"I like your Christ. I do not like your Christians. They are so unlike your Christ" --Gandhi
"To announce that there must be no criticism of the president, or that we are to stand by the president, right or wrong, is not only unpatriotic and servile, but is morally treasonable to the American public." -Theodore Roosevelt
"A little revolution, now and then, is a good thing." -Thomas Jefferson-
"In my lifetime, we've gone from Eisenhower to George W. Bush. We've gone from John F. Kennedy to Al Gore. If this is evolution, I believe that in 12 years, we'll be voting for plants." -Lewis Black-
"When you're born in the world you're given a ticket to the freakshow; when you're born in America you're given a front-row seat. And some of us in the front row have notebooks and pencils." -George Carlin
BILL SICS LEGAL EAGLES ON ABC By PHILIP RECCHIA and JENNIFER FERMINO - New York Post Online Edition: News
Topic: Media
2:44 am EDT, Sep 11, 2006
That led to Keitel rewriting most of his own lines - which in turn meant almost daily revisions for cast members who had scenes with him.
A particular point of contention was a scene in which O'Neill, observing reams of Arabic documents, asks his assistant, "Do we have Arab translators?" only to be told, "I don't know of any. I'll call around."
"Keitel couldn't understand why the FBI didn't have Arabic translators, so the dialogue was changed on the spot," said a script supervisor.
On one occasion, Keitel holed up in his hotel for an entire day with director David Cunningham revising the script.
Other times, Cunningham would "fumble through the 9/11 Commission book trying to figure out how to correct details Keitel called into question," said the script supervisor.
Wow. Thanks Harvey. Too bad it didn't get the project scuttled, but it could have obviously been much worse.
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration has approved the sale of the world's first totally implanted artificial heart -- the AbioCor, pioneered in Louisville.
The decision runs against the advice of an advisory panel last year, which essentially said the risks of the AbioCor heart were greater than the benefits. The panel's vote in June 2005 was 7-6.
So let me make sure I have this right. The advisory panel says no (close vote though) to the plastic heart, and the FDA approves it over their objection. A previous advisory panel voted 23-4 to approve Plan B for over the counter sale with no restrictions, and just to make sure there wasn't an issue, also noted 27-1 that there is no medical reason to restrict it based on age.
I am goddamn sick of money, politics and religion sticking in on basic medical decisions. Vioxx is safe, at least it looks like it is because we covered up some of the studies. Plan B gets held up for 3 years because some pinhead wants to force his religion on the rest of us.
I'm not opposed to a plastic heart, I think it could be great. But if the advisory board thinks it's not ready and wants more testing done, what's the issue?
Hot damn! A good Bob Dylan song and Scarlett Johansson? Screw that bimbo Paris Hilton as the Marilyn Monroe of this generation. This one actually has talent.
UK's Blair to resign next July: report�|�International News�|�Reuters.com
Topic: Politics and Law
3:00 am EDT, Sep 6, 2006
Tony Blair will leave office on July 26
This is goodbye to W's only ally in his "Coalition of the Willing" and the likely next PM would be from the Conservative Party. That does not bode well for W.
Is There Still a Terrorist Threat? | Foreign Affairs
Topic: War on Terrorism
6:43 pm EDT, Sep 4, 2006
What terrorism?
Despite all the ominous warnings of wily terrorists and imminent attacks, there has been neither a successful strike nor a close call in the United States since 9/11. The reasonable -- but rarely heard -- explanation is that there are no terrorists within the United States, and few have the means or the inclination to strike from abroad.
It is worth remembering that the total number of people killed since 9/11 by al Qaeda or al Qaedalike operatives outside of Afghanistan and Iraq is not much higher than the number who drown in bathtubs in the United States in a single year.
Although it remains heretical to say so, the evidence so far suggests that fears of the omnipotent terrorist may have been overblown, the threat presented within the United States by al Qaeda greatly exaggerated. The massive and expensive homeland security apparatus erected since 9/11 may be persecuting some, spying on many, inconveniencing most, and taxing all to defend the United States against an enemy that scarcely exists.
Editorial: Loose talk / The Bush rhetoric on Iraq is sounding desperate
Topic: Politics and Law
1:38 pm EDT, Sep 1, 2006
What would be most useful for America at this point is that its 2006 electoral campaign be waged on the basis of truths -- about its economic situation, of primary importance, as well as the current position of the United States in Iraq and the rest of the Middle East. Feeding lies into the system -- with claims that advocacy of withdrawal is disloyalty, "Islamic fascism" is the problem or the situation in the Middle East is like that in 1930s Europe -- is stupid and counterproductive to useful debate among competing candidates. It needs to stop now before it goes any further.
Ohio to Delay Destruction of Presidential Ballots - New York Times
Topic: Elections
2:24 pm EDT, Aug 31, 2006
In Miami County, in southwestern Ohio, official tallies in one precinct recorded about 550 votes. Ballots and signature books indicated that 450 people voted.
Crooks and Liars » Keith Olbermann Delivers One Hell Of a Commentary on Rumsfeld
Topic: Media
11:18 am EDT, Aug 31, 2006
Dissent and disagreement with government is the life’s blood of human freedom; And not merely because it is the first roadblock against the kind of tyranny the men Mr. Rumsfeld likes to think of as "his" troops still fight, this very evening, in Iraq.
It is also essential. Because just every once in awhile… it is right — and the power to which it speaks, is wrong.
Olbermann blasting Rummy and the administration, with the video available. He may not be Murrow, but he's closer than anyone else on the air right now.
