If there really was a "liberal media conspiracy," Ann Coulter wouldn't be able to get on TV if she stripped naked on the Capitol steps and gave Tom Daschle a blowjob.
Yet you hear about it everywhere. My guess is the "liberal media" is a fantasy boogeyman self-identified conservatives use to scare their children. Being persecuted makes one feel so much better, I guess.
The fact is, every major media conglomerate is owned by solid Republicans. All the top-rated talking heads on TV are self-styled conservatives. And radio is even more skewed; the level of conservative vitriol on AM radio is simply astounding.
But every damn one of them sounds off on how the liberals control the media. These people can't even see the inherent contradiction in complaining about "liberal-controlled media" while using that same media to spout off their conservative message.
Denial can be a so beautiful sometimes. Irony too.
Yes, the liberal media conspiracy cancelled Donahue and hired Michael Savage to fill his time slot as a complex double-bluff backdoor scheme to discredit conservatives everywhere!
Careful there Rush, you'll sprain your frontal lobes. You've gotta warm up before a gymnastics set.
Uncovering the lies of our politicians is always enlightening.
Select "What's New" and read the litany of prevarication. Then while your dander is up, you can watch Ari Fliescher get laughed off the podium for attempting to act indignant at the suggestion that the US Government is attempting to buy UN Security Council votes. (Skip to minute 28 for context, and listen to the press corp after Ari departs.)
God how I hate that man. How does he sleep at night, that's what I want to know.
Snow! Well, not quite, at least not in San Antonio. But we did get freezing rain so I took the day off.
I'm from the Catskills in New York. It's not that I can't drive in icy conditions. I worry about everyone else. San Antonians can't even drive in the freaking rain. That plus the road closures make it a heck of a gamble.
Looking out my window it doesn't look all that bad. Yeah, there's a little ice on the bridges but the roads aren't bad.
Any excuse for a break though. Work has been hell the last couple of days.
Pundits who claim that peace protesters are anti-American are getting under my skin.
I'm a defense contractor. I work for the Department of the Air Force; specifically I'm a network security consultant. I work every damn day to support our soldiers. Secure networks are every bit as important on the modern battlefield as a secure supply line.
On top of that, I served. I'm a vet.
I'm against war with Iraq. I feel that the US meddling in the internal affairs of another country, to the point of selecting a successor government, is simply the assertion of imperial privilege. I'm entitled to my opinion, thankyouverymuch.
But I keep hearing over and over and over that people who are against war with Iraq are somehow anti-American. Even the parts of the current government-- the same government I work daily protecting the lives of its soldiers-- desires the power to expatriate citizens simply because they belong to organizations that are deemed inappropriate.
Anyone who tells me that I'm anti-American because of the opinion I hold should look to his own house. I served to defend the right of free expression; I work daily in support of those souls who currently serve to defend those same rights.
What have all those talking heads on Fox News done? What have you done lately, Mr. Limbaugh? What about you, Mr. O'Reilly? Ms. Coulter, I'm talking to you too-- what have you done?
I've been drafted as webmaster for my Scout troop. It's here for right now.
Right now it's an MT-driven blog with per-patrol categories, with a link to a phpicalendar-driven calendar application. I decided it would be easiest to maintain the troop event calendar in iCal. For the moment it's not a webdav-enabled site.
Next up is some kind of photo album. If anyone has suggestions I'm open to ideas.
Hopefully I'll be ready to go live next week. This assumes we can decide on a decent domain name.
Lady, our mutt (collie, golden retriever and malamute we think), is thunderphobic and has been since we adopted her from the Humane Society.
It's not all that uncommon in dogs. Even before a storm starts, she'll start shaking and panting and generally getting stressed out. And the louder the thunder gets, the worse she gets. She even tries to climb behind you on the couch; no mean feat for a dog that weighs 60lbs.
The part I don't understand is if I put her on her lead and take her out into the front yard for a short walk when the storm starts, she's fine.
It doesn't work if I take her out back. And it doesn't matter how hard it's raining, or how loud the thunder is. On the leash, out the front door, and she's cool as a cucumber. Keep her in the house and she'll try her damnedest to burrow through the floor.
I don't get it.
Via MetaFilter. Columnist Bob Bankard of phillyburbs.com compares the political ideals Ronald Reagan put forth in his "Evil Empire" speech in 1982 to the current political scene.
I'm old enough to remember watching Reagan give this speech. I was 13 at the time, and I'd only just started to become aware of politics. I spent much of my youth in the same political vein as my parents, as most kids probably do.
Over the years, my own political ideology has gone through some torturous changes. From a 1980's-style conservative Republican teen, I segued into a big-L Libertarian young adult, and thence into my current position as a left-leaning citizen's rights absolutist. (I'll explain that one in another posting).
What's almost ironic is as I grow older I find that in some respects Reagan impresses me more than he did when I was a naive Republican cheerleader. Whenever I stumble across the classic pieces of Reagan's political thought, I'm struck all over again that no matter what you might think of his intelligence or fiscal policies, Reagan had a better handle on the essential role and responsibilities of government than most current Republicans.
Of course, this could simply be the result of comparing the heyday of Republican philosophy to mindless ranting that passes for Republican thought today. When you spend all day in the light of candles, even a 40-watt bulb will seem brilliant.
As for Mr. Bankard's thesis that we have become that which we opposed-- it's a bit much. I agree with Bankard in specifics, but not in general. I will certainly agree that we stand now at a decision point; how we handle ourselves now will determine whether or not we become the same evil empire we once stood against. But to say we are now such an empire is overstating the case.
Oh, and first post to my new shiny weblog. I feel so ... connected somehow. Updated with trackback link to MeFi; bear with me, I'm still figuring this out. 8)