Mark Schannon This is a true story. The person trapped in the Kafkaesque world of U.S. Immigration is still in a holding facility so I have to be careful about specifics because I firmly believe the Immigration people will take it out on him should they be able to identify him. |
by Brian Sorrell Gadgets? How about God-gets? That should be the word, because that's what they are. Newfangled electronic devices are newfangled Gods - in agnostic hands. From the iPod to the Blackberry to the sleekest of the slickest cells, we no longer wear our faiths on our sleeves: we clip them to our belts in polytheistic, plastic holsters. |
by Chip Spear Why do we continue to insist we are engaged in a "War on Terror"? Terror is a psychological state, it is not a political entity, it is not group or a movement. Terrorism is a means, an offensive tool of war. It is a strategy designed to further political goals of a group or state. We are not waging a war on terror. That would be like saying that The New England Patriots are waging a war on the forward pass, or the Yankees are waging war on fast balls. |
by Ryan Seay
Last month, I had the pleasure of repeatedly working with some superb artists who, across the past two decades, have really impacted their respective genre, music in general, and even some non-music-related causes ranging from politics to pets. No independent band has received a greater welcome or greater success than they have and it will take a band of megalithic proportions to topple them from that achievement. This month's featured artists, here at Blogcritics, are NOFX. |
Ski Slopes and Port Deals
Before going into the many quotes of various pundits on the UAE port deal, let me point out here that I had the scoop on the United Arab Emirates ski slopes in the desert long before this port deal.
Heh.
I do, however, have an opinion on the whole matter and it's pretty much like many Americans. I hear the word "ports" and "Arab" together and I don't like it.Indeed and there you have it. Sure the sentiment is a bit of prejudice but how much does the average American have to see, read and hear about these people before the natural inclination of self-protection kicks in?
By "these people" I mean the radical Islamfascists. Though I'll allow that the loud ones are likely few and far between in a world filled with Muslims. Problem is it's the mobs in the street rioting over cartoons for God's sake, that we see. It's the lovelies who chop off people heads and make the video available on the Internet that garner headlines. It's the kidnapers and terrorists and all the bad people doing bad things in the name of a religion that Americans see and hear. Not to mention that bit about hijacking our lawfully flying airplanes, ramming them into our lawfully built buildings on our own soil, and killing our peaceful citizens.
So we hear "ports" and "Arabs" and we react. If Rush Limbaugh and President Bush don't think a first reaction of self-protection is normal than they've both been lying to us for the last four years.
I'll admit my ignorance about such things as port matters and it is not only my confusion, but the collective confusion of a nation, including its congress critters, that add to the visceral reaction. I had no idea our country even sold ports although I understand it's more complicated than that. Add to my shock at the selling of the ports the notion that we're now selling them to Arabs. The United Arab Emirates doesn't hold such a great record no matter how much Rush and others try to convince me. Two of the 9-11 hijackers came from the UAE and at least one such attack on Osama Bin Laden was thwarted because princes from the UAE were out falcon hunting with him.
I'd also add that there is a price to be paid for bad behavior. Again something Limbaugh used to preach to us and frankly I resent the change of tune he's recently adapted to please the administration.
It's my story and I'm sticking to it.
Americans don't like the notion of rioting mobs. Most of us have not forgotten 9-11 nor should we. Add a mish-mash of head chopping, electing terrorist groups to head the government and may I add a total lack of impetus for the so-called "moderate Muslims" to condemn such behavior. Throw Al-Jazeera in there for good measure.
For the pundits to act like we're all idiots and are suddenly supposed to develop amnesia about this is insulting, frankly.
Which does not mean that I am against this deal. I would sure like to learn more about it and by me the administration blew it by dropping this bombshell on us without considering the shock.
The Middle Class runs this country. It's the middle class that's reacting viscerally to this whole matter and a bunch of congress critters are getting a lot of email and phone calls. Most Muslim countries don't even have a burgeoning middle class but that's another matter.
The behavior of Muslims across this planet, at least the ones we see and hear on a regular basis, has been abominable. Perhaps the poobahs orchestrating the riots and financing the terrorists need to get the message.
For if all people see is bad behavior than the choice is not to associate. How many of us willingly socialize with drunken louts if there's an alternative? Let the Islamfacists learn that no matter how that congress critter, even the president, looks them in the eye and makes promises, it's the American reaction to their behavior that closes the deal.
Now on to some quotables from those who are "smarter" than us idiots who carry this country on our backs.
The President Didn’t Know?
Every time something big happens in this country we hear that the President didn’t know. He didn’t know about Katrina. He didn’t know about Cheney’s shooting. Now he didn’t know about the port deal.
Can’t they find someone in the White House whose job it would be is to regularly inform the President on current events? If they don’t have anyone yet qualified for the job, I’ll do it.
From the Muth Archives:
THE MORE WE LEARN, THE LESS WE LIKE
"We're learning today that the president didn't even know about the sale of the contract to operate six major American ports to an Arab government until after the deal was done! Can this possibly be true? The United States is at war against Muslim terrorism, and a deal is cut to turn the operational control of six U.S. ports over to a Muslim government without the president even being informed? Please...tell me this came from the Daily Show and not the daily White House press briefing."
- Talk-show host Neal Boortz
Limbaugh-Heard With My Own Ears
A REAL DEAL KILLER
"It doesn't help (that) this idiot Jimmy Carter has just come out for this port deal. I mean...Jimmy Carter's just blown this deal sky-high by coming out and endorsing it."
- Rush Limbaugh
Ann Coulter Speaks
Ann and I agree on this.
From the Muth Archives:
ALL OF THE SUDDEN?
"Bush's defense of the port deal is to say that 'those who are questioning it' need to 'step up and explain why all of a sudden a Middle Eastern company is held to a different standard than a Great British company.' First of all, it's not 'all of a sudden.' The phrase you're searching for, Mr. President, is 'ever since the murderous attacks of Sept. 11.' The Bush administration's obstinate refusal to profile Middle Easterners has been the one massive gaping hole in national security since the 9-11 attacks - attacks that received indirect support from the United Arab Emirates."
- Columnist Ann Coulter
Rich Galen on Treating the Public Like Idiots
From the Muth Archives:
PERCEPTION IS REALITY
"This port deal is not a national security issue. It is an issue of this administration having a continuing problem with understanding how these things will play in the public's mind and not taking steps to set the stage so these things don't come as a shock and are presented in their worst possible light."
- Rich Galen, Mullings.com, 2/21/06
Krauthammer Laments Democratic Hypocrisy
I’ll go out on a limb here and suggest that Dr. Krauthammer has it wrong on this one. Chuck Schumer and Maryland’s Governor Ehrlich reacted to the many citizen complaints about the matter. They are politicians. It’s what we pay them to do.
From the Muth Archives:
DEM HYPOCRISY ON PORT ISSUE
"If a citizen of the UAE walked into an airport in full burnoose and flowing robes, speaking only Arabic, Democrats would be deeply offended, and might even sue, if the security people were to give him any more scrutiny than they would to my sweet 84-year-old mother. Democrats loudly denounce any thought of racial profiling. But when that same Arab, attired in business suit and MBA, and with a good record running ports in 15 countries, buys P&O, Democrats howl at the very idea of allowing Arabs to run our ports."
- Columnist Charles Krauthammer
Heh. A Politician Speaks
A sound byte I like.
From the Muth Archives:
STRONG OPPOSITION
"In regards to selling American ports to the United Arab Emirates, not just NO, but HELL NO!"
- Rep Sue Myrick, R-N.C
Controversy, Crap and Chaos
As a result of the White House press corps boo-hooing over the Cheney shooting and failing to call them in the middle of the night, across the Blogosphere there’s a new mantra being bandied about.
It’s an alliteration thing, using three C’s. Some call it Confusion, Crap and Chaos, some use my header above, or any variation of the two. Then a photo-shopped photo is used as the “logo”, as it were, of the “Confusion, Crap and Chaos” slogan meant to epitomize the Mainstream media.Here’s an example but the variations of the theme across the blogging realm are many.
On Being All That You Can Be
You must have long-range goals to keep you from being frustrated by short-range failures.
--Charles Noble
Reach high, for stars lie hidden in your soul. Dream deep, for every dream precedes the goal.
--Pamela Vaull Starr
We know what we are, but know not what we may be.
--William Shakespeare
Leaving With a Smile
The wisdom of Anonymous
A successful man is one who makes more money than his wife can spend.
A successful woman is one who can find that man.
More Notable/Quotables HERE
=================
The Biggest Surprise Might Be This Show’s Success
The lackluster American viewer ship of the Olympics has propelled many TV shows to popularity heights I’m not sure they expected. I muse that one such show is this year’s ABC competition of Dancing With the Stars. Although that’s just one aspect. The other is that shows about dancing have shown a surprising popularity. So much so that the Fox network, ever the opportunist and not afraid to copy a good idea, came up with a similar competition that features ice skating with celebrities.Now the series is done, the winners announced and for posterity we record the winners and marvel at the strangeness of a dancing show running away with TV ratings in this jaded year of our Lord 2006.
I’ve said it aplenty in my posts on the series as it run, listed below.
1/10/06
1/15/06
2/1/06
2/9/06
2/16/06
I shall say it one more time. This is a television series that appeals mostly to women as I see it. As I peruse my anecdotal world I know very few men tuning into this series, or similar ones. They might watch it due to wifely or girlfriend demands but on their own, men aren’t flipping the remote to ABC to watch couples dance fancy moves in splendid customs. Although some of the female dancers do reveal a lot with their skimpy dancing attire but for the beloved males of the species, this is not a show that grabs them like, say, a football game.
My theory is born out by the actual winners this year. Which was the very cute and lovable Drew Lachey and the extremely personable Jerry Rice.
Stacy Keibler deserved to win this year’s contest.
Of course that is just my opinion and while I never phoned in a vote, if I had I would have voted for Drew. But in my heart and in front of my lying dancing-challenged eyeballs Stacy Keibler had it all: a great body, incredibly long legs and a genuine talent for the dance.
Perhaps that’s why Stacy not only didn’t win, she was, to my complete surprise, eliminated before Jerry Rice. Jerry Rice is a football player who transformed himself into an amazing dancer and his lust to win was very evident. For a football player turned dancer, Rice did an incredible job and was a competent dancer. He was not better than Stacy or Drew.
He was, and still is, a man and if women did most of the voting as I suspect, they chose Rice over Stacy because, well I’m guessing perhaps a little Stacy jealousy.
Yet I whisper this softly. Because no female should be as pretty as Stacy and have long luscious legs to boot. Such a thing should be illegal. And if men were phoning in the vote who else would they vote for besides Stacy?
I’ve seen Stacy interviewed on various and sundry and while she seems nice enough I could detect the ditz factor. If not a total ditz, she’s almost Barbie doll in her appearance and presentation. Women aren’t going to vote for someone like this. I wouldn’t have although I’d like to think my reasons were more noble.
Such as considering Drew a cutie pie, a great dancer, and someone who appeared more …human.
Whatever the situation, let the case be closed on Dancing With the Stars 2006 and wonder who they’ll find to dance in the next version of the contest.
Compilation of Blogcritics’ Reviews
More TV Reviews HERE
===============
No comments:
Post a Comment