In a true display of jaw-dropping nutjobbery, Katherine Harris, Representative of the 13th ward in Florida, has declared separation of church and state to be "a lie," and that God did not intend for the U.S. to be a nation of secular laws. In case you don't remember Katherine Harris, she presided over the highly contested 2000 presidential election recount despite obvious conflicts of interest. She was co-chair of Bush's Florida campaign. Her new rhetoric sounds more in line with religious fundamentalism than main-stream Christianity. Let's hope that the good people of the 13th ward (the fighting 13th!) vote her out of office. That kind of all or nothing stance has no place in congress.
Whacko.
In a victory for civil liberty and free speech a court ruled that it was unconstitutional for a middle school to ban a student's shirt which depicted Bush along with a martini glass and some cocaine. The shirt also contained some verbal judo about the prez being "a chicken-hawk-in-chief" and a "lying drunk driver." Score one for the middle schooler.
Erstwhile an airline passenger was not as lucky. While trying to board a plane with a shirt that said "We will not be silent," in English as well as Arabic, the man was confronted by airport security who insisted he change his shirt. Apparently several paranoiac passengers had been frightened not knowing what the shirt said, probably imagining "Death to the infidels!" or "I heart terrorists."
Just so were straight:
Cocaine Bush? All good. Arabic? Not so much.
More good news from the alternative energy department. Franklin County Iowa could be the home of a massive wind farm. Iowa winds LLC is looking to develop 40,000 acres at a cost of 200 million. Here's rooting for Iowa. Stories like this should become more prevalent if my high school economics teacher was right. As demand for clean energy goes up, some opportunistic companies should create the supply.
A hydrogen backup power system has been installed in an environmental education center in Maine eliminating the need for gas powered generators. In case of a power outage hydrogen power keeps the center going including heat lamps that keep several reptiles warm. The system is the first of it kind in the nation. Hoorah for alternative energy! It's like an old German proverb that a high school teacher taught me: "Said the old lady who peed in the ocean, 'every little bit helps.'" :P
"DJ Drummer, a conservative New Orleans native writing at Wizbang, says that playing the blame game is counterproductive. 'Life is cruel sometimes,' he writes, 'You get good, you get bad, and not usually because you deserve it. What most of us do is get by and try to get better, and sooner or later the folks who got hit by Katrina will find their way. It will be tough, and probably not fair, but in the end you get what you make. You don't owe anybody, but NOBODY OWES YOU, either.'"
Hear, hear.
"For example, caterpillars feed on oak trees, and birds feed on the caterpillars. Unless these species remain synchronised, there could be problems for any one or more of those elements of the food web."
“It reflects a certain way of looking at the world — that all evil is traceable to the capitals of certain states,” said Paul R. Pillar, who until last October oversaw American intelligence assessments about the Middle East. “And that, in my view, is a very incorrect way of interpreting the security challenges we face.”
What ever happened to the sun? It used to always come Like when we were young We'd sing and party all night long The seasons don't ever come on time no more And war paints over the years And anger fills our tears What happened to the sun? But I know I know I know I'm not alone And I know I know I know I'm not alone Every time I read the news I 'm always more confused They're telling me to choose But there's only lies to choose from And how many died today And how many lost their homes and shot a gun Or a loved one? What happened to our sons? But I know I know I know I'm not alone And I know I know I know I'm not alone Even though I'm far from home I'm not alone not alone Even though I'm far from home I'm not alone Whoo hoo hoo hoo Whoo hoo hoo hoo (spoken) Walk to the front Open the gate I see you right there (/spoken) Even though I'm far from home I'm not alone not alone Even though I'm far from home I'm not alone not alone Even though I'm far from home I'm not alone Whoo hoo hoo hoo (x5)
Too much can easily be read into Lieberman's primary defeat. But perhaps it really is the signal of a political shift toward institutional reform that would outlast the current national debates over the Iraq war or the Bush presidency.
There has been a video on youtube that has generated a little bit of press recently. It is a short two minute clip poking fun at Al Gore's Inconvenient Truth. It looks like the work of an amateur bonehead, but as it turns out it is much more devious than that:
The original video isn't funny, screams of ignorance and carries an uncouth belligerent aura. The fact that it was made by a PR firm funded by some shadow organization makes it downright creepy. And the story gets juicier:
Trademark violation! Let's hope that somebody is held accountable for this abomination.
This is poignant and hilarious at the same time. Perhaps Bush's facial expression when he says "bloody" reveals something inherent to his character.