill local, state, national and international politics, economics and downright newsiness for you my loyal reader (as in there is 1 of you). I aim to add my own opinion (when I feel warranted) and to analyze pertinent facts and events surrounding a particular story, developing or otherwise. I will not let my own political bias hinder my ability to attack those who need attacking, i.e. politicos who just plain screw up. Or CNN or Fox for being media... well, the media. The media just sucks anyways...
I'll admit that I have a healthy fascination for the weather (and weather reporting... there's some real comedy in that, let me tell ya), spies, International bodies like the United Nations, Anderson Cooper, weird crimes, idiocyncrasies that bother me, stupid politicians and history. I like to ground each entry in "back in the day" sections. I feel knowing what others were experiencing on this day in yoner year (oh, alliteration...) is helpful and also reminds us that others trod this grund before. Sometimes there are startling acheivements, disasters, battles or just plain oddness. I like the oddness.
There are some bits of news I failed to make any comment over the intervening 43 days. This was an oversight on my part. Here is a list of news items I failed to make a comment on and may try to make up for my apathy/lack of time:
1. Saddam Hussein was executed. The Iraqi government hung the former dictator in a fashion unbecoming to most western nations. His corpse was danced about by Shiites celebrating his recent demise. On Fox, a particularly amusing graphic was displayed showing his corpse. On the left side of the screen was Saddam "Alive", and on the right, his "dead" body. I couldn't help but be befuddled and amused by this. It reminded a friend of a moment in a film when someone was sorting dead rats and saying "alive"... "dead". We believe it was Transylvania 6500.
2. Gerald Ford died. He was never elected President, but nevertheless, led our country througho ne of its darkest periods. He also open the military academies to women. And pardoned Nixon. The flags will remain at half mast for another week or so. (Yes, I said half mast not half staff...)
3. Barbara Boxer v. Condoleeza Rice. What?
4. Donald Trump v. Condoleeza Rice. Double What?
5. Trump v. Rosie. eh....
6. The Next Harry Potter will be "The Deadly Hallows". That's hallows like hallowed ground, hallowed be his name and hallowe'en.
7. Pinochet, Chilean dictator, died at age 91. No one cared and it only rated below Harry Potter and The Don.
8. Tim Johnson, a US senator, was hospitalized with a mild stroke. Before he was even evaluated, US news outlets were already discussing the possible return of power to Republican hands. They weren't even waiting to see if he died.
9. Ex Russian Spy turned British citizen and author (and Muslim), Alexander Litvinenko, was finally covered in depth by 60 Minutes. About bloody Time!
10. Denver shut down for snow: $Billions. Holiday travellers stranded in terminals on stiff, smelly cots: ^#$^ %&#!!!! Laughing at my sister for moving there and claiming they hardely get any snow there: Priceless.
Back in the year 1265, The English parliament convened at the Palace of Westminster for the first time.
In 1892, the first game of basketball was played at a YMCA in Springfield Massachussetts.
And the Nazis, in 1942, agreed on the "final solution" to the European Jewry. The result was the holocaust the significant impact on world politics, culture and geography.
That's it from my end.
Yeah, I realize the Daily Show covered this one, along with everyone else, but I had to post about it, too. I read about it on Wonkette yesterday. To be honest, I am not surprised. The fact that it happened on the O'Reilly Show, really not surprised. For someone who claims its a No-Spin Zone, he sure as hell does a ton of spinning. Not to mention shouting matches that leave me one or both several things: a) angry, b)bewildered, c) confused, d) dumbfounded, e) exacerbated f) frustrated g) galled h) hysterical i) inflamed j) jaundiced k) kvetching l) livid m) malcontented n) nonplussed o) offended p) perturbed q) quesrulous r) raging s) splenetic t) troubled u) upset v) vexed w) withered x) xerotic (look it up) y) yarling and z) zealous.
Here's a link so you can actually view said "mistake". I watched Anderson Cooper 360 last night, though I also watched The Towering Inferno right before. The Towering Inferno made me feel better, if that means anything to you. At least I got to look at a younger (near 50) Paul Newman (like his age even matters, he's still gorgeous!) and Steve McQueen in one of his last major roles before his death (my Mom adored him and even had a crush on my Dad when they first met because she thought he looked a little like him and was a Macinist Mate like McQueen's character in The Sand Pebbles - a great movie with Mako back in the day...). I then watched the replay of 360 and there were more gorillas! Yay for Anderson and gorillas. 
Cuteness and adorkability aside, he's living out a dream of mine. I've always wanted to see gorillas. Even the one checking out his ass would have been fine to me. I wouldn't care if a gorilla did that.
Anyways, my real beef though is the feedback. Are people honestly unhappy about this? What, you think the government is seriously working on this? If they were, wouold we really have Bono running around talking about debt relief?
The blog over at 360 makes the point (actually, Anderson did and I don't know if it might be because of Final Jeopardy question he got wrong...) about how our hi-tech life is basically bankrupting the Congolese people. How? We need a particular mineral called coltan which is a black, graphite looking substance primarily made up of Niobium and Tantalum. The name is, in fact, a contraction of Columbite and tantalite. It is used to make tiny little electronic parts in cell phones, laptops and PDAs. Think of a mobile tech device and it likely has it. It is found mostly in the Eastern part of the Democratic Republic of the Congo. For those of you who are unfamiliar with geography, it was once known as Zaire. Its in AFRICA. That's South of Europe in the eastern hemisphere. It was once colonized Belgium (called the Belgian Congo) and was brutally impovershed, oppressed and enslaved by King Leopold in his quest to have empire. The legacy continues. Coltan mines are valuable and therefore, roving militias fight for control of these mines and the revenues they bring. They pillage, burglarize and rape the people and little to nothing is done to stop conditions there.
Thats basically (really basic) problem. There are indeed far deeper issues and problems facing DR Congo not to mention, many central African nations. But what I don't understand is why aren't we talking about this? We could protest aratheid but not the massive humanitarian problems in Afrcia? Is it because we can't be bothered to think our cell phones are causing harm to others? Blackberry-addicted Anderson Cooper seems to be well aware. And I'm not holding him up asa model of who to emulate but keep in mind, he's a techy guy. He likes his mobile devices just as much as the next 30-something male professional.
Yeah... Go Coop...
Back on this day in good ol' 1969, Monty Python's Flying Circus went on the air. It really was something completely different. Ironically, the following year, PBS became a real station. Imagine that!
In 1986, we found out what we pretty much knew: Israel has nukes.
And in 1991, Linux vers. 0.02 was released. This was the first official release of the kernal and after that, my PC would never be the same. Really, its not. You should try linux.
(Screencap coutesy of Anderson and the gorilla (who was a girl, too) came from All Things Anderson cuz they're so cool)
(BTW, if I was going to show a screen cap of Fox, whom I loathe, then I had to show CNN, a channel I love. You can see the bias written all over this post in several layers...just letting ya know!)
Let me preface this post with a comment: I rant at times. Sometimes for great length. I did not go too long in this post. I started out nice and calm but as I wrote more and more, I began to seethe till finally, I exploded in a torrent of anger and insanity focused on the actions of my government. I do not apologize because I'm exercising my first amendment right to free speech. I honestly don't think its that bad but... whatever.**********************************************************************
I did say I'd find the links to the video of the interview. They are in fact on YouTube. Its in three parts and can be found at these links: Part 1, Part 2, and Part 3.
Onwards to the reaction to Clinton.
I know my appreciation for CNN knows no bounds. I can't help it. It was ingrained in me as a child because my parents loved the news and it was the only 24 hour news network there was. They invented the damned thing. I also loved that James Earl Jones ident that you never hear anymore. The only other channel we watched as much was the Weather Channel! Well, in the last 24 hours or so (except for some of 360 last night), I've watched the "others". I wanted to see how Fox and not to mention MSNBC, ABC, and CBS would cover the Clinton interview. I know what Coop said about it last night and that was good enough for me as far as CNN was concerned. I loved it on 360 last night when they revealed this regarding Clinton: "Spokesman Tony Snow, a former FOX News commentator quipped, 'He retorts, you decide.'" Excellant! A "Rush" transcript of 360 can be read here. To Anderson Cooper's credit, he reported the news with nothing in the way of opinion and interviewed numerous people from different schools of thought. That's why I love Anderson!
Earlier in the day, I watched Good Morning America. Diane Sawyer had Bill O'Reilly on to discuss the recently broadcast Bill Clinton interview we all love to analyse to death. He was milder than he normally is. I can only guess it was because it wasn't his show, he wasn't in charge and its Dame Diane Sawyer, a real Lady of Journalism. He said that Clinton as well as many in the current administration such as the hated 4: Bush, Cheney, Rice and Rumsfeld. Not to bring me back to Cooper but it reminded me of the spinning going on a year ago about Katrina. Mary Landrieu said people were frustrated. People aren't frustrated! People are dying!!! Those people are our servicmen and women! Whatever...
I watched Keith Olbermann and his Countdown over on MSNBC. I like Olbermann and I wish he wasn't on MSNBC which I forget about half the time because its on channel 70 and all the other news channels are clustered together in the 30's. "The Dirty Thirties!" ...Anyway. Olbermann devoted quite a large chunk of his show to an editorial. He pointed out that Clinton's "tear" during the interivew on Fox opened up a lot of doors, not to mention windows, doggie doors, escape hatches and bunker seals to run around and scream at the current administration for their ineptitude and inane stupidity. He also claimed that it was a wake-up call to the media as a whole. That they need no longer swig from the bottle of booze known as Stooge. They could now start ripping down the sets that Bush and his administration built. Olbermann went for quite some time on his own "tear" toward Bush and his administration. So much so I almost jumped up and applauded. I didn't but I shed a tear or ten. Its nice to see the press finally get a spine back. His editorial can (and should) be read here.
This morning on MSNBC, they were still going on about this interview but now they were splitting hairs. An anchorwoman on MSNBC was discussing with two men about Clinton showing a little leg. Apparently, his socks were too low and his pants were too high. Couldn't someone tell him "to pull down his pants?" Oh yeah, that was brilliant! I was astounded that they would devote any more time than 10 seconds mentioning Clinton's wardrobe malfunction.
Ok... things are getting absurd. Maybe they were to begin with. Now, there is talk of pre-planning (isn't planning already pre-whatever? That's like pre-early. "I wanted to beat you here so I got here pre-early") on both sides. Did Wallace plan on brow-beating Clinton to deflect criticsm of Murdoch getting cozy with Clinton and his initiatives? Did Clinton plan on ripping Wallace a new asshole on the GOP leaning Fox news? One may believe that both are correct statements. Fox did need to make an effort to offset the potentially troubling coupling. Dems need help for the election in 5-6 weeks. Leaking parts of the National Intelligence Estimate isn't enough. (Which if you don't know about that, lord, help you!)
Was Wallace even smirking? His colleagues all jokingly told him "just don't smirk!" And Clinton's finger wagging... well, the last time he did that was in fact when he told us he didn't have sexual relations with Monica.
Take this how you want to. There's spinning on either side. Case in point: Condaleeza Rice has come out today to talk about Clinton's claims that the Bush administration was asleep at the wheel its first 8 months. "The notion somehow for eight months the Bush administration sat there and didn't do that is just flatly false - and I think the 9/11 commission understood that," she said in interview with many staff members of the New York Post. She also mentioned "we were not left a comprehensive strategy to fight al-Qaida" contradictory to Clinton's assertion that he did. The same article ends with Hillary, always defending her husband, saying "I just think that my husband did a great job in demonstrating that Democrats are not going to take this." And, in fact, it is likely they won't take any of this any more.
But before I declare the Democrats awake and out of torpor, I must briefly mention that many of these people went along with every brazen and emboldened thing Bush could think up to ruin this country. Why? Fear be damned, its politics! The Politics of Fear, in fact, a strategy most usefully employed by lords and kings in the feudal era. That was when "Might makes Right" was the slogan of the day. The Bush administration continues to use fear as a political tool to keep the left doing their bidding, the media reporting what he says they can and the American people as a whole sweating and re-electing. He keeps us scared for his own ends. And we are turning into the country we swore we never would, that we wouldn't be terrorized by terrorists. But we are! We are scared because of our privacy isn't, our rights are infringed, we can't bring liquids on airplanes, there's anthrax in the air and e. coli on our spinach (Ok, the last one isn't related but whatever...). They keep asking if Americans feel safer now and the answer is no!!! How could we be? And how can we feel safer with a government that reveals nothing? Even if al-Quada didn't exist, I'd still be scared becuase my government is frightening!!!
So, our government still runs on the medieval idea of whomever has the ability to kill more must be the best. In a WWE smackdown, sure! But this is Global Politics and we are a democracy. Conflict should never be settled with bombs and bullets but debate and discourse. I'm hoping Bill Clinton opened the flood gates for the Democratic Party. I hope they launch into scathing attacks of not only the failings of the current administration but also the lies, the deception and the stupid strategies employed by nitwits who can't win either war we're in. I hope...
And if I sounded crazed and Clinton looked crazed its because we are. Fox did itself a disservice by advertising the crazed Clinton. Anyone would be crazed at this day and year for all the shit we see happening. I feel as though I'm living in Nazi Germany before the war: I'm watching the beacon on the hill become the cesspool in the sewer. And I just can't take it anymore!!!!!
There are too many things to bitch about. I'm done. There is nothing else to say. Whatever...
Former president William Jefferson Clinton was inteviewed by Chris Wallace for Fox News' Sunday show. the 42nd President seemed to lose it and go on a "tear". He accused Wallace of being unfair. Not to quote him or anything but he told Wallace "you did Fox's bidding on this show. You did your nice little conservative hit job on me". Clinton was asked specifically Why he didn't put Bin laden and al-Qaeda "out of business". He immediately became aggressive in his reply. He claims that he was obsessed with finding and killing Bin Laden, that he planned strikes on Afghanistan but scrubbed them because of backlash. He also planned an invasion to get Bin Laden but was denied basing abilities in Uzbekistan.The entire transcript should be read but it doesn't do it justice. Can't wait to find the whole thing on YouTube.
On a completely different train of thought, The 12 signs of fascism. Must be seen!
Night!
Yesterday, at the United Nations, Hugo Chavez, President of Venezuela, spoeke out against the United States and its hegemonic political policies. In fact, here is the juicy bits where Chavez refered to President George W. Bush as the devil.I think that the first people who should read this book are our brothers and sisters in the United States, because their threat is right in their own house.
"The devil is right at home. The devil, the devil himself, is right in the house.
"And the devil came here yesterday. Yesterday the devil came here. Right here." [crosses himself] "And it smells of sulfur still today."
"Yesterday, ladies and gentlemen, from this rostrum, the president of the United States, the gentleman to whom I refer as the devil, came here, talking as if he owned the world. Truly. As the owner of the world."
A transcript of the speech can be found on this site. Want to watch it?
The book he refers to is Noam Chomsky's book Hegemony or Survival: The Imperialist Strategy of the United States which has jumped to the top of Amazon's sales rankings after being somewhere in the very obscure. He encouraged Americans to read it and evidently, they are taking him up on it.
Also, Anderson Cooper interviewed Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad on his show last night. Cooper only got 20 minutes with the leader so there wasn't time to get into the most meaty questions such Iran's plans for world domination and the spread of Islam. He did however ask him if the President does indeed believe the holocaust did not occur. Ahmadinejad circtitiously answered the question with evasion and repetition. He did make sure that we know that the Iranian people love Americans and peace. At one point he accused Cooper of asking him similar questions and that his questions were given to him. Anderson Cooper retorted that they were his and we have free press in this country unlike Iran. In defense of Anderson, what could he do? Ahmadinejad never came out and answered a question and Cooper wanted --WANTED -- those answers so he fought for them but eventually moved on.
Which is what I'm doing now. The military coup in Thailand was apparently a bloodless coup. However, the political machinations of the country such as the ability to speak out and assemble have been banned. Radio and Television operatrions are under the control of the military. Ousted Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra is in London after arriving there from New York. He was in the US for the opening if the 61st General Assembly of the United Nations. Four of the Prime Ministe's government are being detained by the militray which has declared martial law. The man in charge now is General Sonthi Boonyaratglin who has stated that he intends to return Thailand to Democracy as soon as possible. The King evidently approves of the coup and its likely it wouldn't have occured if he hadn't given prior blessings. Lukman B. Lima, exiled leader of Muslim rebels, hailed the coup d'etat as a move in the right direction. The Army Cheif is a Muslim and could help end the conflict between the Buddhist and Muslim factions within Thailand.
The woman who stole the baby in Missouri is allegedly Shannon Torrez. She claims to have miscarried a baby the morning of the abduction. She arrived at her hearing today and kept her head down. The hearing lasted about 20 minutes and the woman never spoke above a whisper. She was seen to be wiping tears away. One can only wonder what is going through her mind during this time. As for the baby, she has been returned to her mother and father. The baby was spotted by Torrez' sister-in-law when they went to take the baby to the doctor. She noticed makeup and the baby's forehead that was no doubt there ot cover the baby's distintive and well pubilcized birth mark. After rubbing it off, she confronted Torrez and then took the baby and handed her over to authorities. Good on ya, lady!
One last comment regarding Bill O'Reilly whom I don't hate because he's fiercely conservative. In fact, I don't hate him. My serious issues with O'Reilly are his tendency to believe he knows everything and his desire to try and convict people on his show despite his being ill qualified for both. My other large problem with the talking head is his propensity to yell down others and disrepect those of different opinions. Unless you're a conservative lapdog (or as they were called back in the early 90's, populist) or Ann Coulter, you're going to crucified if you go on his show. To add to my list of peeves against the "No Spin" guy is his apparent gloating about being on Al-Quaeda's death list while being interviewed by Barabara Walters for ABC's 20/20. "With the controversy comes death threats on a daily basis," O'Reilly said on Wednesday night's show. "Not only from kooks. But the FBI came in and warned me and a few other people at Fox News that al Qaeda had us on a death list. That's a little disconcerting." But who goes about telling people about that? Apparently, O'Reilly who lives on the edge, keeping alive by doing whatever it is he does.... On RADAR online, people at FOX and the FBI both denied the claim. An angent for the FBI even went so far as to say "I'm not aware of any FBI agents warning anyone at Fox News of their presence on any list....For that matter, I'm not aware of any al-Qaeda hit list targeting journalists. Agents from the D.C. field office, FBI headquarters, and an agent from the kidnapping unit went to Fox's offices in New York last month to advise them specifically on the Gaza kidnapping [of Fox employees Steve Centanni and Olaf Wiig]. But they only talked to management, they didn't talk to any individual journalists".
That is, if you don't count the developments in the JonBenet Ramsey case. The DNA results have come back and they do not match. I'm so glad I didn't get hyped over this. Some others on the other hand. The Media interviewed family and friends and they were all overjoyed that the perpetrator was found. A scrawny little fraction of a man confesses to a crime with little evidence even placing him in the state and they're happy. It was not open and shut and there was still procedures to follow not to mention a TRIAL! So, I blame the media for causing a lot of ballyhoo over something that turned out to be nothing. Keep waiting, Patsy. They haven't found him yet.World's oldest person died today at 116. Maria Esther de Capovilla, of Equador, passed away on Sunday and leaves Tennesee woman Elizabeth Bolden as the oldest living person. Capovilla was born the same year as Hitler, Charlie Chaplin and Jean Cocteau.
Bush toured the Gulf States today to jabber on about a "sense of renewal". Who wants a sense of it? Just do it! He travelled to Biloxi where he spoke aobut continued progress. Does he know that poll released earlier this month found that 2/3 of the American people still disapprove of his handling of the catastrophe. Guess he uses the showman's advice after all: Never read your own press (or quote it). Later I watched a report on Fox News (I know, I know...) about the place where Hurricane Katrina made landfall. You'd think from all the focus that is was New Orleans but it wasn't. Plaquemines parish saw the brunt of the storm and then saw it levees fail. But its getting nothing to help rebuild its levees. It has been forgotten. Kudos to Fox News, normally the lap dog of the Republican Party and President Bush, for reporting on this terrible "oversight".
Neat Link: New Oleans, before and after the Hurricane.
In Canada, a man was told he couldn't throw candy from his float in a parade. It might injure the miniature adults, aka children. He bought $8 worth of penny candy to throw. Kids might get hurt by the flying candy or by stepping into the road to get said candy. Oh Good God.
Three people are reported dead after bombs rock the Turkish seaside town of Antalya. Twenty-one are reported injured as well. Earlier there were explosions in Marmaris and Istanbul. Twenty-one people were also injured in Marmaris while 6 people were killed in Istanbul. The Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK), a lilitant group, has claimed resposibility for the Marmaris and Istanbul bombings.
There was a small plane that went down in a lake in Indianapolis. All 5 passengers survived. Question: Why was this Breaking News on CNN, MSNBC, Fox, the Today Show, etc.? It was so minor as to be laughbale.
Update: The pilot died.
On this day back in 1916, Germany declared war on Romania whilst Italy declared war on Germany.
On this day in 1850, Wagner's Lohengrin opera premiered in Weimar, Germany (My middle name is the French version of that name so its kind of meaningful to me.)
Also on this day 10 years ago, Prince Charles and Princess Diana were formally divorced after 15 years together.
A year ago: New Orleans mayor Ray Nagin ordered a mandatory evacuation of New Orleans. If only he knew then what he knows now.
If you don't follow the news and are unaware of two journalists that were kidnapped in Gaza two weeks ago, you have now been informed. Fox News journalists Steve Centanni, of the US, and Olaf Wiig, of New Zealand, have been released just after the deadline their captors set for releasing detainess in Guantanamo Bay (or as we in the Navy called it, Gitmo). They were dropped off at Beach-Front hotel in Gaza after being held by the relatively unknown Holy Jihad Brigades (I'd link them but there isn't a good link about them to be found). The two were forced to convert to Islam and gunpoint but were unharmed during their captivity. They're happy to be free and American Steve Centanni stated "I hope that this never scares a single journalist away from coming to Gaza to cover the story because the Palestinian people are very beautiful and kind hearted". I'm glad that turned out all right since so often things in the Middle East do not.Latvia: Making snacking safe for schoolkids one school at a time. Well, not really one school at a time but you get the picture. Latvia's government made the decision earlier this week to ban the nutritionally poor snacks from schools because they set bad examples. It may imply that junk food is endorsed by authorities which it is not. Elsewhere, reports in Britain estimate the 1/3 of all British men will be obese by 2010. Here in the US Madeleine Albright, the former Secretary of State, has been pleading with fizzy liquid maker Coca-Cola over regulation. Even Bill Clinton is in one this with his Healthier Generation. All I can say is I could've used them when I had to sit around after school for activities and all to be gotten were zebra cakes and Dr. Pepper.
Local news for me: We had tornadoes in this here state! On Thursday a line of very intense storms wreaked havoc in the Southern portion of the state affecting places like Cleveland, Nicollett and Northfield. There was one fatality: Thomas O'Brien, 90, passed away after a tree struck his home at Lake Emily. Several tornadoes were sighted including a multi-vortex tornado. Hail was reported at grapefruit size. I've even heard there may have been softball sized hail. Local Weather guy and geek Paul Douglas runs a blog (look for August 25) on TV station WCCO. It must be read. We have had little severe weather, let alone rain, this summer so I guess this made up for it. We got hammered here!
Video to the above story can be found here and here.A plane crashed in Kentucky at 0619 EDT today. There were 46 passengers, an off-duty crew member and three crew members. At this time there is one survivor. Delta flight 5191 crashed a mile from the runway just after taking off at Blue Grass Airport in Lexington and currently there is some speculation that it took off from the wrong runway which would have been too short. The lone survivor is crew member and first officer James M. Polehinke. Please pray for his survival as he remains in surgery and in critical condition. Please pray for the souls of the 49 aboard who perished in the crash. Turn to CNN, the BBC, MSNBC, CBS or even the Scotsman for more on this developing story.
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