Random Quotes Friday

"I think I am too sarcastic to believe in myself." - Friedrich Nietzsche

"In theory, theory and practice are the same. In practice, they are not." - Lawrence Peter "Yogi" Berra

"To stand in silence when they should be protesting makes cowards out of men" - Abraham Lincoln

"If this were a dictatorship, it would be a heck of a lot easier - just so long I'm the dictator." - George W. Bush, December 18, 2000

"You can only be young once. But you can always be immature." - Dave Barry

"Please fill out my reader survey, it's only nine questions, just click here, I beg of you." - Me

Tags: quotes, Friedrich Nietzsche, Yogi Berra, Abraham Lincoln, George Bush, Dave Barry, quotations

Fun with Dick and Chains - "A no brainer"

In an interview on Tuesday, vice president Dick Cheney finally admitted that the U.S. does use water-boarding as an interrogation method. The method involves securing a suspect to a table or board that is angled with the head lower than the feet, and then either dunking them into water, or pouring water over their faces, preferably with the face wrapped in cloth or cellophane. This causes the suspect to gag and choke and feel like they're about to drown.

But don't worry about whether or not this is inhumane or dangerous; the VP has assured us that this is not torture.

In the interview on Tuesday with WDAY Radio in Fargo, N.D., host Scott Hennen asked Cheney, "Would you agree that a dunk in water is a no-brainer if it can save lives?"

The VP then replied, "It's a no-brainer for me, but for a while there, I was criticized as being the vice president 'for torture.' We don't torture. That's not what we're involved in."

Now, that seems pretty clear that he was asked about water-boarding, and replied in the affirmative, but apparently I may have mis-interpreted the response. Luckily, Lee Ann McBride, a spokesperson for Cheney, was able to clear it up:

"What the vice president was referring to was an interrogation program without torture. The vice president never goes into what may or may not be techniques or methods of questioning."

Thanks for the clarification there, Lee Ann. Being tricked into admitting you use a certain technique by answering a direct question is not the same thing as admitting it. Kind of like when somebody who's being tortured admits to anything just to get the torture to stop.

Meanwhile, Cheney's old buddies at Halliburton are up to their old tricks again. This time they're submitting bills to the government for their contract work in Iraq that included 55% in overhead. But I'm sure it's all legit. They wouldn't be awarded no-bid contracts if they weren't on the level, right?

Think I'm an ass for posting this? Tell me by filling out my reader survey. - Click here to give me the what for.

Tags: Dick Cheney, torture, water-boarding, Halliburton

Charity is better than sex!

Well... maybe not better, but at least as good!

Researchers, writing in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, have scientifically proven that charitable giving activates the brain's reward center. Known as the mesolimbic pathway, the reward center is responsible for the euphoria associated with sex, money, food, and drugs.

So, how will you react this holiday season when you start receiving solicitation letters promising an orgasmic experience in return for your donation? Will you open up and give like you've never given before?

You know what else feels good? Helping a blogger improve his work by answering the nine short questions on his reader survey - Click here to find out how good it feels!

Tags: giving, sex, charity

Introducing Uncle Joe Bile...

Your Uncle Joe Bile shares his views on the upcoming mid-term election, the Mark Foley sex scandal, the Iraq war, and other issues...



I'm still hoping to get more feedback about this blog. Click here to take my reader survey - only 9 quick questions - Thank you!

Tags: mid-term elections, Mark Foley, republicans, Iraq

Carnival of the Decline of Democracy - Round 11

Welcome to Round Eleven of the Carnival of the Decline of Democracy - Blogging 'till the secret police take us away.

Hell's Handmaiden presents Time to Choose Sides - We start off with an examination of how the torture bill clashes with our Jeffersonian view of individual rights.

Phil for Humanity presents Do Not Elect Wealthy Politicians - An innovative approach to rebuilding democracy, but where do we find the non-rich candidates to vote for?

Bill Losapio presents What we can do as individuals to begin regaining our freedom - A libertarian point-of-view that doesn't include voting...

Largest Minority presents Sunnis Establish an Islamic Republic Inside Iraq - Details on our failure to establish democracy, as promised, in Iraq.

We Stand Divided presents Third in line - What says "decline of democracy" better than graft that would make Boss Tweed blush?

Madeleine Begun Kane presents Trade Deficit, Budget Deficit, Truth Deficit - An entertaining poem on the decline of truth concludes this week's carnival.

Thank you for joining us on our bi-weekly look at the decline of democracy (and occasionally hopeful responses to it). The next edition of the Carnival will be posted on Monday, November 6th, with entries requested by Saturday, November 4th, at midnight. This will be the Election Eve edition, so keep that in mind when submitting!

Submit your blog post for the Election Eve edition of the carnival of the decline of democracy using our carnival submission form. More information on future carnivals can be found on our carnival home page.

Tags: carnival of the decline of democracy, blog carnival, politics, American government

Friday Follow-up

In follow up to Wednesday's posting, about the letter warning Southern California Latinos not vote... The letter was sent out by the campaign of Republican candidates Tan Nguyen and arrests will be forthcoming.

Nguyen has fired the staff person responsible, and claims not to have known the content of the letter, despite having called the mailing house to expedite it's delivery. 14,000 of the letters went out, in all.

Also, this week I've been asking readers to respond to a short (9 question) survey. Your answers will help me improve this blog. Click here to submit your input.

Yesterday I mentioned that over 4,000 people had watched my Is the President Always Right? video on YouTube. In the last 24 hours, that number has nearly doubled. This blog, on the other hand, averages about 75 visitors each day, meaning that the 24 hour increase in video views is equal to three-and-a-half months of blog visitors. For those who are keeping score.

Finally, for the truly entertainment starved, order your Burger King Halloween masks today, go trick-or-treating at McDonald's.

Tags: Tan Nguyen, YouTube

Response to "The President is Always Right"

The other day, my blog entry here was a video that I made called, "Is the President Always Right?" It has been viewed by over 4,000 people so far on YouTube, and has generated quite a few comments, as I'm sure you can imagine.

Most of the comments have been supportive, and in agreement with the point of the video. Then there are a handful of the predictable haters ... lots of implications about my sexuality, or comparisons to certain parts of the female anatomy, but very little real debate. I appreciate the supporters, and ignore the haters who just like to see their names on the page.

But what really disturbed me, however, was a comment made by a user called goldrushnumber1:

i think bush is a good guy, just not the person i want leading my country, but i think the reason bush got re elected is because kerry wanted gay marrige and bush is aginst it, and i would rather the country get blown up with 1000 nukeular bombs than to have my children raised thinking homosexuality is OK... (my opinion, sorry if this offends anyone)

What gets me is that goldrushnumber1 actually sounds like a reasonable guy. He doesn't curse, or make aspersions about my motivations, sanity, or lifestyle. He recognizes that his opinion is no better or more valid than mine, and apologizes for any offense. Only the spelling gives him away as not being very bright.

The spelling, and that other thing ... He'd prefer Armageddon to civil rights for homosexuals. 1,000 "nukeular" [sic] bombs would pretty much destroy this nation. The bombs we'd release in return (in whatever little time we had to do it in) would destroy a couple more nations. The radioactive clouds all these explosions would send around the globe would take out a few more. Then chaos, starvation, etc., until the end of days. So, yes, Armageddon.

Is goldrushnumber1 such a true believer that he thinks this could be a good thing? Hastening the Rapture by selecting a leader who is likely to bring about Armageddon?

I really don't want to say anything nasty about goldrushnumber1 as a person. As outrageous as I find his views, I appreciate that he was polite in expressing them, and I want to return that courtesy. I'm just trying to understand the thought process.

Select one:
A) Global nuclear war.
B) Respecting other people's private lives.

Which would you choose?

Click here to take my Blog Satisfaction Survey - Only 9 questions!

Tags: Armageddon, gay rights, homosexuality, nuclear war, Bush, choices, comments