Though the advent of Photoshop kind of dilutes its purpose and effect, no?

UPDATE: I mean, why bother?

Do you?

Giuliani then ripped into Democrats for treating Moore like a "rock star" at the convention.

While Moore was given no official role at the convention, he has been treated like a celebrity at many events — and even sat in ex-President Jimmy Carter's box Monday night.

Besides being one of the most effective public administrators that any city has ever seen and exhibiting tremendous leadership after September 11th, the man just plain rocks. Rawks! And he was also self-deprecating enough to don a dress on Saturday Night Live ... several times.

The Republican bench is deep in 2008.

(Via DW)

PS - To my socially conservative friends that don't find any of those picks "Ricky Santorum" enough: you might want to consider why many of these moderate Republicans have national appeal ...

"You have to make sure to lead the kids a little more before you squeeze one off ... they're squirrely ..."

Allah may have blogged the class incongruity and awkwardness of the Heinz-Kerry-Kerrys' spontaneous trip to Wendy's, but he missed the real story:

Earlier, their bus convoy pulled over at a Wendy's fast food restaurant for a photo opportunity lunch that provided an awkward moment.

Spotting a group of US Marines, Kerry, who has made his Vietnam War service a cornerstone of his campaign, went over to chat. The Marines, who all turned out to be staunch Bush supporters, were not impressed.

"He imposed on us and I disagree with him coming over here shaking our hands," one of them told reporters afterwards. "I'm 100 percent against" Kerry, he said. "We support our commander-in-chief 100 percent."

Semper Fi.

(Marines via Florida Cracker, whose got some really good stuff over there!)

Feel free to caption ...

UPDATE: The Captain gets to the heart of the matter, and I'll add my comments:

I've always thought that Kerry's post-Vietnam behavior ("reminiscent of Ghengis Khan ...") was despicable, but I also thought that some right-wing criticism of Kerry's record in Vietnam was cheap and unwarranted (the flesh-wound complaints). But you know what? That was months ago. And since then, I've watched this man base his entire resume on his actions during 4 months of combat in Vietnam. No senate record, no prosecutorial career, no lieutenant governorship, nothing. And it's ludicrous.

If he wants to merely rely on four months of his life so heavily, I can't really criticize individuals that decide to pick apart those same four months. I just wonder if the rest of America (or at least the swing voters) feel insulted by this shameless self-promotion as much as I do. And if they aren't angered by it, do they at least find it ridiculously funny?

I mean, Dubya prowling around in the flight suit was worth a chortle or two, but "My name is John Kerry and I'm reporting for duty?" "Viet-naam ... Viet-naaam, Viet-naaaaaaaam ..."

Oh, man ...

According to his daughter, he once gave mouth-to-mouth to a hamster.

UPDATE: In related news ...

(Special effects via Dorkafork, aka The Millenium Blogger*)

* Because he posts about once a millenium ...

ANOTHER UPDATE: Brilliance.

A FINAL UPDATE: Allah does it again.

Can be felt here:

The Main Event: John Kerry Hits it Out of the Park

If by "park" you mean Fleet Center packed with the Democratic Party faithful, sure ...

"I'm John Kerry and I'm reporting for duty."

We're here to make America stronger at home and respected in the world. Tonight I am home."

He's passionate. He clicks with the audience.

Howard Dean could streak the stage while screaming "BushhitlerMcShrubbenburton ... Bechtel! Bechtel! Yeeeeeearggghh! Look at my huge manhood!!!!!" and click with that audience ... for example, see here.

His delivery is perfect. We've never seem him this good. He's done it. He's over the top with this crowd:
...

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Pizza. Party.

Especially because I'm fully aware of what complete jerks some DC police officers can be ...

Stephanie Willett is a 45-year-old scientist for the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency from Bowie whose skirmishes with the law had largely been limited to a couple of speeding tickets.

Until she was caught chewing inside a Metro station.
...

Curry-Hagler turned around and followed Willett into the station. Moments after making a remark to the officer, Willett said, she was searched, handcuffed and arrested for chewing the last bite of her candy bar after she passed through the fare gates. She was released several hours later after paying a $10 fine, pending a hearing

Ridiculous. Resources that could be dedicated to snagging a terrorist trying to enter the extremely porous subway system are diverted to detain a woman chewing a candy bar. I sleep well at night.

ABCNEWS: KERRY SPEECH WILL RUN 55 MINUTES...

I've seen this man speak in person twice, once in front of a rally, once in the middle of an intimate crowd at a fundraiser reception. It's like mainlining pharmaceutical grade tryptophan, but you only get sleepy after you get extremely irritated at the guy for wasting your time with painfully monotone, long-winded bloviation. Seriously.

55 minutes? Partisan bias aside, this is a poor decision by the Kerry camp. He needs to make a strong impression to bolster his softening poll numbers on fundamental character/personal issues, a cause which would be much better served by a relatively succinct, strongly-worded speech.

I don't think that there's any realistic possibility that I can sit through an hour of John Kerry.

UPDATE: The biographical film was effective and entertaining.

UPDATE: "I'm John Kerry and I'm reporting for duty!" Hilarious.

UPDATE: "Guess what wing of the hospital?" My immediate thought was the left wing, not the West Wing ...

UPDATE: Bush lies ... blah, blah, blah.

UPDATE: Our middle class is shrinking because the upper class is growing, and outsourcing is good for the economy, John.

UPDATE: He accepted the nomination! He accepted the nomination!

UPDATE: Cheney name reminder; nice tactical shot.

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Image Consultant #1: Ok, we're going to have to do our best with this ...

Image Consultant #2: To put it mildly! It's like trying to coach a rabid dog!

Image Consultant #1: Look she's prickly today, but I think she'll stick to the script, and Doc says he's gonna light 'er up with a Trifluoperazine/Fluphenazine speedball that will keep her smooth as glass ...

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"Ah will crush you, Al Qaedah ...

... and then I laughed some more, after John Edwards stirred up the typically bloodthirsty mob of Democratic National Convention delegates with this threat to Al Qaeda:

You cannot run. You cannot hide. We will destroy you.

It's good that he pays lip service to the concept, but something tells me that somehow, somewhere, terrorists were laughing as well.

For reference, let's flashback to 9-11, as Tom Clancy takes a shot at Senator Edwards' vague platitudes about confronting terror on the Charlie Rose Show:

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Based on another pleasant Michael Moore quote regarding the natural behavior of Republicans, Marc from marcland asks ...

Let's try an open thread - which minority would you screw?

I assume that he means "screw over," because I have trouble picking a specific minority group to "screw." Being an unmarried man with an egalitarian streak a mile wide, I suppose that I'm an equal-opportunity screwer. Viva la diversidad, si pudiera entenderme ...

But since I'm also a white Republican, and we're talking about oppression, I'll have to make a choice.

...

...

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Well, have you?

Don't let the moonbats win.

Why Do the Worst Things Always Happen to the Best People?

I fervently hope that Saddam Hussein is indeed fit enough to stand trial for his crimes. It's all too rare that history's genocidal maniacs are charged and punished for the full roster of their sins, and his show trial may be a pivotal element in Iraq's ultimate success and unification.

* A trial gives the government the air of authority

* A trial unifies various Iraqi factions

* A trial distracts the bloodsucking newsies from the tenuous security situation, and in effect buys time for Iraqi authorities that are trying to eliminate the terrorists before the US electorate runs out of patience and yanks the rug.

So hoist a glass to Saddam Hussein's good health and pray that the stroke rumor proves to be false. We need him rosy cheeked and all sexed-up for his date with a noose.

UPDATE: Nothing to see here, people. Move along.

This piece over at the Waterglass echoes my feelings on the election:

The point is that influential people like Moore, Kennedy, Carter, and Kerry are playing games with my family's personal safety in order to score political points. It's an old saw by now that "reasonable men can differ on how to fight the War on Terror," but show me a reasonable man in this bunch. I don't hate them, but I am worried at the prospect of their regaining power in this time of trouble.

We can no longer hide behind the fig leaf of ignorance when it comes to the threat of Islamic fundamentalism. Anti-semitism, anti-Americanism, anti-civilization is open and unconcealed among them. Their stated purpose is to destroy us all. We know that they don't fear death or injury, and that they contemn us for the very laws that make us civilized and moral. All they fear is failure. With that in mind, how can we ignore that we're still laboring under a Problem A situation? How can the biggest fear be four more years of President Bush?

I don't like Bush's stance on immigration or health care. I don't agree with many other domestic policies he's in favor of. But those issues are Problem B issues, and while they can't be ignored, they occupy a lesser area of concern in my mind. Call me simplistic, but I'm a Problem A voter, and because President Bush takes Problem A as seriously as I do, he's getting my vote this November.

I'm actually to the left regarding some of my disagreements with Bush ...

* Abortion
* Faith-based initiatives masquerading as effective domestic policy
* Stem-cell research

... but these are indeed 'B Problems.' None of it matters a whit if we can't head off the terrible intersection of terrorism and destructive technology.

Read the whole thing.

(Besides John Derbyshire, who disturbingly insists on referring to himself in the third person):

RE: BLACK-EYED PEAS [Tim Graham]
I think the Black Eyed Peas know their way around a groove -- I'd boogie, too, if I was a delegate -- but watch the lyrics, man. Mrs. Graham bought the CD for our son since we all liked their song "Hey Mama." But on the CD, it's marred by the old S-word. So much for positive rap.

Well hiddly-diddly-doo there, Tim! Sorry that the rap group isn't family-friendly enough for little Timmy, Jr.!

All INDC readers are directed to visit the WaPo's contest for the Best Political & Election Blogs. Once there, you must nominate INDC Journal in many categories.

"But I have to register," you say? Register then, you lazy bastard! It's the WaPo. Not like you shouldn't be reading it anyway.

(Via Ace, who has a great blog, but let's be serious here ... it's no INDC Journal.)

UPDATE: If INDC wins, we'll hold a big pizza party to celebrate.

Some of you may be wondering about the result of my recent Salon.com/Joe Wilson contest ... it's pretty much done (very few entries, though a couple of great ones) and I'll have a winner posted this weekend.

In related news, Cam Edwards is noting a problem with Wilson's "Restore Honesty" web site.

And speaking of distasteful Democratic affiliations, Wilson is still an advisor to the Kerry campaign ... despite being exposed as a partisan fraud regarding the deadly serious topic of nuclear proliferation.

Yes, I'm talking to you, Eileen. Please read this. That is all.

(The rest of you can read it too, if you'd like)

(Via PW)

It's brilliant and damning.

If you are too lazy to watch all of this riveting, 11 minute video, then please, please, please, at least skip to the interview with "This Week" that takes place at 9:18 in ... I couldn't have made a better case for invading Iraq.

PS - My God, he is such an absolute phony ... the RNC's mood music and the few quick edits actually detract from the case - the man's own soundbites are more than sufficient. Kerry's positions do not represent nuance; it's clearly naked opportunism.

Want to know why I've become a strident partisan? Pictured above is Michael Moore, sitting with Jimmy Carter in the President's Box at the Democratic National Convention. Let's revisit some quotes from this man that is embraced so warmly by the mainstream players of the Democratic Party:

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Love it:

"We felt really guilty about what our country had done to his country," says producer Peter Saraf. "And then, of course, he gets here, and it never occurred to me that he would say something like 'But I love George Bush--he changed my life!'"

(Via the Prof)

Right Wing News has completed another fun "list of right-of-center bloggers favorites," this one naming "History's Biggest Impact Players." I'm pleased to see that most of my choices made it to the top 20. John mentioned that the list contained some controversial choices, but I think that it's largely on point.

A few observations:

* The choice of Moses? Ah, nevermind. I'm not going to pick that fight.

* There is a bit of contemporary, sexy bias in the list (Winston Churchill higher than Johann Gutenberg? I don't think so ...)

* I think that it's interesting that the founders of American Democracy have no leaders that can claim enough individual credit to rank higher than Karl Marx (I don't disagree, as it's the nature of this country's founding)

* Poor Engels

* No women (I don't disagree, but this could spawn a whole discussion about natural differences between the sexes, as well as the judgment criteria)

* And finally, I bet it gets pretty annoying for Jesus to have to stand in line next to Hitler all the time.

Feel free to chime in your thoughts ...

My list (in no particular order) is below the fold:

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I'm starting to get the idea that "protein wisdom's Democratic National Convention coverage" is a dirty damn hoax, and that Goldstein is just making it all up while he sits and plays Mr. Mom in his suburban Colorado bungalow.

What tipped me off? Eleanor Clift doesn't have a Tweety Bird tattoo anywhere on her glorious naked canvas, my friend!

... the Llamas have provided a helpful, illustrative photoshop.

UPDATE: More fun with pictures - I knew that Kerry's spacesuit reminded me of something!

"Why your lips taste just like sweet lemonade in the summah time ..."

(Via Florida Cracker)

(pant, pant) ...

...

...

Democratic Icons Issue Ringing Call for Change
Convention opens with a rallying cry to convert bitterness into fresh energy aimed at electing Kerry and Edwards.

– Dan Balz

...

BWAA-HAhahahahahahahahahahahahahahaha ...

(No, I'm not laughing at the Dems, I'm laughing at the size of the Washington Post "reporter's" POM-POMS)

UPDATE: Egad, it continues with a caption ...

Sen. Clinton told delegates: "Together we can widen the circle of opportunity for all." (AP)

Look for similar headlines and captions at the RNC. Seriously, this is ridiculous. The WaPo usually plays it straighter than most of the big dailies, but lately they've caught election fever. If I want overtly slanted news, I'll read NRO or Slate. But this is the Washington Post, and that headline seems like it was lifted straight from a press release. Ridiculous.

Bill Clinton lies.

Does everyone else have trolls that are this stupid? Check out this comment left under my post with the picture of the Marines holding the sign that says "F Michael Moore:"

you fcukin prick, the pics a photoshop, and the other one you link to is as well. look at the position of the guys' hands, exactly the same

yet here you go

liberal media, liberal media

get a grip, hiding behind vitriol doesn't disguise your lack of intelligence. if you can't even critically analyze this rubbish, what chance have you got of being able to form a considered opinion on current affairs

that's right - none

Posted by michael at July 27, 2004 05:29 AM

In the bolded portion, he's talking about my link to Goldstein's photoshop that clearly altered the sign to say "Have Never Had Peter Fonda Inside Us."

Yes, dear Michael thought that I actually believed that they were different pictures. Stupid troll. Stupid, stupid troll. The LA Times sure brings in a special class of reader!

When Andy from World Wide Rant claimed to have a link to something cheesier than the Bridge for Peace antiwar song, I scoffed and thought, "What a hubristic fool."

But after visiting the link, I am shamed. Behold:

Remembering Laci, by John Strand.

That is some truly awful music.

UPDATE: And no, the subject matter does not inoculate it from ridicule.

"We contacted the Democratic National Convention and the people who are organising the convention. And then they said it has been removed, maybe for lack of enough space or something like that, although they approved originally the sign and everything on it. And every time we get different answers."

... I mean, except for the whole "support the murder of the imperialist infidel" vibe, but otherwise ...

Man, even when the DNCC does something right, they don't do it right.

(Via Bluemerle)

PS - Make sure you check out Al Jazeera's musical cartoon shout out to Micheal Moore, set to a jazzy version of Santa Claus is coming to town. (no direct link - go to the cartoon link on the bottom left portion of the page)

Not Ace. He's been sporting an erection for at least the last 48 hours. All it took was a little deluded rationalization from Andy Sullivan.

In related news:

Mr. Sullivan,

I used to consider you one of the most eloquent defenders of the realm and perhaps the most relevant pundit in the 'sphere regarding the war on terror. It feels like no less than a betrayal that your highly emotional attachment to a personal issue has caused you to abandon your prioritization of an aggressive strategy against terrorism. Given your previous statements on the absolute vitality of the matter, everything that you have ever written and everything that you will ever write will have its credibility severely questioned. Changing your mind is one thing; offering up a series of half-baked rationalizations that ignore the heart of your decision is another matter altogether.

Sincerely,

Bill from INDC

BREAKING UPDATE:

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Ok, pro-lifers. Have at the amazing stupidity of this product with (nearly all) the rhetoric in the world and I probably won't give you any crap.

Coming soon:

Rape shirts, incest shirts and shirts that declare pride for a whole host of private diseases, actions, family problems and mental conditions.

UPDATE: Planned Parenthood took the page down after getting Drudge-lanched. Score another one for the Google cache ...

I blogged this a few days ago, but I'm bringing it to the top because I want to make ABSOLUTELY SURE that you all listen to this song's REALLY SUPER-DUPER IMPORTANT and extremely complex foreign policy message. Thank you.

PS - If only Paul Wolfowitz could have heard this paean to peace ...

We can build a bridge for peace
Instead of aiming to destroy
Schools and farms and helping hands
Are a cause for joy!
Joy, joy, joy!

PSS - GET IT OUT OF MY HEAD! IT'S A VIRUS! WE HATESSS IT, WE HAATES IT!

But I'll take this pledge, something that I've already been thinking about in the event that Kerry wins the election ... somewhat. I'll still make fun of him and probably vociferously criticize his policies, but I will never cross the line to shadenfraude at missteps in his foreign policy. The left's current tendency to committ this sin is the most repellent thing about America's current political climate.

It's certainly the factor that's pushed me to the right.

While making my regular cruise around the red light district of the blogosphere, I stumbled across this little exchange about the Atkins Diet:

How are the constant heart attacks? Annoying?

Posted by Russell Wardlow | permalink
on 07/24 at 04:21 PM

They burn calories, what with all the clutching and rolling around.

My cholesterol has dropped 87 pts, actually. Thank Zocor.

Posted by Jeff Goldstein | permalink
on 07/24 at 04:25 PM

Not so fast with the Zocor-love; Jeff also might want to thank Atkins.

No matter what your hidebound family doctor or cardiologist says, dietary cholesterol does not directly translate into the cholesterol that shows up when you take a fasting blood test. And the Atkins diet does not simply work because cutting carbs causes you to start winning the calorie equation (calories eaten - calories burned). In reality, it changes your body's metabolism and causes you to lose weight through a variety of factors. Despite the quarts of hollandaise sauce, Jeff G's cholesterol may have dropped because of the Atkins (in addition to the statin drug), not in spite of it.

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My first piece of fan mail from the cartoon that ran in the LA Times:

Date: 7/25/2004 15:17:08 -0500
From: Kent Hancock jkhancock0@netscape.net
To: bill@indcjournal.com
Subject: You Suck

What kind of moron are you? No wonder I had never heard of you until the
L.A. Times published your address. You suck man.

Thanks for reading and taking the time to write, Ken!

UPDATE: --

ANOTHER UPDATE: Update deleted. For the children.

Take The Pledge
Disagree with a blogger that you respect today.

And do so at least once a week.

Got it pretty much covered.

Man, a lot of people are sure giving this guy a bunch of shit because he's quitting football at age 27. So what? He made his money, he doesn't want to play football, he likes to smoke weed ... have at it. He's not your trained football monkey. Good for him.

PS - If I become incredibly wealthy and decide to retire from the world of marketing and advertising, I hope that these same folks won't be nearly as critical of me as I'm hanging up the Excel spreadsheets.

UPDATE: Arguing With Signposts takes a similarly nonplussed approach:

In his own convoluted way, Ricky Williams is following a path blazed by the late Pat Tillman: follow your star, not the world's.

Ok, maybe his particular star is less noble and a little hazy through all of the ganja smoke, but it's his life.

Please send me a copy of today's LA Times ... e-mail me for my address. I'll hit your Paypal or something.

UPDATE: Nevermind. I found a Borders that sells the LA Times and found my cartoon. Frankly, it's so downsized that I'm having trouble telling if it's a drawing of John Kerry or just an inkblot with poofy hair. So much for my burgeoning career in cartooning. Back to the writing board ...

I looked for my cartoon on the LA Times web site, but all I found was this (the story with no graphics). During the course of reading the piece, I spotted this gem:

10 "Bush made no mention [in his attack on Castro for encouraging sex toursim] of the influx of prostitutes … expected in New York during the week of the Republican Convention."

Dave Pell, writing on electablog.com

My first thought was that this is one of the most predictable cases of selective anti-Bush nutbaggery that I've seen in some time. It assumes at least one of the following points:

A. Bush is somehow loosely associated with the influx of prostitutes?
B. That the same influx isn't happening in Boston for the Democratic National Convention (it is)
C. That by virtue of this fact, any Democrat or Republican that speaks out about a dehumanizing sex trade in Cuba is a hypocrite
D. Or that we have to laugh at tee-hee incongruities because they involve policy speeches, politicians and sex.

Of course, Mr. Pell is credentialed for the Democratic National Convention. No word on whether he's planning on using the services of a prostitute.

Then I realized that the LA Times may have chopped the quote and used the most incendiary post that they could find his site (like they did with my Kerry cartoon), in order to fulfill the narrative of the blogger story. So I checked out the full quote from his blog:

Sex Tourism
In what could turn out to be the biggest Spring Break boost in Cuba's history, President Bush offered an out of context misquote from a 14 year-old old Fidel Castro speech:

"The dictator welcomes sex tourism. Here's how he bragged about the industry. This is his quote: 'Cuba has the cleanest and most educated prostitutes in the world.'"

Bush made no mention of the influx of prostitutes (one hopes clean, educated is fine too) expected in New York during the week of the Republican Convention.

Not much different, but after scanning the rest of the site, I realized that it's a just a snarky, throwaway joke. Mr. Pell defends Castro's quote as "out-of-context" and then doesn't bother to provide the context, and takes a hee-hee cheap shot at Bush because he had the gall to speak out about Cuba's sex trade, which flourishes particularly well on the island as a result of Cuba's heavy economic dependence on foreign tourism and currency, coupled with the collapse of lucrative employment opportunities in more traditionally noble professions.

Nice cheap shot, buddy. Leave the semi-humorous faux-incongruencies sculpted to fulfill cheap joke narratives to Wonkette. Oh, also leave her the prostitution angle, will you? She's an expert.

I also spotted this snippet regarding the Berger case:

Would any voter really reconsider a voting choice because one of the candidates's advisors (and in Kerry's case, there are hundreds of them) was involved in something this odd? Probably not.

The selective cognition is killing me. Imagine if one of Bush's advisors (and in Bush's case, there are also hundreds of them) got busted stealing code word documents on the eve of a report designed to assign potentially politically destructive blame for the 9-11 attacks.

Do you really think that no one would care? Or that the media would bury the story? Or that Mr. Pell would blog about the matter as something to be merely regarded as "odd?"

Disturbingly selective cognition, I tell ya.

Sometimes I employ dismissive partisan language during the course of blogging, like snide references to "left-wing," or "liberal." Sometimes I feel bad for this; after all, noble and reasonable people can represent both conservative and liberal ideologies, and I have a liberal streak a mile wide: I'm not religious, I generally support gay marriage, I'm pro-choice, etc., etc., etc. And casually throwing around derogatory terms, while economical, can also sound unthinking and ignorant.

But you know what? Here's the face of the Democratic Party:

Moulitsas, who will be blogging from Boston, Massachusetts, site of the Democratic convention, works closely with the party. He says he has raised more than $400,000 for Democratic candidates.

This awkward, self-loathing font of conspiratorial hate is a popular Democratic activist and fundraiser. He is the poster boy for Dem National Convention blogging. His name is Kos, and he sees a profit motive behind every Bush Administration action and expresses shadenfraude at American difficulty in Iraq, largely because such paranoid unthinking reflexes validate all of the fundamental assumptions that make his world spin.

He can shower, shave, slick himself down with Loreal styling gel and put on a nice brown suit, but that will never change the fact that this respectable face of the Democratic establishment had the instinct to say "screw them" after the murder and dismemberment of Americans in Fallujah, just because the men that were killed were well-compensated and worked for large corporations.

And I can cite many, many other examples of unsavory left-wing behavior that aren't merely associated with far leftist ANSWER and Democratic Underground moonbats, rather the legitimate representatives of the Democratic party, including the Democratic National Committee Chairman and the Democratic Senate and House leadership.

By virtue of siding with the Republicans, I have to indirectly embrace loose associations with some far-right elements that I don't agree with (vehemently) on many issues, but nowhere in the official hierarchy of my chosen party can I find such examples of depraved, frothy extremism. I'll take 10 Rick Santorums or Tom Delays over one Kos, Terry Mcauliffe, Jim McDermott, Robert Byrd, Al Gore or Maxine Waters, any damn day of the week.

So from now on, let's get something straight: whenever anyone reads INDC Journal and sees me derisively employ the terms "left-wing," "Democrat" or "liberal" as a dismissive throwaway, please, please understand: I don't unconsciously employ these terms as an ignorant partisan automaton ...

I employ these terms out of a carefully considered disgust for the official representatives of the Democratic Party's establishment.

The results from this week's Watcher's Council are in, and the winners are ...

Non-Council Link:

Gray Lady Spins It Hard For Kerry, Berger, by Captain's Quarters

Council Link:

Government Health Hell Care, by The SmarterCop (My pick - a nice piece on the lessons learned from the Canadian healthcare system)

Congrats to the winners. My amateur Kerry sketch got buried this week! Damn you Watchers Council, damn you all! At least the LA Times likes me ... or just wants to use my incendiary cartoon to fulfill a partisan media narrative ... or something.

The full results and scoring of the voting can be found here.

Also, if you bloggers have a post that you are particularly proud of, you can enter the Watcher's contest by sending him a link to your crowning post and following these rules. Great way to get exposure; don't complain about no one linking you if you don't bother to write something good enough to compete in this contest!

"It's an improvement in the method of approaching the Tour de France -- more professional, more rigorous, more methodical," race director Jean-Marie Leblanc said. "In a word, more American."

Damn skippy.

Spotted in his comments to the Urban League:

See, our most solemn duty is to protect the American people. That's our most solemn duty. It's a duty brought upon us not at our asking, because we were attacked unmercifully by people who hate what we stand for. They hate the fact that we can have free dialogue just like this. They hate the fact that there's open discourse. They hate the fact that we're a free society where people can worship any way they see fit.

They hate the idea that we welcome people who worship God and we welcome people who don't worship God. They can't stand the thought that we're a society that says, if you choose to worship, you're equally American, if you're a Christian, Jew, or Muslim.

But, but ... I thought that Bush is on a crusade to eliminate the Christian unbelievers? This must be a cynical ploy to woo the 6% atheist vote.

Also not to be missed is his suprisingly candid pitch to black voters:

Do you remember a guy named Charlie Gaines? Somebody gave me a quote he said, which I think kind of describes the environment we're in today. I think he's a friend of Jesse's. He said, "Blacks are gagging on the donkey but not yet ready to swallow the elephant." (Laughter and applause.)

Now that was said a while ago. (Laughter.) I believe you've got to earn the vote and seek it. I think you've got to go to people and say, this is my heart, this is what I believe, and I'd like your help. And as I do, I'm going to ask African American voters to consider some questions.

Does the Democrat party take African American voters for granted? (Applause.) It's a fair question. I know plenty of politicians assume they have your vote. But do they earn it and do they deserve it? (Applause.) Is it a good thing for the African American community to be represented mainly by one political party? That's a legitimate question. (Applause.) How is it possible to gain political leverage if the party is never forced to compete? (Applause.) Have the traditional solutions of the Democrat party truly served the African American community?

Has a star-studded guest panel on NRANEWS.com coming up shortly at 4 PM ...

... syndicated columnist Michelle Malkin, Kerry Spot reporter Jim Gerahty, and Jake from Smack My Booty. Is it wrong of me to hope that both Jim and Michelle say the name of Jake's blog on the air?

Heh.

I'm not really sure:

"Saddam Hussein and Osama bin Laden tied for fourth place on a list of most admired world leaders. Jacques Chirac of France was first on that list, despite a ban on Muslim headscarves in French schools. Gamal Abdel Nasser, the long-deceased Egyptian nationalist who went to war with Israel, was No. 2, followed by Hasan Nasrallah, the leader of Hezbollah in Lebanon."

Chirac must be truly proud.

Very possible.

(Via the bandwith-deficient Cam Edwards)

Date: 7/23/2004 16:31:41 +0000
From: "Bridge for Peace ..." bridgeforpeace@hotmail.com
To: bill@indcjournal.com
Subject: article

Did you write this?

http://www.indcjournal.com/archives/000485.php

That's it. Interesting.

UPDATE: Could the e-mail be from these intrepid musicians?

(Thanks to the comment from reader Tmarcell - It's actually pretty catchy - and it does sound like a slow motion version of Cum on Feel the Noize!)

Bridge for Peace?

Let's compare:

Cum on feel The Noize (scroll a third of the page down and listen to the sample track)

vs.

Bridge for Peace

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Mort Kondracke's wife Millie has died of Parkinson's disease. He wrote about their struggle in a book titled Saving Millie, and has been a tireless champion of the search for a cure.

Michelle Malkin has an excerpt from a feature written about Mort and Millie's struggle:

In his book, Saving Millie, Kondracke said that, after the diagnosis, he determined to be a loving husband and help Millie fight the disease. "I decided that my career was now secondary as the purpose of my life. I did not know what helping Milly fight Parkinson's might involve, and I did not want to know. . . . I was afraid that if I had a forecast of how bad things could become I might shrink from the ordeal. I figured I would simply deal with whatever happened, as it happened.
...
I will, I must, play the hand that's dealt me and trust in God to help me do the right thing." Mort prays repeatedly throughout the day and reports that he asks God, "What's my purpose here?" He admits to hoping each time that there will be a new and important mission for him, but the answer, he says, is always, "Take care of Millie." In the process, Mort says, "I've become a different, better person -- someone I never expected to be. I have put someone else's happiness ahead of my own advancement."

Here's hoping that he continues his vital mission in a new way. R.I.P Millie, and my sincere condolences to the man that I have long considered the fairest and most respectable pundit on TV.

UPDATE: From the WaPo report:

Mrs. Kondracke, who counseled clients in private practice during the 1980s and 1990s and later turned to political activism to wrest medical research money from Congress, was the subject of the book "Saving Milly: Love, Politics and Parkinson's Disease" (2001).

In it, her husband, Roll Call executive editor Morton Kondracke quoted her testimony to the Senate Special Committee on Aging in 1995 about the ravages of the disease.

"I want to tell you that I live in fear every day that I won't be able to talk or walk, that I'll fall, that I'll be unable to move. I fear that my face will be frozen, that I won't be able to swallow. . . . I was never sick. I was always healthy. I didn't drink or smoke or eat too much. I exercised. But now I live in fear every single day of my life," she said.

Joan I. Samuelson, director of the Parkinson's Action Network, said Mrs. Kondracke had flashing brown eyes and the ability to project the personal toll exacted by the disease. She was "enormously consequential" as a lobbyist for increased funding for research into Parkinson's disease through the National Institutes of Health and for federal support for stem cell research, Samuelson said.

(Via Bit'sBlog)

In the wake of my DNCC disinvite, I've done interviews with CBS Marketwatch, AP, NYT, Wash Times and others. In every interview, I've made sure to mention the fact that the Dems are holding forth Kos as their convention-blogging poster boy, even though he was very publicly delinked from the Kerry campaign web site after his disturbing "Screw Them" comments regarding the private security contractors that were killed and horrifically dismembered in Fallujah last March.

Well thankfully, James Taranto and some others have picked up the ball and run with the story. In Kos's dishonor, let's take a stroll down memory lane and look at some previous INDC blogging that took place during the heart of the scandal ...

E-Mailing Kos: Part 1 (Successful attempt at dialogue)

E-Mailing Kos: Part 2 (Unsuccessful attempt at dialogue)

Open Season (Gloves off)

INDC Presents Heroes of the Fifth Column: Markos Moulitsas Zúniga (INDC Cartoon)

Delusional, Messianic Ass**** Watch (Fisking of creepy messiah/victim complex)

My brief involvement in the scandal (getting Kos to e-mail me back) was my first blogospheric break. Enjoy.

(Thanks to readers madmark and Toby for pointing me to the Taranto piece)

UPDATE: And no, none of the media outlets were interested in the Kos link (perhaps the WaTimes reporter, haven't seen his article yet). The NYT reporter predictably answered enthusiastically "Oh yeah, I know Kos!" Why, of course you do ...

You mean there are more? Another generation? Well I hope they worked the bugs out of this version. Looks pretty good so far ...

Congrats and good luck to the beta testers.

* Alternately titled, "Oh Those Poor Unwitting Brainwashed Killbots That Have Been Suckered by the Lies for Oiiiiil of Chimpy McShrubbenBush and His Hallibechtel Cronies" ... for my left-wing reader.

(Via Daleks via the Llamas)

UPDATE: WOW! Jeff Goldstein just found a picture of the very same guys holding up a different sign! And from the looks of it, they've read INDC's "Moonbats in the Mist." Awesome!

Ace deconstructs Josh Marshall's thought process (or unthinking, self-deluded instinct) rather well:

Even Joshua Micah Cougar Mellencamp Marshall admits that Berger's behavior is "inexplicable," which is partisan, defensive way to say "his behavior cannot be explained by anything other than deliberate and premeditated criminal intent, and that his motives for engaging in such willfully, knowing criminal behavoir are frankly too embarassing and damaging for me to even speculate about, so I'll refer to all this top-secret-document-thieving-behavior under the gauzy, vague, and even slightly cute rubric of being 'inexplicable.'"

Yup. And "inexplicable" is such a pensive word. Just the type of adjective that suits a man that sports a prominently-employed middle name and post-post-ironic Lisa Loeb eyewear.

The rest of the post analyzes Berger's potential motivations for boosting the top secret documents. I choose this theory:

5. He took the documents for the simplest reason, and the only one which seems to make sense, given the risks he was running: He took the documents so that others wouldn't see them.

Stealing information is one thing; subsequently losing or destroying it is another matter altogether.

I'm quite comfortable with this.

Headline on the homepage of WaPo.com:

Documentaries Still Turn Left
It's the one form of media that liberals continue to dominate.
–Tommy Nguyen

Well thank goodness for that one bastion of liberal bias! And while we're on the homepage ... does anyone see a follow-up news story about former Clinton NSA and Kerry advisor Sandy Berger stealing top secret code word documents from the National Archives? Let's check:

No? That's on Page A06 you say? What about the Joe Wilson scandal, was that ever on the homepage? No? Ok, just checking.

I recorded this special message for Tommy Nguyen and the online editor of the Washington Post.

Sources inform me that INDC's pleasant Kerry sketch (why DNCC, why?!) is going to be printed in the editorial section of the Sunday Los Angeles Times, in a feature about bloggers. It's not high art, but I guess it helps fulfill a narrative. If anyone in the SoCal region can send me a copy or whathaveyou ... I have no idea if it will be published in the online edition, and they scoff at West Coast newspapers at our elitist DC newstands.

I just googled my name to see where the DNCC blogger story has popped up, and it seems that Adult Video News Online picked up the story ... what the Hell? I'll excerpt it so you don't have to click and get outed as a perv by your job's omniscient tracking software.

Ruh-roh. The Democrats made a boo-boo, having to rescind national convention coverage invitations to 20 bloggers, saying – as convention spokeswoman Peggy Wilhide put it – that they "accidentally" accredited more people (50) than the Fleet Center in Boston had space to accommodate. And at least two of the disinvited smell a rat. "If my guess is correct," said INDCJournal.com editor Bill Ardolino, "an after-action review of the content of my site caused them to disinvite me. I always expected they would review the political leanings of the bloggers." The official Democratic National Convention blogger, Eric Schnure, denies the accusation. "Our error," he said, "was one of pure logistics and not political leanings. Take us at our word."…

If any porn stars are reading, I'd like to welcome you to INDC Journal! For the record, I've defended you from overwrought socially conservative hyperbole in the past. And I'm perfectly willing to write film reviews, if you'd like to send me product.

Wizbang is all over this story, in case you're looking for a nice round-up of details.

Well, this is certainly titillating:

Third, it appears that Berger's "inadvertent" actions clearly aroused the suspicion of the professional staff at the Archives. Staff members there are said to have seen Berger concealing the papers; they became so concerned that they set up what was in effect a small sting operation to catch him. And sure enough, Berger took some more. Those witnesses went to their superiors, who ultimately went to the Justice Department. (There was no surveillance camera in the room in which Berger worked with the documents, meaning there is no videotape record of the incidents.)

I mean, if you're the type of person that gets off on political shadenfraude, that is ... (yes, that describes me)

I see that someone else shares my sick fetish:

Did you take those doc-u-ments?
Did you hide them, Sandy-man?

I did not hide them, Justice Man

Did you take them just by chance?
Did you stuff them in your pants?
Perhaps I took them ... just by chance.
Mayhap they ended in my pants.

UPDATE: More brilliant Sandy Berger poetry here. A "must-read."

Celebrities from across the land mourn freedom of speech as a chill wind continues to crush dissent in "John Ashcroft's Amerikkka." Note to idiotic celebs: People may get angry at you for what you say; this does not mean that you are somehow being denied the right to say it.

In what's shaping up as one of the nastiest presidential races in decades, Bush-bashing is turning into an en vogue celebrity sport.

But unsolicited anti-Bush rhetoric, which appears to be spinning out of control, is alienating both Republicans and Democrats.

Correct. I can barely turn on the damn television without absorbing some form of incessant Bush-bashing. In a recent channel-surfing expedition, I watched Seymour Hersh spew incendiary rhetoric on CNN and changed the channel ... which led me to a Fahrenheit 9/11 commercial, followed by an MTV Choose or Lose vignette with a clear spin against the war ... at which point, I flipped to HBO, and (phew!) watched a nice behind the scenes special about the making of Spiderman 2. About 5 minutes into it, Doc Ock and Kirsten Dunst made a pitch to defeat George Bush when queried about what they might wish for if they could ask anything of a real Spiderman.

- Click -

TV off.

''Artists like to see themselves as anti-war,'' he says. ''Being a pacifist comes with the territory.''

Fahrenheit 9/11 has further rallied celebs, many who "'aren't deep intellectual thinkers,'' Brinkley says.

Hear that, Jon Stewart? Brinkley is talking about you, dumbass.

On a brighter note, do go check out Comedy Central's new show, Crossballs. Duped real pundits spar with comedians faking outrageous punditry. For a sample, watch this real pundit begin to lose her mind as the comedian talks about teaching children to smoke pot.

And is Pac-man really homophobic?

Those clips aren't really the best highlights, but they'll give you a good grasp of the show. Good stuff. Certainly more relevant than Crossfire.

The DNCC stopped answering my e-mails after telling me that they'd "see what they can do," about my travel cancellation fees, but a couple of days ago, I get this:

Date: 7/19/2004 13:29:22 -0700
From: "Democratic National Convention News" newsletter@dems2004.org
To: bill@indcjournal.com
Subject: Convention Countdown: 7 Days to Go!

Convention Countdown: 7 Days to Go!
July 19, 2004

Visit our web site:
http://www.dems2004.org

In this issue...

From East to West: A Note from Convention Chair Bill Richardson (#1)
From Coast to Coast, Latino Delegates Ready to Shine (#2)
DNCC Grants Coverage Access to Bloggers (#3)
Six Hundred Attend Media Walkthrough (#4)
Local Youth Groups to Perform at Convention (#5)

Etc., etc., etc.

They invite me, they disinvite me, they lead me around by the nose about reimbursement, and they can't even take me off their distribution list? Talk about adding insult to injury.

So you want to talk about Vietnam, eh John?

At times they had personally raped, cut off ears, cut off heads, taped wires from portable telephones to human genitals and turned up the power, cut off limbs, blown up bodies, randomly shot at civilians, razed villages in fashion reminiscent of Genghis Khan, shot cattle and dogs for fun, poisoned food stocks, and generally ravaged the countryside of South Vietnam in addition to the normal ravage of war, and the normal and very particular ravaging which is done by the applied bombing power of this country.

-- John Kerry

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