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| Hurricane Katrina |
| 08.31.05 (6:42 am) [edit] |
|
Well, my family and I survived Katrina. I live near Baton Rouge, so we were affected by it. My house is about 20 miles closer to the track Katrina's eye took, so it was worse where I was on Monday than here in Baton Rouge. We have been without power since Monday morning, and our phones just got turned back on this morning. I work in the hotel industry, so I was able to get one of the staff rooms we typically save for these kinds of emergencies. My family was fortunate. Most of the people in our hotel are refugees from the New Orleans area. They won't be allowed back into the area until this weekend, we are told. Most of these refugees left before the hurricane hit, so they don't even know if they have anything to go back to. From what we've seen, its doubtful that they do. It's heartbreaking to have to talk to these people, you can't say anything to comfort them. Here's what I'm wondering. Where is the rest of the world? When the tsunami hit, the US was there within days. When earthquakes hit Iran, Turkey, and India, we were there. When floods hit Venezuela, the US was there. My point is, if you go back to ANY major national disaster in recent history, America was there with aid. We're always one of the first ones there. We send in our military to help, we send in our Red Cross, we have volunteers go over and spend their own money. We donate, we have food drives, we do it all. No we're the ones that need help. Where is Frenchie Jacque's press conference pledging any and all aid they can provide? Where is the Russian navy bringing supplies and offering to help with recovery efforts? I know the Italian Red Cross is over in Iraq, considering they just harbored four terrorists in exchange for the release of Italian prisoners. Are they sending some workers? Are the Palestinians send the Red Crescent? I don't doubt that the US will receive some foreign aid for Katrina's devastation, no argument there. What I am saying is that, when there is a natural disaster, we are there first, or at least as soon as possible. The amount we give, whether it's monetary, logistical, or even voluntary service, would shame three or four other countries...combined. Here we are, two and a half days removed from Katrina, and I haven't heard a PEEP out of Russian, or France, or Germany, or any one else for that matter. UPDATE: I've just been informed that our hotel it going to be accepting 1500 evacuees from New Orleans. Our hotel has 300 rooms, all of which are sold out. I've also had to give up my room. Let's see how this is going to turn out. |
| Aided and Abetted |
| 08.26.05 (11:49 am) [edit] |
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So, the Italian Red Cross aided four terrorists who were wanted by US forces. Four terrorists were given medical treatment by the Italian Red Cross. The terrorists were smuggled through two US checkpoints, hidden under blankets and boxes in a jeep and an ambulance. This was done in exchange for the safety of two Italian aid workers who had been taken hostage. The deal was made by, Maurizio Scelli, the director of the Italian Red Cross. While the Italian government says that the deal was made without their consent or knowledge, Scelli says he did inform the Italian government. How's that for an ally? Here's what I think we should do to Italy. First, we demand to know who was treated, if we don't already know. If any of these guys are or are ever responsible for the deaths of any US servicemen or civilians, Italy should be held accountable. The families of said US citizens should never have to worry about money again because Italy will be paying them. Second, no more checkpoint pass throughs for Italian Red Cross vehicles. Any time an Italian Red Cross vehicle approaches a US checkpoint, it should be thoroughly searched. For that matter, ANY vehicle carrying Italians should be stopped and searched. I feel for anyone that is taken hostage, and I believe that we should do anything possible to get them back. However, if the actions taken to secure the release of these prisoners could result bringing harm to another individual (i.e. giving medical aid to a KNOWN terrorist and then RELEASING HIM), it isn't worth the trade. Italy doesn't give a fuck. They're pulling their troops out of Iraq beginning in September. These four assholes they helped out won't be shooting at them anymore. Let's see if George Bush meant it when he said, "...And we will pursue nations that provide aid or safe haven to terrorism. Every nation, in every region, now has a decision to make. Either you are with us, or you are with the terrorists. From this day forward, any nation that continues to harbor or support terrorism will be regarded by the United States as a hostile regime." |
| Cindy Sheehan Strikes Back |
| 08.24.05 (11:04 am) [edit] |
Or maybe "Return of the Cindy Sheehan." Turns out, Cindy thinks that the TERRORISTS who killed her son are "Freedom Fighters." Follow me on this one. When asked by a CBS News (No Longer With Dan Rather) Reporter if she agress with President Bush that Iraq is the central front of the war on terror, Sheehan replied:No, because it's not true,...you know Iraq was no threat to the United States of America until we invaded. I mean they're not even a threat to the United States of America. Iraq was not involved in 9-11, Iraq was not a terrorist state. But now that we have decimated the country, the borders are open, FREEDOM FIGHTERS FROM OTHER COUNTRIES ARE GOING IN, (emphasis added) and they [American troops] have created more terrorism by going to an Islamic country, devastating the country and killing innocent people in that country.There you have it. "Freedom Fighters" from other countries. I wonder if Sheehan's son was killed by a "freedom fighter" fighting for the freedom of others. (Sure as hell wasn't her son's freedom considering he's now confined to a pine box, but I digress.) Do you think Sheehan would hug the piece shit that killed her son and thank him for being such a great "freedom fighter?" Accoding to WorldNetDaily in the article cited above, CBS made no mention of Sheehan's freedom fighter remark. Does anyone want to venture a guess why this hasn't been mentioned? Pat Robertson So this guy has gone off and called for the assassination of Venezuela's AIC Hugo Chavez (AIC=Asshole in Charge). Now, I'm not one to shy away from busting a cap in someone's ass, especially some commie dictator (notice how the media refers to him as PRESIDENT Chavez, sort of like PRESIDENT Castro, yeah, right), but come on, Pat. YOU'RE supposed to be a Christian. Didn't Jesus give us that whole thing about "Turn the other cheek?" I'm sick of these "Christians" calling for dictators to be assassinated, and telling us they're going to kill gay men who hit on them. First of all, NBCCBSABC is going to use you as a prime example of exactly what constitutes a Republican. Second, ditto for Christians. Hey Pat, tell you what, since you're such a man of God, I'll buy you a ticket to Venezuela. Hell, I'll even let you borrow one of MY guns. If the Big Guy in the Sky is on your side, you shouldn't have any trouble, right? Then you can come back and regale us with tales of how righteous you are, and how you smote those who needed to be smoted. You can even toss in a few Verily-I-say-unto-yous. Gimme a call. UPDATE: Just heard Robertson explain himself on ABC News Radio. He says that he didn't use the word "assassinate." He says that what he said was that our Special Forces should "take him out" and that this phrase has many different interpretations which can include kidnapping. Sorry, Pat, but you said...and I quote: You know, I don't know about this doctrine of assassination, but if he (Chavez) thinks we're trying to assassinate him, I think that we really ought to go ahead and do it.Cut and dry. If Pat were an honest man, he would just go ahead and admit that he made a mistake. Doubt that's going to happen, though. God's children don't make mistakes. |
| Cindy Sheehan, redux |
| 08.18.05 (10:46 am) [edit] |
Need any more proof that this woman has lost it? An excerpt from an online posting by Cindy Sheehan, From TraderRobAm I emotional? Yes, my first born was murdered. Am I angry? Yes, he was killed for lies and for a PNAC Neo-Con agenda to benefit Israel. My son joined the Army to protect America, not Israel. Am I stupid? No, I know full-well that my son, my family, this nation, and this world were betrayed by a George Bush who was influenced by the neo-con PNAC agenda after 9/11.Just google for "PNAC" and you'll come across scores of leftist websites decrying the "JINSA/PNAC agenda" and the "JINSAC cabal" and "Zionist extremists." So Cindy thinks her son was killed in a war run by a Jewish cabal, and even the "honorable" David Duke has come to her defense. And The Astute Blogger brought us the news that the Secret Service is trying to kill her. We’re not letting them (the Secret Service) intimidate us. If we get killed out here, know that the Secret Service killed us.This was in a call to a member of the Louisiana Activist Network. Damn, first David Duke and now the LOUISIANA Activist network? This is making my home state look bad. Imagine, if you will, this nutbag was camped outside of Miss Kitty's Cabaret in Little Rock. Imagine, if you will, that she was claiming that Clinton sent troops to Bosnia on behalf of the Pope. Would she be held up as a hero by these "anti-war" (read: anti-BUSH) protestors? Would she be featured on the NBC/CBS/ABC Nightly/Early Morning News Show? Or would she be cast off like the insane crack whore she is? |
| Cindy Sheehan |
| 08.17.05 (12:53 pm) [edit] |
Christ, I'm sick of that fucking crack whore. You are aware, aren't you, that Ms. Sheehan met with President Bush back in 2004. There's actually a picture of President Bush kissing Cindy on the cheek. Her family's website DID have them up, but she's taken them down. After their 2004 meeting, Ms Sheehan said this:We have a lot of respect for the office of the president, and I have a new respect for him because he was sincere and he didn't have to take the time to meet with us,...I now know he's sincere about wanting freedom for the Iraqis,I know he's sorry and feels some pain for our loss. And I know he's a man of faith." What a difference a year makes, huh? Well, as it turns out, Ms. Sheehan may have a few screws coming loose. First, members of her family pretty much The Sheehan family lost our beloved Casey in the Iraq War and we have been silently, respectfully grieving. We do not agree with the political motivations and publicity tactics of Cindy Sheehan. She now appears to be promoting her own personal agenda and notoriety at the expense of her son's good name and reputation. The rest of the Sheehan family supports the troops, our country, and our president, silently, with prayer and respect. To top it off, her husband has filed for divorce, citing "irreconcilable differences." I guess they didn't have a box where he could check "Insane crack-whore." Now she says she isn't going to pay her income taxes for 2004. "My son was killed in 2004. I am not paying my taxes for 2004. You killed my son, George Bush, and I don't owe you a penny. ... You give my son back and I'll pay my taxes. Come after me [for back taxes] and we'll put this war on trial." Alright, you stupid whore, President Bush didn't kill your son. Nobody forced him to sign up, our military is VOLUNTARY. Some towelhead on the other side of the world killed him. You probably can't even blame it on that guy, since, like your son, he was probably just following orders. Blame Zarqawi. Or blame "Allah," that fucking psycho. Fanatical Islam killed your son. That was a possibility your son took when he signed up. I know I am probably disrespecting your son by talking bad about his mother, but what you're doing is ten times worse. I'm sick of these fucking parents who bitch and moan because their "child" has enrolled in the Army, and now that "child" has been sent off to war. That's what the military is for, going off to war. Besides that, this "child" is an adult and is capable of making his/her own decisions. You might disagree with that "child, but that's where it ends. That "child" is an INDIVIDUAL, and ought to be capable of taking care of their own business. It's amazing that this "child" made it through basic training, seeing as how you've apparently smothered and babied him his whole life. Maybe that's why your "child" joined in the first place, to get back at your hippie ass. Cindy, grieve if you must. Protest if you must, your son died in part for you to have that freedom. But quit making a spectacle of it. I wish Larry Mattlage had better aim. |
| Howl's Moving Castle Review |
| 08.12.05 (9:00 am) [edit] |
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Had a chance to check out the newest offering from Hayao Miyazaki. This movie is unique among Miyazaki films in that it's is reportedly based on a 2000 novel by Diana Wynne Jones. My wife, being a teacher, is usually up to task on these types of books and has never heard of it. Maybe it's big over in Japan, I don't know. Anyway, this film, like all of Miyazaki films (or at least the few that I have seen) combine striking visuals, vibrant colors, unique character designs, and excellent animation into a fairly enjoyable film. The film's setting is appears to be an 1800's England type setting with a little steampunk in the form of steam-powered airborne battleships and the like. The protagonist is a character named Sophie (FYI, I'm using the ENGLISH spelling for the characters' names.) She starts out the film as a dowdy 18 year old who is rescued from a pair of lecherous soldiers by a sorcerer named Howl. Howl is reputed to live in a giant walking castle in the Waste (the country side near Sophie's hometown) and occasionally eats the hearts of pretty young teenage girls. After Sophie's encounter with Howl, she is confronted by the Witch of the Waste, who casts a spell on Sophie that gives her the appearance of a 90 year old woman. She heads out to the Waste to seek out Howl, who she figures can undo the spell. Here she encounters the rest of the characters in the film, and the plot develops. I won't explain it too much, because I don't want to ruin the movie for those who still haven't seen it, and because the plot's too convoluted to talk about without going into a lot of details. I'm not one of these anime fans that believes that Miyazaki is the end-all, be-all of anime, but I have enjoyed his films that I have seen (Princess Mononoke, Spirited Away, Howl's.) That's not to say that this movie is without its faults, though. It does suffer from what most anime films seem to suffer from in that it seems like too much story is crammed into two hours, so a lot of details are glanced over. Characters are introduced and aren't fully explained, they just seem to exist. Some experience a change in attitude, and this isn't fully explained. To top it all off, the movie tries to be an anti-war film. It does what most anti-war films do and puts the viewer in the middle of a war and shows the war affecting innocent people, and shows that the war is largely pointless. However, for those who aren't so myopic and realize that a great many wars throughout history HAVE had a purpose (including the current war in Iraq, pussy), this may seem like a bit tired of cliched (it certainly did for me.) Miyazaki is well know to be an environmentalist, as well as anti-war. He once said that he was uncertain how to feel after winning an Oscar for Spirited Away because the US had recently begun the war in Iraq, and he was unsure whether he should accept an award from our country. From some interviews, he is also apparently wishing for a great earthquake to swallow Japan. Now, I would consider myself an environmentalist in that I do think our planet needs saving from the various people who go about killing animals for no reason, and from those who toss beer cans into lakes or out their car windows. But I also realize that our world needs saving from people who will commit murder and genocide against others, and know that sometimes things get broke and peolpe die in order to accomplish this. I guess that's where Miyazaki and I differ in opinion. Back to the movie. Visually, it is fantastic. The character designs are interesting, an area in which I believe Studio Ghibli excels. No Face from Spirited Away remains one of my favorite animated characters. The characters are all likeable, and you do feel sorry for the situation they find themselves in. The english voice acting is also well done. I found that the only voice that seemed out of place was Billy Crystal's portrayal of Calcifer, the fire demon. Most critics disagree with me though, since most reviews indicate that they liked Crystal's performance. The animation is top notch, but it did seem like the framerate was a little low at the beginning of the film. I'd like to watch the DVD and compare that to what I saw in the theater as the film print itself had a few pops and scratches. If you're a Miyazaki/Studio Ghibli fan, you will love this movie. Most general anime fans will like it as well. It would be a good introduction to the world of anime if you aren't that familiar with it, but I can think of a few better examples. I also think this would be a good family film in the vain of Walt Disney movies. It does deal with subjects like war and death, but with the exception of a large scale battle seen from far off, and a house suffering from some bomb damage, there isn't anything really touchy to be concerned about. Recommended. |
WARNING!!
May contain prejudiced, offensive, right-wing, sexist, homophobic, redneck, or other generally offensive language. Not suitable for children under the age of 3. If you are easily offended, like to point out grammatical or spelling errors, or are just generally disagreeable, go away.
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