After I calmed down from the excitement of spotting the young Desmodus lunarius nihilista, I began to hear something that resembled music ... acoustic guitar, yes, it was a Macroglossius lunarius commonus folk dancing ritual, about to take place before my very eyes! Let's have a listen:

Surrounded by an army
There for their defense
Armed with APC's and copters
And lots of common sense

Behind a fence
Behind a wall
That shout just shall not pass
Broken shells, plastic bullets
And a thousand gallons of tear gas!

(Guitar solo)

World leaders kept on talkin’
Behind the moat up on the hill
And they boasted of prosperity
And their elitist free trade bill.

They defended their positions
And the glory of their claaaaaasssss
With broken skulls, plastic bullets
And a thousand gallons of tear gaaaaaaas!

Struck by the catchy nature of the tune, and filled with a sudden and powerful urge to dance, I hastily decided that it was time to move on.

A common misperception about moonbats is the belief that they are godless creatures. As is evidenced by these intricately crafted paper mache totems, that is not necessarily the case. The blue fellow on the left is the one called Naed Drawoh, the "Destroyer," or "Devourer of Worlds," considered the patriarch of the New Gods by various moonbat species. The lady in green is Y'Rallih, the "Matron Goddess of the Village."

According to legend, Naed Drawoh defied the higher pantheon of Old Gods in a brave bid to save humankind from the yoke of eternal servitude. In a last desperate battle he uttered a final ear-splitting war cry and promised to lead the faithful to victory across the land, but in the end was betrayed and cast out of the higher planes by the Ancient Ones. Moonbats believe that he bides his time until Ragnarok, or the "final reckoning," when the faithful will be called to revolution on the middle plane of Earth.

Y'Rallih is a much more complex figure. Often called the "Cunning One," or "She of Thick Ankles," she is feared as well as respected. It is believed that she bides her time among the Ancient Gods, waiting for her opportune moment to seize ultimate power. Moonbats have a love-hate relationship with Y'Rallih, but they generally assume to unite behind her once she ushers in the period of Nochtenveer, or "the thousand years of darkness."

While not necessary in the context of the current, massive swarm, when searching for more isolated gatherings of moonbats, it's helpful to remember that they are typically drawn towards stagnant pools of filthy water.

Ah, here we see a local District favorite, a pack of migrating Western Warblar Moonbats practicing the art of Luna-Kuchipodi, or traditional rhythmic dance. I've tagged this pack before, and each has a name and ID transmitter that enables us to keep track of their health status and whereabouts. They look strapping and beautiful!

Larger image

Let's listen in on their chant:

Side-step
Booty-shake
Clap! Clap!
(Whipping noise/motion)

Side-step
Booty-shake
Clap! Clap!

Our weapon of choice is not a gun
Our words are power
And toys are fun
Use your hands for somethin' better
Everyone get off together!

The pack then moaned and groaned loudly, dissolved into a seething pile and engaged in simulated sex acts. Amazing.

Macroglossius lunarius narisplanus boarerus in full-throated yowl.

Here we have a great shot of CheeChi, perhaps one of the most beautiful and interesting specimens I've discovered to date. CheeChi is remarkable because he isn't actually a Western Warbler, rather a Flat-billed Howler Moonbat that was crippled and orphaned by trigger-happy game wardens in Seattle and taken in by the group. This welcoming behavior really speaks volumes about the open and familial nature of these highly gregarious creatures. CheeChi hoarsely sings several octaves lower than his compatriots, and dances with a limp, but they gladly accept him as one of their own.

Here we have a great sequence of our girl Luna, performing a ritual attack simulation. If she was legitimately threatened and performing the strike in earnest, it would be accompanied by a howling shriek and the simultaneous discharge of various bodily fluids.

Here we have DeeDee on the left and Pinky on the right. Mistaking me for one of her own, Pinky is giving me her best "come hither" mating stare, while DeeDee blindly sways on. DeeDee suffers from a condition called Chiba Retinopathy, a highly common moonbat disease acquired from exposure to caustic fumes from something called the "sticky-icky." Repeated smoke exposure dries and kills the blood vessels in the eyes, and the the body compensates by overgrowing back a mass of new blood vessels that serve to cloud and dim the moonbat's vision and render them highly sensitive to light. Fortunately, the communal nature of the warblers guarantees this girl's continued survival.

Here we catch two Macroglossius lunarius gothikas indulging in a bit of the aforementioned "sticky-icky." The dazed yet friendly look in this boy's eyes indicates that he has also probably gone "wet" in an attempt to embark on a "dream quest." Good luck, little fellow.

Another District regular that INDC readers will recognize ...

This is where the expertise of a professional becomes essential, as we spot several full-grown specimens of Desmodus lunarius nihilista arboles, or the Dreaded Killer Anarchist Tree-bat. A close relative of its ground-dwelling cousin, it is imperative that one stays far away from these aggressive beasts. Unwary humans and benign moonbats step under their perch at great peril, as the the Tree-bat is known to toss feces, firebombs, or just leap downwards and pounce on its prey. Highly dangerous, highly unpredictable, stay away!

Here we see a full-grown example of the ground-dwelling Desmodus lunarius nihilista. This tragedy was not caught on film, but immediately after this picture was taken, the young buck turned and charged my position, and I was forced to dispatch him with several well-placed Hydro Shock rounds. Tragic, but a necessary risk to entertain when attempting close interaction with these wild and unpredictable creatures.

Herding game wardens keep their mounts some distance from the swarm, as the horses are known to stampede when exposed to the overwhelming scent of patchouli, and some moonbat species are spooked by close proximity to the four-legged beasts.

The migration begins! Horns blaring, beating drums and throaty shouts marked the call to march!

I inserted myself amongst the masses to get the best possible shots. Their twittering excitement was palpable!

There are at least eight species of moonbats in this frame alone. Can you identify them?

This fellow got a bit nervous as he spied me mixing with the swarm, but took no aggressive action.

Some Ancient Mini's proudly declared their allegiances and tried to keep pace with the younger members of the swarm. Unfortunately, mere minutes after this picture was taken, the Minis were trampled to death and partially eaten by a pack of rampaging nihilstas. In the midst of this sad yet natural event, I could hear the minis shouting. "Kofi, help us! Heeeeelp us!"

A beautiful specimen of Macroglossius lunarius afrikanusbadcreditus.

I followed the swarm through the canyons of glass, and to my surprise, there were no mass disruptions or serious attacks carried out by the more aggressive species. Other than a few random aggressors that needed to be captured or put-down, it seems that the pre-installed cages and heavily-armed game wardens enabled this to be a safe, healthy season.

Game wardens tag a nihilista. (Courtesy of Severnriver)

Several of the moonbats began to get a little nervous as they massed near the IMF, and not wanting to push my luck, I decided to call it a day. We'd seen a fantastic variety of species, witnessed various religious and social rituals and iconography, had a rare sighting of an immature nihilista and only had to dispatch one rabid adult. All-in-all, a fascinating and successful expedition.

I hope you've enjoyed INDC's coverage!

For the curious, a few moonbat FAQ's can be found here. Further inquiries are more than welcome.

And if you've missed our previous efforts, be sure and take a moment to peruse some past INDC coverage:

INDC Science Series: Seasonal Moonbat IMF Migration, Part One

INDC Rally: Into the Gates of Mordor and John Kerry's Pro-Choice Party

INDC Protests: Moonbattery and Media Chicanery Outside the Supreme Court

INDC Protests: International Answer Protests in DC

INDC Protests: ANSWER, MASSF and Jews United Against Zionism

Wardens Baker and Poncherello reflect on a job well done!

I questioned these veteran game wardens about the present location of the Chiroptera and the likely route of their migration. I was kindly directed to Franklin Square Park and told that I was now standing within the carefully controlled path that the swarm would likely take.

The gentleman on the right measured his words with the following warning, however: "They're anarchists, so we don't always know where the Hell they're gonna wind up ..."

Point taken, my good fellow, point taken.

I could barely contain my glee as I drew upon the swarm. This was no minor gathering of a select few common moonbats, rather a cornucopia of various genera, species and subspecies. I had struck scientific gold, and was assaulted by a whirling mix of color ...

... sound ...

... and smell, as I plunged head-first into their midst!

How many symbols of revolution can you spot?

Immediately I was presented with a fascinating mix of moonbat behavior and iconography. To the layman, these symbols might represent a confusing jumble of ideologies, but upon close examination, they are united by a common theme: what they are against. This universal thread unites the incredibly diverse species of moonbats in a common, homogenous bid to be completely different.

Here a "Common" or "Long-tongued Moonbat" (Macroglossius lunarius commonus) views me with suspicion as I record her stunning body iconography. This may seem dangerous, but the ordinary species of moonbat is actually quite docile and tolerant of the presence of interloping species.

Here we see a perfect representation of the common moonbat, typefied by hipster narrow-cut jeans, athletic yet stylish footwear and carefully mussed body hair and grooming. These look to be young males of the species, probably somewhere around 21 or 22 years-old, in their prime mating years. Quite domestic and quite harmless, these common moonbats are typically found in coffee shops and student unions across the continental United States. Moving on ...

Here we have two fantastic examples of Macroglossius lunarius fligerius, or Long-tongued Banger Moonbats, famous for their fascinatingly complex percussive compositions. Typically harmless, typically vegetarian, this species is noted for its acute sense of smell, which requires the bangers to wear kerchiefs in a bid to tolerate the pungent scent of teen spirit that hangs in the air like a fine mist at such gatherings.

As I observed the bangers, I spied my esteemed colleague, Dr. Werner VanSchtrudenbacher, a legend in the field! Here he gathers recordings for his current project, an album layering sounds of the banger moonbats over popular music tracks. Here are two of his recent album covers:

(Albums courtesy of the Llama Butchers)

Dr. VanSchtrudenbacher made his initial mark by winning the National Science Medal for his work on moonbat psychology, specifically charting the structure of the moonbat brain. In a landmark experiment, VanSchtrudenbacher locked 10 common moonbats in a windowless room with some cheese, for three weeks. Over the course of the experiment, nine of the ten moonbats died after refusing to eat the cheese, which they claimed was an oppressive symbol of the pasteurization of America by insidious corporate influences. The tenth moonbat barely survived his time in captivity by carefully rationing and drinking his own urine.

This study led to the current focus on "moonbat neo-cortex dominance," a theory that focuses on the possibilty that moonbats have an unbalanced affinity for complex symbols and characterizations, and an underdeveloped amygdala, resulting in a poor survival instinct. Fascinating work!

Macroglossius lunarius antigeriocolorarius.

Here we see a close relative of the Banger Bats, the Technicolor Hippie Moonbats. Quite friendly, quite spirited, really just joyous creatures of the woods. That's a girl, don't be shy! She's a brassy beauty!

Here I snapped a rare picture of a closely guarded moonbat ritual, "the dream quest," aka "dropping paper" or "magic tabs." What the moonbats do is typically ingest two to four small plastic or paper squares that are drenched in a substance called lysergic acid diethylamide. Within 30 minutes, the moonbat begins giggling and experiencing vivid hallucinations, which are reputed to give them an expanded political consciousness. This is a very rare and precious glimpse at what is usually a much more surreptitously executed ritual ingestion.

Here we confront our first legitimately dangerous species of moonbat, the Latin-American Revolutionary Moonbat, or Desmodus lunarius checommunista. This is a highly volatile and aggressive species, and it is important to distinguish this fellow from his more benign cousin, the Macroglossius lunarius kerrysocialista. It's helpful to remember this little ditty:

Flag of red,
Filled with dread -
Hammer and sickle,
Don't be fickle,
Run, bitch, run!

The diversity of fauna was startling. Here we have a relatively rare sighting of an ancient miniature moonbat ...

... followed by an unbelievably rare sighting of a young Desmodus lunarius nihilista, or Killer Anarchist Moonbat. This picture is startling for two reasons:

1. The young Anarchist is being supervised by an adult of the species. Such structured mothering is aberrant and highly unusual behavior.

2. The survival rate of young nihilist moonbats is extremely low - mostly due to their oft-unsupervised tendency to play in traffic, run with scissors, swim immediately after eating and toss flaming molotov cocktails at armed police.

For many years it was largely assumed that this subspecies of moonbat emerged fully formed from a spontaneous mutation of the more common species. What a find!

Unfortunately, that is all the bandwith we have for this edition of INDC Science. Please be sure and check back later for part two of our series, where we'll learn about more musical customs and give you an introduction to some of the more dangerous and predatory moonbat species! Cheerio!

Also, if you enjoyed this coverage please take a moment to learn about how you can indirectly support these non-profit efforts by giving to help Marines fighting in Iraq. Learn about the drive here, and donate today. Seriously.

UPDATE: Hey Instapundit readers - just get it over with and Blogroll Me!

YET ANOTHER UPDATE: Have a question? Please read this following post on Moonbat FAQ. Please direct all further questions to the comments section under that thread!

FINAL UPDATE: PART TWO of the series can be found here.

Kerry campaign headquarters.

It is from this conference room that John Kerry plots the destruction of the American way of life. When I walked in, I immediately distracted the man-secretary by asking politely for the tickets, all the while surreptitously snapping a precious few reconaissance photos. The quality was low because I had to move quickly; the Kerry-ites fast became suspicious as my Republican flesh began to smoke and sizzle from its close proximity to the source of all that is liberal and French-looking.

This was the centerpiece on the right-hand wall in the lobby. I think it's designed to remind people of something, though I'm not sure what.

Misty, watercolored memories: To the left of the desk, some helpful photos.

After grabbing the tickets, taking some pics and weathering some looks of mild suspicion, I beat a hasty retreat. But was I really safe, or was I merely leaping out of the frying pan and into the fire?

I arrived at the site of the rally almost an hour early, and walked by some activists protesting on the sidewalk before the event.

WE INTERRUPT THIS POST FOR A DISCLAIMER: I loosely consider myself a Republican, but I am also pro-choice. Before anyone gets their panties in a wad in the comments section after this post, please try not to confuse criticism of the messengers with that of the message. I refuse to do a long treatise on the subject during this post. Thank you.

Bubba Sparxxx, DCMPD and three "sunufabitches."

Security, security, security.

I found the security tent a bit lacking. I'll skip the details for national security purposes, but I'm pretty sure that I could have snuck in with a beltload of Semtex and a cellphone detonator ...

Along the back street behind the rally, the Secret Service parked a fleet of greyhounds to block snipers. The logistics involved with repeatedly setting up events like this boggles the mind.

The Pro-Choicers gather in front of the stage.

I staked out a nice spot almost immediately in front of the podium, second-row.

"Girls Gone Wild: John Kerry Pro-Choice Rally!!"

The pro-choice groups were handing out shirts at the event, and rally participants felt the need to immediately change into them, showing disturbing quantities of flesh, including some brief shots of woman and man-boobage. I felt like I was at Burning Man or the Love Parade, except there was no MDMA, and all the naked people were really old and unattractive. The worst of it was blessedly not caught on film. Blllllleeeeeaaagghhhhhhhh!

"But mommy, John Kerry scares me!"
"You'll stop complaining and cheer - it's not too late for mommy to have an abortion, you know!"

Another pistola-packin "sunufabitch."

What is JFK's swiftboat mate holding? A white balancing sheet or a copy of Kerry's plan to fight the war on terror?

The t-shirt on the woman in front of me ... evidence of insidious foreign influence?

This lady was a load of laughs. She had to go to the bathroom about thirty minutes after staking out her prime groupie spot for the rally, and proceeded to shout at every worker that walked by "Where bathroom! WHERE BATH-ROOM!"

Otherwise, the following snippets were overheard while mixing in the crowd:

* Rallyguy: "I'm actually from Midland, and I met Bush. He's a real personable guy, real nice. He's just an idiot."

Rallyguy: "It ain't hard to get all C's."

* (Chants) "Pro-choice! Pro-Kerry! Pro-choice! Pro-Kerry! Pro-choice! Pro-Kerry! (chant stops, pauses) God I wish McCain would have run ..."

But McCain's pro ... oh nevermind.

* "I bet all the Democratic Secret Service people love him to death ..."

* Rallygal2: "Did you see those Pro-Life trucks around the block? Those pictures are really gross ...

Rallygal3: Yeah, that's what they WANT you to think ..."

* "Whatta we want? CHOICE! When do we want it? NOW!" (Rinse, lather, repeat)

Once again, Bill considers selling out the defense of Western Civilization for the siren song of a treasonous enchantress. Snap out of it boy! Concentrate!

The crowd makes some nooooise!

Here he comes ... Larger image

Bonjour! Le Sénateur John Kerreeee!

Some of the many faces of John Kerry.

This illustrates why I feel pity for politicians - because at every moment, every event, there's some asshat like me constantly snapping photos in an attempt to catch them doing something dumb. This is the third time that I've been in close proximity to the senator, and he is well-represented by the impression that you get on tv: somewhat awkward, but also imbued with quite a bit of natural confidence. That being said, some of his "uh-huh" faces were rather amusing. I've never seen Dubya, but I'm sure that watching him has its own special entertainment value.

Video of the rally can be found here.

Representatives of NARAL and ...? (I could not load the video from Kerry's site, and no information about the speakers was gleaned from johnkerry.com or the NARAL web site) Both of their speeches were hyperbolic and included the assertions that choice was the most important issue in the campaign, and the most fundamental issue that determines the state of women's civil rights - worldwide!

Um ... stoning of women in the name of Islam? Acid attacks on women? Female circumcision? Making the assertion that abortion is a key issue for women in the US is highly arguable; projecting your self-centered focus on abortion to the rest of the world is foolish.

We all have our predilections and pet causes, but I was struck by the cliched realization that many folks' entire political belief structure is based around total party allegiance that stems from only one or two issues. It's understandable, and I don't expect that a pro-choice activist would be very pleased with Bush, but the relative importance of very mild erosions in access to abortions seems to pale in comparison to the threat of the inevitable nexus of WMD and terror.

These folks agree about the fact that we are at war; they're just a bit confused about who constitutes the main enemy to their way of life; especially concerning the rights of women. If you bought what they were selling, you'd think that George Bush was on the cusp of introducing legislation that would institute mandatory burkha-wear in public schools.

Kerry finally speaks. You are getting sleepy, very sleepy ...

He wasn't the worst that I've ever heard him, but it was definitely a bit stale. Notice the looks of carefully projected interest and satisfaction on the faces of his wingwomen. Now watch as their expressions change ever-so-slightly ...

... when shouting erupts from the right of the crowd in front of the stage.

Good Catholics don't kill children! Good Catholics don't kill children!

To his credit, Kerry only paused for a second, imperceptibly shook his head and pressed on. From my vantage point I could only see that members of the crowd were forming a wall with their placards to block the voices and line-of-site of the party-crashers. Drawn by the conflict, I immediately ferreted over to their position.

This is a confusing image, but focus on the red circle placard in the center; behind it is the face of one of the protestors. The woman in the pink shirt to the left is the other one. What were most likely NARAL representatives linked arms and formed a human chain around the two people, dragging them towards the exit.

You can make out the guy's face with the placard over his mouth.

This is a good shot. The protestors are the man in the blue and the woman in the pink.

Freedom of the press silenced! Witness the crushing of dissent in John Ashcroft's America!

I was following the surge along, trying to snap pictures on a failing battery, when I felt a push and saw a hand in my face. One of the women in the foreground of one of the previous shots began blocking me and shouting:

"You can't take pictures of that!"

I'm not sure what angered me more - their attempt to block the photos or the fact that she put her hands on me.

Me: (with quite a bit of aggression) Get your *expletive* hands off of me right now, and yes, I can take pictures!

Her: Are you with THEM?!

Me (Pushing past her and continuing to snap away): No, I'm not with them!

Me: I don't want to take pictures of you ...

She finally fell off my scent and melted back into the crowd. I tried to get some better long shots, but the battery was almost done now; I had to keep turning the camera on and off to mine the last bit of juice. At points the dragging was more dramatic than these pictures may indicate.

A final shot of the NARAL gals doing the "Kerry-Katch-Em" ...

It's of course understandable that these people had to be removed, but I'd be curious to know the legality involved with the crowd forcibly removing them. I was surprised that they weren't asked to leave by professional security personnel. An amusing footnote - I spied one of the secret service dudes on the perimeter chuckling about the hub-bub.

Pro-Life protestors were circling the block with blaring loudspeakers and graphically-adorned trucks.

I disagree with these people; I think that the reality of life renders abortion as a much less black-and-white issue. That being said, if one has strong religious convictions that define the beginning of valid life as taking place at conception, I can understand the vehemence of their argument. I disagree, and personally find the rhetoric of these folks scary; but I understand. Somewhat. This issue will merit a more specific consideration in a forthcoming INDC post.

I'd had enough and my adrenaline was surging. I'd been slightly annoyed by the hyperbolic rhetoric, put to sleep by Kerry's cadence, amused by the musings of the crowd and filled with white-hot anger at being pushed and blocked by the NARAL woman. Definitely time to go home.

I kept an eye on the news coverage last night, and I don't think that any major outlets made mention of the disruption. You get the inside scoop here at INDC.

This guy looked at me on my way out - yeah Sparky, people do suck.

Update: A fellow weblogger has more details on protestors forcibly removed from the event that you may want to read.

Saudi fighters 'join resistance' in Iraq
By Shaista Aziz

"These men have already stepped up their efforts to kick out the American imperialists from Iraq, but what we are seeing is the tip of the iceberg,'' he said.

And how about this:

And this:

And this Livejournal account from a military blogger in Iraq:

Any Credibility that Al Jazeera may have had before today has been smashed. Today a demonstration was to be held to demand the release of an Imam who was a close personal friend of Saddam and used his Mosque to store weapons and as a Refuge for Baath Party members. The Demonstration was to be broadcast live on the Arabic news network and they wanted to get real exclusive News. They wanted Americans to fire on the crowds. In order to ensure that we would, they PAID people to carry weapons in the crowd and to fire them at us in order to provoke a Violent Response from US troops.

Nothing like making your own news, eh?

You're angry, right? Almost makes you want to do something, huh? Then DO SOMETHING ABOUT IT! You have the power!

Give to the Marines in Iraq that are trying to develop alternative local media outlets to combat this hatred. Donate today!

I don't want to hear any excuses.

(Livejournal link via Instapundit)

Ah, there they are. Well, some of them. The group on the left were representatives of the media. The 25-30 individuals on the right were the protestors. The turnout would be a bit of a disappointment to any scientist intent on studying Macroglossus lunarius in its natural habitat, but I decided to check 'em out anyway.

"We were going to protest in North Korea, but the weather's much better in DC."

These folks are a bit confused about the definition of the terms "concentration camp" and "tyranny," but they don't seem that crazy. Hmmmm ... let's check over here ...

Bwaaaaaah! Jeebus Christ!

"I ate his liver with some fava beans and a nice chianti. F-f-f-f-f-f-f-f-f ..."
(Props provided by Industrial Light & Magic)

Who do we have here? Why it's our friend from a previous ANSWER protest, the guy that kept yelling "Fuck you! We're winning!" while the Iraqi was trying to conduct an interview. I think that he might have a wee bit too much time on his hands since Jerry Garcia died.

Where Are They Now?

A commenter on the previous protest thread remarked that this gent looks like singer Mark Storace from the Swiss 80's metal band Krokus. I present the evidence, you decide.

"Well he-llooo there ... my name's Bill ... from the weblo ... I mean, web magazine, INDC Journal? You've never heard of it?! That's weird. Um ... uh ... doesn't that chimp in the White House just make ya sick?! Maybe we should discuss this over a drink ..."

A reporter in the press pool takes a break with a relaxing crossword puzzle: "Hmmmm ... four letters ... starts with 'f' and ends with 'r' ... "'Blank' and balanced" ... hmmmm ... where the fuck is my latte?!"

Easy, breezy, beautiful. Covergirl.

Bob Franken from CNN dials up one of his ho's. "Goddamn that bitch better have my money."

This CBS national correspondent taught me an ancient reporter's secret. Get an extreme close-up in front of the only discernible pack of 10 protestors and say the following:

"Protestors gather in front of the Supreme Court as the justices weigh whether the Constitution can be invalidated by a single Presidential order."

As you narrate, have the cameraman do a quick pull-out and pan over to a shot of the Court.

(Quote is from memory, but should be accurate).

Does it bother anyone that this nearly infinitesimal group of protestors has such a disproportionate impact on the public debate via the misleading dramatization provided by a national news correspondent?

You know, just askin.'

"Yes, that's it, now pout, POUT! You're trapped, you're clawing, you're a prisoner in your sexy body ... now work it, yeeeessss, woooork it ... arch your back ... now lick the bars ... beautiful!"

And finally: "Well, I'll be, look at that! Them moonbats really can fly!"

I don't know. I've only had one memorable experience with a cabbie from the Middle East, a Lebanese guy. It was about 6 months after I had moved to DC for a job, and it was after a very bad day: my company had gone through some financial trouble and liquidated my entire department. I guess it was pretty obvious from my thousand-yard stare, because the cabbie asked me what was wrong. I told him that I'd been laid off. I told him that I'd just moved here. I talked to him about how tight the job market was, and the fact that layoffs were becoming commonplace among people that I knew.

We chatted all the way back to my home, which was a nice rowehouse, located in a nice neighborhood in Glover Park. I reached into my jacket pocket, and he told me to wait.

"It's ok. You need the money, it's on me."

I was pretty dumbfounded. Here I was, this guy in a suit, getting dropped off in a nice neighborhood, and this cabbie gave me a ride home during rush hour traffic without charging me? Simply amazing. After getting over my initial shock, I thanked him profusely and paid.

So what's the lesson that I drew from this? Nothing about ethnic origin, I can tell you. But random acts of kindness are so rare that they can be a pretty powerful thing. It certainly made a bad day a little bit better.

In case we don't fully understand the qualifier, we get some clarification:

(Quick [and probably unnecessary] explanation of my "almost" qualifier--would any among us find it tragic if Osama, Mugabe or Arafat came down with testicular cancer? Case closed.)

Osama, Mugabe and Arafat, eh? Examples of two murdering terrorists and a homicidal dicatator are put forth to draw a general analogy in a piece about people who have sex for a living. How appropriate. More on this later.

But anyway--is it tragic? Absolutely.

However, I have very little--if any--pity for them.

Now we get to the point, one that I don't find completely illegitimate. We are all free to pick and choose what merits our attention and who gets our sympathy.

These men and women engaged in outrageously immoral and irresponsible behavior. Put as bluntly as I know how, it has long been established fact that sexual promiscuity can be lethal. You can now die from having sex. In short, they took their lives in their own hands when they decided to start bedhopping for a living.

It is of course eminently arguable that "irresponsible behavior" is the cause of the HIV scare in the porn industry. People do indeed take their lives into their hands when they "start bedhopping for a living;" this is the strongest stament in the post. But I have to ask: if we lived in a world where promiscuity had no risk of fatal disease, would the author find the behavior any less objectionable? I mean, sometimes the US Military is the hammer of justice against terrorists and murdering tyrants that step out of line; is HIV then the hammer against "outrageously immoral" behavior? But this isn't my main problem with the post ...

When Rachel Corrie decided to lie down in front of a bulldozer, the blogosphere was overwhelming in its condemnation of her. As far as the blogosphere was concerned, she was asking for it.

These porn actors and actresses are hardly different. In a very real sense, they chose to gamble with death--to play chicken with HIV. So I have a very difficult time feeling sorry for them.

Another ill-fated analogy. Ryan uses the blogosphere's condemnation of Rachel Corrie to buttress the fact that he has no pity for the stricken porn actors. What this analysis fails to grasp is why much of the blogosphere condemned Rachel Corrie. The balance and vehemence of the blame wasn't directed at the fact that she put herself in a dangerous situation, rather, the fact that she put herself in a dangerous situation while defending the interests of murdering terrorists.

In contrast, you have individuals that put themselves in a dangerous situation by having lots of promiscuous sex on film (which is avidly purchased by average Americans), and no one is canonizing their behavior. I'd say that this is more than "hardly different." Drawing some sort of analogy between promiscuity and a woman that aids and abeds murderers is highly offensive, and is something that only weakens the war of ideas by engaging in a subtley different version of the moral equivalence of the left.

Yes, it's unfortunate that life has turned out this way for them. I hope they are able to obtain the much-vaunted protease inhibitors that, according to many, make HIV a manageable condition instead of a life-threatening illness. If they are fortunate, they will be able to move on with their lives.

But like Rachel Corrie, they were pathologically reckless. And, like her, they merit neither pity nor understanding.

A well-clarified qualification is followed by a repetition of the final offensive analogy.

Look, I don't sit around on Sunday, surfing for fisking targets among somewhat similarly-aligned bloggers that have typically good commentary ... but I need to point out that commentary like this cheapens the the condemnation of the threats to Western Civ and strains the alliance between religious and non-religious defenders of the realm.

The key to a successful defense of Western Civilization is going to be tabling our social differences and recruiting as many people as possible to the cause of anti-idiotarianism. This doesn't eliminate debate about social issues, but it does suggest that we should avoid casual, reckless metaphors involving the more deadly struggle. We can scrap like alley cats on the social stuff to our hearts content, but let's just keep Osama bin Laden, Robert Mugabe, Yassir Arafat and Rachel Corrie out of it.

My, you are a brave man. To bear this burden, to sacrifice for your flock ... will someone please photoshop Kos's head on this picture? And Professor Reynolds? Please deliver a swift backward donkey kick - immediately.

With the site's prominance, I had to do some soul searching. Should I be more careful about what I say? Should I start censoring diaries (something I have never done)? And what about comments?

Kos has a soul? Who knew?

Well, here's the deal -- this site is successful because of the way it's been run until now. I'm not changing a thing.

Will I "gaffe" again in the future? Undoubtedly. Will diarists put up stupid diaries? Undoubtedly. Will the wingnuts agitate themselves into a tizzy over those things? Undoubtedly.

Ah (rubs hands together gleefully), more grist for the mill! Material for ages!

So let them. I'm not too worried about it. The wingnuts will do whatever they can to destroy anything that has the potential of galvanizing support for progressive ideals. Hypocrisy be damned.

Notice that he said "too" worried. And yes, my loyal followers and fellow members of the VRWC, Kos is right: we must destroy anything that has the "potential of galvanizing support for progressive ideals." Therefore, it is incumbent upon us to hunt down and destroy the one called "Friedman." His attempt to shut down Kos's advertising stream could threaten a legitimate liberal voice. And as we all know, the more liberal voices out there, the more people with a brain in their skull are repulsed by their rhetoric and pushed into our dark, warm embrace.

If conservative bloggers were smart, they would use their medium to engage new voters for their causes and candidates, rather than try to shut people out with the politics of personal destruction. They would build their communities and seek to influence their party's platform, rather than leave it all up to the corproratistas and religious fundamentalists. They would strive to empower their ideological bretherens to shape the political landscape. Instead, they want to smash. Kill.

My God ... I ... I practice ... the politics of personal destruction! And this whole time I've been thinking that the corpora- corpora ... uh, Mexican corporations and Wahhabi clerics had our backs! Kos is right, we need to empower our ideological "brethrens." That way, we may build a better society for our childrens. And our childrens's childrens.

He may be right about the killing part, I have to confess. Most conservative bloggers would like to kill Osama bin Laden, rather than "shape the political landscape."

To me, the blogosphere isn't just a left versus right affair. It's a grassroots versus the establishment battle. Too bad the other side doesn't see it that way.

Visionary. Ok, now listen up you self-absorbed moonbat: these issues are not as grand and serious as they may seem to you. There is not an evil conspiracy to silence the righteous voices of the progressive struggle for truth and justice. You are not standing on a mountain-top, with impressive musculature, clad ony in a loincloth and horned battle helmet, leading an army of raw idealists and wielding a gi-normous broadsword against the evil hordes of free-market goblins and Christian-fundamentalist orcs ...

It's (mostly) in your head! Step back from the ledge.

(Distasteful link via Frank J)

Another (yawn) protest yesterday in DC. The International ANSWER moonbats, Jews Against Zionism, the Muslim American Society Freedom Foundation and some families of slain US servicemen were all protesting either the war, Ariel Sharon's visit or some combination of the two.

Orthodox Jews line up outside of the White House.

This is Rabbi Yisroel Dovid Weiss of Neturei Karta International, aka "Jews United Against Zionism," someone that I would describe as a somewhat "unrealistic" individual. He made his case calmly, without the screaming nuttery of many of his loose associates, but his vision of what needs to take place in the Middle East is nothing short of fantastical. Some of Rabbi Weiss's views:

* The state of "Israel" does not represent the Jewish people.

Fair enough, I'd agree with that.

* The Torah clearly forbids the formation of a State, for the Jewish people, in their time of exile.

I'm not in an educated position to agree or disagree, so I'll defer to the Rabbi. I'd imagine that if this is correct, however, that some folks might have considered the Holocaust a motivation for recalculation.

* The root cause of the endless bloodshed and suffering in the Holy Land is Zionism and the State of Israel.

The extended Jewish history in the Middle East is mindbogglingly complex, but you can certainly argue that prior to the 20th Century, Jews were typically not in a state of war in the Middle East, as they managed periods of co-existence under the rule of the Byzantines, Arabs, Mamluks and Ottomans. And anyone may correct me if there are notable exceptions, but my understanding is that the key to most periods of semi-successful co-existence was a status as a minority under various forms of rule. The more strident emigres and the desire for a state that really began in the first half of the 20th century and solidified in 1948 obviously stirred up the modern violence; but one of the fundamental questions today is whether one believes that the Jews who were living there should have been a subservient minority population under Muslim rule or whether they deserved a state of their own.

Rabbi Weiss obviously doesn't believe this, but I think it's stunningly naive to voice the opinion that all of the modern animus is political; that it isn't at all rooted in a fundamental cultural and religious division that would exist in some form even without the state of Israel. The Arabs grudgingly tolerated the Jews when they had little power; the inevitable differences grew as Jewish numbers and power grew. Such is human nature. This doesn't necessarily make Jewish claims on having a forged homeland any less historically valid than America's current claim on the continental United States.

* The root cause for the continual rise of worldwide anti-Semitism is Zionism and the State of "Israel."

False. Among the root causes are racism, jealousy, silly malice over customs and traditions and the belief that Jews were ultimately responsible for nailing Jesus to a cross. In short, the same instinctive blackness of the human heart that motivates the persecution of any small group of people that are "different." Most anti-semites in Europe, for example, don't hate Jews because of the Israelis; they hate Israelis because they are Jews.

* The Jewish people have been living in Muslim countries, including Palestine, in peace and harmony with their Arab neighbors, until the advent of Zionism.

Not everyone would agree with that, Rabbi.

Rabbi Weiss's solution? Apologize to the Palestinian people for the inequities suffered under Israel, disband the Jewish state and live in peace under Muslim rule.

Let's suspend any skepticism and assume that all of Rabbi Weiss's historical assumptions are correct; that Jews could have lived in the Middle East in peace without the modern advent of Zionism. What would happen to them now if they prostrated themselves at the feet of their newfound Muslim overlords? Does Rabbi Weiss not understand that the political and geographic grievances are irrevocably intertwined with unadulterated and officially-sanctioned racial and religious hatred?

A stance advocating the interests of the Palestinians and condemning Israeli tactics is a defensible position; advocacy of the dissolution of the Jewish state is suicidal fantasy. In this respect, Rabbi Weiss is a sheep begging for slaughter.

Larger image
Central Casting Call: Standing patiently in the wet, cold weather.

The swarm descends.

Mara Verheyden-Hilliard, aka "the CIA Screamer," speaks about conspiracy theories at a more reasonable decibel-level.

The next group to show up were my Stalinist friends from ANSWER. No matter what the message, it was hard not to be taken with the quiet protest and calm positions of the Orthodox Jews when compared with the howling rhetoric from last Saturday. For some reason, the ANSWER folks were unusually quiet this time. They gathered far away from the Jews, stayed to themselves and seemed a bit sheepish and bewildered by all the men with funny hats and beards; I got the impression that they didn't quite know what to make of them. Whatever the reason, they didn't mingle with their fellow protestors (while I was there) and they released the following statement after the protest:

Today, as Ariel Sharon and George Bush met in the White House, the Muslim American Society Freedom Foundation, the A.N.S.W.E.R. Coalition, and other organizations held a press conference, rally and civil disobedience action demanding "Free Palestine."

This might seem unremarkable, but there were only three organizations at the press conference, with the single Jewish group making up the "other organizations." In addition, there were somewhere around 70 Jews protesting, whereas the total of number of ANSWER and MASSF protesters combined was no more than 15. Do they have something against the Orthodox Jews? Does the affiliation lack the anti-authoritarian "sex appeal" of Muslim solidarity? Are the ANSWER folks anti-semitic? I'm not sure, but I know that the ideologies that they are affiliated with have an opinion on "the Jewish question."

I called ANSWER's information line to clarify why the Jews weren't mentioned, but could not get in touch with a spokesman as of this posting.

Only in America? Cats and dogs.

This gentleman was the next to show up, the Imam Johari Abdul-Malik, the Muslim Chaplain of Howard University and Director of the Outreach Program at the Dar Al-Hijrah Islamic Center (now say that three times quickly). He was associated with the MAS Freedom Foundation, and seemed to be an old friend of the Rabbi. I got into a rather lengthy conversation with Imam Abdul-Malik, and found him to be a somewhat eloquent and reasonable spokesman for his cause. His beliefs:

* The Israeli tactics that result in the collateral deaths of civilians are driving the recruitment of extremists.

Whether you agree or disagree on the justice of the matter, this is an arguable point.

* The Israeli government does not embrace moderate Palestinian voices, which prolongs conflict. Also, it is Israel's responsibility to be the mature party in the conflict, because they possess the military power.

Tabling more specific judgement, none of these are completely unreasonable points.

* All violence must be condemned.

Nice to hear you say it, Imam. But why did he describe the recently deceased Sheik Yassin as "a poor parapalegic in a wheelchair," given the man's role in promulgating violence against innocents? He didn't have a really good answer for that one; we'll chalk it up to selective cognition.

* Israel needs to completely withdraw from the occupied territories and complete a two-state solution.

In this view, he was far more moderate than his Jewish contemporary. Abdul-Malik drew an analogy between the Palestinian situation and the civil rights movement in the US, offering up our progress on the matter as a beacon of optimism that could light the way to a solution in the Middle East. He stuck to this position even after I pointed out that the Civil Rights Movement took place in a far less violent society and had popular leaders (on both sides) that stepped up to the plate and advocated peaceful solutions.

In contrast, I put forth the fact that terrorist organization like Hamas and Hizbollah represent the popular voice of the Palestinians, with heavy influence in the Palestinian economy, charitable organizations and educational institutions. At that point he blamed Israel for this radicalization of the Palestinian leadership, and we reached an impasse. It was clear that he believed that Israel could influence the conflict in a positive manner by ceasing aggression, which in turn would theoretically cause the extremists to lose popularity, all debatable positions that I do not agree with.

When I specifically asked him if he advocated the dissolution of Israel (like his Jewish co-protestors), he said that he considered the idea "unrealistic."

I was left with the slightest ray of hope for civil discourse, the idea that that I was dealing with a reasonable, if somewhat deluded and overly optimistic individual. But then ...

(Photograph from the International Answer web site)

... Mahdi Bray, the Executive Director of MASFF (the man on the right), began to give his press conference, which included the usual fiery soundbites about the criminal collusion of Bush and Sharon, and the unlawful occupation of Iraq for colonial purposes. It was the usual pathetic, hyperbolic grandstanding. The outrageous rhetoric really tanked most of the positive impression that I might have taken away from my conversation with the Imam. Once again, I was witness to the phenomenon of "moonbat marginalization," and reminded that even the most reasonable voices that are active in the Palestinian movement are still closely affiliated with extremists of varying stripes.

During Bray's statement, he said that he would "try to be arrested, God willing," and he got his wish. I missed the arrest, but I can certainly imagine the look of bored annoyance on the face of the guard that had to pick him up off the prohibited sidewalk in front of the White House.

"How I spent my Spring break: protesting the Zionist Occupation of the Holy Land."

Overall, this protest wasn't very noteworthy, and illustrates that the anti-war and "free Palestine" positions don't have much popular traction. I find it annoying that the two issues are so closely linked, and I know that most Americans that might even advocate a different position on the Israeli-Palestinian conflict do not think we are after the "oiiiiillll" in Iraq. The 60-70 Jews and one of the three or so Muslims in attendance made civil cases, while the ANSWER moonbats were unusually muted, which was possibly due to confusion; after all, how do you scream about the "Jooooos," when you are in the company of a bunch of ... Jews?

A homeless lady that lives in Lafayette Park. I have the feeling she just draws up signs about whatever cause happens to be on display that day.

Unfortunately, a cabbie behind me played by a different rulebook, the cabbie rulebook. Frustrated by the three seconds that he'd been forced to wait, he laid on his horn. I ignored it. Five seconds later, I still couldn't figure out if Volvo-man was leaving, as he continued to execute a muddled twelve-point turn in the coveted 10'x6' patch of real estate. HONK HONK HONK! HOOOONK! Annoyed that the directional didn't seem to deliver the message, I put my hand out the window to signal that I was waiting for parking. Almost ten seconds passed, Volvo-man looked confused, I was getting twitchy and the cabbie finally just sat on his horn. HOOOOONNNNNNNNKKK! I could also make out indistinct screaming.

Sucked in by road rage, I broke one of my cardinal driving rules and gave the cabbie an INDC salute.

Uh-oh. He's getting out of the cab. Why is he getting out of the cab? He's walking up to me. Why is he walking up to me? Oh shit.

Before I knew it, I had a very animated West-African cabbie standing in front of my driver's door screaming at me in barely discernible English. I made out the words "pull over," "fuck," "kill" and "you." Between the obscenities, wild hand gestures, distended eyeballs and clenched-fists, I began to get the gnawing suspicion that he was angry with me.

I yelled back at him that I was trying to park, finally saw that Volvo-man had decided to stay, and pulled away now that that the light was green. The cabbie loped back to his ride and proceeded to follow me through several turns. When we hit a red light, he hopped out again, ran to my car and violently banged on the window while threatening to kick my ass.

At this point I felt fear, which outwardly manifested itself as aggression. I puffed out my feathers and yelled at him to take a hike and have, uh, relations with um, himself. Surprisingly, he didn't take this well, and the banging became even more insistent as his flecks of angry spittle started coating the window. The confontation then accelerated when I turned and grabbed "the club," making a helpful "think of how this will feel when it makes contact with your head, now go away" motion. His eye-popping rage morphed into white-hot fury, and he ran back to his car.

Oh great. What if he's got a gun?

Still trapped in traffic, I reached for the next best weapon I had, my phone. I held it out the window towards him as he was rustling around in his car and purposefully pressed the digits nine-one-one. The light turned green and I took off. He continued following me as I reached the DC Police dispatcher.

Dispatcher: DC Police Department.

Dispatcher: Sir I need you to stay in one place, so I can send the officer. I'm not going to send the officer to an "area!" Pull over.

Deep breaths, Bill, deep breaths. For if you anger the dispatcher of DC's finest, who then will be left to save your ass?

Me: What the fuck are you talking about, 'stay in one place?' I'm getting chased by a fucking maniac!

Me: I CAN'T. If I stop in one place I'm going to have to fight this guy - take this down before I forget - his cab number is 198. I'm going to circle around my home until you send a cop or he takes off. Please send the cop to my home address quickly (Gave him address).

Remember kids, Dick the DC Dispatcher says: Make sure that you stay in a fixed location the next time someone threatens you and proceeds to chase you down! After all, how else will the DC police be able to find your body?

Luckily, the cabbie pulled off my scent after about three minutes and several trips around the neighborhood, perhaps after seeing me on the phone. I found parking, went to my condo and placed a bet with myself: how long will it take for a police officer to show up at my apartment?

45 minutes. 45 minutes after placing a somewhat urgent call that a potentially violent cab driver was chasing me and threatening me with a beating, a police cruiser rolls up on my building. Public Enemy wuz right, yo.

Anyhow, long-story-less-long, the cop tells me that he's not sure that the cabbie's actions constitute assault and that if any vandalism happens to the car I should call him, and leaves me with the following advice about DC cabbies (keep in mind that the cop was black):

"The Africans, they are scary. They'll yell and scream and get pissed at the drop of a hat. I'm not sure if it's their culture or what, but these guys get into a fender-bender and they look like they are going to have a stroke, yelling curses on the other guy's family, totally spazzing out. It's crazy. But usually when they calm down a bit, they're ok. Scary, but usually harmless.

Now the Middle-Eastern guys, that's another story. You know, the Arabs and Pakistanis? Those guys keep swords in their cabs. I've had to take in a bunch of them for attacking their fares. Dangerous. Watch out for them, they'll fuckin' kill you."

Uh, thanks for the advice, officer.

So is it true? Are Arab cab-drivers dangerous? I'll discuss my previous memorable run-in with a Middle-Eastern cabbie in Part Two.

The violence we are seeing in Iraq is familiar. The terrorists who take hostages or plants a roadside bomb near Baghdad is serving the same ideology of murder that kills innocent people on trains in Madrid, and murders children on buses in Jerusalem, and blows up a nightclub in Bali and cuts the throat of a young reporter for being a Jew.

For the first time, the civilized world has provided a concerted response to the ideology of terror - a series of powerful, effective blows.

I gave credit to John Kerry for the op-ed in the WaPo, but - could you envision him laying out the differences between good and evil in similarly unmitigated terms? Would Kerry pause to label Islamo-fascism as mysoginistic, stray onto slightly politically shaky ground by specifically singling out the murder of Israelis and present such an aggressive public posture in the overall war on terror?

I haven't heard much of anything like that from Kerry and I doubt that I will. In contrast, Bush's speech tonight reminded me of his most admirable qualities. I predict a bump in approval ratings.

UPDATE: Jeff at Shape of Days has some constructive criticism of how Bush should have fielded one of the questions. I've often wanted to be able to possess Bush's body and help him out during his Q and A sessions. In retrospect, that portion was somewhat excrutiating.

ANOTHER UPDATE: A great review here.

George Soros's MoveOn money at work in the metro station by the White House

A highly original protest sign and a selection of books on sale at the rally (including the Communist Manifesto in French).

When I showed up, a few moonbats were slowly circling around the stage, gathering their righteous energy for the impending rage against the machine. The crowd included button-hawkers, LaRouche supporters, some terribly earnest college gals and a couple of hippie booksellers. When I took the picture of the books, I was questioned by the lady behind the table as to whether I was a journalist. I told her "no, more of a freelance hobbyist," at which point I got a barrage of questions from her and her friend. They seemed acutely sensitive to the possibility that someone may be taking photos of the books in order to snicker at their ideology ...

International ANSWER's Brian Becker gets things rolling with a little expression of solidarity with the Iraq insurgents, who have "a proud tradition of defiance" against foreign intervention.

The prescient organizers made sure that some emergency medical aid was on hand for the crowd.

The PLO is in da house!

My buddy from Al Jazeera poses for a picture. Later he jokes around with the crew from Al Arabya: "I'm not so sure about 'useful', but they're definitely 'idiots!' Bwahahahahahahaha!" (No, not really)

Awwwww, he wants them to be friends. Wait, who are the "shites?"

The speakers were enraged by the Jooos, the military "atrocities" in Fallujah and most of all, George Bush: "I don't want Bush to go back to Texas, I want him behind bars!"

No one was spared their wrath, especially the private security contractors that were killed in Fallujah: "They get paid $1,000 a day, and what are they paid to do? They watch the oil!" Sound familiar?

The speakers were really hitting their stride, when all of a sudden some men started shouting from the right side of the stage. The cavalry had arrived, four Iraqi counter-protestors that decided to offer a different perspective:

"They are liars! These people don't know what they are talking about! They don't know what they are talking about!"

The media swarms the Iraqis.

I'm not sure that I've ever seen people move so quickly; there was a sucking sound as the entire horde of reporters mobbed the Iraqi counter-protestors. The International ANSWER folks were not pleased, and they immediately started shouting into the microphone: "These are CIA operatives! CIA operatives!" It did little good; the Iraqis effectively stole the spotlight.

An Int'l Answer speaker screams in the Iraqi's ear.

The Iraqis then moved 20 feet away from the rally to give interviews, and one of the primary International ANSWER speakers maneuvered behind one of them and repeatedly yelled, "These men are CIA operatives hired by Ahmed Chalabi!"

Mara Verheyden-Hilliard, aka "the Screamer," gives a cordial interview to Al Arabya. Ms Verheyden-Hilliard's more tame rhetoric can be heard in this 2003 interview on NPR.

One of the Iraqis in a heated Arabic exchange with Al Jazeera, just after declaring to the Al Arabya correspondent: "... yes, Al Jazzera and Al Arabya: if I had power, I swear to God I would not allow Al Arabya and Al Jazeera inside Iraq. Al Arabya and Al Jazeera are Saddam loyalists!"

This woman had the temerity to confront one of the Iraqis and say, "What about abortion? What about Shiite oppression of women?!" My jaw hit the ground. Five minutes prior to this exchange, her group of socialists were declaring their solidarity with the Iraqi uprising. Now that Iraqi counter-protestors had arrived, she was attacking them for their Shiite background.

Socialism, abortion rights and Islamist solidarity. What do they have in common? Hatred of this man:

Dubya steps out and makes an appearance.

A LaRouche supporter engages the Iraqi.

The exchange between the LaRouche supporter and the Iraqi was amusing. The LaRouchie asked the Iraqi, "What about how Dick Cheney and Wolfowitz lied about weapons of mass destruction?" To which the Iraqi responded, "I don't know about that, but only God or the United States had the power to remove Saddam. There are no more mass graves in Iraq!" Notice the pamphlet cover on the Larouchie's sign: a picture of Dick Cheney that reads "Children of Satan II: The Beast Men."

This local NBC reporter literally shoved the LaRouchie out of the way and started asking questions. When the Iraqi told her what he thought of the occupation, saying that "everything is fine, everyone has food, there are 200 newspapers when there were once only two" she knitted her eyebrows and gave him a blatant, condescending smirk (not in this photo).

At the end of the interview she asked him for the spelling of his name, and when he was reluctant to give it to her, she haughtily explained that she needed to say it correctly when she filed her report. I guess it escaped her that his background might make him hesitant to feel comfortable giving out that kind of information.

After she was done with the interview, she began laughing with her cameraman at the Iraqi's expense.

I walked over to her and asked, "Why were you laughing at that guy while he was answering your question?"

"I didn't (laughs again). I'm a journalist. I don't have opinions."

Er ... what's in the backpack?

A Sith Lord attends the demonstration.

Peekaboo! I see you! Notice the Rachel Corrie t-shirt.

A reporter actually gives an Iraqi respect during an interview, but meanwhile, merely 30 feet away ...

... this gentleman pedals over and starts yelling, "Fuck you! Fuck you! We're winning! We're winning!!"

Yelling behind the interview.

Meanwhile, back at the protest: "He's so dreeeamy ..."

Sample lyrics:
Internationalization,
Globalization,
It's the wise,
The worst of Asia, the Americas,
Africa, Europe and the legacy of alchemy,
Dust to gold,
Soul to spirit,
Appreciate the divine while I'm still livin',
Didn't need to die to go to heaven.
We express the omniscience of our ancestors,
Got your blood inside of me ...

Jack-booted fascist storm troopers wonder when they can go "weapons-free."

A martyr dies for the cause.

And then I left. I wasn't sure what to think; I was torn between anger and laughter the whole time. It's difficult to get that angry with them; a good portion of these people are ill, channeling their emotional pain into a political struggle, and no amount of reasoning with them would have any effect. Luckily, the worst elements marginalize themselves with their overt displays of lunacy, and fortunately, no more than a couple of hundred people showed up for this event. I'm certainly glad that the Iraqis showed up; they likely won a media victory.

Sometimes you just have to scratch your head and go home.

A last look at the White House, sans communists.

UPDATE: Speaking of Us vs. Them ...

ANOTHER UPDATE: Read about Citizen Smash's amusing stand at protests in San Diego. This is hilarious:

First up is Carl Muhammed. “Let’s get pumped up!” He shouts to the fifty people (Bryon did an actual head count) scattered in front of the stage. “Anybody have a chant they want to do?”

We burst out laughing.

ANOTHER UPDATE: A reader leaves a link to more photos of these kindly individuals protesting previously in DC; real crushing of dissent in John Ashcroft's America. It seems that intimidation is their style; the media presence yesterday may have saved those Iraqis from a physical confrontation. I largely flew under the radar, but was held in contempt because I wouldn't take a protest sign, and the Palestinian speaker looked fairly angry when I jumped up on the right part of the stage to snap the "reporters swarm" picture.

The best way to comport yourself at these events is to smile, be really nice and tell them that you are a freelance journalist.

UPDATE: Also visit this post regarding subsequent protests in DC.

While I don't want to say that things aren't bad here - they are - there is currently very little action on the street, as I understand it.

Fortunately, Sadr City is about ten miles away from where I am.

Click here and keep scrolling.

#1: Why I Dislike Environmentalists
Because they are always so damn negative:

Greenland's icy mountains and the island's entire ice cap could disappear in the next 1,000 years because of global warming, European scientists warn today. If that occurs sea levels will rise by seven metres, drowning low-level coastlines around the world.

The woodland folk read a story like that and start shouting,"global disaster, global disaster!"

I, on the other hand, think: "Sweet. Beachfront condos in Denver."

Also, isn't it kind of funny that a big fancy paper like the Guardian can't spell "meters" correctly?

#2 - Great Advancements in Medical Knowledge
Who still bothers to fund studies like this?

#3 - The Bachelor
I actually met reality TV's latest bachelor and second-string Giants QB extraordinare, Jesse Palmer, at a party many years back when we both attended the University of Florida. He was a rising-star Freshman football "hunk," while I was more of what you'd describe as a nameless wise-ass Junior "drunk." Palmer, a friend and I were shooting the bull, and for some reason he was strangely worshipful of my friend, who happens to be Spanish. At some point in the conversation he made the comment to my friend that "boy, the Latin thing must score well with the laaaaadies," to which I quipped, "Yeah, he does ok. I guess playing the 'Canadian card' doesn't really work out that well, does it?"

He looked at me like he wanted to tear my head off.

In retrospect, that was a rather dumb thing to say - on several levels.

#4 - The Alamo
... sounds like my kind of flick:

The makers of "The Alamo," the new movie based on the legendary defense and fall of the Texas compound, want to wrestle this piece of American history from the ranks of jingoism and patriotic fervor.
...
They enjoy partial success, but this results in an epic that sometimes stalls in static, talky sequences that try to situate the heroic feat in the cross-currents of history and sort out an array of colorful characters whose bios must be divorced from legend.

"The Alamo," directed by native Texan John Lee Hancock, making only his second feature, is a respectable and at times an exciting film that should appeal to males of all ages, history buffs and -- yes, it's inevitable -- patriots.

Those damn patriots. Damn them, damn them straight to Hell.

#5 - Karl Marx's Nightmare
In lighter news, the destitute Lopez family of Brooklyn, NY came into a serious windfall the other day.

Jennifer Lopez can now hit up her mother for a loan if her next film bombs. J.lo’s mother, Guadalupe Lopez, 58, won a $2.4 million jackpot on a slot machine in Atlantic City this past weekend.
...
Was it luck? Not so, says Lopez. She attributes her win to the Virgin Mary. "It was divine intervention," said the retired NYC kindergarten teacher.

No, no, no, no, Guadalupe! If divine intervention were a factor in handing out cash, my 500 square-foot rat-trap would be bought and paid for and I wouldn't be suffering mini-seizures from being trapped in a flourescent-lit box for 8 hours-a-day! The fact that you won $2.4 million and credited religion, along with the fact that America is overexposed to the dubious talents of your daughter, in fact suggests to me that God very possibly does ... not ... exist.

Remember - Jesus was crucified so you could gamble and win! I think Mel Gibson made a movie about it.

And finally ...

#6 - Why Is It ...

... that I never get picked for the really fun medical experiments? Usually when I volunteer to try and turn a quick buck, I wind up sitting nearly-naked on a metal gurney, with half my head shaved and electrodes hooked up to my kibbles and bits, while staring at an orangutang named Co Co that proceeds to give me the finger and whoop my ass in a spacial reasoning test. Why?! Why is this?!

Ok, that was cleansing. But perhaps I should stick to politics, caption contests, photobloggin' and drawing not-so-pretty pictures.

More later.

Speaking of al-Sadr's newspaper, which was shut down by coalition forces last week after it urged violence against U.S. troops, Kerry complained to National Public Radio, "They shut a newspaper that belongs to a legitimate voice in Iraq."

What was he thinking? Anything beyond taking a contrary position to Bush? Read Captain Ed's post.

UPDATE: Captain Ed's commenter "Bitter Mastermind" thinks that he has the Captain over a barrel with an "a-ha" moment; the complete contextual Kerry quote:

John Kerry: Well, ah, it's interesting to hear that when they shut a newspaper that belongs to a legitimate voice in Iraq, and, well, lemme change the term legitimate -- when they shut a newspaper that belongs to a voice, because he has clearly taken on a far more radical tone in recent days, and aligned himself with both Hamas and Hezbollah, which is a sort of terrorist alignment, so it creates it's own set of needs in order to deal with the possible future spread of terrorism. But at the same time if it's unaccompanied by a broader set of moves to try to broaden our own base in Iraq, I just think it asks for great difficulty. As I have said since day one, what you need is to minimize the reality and the perception of an American occupation, you need to minimize the targeting of American soldiers, and that is done by maximizing the sharing of responsibility on the ground, which is also how you minimize the cost to the American people.

I disagree - what the Hell is all of that prevarication about shutting down "a voice?" What does that entire statement even mean? Aligning yourself with "both Hamas and Hezbollah" is a "sort of terrorist alignment?" Are you kidding me? Call a spade a spade, Senator. This "voice" is currently leading an armed insurrection against the United States and killing US military personnel. And Kerry's "voice" is exactly the kind of leadership that we DO NOT NEED in this war.

Regarding the main thrust of his muddled point, about minimizing America's profile to achieve a successful transition to Democracy, Kerry does have an argument. This is the one of the best reasons to consider a candidate other than Bush: that new blood will give countries that oppose us political cover to re-engage the US without completely alienating their electorate. BUT - this is a temporary fix to chronically disparate interests, and it is something that is easier ruminated about during the course of a Presidential campaign than it is accomplished in the long term. The notion that Kerry can somehow wave a magic wand and steer French, German, Russian and Chinese interests closer to the interests of a successful America is an unrealistic, throwaway argument. Superior form will not win the day when huge economic and strategic motivations are at odds with American foreign policy. I just don't think that he can make it happen, and even if he could, there is no easy argument that it is an acceptable trade-off to embrace a President that cannot even label a radical Imam what he is: a power-grasping public enemy of the United States.

Identify the threats. Snuff them out. Period. this is not a poli-sci debate taking place in the vacuum of John Kerry's mind; this is the real, live, nasty world.

UPDATE: My oh my that was a muddled penultimate paragraph - sometimes ad hoc blogging is a flawed endeavor ;-)

The Master prepares for battle and fixes his "I'ma git you sucka" stare.

(From top) The Master blocks a paltry strike, winds up for a pitch and guess who has no torso?

This guy was fantastic, truly quick as lightning.

Mr. Zúniga,

William

I have no idea if he'll respond, but let's see ...

UPDATE: No response.

Mr. Zúniga,

I had some comments and questions about your earlier post today that sparked so much furor in the blogosphere. I realize that you have quite a large readership and cannot respond to every e-mail, but if you get the chance, I would really love to hear your feedback about this matter.

First of all, I'm on the "other side" of this issue; I support the War in Iraq. That being said, I can understand many of the more intelligent motivations of those on the left of this issue that were against the war. Most reasonable and moral people can find reasonable and logical arguments that come to major disagreement about the validity of invasion, so I by no means hold your position in contempt.

But - your comments today strike me as baffling, especially coming from a former soldier. These men were Americans, and while they may have been paid mercenaries (as you describe them), private security contractors are responsible for a variety of tasks in Iraq that are considered vital for the potential success of any emerging government. They serve the function of training Iraqi security forces, protecting contractors that are rebuilding the infrastructure and providing aid, and as body guards for representatives of the nascent Iraqi government.

While I understand why you may feel that this war was unjust, and that the consequences of military action should be well-publicized and made clear to those of us that supported the war, I can't understand how this translates into dismissal about the deaths of these men. I really don't understand why their sacrifice is made invalid because they were privately employed and well-compensated. If you were merely emotional at the time you wrote the comments, that is understandable as well; I have certainly also been moved to anger by events that I found unjust. Please clarify.

The purpose of this e-mail is not to lecture you, it really is an attempt to understand what you meant and hopefully start a meaningful (if brief) dialogue; I'd really like to understand your position. if you get a chance, please e-mail me back.

Regards,

William

His response:

From : kos@dailykos.com
Sent : Friday, April 2, 2004 9:40 PM
To : "William XXXX@hotmail.com
Subject : Re: Kos, Regarding Your Post About Fallujah

markos

More to come ... jump to Part 2.