The Meat of the Matter

Who Said It?

"But, after all, it is the leaders of the country who determine the policy and it is always a simple matter to drag the people along, whether it is a democracy, or a fascist dictatorship, or a parliament, or a communist dictatorship. Voice or no voice, the people can always be brought to the bidding of the leaders. That is easy. All you have to do is tell them they are being attacked and then denounce the peacemakers for lack of patriotism and exposing the country to danger. It works the same in any country." No fair looking it up. If you guess right, you will get a special MOTM "Two Thumbs Up" award.

Bwahahah

The White House asks "The Onion" to stop using the Presidential Seal.

I Don't Believe in the Uzi ... It Just Went Off In My Hand

Tom Zeller Jr.'s editorial appeared today in the NY Times. I was very happy to see that his viewpoint was right in line with what I'm trying to accomplish with BooYahoo. The entire text can be found here. Go Tom! In his e-mail, Tom queried why only 5 people had signed the BooYahoo! petition. My response was that while many people are sympathetic, they aren't sympathetic enough to go through the hassle of changing their e-mail accounts. Indeed it is a hassle and I understand. But still, it's sad. I've tried to explain that BooYahoo! isn't about China. It's about Freedom of Speech on the internet. The internet has no borders, and the idealist in me has always hoped that the internet would be a catalyst of freedom, since, as The Curmudgeon in Training has said, "Freedom of speech and dissidence are the opposable thumbs of democracy." (I'm probably misquoting--sorry!) To see the internet victimized by the status quo scares the bejezus out of me. It's supposed to be the other way around.

New York Times, Anyone?

I don't get the times, but if anyone does, please let me know what Tom Zeller writes in tomorrow's paper about Yahoo and China. He sent me an e-mail asking me about the BooYahoo! site, but I did not reply in time. This might be a godsend, since I did some digging and found out that this guy focuses much of what he writes on "debunking" liberal agendas. Is human rights a liberal agenda? I wonder. Hmmm ...

Snake Eaters

I wonder: when the rain will soak the two brown owls -- stepping high like sentinals across my lawn. who lured them here from lair in tree by brook. what silent cadence tip-a-taps thier beat of airy steps, where the tiny hollow bones of owls will one day bake beneath the gentle sun. why yellow eyes can tell of things that only owls will know. They turn and see my face behind the droplets in the glass, blink once each, and stand windblown in the cleansing rain.

Coming Soon

EXTREME LONG SHOT: Downtown Los Angeles. Partly Cloudy. Voice over, aggressive male voice: It was a day like any other in the city of Los Angeles. Balmy, mid-70s. Her citizens grinding out another day on the busy but orderly highways ... LONG SHOT: Freeway overpass. Slightly cloudier. EXTREME CLOSE-UP: pavement. A tiny drop of rain leaves a damp spot. Voice over, aggressive male voice: Suddenly, a squall with the ferocity of a freight train thunders over the city. Another drop ... then a third. Soon we have a light mist. Male driver: Oh my GOD! What IS that? Voice over: The ensuing panic begins a day of horror in sunny Southern California Cars begin skidding out of control. A woman screams! A car explodes! The screen cuts faster and faster with images of chaos and destruction until the screen goes black. We HEAR a SIREN in the distance. Voice over: Experience the latest disaster movie from the director of "High Impact" and the Producers of "The Towering Inferno. "DRIZZLE." Coming this fall.

Would You Like 40 Virgins With That?

Burger King sells ice cream whose graphic resembles the word "Allah" in Arabic script. After many complaints, BK is recalling the Ice Cream. 'Nuff Said.

Don't Just Read the Meat -- Wear It Too!

In an effort toward flagrant self-promotion, and somewhat subtle promotion of my daughter's entrepreneurial spirit, she's now selling Meat of the Matter T-shirts. See the link at right. My daughter is a burgeoning designer, and might be interested in creating shirts for your blog. She will design and sell them on cafe press. You get free promotion--she gets the tiny profit from the sale of the shirt. Sound good?

Thank You Jerri Ryan

Remember Jerri Ryan? She was "7 of 9" in Star Trek, and the vixen who divorced her husband--a certain senator from Illinois--for making her have sex at public sex clubs. Well thank you Jeri. Because you divorced your hubby, it opened up a scandal that paved the way for Barak Obama to become an Illinois Senator. And Barak Obama might just be the "Great Black Hope" that the Democrats need. Read this speech on KOS. Barak Obama is one of the only politicians I've seen who gets it. Will the Dems have the guts to flag this guy, and put him on a fast track to the White House? I think conservatives might also read the above speech and find him quite tolerable.

Hurry

Click on the link at left that says "The Sneeze." Read this installment of "Steve, Don't Eat it!" Funny funny stuff.

Bush's Debacle

From CNN: In his speech today, defending our presense in Iraq, Bush said if U.S. forces withdraw from Iraq, insurgents would "use the vacuum created by an American retreat to gain control of a country, a base from which to launch attacks and conduct their war against nonradical Muslim governments." That seems very correct to me. And it would never have happened if we hadn't have gone into Iraq in the first place. You can't beat the terror out of a terrorist. You only beat it into him.

Todd's Trip

Todd is pulling up to Witchita Falls tonight. About 350 miles so far, and about 400 more to go. He's getting to that point where he's learning about himself and his limits--kind of like my job is doing to me today as well. heheh. Check out the "The Trip" link on the left to read more about Todd's 750 mile bike ride.

Eenie, Meenie, Meinie ...

Bush picks a Supreme Court Nominee from Close to Home. This was recovered from Bush's notepad ... List of Criteria She has to be a girl. She has to know legal stuff. She has to be one of my friends. Condi? No ... she always gets picked. Harriet? Hmmm ... let me ask Karl.