] There is something terribly wrong when the United States,
] after Sept. 11, fails to condemn the pardoning of
] terrorists and instead allows them to walk free on U.S.
] streets.

Moral Misstep (washingtonpost.com)

] Of course, it's always possible God did put George W.
] Bush in the White House. But if He did, it doesn't
] theologically follow that He wants him to have a second
] term. Even those who believe that God controls world
] events usually concede it is hard for humans to divine
] the intent of the Divine.
]
]
] After all, in the Bible, God is described as doing things
] for all sorts of inexplicable reasons%u2014sometimes as a
] reward to the people, and sometimes as a punishment.

Heaven Sent - Does God endorse George Bush? By Steven Waldman

] A television journalist was shot dead as he made a live
] broadcast from Baghdad yesterday when United States
] helicopters fired on a crowd that had gathered round the
] burning wreckage of an American armoured vehicle.

Hard to spin or deny that...

Telegraph | News | TV reporter killed by US fire during live Baghdad broadcast

] PATRIOT DAY OBSERVANCE
]
] Patriot Day became a day of national observance on Dec.
] 18, 2001, when President George W. Bush signed a
] presidential proclamation.
]
]
] The Patriot Day resolution designates a day to honor
] those killed in the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks on
] the United States.

[ Did anyone else know about this? I had no idea. It's sure as fuck not something I think a goddamn hallmark card can commemorate. -k]

Patriot Day 2004

] For a small but powerful minority in the Cuban American
] community, the Posada gang are freedom fighters. But
] Sept. 11 taught the rest of us about the danger of
] political fanatics who seek to rationalize their
] violence. To uphold his oft-stated principle that no
] nation can be neutral in the war on terrorism, shouldn't
] President Bush have condemned Moscoso's decision to
] release these terrorists? To protect the sanctity of U.S.
] borders and the security of Americans, shouldn't the
] administration have taken all available steps to keep
] known terrorists out of the United States?
]

LATimes via Daily Kos :: Amid Cheers, Terrorists Have Landed in the U.S.

] Those with money and power are approaching Hari
] Seldonesque abilities, gradually steering public opinion
] using knowledge of how groups think, and I only see that
] trend increasing as basic human instincts are
] incorporated into more realistic game theory models.
] Individuals, on the other hand, often don't have the time
] and/or inclination to dig into any particular issue for
] themselves - meaning that many people will tend to
] make decisions using the very instincts that are most
] easily manipulated.

John Shirley asks several scifi authors about the future.

Locus Online: John Shirley: Global to Local

] For those who are interested, there's an enormous debate
] across the Blogosphere regarding the authenticity of the
] National Guard documents released by CBS yesterday (and
] highlighted in an earlier post of mine).

If you haven't noticed this debate, its worth a look. Adamist has some good links here. Apparently this discussion started in the Blogosphere and made it out to the mainstream media via the drudge report. Much like the details of Kerry's service record, the truth here is irrelevant. In this case its also illusive. Each commentator has detailed analysis which defends the position most favorable to their political leanings. All of the analysis sounds compelling. Everyone accuses someone else of playing loose with the facts. I don't expect a good answer to appear. If it does, a lot of people are going to be embarrassed.

[ Yeah, it's unfortunate, because the whole thing is now just a mess. I've read a ton of analyses, and they all sound ok to me, so what the fuck. That being said, the right answer is probably for Kerry to try and ignore it, and stress the things he knows and the things that are patently true : Bush fucked up *now* regardless of what happened back in the day. I'd be as happy as anyone if people saw these documents, if they're real, and said "What a fucking liar our president is, fuck that guy." But realistically, that was never gonna happen, even if the authenticity wasn't questioned. Hopefully Kerry can stay on message and keep pointing out that the job indicators suck, the economy sucks, iraq sucks, and the rest of the world is pissed at us due to bullshit foreign policy. There's only so much you can blame on 9/11. -k]

Damaging Anti-Bush Guard Records May Be Forgeries

The libertarian party's platform.

Pros: I think his comments on civil liberties, the draft, the rights of the accused, and other social issues resonate with me more strongly then what I'm hearing from other candidates. There are some interesting ideas in here about criminal justice.

Cons: The emphasis on Gun Control is totally out of place. That is not the most important issue on the table today. Furthermore, he shares the blind faith in privately funded institutions being "always better" then government organizations that the republicans have. In some cases this is very true. In others, there are problems. Show me someone who operates a private charity and thinks welfare would work as a private charity. I'll show you someone who should go ahead and start a privately funded welfare program. There is nothing stopping you, and if its effective people might adopt it. It would reduce the need for the government programs gradually. Fact is it won't be effective, and that cuts to the heart of the problem with the libertarian philosophy.

The libertarians let their ideas override reality. People know that some of this stuff won't work, and so the whole party comes off as a bunch of kooky radicals rather then a serious alternative. The fact is that most people in this country don't like either the fundies or the socialists. If the libertarians were willing to start from the middle and push things out in their direction based on practical experience.... If they were willing to operate government programs until alternatives are proven... If they could provide a truly moderate presidential candidate.... If...

[ Precisely. I like a lot of the Libertarian platform too. But as you say, it ends up looking like "GUNS GUNS GUNS GUNS GUNS GUNS GUNS GUNS GUNS GUNS GUNS GUNS GUNS GUNS GUNS GUNS GUNS GUNS GUNS GUNS GUNS GUNS GUNS GUNS GUNS GUNS! Oh, and no government funded anything." Too bad. -k]

Michael Badnarik - Libertarian for President

] W Ketchup is made in America, from ingredients
] grown in the USA.
]
] The leading competitor not only has 57 varieties, but has
] 57 foreign factories as well. W Ketchup comes in one
] flavor: American.

[ Wow, is really all i can say. Perfect for your freedom fries. -k]

All Ketchup is not created equal

] Graduates from St Blasien Jesuit College, near Freiburg,
] were complaining about the new wrappers for Haribo's
] Maoam sweets.
]
] In a letter to the firm, they wrote: "We are shocked at
] the shameless presentation of sexual practices on the
] wrapping, which includes not only sexual intercourse but
] also fellatio and cunnilingus."

[ Well, they are pretty suggestive, but it's probably the kind of thing that you only notice if you aleady comprehend sex, so i'm not sure if it's really harmful. Pretty funny if you ask me. -k]

Ananova - Fruity sweet wrappers spark complaint