Skank

The “hiding among civilians” myth
So the analysts talking on cable news about Hezbollah “hiding within the civilian population” clearly have spent little time if any in the south Lebanon war zone and don’t know what they’re talking about. Hezbollah doesn’t trust the civilian population and has worked very hard to evacuate as much of it as possible from the battlefield. And this is why they fight so well — with no one to spy on them, they have lots of chances to take the Israel Defense Forces by surprise, as they have by continuing to fire rockets and punish every Israeli ground incursion.

And the civilians? They see themselves as targeted regardless of their affiliation. They are enraged at Israel and at the United States, the only two countries on earth not calling for an immediate cease-fire. Lebanese of all persuasions think the United States and Israel believe that Lebanese lives are cheaper than Israeli ones. And many are now saying that they want to fight.

Rice plans recital to fit her ’serious’ mood - Asia-Pacific - MSNBC.com
Rice plans serious piano recital at summit
Traditional silly skit at Asian meeting doesn’t fit world mood, she says

KUALA LUMPUR, Malaysia - In keeping with her mood and to reflect the world crises she tackles daily, U.S. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice plans to play a somber piece of music to her Asian colleagues in Malaysia this week.

Let’s send Condi on a world concert tour and get someone more clearsighted, perhaps Mr. Magoo, to head up the State Department.

Christopher Dickey at Newsweek lays out the charade that just played out in Rome

The assembled dignitaries expressed their “determination to work immediately to reach with the utmost urgency a ceasefire” in the war that started two weeks ago today when the Hizbullah militia crossed the border to capture two Israeli soldiers, and Israel responded with a massive counterattack the length and breadth of Lebanon. But, at American insistence, the ceasefire would have to be one that’s “lasting, permanent and sustainable.” Which means the flames searing Lebanon, threatening Israel and endangering the most volatile region in the world will go on for weeks, if not months, to come. The consolation prize: a promise of “immediate humanitarian aid.”

Imagine, if you will, that arsonists have set your apartment block on fire. You call 911 and plead for help. The dispatcher tells you of her “determination to work immediately with the utmost urgency” to douse the flames, but only if plans can be agreed on for the new building to be erected when the decrepit old one has gone up in smoke. She’s stalling, hoping the arsonists will be eliminated by the conflagration. And she’s got a great vision for the way that block should look some day. That’s what counts. Not your furniture, or for that matter, your family inside … No wonder Siniora looked distraught as the conference closed.

Read complete article here.

After living a decaffeinated life for the past several months it’s wonderful to have a Little Caffeine* come for a visit. Mrs. skank will arrive with the Princess tomorrow. Can’t wait!

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* - Sierra in the pics

The American flag stands for the fact that cloth can be very important. [...] You can tell just how important this cloth is because when you compare it to people, it gets much better treatment. Nobody cares if a homeless person touches the ground. A homeless person can lie all over the ground all night long without anyone picking him up, folding him neatly and sheltering him from the rain. School children have to pledge loyalty to this piece of cloth every morning. No one has to pledge loyalty to justice and equality and human decency. No one has to promise that people will get a fair wage, or enough food to eat, or affordable medicine, or clean water, or air free of harmful chemicals. But we all have to promise to love a rectangle of red, white, and blue cloth.

Betsy Ross would be quite surprised to see how successful her creation has become. But Thomas Jefferson would be disappointed to see how little of the flag’s real meaning remains.

Charlotte Aldebron, wrote that in ‘02 for a competition in her 6th grade English class while attending Cunningham Middle School in Presque Isle, Maine.

Daily Kos: State of the Nation
Rahm Emanuel looks to save the nation $100K by doing the “Director of Lessons Learned” job for him:

Mr. Speaker, yesterday the President said we continue to be wise about how we spend the people’s money.

“Then why are we paying over $100,000 for a ‘White House Director of Lessons Learned’?

“Maybe I can save the taxpayers $100,000 by running through a few of the lessons this White House should have learned by now.

“Lesson 1: When the Army Chief of Staff and the Secretary of State say you are going to war without enough troops, you’re going to war without enough troops.

“Lesson 2: When 8.8 billion dollars of reconstruction funding disappears from Iraq, and 2 billion dollars disappears from Katrina relief, it’s time to demand a little accountability.

“Lesson 3: When you’ve ‘turned the corner’ in Iraq more times than Danica Patrick at the Indy 500, it means you are going in circles.

“Lesson 4: When the national weather service tells you a category 5 hurricane is heading for New Orleans, a category 5 hurricane is heading to New Orleans.

“I would also ask the President why we’re paying for two ‘Ethics Advisors’ and a ‘Director of Fact Checking.’

“They must be the only people in Washington who get more vacation time than the President.

“Maybe the White House could consolidate these positions into a Director of Irony.”

50 easy questions to ask any Republican by Robert J. Elisberg is a fun read of friendly questions.

These are questions that allow another person to actually explain their thoughts, and explain fully. And to do so in as comfortable, as simple a way as possible.
Without feeling attacked. Without feeling pressure. Without feeling no one cares what they have to say. Friendly. Easy.

Print them out, carry them around in your pocket, and the next time someone begins quoting from a Republican talking points memo, take the list out and ask.

Here are a few of the Rumsfeld wedding planning questions:

10. Would you want Donald Rumsfeld to plan your daughter’s wedding?

24. If Donald Rumsfeld had planned your daughter’s wedding three years ago, would the guests still be there?

35. If Donald Rumsfeld had planned your daughter’s wedding three years ago, and guests were still there, how many factions would they now be split into?

49. If Donald Rumsfeld had planned your daughter’s wedding, and guests started fighting and were killed, would you expect to be allowed to view the caskets when they were returned home?

I like these questions that ask for lists of accomplishments:

1. What are the Top Seven best things that the Bush Administration has done?

31. Are you glad liberals passed such programs as Social Security, Medicare, the Civil Rights Act, women’s suffrage, federal deposit insurance, unemployment compensation, rural electrification, child labor laws, minimum wages and the 40-hour work week?

32. What are the Top Ten best things that conservatives have given to America?

Read them all.

I haven’t been able to confirm if this is true or not as my FTA receiver is currently down and I can’t get any channels:

NY-AP-Fox
Department of Homeland Security officials, along with federal agents arrested an individual today at New York’s Kennedy airport.

The individual, whose name has not been released and was later discovered to be a public school teacher, was arrested trying to board a flight while in possession of a ruler, a protractor, a set square, a slide rule, and a calculator.

At a mid-day press conference shortly after the arrest, Secretary Of Defense Donald Rumsfeld along with other top White House & DHS officials believes the man is a member of the notorious Al-Gebra movement. He is being charged by the FBI with carrying weapons of math instruction.

“Al-gebra is a fearsome cult, ” Rumsfeld said. “They desire average solutions by means and extremes, and sometimes go off on tangents in a search of absolute value.

“They use secret code names like ‘x’ and ‘y’ andrefer to themselves as “unknowns,” but we have determined they belong to a common denominator of the axis of medieval with coordinates in every country. As the Greek philanderer Isosceles used to say, “There are 3 sides to every triangle.”

When asked to comment on the arrest, President Bush said, “If God had wanted us to have better weapons of math instruction, He would have given us more fingers and toes.”

For more details on this fast-breaking story, stay tuned to your local FOX News channel.

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Terrorists seem to have stolen the link on my blog that lets me post.

Someone has foiled the terrorist plot and the link has returned.

Now the link is gone.

Now it’s back.

I need a computer dude to check this out!