lesterblog

Migration

2009-05-01T06:10:00.003-04:00

For various reasons, not the least of which is that I've had less interest in political blogging lately, most of my blogging activity will now be found at The Real Jon Lester blog, which consolidates all of my interests into one place, with an emphasis on my creative output.

While you're here, how about a game?

Asteroids made by Neave Games

Miss Atom 2009 / The Power of Obama

2009-03-05T16:13:00.001-05:00

Here's proof the American energy sector could be far more creative in capturing the people's imagination and persuading them to consider new nuclear power options:

In other news, a Moscow politician has, unlike Georgia's Vernon Jones, successfully appropriated Obama's image for the purpose of his election, although apparently without the president's written permission, as required by Russian law.

Similarly, the funniest of the new wave of get-paid-to-click sites does much the same thing:

You can expect to see more of my referral links for similar "PTC" sites. Things are so bad now, I'll take a few extra pennies a day where I can find them. I would greatly appreciate your support.

Randy Bewley

2009-02-26T18:31:00.001-05:00

Yesterday we lost Pylon guitarist Randy Bewley all too soon.

As a lifelong resident growing up in the Athens area, Pylon was one local act that influenced me as much or more than my favorite international artists. While their reunions were frequent, we never know when we've already seen someone's last show. It's another reason to support live music, to see your favorite acts and your like-minded friends when you can, because everyone should enjoy times with others before the next unexpected loss.

A Song for Today

2009-01-19T19:55:00.004-05:00

Only a fan video exists for this 1986 OMD song from The Pacific Age but it will more than suffice for the occasion:

And as a bonus, here's a reminder of where we've been:

One Great American

2009-01-15T21:50:00.004-05:00

Tonight, Americans from every walk of life celebrate the 100% survival rate of US Air Flight#1549 after its emergency crash-landing in the Hudson River. The LinkedIn page for pilot C. B. "Sully" Sullenberger makes one marvel that, of all the pilots who might have experienced the same circumstances, no one could have asked for a better one to manage the actual event.

Way to Go

2009-01-05T20:10:00.003-05:00

Some days I wonder how and why I ever belonged to RedState; I assume full responsibility for my own failure to see the rapid deterioration of the community as a whole into dementia, before I abruptly quit last August.

Not content with savaging dissenters and merchandising "antichrist" stickers, now Macon wunderkind and RS co-founder Erick Erickson and company have created a "RedState Strike Force" crest that has offended actual veterans of recent conflicts.

Via Sadly, No

Zaxby

2008-11-18T23:14:00.002-05:00

If you're not familiar with the Zaxby's chain of restaurants, the experience is one of waiting entirely too long and paying too much, and all you get is chicken:

Amazon mp3's

2008-11-16T17:00:00.001-05:00

I have reissued the 2006 "Terry & Holly" EP for sale through Amazon's mp3 store. I used the CreateSpace service which allows authors to upload and submit music, video or text for sale and with no up-front costs. I have also submitted another EP with "The Bowman Draws" as its lead single, and I expect that to be available on Amazon as well within the next couple of days.

Apologies from GA-10

2008-11-11T22:55:00.002-05:00

As a constituent of Georgia's 10th Congressional District, I pass on Rep. Paul Broun's regrets:

America

2008-11-04T23:22:00.003-05:00

This is for all of our foreign friends who bore with us to see us through this historic night:

Sink

2008-11-02T01:54:00.002-04:00

I needed a few days to stew over the news that "Joe the Plumber" will now enjoy the gross injustice that is the music industry, particularly as practiced by Nashville. I am now prepared to share what I really think about it:

Sweet Virginia

2008-10-23T20:24:00.004-04:00

The reigning Miss Virginia is offended by recent, high-profile suggestions that some parts of her state are more "real" than others.

I would quote the line, "thank you, for your wine, California."

McCain Campaign Solicits Donations from Foreign Government

2008-10-21T20:34:00.003-04:00

A mass mailing mishap, probably borne more of Hanlon's Razor than conscious iniquity, has landed a fundraising solicitation in the mailbox of the Russian mission to the United Nations in New York. The mission has stated that it does not interfere in foreign elections.

Prescient Reflection

2008-10-12T02:24:00.002-04:00

Tonight's SNL was a rerun of the season premiere, yet I welcomed it as a reminder of where we are lately.

Consistent with my impressionistic habits of choosing images for promotional posters, I find this relic of yesteryear to fit nicely with the current scheme of things:

Next Wednesday

2008-10-09T04:25:00.002-04:00

Boris Yefimov, Cartoonist, 1900-2008

2008-10-01T23:18:00.002-04:00

The 90 year career of Soviet political cartoonist Boris Yefimov was ended only by his passing today at age 108.

Interesting "Airwolf" Episode Title

2008-09-11T14:25:00.003-04:00

I don't believe this is a nefarious coincidence but it's interesting all the same. I remember this episode of "Airwolf" but I had completely forgotten that the title was "Flight #093 Is Missing," and of course that's a flight number we'll never forget.

Ed Koch, Swing Voter

2008-09-09T20:16:00.002-04:00

Having actively campaigned for the re-election of George W. Bush in 2004 on the basis of national security concerns, former New York City mayor Ed Koch has concluded that he will place his trust in the Obama-Biden ticket this November.

Pimp the Flag

2008-09-07T03:27:00.001-04:00

Just in time for 9/11.

RIP Don LaFontaine

2008-09-03T23:29:00.003-04:00

As a film fan and filmmaker, I join in mourning the passing of voice-over master Don LaFontaine and I regret that I can't have his voice in my own future trailers.

I also regret the passing of Jerry Reed. Every child of the 1970's will never forget either his music or his acting in the Smokey & the Bandit movies.

St. Paul Police Getting Ridiculous

2008-09-02T18:51:00.003-04:00

I don't know who's ultimately responsible for the indiscriminate arrests of activists during the Republican National Convention but I find it hard to believe that Democracy Now! host Amy Goodman did anything to invite her own arrest. I've seen the TV version of the show on Free Speech TV and, while it might often have some far-out guests, I've never seen anything resembling incitement evident in the show's mission.

UPDATE: Sign the petition!

Putin Shoots Tiger, Saves Television Crew

2008-09-01T00:28:00.003-04:00

Russian prime minister Vladimir Putin, visiting a wildlife preserve, shot and tranquilized an Amur tiger that came dangerously close to a television crew from RTR-Vesti and then assisted in measuring the sedated animal and attaching a GPS collar to its neck. The news channel has video (in Russian).

Update: the BBC has the story in English.

44-Pound Cat

2008-08-31T23:48:00.000-04:00

Very Kindly Bumped-Up Comment

2008-08-29T21:14:00.002-04:00

The good folks at The Political Carnival bumped a comment I made up to a new blog entry with its own community's comments. Thanks to TPC and to you for following the link there.

Ain't That America

2008-08-29T00:27:00.000-04:00

Pink Houses @ Yahoo! Video

The Beginning of the End of "Victim Politics?"

2008-08-25T22:12:00.002-04:00

In the very centrist and realist context of Hillary Clinton's statements during the primary campaign, Nancy Pelosi has admonished the "Party Unity, My (Audacity)" types to abandon the sensation of "victim politics." If this choice of words sets precedent for near-future American realpolitik, then perhaps we can only appreciate an eventual abandonment of an entire conceptual tactic of exploitative politics.

Evil

2008-08-21T21:56:00.003-04:00

Through Andrew Sullivan I was made aware of Bob Wright and Ann Althouse discussing the semantics and meaning of "defeat(ing) evil," as discussed at the recent Saddleback forum by Sen. McCain.

There are some who think partisan divides fall along the very lines of "evil," or at least its express route through "moral relativism," yet sometimes, like lately, others of us have had cause to wonder how many of us on all sides are rationalizing our own flavors of condoned evil.

As I used to say at RedState, this calls for an oldie video as a theme song:

Communist-era Romanian "Red Western" Trilogy

2008-08-18T18:54:00.002-04:00

For as long as Google allows, I share my recent discovery of the "Ardelenii" trilogy, the adventures of three Transylvanian brothers making their way in the American Old West, always struggling against hostile and greedy neighbors.

Profetul, Aurul si Ardelenii (1978):

Artista, Dolarii si Ardelenii (1979):

Pruncul, Petrolul si Ardelenii (1980):

I think these can serve as great exercises for learning the Romanian language as well as good, campy fun.

Five Years On

2008-08-18T04:01:00.002-04:00

It's been about five years since I started Lesterblog and I just happen to have had a bit of an epiphany about some of the voices I've entertained in that time. I have abruptly quit RedState and I will be removing a few certain links from the blogroll.

Lesterblog and its attendant group will remain active and online indefinitely.

The Russian A-Team?

2008-08-15T17:04:00.002-04:00

Fans of the 1980's TV show, "The A-Team," will recall that the characters were fugitives charged with robbing a bank in Vietnam. The Sun (UK) has surveillance video of a Georgian bank actually being robbed by a small team of Russian soldiers.

RIP Bernie Mac & Isaac Hayes

2008-08-10T19:59:00.002-04:00

Lesterblog shares the grief of everyone feeling this weekend's loss of Bernie Mac and Isaac Hayes.

Since it was the late 70's when I became old enough to keep up with hits on the radio, the first Isaac Hayes hit single I remember hearing is "Don't Let Go."

No heroes or clean hands in S. Ossetia

2008-08-09T20:27:00.009-04:00

This weekend's rapidly escalating fighting in the former Soviet republic of Georgia is absolutely appalling. Saakashvili's irresponsible and disastrous offensive to retake South Ossetia has provoked a predictably heavy-handed Russian retaliation. Both sides seem to be indiscriminately shelling and bombing civilian areas for (apparently) no greater cause than ethnocentric identity.

Things weren't looking good for the next US president's foreign policy, anyway, with Obama advised by Brzezinski and McCain advised by Scheunemann, we were already looking at needless antagonism of Russia, which would set back future energy supply farther than new domestic drilling could ever make up for, among other important considerations. Now Russia's hand has been forced and the whole thing is just a sorry spectacle for all.

For better elaboration on my under-attributed submission, I think I most favor Anne Applebaum's take on the whole scenario.

BTW, I have added A Secondhand Conjecture to the blogroll because that's been the best blog roundup of South Ossetia news and views I've found tonight.

EXTRA:

I say "extra" because I wish to mention something extraneous to the main body of the post, in the sense that it ties my region to the region in question and adds a few human faces to my expressed position, and I also do this with no express or implied attempt to characterize the opinions of the subject matter held by those individuals. Our Congressman is Rep. Paul Broun, MD, and tonight, his official front page has a photo of a recent visit with University of Georgia head football coach Mark Richt, who has adopted two orphans from Ukraine.

Lestertest on UStream TV

2008-08-02T20:45:00.002-04:00

I've been set up with UStream for a few weeks but now I think I have enough content to show a few test streams, anyway. When I'm on, you can see it here:

Online TV Shows by Ustream

I, Eventualist.

2008-08-02T19:47:00.001-04:00

I am another but I am not the one.

The single most awesome...

2008-06-16T22:48:00.003-04:00

...political program yet in this cycle is being aired by C-SPAN as I write and can be found in the archive.

Grandmothers & Kings: a Conversation with an Inept Scammer

2008-03-23T19:21:00.004-04:00

Today I was contacted by one of a steady stream of dating site impostors. Their basic pattern is to establish a match, send a Yahoo! address for mail and instant messenger contact, and then start the whole spiel with the deception. I had already decided to begin playing along with something deliberately confusing but this Tega Otunba proved particularly unskilled at pulling off any scam. Having already reported the address to Yahoo! as spam, I have no inhibition to further expose it to the address harvesting of other spammers:

(Document hosted at jonlester.com)

Pages I was accessing in the course of this conversation include "Discourse and its disclosures: Yoruba women and the sanctity of abuse," from the Questia journal and "I'm not most girls...," a blog by a very nice young woman named Vicki.

Can you believe these people?

2008-03-17T14:05:00.001-04:00

If recent statements by the leadership of the International Olympic Committee are any indicator of the IOC's vision and goals, then maybe it's time to question how they define peace and harmony.

Brutality in Tibet is no reason to boycott the 2008 games, according to IOC President Jacques Rogge:

"We believe that the boycott doesn't solve anything," Rogge told reporters on this Caribbean island. "On the contrary, it is penalizing innocent athletes and it is stopping the organization from something that definitely is worthwhile organizing."

So the "spirit" of the games is more important than the political repression, censorship and very bad pollution that could all hurt athletes and anyone else in the area.

Do they envision a world order maintained by force and total control of information and thought?

Spitzer

2008-03-11T18:08:00.004-04:00

New York Governor Mark Spitzer, who made a name for himself as a high-profile attorney general before his election to office, now finds himself in a heap of trouble. Word is he's being given 48 hours to resign before impeachment proceedings begin.

There are some who won't be sorry to see him go.

Favorite Oscar Night Quote

2008-02-24T20:50:00.002-05:00

My favorite quote of the night, from comments ahead of the Academy Awards ceremony, comes from yachtsman Brian Delamer:

Hollywood gave up on America. I’m glad to see America finally give up on Hollywood.

An Attempted McCain Bimbo Eruption Breaks

2008-02-20T20:37:00.000-05:00

The New York Times is unloading on McCain's ethical integrity, specifically in regards to a possible extramarital affair.

It may pass over and it may prove to be an untrue allegation but it's something we shouldn't be surprised to see the left put forth.

Castro Retires

2008-02-19T03:05:00.000-05:00

Fidel Castro has announced his retirement.

Bhutto Killed by Laser Beams?

2008-01-05T23:56:00.000-05:00

The leadership vacuum in the wake of Benazir Bhutto's recent assassination may be more profound than previously believed. The Pakistan People's Party has issued its own medical report which asserts that Ms. Bhutto was killed by laser beams.

I am not making this up.

Counterintuitive Song of the Year

2007-12-27T22:19:00.003-05:00

Regular viewers of CNBC in the past year may have noticed frequent use of the word "counterintuitive" as that's how stocks and other trends played out this year. It's been true also of the sports world. This has been a year with few safe assumptions. Likewise, my choice for song of the year may seem counter to readers' expectations:

Bhutto

2007-12-27T20:35:00.000-05:00

By now everyone knows that Benazir Bhutto was murdered today in Pakistan.

I've always held Bhutto in high esteem for her courage and her capability. She took great risks to serve in the past and to return and campaign again for a better nation. She will be remembered as one of the great female leaders of our time, against whom most American and European women in office pale in comparison.

Parade magazine was scheduled to publish a Bhutto interview in early January and has chosen to publish it online today.

"Lestercast" Shoutcast Radio

2007-10-26T20:34:00.000-04:00

I have begun streaming audio through a Shoutcast server, audible with Winamp. These will be sporadic at first but more frequent and continuous in the coming days.

In the first test streams and in tonight's (Friday), I am looping the entire album, "X-mas," the first by my old band, Radio:Tahiti (which will get its own MySpace page soon), originally released 23 December 1992 and remastered with bonus tracks in 2005. In the near future I'll throw in more back catalog from R:T as well as Distaster, Broom Room Annex and other original things I've done over the years. This will also be a way to promote the new Distaster music I'll have out in a matter of days.

I thought the exact link for every cast would be different but I was able to tune right in to tonight's with the one I did as a test last night. If this is true for machines outside of my own wifi network, which I think it ought to be, then you can click here. Otherwise, you can search for keyword "lestercast" at Shoutcast or, better yet, if you're using Internet Explorer and have the Winamp toolbar installed, you can type "lestercast" into the search line and select "Shoutcast Radio" for your search engine.

Rep. Jo Ann Davis Passes

2007-10-07T20:41:00.000-04:00

I don't know if this is a record year for members of Congress passing but it certainly seems like it. This time it's Rep. Jo Ann Davis (R-VA), who continued to actively serve even as she struggled with breast cancer. Lesterblog extends condolences and best wishes to her family, friends and constituents.

BTW, this is a repost because I was unable to delete a lengthy and racist crackpot comment that was completely unrelated to the post. Comment moderation has now been enabled.

Site Meter Removed

2007-10-05T22:12:00.000-04:00

I've been slow to learn about this. Apparently news of Site Meter sending spyware cookies is real, so I am now removing it from all of my blogs. I never want to facilitate any kind of malware problems for my visitors.

Reconsidering My Endorsements

2007-09-26T23:44:00.000-04:00

Currently, this is an "I'm with Fred" site but, thanks to Little Green Footballs, via Hot Air and Huffington Post, Lesterblog meets the current political turmoil with new introspection:

Repent No More

2007-09-12T06:47:00.000-04:00

Supposedly, the club, Repent, in Athens will change hands after this week. Last night was my last weekly karaoke hosting event. I'll share what I posted in the MySpace bulletin:

Circumstances well beyond my influence have dictated that the Athens bar we know as Repent will change hands very soon. Tuesday 11 September turned out to be the last of my weekly karaoke there, for Saturday 15 September will supposedly be the venue's last night as the Repent incarnation.

I have enjoyed my karaoke hosting very much this summer. I hate to see such a friendly place vacate so abruptly but I greatly appreciate the time I had there. The people who made the scene what it was will mostly remain in town, of course, so the kindred will enjoy many more happy times in the future, however they transpire.

Meanwhile, I am a free agent for karaoke hosting, available for parties, weddings and any other special events deemed worthy of my services. I will be happy to receive notes of interest here at my band account.

Again, I thank everyone who contributed to this brief but very enjoyable chapter of my townie life. I look forward to making new memories with you all.

Jon

"Osama" speaks

2007-09-07T23:56:00.000-04:00

I don't usually post assertions that I can't substantiate but I feel very skeptical about this new video supposedly released by Osama bin Laden. I'll quote my own comment at the ABC blogs page:

Osama has an adult son who married Zawahiri's daughter a few years ago. I suspect the son's voice is close enough to Osama's to pass voice analysis and that his is probably the one we've heard in recent years. Indeed, have we ever had a good voice sample to compare new recordings with? I can't substantiate that beyond a suspicion but it's interesting that as time goes by, the media-savvy al-Qaeda's recordings have grown progressively worse in quality.

I'll be glad to see any useful comments or contributions regarding this latest media event.

UPDATE:

I guess it really is him, although he doesn't seem to be all there from his appearance and his chosen words. James Robbins at NRO has further commentary.

Rep. Gilmor Passes

2007-09-05T22:56:00.000-04:00

Another member of Congress has passed too soon, this time US Rep. Paul Gilmor of Ohio. Lesterblog extends deepest condolences to the honorable gentleman's family and constituency.

Now, Every Tuesday

2007-07-31T00:14:00.000-04:00

Always Watch Your Luggage

2007-05-28T04:07:00.000-04:00

Thailand's former premier, billionaire world-traveler Thaksin Shinawatra, was in Moscow on some business when he visited a McDonald's where his briefcase was stolen. The contents of the case included thousands of dollars and rubles. Apparently his experiences in business and losing his office to a military coup have not made him more careful.

RedState Tribute to Russian Photographer

2007-05-12T20:50:00.000-04:00

Recently two members of the RedState community spent some time as embedded journalists in Iraq. For those who haven't read anything about their trip, I think a good start will be with their account of meeting Russian photographer Dmitry Chebotayev, killed in Iraq in the past week.

Sandmonkey Spooked

2007-05-06T00:12:00.000-04:00

Official intolerance of free speech has moved Sandmoney to stop blogging for a while.

I think the story and the situation speak for themselves. Clearly we are not getting our money's worth with our foreign aid to the Mubarak regime.

We'll Waste All Our Own Money, Thank You

2007-04-29T17:20:00.001-04:00

The head of Roskosmos, the Russian space agency, announced that NASA has dismissed out of hand an offer of Russian cooperation with the new round of operations on the Moon, even as he also announced a new NASA-Roskosmos contract for continued operations of the International Space Station.

Possibly this decision has been mischaracterized by the story, absent a NASA statement, but certainly the reader is prompted to ask why the proposed cooperation was not thoroughly explored. Russian technology is most famous for being cost-effective, which the current Project Orion could certainly use.

Surely this is unrelated to the missile defense issue; that kind of tit-for-tat would be stupid, frankly. Any continued work on launch systems can only benefit space travel. I don't make this allegation but I do wish the people spending our money would make some attempt to manage it better.

Karaoke Ends

2007-04-24T03:41:00.000-04:00

There will be no more of my Monday karaoke nights at Tasty World. I thank and apologize to those who came in past editions but my decision is final.

US Rep. Juanita Millender McDonald passes

2007-04-22T17:21:00.000-04:00

The AP had just broken the news of US Rep. Juanita Millender-McDonald's(D-CA) passing today at her home in California.

As a constituent of Charlie Norwood's district, I offer my sympathy and best wishes to Rep. Millender-McDonald's family, friends, district and colleagues.

Karaoke Update

2007-04-16T22:35:00.000-04:00

As an added convenience for those who bring Internet-equipped mobile devices to my regular karaoke night every Monday, I have placed my current song list online at http://www.jonlester.com/karaoke.

Vladimir Putin, Marriage Counselor

2007-03-16T14:16:00.000-04:00

One of the big stories in Russian celebrity culture has been an extramarital affair involving Russia's wealthiest man, Chukotka governor and Chelsea Football Club owner Roman Abramovich, with model Darya Zhukova. Abramovich has resisted divorcing his wife while also maintaining his relationship with Zhukova.

According to the Moscow Times, Vladimir Putin himself met with his close friend Abramovich and told him to "clean up his act," thus moving Abramovich to proceed with the divorce.

Perhaps Putin is seeking to expand his legacy as a man who can solve all problems, foreign and domestic, or maybe he gets sick of celebrity dirt in the news like everyone else.

Hindsight: Enterprise

2007-03-02T23:08:00.000-05:00

The inevitable, early investigative reports in the wake of Enterprise, Alabama's recent tornado disaster have appeared.

It's legitimate journalism, pursuant to the "why" that follows "who, what, where, when" and "how," and it really doesn't warrant any disciplinary cause for complaint, but it can sound discouraging to the affected and to the mostly supportive public.

Personally, I don't feel any appetite for criticizing anyone's decisions made that day. I'm sure many of us remember close encounters with possible funnel systems, and can recall the uncertainty of guessing where a tornado would manifest and even the possible risk of sending an ill-timed school bus into greater danger, which is a very real concern in rural districts with long bus routes. Anyone could be faced with these choices.

I hope the people of Enterprise and those near to them will remember our best wishes and focus on caring for those affected, and not let any second-guessing strain them more. Healing comes first.

Charlie Norwood Passes

2007-02-13T14:56:00.000-05:00

Charlie Norwood, US representative for my district, has died.

Norwood has served us since his election in 1994, and recently ended cancer treatment and moved into hospice care.

I guess we'll find out about a special election in the coming days. Our thoughts are with his family and his staff.

Karaoke Mondays

2007-02-11T20:13:00.000-05:00

Those of you who only know me for the occasional political and music-related post may not know that I also perform karaoke hosting services. This week begins my karaoke Monday series, upstairs at Tasty World in Athens. There are 399 songs in the catalog this week, with at least 20 that will be added immediately afterwards and more to come as time progresses.

The upstairs usually opens at 10 pm. Come out.

Sorta kinda update

2007-02-03T04:25:00.000-05:00

I didn't really mean to be inactive for so long since the last December post. The holiday aftermath is pretty much what made me that way.

I tend to be more active at RedState, particularly with comments for other people's posts. The post below this is also at RedState, and is the first new blog entry I've made for the political department since December. I've had plenty of thoughts about current events but posting those thoughts doesn't always matter as much as more immediate concerns. As for my state of being, I'm fine, thank you.

In music news, I remade the front page at my eponymous domain site, which is an overdue change. It's still modest but I think it's a lot less corny than the old design.

I also joined a site called Vampire Freaks, which is similar to the now-dismantled Electromancer site that I belonged to last year, and also to the old mp3.com of the late 1990's. It's mainly oriented towards industrial/gothic subgenres but they seem to think I'm close enough for approval. Currently I have "Terry & Holly" and "The Bowman Draws" posted on my profile there. I thank Shikhee of Android Lust for the reference.

I hope everyone's well, encouraged by the groundhogs and close to recovering from holiday bills. I'll be back soon.

Thoughts on the new HPV vaccination

2007-02-03T04:19:00.000-05:00

As states such as Texas begin mandating the new human papillomavirus vaccination for schoolgirls, in the interest of protecting against cervical cancer, there are some who wish to make political hay of the issue, labeling it as a "license for sex" that would encourage promiscuity, yet seem to offer no alternative other than denial of immunization.

These are probably well-intentioned concerns, if it's argued that such license may invite contraction of other ailments, up to and including HIV. However, these concerns, sincere as they may be, are not fully informed. It has also been shown that semen can be an aggravating factor in the development of cervical cancer.

I ask, at what point do we divide moral direction from real health concerns? Should we not include all such facts in sex education? Would younger girls necessarily become promiscuous women if they know all of the facts?

I intend this as a conversation starter. I'm not a doctor but I do believe that our priorities begin with the preservation of life and health. As a lesser concern, this, as a political issue, could easily be mishandled to the point of becoming a liability.

Please share your thoughts, particularly that of the female readership. Thank you.

The Road to Damascus

2006-12-14T11:55:00.000-05:00

As reported by Debka and Fox News, Sen. Bill Nelson (D-FL) leads a series of direct meetings with Bashar Assad, president of Syria, in a manner not unlike Jimmy Carter's DIY diplomacy. Following him will be no less than Sens. John Kerry (D-MA), Christopher Dodd (D-CT) and everyone's favorite nominal Republican, Arlen Specter (PA).

It probably doesn't rise to the level of the Logan Act (and I don't know that it really applies to senators) but it does show, at best, disregard for President Bush's leadership in matters of state and, at worst, dangerously shortsighted linear thinking, even to the point of Sen. Nelson saying he's "not ready" to visit Tehran yet.

CNN and Debka add that this has happened even as President Bush has called for the release of Syrian political prisoners and an end to Syrian interference in Lebanese politics.

And I submit that this is the most egregious example in my memory of politicians identifying themselves as Democratic directly undermining the mores of democracy itself, lending moral equivalence to Syrian minority rule.

Heckling Ahmadinejad

2006-12-11T10:31:00.000-05:00

University students were the vanguard of the Khomeini revolution in 1979. Now it appears some students are increasingly organizing into reformist camps, as evidenced during a speech in which Iranian president Mahmoud Ahmadinejad was interrupted by heckling, firecrackers and the burning of his portrait.

It might be a slow process but the world is beginning to see that the hardliners are hardly ruling with a united front.

Latynina on Litvinenko

2006-11-28T21:37:00.000-05:00

Moscow Times columnist Yulia Latynina offers "The Lessons of Litvinenko's Death." If there is something positive coming from such a disgraceful action as the killing of Litvinenko, it is that Russians are now fully informed and aware that their government may not be serving their best interests and, more to the point, at least some in the Russian media refuse to be silenced by the killings of critics such as Anna Politskovskaya.

Even as some in the Putin regime refuse to believe that they now live in an open society, the transformation from Soviet ways is now irreversible, hopefully, and there may soon come a time when killing critics is no longer tolerated.

Homegirl

2006-10-04T20:01:00.000-04:00

Athens, Georgia's own Kim Basinger has been arraigned on charges of contempt of court, relating to her ongoing custody dispute with ex-husband Alec Baldwin.

Going Commercial

2006-09-25T09:34:00.000-04:00

You know I have to plug my own music here. This is a milestone for me, my first time offering digital music downloads for sale. The new Distaster single, "Terry & Holly," comes packed in a zip file with "Hamburger Xmas Eve" (featuring vocals by Clay Leverett of Lona and Now It's Overhead) and "Essie, the Aussie Swimdancer" (featuring vocals by Dave Marr of Star Room Boys) for $2.97, exactly what it would (and will) add up to at iTunes.

Lo-fi mp3's of "Terry & Holly" and "Hamburger Xmas Eve" are at the MySpace page.

The Rosie View

2006-09-17T09:38:00.000-04:00

By now you've heard about the comments of beauty queen and intellectual giant Rosie O'Donnell on "The View," relating to the moral equivalence between radical Islam and its Christian counterpart.

As you see from the link above, the GOP is making use of this and adding it to the aggregate of other stupid comments from prominent Democrats. Maybe it will help somewhat in "galvanizing the base" but I think it might be too much effort to spend on someone as stupid as Rosie O'Donnell. I prefer more thoughtful debate. I say, don't waste your time with DailyKos, take your debate to The New Republic; don't waste your breath on AirAmerica, go to NPR.

Before any of you think her "orientation" has anything to do with it, I submit there are many better representatives for that community (Ellen DeGeneres is actually attractive and funny) and I expect most of them to understand the literally mortal threat radican Islam poses to them.

I fully realize that every candidate needs the votes of stupid people more critically than thinking people but I still prefer intelligent dialogue to a team-sports soundbite mentality. If this makes me an elitist then maybe I can't be bothered to apologize.

Subject for Review

2006-08-06T13:03:00.000-04:00

Another of our supposed allies in the Arab world, Yemeni president Ali Abdallah Saleh, has said he wants all of Israel's neighbors to join the war and make it a fight for all Islam.

It was already apparent that Saleh is ideologically closer to Saddam Hussein than his other Arab counterparts. I think it's time to remind him that he's either with us or against us.

Benazir is Back

2006-08-06T10:02:00.000-04:00

She isn't back in Pakistan but she is back in the news, refusing to quit the Pakistan People's Party, as demanded by the sitting government, as a condition for resuming political activity. The same forces, Muslims who can't stand to see a woman with any authority, seek to recycle old and disproven charges of corruption, despite the current regime enjoying the benefits of absolute power.

Musharraf has been helpful in the cause of fighting terrorism (though it was his only smart choice) in recent years but he is still a dictator and he really isn't helping the cause of democratic reform in Pakistan.

If ever there was a clear issue for feminists and true progressives to back in the Muslim world, this is it. Up to now they have largely failed women in these countries. We will see how many self-styled Western advocates come through this time.

Reuters Disgrace

2006-08-06T09:35:00.000-04:00

The once-venerable Reuters wire service now sees its spiraling problems accelerate with double trouble in one day, admitting use of an obviously, badly manipulated photo and the use of its email services by a Muslim activist threatening an American blogger.

It might be a good time for them to step up and admit their part in the Qana fraud just so they can get another problem past them.

Treat the IDF

2006-07-16T20:10:00.000-04:00

What should we do about the Israeli military action againt Hezbollah and Hamas? Why not buy pizza and hamburgers for the troops? An Israeli company operating on the Web from both burgeridf.org and pizzaidf.org will take your order to feed anywhere from a patrol to a platoon either once or once a week for a month. The burgers and pizza are all certified kosher and come with sodas. An army travels on its stomach and these troops need to be motivated to complete their mission.

It would be great to do this for US troops if the logisitcs were different but obviously Iraq is not Israel and delievery conditions are very different between the two. Maybe the idea can be adapted for US personnel in the future.

Dallas Austin Pardoned

2006-07-04T20:40:00.000-04:00

By a very nice act of kindness, Dallas Austin has been pardoned for his drug conviction in the UAE.

Dallas Austin Pleads Guilty in UAE

2006-07-02T19:14:00.000-04:00

Atlanta music producer Dallas Austin has pled guilty in a UAE court to the charge of possessing 1.26 grams of cocaine. He may face up to 4 years in prison.

Last year Dallas Austin was hired to produce an official theme song for Atlanta, "The ATL." This project cost $8 million in taxpayer funds and yielded a terrible result.

Whatever one thinks of drug regulation, there are some things one simply does not do when traveling to foreign nations, particularly Muslim ones.

Zarqawi

2006-06-09T19:47:00.000-04:00

By now everyone's heard that Zarqawi is dead. This obituary from Gulf News is a good reminder of all the things Zarqawi did.

Louis Rukeyser

2006-05-03T05:11:00.000-04:00

Already missed from TV in recent years, Louis Rukeyser died this week.

Perhaps the largest factor in the growth of the stock and bond markets is the investment of so many American households, nearly half of all US middle-class households by some accounts. Louis Rukeyser deserves as much or more credit than any other individual for this trend because it was he who first brought the subjects of economics and finance to the living room in plain English. He may well be who raised common interest in investment to the point where early online financial services could be profitable, eventually giving rise to CNBC. He may not have been the most famous TV personality of his time but he may well have a place in history as one of the greatest contributors to the strength of his country.

Methodist Ninjas Repelled from UGA by ATF

2006-04-13T06:25:00.000-04:00

A young man dressed as a ninja and returning from the Wesleyan Center was detained by ATF agents here in Athens.

John Lewis Advises

2006-04-06T00:13:00.000-04:00

John Lewis (D-GA), who is often full of himself but rarely makes a fool of himself, has true words of wisdom for Cynthia McKinney, The Hill reports.

I don't think it's lost on any Democrat how easily Republican campaign sound bytes can add "the party of Cynthia McKinney" to the usual name-associations they already had coming. The jobs of repackaging Hillary Clinton for re-election and Nancy Pelosi as an acceptable House Speaker were already going to be hard sells, in addition to the usual damage control they expect in the wake of Ted Kennedy's day-to-day doings.

Law and Order

2006-03-29T19:12:00.000-05:00

Cynthia McKinney is at it again.

As Dr. Laura would say, she is her father's daughter.

Gridiron Queen

2006-03-20T19:23:00.000-05:00

I support Condi for NFL Commissioner.

We Destroy the Family

2006-03-05T07:15:00.000-05:00

The original Fear song, "We Destroy the Family," was satirical and about the typical American middle-class suburban home but now it seriously applies to U.S.-based imams in their efforts to make extremists out of young American Muslims. MEMRI has the translation of the article by Al-Minassa Al-'Arabia editor Dr. Muniz al-Husseini, originally published in London's Al-Quds Al-'Arabiya.

Police intelligence

2006-03-05T01:45:00.000-05:00

Authorities in college towns apparently still don't know that "this bike is a pipe bomb" is the name of a punk band, and one that's been around for many years, in fact. We've had them in Athens, GA before. Athens, OH police wasted four hours of everyone's time because they also failed to realize that your typical pipe bomb wouldn't have an obviously mass-produced sticker on it.

Ports Management

2006-02-22T06:53:00.000-05:00

The ports management issue may be what decides what the pundits of our time are really worth.

Michelle Malkin offers her typical hateful xenophobia. Sean Hannity sounds like a fool because the facts of the matter aren't getting to him. Joseph Farah is one. Of all the major conservative pundits, only Rush Limbaugh has offered intelligent and factual analysis, emphasizing that Dubai Ports World is only assuming ownership of the firm managing 6 US ports. Nothing else will change. US law still applies, most of the American empoyees will still be doing the same jobs and DPW will not in fact be running port security, contrary to the willful disinformation of Neal Boortz. I have to agree that I think some of this reaction is in fact racist.

So they say the UAE is "connected" to al-Qaeda because of some money transfers. By that reckoning, so is the United States. The UAE also has 53,000 millionaires in a small place so they're obviously pro-business and committed to a better world. It's what the other Arab nations could be.

In some cases I expect dishonesty and stupidity from liberal pundits but I don't like it from anybody. I can be wrong but I won't lie about anything. I hope thinking people will remember who says what when this time.

Kountry Kaliphate

2006-02-19T14:49:00.000-05:00

I might have drawn more attention to my flag design if VP Cheney hadn't gone and shot somebody last weekend but no matter, I've moved on. This is the artwork for the new promo single I have available now. The new album will definitely be called "Kountry Kaliphate."

There will not be a retail edition of this particular package, mainly because of the cover song I included. Get the songs and the artwork for yourself now while you have time.

Country Caliphate

2006-02-12T08:59:00.000-05:00

I made this design last night for likely use with an album cover and concert flyer. Obviously no Muslim flag design would incorporate a St. Andrew's cross but I thought the impression might be amusing for some. Since Redneck Jihad is the trademarked name of an online clothier, I might use "Country Caliphate" as a working title for the album. I don't care who it offends.

On Cultural Importance

2006-02-10T18:15:00.000-05:00

Kanye West is a foo l.

Caricatures of Mohammed

2006-02-05T09:56:00.000-05:00

Tim Blair has the right idea. Something is wrong if the reason why we must be sensitive to one group (which doesn't return the favor) is because some of them are savage and violent. Maybe it's time to question the intellectual fitness of Islam overall, as Muslim countries typically are poor and turn out illiterate people who never would have seen these cartoons on their own. Most of the rioters still haven't seen them. It's a very fair point to make that NBC could care less about offending Christians with "The Book of Daniel" and the previously planned "Cruci-fixin's" episode of "Will and Grace." It's sort of like atheists and agnostics trying to sell us conspiracy theories, which we also often get from the MSM.

I think everyone should visit the site, Apostates of Islam.

Challenger Anniversary

2006-01-28T08:07:00.000-05:00

Instapundit refers us to James Oberg's "7 Myths About the Challenger Disaster." Next to the science-related misunderstandings, the other significant fact is that latter-day anti-Reagan talk of political factors going into the launch is not true. Reaction to Oberg's article might be interesting because he's always been reviled by conspiracy-believers for showing the truth.

Hamas In Charge

2006-01-28T05:47:00.000-05:00

I have a few thoughts about how and why Hamas won the majority of seats in the Palestinian Authority parliamentary elections.

It is not because democracy in the Arab world "cannot be done," as the more racist opposition to our own efforts would say. It is largely because an elected leadership can only be as good as its constituents. Decades of lies, exploitation and deliberately bad education have left the Palestinian public ignorant of, oblivious to and uninterested in the truth. Fatah is indeed a completely corrupt party of thieves, liars and profiteers, and this is said to be a big reason why Hamas got so many votes, but I think the theology of Hamas is just as corrupt, even if their administrative reputation appears not to be.

There is another factor which I have hesitated to mention in the blog these last three years, because I know how people of deficient literacy may misunderstand me. In many parts of the Arab world, it is still common for first cousins to marry. This, to anyone with the most cursory knowledge of genetics, is obviously not a good thing. Saddam's first wife was also his first cousin and you will remember that Uday and Qusay were not good-looking or especially smart people. Mix this tradition with all of the irrational contradictions of Islam, as practiced by the likes of Hamas and Hezbollah, and the result is a very difficult long-term problem. If we were talking about inbred fundamentalists in this country, I would say the same thing.

If you go to this site, you'll see how there is in fact a lingering Nazi influence in Arab affairs, dating back to the 1920's.

So what should we do about it? I think cutting the PA off from any US funding is a choice that should have been made the first time it was ever proposed, not just because we were giving money to crooks but also because foreign aid often impedes self-sufficiency, and the PA will probably continue to fail to create jobs for its people. It may also be time to abandon the two-state "solution" because it is no such thing. (I never have liked this particular Bush administration policy.) As for people marrying their first cousins, I guess the best we can do is hope that the brighter minds among those people will realize the problem themselves and push for more modern education based on reality.

Athens Politics

2006-01-22T18:35:00.000-05:00

I've added the Athens Politics blog to my links, which I should have done several months ago but I don't always follow other Athens blogs. It covers state politics also, especially since the General Assembly is in session now.

Check out this story about mayoral candidate Charlie Maddox supposedly spending $2400 on a very basic website. If it's true, he was not only ripped off but it's also left people doubting his fitness for handling public monies. Comparatively, Andy Rusk appears to have spent a minimum of money on a domain name and basic hosting, although he might want to change his slogan.

On Leadership

2006-01-01T11:34:00.000-05:00

Political will is not something we think of most politicians having these days but Paul Beston at American Spectator remembers and recognizes it in President Bush.

On Citizenship

2005-12-28T06:25:00.000-05:00

Nathan Deal is wrong.

Al Franken, USO Volunteer

2005-12-24T08:50:00.000-05:00

Did you know Al Franken is part of the current USO holiday tour in the Persian Gulf? It can only do good for him.

Crash and Burn

2005-11-28T23:29:00.000-05:00

Randy "Duke" Cunningham was not who I expected to see involved in a bribery scandal. It's a serious letdown for those of us who held him in high esteem for his past service to the nation, but I don't think any serious person of the conservative persuasion will be offering any attempts to rationalize or even defend such behavior. We have to move on.

At least it didn't bring down the whole government, as happened in Canada today, also over improper finances. I don't think I've ever seen one day where the difference between the parliamentary model and the American system of government. Wouldn't you hate to go through a new, surprise political campaigning period over Christmas?

Egypt, Iraq in the Arabic press and Visits with Hizbullah

2005-11-27T09:02:00.000-05:00

Thamer Abu Baker of the Jordan Times offers a roundup of Arabic press coverage of the Egyptian parliamentary elections and current Iraq issues.

Meanwhile, the stupidity of certain Presbyterian Church USA leadership reaches a new apex as they meet with Hizbullah in Lebanon, according to MEMRI and Lebanese sources. A few 9/11 victims' relatives also had a meeting with Hizbullah, which should further disprove any notions of the "absolute moral authority" of surviving relatives.