The Friday Bacon

The makings of bacon burgers.

Benjamin Franklin Report: 30 Nov 07

An inevitable feature of the give and take in our economic system is the fact that we have to pay back whatever it is that we use. In simplistic terms, when you spend money, it has to come from somewhere, be it in the form of a trade item or currency. Or, if you really need money, you can spend your future earnings, which has gotten us into a bit of a bind recently, as I previously reported. In summary, the market is looking like it's rebounding nicely. Freddie Mac (NYSE:FRE) and Fannie Mae (NYSE:FNM) managed to issue some short-term debt items to raise enough capital to keep their operations afloat at least for another 90 days. (Wait, what is an S&L again? Why were they so controversial again?) The really big news item of the day, though, is this article. Countrywide Financial is dealing with the private ramifications of the ongoing credit crisis, although there is a whiff of hope in the air that is pushing Countrywide's stock (NYSE:CFC) up by more than 14% at press time. Citigroup (NYSE:C) is also benefiting from what some jackass business correspondent might call headwind generated in the markets by potential government intervention. I guess if Hope is not readily apparent, corporations are not forced to create their own by saddling their duly paid representative to take on their misguided liabilities.

Something of a Splash

Over at Youtube today, Mike Gravel's campaign has caused another minor internet sensation. Perhaps the grass roots can cause trouble for the established media system yet.

The First Amendment

As has been the case more times than necessary to enumerate here, the Bill of Rights in general, and the Freedom of Speech enshrined in the first Amendment specifically has come under attack in the years of the Bush administration. In a more local example, a blogger known as daTruthSquad has come under attack for revealing details of an underhanded land deal. The Township of Manalapan in New Jersey has gone so far as to file for an injunction to force Google to reveal the identity of the blogger in a tax-payer sponsored fishing expedition. Check it out, and here.

We are Imbued With Certain Natural Rights From Our Creator

http://www.reason.com/news/show/123496.html
Its nice to see a judge that has respect for Ron Paul, even though he uses terms that make me uncomfortable. I get the feeling that if Ron Paul started comparing himself to Barry Goldwater, about half of his support would vanish. Its also nice to see a judge with an honest opinion of the President refer to average Americans as sheeple.

Here, the government is asking firemen to spy on you. What could possibly go wrong? For one, lots more lawsuits.

http://ap.google.com/article/ALeqM5gek2oSZ_67sh2ukVvXaCGCXzpypwD8T3IFL81

Something that is rarely pointed out, the case that established the state secrets defence was actually an example of government lies. Years later when the requested documents were made public it was revealed that infact, there was no secret mission, and there was no spy equipment. It was just some guys on a normal plane on a normal training run. The government just wanted to avoid liability for a wrongfull death.

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20071126/ap_on_go_co/state_secrets_4;_ylt=AjLTg3ieO32EurPT9pvqFOoE1vAI

Big suprise!

The U.N. added tazers to its list of torture devices.
http://wcbstv.com/national/taser.torture.united.2.595058.html
The language in the article is pretty stark. I feel like we have been doing shoddy work if we only have re-reported 2 of the 6 recent deaths from tazers. Does this recent move by the U.N. mean local police departments will have to stop using tazers or just reign in their yahoo sadistic officers.

I am not saying the peace officers in any of these incidents are sadists or were acting in a sadistic manner. I am just saying it would behoove local law enforcement bodies to take more time training the officers in their midst that could be percieved as "sadistic."

The Friday Bacon

Wisconsin Crazy: At Least He Didn't Shoot the Kid

In a case that tests our typical definition of the Wisconsin Crazy, a poor hunter who couldn't get a beer got a little heated and used his personal firearm to shoot his farm animal on his own property. As of publication, it is unclear whether or not the goat made a good stew. This article also serves as further evidence as to why Fark needs a Wisconsin tag.

(Red Herring: Fuck tha Police!, that's what she said.)

Wisconsin finally getting some God damn respect

I hate how the old media always ignores that UW-Madison led the way in stem sell research like it has in biotechnology for over a hundred years. They prefer to mention California for some inexplicable reason. So California gave a grant to its researchers? I think its more noteworthy when a state that doesnt have an economy to rival Germany it means they care more to spend the few dollars they have.

The real issue that raises my ire is hidden on page 5 of the article. These rat bastards have been using foreskin. Skummy doctors are harvesting foreskin for research and mutilating poor defenceless childrens sex organs. They tack on an extra surgery to a healthy pregnancy to raise their profit margins like Best Buy tacks on the extended warrenty. What the hell is with the double standard in this country? We get outraged when some villagers in Egypt or Afganistan perform a cliterodectimy but expect a man in this country to have his sexual organs mutilated in an unnessary operation. No outrage, we fucking expect it as the norm. It makes me sick.

http://www.newsweek.com/id/71441/page/1

Walk of Shame

In Hamlet they called this incest. In Christianity its called Adultary.



http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20071119/ap_on_re_us/preacher_paternity;_ylt=AgivIHlMuxhkSP4DfrF3N5as0NUE





Warren Jeffs goes to jail.





http://news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20071121/ts_nm/usa_polygamy_jeffs_dc_3



Some guy is accused of using a popular photoshop gag to slander his wife. He also had kiddy porn. Get it?



http://news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20071121/ts_nm/usa_polygamy_jeffs_dc_3

Simple Logic

If A, then B. (by the by)

KITTENS!

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/scotland/north_east/7101506.stm
A bunny is foster parenting a litter of kittens. How adoreable.

More Tazing, More Questions

A 20 year old man in Frederick, Maryland died after police deployed a taser and stunned him. Allegedly, he and three other suspects were fighting when police arrived on the scene, and they tasered this guy. As of publication, there is no official cause of death.

So, if you run over a cop's foot, side-swipe a taxi, and then smash into a police cruiser to avoid getting arrested for driving drunk without a license, and then resist the police? That's a tasing, as this Ottawa woman found out.

To be filed in the "WTF" category, is this case which comes to us from Jacksonville, Florida. Allegedly, police had their suspect detained in the car, after zapping him for an undisclosed number of times for an undisclosed duration, and then during the four minutes between when the EMTs left and got the "cardiac red" call from the police officers, the man died. I'll take a shot in the dark here and say that this incident is probably as fishy as it sounds.

Talk about a lousy punchline, a Bradenton, Florida man was tased and arrested for being drunk in a joke store. The real punchline is that this incident is still fishy. For instance, even though officers had restrained the suspect on the ground, they tasered him to invoke cooperation with the handcuffs.

"Do it."

This is one of the more neuanced tazer stories. Clearly the kid was acting really stupid, and probably deserved to be tazed. However, from the article its not entirely clear that it was necessary. This article shows the police mentality that I have spoken about previously, that everything is percieved as a hostile act when all you deal with is the scum of humanity. Its also pretty clear that both sides are streaching the truth to make themselves seem as good as possible.

http://www.fredericknewspost.com/sections/news/display.htm?storyID=67793

Trifecta of trifectas is now in play!

Another case of tasing, the walk of shame, and the Wisconsin Crazy! This just goes to show that it doesn't pay to be a janitor at the wrong place at the wrong time. How long will it be until we have a trifecta of trifectas?

Feeling Sub-Prime?

The thing I want to point out here, that hasnt been mentioned except as denials that it is a consern, is that when the subprime mortgage market is allowed to push off its horrid investments on Fannie May and Freddie Mac this amounts to welfare. This is fucking corporate welfare. These are opportunistic people who took advantage of poor optimistic people who only wanted in on Bush's "ownership society." These subprime lenders were only conserned with making a buck and they all knew they were making a bad investment, which is why they hid these in larger investment packages and passed them off like hot fucking potatoes. Now that the investment has turned out to be a bad one they want to pass the burden of cleaning up the mess on to you and me, the fucking tax payers, and they want to leave the Joe and Jane Doe holding the bag. The poor people that got suckered into these predatory loans are still going to loose their home, while the fucking asshole real estate "flippers" got rich off of over inflated house values.

The big point again is that you and I are going to have to pay for the bad investments of some selfish dickheads. This whole thing strikes me as hypocritical bullshit. the people that wer making these investments are the kind of assholes that bitch and moan about the cost of social services and demand we privatize everything, but as soon as trouble looks their way and they go crying to the government for help. Every aspect of this makes me sick.

This whole thing is made worse because its tied up with the falling dollar, droping consumer confidance, falling manufacturing, inflation, falling wages, increasing unemployment, vastly increasing deficet.

Loss of International Good WIll

During the initial phases of the feigned outrage in congress over the use of torture on those in U.S. custody, then Attorny General nominee Alberto Gonzales said in responce to criticism that even if we torture people Americans can never be as bad as the terrorists. It has also been remarked with dismay that the whole way in which the Bush administration has been treating detainees is one of the main reasons we are loosing all of our good will internationally.

http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/politics/2002170340_gonzales04.html

For example, Russia has been throwing obstructions infront of international election monitors that they had origionally invited to oversee their current round of national elections. They dont take kindly to any criticism that they might not be behaving like a democracy should and impugn the recent American human rights record and voting irregularities stating that we are not ones to talk down to them about democracy.

http://ap.google.com/article/ALeqM5iyBfqwTaolA0ETVWNlYycSzVpn8wD8SV0H3O0

Pakistan is less subtle when it points out the speck in our eye to divert criticism from the plank in their own. General/President Pravez Musharrif declared a state of emergency and imprisioned political opponents, and today installed a "caretaker government." Musharrif justifies all this under his countries anti-terrorism laws and points to the U.S. when he justifies locking up dissodents. He says he is doing this to protect his country from radical islamists, but the people he is throwing in jail are the legitimately elected moderates he ousted from power in a military coup. His recent behavior and comments are reminicent of the attitudes of the types of people we have been forced to team up with in Bush's global, generational, war on terror. We have to deal with tribal warlords who see the way we behave and missapprehend it as anti-islam. They say they are also against the Islamists and say they are on our side. Once they have our support they proceed to be corrupt, violent, crime lords.

http://www.bloomberg.com/apps/news?pid=20601087&sid=a2GeoguY159A&refer=home

http://www.ctv.ca/servlet/ArticleNews/story/CTVNews/20071107/Malalai_Joya_071107/20071107/

The Friday Bacon

Chemicles from bacon promote quick recovery after a heart attack.
http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2007/11/071112172140.htm

Diabetes = Terrorism

Aparently going into a diabetic coma is not only worthy of being tazed by some rural deputy in Alabama but by police in Leeds U.K. Wilfred Brimley better watch his ass.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/england/west_yorkshire/7096456.stm

Smell that wound, and tell me if it smells like Limburger

So, apparently the American housing market is going to continue to get worse and worse, judging from the storm surrounding Fannie Mae in the last couple of days. Apparently, the government-run enterprise is exposed to the tune of 270 billion dollars to the subprime housing market. This makes the funny math that Fannie Mae tried to pull on its last accounting statement all the more interesting, as it may indicate that they are already experiencing beyond normal losses, and the CEO is predicting twice the norm for next year. If one believes in the predicative power of the marketplace, the fact that Fannie Mae lost about 10% of its stock value yesterday.

The interesting part of this story comes from the fact that the housing market is eager to to push off their subprime assets onto the big GSEs, such as Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac, which is why the market is so eager to see Fannie Mae' supervising agency, the OSHEO, to raise the housing lender's government-imposed financing caps. But, in light of the aforementioned outstanding exposure, combined with the fact that Fannie only has $40 billion in capital on hand, the bond issuance of the day before yesterday to the tune of $3 billion backed by home loans. looks like a desperate effort to keep the entire corporation from sinking into the red.

How important is Fannie Mae considering the unfolding crisis? I would say, "very."

Vancouver-style Tasing

Brought to you by the Globe and Mail, here's the story about Robert Dziekanski and his untimely end at Vancouver International Airport. Clearly, the man was scared out of his wits. Again, with almost every other taser incident that we've looked at here, the officers seemingly overlook Mr. Dziekanski's cooperation and give him a tasin'. In an interview, the photographer, Mr. Paul Pritchard relates how the cops immediately went to the taser option, as soon as the four of them arrived on the scene. The police discharged two air cartridges into the suspect, which are audible in the video. However, the cause of death comes into question later in the video, when one of the officers is seen striking where I think Mr. Dziekanski's head is. Notice how the body language of the officers changes drastically after that, and the witness on the video mentions "Code Red." I can only imagine what the Coroner's report will say.

Who vetoed my ham sammy?

Rep. Obey (D -Wisconsin) said the President would have vetoed a ham sandwich. I cant find anyone using the quote. Aparently the media doesnt want to use such a colorfull phrase.

http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2007/11/13/national/main3494847.shtml

NAKED TIME with yours truely

Is it just eye? just the little ego within that seems to think that the RIAA has no place to deny collage kids financial aid when their campus either doesn't want to spend the money and man power to enforce copyright laws or doesn't have the money or man power to do such? seriously, WTF? Its like enforcing a law that would require teachers to report any student caught listening to a copied tape in their walk-man. and worse yet, if they dont report on a student engaging in the cultivating experience of looking or listening to pirated media, then all student, regardless of woning a walk-man (computer) will get a federally placed aid removed thus making it impossible for some of the poorer to go to collage. bull-Sh!T i say. their i blogged. i feel dirty. yuck.

http://www.bizorigin.com/2007/riaa_nuclear_option

Trifecta

The walk of shame, the Wisconsin crazy, and a tazing all in one marvelous story.
A Madison, Wisconsin police officer accidently discharged a tazer and tazed him or herself.

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20071113/ap_on_fe_st/odd_taser_accident_4

The new cover to Hitchikers Guide to the Galaxy.

Don't Panic

144 posts and this is the second with primary source reporting.

Background: This afternoon I was in a neighborhood in Cleveland that boarders two neighborhoods that are drasticly distinct economicly. The far east side of Cleveland which is poor, with many abandoned homes, foreclosed homes, and boarded up storefronts, where the average home sells for not more than $30, 000. Seperated by two to three blocks of shops in increasing state of repair as you travel east is the western edge of Shaker Heights, a community that is host to homes that top $1 million.

The Observed Facts: On the street that markes the political/jurisdictional boundry between these two communities (Kemper/Moreland), I saw what I would term a "speed trap." Between the hours of 3pm and 4pm I observed six seperate traffic stops on this street. Of those six traffic stops the only three of which I was able to get a look at the driver of the vehicle, the driver was a black male.

Interpretation: I have made no attempt to contact the Cleveland or Shaker police departments to clarify what I saw. Also, I make no accusation of racial profiling. What I observed could easily be a fluke in the time that I happened to be looking and all the other people that were stopped during this operation were of some other ethnic/gender mix. It only looks bad when there is this kind of strong arm tactics that could lead to such an impression.

brief the taser shorties

A jailer in Walton County Georgia is punished for misuse of a taser, a first since the department began using them in more than four years of use.

A guy crazed by ganja assaults an 18-wheeler, gets a tasing. There is no readily apparent explanation as to why he was naked, though. Disorderly conduct and resisting arrest seem like a fitting punishment.

A school officer in Fredericks County, Maryland deployed a taser against a 17 year old who was resisting efforts to take custody of his sister. He later goes to jail for disorderly conduct and several other charges.

A guy gets trashed and ends up trashing a show at the Washington University in St. Louis, that's a tasing. As of publishing, there is no word on the charges he faced, if any. Here's the Chief of the WUPD discussing why the tasing was appropriate, and raising the question of whether a taser is appropriate if it is not meant to incapacitate the subject, instead designed only to cause pain.

A question that's so interesting, in fact, it's part of a blossoming legal battle involving tasers in Waxahacie, Texas. It might be of note also for the poor guy in Alabama who was tased for having an epileptic seizure, as it's pretty much what happened to the plaintiff in the case.

From the realm of good news, a tape of the incident in Vancouver, B.C. is going to be released for public consumption tomorrow. The first one to post the Youtube video here on the blog is officially a nerd of the highest order. Let the race begin!

Sure, Taser parties might be the hottest thing since being born again and hosting a bible study, but the stock market isn't being kind to Taser, International today. Perhaps investors are nervous about the aforementioned legal battle and its implications for future orders, or looking at the crumbling expenditures in the public sector and wondering if police departments are going to have enough money to keep their fleets moving, nonetheless replace fragile tasers.

Walk of Shame

I took a Harris Poll survey yesterday that asked wheather I thought it was wrong for closeted gay celeberities and politicians to be outed by the media. The next question asked, what if they are a politician that activly opresses homosexuals.

http://www.orlandosentinel.com/news/local/state/orl-boballen1007nov10,0,1617921.story

His conviction will require him to undergo testing for STDs and those results will be made public.

The Scent of Rage

According to the principal deputy director of intelligence, Donald Kerr, the American people need to reconsider what they consider to be known as "privacy." This, of course, follows in the wake of the revelation of AT&T's involvement in the terrorist surveillance program. This week is the week to pressure your Senator, especially if they are on the Senate Judiciary Committee. Of course, he is an appointed official who has to worry about his superiors above in producing quotes. Otherwise, he might have said something rational. Stranger things have happened.

6 Years After: A Look at Lessons Learned

According to Julie Carr Smyth, half of Ohio has had their background checked since 2001. The Ohio State Legislature in response reduced the amount of record keeping necessary under state statute.

Also, doesn't the fact that the FBI is busier and busier checking civilians for unpaid parking tickets than out doing their job of catching dangerous people who want to do dangerous things contribute to the overarching trend in the degradation of law and order that we've seen over the past seven years?

Go Hug a Veteran

Remember that today is Veteran's Day, and remember the human cost of our nation's military-industrial complex.

Tazers? Yeah, maybe not that safe after all

In an effort to correct what appears to be a rampant stereotype that getting shocked with thousands of watts of electricity is somehow safe, the National Review of Medicine, a digital newspaper for physicians in freedom-hating Canada, brings us this article. Three deaths are reviewed and apparently ti's hard to determine what made them die, particularly in a case in Vancouver, that we previously reported on. The debate is whether being in an excited state of delirium causes people to suffer spontaneous death when combined with tazing, as one can imagine it is hard to verify the theory. The bottom line is that the multiple uses should be avoided. Tazer International is betting on a 'drug-induced' delirium state that can explain away all of the deaths. There has been noise since 2004 as to whether or not tazers cause people to have 'ventricle fibrillation.

Diabetic? In Alabama thats a tazin

http://www.thenewspaper.com/news/20/2062.asp

The lowdown: Cops came upon a man having a diabetic seisure in his car on the side of the road. When he didnt respond to their verbal commands, and kept having his seisure like some hooligan, they tazed him. Three times. Eventually they figured out that he was under medical distress and instead of taking him to the nearest hospital for medical attention, they hauled his seizure having ass to jail and chucked him into a cell. The arresting officer claimed to have smelled alcohol. They administered a BAC test and found not only was he well under the legal limit, he had absolutely no alcohol in his system.

So again I pose to you the question that is the point behind all these tazer stories we keep posting here. Are tazers a device that spare criminals lives by providing peace officres with a less-lethal method of dealing with and ending the danger the criminal presents, or are tazers a device that since it so rarely results in death, and does not leave externaly visible wounds, police feel cart blanche to fall back tazers as a way to "induce compliance." These are alternatives we often label as "Tazers: Tool or Crutch?"

You may feel that both of those alternatives as I have described them are valid and fall under the "tool" catagory. However the second catagory as I have described it is rather broad. What about the situation at hand where a man was in medical distress and the officer chose to zap him. There could be any number of reasons that the officer decided to pull the triger in this situation but I dont think it would have turned out so bad as to have made the news if this officer did not have a tazer. I think the second catagory I described, if you believe that compliance inducement on a criminal who poses no risk to life is a legitimate reason for the use of force/tazers, can be divided into the larger catagories of Tool v. Crutch by drawing the line at media coverage. If the cop didnt have a tazer, would this case have wound up in the news?

The Wisconsin Crazy

Its been awhile since there was a Wisconsin crazy posting. This edition of the crazy comes to us from Green Bay where a man was on a crime spree of stealing snow plows. Bonus; he also was tazed.

http://www.lacrossetribune.com/articles/2007/10/28/wi/02wi1028.txt

The Friday Bacon

Another Big Fuckin Suprise

This is one of those things that is actually news of the situation being worse than previously known. However, noone will take any notice because everyone already assumed it was this bad. Basically, ATT was tapping EVERY FUCKING CALL, EMAIL, OR BIT OF INFORMATION you transmited over their lines.

Thats really fucking important!

The question being tossed around in the courts and the legislature is weather the government can tap calls involving foreigners because its pretty fucking clear that tapping the calls of a US citizen is illegal. But thats exactly what they have been doing.

http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/politics/2004001159_spying08.html?betterheadline

That Sucking Noise

Apparently, the confluence of record oil prices, a financial fallout in our primary sector for economic growth for the past decade or so, and creeping inflation is too much for the U.S. Economy to bear. The main indicator of the turbulence, the poor dollar has in the past day tumbled to a new record low against the Euro, as well as for the most part falling back to pre-Clinton exchange rates against other world currencies, notably the Canadian dollar. The Chairman of the Federal Reserve, Ben Bernake, one of the masterminds behind this rapid currency devaluation, has signaled that he expect the economy to slow for the rest of the year, and regain momentum in the beginning of 2008. What might be slightly worrisome is that he mentioned that they have not even calculated for even the possibility of a recession. The European Central Bank, for their part, are worried about the potential impact of cheap American exports on the world market, with Bush's new best friend Nicholas Sarkozy going so far as to mention the phrase "trade war." All of this makes me wish that the Fed still published statistics about the growth of money supply.

Oil, on the other hand, is not nearly as interesting, it only hit an amazing high just over $96 per barrel, as opposed to actually eclipsing the $100 price range. Between the price of oil being up 42% since August and "I think the market is due for a correction," I would say that we need to start car pooling more, or perhaps look into public transportation.

In other news, the primary builder for expensive homes in the U.S., Toll Brothers announced that their sales are going into tailspin, bringing up the question of whether the leg that is consumer spending is wobbling... Hopefully, it's only wobbling.

The New York Stock Exchange and most other world indices were pushed down today by poor results in the tech sector.

By far the most worrying aspect of all of this is the mention by Cheng Siwei, Vice Chairman of the Standing Committee of the National People's Congress and the other mastermind, that the American dollar is losing its status as a world currency.

I hope the managers at brokerages are telling their people to lay off the coke.

Stumbling Upon the Horror

Behold, a horror of war, via Stumble Upon.

"A Papercut"

Consider this as indicative of the overall situation of the military, the war in Iraq, and the unfortunate enlisted volunteers.

Clearly, the military is almost desperate for people if they are speaking of individual soldiers and their skill sets as "investments." Not to say that every single soldier isn't expensive, but they are having problems recruiting and retaining people and those who have already suffered are suffering more "papercuts."

Around 700 people have gone through just Walter Reed to be treated for serious injuries involving the loss of a limb, not to mention thousands of others who have suffered severe burns and traumatic head injuries. The War in Iraq, due to the nature of the weapons involved has become one of the most brutal bloodbaths in history, and with each side continuously re-inventing the bomb, the death toll stands to climb higher. But, as some may say, the insurgents are fighting a guerrilla war, trying to best us through ten thousand papercuts.

Despite the fact that many of these injuries have cost these men and women their lives livelihoods, they are not especially cared for in the manner that most Americans would expect. The individual Army of One is not particularly significant in and of him or herself, indeed to the impersonal military bureaucracy that is the Department of Defense, their losses are only so many papercuts.

Music downloads don't hurt sales

http://www.smh.com.au/news/web/piracy-not-raiding-cd-sales/2007/11/06/1194118008817.html

Scients discovered that music sales are not hurt by music downloads. Perhaps it was the downturn in the economy. Or its just that mass produced, prepackaged crap that they pass off as music anymore isnt appealing because its so drab and derivative that noone can relate to it.

Get to know Iran

Take a look at thees beautiful pictures of the country of Iran before our warmongering government decides to destroy that beauty and its people.

http://picasaweb.google.com/aatrvash/Iran02?authkey=WHfBV-cDZ2E

Salvation for sale by the 12 pack

Sen. Chuck Grassley, R-Iowa, is asking for the financial records of a number of the nations largest televangalitical organizations, because (GASP!) something might be amiss. Something seems askew. Something ain't quite right here. I cant quite put my finger on it but perhaps these fabulously wealthy organizations that enjoy tax-exempt status seem a bit odd when the "ministers" are making six(6) figure salaries and driving a Roles Royce. (quite the fine automobile)



Some of you might be wondering why they are scrambling to comply voluntarily. It seems to me that this sounds like a voluntary request at this point and if one were misappropriating money from a tax-exempt organization and inclined to commit further crime, one could alter ones records to appear less damning, and thusly seem to be in compliance in hopes of avoiding an investigation by the IRS who may be more inclined to use police authority and warrents to get the information they require. Not that any of these just crusaders for the glory of Christ would even misuse the money in the first place, let alone lie about it to a duely elected member of congress.



http://blog.beliefnet.com/news/2007/11/george-osmond-patriarch-of-osm.php

We are The Future

The information will be free, despite your best efforts to restrain, control, and oppress us. The balance has been shifted, and we are of equal strengths now. Scissors cutting paper, we can and are slowly tearing away at your ugly underside, muckracking and bringing your worst excesses into the light of day. The heavy hand of government is placed squarely on the back of our necks, like in the DMCA, but we can invent new media almost faster than you can catch up to it. Humanity will be integrated as a whole in a way that Gutenberg could never have comprehended. Despite your best efforts to divide us into disparate parts, unequal to your inertitude, always fighting each other.

You cannot control us, you will listen to us, the information is free.

IT'S JUST A COLLECTION OF (TV) LINKS!!!!!!!!!

http://yro.slashdot.org/article.pl?sid=07/10/19/1846236

The brain of Bloated Nemesis has been blown like a Washington State Senator. This should be news to none, but for those who haven't gotten the candlestick in the library, I'll explain. See, the log cabin could be fertile ground for a legitimate anarchic society. One where there is no authority beyond the will of the masses, which could be more educated, learned and cultured than ever before. The speed, multiple media aspects, expansiveness, and relative ease of the log cabin are what people in this past millenium have been waiting for as an opportunity to truly change the world for the better.

Since the end of the Dark Ages, with its heartless monarchies, massive divides of wealth, and illiterate populace, when the introduction of the printing press proved to be what they needed at that time to bring about a new age,( fucking literally!) smart folks have been waiting for the next printing press. The printing press , when looked at 20/20 maybe was not something that brought about a utopia, but the effect that it had on everything from everyday life to education to communication to governments etc. was dramatic, profound and good. Revolutions occurred, commerce increased and art and reason were at a premium. The log cabin is the next printing press. And maybe, if let be, it would not create an according to Hoyle utopia. The printing press certainly didn't do that (US magazine anyone?) but that's our own damn fault. The log cabin can be redemption, or at least a good time.

Yet...yet, the fucking man wants things to not change. Things will change, you can't prevent it. They mot change for the better, if the man had his way, but they will change, and I don't think the man realizes this. Whatever happened to idealism? And don't tell me it got blown away in November 1963. That was just the end of the old era of idealism, the log cabin should and fucking WILL BE the dawn of hope, optimism and love!

The Walk of Shame

Again, the most vocal moralisers turn out to be evildoers of the worst kind. Thats not fucking hyperboly; child molestation, and child prostitution are truely evil. If this guy is guilty he needs to face strenuous justice.
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/21611373/

Swept Under the Rug Saturday: Take a Cold Shower to Wash Away the Dirty

Against our advice and that of their own consciences, the Senate Judiciary Committee is poised to send the nomination of former Judge Michael Mukasey to the full Senate floor for a vote. I wish I could understand where they're going with this one. There are already concerns about the legal definitions of key terms, like "torture," "subpeona power," and "separation of powers," and placing another Bush Administration yes man in a key position like Attorney General is asking for more of the same. He has already gone on record to say that if the Congress were to attempt to enforce the subpeonas that it has already issued against the administration, that the Justice Department would not be obligated under the law to enforce those subpeonas. So who would be? The military? (This article mentions the legal limbo of CIA interrogators if anyone presses the torture thing.)

Anyway, the Judiciary Committee appears to have completely caved, mainly due to the "terrorist" threat again. Senators Schumer and Feinstein are trying, along with the other members of the committee who vote in favor of Mukasey to be added to our new list of Republicrats. I am beginning to think that instead of being worried of the potential ramifications if the broken clock is right again for the second time, but the implications of they themselves being designated terrorists and forced to endure that treatment. Bush is clearly in support of the part-time Guiliani campaign adviser, mentioning him in the first sentence of his weekly radio address.

Oh, and for the record, note the interesting wording of Guiliani's response in the first Republican debate. You know, when they're answering the rhetorical "terrorists are at Gitmo, and the DoD is worried about more attacks, what do you do?" question? Notice where Guiliani puts the "not" "I wouldn't tell them to torture" rather than "I would tell them not to torture."

Anyways, please contact the various members of the Judiciary Committee to voice your disapproval.

Some are pretty worked up over the torture issue, but I am far more worried about the subpeona issue.

Rage for Breakfast

In a case of trying to have one's cake and eat it, too, the Bush Administration, through the Departments of Justice and State (re: more political interference in the federal bureaucracy) is pushing Congress to not adopt the Sudan Accountability and Divestment Act, which appears to be the brainchild of savedarfur.org . As loathesome as the conduct of the Bush Administration may be at times, this is by far the worst case of hypocricy and ineptitude that has been demonstrated thus far. I mean, it may not seem like the most pressing issue in the world to some, and I'm not going to touch upon the obvious question that this viewpoint raises. However, in this situation, even a little practical U.S. support in the form of even an AWACS or two tasked to administer a no-fly zone to support the UN Peacekeepers, could go a long way toward bringing about a sustainable resolution to the issue. Given the strong response that the crisis drew from the administration in the past, notably in the speeches of former Secretary of State Colin Powell and current Secretary of State Condoleeza Rice, one would think that they might consider more than just their political backing. Which brings me to, perhaps, the most important question raised by this entire affair, just who is the administration protecting? Whose stock price stands to take a tumble after retirement funds and pension boards all over the country divest themselves of corporations doing business in the Sudan?

Rage is clinically proven to be a better stimulant than a morning cup of coffee.

shorten your briefs

Myanmar: a new internet blackout, coupled with the expulsion of the UN Special Envoy, forbodes trouble. The opposition claims that it's strength is waxing, but the military has only begun to respond. Meanwhile, a look at the govt's recruiting efforts, the life of one of the youngest members of the country's elite and his life in singapore, and why his life is about to become much more complicated.

Ivory Coast: What some see as a tenuous peace process moves at a careful pace, while questions are raised about fattening war chests.

Zimbabwe: Under the strangely opaque lighting of continuing negotiations between the government ZANU-PF and the opposition MDC, the two parties have agreed to postpone elections to March of '08. Will these negotiations lead to resolution of the crisis facing Zimbabwe? I bet on no. Phillip Pasirayi also bets on no, though for slightly different reasons.

The Bomb: A resolution will be coming soon to a UN General Assembly near you, with the usual suspects already voting in their respective ways. The world powers dispatch their representatives to London to talk about Iran's bomb. The Bush administration is trying to bully the other permanent members of the UN Security Council for license to attack Iraq, er, Iran. Sorry, I had a moment of deja vu there. North Korea, meanwhile, might soon be rid of their bomb. Germany wants a piece of the potential pie that is the Indian Nuclear Deal, which PM Singh says is only delayed. And check out Hindustan Times' "Nuclear Deal Imbroglio" page.

The Friday Bacon

I think I would rather risk the cancer.

http://www.dailyexpress.co.uk/posts/view/23812

Because its a sex drug

http://www2.sunjournal.com/html/babyfood/?storyid=235887&t=3