:: PROLEGOMENA ::

:: Friday, April 22 ::

(same) OLD MELODY

So an unknown Melody Townsel emerges to say she was, what?, sexually harassed? in Moscow 11 years ago. Gee, where have I heard this before?

My strong interest in politics really began with the Clarence Thomas hearings and may, at least temporarily, end with the John Bolton hearings.

I'm tired of politics for now. I hate TV news. I hate it that a great thinker like Andrew Sullivan resorts to the word "shocked" in describing his own reaction to the new Pope, and then learning that he wrote that even before the white smoke. Fox News is using the phrase "nuclear option" which shows they don't think anymore there, either.

Republicans have a wonderful chance to rage about the worthless UN as well as against the Democrats wanting to side with it, but I don't sense much more than men who still want a favorable media spotlight.

And there goes my motivation to blog. I may just take a hiatus and think about what I think about.

Because, I foresee no real change in the discourse for the near future:


(via Brainster via Moonbattery)
:: michael Friday, April 22, 2005 [+] ::
...

I heard it on TV News:

No error on Newbury St.: A-Rod saves boy from truck.

And, in the wake of the Colorado Cookie Girl Story, I waited for the report that the boy's parents were suing. But no, the story has a good ending.

:: michael Friday, April 15, 2005 [+] ::
...

MAD AS HELL - AND NOT AT THE PROTESTORS

Gold Hill Coffee is where Ashevillians go to read the NYT op-ed page and nod in agreement, and where I go to see the talented Stephanie for perfect cappuccino. I take advantage of an already-read Times, if available (to disagree with the op-ed but indulge in the Arts Section), until yesterday, when I read this, appropriately on the front page:

Accused of inciting a riot and resisting arrest, Mr. Kyne was the first of the 1,806 people arrested in New York last summer during the Republican National Convention to take his case to a jury. But one day after Officer Wohl testified, and before the defense called a single witness, the prosecutor abruptly dropped all charges.

During a recess, the defense had brought new information to the prosecutor. A videotape shot by a documentary filmmaker showed Mr. Kyne agitated but plainly walking under his own power down the library steps, contradicting the vivid account of Officer Wohl, who was nowhere to be seen in the pictures. Nor was the officer seen taking part in the arrests of four other people at the library against whom he signed complaints.

Now, dammit, enough illegal activity went on at that time for Officer Wohl and his like-minded eager-to-arrest
to have a field day. Actually, enough significant illegal activity goes on with or without a Republican Convention. Not only did this officer commit crimes himself, his wasted time let some real lawbreakers get away and he wasted the time of the overburdened courts.

Nor was the officer seen taking part in the arrests of four other people at the library against whom he signed complaints.

The proof of his crimes is right there. I hope he goes to jail for this. But this is just as disturbing:

Last week, he discovered that there were two versions of the same police tape: the one that was to be used as evidence in his trial had been edited at two spots, removing images that showed Mr. Dunlop behaving peacefully. When a volunteer film archivist found a more complete version of the tape and gave it to Mr. Dunlop's lawyer, prosecutors immediately dropped the charges and said that a technician had cut the material by mistake.

I don't believe it, even while I still fully disapprove of the behavior of the RNC protestors during that time.

Defense lawyers: Reload! - and more power to you.

:: michael Wednesday, April 13, 2005 [+] ::
...

THE CARTWHEEL GALAXY

I went to the Hubble space telescope site and found this hard-to-believe image of galaxy collision:



The scientists say the stars rarely hit each other in such collsions.


AND MORE GREAT GEEK STUFF

Progressive blogger and fellow Ashevillian, Screwy Hoolie, blogged about microscopic electric motors.
http://scrutinyhooligans.blogspot.com/2005/04/magical-science.html

:: michael Wednesday, April 13, 2005 [+] ::
...

THE NEAR MISS

Wow - this guy was almost President:

''Leaflets are handed out saying Democrats vote on Wednesday, Republicans vote on Tuesday. People are told in telephone calls that if you've ever had a parking ticket, you're not allowed to vote,'' he said.

Don't you feel good, knowing how stupid he thinks you are? Unfortunately, too many are already that stupid, mainly due to such institutional deception by "men" like Kerry, the kind of men who go on talking like this five months after an election.
A different news source, Boston.com, reports this version of Kerry's intent:

Returning to the room where he gave his concession speech at the end of the bitter 2004 presidential campaign, Senator John F. Kerry yesterday said citizens must take more responsibility for their right to vote even when obstacles are placed in their way.

Yes, it really does boil down to the responsible doing the voting. Anyone who would believe a leaflet over the major news media concerning voting day, who would believe the bit about parking tickets, is too stupid to be voting anyway.

:: michael Monday, April 11, 2005 [+] ::
...

THE NEW ABU GHRAIB

This morning NPR was talking about Tom DeLay. The DeLay media thing is happening while I am about to burn out on politics... even considering a break from blogging for a while. Last week's paper news seemed to pin nothing on him, in fact seemed to be saying that he'd done nothing but was still bad.

This morning, still not so familiar with all this, I listen to NPR report on the questions surrounding his ethics, and additionally on the "Republicans now putting pressure on DeLay", naming specifically the "moderate" from Connecticut. NPR's formula is laughably familiar, and all I needed to believe that DeLay is therefore not all that bad after all.

:: michael Monday, April 11, 2005 [+] ::
...

WINDSOR WORRY

Oh, yes. I lost sleep over this: I had the royal wedding on as I vacuumed and cleaned out the fireplace on Saturday morning and observed the faces of the British aristocracy. They seemed downright bored with the whole thing - their lives, that is. The royally wedded looked unhappy. I don't think their expressions would have changed even if they had been given six months to live. And really, what kind of a king-to-be cannot stand firm about who he wishes to marry, anyway?

Funerals, common and noble, are better, and not just for the food...

:: michael Monday, April 11, 2005 [+] ::
...

WELCOME NOT CARTER

I'm still getting a big kick out of the exclusion of best ex-President Jimmy Carter from the US delegation to the papal funeral.

Let's keep him on reserve, however, for the funeral of Kim Jong-Il. That would be appropriate.


:: michael Thursday, April 07, 2005 [+] ::
...

SETTLED

He wrote the memo. He did the wrong thing. He has resigned.

The legal counsel to Sen. Mel Martinez (R-Fla.) admitted yesterday that he was the author of a memo citing the political advantage to Republicans of intervening in the case of Terri Schiavo, the senator said in an interview last night.

But that won't be enough for liberal talk radio today.
They will not make the distinction between a memo created in poor taste and forged documents created in a dead man's name.

Senate Minority Leader Harry M. Reid (D-Nev.) said in an interview Friday that he considered it "ludicrous" to suggest that his party created the document and said Republicans were using such talk to divert responsibility.

They only do that once every couple-a-years.

:: michael Thursday, April 07, 2005 [+] ::
...

WEST VS. (middle)EAST





Any questions?

:: michael Monday, April 04, 2005 [+] ::
...

THE JACKSON-BUONARROTI NEXUS

While there is nothing I could blog about the Pope that has not been written already, my thought today is inspired by a recent post by Karol at Alarming News, where she asked, "what is Michael Jackson thinking?"



Today I ask, what was Michelangelo thinking?



:: michael Sunday, April 03, 2005 [+] ::
...