I'm watching Fox News right now. It's time for some "live" blogging of the presidential debate. If you've been reading for 4 months or more, you know how this works. I type as I watch, then immediately publish. Stream of consciousness, etc., etc. I won't have as much commentary as usual because I actually want to listen, but I'll do my best. Click the extended entry to descend into the depths of the debate...
Still just commentary right now. They're talking about the controversy about the lights on the podium.
...Here's Lehrer. He sounds like a robot. 90 minutes. I have laundry to do, I can't be sitting here for 90 fargin' minutes. Apparently, Lehrer wrote all the questions.
Here they are. The audience is making noise, in direct violation of the rules. Kerry is first.
Could he do a better job than Bush preventing another attack?
...He's stalling. He doesn't have an answer. Different convictions...America is safest and strongest when leading strong alliances. Except when they're coerced and bribed, of course. He has a better plan. Which he hasn't told us yet. Because it's a secret.
Bush time: He's nervous. Crap crap crap crap crap. 75% of Al Qaeda leaders brought to justice. 10 million Afghanistan voters, taking threats seriously. He's repeating himself from previous events. Free nations will reject terror.
More Bush: Will Kerry's election increase the chances of another 9/11? "I believe I'm gonna win." Bwahahaha. He's not answering the question...that's not good.
Kerry's response: He believes in being strong, resolute, determined...oh, now he's for military action again. Here come the memes. Bin Laden is dead or not a problem, dang it. Memes, memes, memes, memes, memes...Saddam Hussein counts as a WMD, in my opinion. He's rattling off a list of his supporters. But he's not saying why they support him. Oh, man, he's still talking about bin Laden. He doesn't realize who we're fighting.
Kerry: Colossal misjudgments. He's insulting the alliance. Way to be a leader, moron. He thinks the inspections would've worked. 12 years...oh, he mentioned combat. I'm surprised he lasted that long. "We pushed our allies aside." Kind of like you're doing now by insulting them. He doesn't realize where the WoT is centered. Why does he keep mentioning bin Laden? When was the last time we heard from him?
Bush: Kerry thought Hussein was a threat. Using his own words against him. Mentioning the resolutions. Good.
Bush on bin Laden: We can go after Hussein and bin Laden. Good, good. He's reminding him that the war is global, not centered on Afghanistan. Philippines, Zarqawi...yep. Those aren't real terrorists, are they, Kerry? I can't wait to see what Kerry says about Allawi.
Kerry rebuttal: Calling Iraq a diversion again. "Rush to war without a plan to win the peace." He's reading a freaking script. I could've written all his responses. He's even using the myths about body armor. The armor that he voted against. Several times. Throughout his career. And recently.
Bush: Kerry voted for force. Lowering morale, sending the wrong message.
Kerry: "I will succeed." How, dang it? It was a mistake of judgment even though he voted for it before he voted against it before he was for it again. Or something. He basically just said we were unilateral.
Kerry on homeland security: He's treating it as a law enforcement operation, as if it's more important to be prepared for an attack. Instead of, you know, preventing one. "Tax cuts for the wealthy." How many memes can he go through? HOW MANY?! He's more worried about the former Soviet Union than Iraq?!
Bush: How will Kerry pay for it? Heh heh. Bush has increased security spending. 3.1 billion for fire and police. "The best way to protect this homeland is to stay on the offense." EXACTLY!!! If we don't get attacked, we don't have to worry about first responders. "The Patriot Act is vital."
Kerry: "We didn't need that tax cut." O...kay.
Bush: When do you bring troops home? Train Iraqi citizens to do the job. Good. Kerry would rather bring in troops from France or something, I bet.
Kerry: "Help is on the way." Yeah, sure. Because pulling them out before they're done really helps them. "The president's father did not go into Iraq." That's why Iraq was f**ked up for another decade, dang it. He just used the "war for oil" meme, too. And he talked about WMD that didn't exist. Flip-flop. How does he expect to bring credibility to us if he insults our coalition?
Bush: Mentioning morale again. $87 billion line. Heh.
Kerry: The president made a mistake in invading Iraq. Even though he voted for it. 3 Vietnam references now.
Here come some more. "How do you ask a man to be the last man to die for a mistake?" He's acting like Bush didn't think before going into Iraq. During the year he spent planning it. And talking to the UN. And our allies. He still thinks we should've retaliated for 9/11 then stopped. That's just sad. Halliburton meme. Wow.
Bush: The UN was invited, but they pulled out. Right. Tony Blair, Poland, etc. YES! Tell him not to insult the coalition if he wants to build a bigger one. Once again, Kerry's words are killing him. I saw this coming from miles away.
Kerry: Still wants the UN to help. Even though they didn't want to be there.
Bush: There are 30 nations involved. Kerry thinks there are 3.
New Bush question: Postwar miscalculation. We didn't plan for such a rapid victory, so there were more Saddam loyalists left. Interesting. It's good to point out that we're fighting terrorists, not "revolutionaries" or "minutemen." We can't send mixed signals to our troops, friends, and Iraqi citizens. Elections in January. Iraqi soldier training. NATO. Jordan, UAE...$7 billion for reconstruction. Strong alliance, Arab summit...he's got his facts in order, I'll give him that.
Kerry: "Imminent threat." There's another one! He's pretty much one step away from lying now. He's describing a completely different war at this point. He's insulting the coalition again! Crap, this guy is dumb.
Kerry question: Bush lie accusations. What is a lie? Nuclear materials...he said 10 minutes ago that we didn't guard nuclear sites, and now there weren't any? What is this guy smoking? "We did not go as a last resort." Dude...12 years is a last resort. Saddam had plenty of time to give up his WMD, and he didn't. Deal with it.
Bush: Using Kerry's words against him again. This is a beautiful thing. Beautiful. A commander-in-chief doesn't change positions. They saw the same intelligence, and Kerry supported the war. This should be good.
Kerry: "I've had one position."
Bush: "The only thing that's been consistent is that he's inconsistent." There's your sound bite.
Bush question: Is the war worth it? Emotional appeals. Here they come. "Spread ffffffffffreedom."
Kerry: 4 Vietnam references. Nice. He's referring to his plans again. But you have to go online to see them.
Bush: It's essential to get it right...and he's overtime.
Kerry: "If you break it, you fix it." So why does he want to fix it?
Kerry question: Can you give us specifics for ending major U.S. involvement? Convince them that we don't have long term designs...military bases...yeah, you need those when your military is there. "War for oil" again. He's framing Bush as an imperialist now. The MoveOn minions must be getting excited. And Noam Chomsky.
Bush: 125,000 trained by the end of the year. Bush realizes that there is an enemy to fight before we start leaving. He's mentioning that Kerry criticized Allawi, and his campaign called him a puppet. Good call.
Kerry: The Iraqis could be free, but we need to do things a different way. Allawi said terrorists were pouring over the border...
Bush: Allawi recognizes that we're fighting terror in Iraq. Flypaper strategy, essentially. Hmmm.
New question: Are we more likely to go to war again? He hopes we never have to. He never wanted to commit troops, but the enemy attacked us. There's one supposed "flip-flop" shot down. Diplomacy was falling apart in Iraq, and Hussein wanted us to turn away. He's bringing up Libya. Which was disarmed because we stood by our word. Good.
Kerry: He's got a response..."Saddam Hussein didn't attack us." But you said he was a threat, didn't you? Holy crap, he still thinks we need to be fighting bin Laden. And Saddam would've been weakened by diplomacy. Oh, resolution number 18 would've been the effective one.
Bush: That's ludicrous. Heh.
Kerry: 35 to 40 countries had a greater capability of making weapons. Did they also support Palestinian terror and sit between a bunch of other terrorist nations?
Kerry: What is your view of pre-emption? The president has the authority, but you must do it the right way. "The global test." What? Is that like the "does France like us" test? He thinks world leaders would respect him more than they respect Bush. "I'll never take my eye off that ball." Global warming? Holy crap. Just...holy crap.
Bush: What is the global test? Good question. Pre-emption protects this country. Exactly. What about the treaties? He didn't join the International Criminal Court. Don't join a foreign court that can prosecute our people. Exactly. "Trying to be popular...if it's not in our best interests makes no sense." No decisions that are wrong for America.
New question: Can diplomacy solve problems with NK and Iran? North Korea was not honoring our agreement when he was elected, and other nations were needed. He said "nucular." And "peninshula." My brain hurts. We have more people talking to Kim Jong-Il than before. He wants to unravel the coalition sending him a message. Iran: Work with the world to convince the mullahs to give up. STOP SAYING NUCULAR! DANG IT DANG IT DANG IT.
Kerry: British, French, and Germans started with Iran, and we should've provided nuclear fuel to them. Uh...wow. North Korea: We knew where the fuel rods were...we knew their limits...he actually has a good point here. Crap.
Bush: Kim Jong-Il had uranium. We've sanctioned Iran already. We worked with Germany, France and Great Britain.
Kerry question: Darfur. What should we do? It is genocide. We can support the African Union. We need to do more to stop the killing, but don't have the resources. He's going..."backdoor draft." Yep. He said it. There are people singing out in the hall right now, by the way. Stupid dorm. Anyway...double the number of special forces. If we needed to send troops to Darfur, he would. As a "last resort," right?
Bush: Iran was sanctioned before 2000. Darfur is genocide. $200 million worth of aid...we shouldn't send troops.
New Bush question: Are there character issues affecting Kerry's ability to lead? BUSH MENTIONED VIETNAM? Daughter talk...Kerry served in the Senate. Really? I thought he was in 'Nam until last year. Here comes the flip-flop talk again. "Mexed missages." Oops.
Kerry: He's trying to bring himself to compliment Bush. "It's one thing to be certain...it's another to be certain and be right...then learn new facts..." Every other day? Wow. Them's a lotta facts.
Bush response: "One should shift tactics." He won't change values.
Kerry: "I've never wavered in my life." BWAAAAAHAHAHAHA! Hussein needed to be disarmed, Bush needed the authority...we didn't need to rush to war.
Kerry question: What will you take most seriously as president? Nuclear proliferation. NS is now panicking because Bush will have to say "nuclear" again. Kerry wrote a book? "The New War." I've just heard of "The New Soldier." We've secured less nuclear material. Bush cut the money for ending nuclear proliferation. We're pursuing nuclear weapons, but other countries can't have them...uh, if other countries have 'em, shouldn't we at least be ready? What happened to the "first responder" stuff?
Bush: We've increased funding. Proliferation Security Initiative. We convinced Libya to disarm...missile defense. Good.
Kerry: NK has weapons, Iran is moving toward weapons...didn't he just say we should give more materials to Iran?
Bush: Bilateral NK talks are bad because China will be left out.
Bush question: Did he misjudge Putin, or is he doing a good job? It's not okay what Putin is doing. Consolidation of power is bad. Checks and balances...Beslan...they need a good relation. Effective disagreements are important. Russia is a country in transition. Democracy is good, apparently. Good call.
Kerry: He was in Russia, he saw the KGB files during the transition. "I regret what's happened in these past months." Putin has power over TV stations, jailing political opposition. Bush didn't say "mission accomplished," you idiot. He explained that already.
Bush: They looked at the same intelligence...Kerry called it a "grave threat," and it was the truth.
Kerry: He was a threat, but how do you deal with it? We don't have a "true coalition." Dang it, why is he insulting them again? How does he expect to keep the coalition together if he doesn't like 'em?
Closing statements:
Kerry: They both love this country, but have a different set of convictions about how to make us stronger at home and respected in the world. 5 Vietnam references! 5!!! "I have a plan for Iraq." But it's a secret. He's going to do...apparently, the same things Bush has done. Cutting off funds, reaching out to other nations, etc.
Bush: We can't show uncertainty or weakness. We will continue to strengthen our homeland defenses, intelligence, all-volunteer military (nice. Slipped in an anti-draft phrase). We will spread freedom, as liberty has transformational power. Freedom is in this nation's interests. We've worked together, we've been challenged, "I see the valley below, and it's a valley of peace." Strength, honesty, support for our troops = peace. "I ask for your vote, and may God continue to bless our great land."
So, that's it. Kerry actually did better than I thought, but due to the huge number of memes in his responses, I'll have to go ahead and say that Bush won. Here comes commentary. Again, I have laundry to do, so I'm going to publish this thing and get to work pretty soon. But as for final thoughts...
Like I said, Kerry had way too many memes and half-truths in his answers. Bush was probably more articulate than I've ever seen him. He's really honest about his beliefs, and he does know what he believes. Kerry seems determined to convince us that he'll be a better diplomat than Bush, even though he has a history of turning on his allies.
Bush wins, in my opinion, but not by much. He'll have to do better to convince the swing voters. If I was undecided, I probably wouldn't be changing my mind now.
Time to wash clothing. What fun.
Has anyone else noticed that a lot of these are pure CBS? Let's take a look at a few (I wish I could go in depth, but I have to leave for band practice in half an hour):
Weapons of Mass DestructionTwo months into the war, on May 29, 2003, Mr. Bush said weapons of mass destruction had been found.
“We found the weapons of mass destruction. We found biological laboratories,” Mr. Bush told Polish television. “For those who say we haven't found the banned manufacturing devices or banned weapons, they're wrong, we found them."
On Sept. 9, 2004, in Pennsylvania, Mr. Bush said: “I recognize we didn't find the stockpiles [of weapons] we all thought were there.”
And the flip-flop is...where? We did find some weapons, but we haven't found any stockpiles, most likely because they were moved to Syria or some other country. Even an out-of-context quote makes it clear that he's not suggesting that we've found nothing.
Nation Building and the War in IraqDuring the 2000 campaign, George W. Bush argued against nation building and foreign military entanglements. In the second presidential debate, he said: "I'm not so sure the role of the United States is to go around the world and say, 'This is the way it's got to be.'"
The United States is currently involved in nation building in Iraq on a scale unseen since the years immediately following World War II.
You see, there was this little incident called "9/11" that changed the way Bush saw foreign policy. It's not a flip-flop if it's triggered by different circumstances.
Iraq and the Sept. 11 AttacksIn a press conference in September 2002, six months before the invasion of Iraq, President Bush said, “you can't distinguish between al Qaeda and Saddam when you talk about the war on terror... they're both equally as bad, and equally as evil, and equally as destructive.”
In September of 2004, Mr. Bush said: “We've had no evidence that Saddam Hussein was involved with September 11th." Though he added that “there's no question that Saddam Hussein had al Qaeda ties,” the statement seemingly belied earlier assertions that Saddam and al Qaeda were “equally bad.”
"Seemingly belied earlier assertions?" That's a load of crap. Saddam and Al Qaeda were involved with terrorism, therefore, they're the enemy in the War on Terror. No flip-flopping here, either, unless you believe that Al Qaeda is the only terrorist organization on Earth.
That's all I have time for, but here's another observation: A lot of the so-called "flip-flops" involve Bush changing his mind once and never looking back. Kerry, on the other hand, is now contradicting himself several times within the same interview.
Nice try, CBS, but you're still full of it.
You know, when I saw that part of the Patriot Act had been ruled unconstitutional, I assumed that it had happened because of irrational fear on the part of the courts. I didn't realize that it hadn't actually happened at all.
Look, media, just give it up, all right? In the past month, you've relied on phony documents to try and pin an AWOL accusation on the president, you've relied on phony e-mails to try and convince people that Bush wants to reinstate the draft, and now you've confused the Patriot Act with a law that was passed in Nineteen-Eighty-Motherf**king-Six.
GIVE IT UP. I realize that us bloggers still need you to give us the information, but don't act like you have a monopoly on the unbiased truth. You're all human, just like us, and humans tend to be stupid and opinionated. Accept that fact and, as your "non-partisan" friends would say, move on. @ssclowns.
Holy crap, film classes get into your head. In my mind, I'm already screening the opening sequence of a movie that I haven't even written yet. I'm planning all kinds of shots and cuts and effects and music...and then I remember that I'm in my sophomore year of college, and I'm still learning how films are made.
...Patience is hard.
I love the NYT letters. Look at an excerpt from this one:
Look at what the Bush campaign operatives have done to John Kerry. They've created the perception that he is an equivocating elitist who changes his positions daily.
No, dips**t, I'm pretty sure Kerry did that all by himself.
...I have a shorter fuse than normal at 1 in the morning. I should go to sleep now.
Yeah...Wednesdays are not conducive to blogging.
But don't worry, because I'll be watching the presidential debate tomorrow. I'm sure you can all draw your own conclusions with the information I just gave you, so I'm going to get back to real life now.
So, does anybody out there have one of those Gmail invites I've heard so much about? I'd be happy to take it off your hands.
UPDATE
Wow, that was fast. It didn't occur to me before that I could get a Gmail account just by, you know, asking for it. What a concept!
(This is a roundabout way of saying "thank you," by the way)
Just because I'm avoiding studying for as long as possible, I thought I'd provide some highlights from a conversation I just had with my roommate. This may be one of those "you had to be there" things, but...it's my blog, and I was there, so that gives me the authority to write about it.
NOTES:
NS= Roommate
CD= CD (obviously)
Quotation marks= One of us doing an impression of a politician
Horizontal line= New segment
As always, this is not verbatim, but the important parts are at least close
"Senator Kerry, you said earlier that you still would've gone to war with Iraq even if you knew that Saddam didn't have WMD. Could you explain that?"
"What? I never said that! Are you working for Karl Rove?"
NS: "Well, when I was in Vietnam..."
CD: But he doesn't say anything.
NS: He'll be like, "You need to vote for me," and Cheney will just be like, "Yeah...shut the f**k up."
CD: Cheney's going to massacre Edwards. He'll probably end up saying, "I have better hair, so I think I should be the winner of this debate."
I do have a political rant in mind, but first, a little more film theory commentary:
Vsevolod Pudovkin + Sergei Eisenstein = Pounding headache
There. Now, with that out of the way, I want to talk about the Democrats and their reactions to various stages of the campaign. I've noticed a certain amount of hypocrisy coming from the left. Obviously, these aren't direct quotes or anything (feel free to use Google if something looks wrong), but all of the following sentiments have been expressed by the Dems since the presidential race began:
- Questioning Kerry's patriotism is un-American and, in fact, unpatriotic.
- It's wrong to question Kerry's Vietnam War record, especially since there are still lingering questions about Bush's Vietnam War record.
- It's wrong to say that Kerry would make us more vulnerable to terrorism, especially since Bush has made us more vulnerable to terrorism.
- We should be looking toward the future, not dwelling on the past. When John Kerry was in Vietnam, he never worried about the past.
- It's wrong to politicize the War on Terror, and to prove it, we're running an ad that politicizes the War on Terror.
- It's wrong for Republicans to insert religion into their messages, especially since Jesus was a liberal.
- You shouldn't call Kerry's constant indecision "flip-flopping," especially since Bush has changed his mind on a couple issues since he was elected.
- It's wrong to criticize CBS for relying on forged documents, especially since Bush may have relied on forged documents.
- It's wrong to campaign with scare tactics. By the way, if you re-elect Bush, he'll draft your children.
...Are you seeing a trend here? They're relying on both the "you can't do that, it's unfair" technique and the "I know you are, but what am I?" technique. I'd expect to see both of those coming from the Party of Immaturity from time to time, but using both of them at once should really create some sort of cognitive dissonance singularity. It's amazing that they can pull it off, but they have.
Over and over again, we see a tendency for those on the left to define something as taboo or off-limits, and then immediately do the thing they just spoke out against. For example, it's "despicable" for an independent group to run an ad asking if John Kerry can fight terrorism effectively, but there's nothing wrong with Ted Kennedy saying that Bush has made us more vulnerable to a nuclear attack. It's "un-American" to question Kerry's actions during and after Vietnam, but Bush should really prove that he wasn't AWOL. Does any of this make sense? I guess it does for neolibs.
Once again, they just need to pick one. Either stick with the "you can't do that" defense, or switch over to full-time use of the "no, you are" defense. When you use both at once, it destroys what little credibility you had to begin with.
UPDATE
Oh, and remember this one:
It's wrong for Arnold Schwarzenegger to call people "girlie-men," and to prove it, we're making an "Arnold is a Girlie-Man" doll.
See what I mean?
Patterico brings up an interesting point. When people accuse Fox News of being biased to the right, they seem to use commentators like Hannity and O'Reilly as examples. However, they forget that commentators are supposed to be biased.
In contrast, accusations of liberal bias are directed at people like Dan Rather and organizations like the AP, both of which claim to be neutral.
Can you see the difference here? It's really not that hard to figure out.
You know what word comes to mind when I'm trying to read film theory?
"Pretentious."
If you've studied it, you'll understand.
Holy crap, that was a long day. I need to unwind with some semi-fisking. Our lucky victim contestant today is none other than Senator John F**k-Up Kerry. Come on down, John!
Kerry appeals for end to election advertising warDemocratic presidential challenger John Kerry appealed for an end to the TV advertising war that has marked his election battle against President George W. Bush.
What happened to "bring it on?" How do you expect to be president if you can't even handle legitimate criticism of your beliefs (or lack thereof)? This guy's skin is thinner than the frickin' Olsen twins.
Kerry said the avalanche of negative television spots and attacks being shown on US screens was scaring off voters."Americans need a real conversation over our future," Kerry said in a speech at a school in Spring Green, Wisconsin.
What a blatantly hypocritical statement. This is the guy who spent most of the campaign running on the fact that he fought in a war 30+ years ago, and now he wants a conversation over our future? Maybe he should've thought of that before he reported for duty.
"What they don't need is all these trumped up advertisements, they just make people curl up and walk away," added the Massachusetts senator.
If by "people," you mean "John Kerry," you're probably right. You seem fairly unprepared to answer questions about...well, anything other than Vietnam.
"I'm calling them 'misleadisments,'" Kerry said of the adverts.
At this point, I'm convinced that Bush is much more intelligent than Kerry. I mean..."misleadisments?" He could've at least come up with something that sounds similar. Like "adverLIESments." It took me less than a minute to come up with that. Where's that famed nuance, John?
"It's all scare tactics ... because (Bush) has no record to run on."
Oh, yeah, except for liberating 2 countries, deposing a dictator, persuading another dictator to give up his WMD program, lowering taxes, and updating our national security policies, he has no record at all.
The Democrats have complained bitterly about a new advertisement that shows Osama bin Laden, September 11 hijack leader Mohamed Atta, Saddam Hussein and the ruins of the World Trade Center, and questioned whether Kerry was up to dealing with them.
Well, is he? Don't complain about the ads; Explain why they're not true. Some people haven't chugged gallons of Kool-Aid, and they're actually interested in how you plan to fight the War on Terror, if you plan to fight at all.
A statement called the spot, run by the Republican group Progress for America Voter Fund, the latest in a series of "desperate and despicable attack ads" aimed at diverting attention from Bush's record.
...So what you're saying is that the Bush campaign didn't actually create this ad. Hear that flushing sound? That's your credibility. Moron.
The Democrats have rolled out a new advert of their own, titled "Despicable," in which they accused the Bush administration of "playing politics with terror" and dividing the country to win a second term at the White House.
Did I already call you a hypocrite? Because if I didn't...YOU ARE A F**KING HYPOCRITE. How can you say, with a straight face, that it's wrong to question the abilities of a candidate to fight terrorism, but it's perfectly okay to accuse the president of being "despicable" and "playing politics" with the war? Grow up.
A group called Swift Boat Veterans for Truth has also been at the center of the television advertising battle with controversial spots aimed at discrediting Kerry's Vietnam War record. The adverts accused the decorated Vietnam War veteran of exaggerating or lying about his exploits.
If the so-called "war hero" would just release his fargin' records, maybe they would go away. They've stated as much several times.
In Wisconsin, Kerry also made a personality attack against the president, saying that he and his rival are both children of privilege, but Bush considers his comfortable position an entitlement.Kerry said "he and I, we went to the same university, we're both very privileged." Both men attended Yale University.
The Democrat added that from his education "came a sense of fairness and responsibility" while Bush "thinks it's entitlement."
Okay, I'm trying to make sense of that statement, but it's just not happening. I'm going to move on.
Kerry said America's middle classes had suffered from the huge tax cuts that Bush had presided over and which Democrats say mainly benefit the most wealthy."He doesn't care, he's out of touch," said Kerry.
Do I even need to explain why it's hilarious for Kerry to call anybody "out of touch?" I didn't think so.
The Democratic contender has been in Wisconsin since Sunday preparing for the first of the presidential debates against Bush on Thursday.He sought to highlight his own campaign commitments ahead of the November 2 election against Bush's "broken promise after broken promise".
...Such as? If you do win, it'll be fun watching you try to keep your own promises, considering you've pretty much promised everything to everyone.
Kerry also launched a new attack Bush's campaign in Iraq, a topic where Republicans have accused him of continually changing position.
You know, there is a reason for that...
"I've been right on Iraq all along," said Kerry.
*stifling laughter*
"I said yes, we ought to hold him (Saddam Hussein) accountable, but let's do it the right way, and I showed what it was, step by step. And step-by-step the president chose the wrong way."
...Right. Which is why you voted to give President Bush authority to go to war, then voted for the $87 billion...before you voted against it. And now you're claiming you can make us "respected in the world" while insulting not only our allies, but the prime minister of Iraq.
As I said earlier, I am now convinced beyond a shadow of a doubt that Kerry is less intelligent than Bush. It took a while, but I just can't believe that anyone with a properly functioning mind could say these things.
(Hat tip: Ace of Spades HQ)
Guess what? I'm going to be at the TV station all afternoon, and then I've got to study for a political science test, so there probably won't be any new posts today. YAY!
Seriously, go comment in the open thread. The one I posted last month ended up with 18 comments, so I know it's possible. Plus, if you have a blog, you can give yourself some free publicity.
...Why are you still here? Go comment, dang it!
UPDATE
Okay, now it's up to 6 comments. You can do better than that. I have about 200 pages of reading to get through tonight, and then I have computer programs to work on tomorrow afternoon, so if you want new content before Tuesday, you'll probably have to make your own.
All right. I just spent my entire morning shooting a public service announcement about proper use of the laundry rooms in college dorms. But since you're probably not interested in that...
TODAY IS THE 1 YEAR BLOGIVERSARY OF SEMI-INTELLIGENT THOUGHTS!!!
That's right. On September 25, 2003, at 4:23 PM, I posted this and began my blogging adventure. Originally, SIT was just going to be a place to put the random thoughts that used to be in my Book of Semi-Intelligent Thoughts. I wasn't even planning on writing about politics that often. However, as you all know, the blog ended up growing into a daily activity that I still enjoy. To celebrate, let's take a look at some important events in SIT history...
-9/25/03: First post.
-10/4/03: James Finch, author of the currently inactive blog VRWC Inc., e-mails me with info about comments and stats. Site Meter and comments operational by the end of the day.
-10/5/03: VRWC gives SIT its first ever link.
-10/8/03: SIT begins appearing in Google search results.
-10/13/03: JawsBlog links SIT, bringing total number of links to 2.
-10/27/03: SIT joins The Alliance of Free Blogs.
-11/5/03: No Offense submitted to the TTLB New Blog Showcase.
-11/10/03: No Offense wins 2nd place in the Showcase.
-11/19/03: My personal favorite entry, The True Fan, posted.
-11/24/03: First ever SIT filthy lie posted.
-12/6/03: SIT nominated for the "Best Flappy Bird" category of the 2003 Weblog Awards.
-12/13/03: Anti-BlogSpot distress post.
-12/22/03: SIT begins the transition from BlogSpot to Movable Type.
-12/23/03: SIT linked on Right Wing News.
-12/24/03: BlogSpot site declared dead, full-time posting begins on MT site.
-1/21/04: First appearance of Larry the Liberal.
-2/6/04: Hit counter reaches 5,000.
-4/23/04: Hit counter reaches 10,000.
-6/4/04: First ever fisking of another [active] blogger.
-6/18/04: SIT political hiatus begins.
-6/28/04: Political hiatus ends.
-7/17/04: First ever CD vs. Saddam beard battle.
-8/11/04: INDC Journal links to SIT.
-9/10/04: Hit counter reaches 20,000.
-9/22/04: CD sees Michael Moore.
-9/25/04: First blogiversary...wait, I said that already.
So, that's where we are now. A year ago, I was just writing random crap with Blogger and getting 20 visitors on the best days. Now, I'm using Movable Type, I'm getting between 70 and 100 visitors a day, I actually have regular readers and commenters, and I'm still fascinated with the world of blogging.
Finally...where are all my commenters? Did your keyboards break or something? Come on, this is a special occasion!
The post below is an open thread, if you haven't figured it out.
Anyway, today is my 1-year blogiversary. I'll have more later, but I have TRF-related things to do until afternoon, and I don't have time to write at the moment. I just wanted to let you know that it's a special day.
Also, if you didn't see it below, Evil Monkeys is back.
Later.
I'm taking the initiative today and starting a brand new meme. You know those "open a book, turn to page 23, and write the third sentence" ones? This is a slight variation involving John "F**k Up" Kerry. It's a bit complicated, so I'll break it up into separate steps.
1. Find the nearest book.
2. Open it to page 68. Because that's the year Kerry left for Vietnam.
3. Because Kerry was in 'Nam for 4 months, go to the 4th full sentence and write it down.
4. Now, write a follow-up sentence that has something to do with being in Vietnam.
Everybody with me? Good. It's time for a demonstration, so I'm going to try it.
1. The nearest book is "Issues for Debate In American Public Policy," a political science text. I am now holding it.
2. Turn to page 68...
3. The 4th full sentence is...
"[Such] reforms are essential to make the current program sustainable," write Joseph Antos and Jagadeesh Gokhale, scholars at the conservative American Enterprise Institute in Washington.
4. This is a tough one, but I'll give it a shot...
"When I was in Vietnam, reforms in fuel were essential to make our swift boats sustainable."
Yeah, that sucked, but it wasn't a great sentence. I'm more interested in what other people can come up with.
Try it!
Wow. I just got back from an...interesting TRF class. As you may know, this class is called "Introduction to Writing and Producing," so naturally, we started off by talking about Michael Moore.
...Wow.
Before the class even began, I could tell it was going to be fun, because the guy sitting next to me (who I worked with on the last project) was wearing a "Friends don't let friends vote Republican" shirt. After talking to him for a few minutes, I found out that he's seen "Fahrenheit 9/11" 3 times.
Mmmm. Kool-Aid.
I actually had an interesting discussion with him about how Moore is more biased than he needs to be, so I haven't lost all faith in the thinking abilities of the left, but still...that was weird.
Anyway, it seems that many people in the class went to see Moore last night, and we spent the first half-hour talking about him. However, as one might expect, we ended up covering broader political issues.
The craziness started right away. Apparently, the portly propagandist told everyone that "there will be a draft" if Bush is re-elected. You've gotta love how liberals never resort to scare tactics. I eventually countered with a very simple fact:
"The draft has been proposed, but it was proposed by Democrats, and the Bush administration is opposed to the draft. So, if you're worrying about Bush drafting you...don't."
That shut 'em all up. Heh heh. Unfortunately, the discussion kept going, and I was subjected to all of the following talking points from the professor and various members of the class:
- The election was stolen (this was from the professor).
- Kerry being for and against the war, gay marriage, No Child Left Behind, and abortion doesn't count as flip-flopping.
- Bush being against Homeland Security and the 9/11 Commission, then later accepting them, does count as flip-flopping.
- The media are not liberal, and it seems like they're afraid to question the administration (also from the professor).
- The forged National Guard documents are getting too much media attention.
- The theory that Karl Rove gave the forged documents to CBS is just as valid as other theories (again, the professor said this one).
- Swift Boat Veterans for Truth was taken too seriously by the media.
- Polls only show Bush in the lead because they survey more Republicans than Democrats.
- The electoral college is obsolete and unfair to the voters.
...I can't believe they managed to fit all this crap into 30 minutes. The worst part is that I couldn't really respond, because:
1. It's a frickin' film class, not political science.
2. I was vastly outnumbered.
3. I didn't have Google at my disposal like I do on the blog.
So, I'm sorry to say that I don't have any triumphant debate stories to share. I just kind of sat back and listened to try and detect some original thoughts.
I didn't hear any.
(On a final note, several members of the class identified themselves as "anti-Bush," but none said they were "pro-Kerry." What a shock.)
Have you ever had a day when your brain just didn't want to work? Because I'm having that kind of day right now.
Film production = The most fun I have ever had in my life.
Film theory = As exciting as watching dead grass grow.
Okay! I get it! Sergei Eisenstein was a smart guy! You don't have to pound the idea into my head!
And if I have to read the word "montage" one more time, I may have an aneurysm.
UPDATE
I thought I'd provide an excerpt from the reading I'm trying to get through tonight:
Bazin considers German expressionism and Russian symbolism to have been superseded in the 1930s and 1940s by a form of editing more appropriate to the dialogue film. This "analytic" editing, which characteristically manifests itself in the dramatic technique of shot/reverse shot, was an important innovation. Still more important, however, was the development of the depth of field shot by Orson Welles and William Wyler in the early 1940s (anticipated in the 1930s by Jean Renoir), which made even the use of "analytic" montage unnecessary.
Oh, that explains everything. Thanks.
*Banging head against wall*
Here's the most important thing you need to know: Michael Moore has a gigantic head.
Now, a little backstory. Marching band practice was held completely outside. As we played, a few people who were waiting to get in and see Moore stopped by to watch us. There were a couple of local TV reporters, too. This was a big event.
When practice ended, we found out that we weren't going to be allowed to put our instruments back in the equipment room on the second floor. Instead, we were putting them in the locker room on the ground level. That saved me from having to deal with the people taking their seats inside.
However...
To get back inside, we had to go through a huge door in the back of the Dome, in an area known as "stadium control." Picture a really, really, really big automatic garage door, and you'll get the idea. So, we were getting ready to go in, but the security guards wouldn't let us inside, because Michael Moore was due to arrive any second. Allow me to toot my own horn for a second and tell you what I said when I heard that:
"This is probably the only door he'll fit through."
Thank you, thank you. I'll be here all week. Nobody laughed, but I don't think they heard me. Their loss.
Anyway, we stood there waiting for a few minutes, then a black van (if I'm remembering correctly) drove up. The passenger-side window was rolled down. And inside was...Michael Moore.
Yeah. So I got to see him from about 10 feet away. This brings us back to the "gigantic head" thing. I know you may have seen him in pictures, on TV, etc., but until you have seen this man in person, you cannot understand how unbelievably large his head is. And the beard...the disgustingly unkempt beard...and he had the baseball cap...*shudder* I feel dirty just from having looked at him.
After his van went inside, a stretch limo drove up. We thought it was a decoy or something, but they started unloading boxes from the back. I swear...I FREAKING SWEAR that one box said "Chicken McNuggets" on the side. Which is weird, because when I saw the limo, I said "That's probably his food supply."
Again, nobody laughed. I don't understand.
Anyway, once they were done with that, we finally got to take our stuff in, and as I was walking home, I noticed that there were still people in line waiting to get in. And the line was incredibly long. In fact, I'm going to stop and make a diagram to show how long it was:
That red line represents the line to get in. It was unbelievable. As I was walking by, I had a brief conversation with a girl going the same way:
GIRL: Half these people are probably just here because liking Michael Moore is the cool thing to do.
CD: Heh. Right. "Bush bad! Kerry...not so bad!"
Anyway, that's about the end of the story. Once again, if there's one thing you'll learn on SIT tonight that you will not learn anywhere else, it's that Michael Moore has a gargantuan cranium.
Thank you.
Michael Moore is speaking at SU tonight. I don't have a ticket, but...
I'm probably going to be in the same building as him. You see, there's still marching band practice tonight from 6:00 to 7:15 outside the Carrier Dome. Mooreon starts at 7:30 in the Carrier Dome. I have to go back inside the Dome after practice to put my drum away...
Which means I'm going to be in there with thousands and thousands of moonbats (they sold 10,000 tickets). 15 minutes before a freakin' Michael Moore speech.
If I don't post again, it means I wasn't able to contain the urge to do violent things to them. You'll probably see it in the news eventually.
What's more likely, however, is that I'll have a full report on any especially entertaining liberal antics. It's going to be virtually impossible to avoid them, so I might as well make the most of it.
This stuff is not fun.
UPDATE
You know, the really great thing about doing homework for a computer programming class is that you can't actually test your programs until you're in the lab, and I've only got about an hour and a half of free time tomorrow before these assignments are due.
My TA is a douche.
Crap! Garry Trudeau and Michael Moore are speaking this week, and I just found out that next week, the school is screening Outfoxed.
If there isn't some serious conservatism to balance this next semester, I may have to find out who's in charge of planning events and beat talk some sense into them.
I can't get enough of these DU threads about leaving the country if Bush wins. I almost feel sorry for them, knowing that they actually believe this crap. Let me summarize some of the "facts" about the DU world:
-Bush and his administration are fascists, and will take over just like Hitler.
-There is a draft coming. This is not up for debate.
-The Rather apology is a sign that Bush has destroyed freedom of the press
-FOX News is an extension of the Republican Party, and will control the populace under the Bush-fascist regime.
-Dissent is being crushed at an unprecedented rate.
-Fundamentalist Christians are a bigger threat than fundamentalist Muslims.
-Bush is planning to round up liberals and put them in re-education camps.
-The Bush administration has more power than any government in the history of civilization.
You know, my biggest problem with these useful idiots is their twisted view of who they should be fighting. I'd be fine with them saying "Bush isn't doing enough to fight the enemy." But instead, they're saying "Bush is the enemy."
That's where I draw the line. It's perfectly fine to disagree with the way Bush is fighting the War on Terror, but when you claim that Bush is a bigger threat than terrorism and plan to revolt with violence if he wins again, you have started walking down the road to treason. It's not a pleasant fact, but it's true.
I tried to ignore this story, but it now goes beyond Vietnam, and is relevant to the current state of affairs. However, I'm still really busy, so I'll just offer some brief commentary in the form of a song parody:
It's the end of the media as we know it
It's the end of the media as we know it
It's the end of the media as we know it
And I feel fine
Or, to put it another way:
The mainstream media is now officially f**ked, and I'd say they got what they deserved.
Thank you.
If you've ever wondered what drumlines do when they're not drumming, this photo gallery should give you some idea.
(Yes, I'm in one of those photos. If you can't figure out which one, even with the captions, you haven't been reading SIT long enough)
UPDATE
Oh, and the guy who invited me to a strip club last month is in there, too. Again, check the captions.
UPDATE THE SECOND
Also, despite his appearance, the guy next to me in the couch photo is not a hippie. I just thought I'd clear that up.
I just thought I'd mention now that my 1 year blogiversary is this Saturday. I'll have more information as soon as I think of something the big day draws closer.
I haven't done this for a really long time, but I figured I'd keep the moonbat theme going with some DU posts. This thread is one of the more hysterically paranoid discussions I've seen, so let's take a closer look:
Oldie DU'ers where are you planning on moving? I can't stay and fight. But, I don't know where to go. I don't like cold..like in Canada. But, when Rather caves I know it's time...if one can...to get outta here.
Please, God, let them be serious this time. Go! Get out! Find someplace where your kind is accepted, you sick freaks!
Anyway, let's take an even more in-depth look at the world these people live in:
Don't know where I could go, but like you Koko01, tonight when I heard Rather apologize, I thought when he's silenced it's time for those who are planning to leave the country to do so now.
Oh, so now Rather was "silenced?" Because I could've sworn he was "caught in a blatant lie." Seriously, how many different types of drugs do you people have to consume before you can come up with this stuff?
Yes...I will vote before I go...but I need to make plans. I don't want to be left here like the Jews who didn't get out in Nazi Germany. I have a big mouth...it's hard for me to "blend in." I've already lost friends and family members because of Bush, so I know just like with Ann Frank's experience in Holland...I and my family would be turned in because I have an "aura" of Resistence. Folks can just tell about folks like me.
Here's a suggestion for "blending in:" Take off the tinfoil hat. Don't worry; The mind-reading moon lasers may not get you. Rove was never very good at aiming 'em anyway. But I've already said too much. I'll move on.
Sometimes I think this is what it felt like to be a Jew in Germany in the 40's. You know you should leave but, it's such a huge decision. I guess they kept thinking, how much worse can it get. Until it was too late.
I already mentioned that persecution fantasies and delusions of grandeur were signs of schizophrenia, right?
I know I should leave...I've already lost so much support except here on DU...so when is the "tipping point?"I'm not a 20 or 30 Something waiting for the fight...I have to think of my future and my family's future.
I do think it was like this in Nazi Germany. Do you stay and wait for it to "blow over," with a new person in power, or do you realize it's gone past that point and you will need others to come in and save your country.
GEEZE! I'm so centered and average...but I was raised believing in the Constitution of America and "Checks and Balances" where we would NEVER have another KING GEORGE!
I am so freakin' ordinary but now I'm like an "Anarchist/Anti-American threat to my old friends of more than 15 years and my family I've had for life.
Do I see what's real or do they...I can't take that chance, and need to plan.. I do NOT want to live through the 1940's ...NO WAY!
(Cue 80s rock music)
We're not gonna take it
NO! We ain't gonna take it!
We're not gonna take it
...Anymore!!!
...Sorry. I was inspired for a second.
The next one is really long, but I have to include all of it. As an aspiring filmmaker, I think it would make a great climactic speech in a movie about government oppression:
I will not live under this evil man nor lend my name to any more of his evil fascism and killing. Since we are seniors, the idea of fighting in any way shape or form via a revolution is kind of silly because we do not have the stamina. If, that is, the people in 'America would even consider a revolution--their complacency in the last presidential election was horrific and the complacency of the Democrats in Congress--likewise and it simply, in all it's complacency, drifted over to the 2002 electons also. We are now left in the fight of our political lives to try to rescue our country from fascism, and given the mess over the last four years, it should not be. To this day, we cannot understand how this happened. We are agast that we have suffered through these years under this spoiled little bully boy,Bush without a single opposition offered to his evil policies from virtually anyone. We do not like being jerked around like this.What defense do we have if Bush is elected? If the congress is so selfishly complacent seeking to preserve themself and their careers rather than the Constitution ,if the judiciary is also collabarative and is virtually unassailable by the people or held accountable by the people, and the military is under the control of Bush, what else it there to do but flee because for sure there will be tyranny, given the record of the past four years. We do not have missiles, planes or tanks or helicopters, guns or even a slingshot with which to revolt against this overwhelming , but evil, tyrannical power should Bush be elected.
I will not lend my name to continuous slaughter of innocent human beings for mere profit and power of the little prick of a priveledged ignorant and stupid incompetant twit, his Stepford, air head, also a twit, botoxed, chain smoking, manufactured wife, and vacant minded, law breaking, bordello dressing, spoiled, slutty and silly dumb daughters.
My family has been landed in this country since the early seventeenth century and were active yeoman and fighters , on the historical record as assisting in the American revolution. If it were today, they surely would not support this fascism.
*Standing ovation*
Great job! Now, just to make sure...you weren't serious, right? You're just being melodramatic because you're an unemployed 'tard with no life.
...Oh, you were serious. Wow.
My parents used to say you can't solve problems by running away.But they were Jewish and the only relatives they had still alive were the ones who ran away from the pogroms in Russia and from Nazi Germany. The rest died. Of course my parents were also lying fascists, so you couldn't believe anything they said anyway.
I am not in a position to run. I outlived my usefulness and my expected life span 40 years ago. Even under the best possible circumstances, i.e., Kerry wins, we get a Democratic controlled Congress and Supreme Court, etc., etc., unless I'm lucky enough to get into a hospice, I can only look foward to an extremely painful death, whether I'm beaten to death by fascists or just not given sufficient painkillers when I become terminally ill.
I'll leave you with that.
DU: Where loving, tolerant people call their parents lying fascists.
Look at this. Garry Trudeau is coming tomorrow. Michael Moore is coming on Wednesday. And the right-wing speakers are coming on...
Oh, wait, there aren't any right-wing speakers. I forgot where I was for a second.
It's a game week! Syracuse vs. Cincinnati, today at 12:00 PM!
If you don't know how that affects me, let me explain: The marching band has rehearsal at 8:00 AM. After that, we have a pep rally at 10:30, followed by pregame, halftime, etc. The game will probably end around 4:00.
However...
My parents are coming up to see the game, and I'm going to dinner with them afterwards, which means I'll be away from the blog pretty much all day. I could do another "open thread," but those never seem to take off, so I'll just do a simple survey instead. This is similar to one I did a few months ago, but I'd like to think I've gotten some new readers since then. Answer in the comments if you choose to participate:
1. How did you originally find Semi-Intelligent Thoughts?
2. Why do you read this blog?
3. Any lurkers out there? A lurker is someone who reads without commenting. Come on, there have to be a few of you.
All right, that's about it until...probably Monday, actually. I have a lot of work to do this weekend.
Later.
Our case is alleging that Bush and his puppets Rice and Cheney and Mueller and Rumsfeld and so forth, Tenet, were all involved not only in aiding and abetting and allowing 9/11 to happen but in actually ordering it to happen. Bush personally ordered it to happen.
This fargin' lunatic is suing the government for $7 billion because he thinks they orchestrated 9/11. Let's check out some other pearls of wisdom from truth-seeker Stanley Hilton:
The hijackers were U.S. undercover agents. They were double agents, paid by the FBI and the CIA to spy on Arab groups in this country. They were controlled. Their landlord was an FBI informant in San Diego and other places. And this was a direct, covert operation ordered, personally ordered by George W. Bush.
Those must've been some seriously dedicated "undercover agents." I mean, they killed themselves for Dubya? Talk about loyalty!
...FBI agents have been harassing one of my staff members and threatening them with vague but frightening threats of indicting them. And it’s just total harassment. They have planted a spy, an undercover agent, in my organization, as we just recently discovered. In other words, these are Nazi Germany tactics. This is the kind of government you have in this country. This is what Bush is all about.
Hmmm. They usually blame the CIA for things like that. At least he's an original moonbat.
They are spying on Arab groups in the U.S. And, in effect, all this lead up to the effect that al Qaeda is a creation of the George Bush administration, basically. That’s the entity that he called al Qaeda.is directly linked to George Bush.
No comment.
...the more and more evidence that I’ve been adducing over a year and a half has made it so obvious to me that this was now without any doubt a government operation and that it amounts to the biggest act of treason and mass murder in American history. I mean George Bush makes Benedict Arnold look like a patriot. He makes Benedict Arnold look like George Washington. I mean that’s what we have – a criminal and a traitor sitting in the White House pretending he’s a patriot, wrapping himself in the flag.
Isn't this fun? Let's see some more.
This was all planned – they had it on videotape. These planes were controlled by remote control, as I stated previously a year and a half ago, there’s a system called Cyclops. There is a computer chip in the nose of the plane and it enables the ground control, the military ground control, to disable the pilot’s control of the plane and to control it and to fly it directly into those towers. That’s what happened.
Stop radio controlling of pilots! By plane beams! Radar surveillance of all airlines!
I think that’s why they want the Patriot Act to suppress political dissent. They have to, they’re anticipating, they are not dumb individuals. I know these people personally, Wolfowitz. These are criminal individuals but they are smart and so they anticipated political dissent. And that’s why, like the Nazis, their forebears, and their blood brothers, the Nazis and the Stalinists, they’re all for political repression. Every corrupt and criminal government has done this – they suppress their own people: Nazi Germany, Communist Russia, Mao Tse-Tung, that’s why we have the Patriot Act.
It must be fun living in a fantasy world. It sounds so much more exciting than reality.
I don't really have much to say. I just thought I'd remind everyone why I hate people so very, very much.
Hilarious. Today's Daily Orange opinion section contains one editorial and one letter. Why is that hilarious, you ask?
Well, the editorial contains this line:
During his campaign, John Kerry has repeatedly promised Americans universal healthcare.
Meanwhile, the letter says this:
The "Anybody but Bush" attitude will prove to have devastating effects. "ABB" means that it is OK to support a candidate who is not in favor of universal healthcare...
So, to summarize: There are two opinion pieces side-by-side. One is criticizing Kerry for supporting universal healthcare, and the other is criticizing him for not supporting universal healthcare.
How did this idiot get nominated, anyway?
The New York Times letters to the editor continue to amaze me with their sheer stupidity. Don't believe me? Then check out a few from this section, entitled "Bush vs. Kerry: The Security Front." First, we have this brilliant analysis:
Paul Krugman is right...
By using that phrase, the author has already undermined his credibility, but I'll continue anyway...
...that the Kerry campaign must shed its timidity.
This is what I was talking about in my last post. For some reason, Democrats seem to see themselves as a bunch of scared little sheep who can't stand up to the evil Right Wing Attack Squad.
Many of us Democrats are becoming dismayed. The Kerry campaign seems timid, unable to address the wreckage that Bush & Company have made of our standing and respect in the world, and consequently of our security both as citizens and as a nation.
Maybe because you can't fully address something that can't be proven, i.e. an opinion. Which is what you just gave. In case you weren't aware of that. You were aware of that, right? Anyway...
That John Kerry and his advisers don't recognize the immense opportunity to rally citizens from all walks of life - both liberal and conservative - to salvage an increasingly disastrous and irreversible situation is itself evidence that politics in our democracy has lost its footing.
First of all, some of us don't see an "increasingly disastrous and irreversible situation." Second, Kerry's lack of substance is evidence that Kerry is an idiot, not that politics has lost its footing.
I'm just getting warmed up, by the way. The good stuff is in the extended entry.
The next 2 letters I want to cover contain blatant lies, but since they sound so good to leftists, I guess the NYT decided they were worthy of inclusion. Check it out:
The Kerry campaign should heed Paul Krugman's sound advice and jump all over George W. Bush's self-proclaimed progress on national security.
What? How dare you suggest that Kerry question Bush's patriotism! What kind of monster are you?
Karl Rove demonstrates the effectiveness of attacking an opponent's strength rather than his weakness, most recently in the disgraceful assault on John Kerry's Vietnam War record.
What? Where? Did I miss something? Bueller?
Maybe I've just been brainwashed by the VRWC, but I do believe that Bush and his party have consistently expressed appreciation for Kerry's service, and Bush himself said that Kerry was more heroic for going to Vietnam. When did the "assault on John Kerry's Vietnam War record" take place? The only thing I can think of is Swift Boat Veterans for Truth, an independent group that Bush has avoided associating himself with. That would be like me claiming that Kerry compared Bush to Hitler because MoveOn.org did.
Why not expose George Bush's supposed strength, his leadership in the "war on terror,'' for the sham that it is?
Why do people not realize that opinions and facts are different things? You can't "expose" something just because you happen to see it a certain way. You have to provide evidence.
The perception that this administration's domestic and foreign policies have made America safer is a carefully constructed delusion.
There it is again! They're always saying that Bush has gained support through trickery. It couldn't be because some people, you know, agree with his policies. That wouldn't fit the enlightened liberal perspective.
John Kerry should use the facts to discredit it - forcefully.
"The facts." So you're saying there are some? Interesting how you didn't include any in your letter.
One more, and then I have stuff and things to do in the real world...
I strongly agree with Paul Krugman that John Kerry should counterattack George W. Bush on national security and is justified in doing so.
Yeah, too bad "I was in Vietnam" isn't a counterattack.
Nothing that has occurred since this administration ordered the pre-emptive strikes in Iraq has made our country safer.
Oh, I completely agree with you. We were a lot safer with Saddam in power. And all those dead terrorists? They had nothing against us. In fact, they might come back from the grave and haunt our dreams! How dare you, Dubya! How dare you!
On the contrary, hundreds of young men and women have died since President Bush's "Mission Accomplished'' announcement;
Except Bush never announced "mission accomplished." And if you know a way to fight a war with no casualties, you really shouldn't be keeping it to yourself like this.
...no enemy has been defeated;
I can't make sense of that statement unless this is one of the people who view Bush as the only real enemy.
...and many more threats to American lives, both in this country and abroad, have been identified.
Such as...?
These conclusions have the virtue of being self-evident.
We're certainly sure of ourselves, aren't we? That must be some good Kool-Aid.
This is not the time to fear the truth in the political context. Real lives are at stake, as is the way of life in more than one country.
Which is why we should re-elect Bush.
Okay, back to work.
Allow me to revise my previous statement: I'm not writing about the forged document story, since there's nothing new to say, but I will blog about other political issues. And on that note...
I've noticed that Democrats and their supporters have a tendency to blame Bush and the Republican Party for their own failures. Think about it. Every time they don't get their way, it's either because they were "duped" or "misled" by Bush, or because they were afraid of being called unpatriotic, etc.
So, Democrats are basically portraying themselves as a bunch of naïve, gullible wussbags.
...Actually, that sounds about right.
Writing treatments is not fun unless you know exactly what you want your production to be like. If you don't know what you want, you'll end up adding a bunch of stupid crap that you're not really going to use.
Filmmaking can be very stressful.
...I guess that's two observations.
(I'm still not writing about politics until the people who claim to represent me pull their heads out of their @sses and talk about the issues)
Look, I don't know how it works for you, but most human beings need time to process information before they can do something with it. You can't teach a bunch of completely new concepts and then expect us to write a program from scratch 5 minutes later. It's not gonna happen!
And furthermore, don't use Powerpoint if you're not going to leave the slides up long enough for people to write things down! If you don't want to rush, maybe you should show up on time, instead of walking into class 5-10 minutes late.
Finally: I know you're from India and everything, but around here, "How does a function look like" is not proper grammar.
Dang it!
College is still hard. It's taking away my blogging time, so I will once again make this an open thread so all you loyal SIT readers can decide what topics get discussed. I'm going to be buried in work for the next 4 days, so I don't know when I'll be back.
But I will be back. Eventually.
Hey, I just wanted to let everyone at Righties Refuge know that I'm a "he," not a "she."
You see, the C in CD stands for Chris, which is generally a dude's name.
...Anyway, you've got a cool site there, and I understand why you have to approve registrations.
Maybe some of you should start posting on Patriotic Forums. They could use some new members.
I can't take any more childish bickering. I want to blog about real issues. Spare me all this BS about forged documents, military records, how Kerry got his medals, etc.
WE'RE AT WAR RIGHT NOW, YOU IDIOTS. STOP FIGHTING A WAR THAT ENDED 3 DECADES AGO.
Do you have any idea how infuriating it is to be 19 years old and have to tell people over 50 to grow up?
Let's end the post with a moment of silent mourning for our departed friend, Critical Thinking.
...
...
...
Okay, that's all.
how is to be a not intelligent person?
I think you just answered your own question.
I've mentioned that I'm really busy, right?
Okay, just checking.
As you've probably figured out, weekends on this blog are partially set aside for self-centered posting. With that in mind...
I highly encourage all female VRWC members to check out my ConservativeMatch profile. Yeah, you have to register to see it, but it only takes about 2 minutes.
Seriously, I'm not desperate at all. I'm just trying something different. Why won't you believe me? WHY?!
...Okay, I'm done.
We now have another sign on our door. This probably increases the chances that someone will try to take both of them down. I think I need to put up a deterrent.
Do you think this will work?
In the comments to this post, Dogtulosba says that I "...don't quite look like a drumming badass."
Hmmm. I guess you haven't seen this!
NOTE: I'm aware that September 11 is almost over now, but I was editing all afternoon, so give me a break, dang it!
All right, the blogosphere is covering the 3rd anniversary of 9/11 in a lot of ways. Some are just saying "remember," others are leaving tributes on the front page, and others are writing about how liberals have directed their anger at the wrong people since the attacks. I could try and do something similar, but what's the point? Plenty of other bloggers have done a much better job than I could.
Instead, I'm just going to share my memories of that day. I've been blogging for less than a year, so I've never really gotten a chance to tell this story. Plus, it'll fulfill my "obligatory self-centered weekend post" quota. Click the extended entry...
In September of 2001, I was still in high school. 11th grade, to be more precise. At the time, I knew next to nothing about politics, world events, and pretty much anything else outside my day-to-day life. I rarely, if ever, watched the news, and I hardly ever talked to people unless I had to, so calling me uninformed would be a massive understatement. Of course, since I was 16 years old at the time, I would've claimed to know just about everything if you asked me. But I was about to be proven dead wrong.
My memories of specific events, even those that happened after the attacks, are fuzzy, but here's what I do recall...
September 11 started out just like any other day. I dragged myself out of bed around 6:40 in the morning, grabbed a quick breakfast, and walked to the bus stop. I remember a couple things from the ride to school. First of all, I noticed that it was a really nice day. Blue skies as far as the eye could see. Thanks to this, I was in a relatively good mood. For most people, this wouldn't mean anything, but at that time, I was still going through the classic "the whole world sucks and I hate everybody" phase. I realize I'm still kinda in that phase now, but back then, I hadn't learned to focus it yet, so I was more or less the human equivalent of Chomps. Good days were something to remember.
September 11 was also school picture day, and for the first time in a while, I actually felt like smiling when the big moment came. This all led to a really, really strange moment that I've also mentioned in "105 Things About CD." As the bus was pulling into the parking lot, I said to myself (not out loud, obviously), "I have a feeling something really good is going to happen today."
I'm completely serious. I really did think it was going to be a special day. I've been pondering that moment for 3 years, and I still can't figure out what kind of reverse coincidence could've caused it. It's hard to put into words, so I'll just move on.
I don't remember much from that morning. First, second, and third period were uneventful. My fourth period class, Honors English, started around 10:00, so everything had already happened by then, but we hadn't heard anything yet. I went in expecting an hour of discussion about The Scarlet Letter. By the time I left, my world, and everyone else's, had changed forever.
As soon as I sat down, I noticed that everyone seemed to be talking about the same thing, but I couldn't really figure out what (remember, I was extremely antisocial at the time, so I was used to tuning people out). I eventually started talking to one of the few friends I had in the class, and he told me that the World Trade Center had been attacked. It took a couple seconds to register, and my first thought was "didn't that happen once already?" I thought it was kind of weird that the same place would be attacked twice.
Over the next few minutes, I found out that the towers had actually collapsed, and I also heard that another plane had crashed in Pennsylvania. However, people were saying that it was "near Pittsburgh," and since I was in a suburb of Pittsburgh as this happened, I started getting a lot more worried.
At this point, I still hadn't fully grasped what was happening. The entire school was having problems with cable reception, so we couldn't see most of the news coverage, and when we could, there was so much static that it was impossible to tell what we were looking at. I remember seeing a brief shot of one of the planes hitting, but other than that, everything was based on word-of-mouth.
After English, I went to my fifth period class, also known as "marching band rehearsal." I didn't expect to actually play, but the band director started class by saying something like, "I know this isn't a regular day, but we need to practice, so the best thing to do is remember those who have died and move on." So we still practiced, with plenty of conversation taking place in between songs. At this point, we had heard that more planes had been hijacked, so we thought it was just a bit stupid to be outside playing "Mr. Roboto" (we were doing a Styx show that month) as the country was under attack. In fact, one of my fellow snare drummers blurted out something along the lines of, "there are people dead, there's planes in the air, and we're out marching." Random, but a good way to characterize how we all felt. Luckily, we found out later that there weren't any more planes.
I remember nothing from lunch. Literally, nothing. However, I do remember my sixth period speech class. The television in that room was actually getting a half-decent picture, so I saw the attacks clearly for the first time. Up to this point, I had felt somewhat disconnected. I didn't think it was possible for something as terrible as this to happen, so I had blocked any emotional response from entering my mind. However, when I saw the footage of the second plane hitting, something snapped.
That image triggered a sinking, nauseous feeling that I didn't experience again until I saw this picture last week. In other words, it takes a lot to get an emotional reaction out of me, and this did it. I couldn't stop thinking about the people in that plane. Did they know they were milliseconds away from destruction? Were they aware that they had become pawns in a plot to destroy the United States? Were their eyes open when they hit?
In other words, I wasn't feeling too great anymore. I wondered how I was going to smile for my picture, but that wasn't a problem, because they ended up rescheduling it for a few weeks later.
Seventh period was cancelled, although we still went home at the regular time. Those of us whose parents hadn't come to get us, anyway. On the bus, I demonstrated an ability I still have today: Making really, really, really, really inappropriate comments. My brother originally had a golf practice scheduled for that day, but it was cancelled due to the attacks, so he had to carry his clubs onto the bus. As he went by, I said something like, "Look out, he's armed! He's gonna hijack the bus and drive it into the Administration Building!"
Yeah, I'll give you a second to digest the extreme stupidity of 16 year-old CD. Everybody good now? Then let's move on...
When I got home, I turned on the TV and watched the news. Then I watched it some more. And more. And more. I think that's about all I did for the rest of the night. Around sunset, I remember going outside and looking up at the sky. I lived within 40 miles of an airport, so a lot of planes usually flew over the house. However, that night, it was completely silent. It was peaceful and disturbing at the same time.
I have a few more memories of the events following that day. For example, on Friday the 14th, our school erupted in a spontaneous display of patriotism. I did my part by taping a paper American flag to my Trapper Keeper (after that, I put it on my bedroom door at home, and it's still there to this day). That afternoon, the entire school, faculty and students, gathered around the football field, held hands, and sang "God Bless America." It was a powerful moment.
In the following days and weeks, I watched hours and hours of news coverage as President Bush vowed to bring the terrorists to justice. I still remember my mother knocking on my door one afternoon to tell me that we were bombing Afghanistan. That prompted me to watch even more coverage. This continued for quite a while.
I've told some of this part before. After 9/11, I started watching the news every single day, and President Bush's inspirational speeches eventually sparked the interest in politics that would lead to the creation of Semi-Intelligent Thoughts 2 years later.
It's weird, isn't it? If we hadn't been attacked by Islamofascists, you might not be reading this now. Like many other people, 9/11 was my introduction to the real world, and it opened my eyes to the fact that there were bigger and more important things out there than my relatively meaningless life. Before that, I hated anything that even contained the word "politics," and I knew nothing about liberals, conservatives, Republicans, Democrats, or anything in between. For example, in the 2000 election, I didn't really care who won, but I was leaning toward Gore just because I thought Bush was "dumb." Way to go, mainstream media. It's a good thing I couldn't vote when I was 15.
My last 9/11-related memory happened in 2003, when I went to New York City for the first time and actually stood at Ground Zero. Until I saw that huge hole, it had never occurred to me just how big the towers were, and how horrifying it must have been when they fell. Of course, not everyone was thinking along those lines.
You see, at Ground Zero, there's a big wall where people can and do write just about anything. As I've also related in "105 Things," one of my brother's friends decided to write "fuck the middleast." And he did actually spell it that way. I'm sure visitors will appreciate that.
I think I'm rambling now, so I'll end it there. This pretty much covers everything I remember about September 11, 2001 and how it changed my life. Your story is probably much different, and I invite you to tell it in the comments. It doesn't have to be as long as this (if you actually read this far, by the way, I both congratulate and pity you), but since so many people are telling us to "remember," I think it's good to remember how the worst terrorist attack in history affected you personally. Because it did affect everybody somehow.
Thank you.
So, it's September 11th. Hard to believe it's been 3 whole years since the Islamic militants terrorists declared war on America.
Hopefully, I'll have a decent 9/11 post written by this evening, but I have editing to do from 2 to 6, so don't expect much before that.
I am now officially certified by the Newhouse School of Public Communications to use Final Cut Pro.
Watch your back, Michael Moore. BWAHAHAHAHAHA!!!
I'm not linking this story because I'm sure everyone knows about it by now (if you don't, go to any political blog other than this one and you should be enlightened within seconds), but here's what I think:
I'd be willing to overlook the criminal nature of forging a National Guard document just this once, IF...and only if...the Democrats stopped talking about Vietnam for the rest of the campaign. I've had e-freaking-nough of this. "I was in Vietnam and George W. Bush avoided service..."
WHO GIVES A F**K?!
Talk about the issues, and I'll forgive you. Keep talking about Vietnam, and I'll watch and laugh when they find the forger(s) and throw him/her/them in prison.
Your move, Democrats. Choose wisely.
All right, my last post established that I love the whole visual production thing...but still...TRF is friggin' insane.
I think I know why it's so hard to get accepted to Syracuse if you choose TRF as your major: If too many people started talking about how friggin' insane the first production course gets, nobody would ever want to take it.
Holy crap, blogging is going to be light for the next 3 months. But it'll be worth it when I'm a famous director, and you can all say that you knew me back when I still gave away the ice cream for free. Because you'll be paying me for my writing in a few years.
That's right!
*Goes back to reading 100+ page editing manual*
UPDATE
Here's a sample of the exciting material I'm studying right now:
There are dozens and dozens more pages like that. Good times, indeed.
UPDATE THE SECOND
Here's an actual quote from the same editing manual:
As this manual continues, you will notice more pictorial guides. Most of the images come from screenshots of the FCP4 systems we use in the edit suites. Like the Denny's™ menu (I recommend the Moons Over My Hammy©), you can trust that you'll get what you see...even at 4AM.
These people are bizarre.
UPDATE THE THIRD
Here's one more screen shot I found amusing:
BAD THINGS! OH NO!
Filmmaking is magic. Magic, people. MAGIC. You create a freakin' world and then control everything in it and it's MAGIC!!! Can't you see? You have the power to alter the destiny of millions of people who exist only because you imagined them! You decide what they say, where they go, how they live, and how they die. IT'S MAGIC!!!! It gets inside your head and even when you're just walking from class to your dorm you're thinking "hey, how would I shoot this if it was a movie? Would I use an establishing shot, or would I start with a close-up to build suspense? Holy crap, there's a car coming. Maybe I could do a truck shot and follow the car, then use that as a lead to show myself walking up the stairs and swiping my card, then switch to another camera inside the building...which wouldn't cross the Line of Action because the actors can move and establish a new line..." And then you start thinking about all the other possibilities and realize that in a movie, you can do anything you want. You can defy the laws of physics or create scenes that would never happen, but the audience will believe it because they're seeing it with their own eyes, so how can it not be true? I wonder what it would be like to create a film where everything that happens is the exact opposite of what the audience expects. A film where human nature is completely different, and nothing is predictable...a few more psychology classes may help with that, but in any case...
IT'S MAGIC! WHY DON'T YOU UNDERSTAND THAT? MAGIC!!!!!
(If any of you have ever wondered why I'm studying film despite the fact that I write so much about politics, maybe you understand now. Something similar to the above runs through my head several times a day.)
Okay, real quick, I want to ask a couple questions:
1. Why have I gotten so many more comments on non-political posts over the last few days?
2. Is it considered a criminal offense to get your roommate addicted to Yetisports? I think I may be in trouble here.
Okay, back to work. Yay! Work is fun!!!
holy crap i hope you're not expecting any big posts until the weekend because I'm really really really really busy I mean lots of reading and tests and video projects to do in fact i don't even have time to capitalize or punctuate properly because i'm so freaking busy so go read some other blogs until then or maybe just go out and do something in the real world because it's important to enjoy life you know.
Bye now
To whom it may concern,
NOBODY GIVES A FLYING F**K.
Thank you.
The SU Drumline website has some new photo galleries up. A couple of the pictures have me in them, so I took a screen grab of one. Why? Because snare drum is the coolest instrument in marching band, and I want to prove that I play it now. Heh:
Fear my powers of rhythm. Fear them, for they shall destroy the unworthy.
...In other news, I just spent 3 hours shooting a 2 minute sequence for my TRF class, so my brain isn't working right. Can you tell?
Man, they're not kidding when they tell you that TRF 255 will take over your life. I have to read the entire manual for Final Cut Pro by Friday afternoon.
...Yeah, expect light blogging until the weekend.
I never thought I'd be saying this, but John "F**k Up" Kerry is turning into a bigger joke than Howard Dean. Is this the best he can do?
As the president likes to say, there’s nothing complicated about it. It does all come down to one letter -- W. George W. Bush. What do you think that W stands for? That W stands for wrong. Wrong choices, wrong direction for America. And this election all comes down to one decision: Do we want four more years of wrong choices, or do we want to move America in a new direction?
That's IT? Out of all the things you could've possibly said about Bush, you chose to come up with a fictional middle name? You can't be serious. There's no freakin' way you're serious. This is just a joke, right? You're going to have actual ideas at some point, aren't you?
What's even more pathetic is that the useful idiots on the left are eating it up like delicious candy.
"W stands for wrong! YAY! That explains everything! There's no way the sheeple will vote for Bushchimpler now!"
I'm still searching for that place where people think for themselves.
Frank J. + SarahK = proof that the Internet can bring people together.
Maybe this isn't such a long shot...
Ah, who am I kidding?
Yes, I'm picking on DU again. They're just so much fun! Check out this thread. It's positively dripping with tolerance and respect for opposing viewpoints:
Did something bad today which felt sooo good. Went to the local Barnes & Nobles. Took all the pro Chimpy books off top shelves and put them on bottom. Replaced with Pro-Kerry Books. Covered all the pro Chimpy books with Pro Kerry, Michael Moore or other lefty publications. My Bad?
First of all, I think it's funny that this idiot doesn't even know the name of the bookstore he/she/it went to (it's "Barnes and Noble," you illiterate buffoons!). Second, look at some of the responses and tell me these people aren't mentally ill:
Good job. I say fight fascism any way possible!
The irony just makes you want to vomit, doesn't it?
I do that all the time. The other side wants to burn books they don't agree with, so I consider it a small bit of mischief in comparison.
What we have here, boys and girls, is a textbook example of projection. This person wants to burn books that support Bush, but since that's illegal, they just rearrange them and justify their actions by claiming that Bush supporters want to burn books. Isn't psychology fun?
I did my part on Friday. B&N (not too much work there, they are still featuring Clinton up front and was hard to find the SBL book) and Borders. My sons do it too and they are spreading it to their friends. It's just too irresistible a target.
Yet another reason I'm a conservative: I believe in teaching children the difference between right and wrong. Or, in this case, left.
That's sooo funny. I drove around today and stuck my middle finger out at any house that had a Chimp/Chaingang sign in the yard. I then yelled "MURDERER" at the top of my lungs. A few people heard me - life has consequences baby.
Yes, life does have consequences. Hopefully, they'll include a large Republican beating your defective brains out at some point for acting like a moron in public.
Your tactics of moving pro-bush books to a lower shelf is Nothing compared to the gestapo tactics of the tom delays/james bakers in 2000 debacle. ANd now we see what they've done so far in 2004!We are all soldiers in this war. You were doing your part as far as I'm concerned..and I'm glad to see you didn't back down!
This is a sign of schizophrenia, people. I'm not friggin' kidding; these are actual symptoms of the disorder: Delusions of grandeur, persecution fantasies, etc.
I put anti-Bush books in the dustjackets for wingnut authors...a great idea suggested by another DU-er a few weeks back
Uh, dude, I'm pretty sure you could get arrested for that. So keep doing it as much as possible, please!
Anyway, this thread scares me, and I'll summarize the reasons for that:
They see Bush and his administration not just as political opponents, but as an evil force that must be defeated at all costs. Because of this, they have no problem tampering with the organization of bookstores and essentially vandalizing the books if necessary. In addition, they truly believe that if they yell "Nazi" or "murderer" at Bush supporters, they're not only telling the complete truth, but making a logical point.
No. Faith. In. Humanity. They had their chance, and they failed to impress me.
Hey, morons, that "names, phone numbers, and addresses" comment wasn't directed at you. It was meant for some people who were coming to my page from their e-mail accounts. Can't you do anything right?
I was browsing DU trying to see if anyone blamed Bush for Clinton and Ta-ray-za being hospitalized in the same week. I didn't see anything like that, but I ended up coming across something even worse:
Not to intellectualize, but. . .. As another poster has already said, the Chechens have no army. They, much like the American "rebels" of 1775, are fighting with what weapons they have. Not unlike the Iraqi civilians, who have no army and are fighting an occupation that has destroyed their country. The only difference is that the Iraqis don't have an "enemy" contingent of American schools to hold hostage.
You heard it here first: Terrorists who take over schools and shoot children in the back as they flee are similar to the founders of America, and they're only doing it because an eeeeeevil opposing force has driven them to it!
Speaking of the Russian hostage situation, I can't get it out of my head. I just keep thinking about how evil these people are. The reports just keep getting worse, too. Now I find out (via Ace) that they raped girls and stabbed babies.
You motherf**king motherf**kers. BURN. IN. HELL.
I'm going to temporarily stop self-censoring if this gets any worse. Righteous anger is necessary sometimes.
So...I just submitted a profile to ConservativeMatch.
No, I'm not desperate at all. Why do you ask?
The sign is still on the door. In case you were wondering.
As I've mentioned before, I want to make films. If you've ever wondered why I chose that particular art, instead of something that involves creating the images out of nothing, check out this storyboard I just made for my TRF class:
Them stick figures is tricky.
Michael Moore appearance at Syracuse University rescheduled for Sept. 22 in the Carrier DomeDocumentary filmmaker Michael Moore will speak at Syracuse University on Sept. 22 at 7:30 p.m. in the Carrier Dome as part of the 2004 Syracuse Symposium.
IT'S ON, FUTHAMUCKA!!!
Now, according to the producer of Syracuse Live, Mooreon isn't allowing any interviews at this time (gotta love those open-minded liberals!), but if he changes his mind, HillTV will be talking to him.
Should I ask if I can do it? I need help making this decision. Again, it's probably not going to happen, but how cool would it be to put that liar on the spot? It would be especially significant for me, because I'm an aspiring filmmaker, and Moore is a disgrace to the art.
Vengeance, man. Vengeance.
I haven't really covered this issue at all, and I honestly don't have that much to say, but as long as I'm at the computer...
On this blog, I tend to overuse the "I have no faith in humanity" and "I hate people" themes, but when things like this happen, I do believe it's appropriate to say that I have no. faith. in. humanity.
How are people capable of doing things like this? What kind of sick f**k decides to take over a school and start slaughtering people? That's just about the most evil thing I've ever heard in my life. Any massacre is evil, when you think about it, but CHILDREN? You sick, sick, sick, sick, sick, freaks. I hope you all burn in hell.
Seriously. There's...really not that much more to say. I think the pictures tell the story quite well. Things like this, this, and this are good reasons never to put any faith in people.
This particular picture, for some reason, really screwed me up. I don't want to go into a Sullivanesque "how this issue affects my current emotional state" tangent, but something about that picture makes me want to break down in tears and beat the s**t out of a terrorist at the same time. Just look at it for a few seconds. You'll feel it too.
And by the way, this is terrorism at its worst. This is the kind of thing we need to wipe off the face of the planet. These f**king murderers actually deserve the death sentence they gave to innocent schoolchildren. They are a cancer and need to be destroyed.
I'm done. I don't even want to think about this anymore.
Although I must admit that I'm tempted to stop self-censoring when things like this happen...
Stop radio controlling of people! By brain beams! Radar surveillance of all individuals!
(Go here if you're confused)
We need more posters at Patriotic Forums. I invite all regular readers/commenters to register and get some discussion going.
And on a completely unrelated note...
Sac spiders need to die. Right now.
Thank you.
As far as I know, the new sign is still on the door. It's been about 11 hours now. We'll see if it's still there tomorrow morning...
how to have a intelligent conversation with a woman
You could start by using proper grammar.
UPDATE
Another good one:
What kind of question is that? Why would you limit yourself to one race when people in general are so inexplicably stupid?
Racism is a confusing thing.
This is now on my dorm room door. A couple people down the hall have Kerry/Edwards or "no Bush" signs, so we figured we'd balance things out a bit.
Anyone want to start a pool on how long it'll be before someone rips it down?
UPDATE
SIGN PLACED ON DOOR AT APPROX. 11:30 PM
SIGN RIPPED DOWN FROM DOOR AT APPROX. 2:00 AM
Hooray for freedom of speech. F**kin' idiots.
But they're not intimidating us that easily! I have a laser printer, so I can pretty much make as many more signs as I need. We'll see how persistent these guys are now.
By the way, the Kerry/Edwards sign down the hall is still up. Which side believes in tolerance again?
I didn't watch Bush's speech, but I did read a transcript. The self-deprecation was, honestly, a nice touch. It's good to know he's aware of his flaws. Other than that, the speech was inspiring, but not great. Definitely better than Kerry's "reporting for duty" speech, in any case.
However, my disappointment comes from the Democratic Underground reaction. I was expecting them to spout all kinds of crazy conspiracy theories and come up with creative new "nicknames" for Bush, but they couldn't even do that much! They're just rambling about "lies" and claiming that the mythical "Religious Right" was the target audience of the speech.
IS THAT THE BEST YOU CAN DO? I WANT YOU TO ENTERTAIN ME, YOU MOONBAT FREAKS!
I wish I could go into more detail about the speech and the neolib reactions, but I have studying to do. Hooray for higher education!!!
UPDATE
Quick commentary on Kerry's speech:
John Forbes Kerry, you are a liar, and you are a freaking douche. Why can't you get through one speech without mentioning Viet F**king Nam? I think it's rather ironic that in one breath, you can claim that the Republicans questioned your patriotism, and in the next, you can essentially call the vice president a chickenhawk. Is that not an issue of patriotism, Kerry?
And before you talk about anyone "misleading our nation into war," you should probably remember how you voted when you had the chance to lead us in another direction. I'm not even going to cover the Halliburton/Saudi Arabia lines. That Michael Moore really is popular with the Democrats, isn't he?
You know what? I don't even feel like being civil. This man is a f**king prick, and frankly, he's a disgrace to even the Democratic Party.
Thank you.
I'm very busy and probably won't get to blog tonight (I still don't know if I'll be watching Dubya's speech; I'll probably just let NS make that decision), but I do want to alert you to an upcoming performance.
If anyone is going to be at the New York State Fair this Sunday, you should definitely stick around for the parade at 6 PM, because the Syracuse University Marching Band is going to be there!
Seriously, I'd like to know if anyone is going to this. It would be cool to know that I'm performing for blog readers.
I'm not really expecting anything, though.
You are not clever. You may think that the ability to juxtapose two similar words makes you a literary genius, but you'd be wrong. Until you learn to write about facts, rather than delusional stereotypes and high school cafeteria style gossip, I will never take you seriously again.
Your pal,
CD
I just read the most intelligent letter to the editor I've ever seen! Check it out:
Re "The Natural: Giuliani Plays the Role of Backer With Relish" (news article, Aug. 31):As the World Trade Center was falling, do you really think that Rudy Giuliani said to the police commissioner, Bernard Kerik, "Bernie, thank God George Bush is our president"?
I'm a New Yorker. Puh-leeze.
Well, you've changed my mind! Rhetorical questions and hyphens are just too powerful for my inferior mind to resist!
Blatant sarcasm aside, does this guy think he's made some kind of point? His letter has about the same intellectual effect as calling Bush a poopy-head.
Has anyone found a place where people think for themselves yet? I'd really like to go there sometime.
You know, I don't need to read 40 pages for my TRF class. Nothing depends on it except my grade. Honestly. So you can go ahead and KICK A F**KING BEACH BALL THROUGH THE HALL just as much as you want. I don't mind at all.
I really do try not to hate people, but they just make it so easy.
UPDATE
Is it legal to beat someone to within an inch of their life if they really, really, really deserve it? I can only tolerate so much of this crap on the rare occasion that I actually decide to study.
Hey, remember how I mentioned that Michael Moore is coming to Syracuse at some point? I'm pretty sure it's true and not just a rumor, so I need a plan.
You may also remember that I work for HillTV, "...the largest and oldest all student-run television station in the nation."
Last semester, I worked for Syracuse Live, which was a sketch comedy show at the time. However, they're doing something different this year. Syracuse Live is now going to be more of a current events show, and the sketches are going to be part of a new show called "Null and Void." I'm planning to work for both (writing for N&V and production for SL), but I've only heard from the Syracuse Live people. Are you still with me? That's good, because this is the fun part.
Traditionally, when people come to perform or speak at Syracuse, someone from HillTV does an interview. Syracuse Live will probably be doing a lot more of these now that it's an exclusively non-fiction program. This means there's a good chance someone will have to interview Moore when he comes here.
Do you see where I'm going with this?
If I get the opportunity to interview Mikey, should I take it? As far as I know, nobody at the TV station knows that I'm a conservative, so they'd never see it coming. I can see it now...
CD: Mr. Moore, how do your fans in Hezbollah feel about the success of the film?
Moore: What kind of question is that? SHAME ON YOU!
Seriously, I don't know if they're doing an interview, but if they are...this could be sweet.
My Political Science professor started at the very beginning today by talking about the founding of the U.S. and the Declaration of Independence. Along the way, he said something like this (approximate quote):
"All you Republicans who are watching the convention protesters, yelling at them, and throwing foam bricks at the TV for having even the slightest criticism of the president should remember that the Declaration of Independence advocated the overthrow of an entire government."
Well, we know where you stand, don't we? I'd actually like to respond to this.
You see, when the Founding Fathers rebelled against their government, they did it in an intelligent fashion. They spent lots of time perfecting their arguments, establishing reasons for wanting independence, and explaining why King George had violated their rights. On the other hand, the protesters just regurgitate mindless talking points as a way to pass the time. Let's compare, shall we?
Founding Fathers: "When in the Course of human events, it becomes necessary for one people to dissolve the political bands which have connected them with another, and to assume among the powers of the earth, the separate and equal station to which the Laws of Nature and of Nature's God entitle them, a decent respect to the opinions of mankind requires that they should declare the causes which impel them to the separation."
Protesters: "OMG! CHIMPYA IS TEH FACIST COKSUKER!!11!!!"
I hope you can see the difference.
I don't know why I'm blogging about this, but...I think I just listened to the dumbest conversation I've ever heard in my life. I feel like I've become a part of Lewis Black's "if it weren't for my horse" routine, because this is exactly the kind of thing he's talking about. The culprits here are 3 people who were sitting at the table in front of me while I ate breakfast in the dining hall. I won't go into too much detail, but here's a sample of what I had to listen to for 10 minutes:
GUY #1: You know what's really weird? There are 2 girls in my Spanish class named Kristin (sp?)!
GUY #2: Is one of them from Ohio? Because I met these 2 girls, and one of them was named Kristin, and she was from Ohio, so...
GIRL #1: Wait, why is that weird?
I think I actually lost brain cells while listening to this.
And speaking of DU, Larry just got banned.
More info on his blog.
Some "big tent," isn't it?
I've mentioned that I won't be blogging as much during the semester, right? Because it just hit me a couple hours ago how insanely busy I'm going to be after...tomorrow morning, I guess.
