Must-Read Links Archive
April 30, 2007
- 10:13 AM CDT: The president is not our commander-in-chief - The Constitution says, ?The president shall be commander in chief of the Army and Navy of the United States, and of the militia of the several states, when called into the actual service of the United States.? The president is not the commander-in-chief of the civilian population, and we would do well to remember that.
April 24, 2007
- 10:24 PM CDT: An Earth-like planet might have been discovered - Scientists have found a planet in another star system that might support life as we Earthlings know it.
April 21, 2007
- 06:07 PM CDT: Think gun control works? Think again. - As Joyce Lee Malcolm writes in Reason, crime in Britain has skyrocketed since it began passing increasingly restrictive gun regulation laws.
April 20, 2007
- 09:55 AM CDT: Thank capitalism for a cleaner environment - Cato Institute senior fellow Jerry Taylor says, "It's businessmen -- not bureaucrats or environmental activists -- who deserve most of the credit for the environmental gains over the past century and who represent the best hope for a Greener tomorrow."
April 18, 2007
- 08:20 AM CDT: Ethanol: a chimera? - A new scientific study reports ethanol ultimately no more beneficial than ordinary gasoline.
April 13, 2007
- 10:39 AM CDT: Russian exile plots overthrow of Putin - Somehow, I don't think the most effective strategy for toppling a government is to announce your plans beforehand.
- 10:10 AM CDT: The Curious Problem of Having More Than You Need - Brink Lindsey of the Cato Institute remarks on the irony of capitalism's success fueling sentiment against capitalism.
April 10, 2007
- 10:35 PM CDT: Orgies are safer than driving - Who knew?
April 6, 2007
- 01:23 PM CDT: Saddam had no ties to al Qaeda before the war - A newly declassified Pentagon report dismisses the notion Saddam Hussein worked with al Qaeda prior to the American invasion.
March 27, 2007
- 08:21 PM CDT: "Now for the Good News" - Indur M. Goklany says, "Mankind has never been healthier, wealthier or freer. Surprised?"
March 18, 2007
- 10:22 AM CDT: 300 - A Persian's Thoughts - Koroush Ghazi of Tweakguides.com has written an insightful criticism of the new 300 movie. I have decided not to see 300 because of its gross distortions of history.
March 17, 2007
- 01:16 PM CDT: Tom Brokaw: porn king? - Not really. But hard-core pornography did interrupt one of his broadcasts.
March 3, 2007
- 06:42 PM CST: Blackbeard's ship found? - Some archaeologists think so.
February 17, 2007
- 11:03 AM CST: Malou Innocent warns of conflict with Iran - The United States should remember history during what Malou Innocent calls a buildup to military conflict with Iran.
February 8, 2007
- 09:45 AM CST: The changing face of Mitt Romney - Former Massachussets Governor Mitt Romney, one of the the frontrunners for the 2008 Republican presidential nomination, will apparently say anything to gain favor with the theocratic conservatives who control the GOP.
January 26, 2007
- 11:35 PM CST: Brazen assault on American base in Iraq - Iraqi insurgents who were wearing American military uniforms, brandishing American military weapons, and speaking English kidnapped and murdered several American soldiers.
- 01:25 PM CST: New York City to launch official condom - Now you can have sex with the official blessing of the Big Apple.
January 24, 2007
- 09:15 PM CST: Japanese glimpse rarely seen "living fossil" shark - A "living fossil" shark, so-called because it hasn't changed for at least 50 million years, was observed off the coast of Japan recently.
- 09:47 AM CST: Are Western European countries truly America's closest allies? - Arnold Kling provides economic reasons to rethink that assessment.
January 13, 2007
- 10:22 PM CST: "What Shamu Taught Me About a Happy Marriage" - If you want someone to act a certain way, the key, according to Amy Sutherland, is to reinforce behaviors you like instead of punishing behaviors you don't. She learned that from animal trainers.
January 10, 2007
- 09:11 PM CST: Secret transmitters inside Canadian coins - Be careful how you use currency from the Great White North. :P
January 8, 2007
- 09:17 AM CST: Cheney's going hunting again - I hope his companions are wearing body armor.
December 28, 2006
- 09:57 AM CST: President Ford "dumbfounded" by warrantless wiretapping - "I don't think it's a terrible transgression," Ford said, "but I would never do it." (I must point out this New York Daily News article contradicts the Bob Woodward interview below in that it quotes Ford as objecting to the reason for the War in Iraq instead of to the War itself.)
- 09:47 AM CST: President Ford condemns Iraq war - President Gerald R. Ford, in an interview a few years ago with Bob Woodward that has only been released upon his death, said the invasion of Iraq was a mistake. Ford also criticized current President George W. Bush, Vice President Dick Cheney, and Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld.
December 2, 2006
- 08:49 AM CST: Taxpayers pay legal bills from government attempts to regulate video games - When politicians try to restrain and censor video games, their efforts are always declared unconstitutional, and taxpayers must recoup the legal bills the Electronic Software Association incurs fighting the inane laws and ordinances. So not only do video game restrictions curtail freedom of speech, but they waste your money.
November 19, 2006
- 09:26 AM CST: Cardinals apologize for winning World Series - From The Onion, the greatest newspaper on Earth. (Hey, most stuff in newspapers is laughable. At least The Onion admits that. :P )
November 14, 2006
- 12:38 PM CST: Vatican condemns modern day slavery - The Vatican challenges the civilized world to do something about contemporary trafficking in human beings.
November 10, 2006
- 02:21 PM CST: Talks under way for high-tech baseball stadium - Imagine storing tickets on your cell phone and viewing instant replays on your laptop. That could happen for Oakland A's fans if the team's owner and Cisco Systems have their way.
November 3, 2006
- 11:06 PM CST: Military publications say Rumsfeld must go - The Army Times, Air Force Times, Navy Times, and Marine Corps Times believe Rumsfeld should get the Order of the Boot.
October 31, 2006
- 11:01 PM CST: Elephants pass mirror self-recognition test - Elephants can recognize themselves in the mirror, a trait previously exhibited only by humans, apes, and dolphins.
- 08:09 AM CST: Terror bird fossils found in South America - The Phorusrhacid:
October 25, 2006
- 09:09 AM CDT: Humans will need two Earths by 2050 - If humanity doesn't change its consumption habits, it would need the resources of two Earths by 2050, according to a scientific report.
October 16, 2006
- 11:27 PM CDT: Own a Bluetooth cell phone accessory? Know anyone who does? - Then you must read this blog entry by Hypersyllogistic Forums contributor Offbyonekenobi.
- 08:36 PM CDT: Canadian soldiers vs. marijuana forests - This sounds like something from the imagination of someone who's high.
October 15, 2006
- 11:55 AM CDT: Time profiles Barack Obama - A politician who doesn't obsess himself with demonizing the other side is a refreshing change.
October 8, 2006
- 09:16 AM CDT: Marines having difficulty adjusting to civilian life - An example of what likely many American soldiers go through after they've returned home.
October 7, 2006
- 09:01 PM CDT: Putin critic shot dead - In what might be another sign of Russia's regress to authoritarianism, a passionate critic of Russian President Vladimir Putin has been murdered.
October 6, 2006
- 12:28 PM CDT: Abducted by aliens? Get compensation! - That's the theory of a German lawyer.
September 30, 2006
- 08:56 PM CDT: Apparently, it's not, "One small step for man, one giant leap for mankind." - Instead, it's, "One small step for a man, one giant leap for mankind." (I do like the new version better; it actually makes sense!)
September 22, 2006
- 10:08 AM CDT: "Summer of Goodbyes" - From the blog Baghdad Burning, an enlightening glimpse of what life is like for the people of Baghdad now.
September 20, 2006
- 10:16 AM CDT: The Bible and the Koran: equally bloodthirsty - In light of the Pope's remarks about the Koran, the blog Dwindling in Unbelief has posted a comparison between the Bible and the Koran showing the former is just as vicious as the latter.
September 14, 2006
- 07:23 PM CDT: Colin Powell opposes Bush on Geneva Convention - The former Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff and Secretary of State tells Senator John McCain American security depends on honoring the Geneva Convention.
September 12, 2006
- 08:32 AM CDT: Bondo's insightful commentary on the Bush administration - In his blog on the Hypersyllogistic Forums, the poster Bondo says, "Our leaders ask for expanded powers to invade our lives and abridge our freedoms, but we are given no reason to trust them. They do not reassure us they will use their new powers responsibly. Instead they call us names and question our patriotism. And then they have the audacity to pretend that this is good leadership." Read more by clicking the link.
September 6, 2006
- 09:44 AM CDT: Army opposes RPG interception system that could save lives - Israel has developed Trophy, which can intercept and destroy Rocket Propelled Grenades (RPG's) before they reach their targets. It is ready for deployment today. So why doesn't the US Army want to use it? It's already developing such a system with a favorite contractor. That system won't be ready until 2011 at the earliest.
August 18, 2006
- 11:53 PM CDT: Judge sentenced for masturbating during trials - When the bailiff says "all rise," that is not supposed to apply to the judge.
August 16, 2006
- 12:21 AM CDT: Breast implants save woman's life - The breast implants of a 24-year-old Israeli woman saved her life during the war with Hezbollah.
August 12, 2006
- 03:01 PM CDT: Depleted uranium making soldiers sick? - The United States military uses depleted uranium for both weapons and armor. Debate has raged since the first Gulf War over whether that makes soldiers ill. With the new war in Iraq, fresh perspectives have emerged on the subject.
August 6, 2006
- 01:35 PM CDT: Fifty percent of Americans believe Iraq had WMD's - Despite all facts to the contrary, 50 percent of Americans believe Iraq had WMD's before America invaded in 2003.
July 13, 2006
- 03:20 PM CDT: Never Argue with an Idiot - Witty thoughts and insightful commentaries from Offbyonekenobi, a poster on the Hypersyllogistic Forums.
- 08:24 AM CDT: Do you want prisoners singing to your children? - Ohio is betting someone does, for its government has sponsored a prisoner-created CD for kids.
July 10, 2006
- 09:32 AM CDT: Bush ally criticizes White House for possibly violating the law - Representative Peter Hoekstra, Republican from Michigan and Chairman of the House Intelligence Committee, has chided Bush for neglecting to brief Congress about major intelligence programs. Hoekstra has said that could represent a violation of the Constitution.
June 21, 2006
- 11:24 AM CDT: Bush, Europeans unite regarding Iran and North Korea - European leaders have pledged to stand with Bush against Iran and North Korea if they don't cooperate with nuclear negotiations.
June 20, 2006
- 10:09 AM CDT: US Ambassador to Iraq describes life in Baghdad - In a memo to Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice, US Ambassador to Iraq Zalmay Khalilzad tells her what life is like for his Iraqi employees in the capital.
June 17, 2006
- 12:34 PM CDT: Electronic Stability Control could prevent a third of fatal car accidents - ESC could yield 10,000 fewer lethal automobile accidents.
- 12:22 PM CDT: Teacher fired for posing topless online - Employer violation of employee freedom continues: An art teacher has received a pink slip for allowing topless photos of her to be taken and then posted online.
June 16, 2006
- 11:26 AM CDT: How long will America lead the world? - American economic and technological supremacy is under increasing threat from growing economies like those in India and China. Fareed Zakaria of Newsweek says America can stave off these challenges, but only if it's aware of its vulnerability.
June 13, 2006
- 05:43 PM CDT: US government paid $1.4 billion in false hurricane claims - After Hurricanes Katrina and Rita, the federal government distributed $1.4 billion to people who didn't deserve it, says the General Accounting Office.
June 12, 2006
- 08:45 AM CDT: Road to Guantanimo - Film shows the journey of three Brits falsely detained at Guantinomo Bay.
June 10, 2006
- 10:52 AM CDT: Can twins have different fathers? - The answer is apparently, "Yes."
June 8, 2006
- 08:10 AM CDT: Al-Zarqawi finally dead! - An airstrike has killed the leader of al Qaeda in Iraq, Abu Masab Al-Zarqawi. This time, his death has been confirmed by analysis of his body and by al Qaeda itself. With luck, this will constitute the beginning of the end of the terrorist insurgency.
June 7, 2006
- 08:44 PM CDT: EU nations collaborated with extraordinary rendition? - Quite a few European nations aren't eager to cooperate with investigators checking into whether they've cooperated with extraordinary rendition, whereby the CIA spirits people away to torture camps without trial or oversight.
- 07:07 PM CDT: Congress acts against the dire threat of boobs - Why bother implementing the 9/11 Commission's recommendations to improve security when heaving bosoms are threatening America's children?
- 12:18 PM CDT: Telemarketing jobs in danger - America cheers at the news!
June 6, 2006
- 09:11 AM CDT: Al Qaeda-linked Islamists capture Somalia's capital city - An Islamist militia with alleged ties to al Qaeda has seized Somalia's capital city of Mogadishu. We are supposedly at war with al Qaeda, so one would think this would be front page news, but this was buried in the back of the A section of today's St. Louis Post-Dispatch. I wonder if Shrub will have anything to say about this potential al Qaeda victory.
June 5, 2006
- 03:12 PM CDT: Pentagon wants to ignore human rights standards - The Department of Defense has drafted plans to ignore the Geneva Convention permanently in its treatment of prisoners.
May 30, 2006
- 11:02 PM CDT: Dutch party to defend pedophilia, advocate public nudity - I suppose some of America's sexaholic teachers would think it's a capital idea.
- 08:16 AM CDT: US Department of Veterans Affairs refuses widow's request for Wiccan symbol - Sergeant Patrick Stewart, who was Wiccan, died in Afghanistan after a rocket struck his helicopter. Stewart posthumously received a Bronze Star for his service. Now, his Wiccan widow, Roberta Stewart, wants a Wiccan symbol on her husband's memorial plaque, but the government is denying her request. (I suppose the government only honors its soldiers who are from mainstream religions.)
May 29, 2006
- 05:50 PM CDT: Paris Hilton records music album - And everywhere in the world, ears wept.
May 27, 2006
- 03:40 PM CDT: Microsoft guns for JPEG's - Microsoft boasts its new .wmp (Windows Media Photo) format provides sharper picture detail at lower file sizes than the old .jpg image files.
May 26, 2006
- 11:41 AM CDT: "Engage cloaking device!" - Researchers are working on developing a Star Trek-esque cloaking device, which could render objects invisible and undetectable, within the next two years.
- 11:35 AM CDT: Deadly Star Trek bat'leth seized - During a knives amnesty, British police confiscated a dangerous weapon forged in the shape of a bat'leth from Star Trek. A police spokesman said, "It is a particularly nasty weapon that can, literally, take someone's head off. We are very glad it is off the streets."
May 22, 2006
- 02:27 PM CDT: World wars explosives show up in potato batches - And you thought McDonald's was unhealthy...
- 01:46 PM CDT: SPAMmers force anti-SPAM service to close - Through malicious attacks, vile SPAMmers have compelled a potent anti-SPAM service to shut down.
May 21, 2006
- 09:39 PM CDT: FBI catches Democratic congressman taking bribes - Representative William Jefferson, Democrat of Louisiana, accepted a $100,000 bribe on videotape. (Should I hold my breath waiting for the media to flog Jefferson as they did Republicans?)
- 09:43 AM CDT: Elton John says photographers should be shot - He says, "You fuckwit, fucking photographers you should be shot, you should be all shot."
May 19, 2006
- 08:37 AM CDT: Star Trek impulse drives might be in our future - A California State University professor claims to have developed engines that could serve as a basis for impulse drives in the future.
May 16, 2006
- 09:55 PM CDT: Federal government spying on journalists - The US government is monitoring the calls of journalists to uncover their anonymous sources.
May 12, 2006
- 12:55 PM CDT: MPAA misassigns blame for dropping box office - While cinema box office totals have declined, DVD sales have skyrocketed. People are waiting to see films at home. But the MPAA oddly blames peer-to-peer networks and, to ensure no one uses them, proposes monitoring every single PC in the US.
May 11, 2006
- 11:40 AM CDT: NSA tracking purely domestic calls - The National Security Agency has been keeping records of the phone calls of "tens of millions of Americans," including calls totally within the United States.
May 9, 2006
- 06:59 PM CDT: Brown doubted New Orleans levees had breached - Former FEMA Director Michael Brown lambasted the Bush administration for not acting swiftly enough in reaction to levee breaches after Hurricane Katrina. New evidence, however, shows Brown likely contributed to the delay, as he worried more about looking good for the media than discovering what was happening in New Orleans.
May 5, 2006
- 10:15 PM CDT: Conservatives no longer tend to Shrub - Conservatives have begun to desert the Bush camp.
April 29, 2006
- 01:40 PM CDT: Has a British hacker uncovered the truth about aliens? - I doubt the Department of Defense would not protect sensitive information with passwords, but the story is interesting nonetheless.
April 28, 2006
- 11:58 PM CDT: Dell Sucks. I Hate Dell. - I wish I had seen this website before. :P
April 25, 2006
- 12:53 PM CDT: Conservative Peggy Noonan illustrates and criticizes Bush's operational style - She tells the president: "Just because they call you a jackass doesn't mean you're Lincoln."
April 23, 2006
- 07:24 PM CDT: J.J. Abrams to produce and direct new Star Trek movie - I'm not crazy about the story idea, but I'm thrilled about the new blood behind the camera.
April 8, 2006
- 08:05 PM CDT: US planning military assaults on Iran - The same neoconservatives who botched the operation in Iraq are advocating military action against Iran, using the same discredited arguments they used regarding Iraq.
April 6, 2006
- 03:51 PM CDT: Bush lied about not authorizing intelligence leaks - Clinton lied about a blow job; he gets impeached and almost removed. Bush lies about his role in leaking intelligence information; nothing much happens. How that can seem right to anyone, I don't know.
April 5, 2006
- 12:06 AM CDT: Department of Homeland Security spokesman caught with pants down - Brian J. Doyle, the deputy press secretary of the Department of Homeland Security, was caught on the Internet seducing someone he believed to be a 14-year-old girl, but who was really an undercover cop. (I think we can say the Bush administration has long since wrested the title "most corrupt" away from the Nixon administration.)
April 2, 2006
- 10:13 AM CDT: Operation: Darth Vader - This is just perverse...
March 9, 2006
- 09:33 PM CST: Hollywood kills high-definition DVD - That's looking more and more likely, anyway.
March 1, 2006
- 03:52 PM CST: Writers protest Islamist "totalitarianism" - "After having overcome fascism, Nazism, and Stalinism, the world now faces a new global threat: Islamism."
February 24, 2006
- 02:27 PM CST: Is selling songs without copy protection online better? - Some executives seem shocked at the suggestion making customers' lives easier could benefit their corporations.
February 20, 2006
- 01:52 PM CST: GW professor co-led team that discovered oldest Tyrannosaur - A professor from George Washington University, which I attend, helped find the oldest known variety of Tyrannosaur, Guanlong wucaii, from the late Jurassic Period.
February 17, 2006
- 10:49 PM CST: More death over cartoons - 11 people died in protests in Libya, and an Italian consulate burned there, because of more cartoon backlash. When will these silly morons get a grip?
February 14, 2006
- 12:24 PM CST: "Cheney's got a gun..." - Run for your lives. :P
February 10, 2006
- 09:57 AM CST: White House knew New Orleans levee had broken the night of Katrina - But they did nothing about it. And they even misled the media about when they knew the break occurred.
February 7, 2006
- 08:43 PM CST: Rove tells Republicans not to vote conscience - Any Republican who votes against Bush will relinquish any hope of White House support come November, threatens Karl Rove.
- 08:39 PM CST: Washington and Lincoln, the electronic eavesdroppers - According to our illustrious Attorney General Alberto Gonzalez, Presidents George Washington and Abraham Lincoln ordered electronic eavesdropping far more than Shrub has done. Too bad electronics hadn't been invented back then. :P
February 5, 2006
- 11:08 AM CST: US military adopts sensible counterterrorism strategy - Amongst its pillars: "A central piece of the plan, the document says, is the concept of 'supporting mainstream efforts to reject violent extremism.' The effort requires encouraging those segments of the Islamic world that support inclusion, moderation and tolerance."
February 4, 2006
- 04:11 PM CST: Syrians torch European embassies - And here I was complaining about Christian extremists just boycotting The Book of Daniel. This is all stupendously absurd. One would think the European newspaper had resurrected Mohammed, gang raped him, and then killed him by forcibly uncoiling his testicles with a rusted fork.
February 2, 2006
- 09:02 AM CST: Bush Justice Department refuses to provide memos to Congress - Bush's Justice Department won't provide memos related to the NSA scandal to Congress. (Doesn't the Bush administration's secrecy make you feel patriotic? :P)
January 26, 2006
- 08:46 AM CST: China vigorously regulates Internet usage and access - This sounds like one of Bush's wet dreams.
January 20, 2006
- 10:39 AM CST: Paris Hilton is sure a brain trust... - Or not. (And here I thought rich families could afford to educate their children.)
January 19, 2006
- 08:31 AM CST: Merkel confounding German Social Democrats - New German Chancellor Angela Merkel's popularity, from her adept handling of domestic and international affairs, is worrying the reluctant partners of her grand coalition, the Social Democrats.
- 08:26 AM CST: Face transplant patient out and about - The world's first recipient of a face transplant is starting to appear in public for the first time.
December 7, 2005
- 06:27 PM CST: Torture, American style - Torture doesn't work, and aside from that, it's unethical. This hasn't stopped the Bush administration from torturing detainees (and then lying about it).
At this point, I don't see how anyone can support the White House.
December 5, 2005
- 09:50 AM CST: 9/11 panel says government dragging its feet on reforms - The president and Congress are not implementing most of the 9/11 panel's suggestions to prevent another terrorist disaster, say the panel's members.
November 17, 2005
- 05:30 PM CST: Shawn Piller's eulogy for his father, Michael Piller - Michael Piller, the executive producer of Star Trek: The Next Generation who turned it into one of the most popular shows ever, died recently. This is the eulogy in his honor from his son, Shawn Piller. I thought it was touching.
November 16, 2005
- 04:10 PM CST: Woodward says he heard about Plame first, from neither Libby nor Rove - Bob Woodward, the Washington Post reporter famous for his role investigating Watergate, said he learned about Plame's work as a CIA WMD analyst from someone who wasn't "Scooter" Libby or Karl Rove.
November 13, 2005
- 11:34 AM CST: Mideast secret police block democracy - Throughout the Middle East, government secret police inhibit attempts at democratic reform.
November 12, 2005
- 10:43 AM CST: Who is the "moderate Muslim"? - Akubar Arman postulates a definition of "moderate Muslim," and he encourages the United States to embrace Muslims to whom the definition applies.
- 10:38 AM CST: Senate votes to prevent Gitmo detainees from appealing to US courts - Republican Senator Lindsey Graham of South Carolina sponsored a measure to prohibit detainees at Guantanimo Bay, Cuba, from appealing their detentions in US courts. The Senate approved Graham's proposal, with 44 Republicans and 5 Democrats assenting.
November 9, 2005
- 08:47 AM CST: "Education" Board in Kansas opposes scientists on evolution - The Kansas Board of Education has voted for state schools to teach intelligent design and portray evolution as controversial, in opposition to a 26-member science committee, the National Academy of Sciences, and the National Science Teachers Association.
November 6, 2005
- 10:32 AM CST: Seen fireballs in the night sky? - NASA explains what they are.
- 10:28 AM CST: LA students allowed to skip school for anti-Bush protest - Los Angeles high school students were permitted to skip class so they could protest against the Bush administration. (I wonder if students would have been allowed to take off school in protest against the Clinton administration.)
- 09:47 AM CST: British soldiers face worse stress than in WWII - Their fear of prosecution if they shoot an Iraqi insurgent has sapped their morale.
- 09:00 AM CST: Bush administration cognizant of intelligence doubts - The Bush administration knew a source it was using to claim Iraq trained al Qaeda operatives was unreliable.
November 5, 2005
- 10:11 PM CST: What did Brown talk about in the midst of Katrina? - Here's an illuminating quote from one of his e-mails: "If you'll look at my lovely FEMA attire, you'll really vomit. I am a fashion god." Clearly, Brown's priorities were in the right place. *gag*
November 2, 2005
- 08:36 AM CST: Do we need more money in politics? - John Stossel answers with a resounding, "Yes!"
October 26, 2005
- 09:06 AM CDT: Bush continues string of bad appointments - This time, he nominated as the Pentagon's chief spokesman a man who'd accused the major American news networks of collaborating with al Qaeda.
- 09:04 AM CDT: Republicans wary of Miers - When even the president's own party can't enthusiastically support Miers, we know her nomination is in trouble...
October 19, 2005
- 11:30 AM CDT: 9/11 commission to castigate president, Congress - The 9/11 commission to investigate the government's handling of that event will issue a report condemning Bush and Congress for not acting on many of the panel's recommendations and for not protecting civil liberties enough.
October 18, 2005
- 01:31 PM CDT: Bush administration formed group to discredit Iraq doubters - The objectives of the White House Iraq Group--WHIG--were to silence people who expressed doubt about Saddam WMD's and to sell a war against Iraq to the public, exaggerating if necessary.
October 17, 2005
- 09:35 AM CDT: Bush faces reality of tough Iraqi conflict - Throughout our whole occupation of Iraq, President Bush has told us the insurgency was winding down. Now, he's recognizing the terrorism won't likely stop any time soon. (Will he apologize to the nation for being tragically wrong about Iraq?)
- 09:22 AM CDT: China's second manned space mission returns safely - Hopefully, China's budding manned space program will inspire the United States to jumpstart the flagging NASA.
October 13, 2005
- 01:36 PM CDT: MSN and Yahoo hook up (sounds dirty :P) - Microsoft and Yahoo are meshing their instant message services, meaning users of both MSN and YIM will be able to communicate with each other.
- 09:23 AM CDT: Democrats struggle to devise an agenda - National approval of the president is low, and sentiment in favor of a Democratic takeover of Congress is high. To take advantage of this, the Democrats are trying to decide what they stand for, instead of merely what they stand against.
October 12, 2005
- 06:49 PM CDT: Lawsuits helping destroy the classic playground - To prevent lawsuits from parents after their children hurt themselves on playgrounds, a new kind of playground is emerging: safe, but boring.
- 12:42 PM CDT: Cowardly tax panel won't recommend tax reform - The panelists are taking the safe and easy path of urging tax hikes instead of wholesale tax reform that would put many Washington tax lawyers out of a job.
- 12:24 PM CDT: Decades of sex abuse coverups by the Catholic Church - Files from LA describe 75 years' worth of lies and coverups by the Catholic Church to hide sexual abuse by priests.
October 11, 2005
- 06:29 PM CDT: Iraqi constitution ratification more likely - A main Iraqi Sunni party will now endorse the constitution, after Kurdish and Shiite leaders have promised the opportunity to amend the constitution after its ratification.
- 06:38 AM CDT: Military considers special unit to assist with disasters - President Bush wants Congress to allow the military a greater institutional role in disaster relief.
October 10, 2005
- 11:03 PM CDT: Get a job from the Bush administration! - Now, all sycophants of President George W. Bush can apply for the jobs they deserve. No qualifications necessary.
- 12:17 PM CDT: Pakistan: earthquake has wiped out an entire generation - Children represent the most casualties.
- 12:12 PM CDT: Former FBI director Freeh lashes out at Clarke, Clinton - Louis Freeh, the former director of the FBI, criticizes Richard Clarke and Bill Clinton in a new book.
- 12:08 PM CDT: What does Dobson know about Miers? - Evangelist James Dobson says he knows things he "probably shouldn't know" about Harriet Miers, Bush's recent nominee for the Supreme Court, that makes him support her. The Senate Judiciary Committee wants to know, did the White House make a back-room deal with him to enlist his cooperation?
October 7, 2005
- 08:56 PM CDT: Ever felt like locking your kid in a cage? - Now, you can! *vomit*
October 2, 2005
- 11:52 AM CDT: New York Times: "To More Inmates, Life Term Means Dying Behind Bars" - Isn't that what a "life term" implies? So what's the issue?
September 29, 2005
- 12:09 PM CDT: Major in video game design - Universities are now offering serious degrees in the field of video game design. (To skeptics: This is just as legitimate as art and film degrees.)
- 09:51 AM CDT: Jonah Goldberg condemns media self-congratulation over Katrina - The media has been patting itself on the back over its coverage of Hurricane Katrina... most of which has turned out to be rumor-mongering. Jonah Goldberg calls journalists on their inappropriate praise of themselves.
September 28, 2005
- 12:19 PM CDT: New Orleans mayhem exaggerated - Politicians and journalists apparently overestimated how much brutality was taking place in New Orleans after Hurricane Katrina.
- 12:15 PM CDT: Air America begs for money to stay afloat - The leftist radio network, which Al Gore assured us was in demand, is asking listeners for money because apparently their ratings don't justify advertising dollars.
September 26, 2005
- 10:21 AM CDT: Killer dolphins might have been freed by Katrina - Bottlenose dolphins trained by the military to shoot terrorists might have been unleashed into the Gulf of Mexico by Hurricane Katrina.
- 10:15 AM CDT: Parents and teachers fight back over intelligent design - After a Dover, Pennsylvania, school board has voted to teach students about intelligent design, a coalition of parents and teachers have sued to stop such teaching of religion in science classes.
- 10:02 AM CDT: Black voters in NYC no longer a Democratic bloc - Many support the Republican incumbent for mayor, Michael Bloomberg.
September 25, 2005
- 03:34 PM CDT: Senate more likely to degenerate into myopic partisanship for next Supreme Court nominee - And to think, the Founding Fathers intended the Senate to be the mature chamber of Congress. (Let's hope the media is wrong about the potential for a mudslinging contest in the Senate.)
- 03:20 PM CDT: Greater economic integration = higher test scores? - A county in North Carolina claims to have increased student test scores by ensuring economic diversity in its schools. Translation: The county has ensured no school has too many poor people. (At least superficially, that idea is disturbing...)
September 20, 2005
- 09:50 AM CDT: US government destroys donated food - While victims go hungry after Hurricane Katrina, the American government is destroying tons of foreign donated food on the grounds it's "unfit for human consumption." This is despite its suitability for British troops in Iraq.
September 18, 2005
- 04:08 PM CDT: UN demands apology from O'Reilly - Bill O'Reilly wished the United Nations staff in New York had died in Hurricane Katrina instead. (You see why I disparage blowhards like him.) The UN has demanded an apology from O'Reilly and Fox News.
- 03:00 PM CDT: Afghans vote in parliamentary elections - For the first time in over three decades, Afghans are voting in parliamentary elections.
September 15, 2005
- 02:30 AM CDT: Washington Post and New York Times share front pages before press every day - Mark Tapscott wonders why this collusion doesn't inspire the outrage it would in other industries. (Perhaps because the very elements that would foment such anger are involved in this?)
September 14, 2005
- 10:14 AM CDT: What's happening in Iraq? - Lost amidst all the Katrina coverage have been stories about Iraq. Find out what's been happening there.
September 13, 2005
- 03:26 PM CDT: Roberts says judges have limited role - John Roberts, Bush's nominee to become chief justice of the Supreme Court, likens judges to umpires. They don't make rules, just apply them. And they're not the main attraction.
September 11, 2005
- 06:19 PM CDT: New Orleans holdouts won't be forced to leave - My question is, why not?
September 7, 2005
- 10:44 AM CDT: In praise of "price gouging" - John Stossel opines on the benefits of "price gouging."
September 6, 2005
- 05:28 AM CDT: Colleges to mark Constitution Day - Thanks to a new law, colleges will be required to promote awareness of our Constitution every September 17. (Predictably, some professors and administrators have grumbled about that.)
September 5, 2005
- 09:43 AM CDT: FEMA not set up to send large numbers of people - Scrolling down this story a bit, one will find a rarely considered point: FEMA usually works with local government and infrastructure during a disaster. It is not set up to provide aid on its own, in the event local authorities cannot operate. (Katrina is a lesson to remedy that in the future.)
- 09:02 AM CDT: Bush nominates Roberts as chief justice - With the passing of Rehnquist, Bush has elevated Roberts's nomination to chief justice.
- 12:14 AM CDT: "Looting" vs. "finding" - This article from Snopes explains why a black woman was described as "looting" food, while a white woman was described as "finding" food.
September 4, 2005
- 11:14 PM CDT: Police kill at least five in New Orleans - Police have shot and killed at least five people who opened fire on contractors in New Orleans. (About time the police did something.)
- 10:36 AM CDT: Money kept poor from evacuating - Many of the thousands who remained in New Orleans after the mandatory evacuation order couldn't afford to leave. (The fact they had to stay is shameful; the government should have bussed or flown them out.)
September 3, 2005
- 06:35 PM CDT: Bob Dole forwards plea from jailed reporter - Former senator and presidential candidate Bob Dole has repeated a plea from jailed New York Times reporter Judith Miller for a federal shield law protecting journalists from having to reveal confidential sources.
- 09:57 AM CDT: Army Corps of Engineers working to fix New Orleans - The Army Corps of Engineers is working to put New Orleans back together, but their objectives will require months of toil.
- 09:50 AM CDT: The cavalry arrives in New Orleans - The National Guard, bearing food and providing help, come in force to New Orleans.
August 31, 2005
- 05:26 AM CDT: Skyrocketing textbook costs draw ire - Unnecessary new editions and supplementary materials, an attempt by publishers to curtail the used textbook market, are driving up textbook prices and earning widespread anger.
August 30, 2005
- 11:34 PM CDT: Star Wars Episode III to be DVD-only - Scroll down this link a bit, and you'll find the last Star Wars movie, Revenge of the Sith, will only appear on DVD. No VHS version will be distributed. If anything signals the forthcoming death of VHS, this is it.
- 10:31 AM CDT: Multi-National Force-Iraq - A site dedicated to conveying the good news from Iraq that our media ignores.
August 24, 2005
- 12:06 PM CDT: Maybe movies don't have as much attendance because they're not good? - Hollywood is finally realizing people might not be going to the cinema as much as they used to because they're tired of bad movies.
- 11:48 AM CDT: Americans should show more backbone - Walter Williams says Americans shouldn't accept multitudinous unnecessary security measures out of fear. He also says Americans should keep the Iraq casualties in perspective.
August 23, 2005
- 09:08 AM CDT: D.C. radio host fired for calling Islam a terrorist organization - That's too bad. The only thing he did wrong was fail to include Christianity in that characterization as well. (Most modern Christians don't adhere to the Bible's more violent teachings, but that doesn't mean the Bible doesn't have them. And it doesn't ameliorate Christianity's history of bloodshed.)
August 20, 2005
- 08:47 PM CDT: Ignoring reality, journalists portray economy as bad - Even though the American economy has been growing for the past two years, our newscasters and reporters continually lament a bad economy that doesn't exist.
August 18, 2005
- 02:38 PM CDT: Petition for MSN Messenger Plus! - Even though Microsoft has assimilated Messenger Plus! into its own company, the IM add-on still appears as spyware in scans by Microsoft Antispyware, even if users refuse to install ad support. Microsoft has ignored pleas from the creator of Plus! to fix Antispyware, so he has started a petition to address the issue. Sign this to inform Microsoft you'd like for their spyware scanner not to interfere with Plus!
- 09:58 AM CDT: Good news from Iraq - The Wall Street Journal reports positive developments from Iraq the mainstream media won't cover.
- 09:55 AM CDT: Matt Lauer interviews American soldiers in Iraq - Today co-host Matt Lauer interviews on video American soldiers deployed in Baghdad. Lauer tries to maneuver the troops into echoing the media's perspective on the Iraq war, but the soldiers won't let him. (Edited; MSNBC took the link off their site, but the video is still on their server. :P )
August 14, 2005
- 07:29 PM CDT: TSA contemplates lighter flight restrictions - To ease the burden on airline passengers, the TSA is planning to ease transit through security checkpoints. To help accomplish this, allowing such carry-on items as knives is being considered. (Our government at its best.)
- 11:58 AM CDT: My distillation of The FairTax Book - On the Hypersyllogistic Forums.
August 12, 2005
- 05:09 PM CDT: Harry Potter can teach children genetics - According to an article on Nature.com, the Harry Potter stories can teach children Mendelian genetics.
- 11:48 AM CDT: Immigrant doctor gives NYU $105 million - Dr. Jan T. Vilcek, a Jew who endured both Nazis and Communists before escaping to the US, has donated $105 million to NYU.
August 10, 2005
- 01:41 PM CDT: Mayor of Baghdad ousted - Armed men from a Shi'a party have ousted the Mayor of Baghdad.
August 9, 2005
- 12:51 PM CDT: Determined female prosecutor will run against Hillary Clinton - Jeanine Pirro, accusing Hillary of using her Senate seat as a stepping stone to the presidency, will run against the former First Lady in 2006.
August 5, 2005
- 06:35 PM CDT: Robert Novak goes insane - Well, not quite. Still, his escapade from self-control is fun to watch.
August 4, 2005
- 09:08 AM CDT: President Bush makes clear, we have a "War on Terror" - Senior administration officials, such as Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld, have bantied about the term "global struggle against violent extremism" over the past several weeks. Bush, though, has made clear that the official administration term is still "War on Terror."
August 2, 2005
- 02:56 PM CDT: Where was this kind of sex ed when I was in school? - Yet another teacher charged for having sex with her students.
- 01:12 PM CDT: Retro look for NASA's next spacecraft - NASA is designing a new spacecraft that will use modern space shuttle technologies, but will resemble the space capsules and launchers of old.
- 12:13 AM CDT: Pataki vetoes NY bill for morning after pills - New York Governor George Pataki, considering a run for the presidency, has sucked up to conservatives by vetoing a New York bill to make morning after pills available without a prescription. (When you think a minute, "Pataki" closely resembles "tacky.")
July 31, 2005
- 03:54 PM CDT: The Joiner King review - I review the new Star Wars book, The Joiner King, on the Hypersyllogistic forums.
July 30, 2005
- 08:36 AM CDT: Planet X discovered - Astronomers have found a 10th planet in our system, 97 astronomical units from the Sun. Pluto, in comparison, is 40 AU away from the Sun. (One AU is the distance from the Earth to the Sun.)
July 27, 2005
- 11:56 AM CDT: Cursing parrot relocated - A wildlife sanctuary had to relocate a parrot to private pen after it started telling high-profile visitors to, "Fuck off."
- 11:44 AM CDT: Firefighter who married captain's daughter fired - In another instance of government idiocy, a fireman who married his captain's daughter has been fired. If this guy had been married to the captain's daughter before he got the job, I could understand why he wouldn't be hired. But to fire someone for a marriage after the fact is ludicrous.
- 10:01 AM CDT: Ultimate Betrayal - I hope this site is a joke, because otherwise its creators are too sad to contemplate. Some Harry Potter fans have declared their intention potentially to boycott Harry Potter, Book Seven because they're unsatisfied that Harry and Hermione haven't gotten together. And they want J. K. Rowling to apologize for comments she made about people who do want them together. (LOL... Okay, this is sad, yet funny at the same time.)
July 26, 2005
- 12:12 PM CDT: Russian SPAMmer brutally murdered - I guess someone become a bit too angry about junk e-mail.
- 11:58 AM CDT: The Smell of Fear - Want to encourage terrorists? Then talk about giving in to their demands, says Caleb Carr in the Wall Street Journal.
- 10:12 AM CDT: US Muslim groups say condemning attacks isn't enough - US Islamic groups proclaim they will act to deny terrorists any kind of ideological legitimacy in the eyes of young Muslims.
July 25, 2005
- 11:33 PM CDT: Teamsters split from AFL-CIO - Has aggressive campaigning for the Democrats, instead of representing workers, finally caught up with major labor unions?
July 22, 2005
- 11:26 AM CDT: Australian PM Howard responds to notion that Iraq war motivated London bombings - Australian Prime Minister John Howard rebukes those who blame British involvement in Iraq for the London bombings.
- 09:49 AM CDT: Teacher fired for political affiliation, hanging picture of Bush on wall along with other presidents - A teacher in New York has been fired for Republican political activism in her spare time, and for hanging a picture of President George W. Bush on her classroom wall amongst pictures of the other presidents. The principal who fired her is a Democrat.
July 20, 2005
- 02:45 PM CDT: What do you think of John Roberts for the SC? - On the Hypersyllogistic forums, I've created a poll asking what readers think of President George W. Bush's nominee for the Supreme Court. Let us know what you think!
- 09:25 AM CDT: 9-year-old Pakistani a computer pro - A 9-year-old girl from Pakistan has been certified as a computer professional by Microsoft. She joins a small group of computer professionals in the world below the age of 10.
July 13, 2005
- 07:30 PM CDT: Child dies playing "passing out game" - Eek. Kids have gotten the idea that choking themselves almost to asphyxiation is a cool "game." Let's nip this disturbing trend in the bud, shall we?
- 09:05 AM CDT: Who is Judith Miller protecting? - Matthew Cooper and Time magazine have revealed Karl Rove as a source of the Valerie Plame leak. So why won't Judith Miller of the New York Times reveal her notes now? asks Atlanta talk show host Neal Boortz.
July 7, 2005
- 12:04 PM CDT: Washington state judge considers talk radio "political contribution" - A judge in Washington state has determined talk radio broadcasts to be financial "political contributions," and thereby under the purview of regulation.
July 6, 2005
- 11:38 AM CDT: Framing the Framers - Anyone who thinks the Senate trumps the president in the appointment process should reexamine the Constitution and Federalist Papers, says Andrew McCarthy.
July 5, 2005
- 11:59 AM CDT: Iraqi insurgents start fighting al Qaeda terrorists - Iraqi insurgents who had been fighting American forces have started turning their weapons on al Qaeda terrorists. The Iraqi insurgents have begun resenting al Qaeda's arrogance and brutality.
June 29, 2005
- 10:19 AM CDT: New Hampshire proposal to confiscate Justice Souter's land with eminent domain - Justice Souter of the Supreme Court voted to allow use of eminent domain to transfer property from one private interest to another. Now, an idea has emerged to use eminent domain to take Souter's land in New Hampshire and build a hotel on it. I hope this comes to fruition!
June 28, 2005
- 09:07 AM CDT: Clarence Thomas for Chief Justice - Jude Wanniski, moved by Thomas's arguments in his dissent of the Supreme Court's eminent domain ruling, argues that Thomas should become the Supreme Court's new Chief Justice.
- 09:01 AM CDT: What I see in Lincoln's eyes - Senator Barack Obama of Illinois writes an insightful essay on Abraham Lincoln.
June 23, 2005
- 11:53 AM CDT: EU, UN pledge international support for Iraq - The European Union and UN Secretary-General Kofi Annan have promised to help rebuild Iraq. I wonder whether this will actually translate into monetary donations, aid workers, peacekeeping troops, etc.
- 11:43 AM CDT: Iraq rebuilding fails to deliver - Despite elections a few months ago, and figures showing electricity generation now surpasses the Saddam era, many Iraqis can't say their lives are better than before.
June 22, 2005
- 08:05 AM CDT: Baghdad Burning - This is a blog kept by a woman who resides in Baghdad, Iraq. Reading about the war and occupation by someone who actually lives amidst it is interesting and enlightening.
June 14, 2005
- 09:40 PM CDT: Scientology: The Cult of Greed - The "relationship" between Tom Cruise and Katie Holmes has put Scientology in the news lately. Read this old article from Time to learn the truth behind Cruise's belief system.
June 11, 2005
- 08:18 PM CDT: Durbin blames right-wingers for furor over Dean - Dick Durban, Democratic senator from my home state of Illinois, has blamed conservatives for the outrage over Howard Dean's harsh insults toward Republicans. Here's a tip, Dick: When the chairman of your party runs his mouth off, people are going to notice. And that's not anyone's fault but that of the chairman himself. Democrats, please practice personal responsibility...
June 9, 2005
- 04:31 PM CDT: Sponging dolphins learn from mom - BBC News article that describes a "material culture" amongst dolphins, as well as their ability to learn innovative behaviors.
