No, really.
In a talk at Duke Law School, Ben Ginsberg, who was Chief Counsel for both Bush campaigns, said:
Just like, really, with the Voting Rights Act, Republicans have some fundamental philosophical difficulties with the whole notion of Equal Protection.
There’s video. Via MeFi.
Ever notice that the pro-life folks also tend to go apo-goddamn-plectic when we talk about easy access to contraception? Doesn’t make much sense, does it? Just go read this.
This one, when Bush tried to slam Congress for their refusal to gut Social Security last year, and in response the Democrats present stood and clapped. GOP response? Stony silence. Beautiful.
Watch. It’s fantastic.
Heathen, we give you the “cereal faucet.”
Western Union no longer sends telegrams. (Via JWZ.)
You’ll have to be be content with facsimiles via email or post.
.–. .-. . … ..- — .- -… .-.. -.– –..– / – …. .. … / -.. — . … -. .—-. – / .. — .–. .-.. -.– / – …. . / … .. — ..- .-.. – .- -. . — ..- … / . -..- – .. -. -.-. – .. — -. / — ..-. / – …. . / … – .-. .. .–. .–. . .-. –. .-. .- — .-.-.-
Cindy Sheehan was arrested at the Capitol yesterday despite having an invitation to the SOTU because her t-shirt had the number of Americans killed in Iraq on it.
What country is this?
… perhaps Bill Murray would have fared better had he had access not to C4 but to the VarmitGetter. (Via BoingBoing.)
“It hurts my think-bone.”
If you voted for cloture today, you can kiss my ass. And Lieberman? Just fucking switch parties already. You suck.
Anyone with a brain knows that most musicians don’t make it big. They play all sorts of gigs they don’t like, or that pay poorly, because they love to play. They frequently work in cover bands to fund the time spent on their own music. It is therefore not surprising that any musician whose name you know probably did this, too. It is furthermore unsurprising that, once a given musician reaches a certain level of fame, evidence of these previous musical endeavors becomes much more interesting. And the Internet, of course, makes it much, much easier to distribute these examples of juvenilia.
So, via Mefi, we point you to video of Trent Reznor’s 80s cover band doing “Eyes Without a Face”. Given the quality and song choices (not to mention Trent’s baby face), we figure this dates from his late teens or early 20s at the latest. (There’s also a Joe Jackson cover. We shit you not.)
(As “Rebel Yell” was released in 1983, which Wikipedia says was Reznor’s senior year, it looks like the time frame works.)
We’re no fans of RIM and their braindead PDA that so many marketdroids love, but the fact of the matter is that the whole case is bullshit. Techdirt has a great rundown. Here’s two key points:
It’s sort of silly just now, given what we know about tag prices and uses, but the idea of a DIY RFID zapper amuses us. Given that we actually have RFID equipment in Heathen Central, if we can find the time it might be fun to build this and then test the results with our readers…
Apparently, there exist hobbyists whose chosen field is steam-powered radio controlled vehicles. We love this very, very much.
Go read this.
However, the most important question is not the threat, per se, but whether we are at war. If we are indeed at war, the state has a qualitatively different set of options, regardless of the actual severity of the threat. The Bush administration is trying to justify extraordinary expansion of executive power not only because terrorists might hurt us (like hurricanes, or bird flu), but because we are literally at war. War powers aren’t justified simply as a function of the threat posed by the enemy. Congress doesn’t need to prove a threat in order to declare war. A war fought for convenience, greed, or strategic gain is just as much a candidate for war powers as a war fought to defend against a grave threat to the American way of life. One rationale for war powers is partly that when the country decides to fight, for whatever reason, it needs special resources in order to do so. The fact is that we’re not at war on terrorism, let alone against terror. Terrorism is a strategy. Actually, it’s a normative assessment of a family of tactics. In the current climate “terrorism” refers to any political violence the speaker doesn’t like. We aren’t at war with terrorism and we never have been. We were at war with Iraq, and now we’re fighting the Iraqi insurgency. We are engaged in a global struggle against terrorism by Islamic extremists. But we can’t even declare war on Al Qaeda, though the use of force against them has been authorized. We can’t declare war against Al Qaeda for the same reason that we can’t declare war against Columbia drug cartel or the mafia. These groups, however nefarious, aren’t states. If we were to destroy these organizations, new groups with the same mission would take their place. War is a metaphor for any all-out struggle against a serious problem: poverty, cancer, drugs, terrorism… Sometimes we use military hardware and tactics to further that struggle. Sometimes we even fight real wars as part of our strategy. The idea that the so-called war on terror justifies dramatic expansion of presidential power is extremely dangerous. Terrorism is never going to go away. If we accept that we are literally at war with terror, we are signing on to perpetual war for perpetual peace.
January 28, 1986. (Via Mefi, who reminded us.)
There is apparently a chance that chance that Sly Stone will perform at the Grammys.
Um: Holy Crap! (Via MeFi; above link is local PDF because the Post sucks.)
The BBC is marking Easter with a somewhat nontraditional celebration. Said party will include …
…an hour-long live procession through the streets of Manchester featuring pop stars from The Stone Roses and Happy Mondays and featuring songs by The Smiths and New Order. In the programme, called Manchester Passion, a character representing Jesus will sing the legendary Joy Division anthem Love Will Tear Us Apart before dueting his arch-betrayer Judas on the New Order hit Blue Monday, according to senior church sources involved in the production. Mary Magdelene, the penitent whore of the New Testament, is also getting in on the act: she is being lined up to sing the Buzzcocks hit Ever Fallen in Love (with Someone You Shouldn’t have) accompanied by a string band. Former Happy Monday and Celebrity Big Brother winner Bez will play a disciple. The climax of the event sees Jesus sing the Smiths classic song Heaven Knows I’m Miserable Now as he is being flayed by Roman soldiers.
You just can’t make this stuff up.
From my CEO, on the phenomenon of large, corporate IT departments:
As long as you can show you’re moving and busy, it doesn’t matter if you accomplish anything.
It may well be too little, too late, but Alito is so hostile to Privacy that this may be the only answer. Party discipline alone will sustain a filibuster; the GOP majority is only 55, but that would require (almost certainly) the support of Harry Reid — who has said he won’t back a filibuster. What the fuck, Harry? What about Alito don’t you understand? We’ve got enough milquetoasts in the damn party; don’t join Joe Lieberman’s ass-kissing posse, man. Sheesh.
Today, we went to a neighborhood thai place for lunch that happens to be next door to a store subtly named “Erotic Cabaret Boutique,” which sells more or less what you’d expect, though it’s primarily confined to wearable items and does most of its trade, I’m told, to the dancer demographic.
Anyway, it being nearly Valentine’s Day, their window mannequins were dressed (or undressed) for the season. There was a naughty nurse, natch, and a sort of sexy fairy godmother getup, and then, on the end and in front of my parking place, a fairly simple hearts-and-lace bra and panty set.
With a blindfold. Ok, that’s cool.
And a paddle. Even better!
And a sock monkey.
In case you missed it, as we did, here’s the Daily Show’s bit on the taint of corruption.
Chris Penn was found dead in his home today.
Cintra Wilson had our favorite piece on this particular Penn, from 2004 in Salon:
But then came the jewel in the crown of Christopher Penn’s acting career, and this was Abel Ferrara’s “The Funeral” (1996), where Chris plays a mentally ill suicidal gangster. Either Chris Penn has the best imagination ever captured on film, or the Penn boys’ emotional color wheels are naturally so supremely black that they make Sylvia Plath’s look like sample chips for baby’s bedroom. Chris was able to inhabit a Jungian shadow-self that any sane angel would fear to tread, in such a hardcore and chilling performance it makes it impossible not to presume that he has actually endured some bone-splinteringly dark nights of the soul. This is the apotheosis of Chris Penn. He is an Italian gangster hovering over the open casket of his little brother (Vincent Gallo, an ideal corpse). His face paints an entire road map of emotions. He grabs Gallo’s suit. “My baby brother,” he whimpers, his mouth grimacing in despair. He dissolves into tears. Then, he remembers himself: He’s a mobster. The tears turn ugly. He starts hacking out involuntary grief noises that get louder and louder until they escalate into a screaming, spitting, casket-pounding fury. Christopher Walken and other black-clad, sallow-eyed Italo-actorini try to restrain him. Chris Penn’s bloodshot eyes go momentarily wide and satanic — a murderous plot appears in his brain like a fever blister. Then — he knows it won’t help — he dissolves into blubbering grief again. Then, with a swallow, he snaps his head, pulls himself together, wipes his face, wetly kisses Walken on the face. He is drained, he’s wrecked, but he is OK to go to the buffet table.
Conservative newsmag Insight is reporting that the Administration fears impeachment may result from the domestic spying inquiry; a (presumably bipartisan) coalition is said to be forming in support of the move. In a GOP-controlled Congress.
The entitled “hope” isn’t that Bush be impeached, mind you. It’s a hope that the Rule of Law is still what governs us, and that our government as an extension of ourselves can be trusted to behave accordingly, at least in its Legislative arm. What Bush has done far exceeds any impeachable sins committed by Clinton, but it’s still a disaster to be in a position for this remedy is appropriate.
Via Atrios, we learn the following:
So, recent Powerbooks have a motion sensor inside; its primary purpose is to tell the hard drives to park the heads if sudden movement (read: falling) is detected. However, several other amusing applications have surfaced as well.
Prof. Felton points out that some new legislation being proposed in Congress to close the so-called “analog hole” for Hollywood and the RIAA includes provisions that are secret, and which can only be reviewed if you pay $10K and agree not to disclose what you find. In other words, the MPAA/RIAA are proposing secret laws. Um, NO. Prof. Felton:
The details of this technology are important for evaluating this bill. How much would the proposed law increase the cost of televisions? How much would it limit the future development of TV technology? How likely is the technology to mistakenly block authorized copying? How adaptable is the technology to the future? All of these questions are important in debating the bill. And none of them can be answered if the technology part of the bill is secret. Which brings us to the most interesting question of all: Are the members of Congress themselves, and their staffers, allowed to see the spec and talk about it openly? Are they allowed to consult experts for advice? Or are the full contents of this bill secret even from the lawmakers who are considering it?
Kottke points us to something we can’t believe we haven’t seen online before: video of a fire at a fireworks factory. It’s pretty staggering. A gold star awaits anyone who can translate the voiceover at the end. (Google video)
This. I mean, what’s not to like? Can you imagine tooling around in Clear Lake?
Well, actually not, since Clear Lake is notoriously shallow. But the Bay! A trek to the Keys! A couple million in refits and it’s a luxury cruiser befitting a Bond villain!
Via Bubba’s Ear, we find the latest in religious headgear. Enjoy.
The Beast provides their list of the 50 Most Loathsome People in America of 2005. We are in particular pleased with Nos. 49, 45, 44, 25, 24, 21, 19, 15, 11, 7, 5, 3, 2, and 1.
Pikachu Hors d’oevres, made with brie and play-doh equipment.
Find some other molds and we’ll talk.
“Throughout American history, the government has said we’re in an unprecedented crisis and that we must live without civil liberties until the crisis is over. It’s a hoax” (Yale Kamisar at the University of Michigan Law School).
It’s never, ever been true, but it’s frequently used to justify all manner of executive power grabs and egregious tactics, like Japanese internment, no-knock SWAT-equipped drug warrents, and the PATRIOT act. Don’t believe them.
As it turns out, Ticketmaster are even bigger jackasses than we previously believed.
Medium-format camera body + old scanner = bizarre hybrid camera. Check it out.
Via Mefi, we find this revisited childhood treasure.
Now, if anybody knows where we can get a copy of “Bravest of All,” we’ll be complete.
This is only funny if you’ve ever been eaten by a grue.
Wilson Picket is dead at 64.
There are six-foot-wide, 400-pound JELLYFISH in Japan.
Rock on, sir. Testify!
Our RFID work area is 269 paces from the bathroom.
William Shatner’s kidney stone sold for $25,000 at a charity auction.
Ok, charity is good and all — but seriously, W. T. F?
Scott McClellan has once again been shown to be entirely full of shit. Seriously, how does this jackoff sleep at night?
Via Atrios; he says it better than we do:
The Terrible Twos
Ivo Daalder writes:America’s power and influence in the previous century was built not just on its military and economic prowess, but especially on the belief of many that it would use its power to the benefit of all rather than of the United States alone. But that view of the United States as a benevolent power is now gone. America’s image in the world has been tarnished by launching an unnecessary war of choice, flouting international law, and its appalling abuse of detainees. Polls indicate that large majorities in Europe have an unfavorable opinion of America and, shockingly, that a majority of Europeans now believes the United States poses the greatest threat to international security. When trust is broken, a commitment to diplomacy can only do so much. When an American secretary of state has to spend an entire week in Europe to argue that the United States does not torture people — and leave without having convinced anyone that she’s speaking the truth — you know something profound has changed in America’s relations with the world. In such circumstances, a willingness to talk, to negotiate, even to compromise is not enough. It will take a new administration, fully committed to restoring trust in an America rededicated to the rule of law, to begin to reverse the damage that has been done.I’ve made this basic point a few times. America’s post-war power in the world has depended in large part on a perceived benevolence and general idealism. As a nation we had a kind of admirable idealism even if we certainly failed to live up to it at times. One can take a cynical view of those failures, or one can at least believe that the existence of those ideals is important. Sure it requires a bit of ignorance and naivete to say “We’re America! We don’t DO that kind of thing!” but there’s nonetheless something nice about the fact that our own self-perception, if a bit of a whitewash of the facts, embodied that idealism. But the Bush administration has done away with all of that. Instead of ignoring our imperfections we’ve proudly made them all official policy. We justify these things by pointing out that there are even worse people in the world than us! Instead of trying to lead the world we’ve thrown temper tantrums at it. Time to grow up…
There’s a new live Miles Davis box set out that would make an excellent birthday gift.