Here's a nice news program covering a student who had her wrist broken by a school security guard who apparently didn't like the way she reacted to him ordering her to clean up a piece of cake.

I'm at a bit of a loss as to why a security guard was handing out orders like that, perhaps he wasn't well-instructed on what he was supposed to be doing other than just making sure the children learn thoroughly to never question any authority figure, but that's another matter... The video explains itself.

Another argument for camera-phones in schools

Six years ago today, some clueless desert dwellers hijacked some planes and smashed them into the World Trade Center, resulting in the unfortunate deaths of almost 3,000 people.

Since then, this event has been shamelessly capitalized upon by politicians and media alike to aggrandize themselves and their own personal agendas, spreading far more fear and uncertainty than any isolated bunch of sand-eating blow-hards would have ever been able to accomplish on their own.

Today, on this day of days, let's take a few seconds to remember the loss of lives with a moment of silence, and then move on with even more silence.

Let this day be the day we simply stopped giving a damn about what some ineffectual backwaters living in caves think, and get back to living our lives like real human beings who believe in life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness.

Thanks to the diligent campaigning, or at least semi-incoherent ramblings of the South Carolina Miss Teen USA Contestant, a new website has been launched to provide maps for US Americans that don't have them, and possibly to help South Africa as well.

Help for the Mapless, or Maps for the Helpless, or umm... something...

Congressman Brian Baird (D-3 Vancouver, Washington) hosted a town hall tonight at Fort Vancouver High School. It was Baird’s first appearance in front of his constituents since reversing his position on the war. ALTHOUGH he’s been an adamant critic of the war—he voted against the war and the surge—he announced last week that he thinks the surge is working and he wants to give it time.

He spoke in a high school auditorium that was packed with at least 500 people who were overwhelmingly vocal in their opposition to Baird’s new stance. There were also protesters outside calling for Baird to resign.

I also talked to several people as they left the auditorium and asked them if they found Baird—who was there to explain his new position—to be persuasive. To a person, everyone shook their head “no way,” including Doris Holmes, active member of the 18th district Democrats, who said, “He lied. He’s toeing the Bush party line. I can’t believe he’s a Democrat.”

You can follow links through to Baird's editorial if you wish. The bottom line is that this sort of thinking simply isn't allowed in the Democratic party. "I have committed even before setting pen to paper the essential crime that contains all others unto itself."

Rep. Baird Gets Blasted for Iraq war views

A demonstration was held in south-east Afghanistan to protest the gifting Afghani of children with soccer balls decorated with world flags, including the flag of Saudi Arabia.

Apparently the flag of Saudi Arabia includes the name of Allah somewhere on it, which they find offensive when applied to a soccer ball. Approximately 100 people in Khost were apparently offended enough to take to the streets in protest of what most of the rest of the world would simply consider to be a stupid mistake. Throwing a tantrum over a gift given in good faith is not making an effort to get along with one's fellow man.

Fucking grow up, people. If you're going to be this sensitive about the very name of your god, then be choosier about where you write it, which means don't even put it on flags that will stand around exposed to the elements.

Even the Christians know better than to do things like this... A brief reminder about their tenet... "Thou shalt not take the Lord's name in vain." ...for those whose grasp of English thinks this means simply "don't say goddamnit" it is actually an admonition not to use it like a brand identifier or product endorsement, because that would be vanity at work--presuming to know the mind of the Christian god.

More Muslims Whine Like Bitches

Wow. I don't know whether to be thankful or whether to think kids these days are pansies. I'm pretty sure the heat index at band camp (when I went to high school) was rather regularly at or above 110F.

School Districts Cancel Outdoor Activities Due To Excess Heat

Walking through the bazaar it takes less than 10 minutes for a vendor in his early 20s to step out and ask, "You want whiskey?" "No, heroin," I tell him. He ushers me into his store with a smile.

And this is winning???

It's easy for soldiers to score heroin in Afghanistan | Salon News

Excerpt
Where Have All the Leaders Gone?

By Lee Iacocca
------------------------------------------------------------------------

Had Enough?

Am I the only guy in this country who's fed up with what's happening? Where the hell is our outrage? We should be screaming bloody murder. We've got a gang of clueless bozos steering our ship of state right over a cliff, we've got corporate gangsters stealing us blind, and we can't even clean up after a hurricane much less
build a hybrid car. But instead of getting mad, everyone sits around and nods their heads when the politicians say, "Stay the course."

Stay the course? You've got to be kidding. This is America, not the damned Titanic. I'll give you a sound bite: Throw the bums out!

You might think I'm getting senile, that I've gone off my rocker, and maybe I have. But someone has to speak up. I hardly recognize this country anymore. The President of the United States is given a free pass to ignore the Constitution, tap our phones, and lead us to war on a pack of lies. Congress responds to record deficits by passing a huge tax cut for the wealthy (thanks, but I don't need it). The most famous business leaders are
not the innovators but the guys in handcuffs. While we're fiddling in Iraq, the Middle East is burning and nobody seems to know what to do. And the press is waving pom-poms instead of asking hard questions. That's not the promise of America my parents and yours traveled across the ocean for. I've had enough. How about you?

I'll go a step further. You can't call yourself a patriot if you're not outraged. This is a fight I'm ready and willing to have.

My friends tell me to calm down. They say, "Lee, you're eighty-two years old. Leave the rage to the young people." I'd love to-as soon as I can pry them away from their iPods for five seconds and get them to pay attention. I'm going to speak up because it's my patriotic duty. I think people will listen to me. They say I have a reputation as a straight shooter. So I'll tell you how I see it, and it's not pretty, but at least it's real. I'm hoping to strike a nerve in those young folks who say they don't vote because they don't trust politicians to represent their interests. Hey,America, wake up. These guys work for us.

Who Are These Guys, Anyway?

Why are we in this mess? How did we end up with this crowd in Washington? Well, we voted for them-or at least some of us did. But I'll tell you what we didn't do. We didn't agree to suspend the Constitution. We didn't agree to stop asking questions or demanding answers. Some of us are sick and tired of people who call free speech treason. Where I come from that's a dictatorship, not a democracy.

And don't tell me it's all the fault of right-wing Republicans or liberal Democrats. That's an intellectually lazy argument, and it's part of the reason we're in this stew. We're not just a nation... [ Read More (1.9k in body) ]

Where Have All the Leaders Gone?

"With two carrier strike groups in the Gulf, we're sending clear messages to friends and adversaries alike," said Cheney on a visit to the John C. Stennis aircraft carrier off the coast of the United Arab Emirates, a close U.S. ally.

Yes, we're saying, "look how incredibly stupid we are to put all of these huge boats in this little tiny bathtub for you to send zodiac suicide bomb boats and launch silkworm missiles at if we even twitch!"

Cheney warns Iran, assures allies on Gulf visit�|�Politics News�|�Reuters.com

Giving it just a tiny bit of thought it's very obvious to me what "Ax Ishmael" means.

It means:

"I am a crazy bastard who is about to go on a shooting spree, and since I am a crazy bastard I need to make up a cool name for myself which I will use when I send pictures to a mass-media outlet, and since I just made this cool new handle up on the spot and no one knows it's me, I'll need to write it on my arm in ink so they'll be able to tell it was me."

It's very simple.

The Meaning of 'Ax Ishmael'