tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-51673302011-04-21T21:26:47.217-07:00Red MeatA Web Log written by Ed Moltzen, focusing on events of the day, news and (some) opinion. My email: edmoltzen-at-edmoltzen.com.Edhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17942875872623319476noreply@blogger.comBlogger3731100tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5167330.post-2003674612003-05-31T07:15:00.000-07:002003-05-31T07:15:27.490-07:00
O.K. Folks. I'm moving to a new site. I may maintain this for a few days, but I'm putting stuff into boxes and notifying the post office.
The new site is Late Final.
Hope to see you over there.
Edhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17942875872623319476noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5167330.post-2003579612003-05-29T09:59:00.000-07:002003-05-29T09:59:51.700-07:00
Democratic presidential candidate Howard Dean just sent out an email saying, among other things, "With the President's proposed budget and the $350 billion tax cut package he signed yesterday, it has become clear what this President is attempting to do, and why we must repeal the entire package of cuts: both those signed today and those passed in 2001."
Bob Herbert in The Times takes his shotsEdhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17942875872623319476noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5167330.post-2003565982003-05-29T05:15:00.000-07:002003-05-29T05:15:45.976-07:00
So all those hours I spent in front of the T.V. playing "Pong" as a child weren't a waste, after all.Edhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17942875872623319476noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5167330.post-2003563312003-05-29T02:54:00.000-07:002003-05-29T02:54:26.926-07:00
A note with no links because I heard this last night, and I found it bothersome.
Listening to the radio broadcast of the game between the New York Yankees and Boston Red Sox, Yankee Centerfielder Hideki Matsui took his turn at bat. After he hit, the radio announcers paused and did a commercial for Benihana restaurant. Matsui is Japanese. Benihana is a Japanese restaurant. Now, it's apparent thatEdhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17942875872623319476noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5167330.post-2003563132003-05-29T02:44:00.000-07:002003-05-29T02:44:50.406-07:00
Potentially good news in the fight against diseases afflicting minature poodles, as Meryl Yourish explains.Edhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17942875872623319476noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5167330.post-2003562792003-05-29T02:25:00.000-07:002003-05-29T02:26:39.000-07:00Andrew Sullivan provides the color commentary on the present flair-up at The New York Times, the resignation of Rick Bragg and fury of other reporters who say they shouldn't be painted with the same brush as he or Jayson Blair. Sullivan notes this quote from Times reporter Tim Egan: "What will come of this infighting, cannibalism, and soul-searching? Hopefully, we'll go back to valuing what we Edhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17942875872623319476noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5167330.post-2003562622003-05-29T02:15:00.000-07:002003-05-29T02:15:10.990-07:00
This Date in Nixon, 1972 - Detente formally begins, with the Nixon and Brezhnev signing the "Basic Principals of Relations Between the United States of America and the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics." The Cold War would last another 17 years.Edhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17942875872623319476noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5167330.post-2003516692003-05-28T02:59:00.000-07:002003-05-28T02:59:11.486-07:00
The good guys have captured two more members of the Deck of Cards:
MACDILL AFB, FL – Sayf al-Din al-Mashhadani (#46), Ba’ath Party Regional Chairman for al-Muthanna and Sad Abd al-Majid al-Faysal (#55), Ba’ath Party Regional Chairman for Salah al-Din were captured by Coalition Forces on Saturday.Edhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17942875872623319476noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5167330.post-2003516382003-05-28T02:39:00.000-07:002003-05-28T02:39:39.246-07:00
Spam, spam, spam, spam, spam, spam, spam.Edhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17942875872623319476noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5167330.post-2003516332003-05-28T02:38:00.000-07:002003-05-28T02:38:27.000-07:00Police have finally caught the man they suspect is the Baton Rouge Serial Killer, according to reports. Derrick Todd Lee is 34, and they arrested him in Atlanta. Good.Edhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17942875872623319476noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5167330.post-2003436792003-05-27T02:47:00.000-07:002003-05-27T02:47:51.916-07:00
Mickey Kaus continues pounding home some of the real issues behind the various New York Times controversies.
People at The Times seem to forget that the reason you have named bylines and named sources is to provide accountability. Without them, you could have unnamed reporters quoting unnamed sources about important issues. Rick Bragg is in trouble for using unnamed stringers. Jayson Blair got Edhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17942875872623319476noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5167330.post-2003419702003-05-26T12:30:00.000-07:002003-05-26T12:31:58.000-07:00The Baton Rouge Serial Killer task force has a suspect in the case, and they've put out an APB. They've also cautioned that he's dangerous. Derrick Todd Lee, 34, is wanted in connection with the murder of Carrie Lynn Yoder, the fifth and most recent of the women linked by DNA to the same killer.
UPDATE: Seems that DNA taken from Lee on May 5 matches DNA taken in connection with the Yoder case, Edhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17942875872623319476noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5167330.post-2003409352003-05-26T06:02:00.000-07:002003-05-26T06:02:34.063-07:00
This date in Nixon, 1969: "He will be the youngest member of the Cabinet, but one very experienced in all the responsibilities he will have." -- RN, commenting on the swearing in of Donald Rumsfeld as director of the Office of Economic Opportunity.
Edhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17942875872623319476noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5167330.post-2003408922003-05-26T05:38:00.000-07:002003-05-26T05:38:08.643-07:00
Rich people love good scandal. I mean, really love it. If you don't believe me, read David Patrick Columbia's account of the Rudy Giuliani-Judith Nathan wedding at Gracie Mansion.Edhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17942875872623319476noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5167330.post-2003406652003-05-26T03:06:00.000-07:002003-05-26T03:06:55.573-07:00
Some members of the Ku Klux Klan go on to be elected United States Senator. Others don't go that far.Edhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17942875872623319476noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5167330.post-2003391142003-05-25T11:51:00.000-07:002003-05-25T11:51:27.700-07:00
President Bush has a 66 percent approval rating across the country, according to the latest Gallup numbers. While his ratings have declined slightly since the Iraq war has ended, they're still higher than before the war.
Ironically, Bush's recent approval ratings reached their highest point when the anti-Bush and anti-war rhetoric also reached their highest point. (The rhetoric has cooled down Edhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17942875872623319476noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5167330.post-2003385012003-05-25T06:12:00.000-07:002003-05-25T06:12:50.050-07:00
This date in Nixon, 1973 - Nixon presides over the swearing-in of Attorney General Elliot Richardson, saying he expected Richardson to be one of the finest attorney generals. Five months later, Nixon fires Richardson for refusing to sack Watergate special prosecutor Archibald Cox.Edhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17942875872623319476noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5167330.post-2003383082003-05-25T03:57:00.000-07:002003-05-25T03:57:40.023-07:00
Coalition soldiers have taken $500 million worth (or thereabouts) of gold bars off a couple of guys in a Mercedes in Iraq. More evidence of what a smashing success the U.N. oil-for-food program was.Edhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17942875872623319476noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5167330.post-2003362102003-05-24T07:32:00.000-07:002003-05-24T07:32:12.190-07:00
Richard Johnson in the New York Post has this item (which I found via Drudge) on more problems at The Times. In any event, a public portrait is being painted of very important things being treated in a very cavalier way at a very important newspaper. Edhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17942875872623319476noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5167330.post-2003361992003-05-24T07:24:00.000-07:002003-05-24T07:24:57.496-07:00
It's bad enough having to flip the dial past those annoying Matthew Lesko commercials on cable. Now I'm getting his spam three or four times a month. Enough already. If I want money from the government, I'll file a mental health disability claim.
Edhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17942875872623319476noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5167330.post-2003361882003-05-24T07:18:00.000-07:002003-05-24T07:18:58.146-07:00
Another New York Times' "Editor's Note" of interest in today's edition. Basically, the paper reported a U.S. reconstruction official in Iraq was leaving his post, but its reporters never bothered to call, or try to call, the official. The reconstruction offical says he's staying on for his full, 90-day term, which is under contract.Edhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17942875872623319476noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5167330.post-2003358252003-05-24T04:36:00.000-07:002003-05-24T04:48:16.000-07:00We introduce a new feature at Red Meat, "This Date In Nixon."
On this date in Nixon, 1972: In a message read by Under Secretary of State John Irwin to the Ministerial Council of the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development on the 25th Anniversary of the Marshall Plan, Nixon said:
Now, on this anniversary, we face a new world and new tasks. With restored strength in Europe and Edhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17942875872623319476noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5167330.post-2003357982003-05-24T04:20:00.000-07:002003-05-24T04:20:51.773-07:00
Police in the Baton Rouge Serial Killer case released a sketch yesteday of a new "person of interest" in their investigation. The New Orleans Times Picayune says it could be "a break" in the case.
Some cautionary notes: Police sketches in high-profile cases are notoriously off on many occasions. (Son of Sam, The Oklahoma City bombing case, to name two.) Also, this latest "person of interest" Edhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17942875872623319476noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5167330.post-2003313692003-05-23T03:08:00.000-07:002003-05-23T03:09:56.000-07:00A curious correction in today's New York Times. (The one with the Apalachicola dateline)
The reporter involved was named about two weeks ago in a Drudge item that was live on Drudgereport.com for about 15 minute and taken down right away. This doesn't seem like any issue that needs to be put on a corrections page, but is probably being done so the reporter can continue working with a clean bill Edhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17942875872623319476noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5167330.post-2003313172003-05-23T02:39:00.000-07:002003-05-23T02:39:59.736-07:00
When Jerry Brown ran for president in 1992, he refused to take PAC or corporate contributions, and he also refused to take any contributions of more than $100. And he did this before the World Wide Web made grass roots contributing online possible. Still, Brown beat out many other well-financed Democratic candidates that year in the primaries, and, out of a field of about 8 candidates, finished Edhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17942875872623319476noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5167330.post-2003313122003-05-23T02:35:00.000-07:002003-05-23T02:35:21.636-07:00
Glenn Reynolds isn't just the "Instapundit." He's also a law professor and he tells this story about grading exams this year.
Edhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17942875872623319476noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5167330.post-2003312982003-05-23T02:29:00.000-07:002003-05-23T02:29:38.646-07:00
Now, here's a leader who knows how to get things done:
PRESIDENT PUTIN has ordered fine weather for the St Petersburg summit and 300th anniversary festivities next week, and it is unlikely to rain on his parade.
Ten aeroplanes will take to the skies, equipped with cloud-seeding agents in an attempt to induce rain away from the city, allowing holidaymakers and visiting heads of state to enjoy Edhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17942875872623319476noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5167330.post-2003261612003-05-22T03:26:00.000-07:002003-05-22T03:26:00.966-07:00
According to Fox News, the Orange Alert was sparked because of new evidence of al Qaeda activity in Iran.
How much longer could Iran be a problem? Well, on July 9, there could be a "general strike" in the country that, if strong enough, could lead to an overthrow of the government, according to a NY Sun article I first noticed via Instapundit.
Edhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17942875872623319476noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5167330.post-2003261142003-05-22T03:04:00.000-07:002003-05-22T03:04:59.023-07:00
New York Residents, behold your tax dollars at work.Edhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17942875872623319476noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5167330.post-2003260982003-05-22T02:57:00.000-07:002003-05-22T02:57:33.560-07:00
CORRUPTION WATCH: Long Island highway super will be arraigned today on charges she helped a friend cheat taxpayers on public works contracts, says Newsday.Edhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17942875872623319476noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5167330.post-2003244692003-05-21T15:53:00.000-07:002003-05-21T15:53:15.376-07:00
The Command Post is up on details of this afternoon's bombing of the Yale Law Library.
Edhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17942875872623319476noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5167330.post-2003237472003-05-21T13:09:00.000-07:002003-05-21T13:09:28.373-07:00
A new study put out by the Congressional General Accounting Office (GAO) (here, in .PDF form) says that it might actually wind up being easier for the U.S. to find and get rid of weapons of mass destruction in Iraq than it's been to do the same thing in the former Soviet republics:
The most significant difference between the U.S. experience in providing disarmament assistance
to states of the Edhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17942875872623319476noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5167330.post-2003228332003-05-21T10:16:00.000-07:002003-05-21T10:16:51.260-07:00
There's a scene in the new book by Steven Brill, "After: How America Confronted the Sept. 12 Era," in which President Bush tells Attorney General John Ashcroft - just hours after the towers collapsed on Sept. 11 and when the casualty fears were still in the tens of thousands:
"Make sure this never happens again."
It's simple. It's uncomplicated. It's direct. It's to the point. No focus groupsEdhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17942875872623319476noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5167330.post-2003212802003-05-21T05:18:00.000-07:002003-05-21T05:18:49.400-07:00
The final member of the Buffalo cell that supported al Qaeda has copped a plea.
In his admission, al-Bakri states that he, Alwan, Goba and another man left New York on May 12, 2001, and arrived in Karachi, Pakistan the next day. On al-Bakri’s second day in Pakistan, he was told that he was going to the al Farooq camp, and that he was going to meet the “most wanted” at the camp - a reference he Edhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17942875872623319476noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5167330.post-2003211082003-05-21T04:26:00.000-07:002003-05-21T04:26:56.393-07:00
A group called "Google-Watch" hates bloggers, or at least is very wary of them.
Edhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17942875872623319476noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5167330.post-2003211002003-05-21T04:24:00.000-07:002003-05-21T04:24:21.240-07:00
Animal Rights, sure. But let's not get crazy. That seems to be the public's opinion, as measured by the Gallup people:
The vast majority of Americans say animals deserve at least some protection from harm and exploitation, and a quarter say animals deserve the same protection as human beings. But most Americans oppose banning medical research and product testing on laboratory animals. By an Edhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17942875872623319476noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5167330.post-2003210792003-05-21T04:18:00.000-07:002003-05-21T04:18:31.953-07:00
Jayson Blair reportedly could land a seven-figure deal for his book. He's not making a very good case for it by saying stuff like this.Edhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17942875872623319476noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5167330.post-2003210702003-05-21T04:14:00.000-07:002003-05-21T04:14:38.126-07:00
Aren't these the labs Iraq said it didn't have? When those guys wanted to hide stuff, they really, really hid it. Edhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17942875872623319476noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5167330.post-2003159402003-05-20T05:08:00.000-07:002003-05-20T05:08:49.413-07:00
For a dose of Long Island attitude, you can check out Lorelei's blog or Michele's blog.
Lorelei is a friend who has taken very quickly to blogging, and does a good job at it.
Michele is not someone I've ever met, but has one of the best blogs in the world.
If anyone else knows of native Long Island blogs, please email me and I'll mention them. Because, quite frankly, the more Long Islanders Edhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17942875872623319476noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5167330.post-2003155632003-05-20T02:52:00.000-07:002003-05-20T02:52:46.580-07:00
Box seats are supposed to be pricey, but I think this is going too far. Edhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17942875872623319476noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5167330.post-2003155582003-05-20T02:50:00.000-07:002003-05-20T02:50:40.430-07:00
The Yankees beat the Red Sox last night, 7 to 3, and are now a game ahead of Boston in the American League East.
Manny Ramirez, Boston's left fielder, makes $17 million this year. He has six home runs. Alfonso Soriano, the Yankees second baseman, makes $800,000. He has 12 home runs. Just saying, is all.
Edhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17942875872623319476noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5167330.post-2003155512003-05-20T02:44:00.000-07:002003-05-20T02:44:02.980-07:00
This is too weird to even try to describe.Edhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17942875872623319476noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5167330.post-2003155342003-05-20T02:35:00.000-07:002003-05-20T02:42:18.000-07:00Rich people in New York love their scandals, so everyone must have been Jonseing last week when the JFK-Intern story broke. David Patrick Columbia writes, on NewYorkSocialDiary.com:
Jackie Kennedy certainly had some awareness of her husband’s carnal life. How she felt about it is not known to us.
Just because you don't know, doesn't mean you can't dredge it up years later at dinner parties.
Edhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17942875872623319476noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5167330.post-2003100322003-05-19T02:16:00.000-07:002003-05-19T02:17:37.000-07:00Every two or three years, we see a good Daily News story about how some New York City school janitors make tons of money. One made $175,000 last year. A Janitor. Here's the story.
(President Bush made $200,000 last year. But then, he only had to clean up Iraq, and not P.S. 125.)
Edhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17942875872623319476noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5167330.post-2003082152003-05-18T12:56:00.000-07:002003-05-18T12:56:18.916-07:00
The good news for President Bush: he rates higher than FDR on the "Greatest Presidents" list in the latest Gallup survey. The bad news: He tied Bill Clinton.Edhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17942875872623319476noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5167330.post-2003075372003-05-18T08:37:00.000-07:002003-05-18T08:39:56.000-07:00Newsweek this week offers an autopsy on the Jayson Blair meltdown. Blair's supporters (these guys always have supporters), are putting out the story that Blair was battling alcoholism, cocaine use and depression, combined with the pressure of working for a big city newspaper. Anyone who has spent any length of time around newsrooms realizes that describes about one-third of all working Edhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17942875872623319476noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5167330.post-2003071732003-05-18T05:51:00.000-07:002003-05-18T05:52:33.000-07:00Yesterday, I wrote about The New York Times buying ad space at Drudge's Web site. For those who only see the "Axis of Weasel" ad when you click, here is a screen capture of Drudge's site with the Times banner ad right on top.
And today, in a story talking about blogs, including Gawker.com, The Times pretty much turns to Drudge as the "gold standard:"
Ms. Spiers said her site averaged 30,000 Edhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17942875872623319476noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5167330.post-2003070922003-05-18T05:11:00.000-07:002003-05-18T05:11:19.190-07:00
On Long Island, N.Y., gas has dipped under $1.60 a gallon for the first time this year. At it's highest, regular unleaded reached about $1.89. Based on the evidence, it must really not have been a war for oil in Iraq. Victory would seem to have been a lot more powerful than $1.59 a gallon.
We may start seeing how the Oil Boy Network responds to the toppling of Saddam when OPEC meets on June 5.Edhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17942875872623319476noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5167330.post-2003055922003-05-17T13:13:00.000-07:002003-05-17T13:29:48.000-07:00American media has now come full circle.
The top banner ad at the Drudge Report is for a "50 percent off" sale on subscriptions to The New York Times. (The ad alternates with a separate ad for "Axis of Weasel" playing cards.) It's hard to even begin to process the implications of this.
Times' columnist Frank Rich, in a Dec. 4, 1999 column written after the Fox News Channel cancelled a Edhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17942875872623319476noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5167330.post-2003055602003-05-17T13:00:00.000-07:002003-05-17T13:00:07.720-07:00
This is a news story of interest about the new police term for suspect: "Person of interest." Score another point for lawyers, who set about forcing society to change the way it speaks.Edhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17942875872623319476noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5167330.post-2002998902003-05-16T05:53:00.000-07:002003-05-16T05:53:33.063-07:00
The Kingston (N.Y.) Daily Freeman has this piece on Kingston city officials complaining about the accuracy of a 2001 Jayson Blair story that profiled how the city was adapting to economic difficulties.
Forget all the affirmative action arguments. They don't apply here. Forget all the stories about inside politics at The Times. This isn't about inside baseball.
By all appearances, Jayson BlairEdhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17942875872623319476noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5167330.post-2002998042003-05-16T05:25:00.000-07:002003-05-16T05:25:55.023-07:00
Michele at A Small Victory is writing about her memories of television as a child: The 4:30 movie and Chiller Theater to be specific.
The Chiller Theater opening credits prevented me from sleeping as a child from age six to age 12. Edhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17942875872623319476noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5167330.post-2002945422003-05-15T04:54:00.000-07:002003-05-15T04:54:42.290-07:00
They buried former Sen. Russell Long yesterday. He once said this:
I really think that it's better to retire, in Uncle Earl's terms, when you still have some snap left in your garters.
Edhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17942875872623319476noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5167330.post-2002945222003-05-15T04:47:00.000-07:002003-05-15T04:47:51.040-07:00
No word on whether this guy put little smiley faces on his emails.Edhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17942875872623319476noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5167330.post-2002945122003-05-15T04:44:00.000-07:002003-05-15T04:44:29.000-07:00Howard Dean, who has been described as needing to win the New Hampshire primary next year to remain a viable presidential candidate, is now making a move for Iowa - the state that offers the first-in-the-nation caucuses right before the New Hampshire primary.
Dean has hired Iowa U.S. Sen. Tom Harkin's press secretary.Edhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17942875872623319476noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5167330.post-2002944522003-05-15T04:17:00.000-07:002003-05-15T04:17:54.790-07:00
Andrew Sullivan is quoting a speech yesterday by Margaret Thatcher:
"There are too many people who imagine that there is something sophisticated about always believing the best of those who hate your country, and the worst of those who defend it."Edhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17942875872623319476noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5167330.post-2002926432003-05-14T17:19:00.000-07:002003-05-14T17:21:39.000-07:00New York Attorney General Elliot Spitzer has announced a Special Fun Indictment against the "Buffalo Spammer:"
Carmack is facing numerous charges, including Forgery in the Second Degree, a class D felony, Criminal Possession of a Forgery Device, a class D felony, two counts of Falsifying Business Records in the First Degree, a class E felony, and two counts of Identity Theft in the Third Degree,Edhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17942875872623319476noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5167330.post-2002920862003-05-14T14:32:00.000-07:002003-05-14T14:32:40.430-07:00
A judge has ordered the MTA in New York to roll back a fare increase for buses, subways, the Long Island Railroad and Metro-North trains.
I'm not sure if it would work on buses and subways, but as far as Metro North and the LIRR are concerned, the MTA should think about enhancements to its service, such as "hot spot" trains with wireless Internet access. (Charge extra for the train ticket, andEdhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17942875872623319476noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5167330.post-2002920182003-05-14T14:16:00.000-07:002003-05-14T14:16:58.190-07:00
Any ladies who are in the market for a mate, might want to check out A Small Victory. Edhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17942875872623319476noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5167330.post-2002920092003-05-14T14:15:00.000-07:002003-05-14T14:15:25.406-07:00
A former Times veteran and U.N. bureau chief, Barbara Crossette, has some thoughts stemming from the Blair controversy that are worth reading, and they're posted over at Poynter.org.Edhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17942875872623319476noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5167330.post-2002872612003-05-13T17:37:00.000-07:002003-05-13T17:38:28.000-07:00Remember Opie & Anthony - the New York-based, syndicated radio hosts who were fired after a raunchy, on-air contest went awry at St. Patrick's Cathedral last year? Well, they suggest there are "separation of church and state" issues in criminal cases brought against show participants.Edhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17942875872623319476noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5167330.post-2002871762003-05-13T17:09:00.000-07:002003-05-13T17:09:49.543-07:00
Instapundit drew my attention to this story about the discovery of one of the largest mass graves ever found in Iraq:
Among the remains are thought to be the bodies of political prisoners killed after a Shia Muslim uprising against Saddam in 1991 but also entire families...Human rights groups believe that up to 200,000 people may be buried in sites across the country.
We now return to our Edhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17942875872623319476noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5167330.post-2002829722003-05-13T03:13:00.000-07:002003-05-13T03:16:19.000-07:00John Ellis notes this about New York City's current fiscal crisis:
Over the course of the last decade, New York City has added not one private sector job and nearly 100,000 public sector jobs. There's a tipping point for most everything and New York City is in danger of tipping over.
Edhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17942875872623319476noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5167330.post-2002829592003-05-13T03:08:00.000-07:002003-05-13T03:09:58.000-07:00Paging Bill Bennett...
Gov. Pataki has signed on to a gambling deal that could have Mohawk-run craps tables taking action by the end of the year.
Edhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17942875872623319476noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5167330.post-2002829082003-05-13T02:37:00.000-07:002003-05-13T03:09:46.000-07:00I took my wife to a diner for Mother's Day. She didn't wear a hat.
Edhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17942875872623319476noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5167330.post-2002829042003-05-13T02:35:00.000-07:002003-05-13T02:35:31.460-07:00
Write fake news stories. Get thrown out of the industry. Write a book. Get your friends to buy it. Edhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17942875872623319476noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5167330.post-2002812992003-05-12T16:56:00.000-07:002003-05-12T17:18:28.000-07:00Dr. Germ won't be practicing her brand of medicine again.
But other events of the day (bombings in Riyadh and Chechnya), probably mean two things:
1) The bad guys are having a tough time getting their act together inside the U.S., to set off their bombs here;
2) It reiterates for the White House the need to keep the pressure on in every respect - financial, military, diplomatic, judicial, Edhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17942875872623319476noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5167330.post-2002772172003-05-12T02:58:00.000-07:002003-05-12T02:58:30.800-07:00
The Baton Rouge serial killer investigation has frustrated a number of residents in the area, who, according to the Times-Pacayune, have provided police with some new information. The T-P's coverage of the case is heating up, with this story from Saturday.
Edhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17942875872623319476noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5167330.post-2002771922003-05-12T02:48:00.000-07:002003-05-12T02:48:14.120-07:00
Ugh. Parents at a Long Island school district are up in arms that their teen-age sons have been disciplined for going to a strip club while on a Florida road trip. At the bottom of the story, it's noted the kids and their parents have an "appeals process." Ugh. Edhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17942875872623319476noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5167330.post-2002771672003-05-12T02:35:00.000-07:002003-05-12T02:42:13.000-07:00Andrew Sullivan's followup on the Jayson Blair scandal is more provacative than yesterday's take. Meanwhile, William Safire talks about conservatives, Schadenfreude and Jayson Blair. If no other major problems are found with Blair (or anyone else at The Times), this story may just cycle out after today. Edhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17942875872623319476noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5167330.post-2002748202003-05-11T11:57:00.000-07:002003-05-11T11:57:36.943-07:00
The Jayson Blair scandal at the New York Times rages on, and Andrew Sullivan has this take:
And the reckoning still may not be complete. I'd say it's the biggest blow to the credibility of newspaper journalism since the Janet Cooke affair. But will anyone apart from Blair be held responsible?
In the end, all reporters and editors are held responsible, and the newspaper of record seems to Edhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17942875872623319476noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5167330.post-2002647932003-05-08T19:47:00.000-07:002003-05-08T19:47:15.446-07:00
Gary Hart has decided against running for president in 2004. On his web log, he writes:
For myself, I intend to keep fighting. Through writing, speaking, and teaching, I hope to continue to make an effort to elevate public discourse and dialogue and to change the direction of our nation. I urge you as strongly as I can to do so also. Never give up.
Hart would have brought a well-thought out, Edhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17942875872623319476noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5167330.post-2002607682003-05-08T06:12:00.000-07:002003-05-08T06:12:02.300-07:00
The Washington Wizards fired Michael Jordan yesterday. Every time President Bush gets a little cocky at his approval ratings, he should think about that.
Edhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17942875872623319476noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5167330.post-2002607302003-05-08T06:03:00.000-07:002003-05-08T06:03:56.860-07:00
When I played high school sports, the coaches only made us do extra laps when things were over. Edhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17942875872623319476noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5167330.post-2002547022003-05-07T05:21:00.000-07:002003-05-07T05:22:51.000-07:00Almost half of America is now married, according to new Gallup numbers.
It's hard to interpret what this means, except that about 72 million Americans are on their way to divorce court. For the other 72 million: Good for you.Edhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17942875872623319476noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5167330.post-2002546872003-05-07T05:18:00.000-07:002003-05-07T05:18:26.783-07:00
Not good.Edhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17942875872623319476noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5167330.post-2002546812003-05-07T05:16:00.000-07:002003-05-07T05:16:45.810-07:00
For a billiion dollars, don't you think he could do a little bit better than a scratchy audiotape? Edhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17942875872623319476noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5167330.post-2002484692003-05-06T03:57:00.000-07:002003-05-06T03:57:51.823-07:00
There's a new AFLACK commercial with Chevy Chase and the AFLACK duck (I believe portrayed by Gilbert Gottfried.) The commercial just debuted on CNBC. The insurance company's CEO says its earnings will be up 15 percent to 17 percent. Edhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17942875872623319476noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5167330.post-2002465912003-05-05T15:28:00.000-07:002003-05-05T15:28:50.210-07:00
Coalition forces have captured "Mrs. Anthrax," according to CNN.
Mrs. Anthrax. Chemical Ali. Dr. Germ. Maybe we didn't need to send the army over there. Maybe we just needed Batman and Robin.
Edhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17942875872623319476noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5167330.post-2002431342003-05-05T04:21:00.000-07:002003-05-05T04:21:07.560-07:00
The Gallup people have come up with some interesting numbers on the economy and the president. While most Americans believe we're suffering through a recession right now (58 percent), even more are optimistic things will be better a year from now (63 percent).
One way to read into it is that more Americans feel safer now than they did on Sept. 11, and as long as things are safer, there's Edhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17942875872623319476noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5167330.post-2002413502003-05-04T15:39:00.000-07:002003-05-04T15:45:04.000-07:00Gary Hart, in his latest web log entry, decries a lot of what President Bush has done since entering the White House, especially everything that has been done to combat terrorism and threats to national security - without what Hart believes is an adequate regimen of congressional hearings and public discussion:
Why is this administration so afraid to deal openly and honestly with the American Edhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17942875872623319476noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5167330.post-2002409592003-05-04T13:17:00.000-07:002003-05-04T13:17:14.380-07:00
Oliver Mackson, a great reporter and columnist for The Times Herald-Record in Middletown, N.Y., has a column on a local police/political controversy in Orange County, N.Y. Edhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17942875872623319476noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5167330.post-2002403892003-05-04T09:41:00.000-07:002003-05-04T09:41:57.463-07:00
A story in the Times Pacayune in New Orleans delves into how the Baton Rouge serial killer has gotten into the minds of women in the bayou country.
Edhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17942875872623319476noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5167330.post-2002403352003-05-04T09:24:00.000-07:002003-05-04T09:24:29.403-07:00
Jim Treacher has an important, new opinion poll on his blog. Edhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17942875872623319476noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5167330.post-2002398692003-05-04T05:02:00.000-07:002003-05-04T05:02:35.620-07:00
"We're learning, for example, that Tariq Aziz still doesn't know how to tell the truth," Bush said.
"He didn't know how to tell the truth when he was in office; he doesn't know how to tell the truth as a captive." - NY Post coverage of presidential remarks.
Is there a cage with Aziz's name on it at Camp X-Ray? At some point, you'd think he'd be in for a little Texas Justice - if nothing but toEdhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17942875872623319476noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5167330.post-2002388392003-05-03T17:58:00.000-07:002003-05-03T17:58:54.000-07:00Police have apparently considered, but ruled out, a dozen men as suspects in the Baton Rouge serial killer case, according to local T.V. reports there.
"there are individuals that have been investigated since the beginning of this investigation. if you didn't have their d-n-a they would look like they were responsible for these homicides."
d-n-a tests cleared the men as suspects.
Five slain Edhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17942875872623319476noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5167330.post-2002370092003-05-03T05:41:00.000-07:002003-05-03T05:42:04.000-07:00Remember Opie and Anthony? The New York radio team that was fired after a "controversy" at St. Patrick's Cathedral last year? Well, they're still out of work and sounding really bummed out.
The FCC hasn't yet ruled on complaints made about their controversial show last August, but their home radio station, WNEW-FM, has been on life-support for a few months, changing formats and waiting to Edhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17942875872623319476noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5167330.post-2002358562003-05-02T18:27:00.000-07:002003-05-02T18:27:47.813-07:00
Fox won't produce a reality T.V. show to elect the next president. You would think it's because it was a lousy idea. Nope. Evidently, they didn't have enough money to produce the show.
Edhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17942875872623319476noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5167330.post-2002358492003-05-02T18:24:00.000-07:002003-05-02T18:25:08.000-07:00The Blog of the Century of the Week makes a good point about a fellow blogger. This guy obviously isn't from Long Island, where traffic on the Long Island Expressway and alternate routes was crawling - if not stopped - because a sign was falling down. (Yes, a sign was falling down.)Edhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17942875872623319476noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5167330.post-2002353752003-05-02T15:43:00.000-07:002003-05-02T15:43:15.420-07:00``The sooner we finish it, the better.''
Via The Command Post, we ran into the story of the latest Saddam Hussein video. Reportedly, he appeared, dazed, confused and like he hadn't had a restful sleep in a few nights.
Good.Edhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17942875872623319476noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5167330.post-2002353042003-05-02T15:23:00.000-07:002003-05-02T15:23:30.176-07:00
More outcry over the Bush Administration's policies toward an endangered species. Edhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17942875872623319476noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5167330.post-2002352792003-05-02T15:16:00.000-07:002003-05-02T15:45:57.000-07:00The federal courts have knocked down big parts of the McCain-Feingold law regulating so-called "soft money" in political campaigns - money that corporations, political action committees, unions, etc., spend on behalf of candidates they want to win.
I'm not a lawyer, so I don't know whether McCain-Feingold was really constitutional. However I do remember, covering the '92 presidential campaign, Edhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17942875872623319476noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5167330.post-2002304962003-05-01T19:21:00.000-07:002003-05-01T19:28:17.000-07:00Jeff Jarvis says he didn't vote for President Bush, and probably won't the next time around. But he says this about the President's speech on board the U.S.S. Abraham Lincoln:
It was the speech of a leader. He did not gloat but he did show a firm and clear direction.
There will be controversy over some things he said, of course. Yes, he all but linked Iraq to 9.11 but, you know, it's not a far Edhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17942875872623319476noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5167330.post-2002299192003-05-01T15:50:00.000-07:002003-05-01T15:55:53.000-07:00The Boycott Hollywood Web site is shutting down after lawyers for the William Morris Agency threatened the site's hosting provider with legal action. Glenn Reynolds, the Instapundit, has a good take on it.
Makes one wonder if Tim Robbins has a copy of that "chill wind" speech still tucked in his jacket pocket, that he can use on these entertainment execs and lawyers. Can you imagine if The Edhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17942875872623319476noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5167330.post-2002265282003-05-01T05:28:00.000-07:002003-05-01T05:28:38.323-07:00
By more than 2-to-1, most Americans approve of the job President Bush is doing, according to this week's Gallup numbers.
The survey organization, though, spells out a potential pitfall:
More than half the public, 54%, says the president is not paying enough attention to the economy, while just 43% says he is.
Another way to look at it, though, is that most Americans acknowledge we're winningEdhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17942875872623319476noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5167330.post-2002261892003-05-01T03:18:00.000-07:002003-05-01T03:18:05.366-07:00
So much for the war in Iraq "distracting us" from the war on terror.
Said Secretary of State Colin Powell, in releasing his department's annual report on global terrorism:
...thousands of terrorists have been captured and detained. For those still at large, life has definitely become more difficult. It is harder for terrorists to hide and find safe haven. It is harder for them to organize and Edhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17942875872623319476noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5167330.post-2002261722003-05-01T03:06:00.000-07:002003-05-01T03:06:43.156-07:00
Tony Blair says those who doubt whether there are weapons of mass destruction in Iraq will be left "eating some of their words."
Since Blair and President Bush have a track record of being right, that may end the discussion (at least in England) for the time being.
Kofi Annan is asking the U.N. Security Council to finally come together and show some unity on Iraq. In other news, a farmer Edhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17942875872623319476noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5167330.post-2002247942003-04-30T17:38:00.000-07:002003-04-30T17:38:16.296-07:00
One more bad guy is out of circulation, according to CNN:
"When al Qaeda came and killed Americans, there was only one way to deal with them: That was to hunt them down, find them and bring them to justice," Bush said. "The war goes on."
You get the feeling that for every victory like this against these blood-thirsty terrorists, that gets publicized, there are dozens that are kept quiet and Edhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17942875872623319476noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5167330.post-2002247632003-04-30T17:29:00.000-07:002003-04-30T17:29:27.646-07:00
Jeff Jarvis points to an interview with comic/activist Janeane Garafolo just as the Iraq war was beginning and, noting her breathless arguments against military action, totally nails it:
...it's all about Janeane: Janeane the transcender of nonsense, Janeane the pilloried spokesperson for peace, Janeane who just doesn't care about dumb things, Janeane the queen of ennui.
You can never, never Edhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17942875872623319476noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5167330.post-2002204402003-04-30T02:04:00.000-07:002003-04-30T02:04:36.480-07:00
When Son of Sam was on his killing spree in the late '70s, it took some parking tickets to finally lead cops to his door. Now, with the Baton Rouge Serial Killer hunt, police hope that backtracking on evidence from hundreds of rape kits may help them find their man. This may not lead to the serial killer, but it will undoubtedly help them close some rape cases they wouldn't have otherwise Edhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17942875872623319476noreply@blogger.com