Open Threads

Got into a little flame war on a message board the other day about the pros and cons of racial profiling (I am in favor of it, obviously). Anyone who is against racial profiling needs to take this little quiz that my friend Hammer posted to the board:

1. In 1972 at the Munich Olympics, athletes were kidnapped and massacred by:
(a) Olga Korbutt
(b) Sitting Bull
(c) Arnold Schwartzeneger
(d) Muslim male extremists mostly between the ages of 17 and 40

2. In 1979,the U.S. embassy in Iran was taken over by:
(a) Lost Norwegians
(b) Elvis
(c) A tour bus full of 80-year-old women
(d) Muslim male extremists mostly between the ages of 17 and 40

3. During the 1980’s a number of Americans were kidnapped in Lebanon by:
(a) John Dillinger
(b) The King of Sweden
(c) The Boy Scouts
(d) Muslim male extremists mostly between the ages of 17 and 40

4. In 1983, the U.S. Marine barracks in Beirut was blown up by:
(a) A pizza delivery boy
(b) Pee Wee Herman
(c) Geraldo Rivera making up for a slow news day
(d) Muslim male extremists mostly between the ages of 17 and 40

5. In 1985 the cruise ship Achille Lauro was hijacked, and a 70 year old American passenger was murdered and thrown overboard by:
(a) The Smurfs
(b) Davy Jones
(c) The Little Mermaid
(d) Muslim male extremists mostly between the ages of 17 and 40

6. In 1985 TWA flight 847 was hijacked at Athens, and a U.S. Navy diver was murdered by:
(a) Captain Kid
(b) Charles Lindbergh
(c) Mother Teresa
(d) Muslim male extremists mostly between the ages of 17 and 40

7. In 1988, Pan Am Flight 103 was bombed by:
(a) Scooby Doo
(b) The Tooth Fairy
(c) Butch Cassidy and The Sundance Kid who had a few sticks of dynamite left over from the train job.
(d) Muslim male extremists mostly between the ages of 17 and 40

8. In 1993 the World Trade Center was bombed the first time by:
(a) Richard Simmons
(b) Grandma Moses
(c) Michael Jordan
(d) Muslim male extremists mostly between the ages of 17 and 40

9. In 1998, the U.S. embassies in Kenya and Tanzania were bombed by:
(a) Mr. Rogers
(b) Hillary, to distract attention from Wild Bill’s women problems
(c) The World Wrestling Federation to promote its next villain: “Mustapha the Merciless”
(d) Muslim male extremists mostly between the ages of 17 and 40

10. On 9/11/01, four airliners were hijacked and destroyed and thousands
of people were killed by:
(a) Bugs Bunny, Wiley E. Coyote, Daffy Duck, and Elmer Fudd
(b) The Supreme Court of Florida
(c) Mr. Bean
(d) Muslim male extremists mostly between the ages of 17 and 40

11. In 2002 the United States fought a war in Afghanistan against:
(a) Enron
(b) The Lutheran Church
(c) The NFL
(d) Muslim male extremists mostly between the ages of 17 and 40

12. In 2002 reporter Daniel Pearl was kidnapped and murdered by:
(a) Bonnie and Clyde
(b) Captain Kangaroo
(c) Billy Graham
(d) Muslim male extremists mostly between the ages of 17 and 40

Hmmm . . . nope, no patterns anywhere to justify PROFILING!!!!!!

Got into a little flamePost + Comments

The good Captain has an outstanding analysis of the Bush speech. Read both entries (try to read the second one first).

The good Captain has anPost + Comments

I lied. My connection is better. Check out this great skewering of the chowderheads who wrote in the Guardian last month. Way to go, Will Warren.

Good ladies, sirs, fear not: your names will stand
Forever where you choose: amid the band
That shy away from this, your nation’s fight:
Your hands are clean, your consciences are light.

Dear sirs and ladies, consciences like yours
Should not be marred by nasty things like wars,
But polished and preserved above the fray,
Forever just as spotless as today.

You mark your course with certainty and pride,
You trumpet setting base concerns aside,
You see your moral duty clear: to flee
The messy work that keeps your nation free.

The raids prevented, bombers caught or killed,
Will not be in your names, as you have willed.
Your names will not be carved on honored wall,
But lie forever in some different hall.

Go read the whole thing.

I lied. My connection isPost + Comments

My hotel internet connection is terrible. No more blogging tonight.

My hotel internet connection isPost + Comments

Yeah. Bush is Wobbly alright. The speech today should end that argument.

Yeah. Bush is Wobbly alright.Post + Comments

Hooters = 1 part white trash, 1 part hot pants, 2 parts annoying customers, 2 parts bad food.

I give it the finger. I hate eating on the road.

Hooters = 1 part whitePost + Comments

I don’t know if anyone listens to Public Radio anymore, as they are so damned biased politically, but I for one am a reasl fan of several programs they do.

My favorite has to be Mountainstage, which is always great. If you have never watched/listened, I would recommend it. Today while driving I listened to a repeat jazz special, with Los Hombres Caliente and Kenny Rankin and many more. Good Stuff.

I kinda like Garrison Keillor and the Prairie Home Companion, even if he is a pretentious jackass politically. I like the skits and the stories, and I like the old timey radio feeling with the sound effects. Radio was my first love as a kid (got my broadcasting license from the FCC at 14), so maybe that explains it.

Car Talk is great, too, as well as Whad’ya Know. The Infinite Mind is fascinating, too. And their jazz programs are cool, and I like that Austrian sounding fellow who plays the classical music in between guttural orations every morning starting at nine. In fact, the only time I listen to anything other than NPR is when they are doing their perverted version of the ‘news,’ and when Rush is on.

In fact, overall, they put out an incredible product that I use a lot. Soooo. Two quick questions/comments:

1.) Why not charge me for this product, or have advertising like every other radio station? I certainly think you have a superior product a great deal of the time, so get some advertisers and quit living on the federal dollar.

2.) Watch how fast the news coverage changes if they are forced to solicit advertisers.

I guess my second comment answered my first.

I don’t know if anyonePost + Comments