Midwest Monday News 09.12.05
Posted by Steven Bellah on 09.12.2005
Hey, how about those Kansas City Chiefs, eh? It took them 4 years, but they finally found their defense.
Hey, how about those Kansas City Chiefs, eh? It took them 4 years, but they finally found their defense. However, the Jets looked like total crap, as Chad Pennington treated the ball like it had been soaked in soap or something. Nevertheless, a win is a win, and the tag team of Larry Johnson and Priest Holmes might actually be what propels them to the playoffs, regardless of the defense.
What pisses me off though is how all of the local fans here are already talking about a Super Bowl berth, which always sucks the life out of the city in January when we don’t actually MAKE IT THERE. I mean, it’s been 35 years since we last won the thing, so you would think that the city wouldn’t get excited until we actually get there, but it doesn’t work out that way. We’ve been hearing about “next year” for a long time now.
Just in case you stopped being afraid
Seriously, I think Karl Rove has about 15 of these tapes ready whenever Bush fucks up. And what a coincidence at the timing of these things, huh?
From ABC News:
In an apparent Sept. 11 communiqué broadcast on ABC News, an al Qaeda operative threatens new attacks against cities in the U.S. and Australia.
"Yesterday, London and Madrid. Tomorrow, Los Angeles and Melbourne, Allah willing. And this time, don't count on us demonstrating restraint or compassion," the tape warns. "We are Muslims. We love peace, but peace on our terms, peace as laid down by Islam, not the so-called peace of occupiers and dictators."
American intelligence officials believe the man who appears on the tape to be Adam Gadahn of Orange County, Calif. Last year, Gadahn delivered a similar taped communiqué for al Qaeda. That tape was later deemed authentic.
On the new tape, delivered to ABC News, Gadahn's message contains a very pointed al Qaeda threat against Los Angeles and Melbourne.
In response to the threats against their city, Los Angeles Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa and the city's police department released a statement this morning. They acknowledged that Los Angeles is a target for terrorists, but said there are no known, credible threats against the city and labeled the tape an instrument of al Qaeda propaganda.
"The statement broadcast this morning on 'Good Morning America' should come as no surprise to anyone. The statement was meant to instill fear, and fear is the most important weapon the terrorists possess."
The taped diatribe lasts 11 minutes. Like past tapes, it appears to include the same graphics and production techniques recognized by U.S. officials as part of al Qaeda's standard propaganda production. In this tape, the speaker levels threats against the United States and Great Britain.
"Don't believe the lies of the liars at 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue and 10 Downing Street," Gadahn insists. "They have dispatched your sons and daughters to die lonely deaths in the burning deserts of Iraq and the unforgiving mountains of Afghanistan."
Only a few years ago, Adam Gadahn was a southern California teenager with interests in the environment and heavy metal music.
His family says he converted to Islam at an Orange County mosque. There, officials say, Gadahn came under the influence of militants who took him to Pakistan.
He has since emerged as an al Qaeda propaganda tool. His latest message warns Americans an attack is imminent unless the United States stops its operations in Iraq and Afghanistan.
"We love peace, but when the enemy violates that peace or prevents us from achieving it, then we love nothing better than the heat of battle, the echo of explosion, and the slitting of the throats of the infidels," the tape says.
As for the rest of the tape, the young man attempts to dispel any rumors or reports of bin Laden being deceased. He closes his tape by invoking the names of the Sept. 11 hijackers.
"Everyone of us is Mohammed Atta," he says.
----Oh good Lord! Since the kid likes the heavy metal, how long before Marilyn Manson is to blame for all of this? I’ve always thought that if they specifically mentioned a particular location, then that place should breathe easy. I mean, that’s not a good strategy if you tell where you’re attacking ahead of time. They’ll probably hit Houston or something. It doesn’t make much sense to say “Look out, L.A.!” All that will do is make it harder to attack.
And of course he had to bash the war, didn’t he? I can hear Rush now…..
“See? Al-Qaeda is against this war! If you are against the war in Iraq, then you are just as bad as them! AMERICA HATERS!”
It’s just like the Bin Laden tape right before the election last November. He bashed Dubya, and suddenly John Kerry was eating lunch in a cave in Afghanistan. Man, Right wing propaganda is getting weird these days.
Dear Mr. President: Why did you send my brother to be killed?
From Yahoo:
Nearly 4,000 students from every state and the District of Columbia have written Bush to express their hopes and concerns about the country. Their notes have been assembled in what organizers are calling the longest letter in the world. It will be unspooled across a half-mile of the National Mall on Thursday.
Handwritten by students who were in the third grade or fourth grade last spring, the letters address issues that are timely, touching and, sometimes, troubling.
Gretchen Mohr has never earned a paycheck, but she knows enough to get worked up about what teachers make. So she wrote to President Bush. "We couldn't live without them," she wrote. Teachers are "paid like dirt. It's disgraceful." Strong words from a 10-year-old, but this one had done some homework.
"I saw an article, and it had numbers on how much money each job makes," said the fifth-grader at Alan Shepard Elementary in Long Grove, Iowa. "A tattoo artist made more than a teacher! I just think he should raise their pay a little."
Armonte Butler of Washington, D.C., asked Bush to stop drug abuse.
"I have people in my neighborhood, a lot of them, in my apartment building, and it's like, we can smell it in the hallways," Armonte said in an interview. The 10-year-old asked for more money for his school and neighborhood. He figured $10,000 would do it.
Lisa Castore of Cranston, R.I., wrote that she wants professional football and baseball leagues for women. She would like better security across the country. "I would like to know, how safe are we really?" her letter says. It also pleads for cleaner air and water.
"Sometimes when I'm walking down the street, I smell really bad smells, and that's really gross," the 10-year-old student at Oak Lawn School said in an interview. "I'm pretty sure that's considered a form of pollution."
What can Bush do about that?
"He's probably the most powerful man in America," she said. "If he hears about it, he can do something about it."
One school in every state and in the capital participated in the letter-writing project, sponsored by Pilot Pen Corporation of America. The children picked their own topics, which included oil spills, taxes, rain forests, parking spots for the disabled, diabetes and smoking.
"We get to see that that they're not always worried about Barbies and playing tag. They have serious concerns," said Curt Dudley-Marling, chairman of the elementary education section of the National Council of Teachers of English, which has helped with the project.
"Through writing, they can tell us how they see the world, and that's important," he said.
Colorful copies of the student's letters have been bound into a scroll that will be unfurled on the Mall. The originals will be sent to White House officials, who have not yet seen the letters but have been invited to attend Thursday's unveiling.
Ashley Attaway, 10, of Anderson, S.C., asked Bush: "Please, if you don't mind, when is the war going to end?"
Her grandfather was in the Vietnam War and now she wants all U.S. troops in Iraq to return safely, explained Ashley, who attends Homeland Park Elementary.
She also noted that her grandfather is in his 50s and he's "still here!"
That might get a chuckle out of the 59-year-old president — assuming, of course, that Bush has time to read Ashley's letter or any of the others.
All the children interviewed for this story were sure he would. Ashley went so far as to tell Bush in her letter: "P.S. Don't forget to write."
"I think he would be interested in what we have to say, because he knows we re-elected him," she said by telephone. "I think he really wants to hear from us."
The students wrote their letters months before Hurricane Katrina. But Timmie Bowie, a 9-year-old at Gate City Elementary in Pocatello, Idaho, already had encouraged Bush to set an example by aiding those in desperate need.
"It feels good to help," she wrote. "You probably already do this, but can you help others see how important it is to help?"
Bush's job approval rating now is in the low to mid-40s in the polls, the lowest point of his presidency in many of those surveys. But some of the young correspondents were clearly in the president's corner.
"You're a great leader; you care about things," Timmie wrote.
At least one student offered a reminder that a child's curiosity can lead anywhere.
"Who chooses your clothes everyday?" wrote Nathan Ambrose, a 9-year-old who attends Homeland Park Elementary with Ashley Attaway. "I don't think the Secret Service does, and I think you may do it yourself. You always look nice."
----When you are doing such a bad job that a 10 year old can recognize it, then you must be doing REALLY badly. The idea is cute, but it won’t lead to anything, because no one really takes kids seriously because they’re well, kids and all. Bush will give a funny speech about how much the children of America care, and how he will read each and every letter and take each issue to heart. Yeah, right. Well all know he can’t read.
Seriously, though, publicity stunts like this don’t amount to much, because there isn’t any lasting effect of it. I’m sure little Tommy will tell his kids in 20 years (or at the rate we’re going, in 5 years) about his letter he wrote to the President. The problem is, the President won’t do anything about it, since it’s from a kid, and it’s telling him he’s not doing something correctly. And we all know how much Dubya admits to a mistake, right?
Two quick comments to wrap it up this week…..
Well, perhaps this was the plan all along
Well, now John Roberts is in line to be the Chief Justice of the Supreme Court, after Rehnquist kicked the bucket last week. Like I mentioned in my last column, replacing a hardcore conservative with another hardcore conservative isn’t a big deal, so I expect Johnny to get approved without much trouble. Everyone’s already wimping out on asking him about abortion, as Arlen Specter said he would avoid that topic. Way to see if he’s the right guy for the job, eh boys?
I obviously don’t want all right wingers on there, but Roberts replacing Rehnquist seems like a fair trade. This also continues Bush’s tradition of nominating people to high-ranking positions that have had little or no experience. The head of FEMA was once a horse show runner, and it definitely showed after the hurricane hit. Now we have a guy being nominated for the top judging position in the world, a position that is for LIFE, and he’s had like, 2 years of federal judging experience. What’s next, Tom Selleck as Secretary of State? Charleton Heston as head of the N.R.A? Oh wait…..
I’m surprised Scalia wasn’t nominated, since he’s buddies with the Bushes and all, but I think they knew what a fight it would have been, and for once, they stepped back a little.
Now you know why she doesn’t talk much
Barbara Bush slipped up and showed her true ignorance last week, talking about how the evacuees in New Orleans had “lucked out” and are doing just fine at the Astrodome. In fact, she’s glad they are in Houston! Yeah, I’m sure the women getting raped and the people being packed together like sardines agree with your positive attitude, Mom. During the 2000 campaign, she made a comment about her son that went something like “Now the rest of America will know what I’ve been dealing with for 50 years” or something like that. Karl Rove then duct taped her mouth shut soon after.
I found a story from The Nation via Yahoo that I will link in the “Plugs” section that elaborates on this further, but it just goes to show what everyone REALLY thinks.
Plugs
Michael Moore has written another letter. This time he’s targeting everyone who voted for Bush in 2000 and 2004.
Now, it’s too sarcastic to convert anyone, but I do like what he says most of the time, so go read it. And a note to all the Right Wing Michael Moore haters: We all know he’s fat. It doesn’t really matter how much he weighs, he still says the same stuff. Think of something else to make fun of him with. If fat jokes are your only rebuttal, that’s pretty sad. You bitched about the liberals and Al Franken when they said the same thing about Rush, so does that make all of YOU flip floppers? Nah, that’s only if you are a Vietnam war hero running against a guy who never left Texas during the war.
STAY CURRENT