“There Is No Longer Any Credibility.”

Ken AshfordIraqLeave a Comment

Dissension in the Republican ranks:

NBC News reports tonight that 11 Republican members of Congress pleaded yesterday with President Bush and his senior aides to change course in Iraq.

The group of Republicans was led by Reps. Mark Kirk (R-IL) and Charlie Dent (R-PA), and the meeting included Defense Secretary Robert Gates, Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice, Karl Rove, and Tony Snow. One member of Congress called the discussion the “most unvarnished conversation they’ve ever had with the president,” and NBC’s Tim Russert said it “may have been a defining pivotal moment” in the Iraq debate.

Russert described the conversation:

[O]ne said “My district is prepared for defeat. We need candor, we need honesty, Mr. President.” The president responded, “I don’t want to pass this off to another president. I don’t want to pass this off, particularly, to a Democratic president,” underscoring he understood how serious the situation was.

Brian, the Republican congressman then went on to say, “The word about the war and its progress cannot come from the White House or even you, Mr. President. There is no longer any credibility. It has to come from Gen. Petraeus.” The meeting lasted an hour and 15 minutes and was, in the words of one, “remarkable for the bluntness and no-holds-barred honesty in the message delivered by all these Republican congressmen.”

Girls Gone Wild

Ken AshfordSex/Morality/Family ValuesLeave a Comment

Garance Franke-Ruta writes an op-ed piece in the Wall Street Journal arguing that there oughta be a law preventing young women from the age of 18 to 21 from exposing themselves for video purposes.  She’s talking primarily about the "Girls Gone Wild" videos, where (I’m told) drunken college girls lift their bikini tops to give a cheap thrill to men who presumably get off watching that sort of thing on their DVDs.

Ruta’s argument in support of her proposal boils down to this: these young women will do something that they will regret for the rest of their lives, it will come back to haunt them, and so on.

I assume she means it when she makes this argument, but there is something about this proposal which strikes me as overly-paternalistic.  What is it about conservatives and women’s private parts? 

Look, young MEN between the ages of 18-21 do things that they may later regret in life — enlisting in the Army perhaps.  Should the government step in there and criminalize that behavior?

Should the government step in and protect these people from themselves?  And isn’t that the sort of big-government-instrusion that conservatives (supposedly) are against?

There are laws against child pornography, as there should be.  There are legal limitations on the exposure (no pun intended) of adult pronography, as there should be.  But there is also the First Amendment, which protects the freedom of expression.  If young adults screw up — well, they ARE adults, right?

Moreover, it seems to me we ought to be worrying more about other things which can hurt young adults, and stop being puritanical about sex.  Or, as one female blogger put it:

Being indentured for the rest of your life by student loans or foolish credit card decisions could just end up being a life-ruining thing, though. But we don’t seem to get nearly as upset about that.

But I wish Garance would rethink her whole approach. The problem isn’t that girls get drunk and flash for the camera. The problem is that we still raise kids to think there is something dirty about sex, and we never quite get over it.

Touche.

In Praise Of The Long Shot

Ken AshfordPopular CultureLeave a Comment

I love the long tracking shot.  Just love it.

For those of you who don’t know what I’m talking about, I’m refering to a camera shot in movies which is long and (often) complicated without cuts or edits.  The Hitchcock classic "Rope" was shot with one camera, in basically one room, making it a series of long tracking shots of 8-10 minutes each.  But there are many other classics.

Recently, I saw Children of Men, and was blown away by this tracking shot. [Spoiler Alert: don’t watch if you haven’t seen the full movie — it gives away some plot points]:

Another favorite long tracking shot is from Robert Altman’s "The Player", where the characters discuss tracking shots in movies while being in a long tracking shot.

Anyway, if you’re a fan of tracking shots, take a visit to this blog post at Daily Film Dose, which discusses (and shows) some of the greatest movie long tracking shots of all time.

Enough Already!

Ken AshfordGodstuff, Sex/Morality/Family Values3 Comments

2004family__duggar

The Dugger family of Arkansas is expecting their seventeenth child.  (They only had 14 when the above picture was taken).

For those who haven’t heard about them, the Duggars believe in a christian fundamentalist movement called Quiverfull, which means that the only birth control they believe in is the discretion of the invisible magical mystery man in the sky:

Quiverfull is an approximately 20 year-old movement among conservative evangelical Protestant Christian couples chiefly in the United States, but with some adherents in Canada, and with claims of adherent also in Australia, New Zealand, England, and elsewhere. Its distinguishing viewpoint is to eagerly receive children as blessings from God, eschewing all forms of contraception, including natural family planning and sterilization.

Quiverfull adherents maintain that God “opens and closes the womb” of a woman on a case-by-case basis, and that attempts to regulate fertility are a subjugation of divine power. Thus, the key practice of a Quiverfull married couple is to not use any form of birth control and to maintain continual “openness to children”, to the possibility of conception, during routine sexual intercourse irrespective of timing of the month during the ovulation cycle. This is considered by Quiverfull adherents to be a principle if not the primary aspect of their Christian calling in submission to the lordship of Christ.

Be fruitful and multiply and all that.

Hello, Andrea!

Ken AshfordDisastersLeave a Comment

Storyandreanoaa The first hurricane (okay, it’s just a tropical storm right now, and probably will stay that way) of the season has arrived.

Earlier than expected.

More to come, I’m sure.  As a matter of fact:

Two national hurricane experts say they expect an especially active storm season in the Atlantic this year, with one predicting 17 tropical storms and hurricanes.

Philip Klotzbach, a research associate at Colorado State University, and Joe Bastardi, the chief hurricane forecaster for AccuWeather Inc., acknowledged Tuesday that similar predictions for the 2006 season were wrong but still think there will be a more active storm cycle this year.

Rudy Loses His Conservative Cred

Ken AshfordElection 20081 Comment

RudyplannedparenthoodI think this is the beginning of the end for Guiliani.  He’s lost the conservative vote now:

Giuliani gave to Planned Parenthood

Republican presidential candidate Rudy Giuliani in his campaign appearances this year has stated that he personally abhors abortion, even though he supports keeping a legal right to choose. But records show that in the ’90s he contributed money at least six times to Planned Parenthood, one of the country’s leading abortion rights groups and its top provider of abortions.

Federal tax returns made public by the former New York mayor show that he and his then-wife, Donna Hanover, made personal donations to national, state and city chapters of Planned Parenthood totaling $900 in 1993, 1994, 1998 and 1999.

Rudy’s wishy-washy stance on abortion has been that he is "personally opposed to it", while believeing that Roe v Wade is the law, and until it is not, it should be allowed.  Well, not that it is known that he personally donated his personal money to Planned Parenthood, the notion of him being Personally opposed to abortion just ain’t gonna fly.

So long, Rudy.  Your 15 minutes are over.

Photo from Crooks & Liars

The Fort Dix “Terrorists” In A Nutshell

Ken AshfordWar on Terrorism/TortureLeave a Comment

CNN:

WASHINGTON (CNN) — The federal government charged five alleged Islamic radicals with plotting to kill U.S. soldiers at Fort Dix in New Jersey.

A sixth was charged with aiding and abetting the illegal possession of firearms by three of the others.

"The philosophy that supports and encourages jihad around the world against Americans came to live here in New Jersey and threaten the lives of our citizens through these defendants," New Jersey U.S. Attorney Christopher J. Christie said at a news conference Tuesday.

The men were arrested Monday night and heard the charges against them Tuesday in federal court. They will be held without bond pending a hearing Friday, according to Michael Drewniak, spokesman for the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of New Jersey.

Wonkette, I think, says it best:

Ok. So, the plot was: six dudes from New Jersey buy some guns and storm Fort Dix. The Fort Dix that is full of lots and lots of Army reservists with way, way more guns. And, like, extensive military training and shit. Yes, thank god these terrorists have been caught and locked up before they could be killed within minutes of deciding to carry out the dumbest fucking terrorist plot we’ve ever heard of.

Firedoglake adds:

Well, so much for fighting them over there so we don’t have to fight them over here.Internment Girl?

You know that Debbie Schlussel is turning clumsy-ass cartwheels of joy that there’s finally some Hot Islamic Jihadi Action for her to write about.  And of course, their semi-questionable citizenship status has Michelle Malkin melting through her Victoria’s Secret white cotton lady briefs.  You can go look at their blogs if you want.  I don’t have the stomach for it.   They’ll be dining out on these six losers and their woodland paintball games all the way to the 2008 elections and beyond.  The Muslim Fanatics are, like, totally among us right now!!  Time to start rounding them all up, eh,

Cry_wolf3Never mind that we’ve done this song and dance before with those seven losers in a warehouse in Miami that got arrested last year.  Never mind that this is all suspiciously well-timed for the Bush Assministration, whose poll numbers are tanking and whose pet idiot will be making his second (and undoubtedly awe-inspiringly bad) testimony before Congress the day after tomorrow.

No, this time it’s different!  This time it’s important!  This time the threat was REAL!

("Wolf!" cried the boy, "Wolf!  Wolf!")

Color me unimpressed.

I mean, yes.  If the official story is correct, there were a group of young men who had some intent to harm people at a military base.  For that, they deserve a trial and conviction.  But having all the evil intent in the world is not comparable to being an actual terrorist threat.  I mean, six guys against an entire military base?  That’s kind of like saying a dictator with no WMDs poses a "threat", simply because he is a bad man.

Kool-Aid Pickles? Seriously?

Ken AshfordPopular CultureLeave a Comment

09kool1902Never heard of them before, but apparently they have a cult following down in the bayou:

Those pickles were once mere dills. They were once green. Their exteriors remain pebbly, a reminder that long ago they began their lives on a farm, on the ground, as cucumbers.

But they now have an arresting color that combines green and garnet, and a bracing sour-sweet taste that they owe to a long marinade in cherry or tropical fruit or strawberry Kool-Aid.

Kool-Aid pickles violate tradition, maybe even propriety. Depending on your palate and perspective, they are either the worst thing to happen to pickles since plastic brining barrels or a brave new taste sensation to be celebrated.

A Mini-Blogswarm: Amy and Joe

Ken AshfordSex/Morality/Family ValuesLeave a Comment

Tdy_lauer_amyfisher_041001300wI was surprised to see that several hundred people have visited my site in the past hour — I couldn’t understand why.  And they were visiting this page, of all places.

Then I figured it out.  Amy Fisher, the "Long Island Lolita" — back in 1992 — shot the wife of her lover (Joey Buttafuoco) in the face.  After serving jail time, she got out, and the two of them have been mini-celebrities of the trailer park trash variety.  Both Joey and Amy have since remarried….

Except….

Both of them separated from their spouses and filed for divorce — on the same day — creating speculation of a Joey-Amy reunion.

And if you do a google search of "fisher buttafuoco reunion" (as I’m sure many people are), guess whose site is right up there?  So that explains the mini-blogswarm….

Disaster Preparedness Is A Disaster

Ken AshfordDisasters, IraqLeave a Comment

Tornado_alleyKansas Governor Kathleen Sebelius was complaining about the lack of Kansas National Guard people at home long before her state was struck by an F5 tornado last week:

"The Guard cannot train on equipment they do not have," Sebelius continued. "The more resources that are left behind, the less able our guardsmen are to prepare here at home. And in a state like Kansas, where tornados, floods, blizzards and wildfires can seemingly happen all at once, we need our Guardsmen to be as prepared as possible."  — Kathleen Sebelius, Feb. 27, 2007

And she hasn’t been the only one complaining that the Iraq War has drained state of their emergency response services:

GAO Report, January 2007
“The high use of the National Guard for federal overseas missions has reduced equipment available for its state-led domestic missions, at the same time it faces an expanded array of threats at home.” [GAO, “Reserve Forces: Actions Needed to Identify National Guard Domestic Equipment Requirements and Readiness,” January 2007]

Lt. Gen. H. Steven Blum, Chief, National Guard Bureau
“They (the governors) are rightfully concerned that while the personnel part of the Guard has never been better, never been more ready, the equipment piece to the National Guard back here at home has never been less ready, and they are trying to resolve that obvious disconnect…The message is clear: What we have in the budget does not produce the level of readiness that they feel comfortable with.” [Stateline.org; 2/25/07]

North Carolina Governor Michael Easley, Co-lead on National Guard issues for the National Governors Association: “We the governors rely on the Guard to respond to natural disasters, a pandemic or terrorist attack…Currently, we don’t have the manpower or the equipment to perform that dual role” of responding to both state and federal needs. [Los Angeles Times, 2/25/07]

Maj. Gen. Arnold Punaro, Chairman of the Commission on the National Guard and Reserves: “Well, right now, we’re not prepared. We are not prepared for the threats this nation faces here at home. And because in this business you can’t be half-ready or half-prepared, you’re either ready or you aren’t.” [PBS, NewsHour, March 1, 2007]

Hurricane_mapMaj. Gen. R. Martin Umbarger, Head of the Indiana National Guard: “What keeps me up at night is, I think I am able to surge . . . for the normal disaster, but if I needed to deploy every bit of my soldiers and airmen, I know for a fact I do not have enough equipment.” [Washington Post, 3/2/07]

Lt. Col. Pete Schneider, Spokesman for the Louisiana National Guard: “We are really concerned about vehicles…We would have enough for a small-scale issue . . . maybe a Category 1 tropical storm we could handle — an event that doesn’t involve massive flooding or massive search and rescue.”[Washington Post, 3/2/07]

Col. Robert Simpson, Director of the Joint Staff for the Virginia National Guard: In the event of “a very large . . . chemical, biological or nuclear incident in the national capital region, I would need every truck I was authorized, and we don’t have that…We are definitely short trucks, all wheeled vehicles,” as well as radios, bulldozers and other gear. [Washington Post, 3/2/07]

To add to that:

  • The Iraq war has crippled Florida’s ability to respond to hurricanes. "With hurricane season approaching, Floridians want the National Guard to have everything it needs to respond quickly and effectively to natural disasters. But the Iraq war’s drain on personnel and equipment is forcing the Guard to work overtime to stay prepared. The Florida National Guard began the year with only about 25 percent of the authorized equipment it should have on hand, down by half from before the invasion of Iraq in March 2003." (Palm Beach (FL) Post, 3/25/07)
  • Massive equipment shortfalls hinder the Oklahoma National Guard. "’We’re behind the power curve, and we can’t piddle around,’ Maj. Gen. Harry M. Wyatt III, commander of the Oklahoma National Guard, said in an interview. He added that one-third of his soldiers lacked the M-4 rifles preferred by active-duty soldiers and that there were also shortfalls in night vision goggles and other equipment. If his unit is going to be sent to Iraq next year, he said, ‘We expect the Army to resource the Guard at the same level as active-duty units.’" (New York Times, 2/22/07)
  • Oklahoma National Guard troops are facing the longest deployment since the Korean War. "About 3,500 members of the Oklahoma National Guard could be sent to Iraq as early as January 2008, military officials said Wednesday. The deployment – which would be the largest for the Oklahoma National Guard since the Korean War – more likely will be in the summer of 2008, officials said.  Initial plans for the 45th called for a rotation in the year 2010,’ Wyatt said. ‘We have been accelerated two years.’" (Oklahoman (Oklahoma City, OK), 2/1/07)
  • The Michigan National Guard is under-equipped. "Michigan’s Army National Guard units have only about 40 percent of their assigned equipment, reflecting nationwide equipment shortages the country’s top National Guard officer has called ‘unacceptable.’ The shortages of trucks, helicopters and other equipment – a result of the strains of the Iraq war – mean Guard units are less prepared to respond to state disasters. ‘We are now in a degraded state back here at home,’ said Lt. Gen. Steven Blum, the National Guard’s top officer. ‘The ability for the National Guard to respond to natural disasters and to perhaps terrorist weapons-of-mass-destruction events that may come to our homeland is at risk because we are significantly under equipped.’" (Detroit News, 3/31/07)
  • Oregon Guard short $103 million worth of equipment, 66% short on weapons and vehicles. "Oregon’s National Guard units are short more than $100 million worth of equipment, largely because five years of deployments have depleted weapons and vehicle stocks… Much of that equipment was damaged or destroyed in Iraq and Afghanistan, Caldwell said, and some was left behind for other troops to use. Back home, the lack of equipment makes Guard training and response to emergencies more difficult, he said. Caldwell estimates that Oregon’s Guard units have about 44 percent of the weapons, vehicles and other equipment they are supposed to have. It would cost $103 million to replace the ‘most important’ of what’s been lost or left behind, he said." (Portland Oregonian, 3/2/07)
  • New Mexico National Guard troops are drastically unequipped. "Among other things, that letter says helicopter evacuation crews from the New Mexico Guard were forced to remove medical equipment from their older-model helicopters to make them light enough to fly during one recent deployment. New Mexico’s non-deployed Guard units rank last in the country in equipment readiness, the letter states. [Brigadier General Kenny] Montoya said equipment issues have long been a problem for the Guard, which is funded by the federal government. ‘We’re looking at 30 years of mismanagement of the National Guard, and that’s not going to get fixed overnight.’" (Albuquerque Tribune, 3/14/07)
  • Many Arkansas National Guard soldiers lack the equipment they need. "Capt. Christopher Heathscott, a spokesman for the Arkansas National Guard, said the state’s 39th Brigade Combat 44f5c969002e104521400cb8e1 Team was 600 rifles short for its 3,500 soldiers and also lacked its full arsenal of mortars and howitzers. Of particular concern, he said, is the possibility that the prospects of going to Iraq next year could cause some Arkansas reservists not to re-enlist this year. Over the next year roughly one-third of the soldiers in the 39th will have their enlistment contracts expire or be eligible for retirement, Captain Heathscott said." (New York Times, 2/22/07)

And this is where we stand after Katrina, in which Bush (supposedly) learned the importance of state and federal assistance to disasters.

“Lost” To End In 2009-2010 Season

Ken AshfordPopular CultureLeave a Comment

Now that the producers have worked out a deal with ABC to end the series (two more seasons, with 16 shows per season), they can map out the rest of the increasingly-confusing plot.

They’ve left themselves a trail of confusing plot threads, which they will have to tie up pretty soon — including:

  • What the hell is that smoke monster thing?
  • Why do pregant women die on the island?
  • Who the fuck are "The Others" and why are they there?
  • Polar bears?  Really?
  • How did John Locke’s father get there?
  • And why can John walk now?
  • What is the Dharma project and why should we care?
  • What about that series of numbers?

And the biggest mystery of them all….

  • Why can’t Hurley lose weight???  I mean, he’s marooned on a (presumably carb-free) island, for Chrissakes!!

About High Heels

Ken AshfordWomen's IssuesLeave a Comment

Here’s the effect on your body, ladies, courtesy of the Washington Post (click to enlarge):

Gr2007050700484

Chock full of information.  For example, experts say the pressure on the front of your foot increases by 76% when you wear a three-inch heel. They also throw the spine and hips out of alignment.

Not that I don’t appreciate you wearing them, but why would you?!?

Supporting The Troops

Ken AshfordIraq, Right Wing Punditry/Idiocy, War on Terrorism/TortureLeave a Comment

Right-wing pundit Dick Morris explains it all on Fox News.  It seems that we need to have our soldiers in Iraq – to be killed.  Yes, if we give al Qaeda fresh young American bodies there, they won’t kill Americans here:

MORRIS: I think that withdrawal from Iraq — it obviously gives al Qaeda a huge victory. Huge victory. On the other hand, if we stay in Iraq, it gives them the opportunity to kill more Americans, which they really like.

One of the things, though, that I think the antiwar crowd has not considered is that, if we’re putting the Americans right within their arms’ reach, they don’t have to come to Wall Street to kill Americans. They don’t have to knock down the trade center. They can do it around the corner, and convenience is a big factor when you’re a terrorist.

So there you have it.  Why are U.S. troops in Iraq?  To make it conveeeeenient for terrorists.

Some plan.

Rating The Nielsen Ratings

Ken AshfordPopular Culture1 Comment

NielsenI’m a member of the Nielsen family.

Yup, they called and asked me to monitor my TV habits for one week, recording everything I watch in a diary that they sent.

Glad to help, I said.

What a pain in the ass.

First of all, they send this big ass booklet.  Paper and pencil — how quaint.  How 20th century. 

So I fill out a basic questionnaire (who lives in the house, how many TVs, etc.).

THEN they want me to list every single channel I get.  I get several hundred channels, you Nielsen guys.  I’m not going to sit down and handwrite them all.

Ok, I will, but already, it’s not worth the five crisp new one dollar bills that you sent me (that Cheryl pocketed I think, because she opened the envelope).

Then it’s time to actually keep the diary.  I have to write down what I watch, and when I watch it.  Not too difficult a task — except when it comes to TIVO.  I have to not only write down what I watch, but when it was originally aired — unless it was aired on a date outside of the week in which I am monitoring.  Also, if I record something on TIVO, and I intend to watch it after my monitoring period is over, I have to record that as well.  And if the TV is one in the background and I’m not watching it, I have to record that, too.  And if I watch something on one channel while TIVO records off another channel…. well, you get the idea: it’s worse than filling out tax forms.

I can’t imagine how difficult this would be in a regular household of five people.  Yikes.

I thought they had boxes or meters that just recorded this information for you.  Oh, I guess they do.  Just not for me, apparently.

Anyway, I’ve decided that for the balance of the week, I’m not going to watch any TV.  Not that I watch much anyway, but I’m not going to TIVO anything either.

Okay, I lied.  I probably might watch The Daily Show or something.  And my TIVO is going to record whatever the hell it wants to.

Still, this is a pain in the ass.  I don’t like being part of the Nielsen family.  They’re dysfunctional.