Comments on life, love, and the pursuit of sanity from a two wheeled perspective.

 
Michael Moore is a Big Fat Liar
Following up on Mean Mr. Mustards hilarious dig at Moore (Wardlow Strikes Again, below), go take a gander at MOOREWATCH.com, a site dedicated to "unearthing the truth behind the doublespeak and falsehood that spews from the mouth (and keyboard) of Michael Moore on a regular basis."

Michael Moore is the very worst that the left has to offer, but he's less infuriating than he is tragic. Let's take a (short) break from making fun of the French in favor of poking fun at Michael Moore. Screw it, let's just add Moore to the list of people/nations to make fun of.
posted by Jeremy at 5:17 AM

 
Wardlow Strikes Again
Heh.
posted by Jeremy at 10:41 PM

 
What's a Triple Tree?
And why should you care? If you don't, I guess I can't help you here. If you do, check out the new AMA glossary of motorcycle terms here.
posted by Jeremy at 9:34 PM

 
Why Iraq? Why Now? Why Are We Going To War?
In discussions with friends of mine about the looming war in the middle east, the best and most difficult question that I've found myself struggling to answer is, "Why Iraq, why now?" Steven Den Beste addresses this question in his usual thoughtful manner here.

ALSO: In the above post, Den Beste links to an article in the Hindustan Times entitled Why George wants Saddam's Head. This article is not to be missed.
posted by Jeremy at 8:05 PM

 
Light at the End of the Tunnel
This week was going to be a fun stint on the night shift. It turned quickly into a sleepless, frozen, motorcycle-free hell. Thank God it's almost over.

There's too much that got screwed up this week for me to cover here. I don't really think I even want to, considering the fact that I'd have to re-live it to share it with you. The good news is that it looks like the freezing weather broke this morning. I'll be getting a ride to work tonight, and the Connie will be bringing me home tomorrow morning. I can't wait to ride again.

I plan on returning to a more normal posting schedule next week. Fear not, more inane blather and poorly thought out political commentary is coming your way soon.
posted by Jeremy at 7:48 PM

 
Rather, Want to Interview Pres. Bush?
Eat this, Danny boy! I think these terms are rather generous myself.
posted by Jeremy at 1:10 AM

 
Rat Bastards
This is absolutely disgusting.

...the Maine National Guard Family Assistance Center has received about 30 complaints from children of deployed soldiers concerning Principals, Teachers and Guidance Counselors reportedly demeaning the role of their deployed parent. Some children involved are 7 to 9 years of age.

Principals, Teachers, and Guidance Counselors picking on 7 to 9 year olds? Pick on someone your own size guys. In fact, I volunteer myself.

UPDATE: Cold Fury adds his comments. He captures the anger, shock, and bewilderment that I felt and couldn't quite put into words.


posted by Jeremy at 12:16 AM

 
ScrappleFace on Human Shields
Now this I can handle.

Chief U.N. weapons inspector Hans Blix has ordered the Republic of Iraq to destroy dozens of so-called 'human shields' recently discovered by his inspections team.

In a letter to the U.N. Security Council, Mr. Blix said the human shields are "a hindrance, however slight, to compelling Iraq to disarm. They protect Saddam."

Heh.
posted by Jeremy at 6:01 AM

 
Boy, Have I Ever Screwed the Flaming Pooch
Does it ever snow in Memphis? Rarely. If is snows, does it stick? Almost never. If it sticks, is it a frozen mess, or just a light dusting? Usually just a light dusting. If it does snow, it sticks, and it's a frozen mess, should you be riding your motorcycle to the night shift where you happen to be working all by your lonesome? Not on your friggin' life. But that's just what your beloved B. did last night.

Around 1AM I went offsite to swap out a network cable and I couldn't believe what I saw. Memphis was in the middle of what could arguably have been called (at least here in the south) a blizzard. Nasty, icy, sticky, wet conditions, snow blowing sideways, and slush filled streets. I knew then that there would be no way I could ride the motorcycle home from work.

All of this wouldn't really be a problem if I didn't have to be back at work at noon. We've got some guys that come in pretty early in the morning around here. All of them are friends of mine and have given me rides in bad weather before. It wouldn't be a problem at all to get one of them to run me home when they get in. It would be a problem to get another ride back to work, then a ride back home again. Of course, I'm sure that I could get all of that worked out and eventually get myself home this afternoon, but it looks like the best plan is to work straight through. Ugh.

That's what I get for not paying attention to the weather and making better plans. I've worked long days before (shoot, I used to work 3 jobs), so this won't be too bad.

Now, how do I get to work tonight...
posted by Jeremy at 2:10 AM

 
Light Posting Ahead
I'm working nights this week at work, so my posting schedule will be all screwed up. The posting I do will generally be after midnight, and then only if I'm not too busy at work (the night shift is a solo gig; when it rains on the night shift, it pours). In the meantime, enjoy digging through my links. Considering the state of the world right now, I'm not too bummed to be taking some time off.

Keep the dream, stay in school, and don't use drugs.
posted by Jeremy at 9:16 AM

 
"X-treme" Asinine Marketing
Why does everything have to be "X-treme" and "Intense" nowadays? Don't get me wrong, I'm down with skateboarding, snowboarding, and the BMX thing (to name a few "X-treme" sports), but the whole dude-we're-so-in-your-face-isn't-this-cool-adrenaline-rush-booyah! thing is way past old. After the whole "X-treme" sports thing got started a coupla years ago, now everything marketed to the 12-30ish age group has to be "X-treme" as well. Now guess what's "X-treme"? Milk. Friggin' milk.

Upstate Farms’ dairy products, which include such teen-friendly flavors as Intense Chocolate, Intense Strawberry, Intense Vanilla and Mocha Java, as well as lower fat varieties of white milk, are being vended in glass-case machines in 70 schools in the state.

I think I just started bleeding out of my eyes.

This is one of the most ridiculous things I've ever heard of, and it only gets worse. Not only is strawberry flavored milk "teen friendly" and "intense", but there are sour chunks of health politics floating around in every bottle.

...the flavored, higher fat milk drinks do little more than soft drinks in the fight against childhood obesity, said Amy Lanou, the nutrition director of the Physicians Committee for Responsible Medicine, a Washington-based nonprofit organization that promotes preventive medicine and alternatives to animal use in medical education and research.

"Those flavored drinks have as much sugar in them as soda," Lanou said. "Our preference is beverages that don’t contain saturated fats, like water, flavored bubbly water, juices and soy milk," Lanou said. "We would be looking for beverages that contain nutrients, are not full of sugar and are not full of saturated fat."

Lanou’s organization, which promotes vegetarian diets, recommends foods such as tofu, vegetables like kale and broccoli, legumes and calcium-fortified juices as alternative sources.

So now we've got "Intense", adrenaline-rush inducing milk vending machines in high schools on the front lines of the fight against childhood obesity, but according to Amy Lanou, tofu goddess, they're not doing anyone any good considering the fact that cookies and cream flavored milk isn't all that healthy. Hmmm, go figure.

But wait, there's more!

Serling of Upstate Farms acknowledges that the profit margin for schools is much smaller for milk than for what he calls "sugar-water products" like sodas.

Tens of millions of dollars are earned by schools to purchase athletic equipment, computers and art materials from the sale of soft drinks and sports drinks like Gatorade, according to the National Soft Drink Association.

While soft drink vending machines are owned, operated and maintained by local bottling companies, schools are usually responsible for the costs of purchasing the milk vending machines through tax money, state grants or donations from the local dairy community.

OK, let's break this down. The marketing involved in pushing milk to kids is "X-treme" banality. The milk is pushed on kids in order to combat obesity, but it's not going to do any good because the "teen friendly" milk is the cow juice equivalent of the soda that it's trying to replace. The schools that are purchasing these vending machines have just gouged their vending profitability in order to replace fattening soda with equally fattening supa-milk, and all of this is subsidized by tax dollars. Give me a friggin break.

This is why I hate politics. The whole milk vending machines in schools thing is a perfect example of liberal, feel good, symbolism-over-substance politics that does nothing to solve the very real problem of childhood obesity in America. It's disgusting, it's insulting, and it makes me want to do something rash like by a trunk-full of 29-cent McDonald's hamburgers and throw them at vegans. But wait, that would be feeding the Evil Corporate Capitalist Empire that strives to make kids fat in the first place. Geez, we can't win for losing.
posted by Jeremy at 1:38 PM

 
More Proof that God Loves Us and Wants Us to be Happy
The new Christopher Guest, Eugene Levy movie, A Mighty Wind, is scheduled to hit theaters in April of this year. I'm a big fan of Guest, and of the Guest/Levy comedy duo, so I'm way excited about this new movie. From IMDB:

Mockumentary captures the reunion of 1960s folk trio the Folksmen (Guest, McKean, Shearer) as they prepare for a show at Carnegie Hall to memorialize a recently deceased concert promoter.

Head over to the official site for a look at the trailer.

(Thanks go to my Germantown correspondent Stacey for the news)

TRIVIA(L) NOTE: "A Mighty Wind"? A 1960's folk trio made up of Guest, McKean, and Shearer? Does this bring up (fond) memories of Spinal Tap for anyone else? It did for me, and I immediately thought that perhaps the Folksmen were the folk trio responsible for "Gimme Some Money". After careful research (at the wonderful SpinalTapFan.com) I discovered that The Thamesmen were the pre-Tap trio that sang "Gimme Some Money". The Folksmen do however show up in Spinal Tap: A to Zed in this entry.

Aging folk band reminiscent of the Kingston Trio that was scheduled to open for Spinal Tap during the 1992 Royal Albert Hall show. Instead, they played a nearby Tube stop for change because roadies feared the energetic heavy metal crowd would tear them to pieces.

Look like I need to bone up on my Tap/Guest/Levy trivia before I go see this one.


posted by Jeremy at 12:38 PM

 
SUV Drivers Finally Get Their Due
Or at least they're getting a nod from some of the mainstream press. SUVs and SUV drivers have always gotten the short end of the political stick, even more so now that the war on terrorism and the potential war with Iraq have brought back that familiar, tired, overused, and insipid cry of "No War for Oil". Thanks to the mostly impassable road conditions in the northeast, SUV drivers (the only drivers that could get anywhere) have become modern American heroes.

During the storm, the District of Columbia government ran this banner item on its Web home page: “Mayor Williams Issues Call For Volunteers — Volunteers needed to shovel snow at schools; SUV drivers needed.” The story said the mayor was soliciting people with four-wheel-drive vehicles to provide transportation to and from work for emergency personnel and for persons who have special medical needs. Meanwhile, bordering Montgomery County, Md., made an appeal to four-wheel-drive operators to volunteer to help transport health-care workers to their places of employment and for other high-priority needs.

And talk about high-priority needs. President Bush needed an SUV to get back to the White House from Camp David on Sunday. Fitting for a storm that affected one fifth of America.

Cry me a river Arianna!
posted by Jeremy at 11:33 AM

 
Not All French Are Bad, Just Most Of 'Em
Sgt. Stryker, on why he's sitting out on this round of frog bashing. I couldn't think of any reason why he would, until I read the entire post.

It's important to remember that although the French in general are a bunch of whiny, surrender prone, holier-than-thou, backwards intellectuals, the WWII French Resistance were not. They risked their lives to save the country they loved, bucking the appeasement that their government so quickly embraced.
posted by Jeremy at 12:34 PM

 
Those Crazy Germans
Mean Mr. Mustard points out yet another reason to say, "Those crazy Germans!". He's pretty darn funny too.
posted by Jeremy at 8:10 AM

 
Gandalf the Unilateralist
I love me some satire, but when you combine being an incredible geek along with satire, it's a lovely thing to behold. Here's the latest from Minas Tirith.

Thousands of peace activists took to the streets of Minas Tirith and other cities of Middle Earth today to protest what they termed a rush to war with Mordor.

“We need more time for diplomacy,” said a key member of the Middle-Earth Security Council, Saruman the White. “I am not convinced by the evidence presented by my esteemed colleague, Gandalf the Grey, or that the Dark Lord Sauron presents an imminent danger to the peoples of the West.”

Thanks to the Instaman for bringing this to our attention.

posted by Jeremy at 8:01 AM

 
Sick of Pre-Movie Commercials?
I know I am. I read about this travesty before I was subjected to it, and I hated the idea from the very first minute. I go to to the movies to see the friggin' movies, not to have more insipid advertising shoved down my throat. The pre-movie advertising slides are painful enough. Now I have to watch commercials on the big screen? Commercials I've already gotten sick of after watching them over and over and over at my own home?

Well, someone is doing something about this crap.

In a class-action lawsuit filed in Illinois state court on behalf of all Loews patrons, the Chicago-area English teacher claims the theater circuit's policy of playing pre-film product commercials amounts to a deceptive business practice because the ads begin at the time advertised as the start of a feature movie.

The legal action reflects the reaction of many moviegoers jarred by the increasing prominence of onscreen advertising in theaters industrywide. In fact, the succession of such pre-movie ads now often lasts up to 10 minutes or longer in many venues.

I'm not a big fan of lawsuits in general. I feel like our society is much to litigious as it is. This is a lawsuit I'd sign on to.

More info is available at NoMovieAds.com.
posted by Jeremy at 2:22 PM

 
At Least I'm in Good Company
Looks like the VodkaPundit is as frustrated and bored with the political world as I am. At least I don't feel so alone anymore.
posted by Jeremy at 12:26 PM

 
Frank Should be Appointed a UN Diplomat
That fella's got some good ideas. In fact, he sums up my current frustration in the first sentence of his latest post:

War with Iraq still seems like a distant dream; it's hard to believe it will ever happen.

I'm sick of all this wacky UN diplomacy. Let's get Frank in there. I'm guessing the world will change for the better, real fast.
posted by Jeremy at 11:20 AM

 
Mr. Mustard, with the Computer, in the Living Room
Mean Mr. Mustard provides some excellent commentary on modern liberal thinking. Anarchism, idealism, naivete, and general cluelessness all factor in.

Who really knows? In my view, any anarchist that doesn't advocate basically a Hobbesian state of nature for interpersonal society, an existence where the guy with a stronger fist or a bigger club can do whatever he wants to the scrawnier fellow, is using some kind of anti-logic that would only be at home in an Escher engraving. But that's just what Chad (not his real name) advocates. He's an idealist who believes in everyone living happily alongside one another, except not because there are rules and penalties that say they must, but just because... um, well... just because, I suppose.

posted by Jeremy at 10:28 AM

 
Clinton, the First French President
Jonah Goldberg delivers a thoughtful column on French appeasement and appeasement in general over at NRO.

And here I think the real meaning of appeasement comes to the fore. Appeasement doesn't stem from cowardice; it stems from arrogance. Bill Clinton believed he could will events into being because he knew more than everybody else. He believed he could manage Osama bin Laden and Arafat and North Korea — and history itself. Tit-for-tat, bribes, endless memos-of-understanding and treaties, and, most of all, talk, talk, talk: When you look back you can see that Bill Clinton wasn't the first black president or the first feminist president so much as he was the first French president.

I'll second that.

The column is a good fleshing out of what's going on with France and why they're standing firm in their opposition to the war in Iraq. It follows (and answers) a post by Rich Lowry in the Corner that states that the French aren't appeasers, but rather they're standing for a new Europe, one in which American influence is greatly diminished.

The most interesting thing to me about Jonah's column is that it acknowledges France's political motivation while clearly spelling out the very real consequences that go with hand in hand with their strategy. For those of us who enjoy knee-jerk French bashing (oh how I love to hate the French), this article allows us to take pause, understand the French position, and then to don our new "F the French" shirts with a fuller understanding of why we should.

UPDATE: Mean Mr. Mustard expounds on Jonah's appeasment column, using Molly Ivins' latest tripe as a jumping off point.
posted by Jeremy at 7:44 AM

 
The Wiseguys Were Great
The Wiseguys improv show at Kudzu's was great last night. InkedGirl is a comedy star. Hopefully she'll remember me when she's rich and famous.

The show was a lot like an episode of "Who's Line Is It Anyway?". They did the "World's Worst" game and the "Questions Only" game, and they threw in a couple I had never seen before. The "Serial Killer" game was friggin great. Four people got up, and three were sent out of the room. The first person was given a character, a location, and an item (think "Clue"). Once the first person had his person, place, and thing (Rerun, Kansas, and fingernail clippers), he had to communicate those three things to the next guy in line speaking only gibberish. Once the next person in line figured out all three items, they took the "thing" from the first person and killed them with it. By the time the fourth comedian killed the third, the person, place, and thing had turned into Fat Albert, a long and lonely highway, and a toenail. Comedy gold.

Catch the Wiseguys if you get a chance. It's well worth it.
posted by Jeremy at 5:33 PM

 
Aaaarrrrgh
I just lost a great post to a freak hot key accident. I was just finishing an eloquent, concise post when all of the sudden my pinky finger missed a key, hit something else, and bammo, nothing was left of the post.

Here's a summation: I'm really frustrated with the current state of pre-war events and I'm going to take a mental health break. I'm going to pay attention to the news about as much as I do a nagging girlfriend. I'll be listening for the important words ("Blah, blah, blah, nuking Saddam today, blah, blah, blah, Lake Iraq, blah, blah."). It'll be time to tune back in when I start hearing the good stuff. Until then, it'll be background noise.
posted by Jeremy at 3:28 PM

 
The Wiseguys at Kudzu's Tonight
InkedGirl will be performing with The Wiseguys tonight at Kudzu's. I love me some standup comedy, and InkedGirl is funny as a murf. I'll be there. You should be too.

Btw, there's no cover, they serve food, and I've been promised plenty of cold ones.
posted by Jeremy at 1:52 PM

 
I've Been Spoiled
I've got a couple of things working against me here. The weather has been really warm over the past couple of weeks, and I spent a week getting rides from a friend while my bike was in the shop. I made the mistake of getting used to being really comfortable on my rides to and from work. Now the weather is nice and chilly again, and to tell you the truth, I'm not looking forward to getting out in it.

I love riding my motorcycle, and I'd rather ride any day than have to get in a car. Still, after three months of layering up, coaxing the bike to start, watching for ice, and freezing my fingers (my fault, I need better gloves), I'm really ready for spring weather. Of course, the bad thing about Memphis is that we'll have great riding weather for about 3 weeks, and then the temperature and the humidity will skyrocket to the point that I'll start complaining about that too. I'm moving.

UPDATE: As soon as I got geared up and walked out to the bike, I realized how silly my weather rant was. I love the ride, no matter the weather. I was comfortable all the way in, and I had way more fun than you did on your ride to work.
posted by Jeremy at 7:39 AM

 
Blog*Spot Problems
I'm having trouble getting to Blogger. Of course, I finally get through right at bedtime. I'll post again tomorrow if the servers let me through. In the meantime, it's sleep, sweet sleep.
posted by Jeremy at 11:41 PM

 
First "Orange", Now This?
Things are getting out of hand in this crazy, post 9/11, pre-war world every minute. The State Department has issued a warning today asking Americans not to act like Americans.

The advisory immediately created turmoil overseas, particularly for U.S. military personnel, who pretended to be French and were forced to surrender.

The alert also caused confusion at home, as it seems to contradict the U.S. Department of Homeland Security, which has warned Americans not to act un-American. In a press briefing this afternoon, White House spokesman Ari Fleischer attempted to unravel the paradox.

"What we are saying is, when you are in America, you need to behave like an American, particularly if you are not American, or are Colin Powell. But when you are outside America, you should not behave like an American, unless you are not American, in which case we urge you to act American. Here I refer specifically to the NATO representatives from Germany, France, and Belgium."

posted by Jeremy at 4:04 PM

 
Proof of American Benevolence
The fact that we don't lay waste to the many anti-American war protesters/hippies/neo-communists is proof of the fact that America is not the imperialist state they claim we are.
posted by Jeremy at 8:00 AM

 
Done for the Day
I took a half day at work today, I'm headed out on the town tonight, and I'm sipping on a tall Jack and Coke. Blogging will commence again some time later in the weekend. Happy Valentine's to you. Have a good one.
posted by Jeremy at 2:07 PM

 
Left on Left "Violence"
Thanks to Rachel Lucas for shining the light of truth, wisdom, and sassy impudence on The Left vs. The Very Right Reverend Al Sharpton (Sunday, Sunday, Sunday!).
posted by Jeremy at 10:33 AM

 
Imperialist America
I'm tired of people saying that we Americans are bullying Iraq (and the rest of the "civilized" world) and forcing our democracy, morality, culture, and will on the world. It's patent, bold-faced BS. I mean really, would we make this concession if we were the "bullies" the liberal intelligentsia makes us out to be?
posted by Jeremy at 7:29 AM

 
Iraqi Stand Up Comedy
Who knew that Saddam was a comedian? Apparently Saddam has issued a presidential edict making it illegal to produce or import WMD. I almost fell out of my chair laughing when I heard that one. Whew. OK.

So now it's illegal to have or produce WMD in Iraq according to Iraqi law. I wonder what the consequences will be when Saddam finds himself in "material breach" of his own presidential directive. I'm guessing a next move may be sending the Republican Guard out into Iraq as weapons inspectors. Geez, it's hard to type when you're doubled over laughing.

More later.

UPDATE: I included a link above to Reuters, but these guys are reporting it as actual news, and valid at that. Can't wait for the blogosphere to comment...
posted by Jeremy at 7:25 AM

 
The Real Reason America Needs Missle Defense
IMAO spells out the most important ramifications of a National Missle Defense system.
posted by Jeremy at 6:53 PM

 
Short on Entries Lately, Eh?
I'm working hard towards taking a half day tomorrow. Sorry about the lack of updates. I'll be back soon.
posted by Jeremy at 3:43 PM

 
Quick Thought
Gas prices are rising rapidly. I'm guessing they'll continue to go up for a while, plateau, then come down to a price 10-15% higher than they were two or three weeks ago. What better reason to ride a motorcycle?

As soon as I started riding on a daily basis, I cut my gas budget by 2/3. That's a lot of money I'm saving, and that's a lot of gas I'm not using. In fact, if SUV drivers, drug dealers, and drug users are "funding terror" (yeah, suuuuure), then motorcyclists are proactively fighting terrorism by using significantly less gasoline than anyone else on the road! Boy does it feel good to give Osama a big kick in the ass every time I start my bike up.

Next time you see a motorcyclist riding down the road, kicking Saddam's ass by not using his filthy gasoline, get out of his way (so that he can get where he's going faster and use less of that evil gas), wave, smile, and cheer your patriotic brother-in-arms, and make plans to get yourself a nice, shiny, new, terrorism fighting motorcycle as soon as you can.
posted by Jeremy at 8:27 AM

 
48 Hours to a New Iraq
Sounds like an infomercial, but it's the US invasion plan for our war in Iraq.

American war planners believe that they have little more than 48 hours from the start of a ground war to kill President Saddam Hussein if they are to avoid a protracted conflict and a complicated peace.

The story includes some telling evidence that we are, for sure, guaranteed to go to war in the near future (unless I'm misinterpreting something here).

US special forces and CIA teams are already operating on the ground in Iraq.

I've heard that we're already there, I guess I just haven't read that we're "already operating" in black and white. That makes me excited and nervous at the same time. Watching the most powerful military in the world swing into action is an awesome thing, but the consequences of war are always profoundly saddening.
posted by Jeremy at 9:25 PM

 
Bettie's Back!
I got my Connie back today from the bike shop. I can't begin to tell you how happy I am. She looks great, she sounds great, she feels great, and she rides like she did when I first got her (maybe even better). Since I was coming home in 5 o'clock traffic, I didn't ride long, but I can't wait for the ride to work tomorrow.

Thanks to everyone who helped me through this difficult last week. A man without his motorcycle can be a sad sight. I'm just grateful that she and I didn't have to be apart longer.

Now for the plug: I got my bike serviced at Leo's Cycle Sales (unfortunately, there's no link) on Summer Ave. here in beautiful Memphis, TN. I've been incredibly pleased with them from the first minute we started doing business. They've done an oil change for me in the past (excellent job, super fast, great price), but this was the first big job I've had them do for me, and they did an incredible job. The folks up front were quick and friendly, the mechanics in back were nicer and more attentive than any I've ever dealt with, and the work cost less than what they estimated when I turned my bike in. If you're going to do any Kawasaki business in Memphis, go see the guys at Leo's. You'll be glad you did.
posted by Jeremy at 5:35 PM

 
Who Can Abide Snotty Little Kids?
I know I can't. I'd rather kill that kid screaming in the toy aisle at Wal*Mart than hear him say he wants a sword one more time. Come to think of it, I get the same feeling when I run into the modern, way-smarter-than-though American liberal. Wild.

On that subject, The Rott points us to Clubbeaux for some "required reading".
posted by Jeremy at 5:24 PM

 
The USS Clueless on the Axis of Weasels
Stephen Den Beste comments on the current state of affairs between the US/UK and France/Germany.

There is no alliance, and there is no friendship. This is no longer a deep difference of opinion between friends; it is fullblown opposition. They are actively opposing us and actively supporting our enemies, and there's no other way we can consider them now except as active cobelligerents against us. Their reputations and their influence are now direct threats to us, and we will need to damage them. This is, effectively, war now between the US/UK and France/Germany.

It isn't going to be a shooting war, however; it's a war of diplomacy and propaganda and influence. So if we come upon records in Iraq, or find people there who can prove that France and Germany have been actively trafficking in forbidden goods, or that they have been collaborating in other even more damaging ways, then public revelation of it will make their positions far less strong and reduce their threat to us. It doesn't matter how French or German voters react; what will be important is how everyone else, in Europe and in America and around the world view it.

The diplomatic situation is deteriorating at an incredibly rapid pace, and given France and Germany's recent track record, it is destined to get worse as the world progresses toward war with Iraq.
posted by Jeremy at 12:53 PM

 
Eenie, Meenie, Minie, What?
From the People Too Stupid to Breed category comes this story about hypersensitive sisters suing Southwest Airlines for racism.

Grace Fuller, 48, and her sister Louise Sawyer, 46, were returning from Las Vegas two years ago when flight attendant Jennifer Cundiff, trying to get passengers to sit down, said over the intercom, "Eenie, meenie, minie, moe; pick a seat, we gotta go."

The sisters say the rhyme was directed at them and was a reference to its racist version that dates to before the civil rights era: "Eenie, meenie, minie, moe; catch a n----- by his toe."

"It was like I was too dumb to find a seat," Fuller said. Sawyer said fellow passengers snickered at the rhyme, which made her feel alienated.

The sisters are seeking unspecified compensatory and punitive damages.

This is the kind of world I don't want to live in. Grace and Louise? Shut up and sit down!

UPDATE: Rachel Lucas and I are on some sort of weird similar posting run. She expands on this "eenie, meenie, minie, moe" nonsense in an excellet post here.

Of course, with topics this asstastic in the news, who wouldn't post on them? If only I had her traffic.
posted by Jeremy at 7:56 AM

 
Human Shields?
I've never really understood why anyone would want to be a human shield during a time of war. It seems to me that the human shield thing sits somewhere between conscientious objection and treason (considering that many human shields, at least those volunteering for that duty in the past few weeks, want to shield our enemies).

IMAO proposes an alternative that would save all these "brave" human shields the cost of traveling to Iraq while providing for a shield with even more emotional impact than an impenetrable wall of patchouli wearing activists.
posted by Jeremy at 7:20 AM

 
Thoughts on American Imperialism
Glenn Reynolds posts an interesting thought exercise over at GlennReynolds.com. Glen (and I, and I'm sure many of you) is tired of hearing about how America is playing the international bully in our current political situation. He asks, "How would the United States be acting if it really were an imperialist bully?”

An imperial nation, possessed of the kind of lopsided military power the United States has in today’s world, wouldn’t waste its time with inspectors and diplomacy. Nor would it limit its ambitions to Iraq.

An Imperial America would probably join with nascent superpower India to divide up and conquer the region. India could have Pakistan, Afghanistan, and Iran; we’d take Iraq, Kuwait, Saudi Arabia, Syria, and Egypt.

The point is that we are not acting like international bullies, and Glenn opines on what may happen on the "American Street" if the crybabyies of the world continue to treat us as if we are.

Considering our current state of affairs (and following Glenn's argument to it's bitter end) I'm tired of playing soft with the world myself. I say we follow IMAO's suggestion and nuke the moon.
posted by Jeremy at 7:08 AM

 
Gere on Bush (Again)

"Bush's plans for war are a bizarre bad dream."

So what was Dr. T. and the Women?

If you'd like a good laugh, check out the full article on Gere's comments here.

UPDATE: Rachel Lucas gives Gere the pimp hand, calling his statements "asstastic".

You can say that there's no reason for war, and you can say that Bush has a personal vendetta. Those are expressions of opinion, wrong though they may be.

But when you say something overwhelmingly asstastic, you get called out.

Beautiful.
posted by Jeremy at 4:33 PM

 
The Very Definition of Irony
Kevin Mitnick, world (in)famous hacker, has had his website hacked twice in the past few weeks. As if that's not irony enough, the website being hacked is the site of Kevin's new information security site. Now that's funny.
posted by Jeremy at 4:16 PM

 
Heh
Dude! You're getting a charge!
posted by Jeremy at 12:09 PM

 
I'm Kicking Myself
Well, I made it through the office party last night without drinking too much and without hitting on anyone's wife. The food was good, I schmoozed just the right amount, and got out of there early enough to hang at my brothers house and hit the Monkey before coming back to the homestead only $7 lighter than I left.

Why then am I kicking myself? There was a beautiful, apparently single, 30-something at the party that I was having to be careful not to drool over. When she left early, I almost walked out with her to try and get her number. I got nervous, decided against it, and immediately began kicking myself for being so stupid. The worst anyone can say in that situation is no, but I decided against even going for that. I hate hearing no, but I hate it worse when I don't even give myself the opportunity.
posted by Jeremy at 11:20 AM

 
This'll be Interesting
I'm off to an office party. I haven't gone to one with this company yet. Wish me luck.

OK B., don't drink too much, and don't hit on anyone's wife. Good, I think I'm ready.
posted by Jeremy at 6:26 PM

 
I'm Busy for a Saturday
Why am I up when I told all of you to go back to bed? Unfortunately for me, this is one of my volunteer Saturdays at work. It's a busy one too, as I'm the only computer support in the building today. I'm supporting the entire compliment of mechanics on the ramp, any mechanics in the "field" (not here in Memphis), a couple of outlying buildings, and the flight support staff in my building. Add to that two new software packages getting pushed out to the mechanics last week and it makes for a busy day at work.

It's better than just sitting here. Go visit ScrappleFace while I'm busy. Lemme know if there's anything I should look at.
posted by Jeremy at 10:53 AM

 
It's a Little Early, Isn't It?
Good morning rock stars! If you're up this early, I'm guessing you're hurtin'. Get some Gatotrade, a banana, and some more sleep. I'll see you all soon.
posted by Jeremy at 8:40 AM

 
Draw!
Game 6 of Deep Junior v. Kasparov just ended in a draw. This brings the match entire to a draw with a score of 3-3. More later.

UPDATE: We're in the post game press conference right now. Kasparov is essentially saying he offered a draw (that was refused) and accepted Junior's draw because of the intense pressure of playing against that machine. His goal was to avoid losing, a goal he feels he has accomplished.

UPDATE: The press conference is over. As far as I can tell, Kasparov accepted Junior's draw in order to avoid a loss, even though his position was very strong. Updates and comments are promised at X3Dworld, chessninja, and chessbase.

That's all folks. Move along. No more chess to see here.
posted by Jeremy at 5:36 PM

 
Sleepers? I Got Your Sleeper Right Here.
The military is developing "sleeping" and "loitering" weapons in order to deal with highly mobile, hard to find enemy targets. You know how your Mom or Dad used to wait up for you on the couch when you came in past curfew? and how they exploded right when you snuck in the front or back door? Yeah, it's kind of like that, but these wait up for the bad guys.
posted by Jeremy at 5:00 PM

 
How to Deal with Terrorists
Considering the recent upgrade to terror threat orange, this Terrorist FAQ from IMAO deserves special consideration.
posted by Jeremy at 2:22 PM

 
Encouragement, Derb Style
What man doesn't need a little encouragement in the area of dating? John Derbyshire provides it in spades in his commentary on life, reality, and Joe Millionaire.
posted by Jeremy at 12:50 PM

 
The Ongoing Clinton Saga
David Frum makes some interesting comments on Clinton's post-presidential behavior in his latest diary entry (scroll to the section titled, "Not Exactly a New Clinton Low, but ... ".

The recompense that former presidents get in return for their statesmanlike silence is an unofficial media amnesty. The press stops reporting on their conduct in office, and passes the task of assessment onto the historians and political scientists. But the more Clinton talks, the more he reminds me – and I am sure others – of just how many unanswered questions Clinton left behind.

posted by Jeremy at 12:22 PM

 
Columbia News
An excellent overview of the problems that led to the destrction of the Columbia upon reentry, including news about some telling USAF photography of the reentry. Thanks to Glenn Reynolds for blogging this one. His story has a few interesting links that I haven't included.

UPDATE: Here's a story that seems to contradict the military photo reveals damage theory. Hmmm. The sidebar has tons of "related info" links if you're interested.
posted by Jeremy at 12:13 PM

 
Paul Harvey and Mississippi Women
Paul Harvey just noted that Mississippi has beautiful women in abundant supply. I'll drink to that. I'm a big fan of Mississippi women, and living in Memphis gives me ample opportunity to introduce myself to tons of 'em. I think this may be the only time I've been truly grateful to live in Memphis.
posted by Jeremy at 7:37 AM

 
Bikes and More Bikes
Don't forget that I'm posting on motorcycles over at 1down4up.blogspot.com. I'm still working on getting some team members signed up, but even by myself, the work is going well.

Keep an eye out for my lane splitting article I'm working on. Should be out sometime over the weekend.
posted by Jeremy at 7:32 AM

 
Beware the Xupiter
I commented this at the end of last month, and now Wired has more info. Apparently a father and son team of assclowns are ramming their unique "content", along with the damnable Xupiter toolbar, down unsuspecting internet user's throats.

People like these are the snake-oil salesmen of the web. They hawk their shady wares on the unsuspecting until they're found out, then they change their pitch just enough to come back and dupe the town folk again. They should be virtually tarred and feathered and run out of web town on an electronic rail.

Avoid the Xupiter toolbar at all costs. It's a bad one.
posted by Jeremy at 7:29 AM

 
High Noon Indeed
Kasparov and Deep Junior are tied with 2.5 points each as they head into today's sixth and last game of this latest man v. machine showdown.

After five fairly evenly matched games, the players are tied with 2.5 points each. Each has one win under his belt and three draws.

But while Kasparov is nearly worn out, Deep Junior just keeps on going. Like a homicidal robot, the computer absolutely will not stop. Ever.

I really expected Kasparov to be well ahead at this point in the match. Entering the last game in a tie, playing the black pieces, must put enormous pressure on Kasparov. It'll be interesting to watch.

UPDATE: The final match begins at 2:30 CST, and can be followed live by visiting Wired and clicking on the approriate (and obvious link) in the right hand column of the page.
posted by Jeremy at 7:00 AM

 
Adriaaaaaaaaaaan!!!!!
Say it ain't so! Stallone is now an STV man. Hope that won't be the case with Rambo IV.
posted by Jeremy at 1:44 PM

 
VodkaPundit Strikes, France Surrenders
I'm laughing too hard to comment. Just go see for yourselves.
posted by Jeremy at 1:22 PM

 
Rho Cassiopeiae Supernova
I love the night sky. There's nothing better than freezing your butt off in an obscure cotton field in the early, early morning watching some celestial event. I've been lucky enough to be able to view a couple of meteor showers, a few eclipses, and a handful of planetary conjunctions. Now I don't even pretend to be an astronomer of any type. I can find Orion in the night sky, and that's about it. Still, laying on my back and staring at the stars always brings me joy.

That's why I'm so pumped about the potential upcoming supernova. Rho Cassiopeiae may be about to blow, and those of us in the Northern Hemisphere will be in a great position to watch.

Recently astronomers have noted the star exhibiting some of the same behaviour that lead to that explosion. A study of the build-up is published in the current issue of The Astrophysical Journal.

"Rho Cassiopeiae could end up in a supernova explosion at any time as it has almost consumed the nuclear fuel at its core," said Dr Garik Israelian of the Instituto de Astrofisica de Canarias in Spain.

"It is perhaps the best candidate for a supernova in our galaxy, and the monitoring of this and other unstable evolved stars may help us to shed some light on the very complicated evolutionary episodes that precede supernova explosions," he said.

I can't wait.
posted by Jeremy at 12:46 PM

 
Coast to Coast gets Farked
This is supposed to be the unreleased pic from the Columbia reentry. Nope. It was sent to George Noory by some anonymous Farker and is a picture from Caddyshack. I love Fark.

UPDATE: Looks like Noory and his webmaster got wind of the farking. The link to the Caddyshack pic is down. It was fun while it lasted.
posted by Jeremy at 11:49 AM

 
But Seriously Folks...
Eugene Volokh's analysis of Powell's speech at the UN, with help from Slate's William Saletan. Volokh uses the post to "burn in" his newly coined word leagalization, defined as "The process by which an international body becomes as powerless and useless as the League of Nations, especially by overreliance on unsound legalisms." Good one.

MORE: George Will hits a home run commenting on Powell's speech and on those who persistently deny the truth regarding Iraq.

People committed to a particular conclusion will get to it and will stay there. So the facts that Powell deployed, and the pattern they form, will not persuade people determined to be unpersuaded. But Powell's presentation, its power enhanced by his avoidance of histrionics, will change all minds open to evidence.

posted by Jeremy at 11:13 AM

 
Connie Update
The guys from the shop just called with an estimate on the maintenance on Bettie. It's well within the range I expected it would be while being less than I had budgeted. Perfect.

Like I posted earlier, I hate being without my bike. The guys at the shop put me well at ease, however, when I dropped her off for the service yesterday. They were the most polite and helpful service folks I've ever talked too. The guy who just called me was super polite as well. Not only that, who gets a call back on an estimate this early in the morning, especially considering I dropped her off last night right as the shop was closing.

I'll plug the shop once I get my bike back and everything is in order. I'd hate to plug 'em now and rant on 'em later, but it looks like everything is going to turn out just fine.
posted by Jeremy at 10:29 AM

 
This Is Why the ICC is Bad
Remember all the debate about the International Criminal Court a while back? Remember how the US opposed it? Here's why.

A group of lawyers aims to prosecute Prime Minister Tony Blair for war crimes at the new International Criminal Court (ICC) if an Iraqi war goes ahead.

They said national leaders could be held individually responsible for war crimes and be tried as ex-Yugoslav President Slobodan Milosevic has at a separate court for former Yugoslavia.

"There is a 100 percent certainty that Blair will be investigated by the ICC for war crimes if he attacks Iraq," said Phil Shiner of the Public Interest Lawyers firm in Birmingham.

He is leading a campaign to prosecute leaders in the seven-month-old ICC if military action goes ahead without a second United Nations resolution expressly authorising force, or if any Iraqi civilians are killed in bombing campaigns.

"The ICC brings a new international context to war -- Blair now has to consider his individual accountability," Shiner said.

The United States fiercely opposes the ICC, saying it would infringe U.S. sovereignty, but Britain has ratified its treaty and would have to give up any citizen the court wanted to try.

I'm disgusted.
posted by Jeremy at 8:59 AM

 
Powell's Speech to the UN
Apparently Powell changed his speech at the last minute both to protect sensitive intelligence information and to make the speech more appealing the the US Democratic party. Of course, while the doves among the Democratic party may have been swayed, the UN Security Council has set some interesting conditions under wich we may take up arms against Iraq.
posted by Jeremy at 7:13 AM

 
New Columbia Evidence
Shuttle investigators are beginning to back away from the foam chunk theory. There is an as yet unpublished picture of the Columbia that suggests perhaps something struck the shuttle on reentry.

For what it's worth, Richard Hoagland (website) is on Coast to Coast right now saying that the foam chunk theory is out. He's suggesting terrorism. I won't go there with him, but I do enjoy listening to Coast.
posted by Jeremy at 12:19 AM

 
My Baby's in the Hospital
It's time for my Connie's 12K maintenance, so I bit the bullet and put her in the shop today. I'll get her back with a valve adjustment, a new front tire, and some word as to the possible oil leak that I've noticed over the past two weeks (no pooling under the bike, but there is some oil near where the shaft meets the engine). I hate being without the bike, but I'm pumped about the tune up. She's felt a little soft lately.

I know she needs the maintenance, but I hate being without her. She's the only girl I've ever been with that doesn't talk back and never steals the sheets. I guess I do need some alone time every now and then. I'll just have to make the best out of the next couple of days.
posted by Jeremy at 12:07 AM

 
I Love Fark
Some Farker posted a link today that goes to this story about possible snow in the south tomorrow. The tagline on Fark? "Possibility of snow in the South Thursday. EVERYBODY PANIC". No kidding.

What is it with the southerners that hear about snow and flood the Kroger like cows on stampede? I've never understood it, and I don't think I'll ever understand it. If you know, shoot me an e-mail, because I can't figure it out.

Kudos to you, anonymous Farker.
posted by Jeremy at 11:48 PM

 
Stormfront: The Internet's "Low Pressure Zone"
Anyone who knows me knows that I harbor a special brand of dislike for Nazis. Apparently the dim bulbs over at Stormfront are talking about starting a blog, and they linked to Volokh as an example, apparently realized he was an "evil" Jew, and linked instead to InstaPundit. Brilliant guys, just brilliant.

Read the response from Volokh here, and Glenn's "atrocious" commentary here.
posted by Jeremy at 1:20 PM

 
A Week for War Movies
I'm a big movie fan. Most of the time I see movies at the house rather than at the theater. Gimme some surround sound, a well produced DVD, a nice cold one, and a comfy couch, and I'm set for the night. With that in mind, I signed up for this online service that mails DVDs right to my house. That's quality, because now I don't have to put my beer in a "go" cup to rent movies.

Anyhow, I screwed up my movie queue this week and ended up with three war movies: Stalag 17, Das Boot, and Patton. I actually love war movies, and I love classic cinema, but I love Predator and Tango and Cash too. I wasn't sure that I could make it through 8 1/2 hours of classic war in one week. Boy was I wrong.

I've watched Stalag 17 (3 stars) and Das Boot (4 stars) so far, and I'm halfway through Patton (had to go to bed last night, couldn't finish). I've found myself amazed at how incredible all three of these movies are. Only being 26, I'm used to movies with non-stop action, loud music, barely clothed women, and really weak (even if they are fun) story lines. I can even remember trying to watch Patton with my father when I was about 10 and thinking that it was the most incredibly boring movie of all time. What did I know? I can't wait to get home and finish Patton tonight. To think, at the beginning of this week I didn't think this round of DVDs would be any fun.

THOUGHT: War movies? War in Iraq? War in Afghanistan? And I "accidentally" end up with three war movies? Bizarre.
posted by Jeremy at 11:16 AM

 
Unmanned Vacations
ScrappleFace is sneaky-sneaky. Let's ask the class; what political reaction to a current event might this be a parody of?

Many Americans are asking whether manned vacations -- by car, plane, train or ship -- are worth the risk of accidents and illness. Congressional Democrats may introduce a bill this week mandating unmanned, robotic family vacations.

Preposterous? No more so than unmanned space flight. Score another one for ScrappleFace.
posted by Jeremy at 2:58 PM

 
Speaking Of...
Musician Janis Ian weighs in against the RIAA in this column printed in the LA Times (link requires registration).

The record companies say this decision [RIAA v. Verizon] will mean more money for musicians, but they have it backward. The downloaded music they're shutting off actually creates sales by exposing artists to new fans.

If this ruling stands, many smaller musicians will be hurt financially, and many will be pushed out of the music business altogether.

I've been a recording artist for nearly 40 years, with top-selling songs such as "Society's Child," "At Seventeen" and "Jesse." Six months ago, I began offering free downloads of my songs on my Web site. Thousands of people have downloaded my music since then -- and they're not trying to steal. They're just looking for music they can no longer find on the tight playlists of their local radio stations.

That's how many artists gain new listeners these days -- through the Internet.

After I first posted downloadable music, my merchandise sales went up 300%. They're still double what they were before the MP3s went online.

(Emphasis added.) Visit www.janisian.com for more. You may not like her music, but her insight on the RIAA/DMCA makes for some good reading.

posted by Jeremy at 2:02 PM

 
You've Got to be Kidding
Wired reports that DALnet will prohibit file sharing beginning March 1.

Although DALnet administrators insist the new policy is not a response to any legal pressure regarding piracy or copyright infringement, the network undoubtedly is trying to distance itself from the legal tangles that have plagued file-trading networks like Napster, Kazaa and Morpheus.

DALnet? Prohibit file sharing? I'm stunned.

Of course, this is a direct result of the RIAA v. Verizon decision, and one of the first instances of the inevitable fallout of the decision. I'm just shocked that one of the cornerstones of the IRC community is folding first.
posted by Jeremy at 1:27 PM

 
1Down4Up
I've got a new motorcycle only team blog running on blogspot now. It's over at http://1down4up.blogspot.com. I'm still working on getting team members together and the template up and running just right, so the blogging will be light for a bit. There will also be some "cross blogination" going on as I'll be posting motorcycle stuff here too. No biggie. This is my blog about me (and I live for motorcycles) and 1Down4Up will be a team blog about bikes. Hope you enjoy the new blog.
posted by Jeremy at 10:15 AM

 
Back Into Space
Glenn Reynolds primes the pump for a what-do-we-do-now debate in his most recent TechCentralStation column. It's an encouraging article that simultaneously acknowledges problems in the current state of the American space program and pushes America towards a new paradigm in space and space exploration.

But the public debate should be on how to move ahead with an ambitious space program without committing ourselves to another big, bureaucratic program like the Space Shuttle, which never really took us where we wanted to go. Instead, we need to find ways to unleash the energies of the private sector, and to allow industries like space tourism to play a bigger role. It's capitalism that lowers costs, not government programs.

posted by Jeremy at 11:06 AM

 
Today's Only Post
I know I'm ignoring you, but I'm having too much fun doing absolutely nothing.
posted by Jeremy at 7:56 PM

 
Bonus for Me
I reported this one a while ago. Motorcycle Cruiser has a little more in depth coverage.
posted by Jeremy at 9:53 PM

 
Tragedy for Space Flight
Stop what you're doing and turn on the news. Space Shuttle Columbia has broken up during reentry. Glenn Reynolds is blogging it, and Spaceflight Now has real-time updates. NASA currently is running an STS-107 splash screen. They promise updates throughout the day.

May they rest in peace.

UPDATE: Of course, this reminds me of the Challenger disaster. They're playing the video of the breakup over and over, just like with the Challenger. This is so sad.

For nostalgia's sake, here's the transcript of Reagan's message after the Challenger disaster.

UPDATE: NASA has just lowered the flag near the countdown clock to half-mast.
posted by Jeremy at 9:54 AM