What Pat O'Brien Hath Wrought.

Be advised, these are calls from drunks, so, you know, they're not really very careful about their language.

Via Florida Cracker, who posts this: Did anyone hear that Chris Penn had died at age 43?

I didn't. I guess that was during my time away from the computer.

Posted by: Ace at 12:21 PM | Comments (17)
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A psychologist speculates on why people feel freer about harsh "flaming" on line.

The Internet inadvertently undermines the quality of human interaction, allowing destructive emotional impulses freer reign under specific circumstances. The reason is a neural fluke that results in cyber-disinhibition of brain systems that keep our more unruly urges in check. The tech problem: a major disconnect between the ways our brains are wired to connect, and the interface offered in online interactions.

Communication via the Internet can mislead the brain's social systems. The key mechanisms are in the prefrontal cortex; these circuits instantaneously monitor ourselves and the other person during a live interaction, and automatically guide our responses so they are appropriate and smooth. A key mechanism for this involves circuits that ordinarily inhibit impulses for actions that would be rude or simply inappropriate — or outright dangerous.

In order for this regulatory mechanism to operate well, we depend on real-time, ongoing feedback from the other person. The Internet has no means to allow such realtime feedback (other than rarely used two-way audio/video streams). That puts our inhibitory circuitry at a loss — there is no signal to monitor from the other person. This results in disinhibition: impulse unleashed.

Dude, if what you're trying to say is "If people spoke to each other in real life the way they sometimes do on-line, they would see fists clutching and veins throbbing, and would know they'd better shut up unless they want to get smacked right in the piehole," then you're right.

There's more to it than that. The simple fact you're facing a real human being creates empathy, and, for most, a desire not to inflict pain. Obviously, that sort of empathetic feedback isn't available when you're addressing a word called "Tubino" floating in the ether.

But avoiding getting smacked... that's a big part of it too.

I don't know. Seems he's using a lot of them big "college-words" to explain something pretty simple.

Thanks to Insty.

Posted by: Ace at 12:08 PM | Comments (34)
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Oh, for the love of everything holy. This isn't racism!

A gubernatorial candidate challenging pro football Hall of Famer Lynn Swann in the Republican primary fired his campaign manager after the man told a televised call-in show: “The rich white guy in this campaign is Lynn Swann.”

I'm much more interested in Swann for governor than this Scranton feller, but please! That's not racist! It may be dumb, and there's no way to sell it ("I'm really the poor black guy in this contest") but how is it racist to attempt to impugn a black guy by likening him to a rich white guy?

If anything, it's racist against whites, but of course it's not that either. It was just some dumb spin that has no chance of convincing anyone. But offensive? Racist? Give me a break.

This isn't even the insulting "Uncle Tom"/"Oreo" thing. He's just trying (absurdly) to take away Swann's underdog status by reminding everyone he's rich and not disadvantaged at all.

How. Freaking. Stupid. The cause of tolerance is not served by trivializing "racism" down to absurd levels.

Audio at the link above.

Meanwhile... Another rich white guy intends to challenge former Klansman Robert C. Byrd.

John Raese, 55, said he would campaign on a platform touting free enterprise and reduced regulation, among other issues. "What I'm going to run on is a rebirth of capitalism," he said.

...

Though four other Republicans are running in the party primary, the GOP committee called Raese "the first financially credible opponent Byrd has faced since 1982."

Robert C. Byrd immediately announced, "I am the real poor black man running in this race... the true vine-swingin' savage of the darkest jungles of Africa, threatening to taint the American nation with my mongrelized blood."

Barack Obama immediately called him "a great man for identifying so closely with black folks."

Posted by: Ace at 11:34 AM | Comments (25)
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Unless they renounce violence (giggle) and recognize Israel's right to exist (chortle), of course.

Good Condi:

Earlier Thursday, Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice said, "our position on Hamas has therefore not changed."

Hamas "cannot have one foot in politics and another in terror," Rice said from the State Department via video hookup to the World Economic Conference in Davos, Switzerland.

Bad Condi:

"Palestinian people have apparently voted for change, but we believe their aspirations for peace and a peaceful life remain unchanged," she said.

Um, well, you're right, their "aspirations for peace" do in fact remain unchanged, in the sense that they never had any before and never will for the foreseeable future.

It's over. Finish the wall, quarrantine like they've been infected with some horrible disease (which they have been -- a kind of viral psychopathy), and let them stew in their own hatred and squalor.

Surprise! Europe Is Actually "Disquieted" By Hamas Victory: For all these years, they really thought the Palestinians didn't support terrorism:

European leaders, whose countries are major financial donors to the Palestinian Authority, registered disquiet verging on hostility towards the Hamas triumph in the Palestinian elections today.

Yet, confronted with a Middle East that seemed once again to have redrawn its political contours, they held back from publicly threatening to sever the hundreds of millions of aid dollars they provide each year to Palestinian institutions.

And none of them criticized the Palestinian democracy that appeared to yield the opposite of the moderation they avowedly sought to nurture.

Yep. Europeans by gosh have themselves a more "nuanced" and "realistic" view of the world than us dumb Americans, that's fer darn sure.

Posted by: Ace at 11:28 AM | Comments (42)
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I don't know them personally, but I have a feeling they kind of do stuff just for attention:

Kanchana Ketkaew, 36, who set a world record in 2002 for spending 32 days in a glass cage with 3,400 scorpions, plans to wed 29-year-old Bunthawee Siengwong -- who set a Thai record for enduring 28 days with 1,000 centipedes.

...

They will wear bloodstained wedding clothes and partake in a traditional Thai ceremony in which elders bless the couple with holy water, Somporn said. But instead of following Thai tradition and heading to a "wedding room" after exchanging vows, the pair plans to climb into a coffin to consummate their union.

How did these two manage to remain single for so long?

When I get married, I just want something simple. Just a few friends, close family members, and a reenactment of the Vulcan Betrothal Ceremony from Amok Time. Me and the best man will fight it out with Vulcan halberds, and then back to a tastefully decorated cave for some hot p'rong farr.*

Classy and understated.

* No, I don't know the Vulcan word for sex. And if you do, you should be ashamed of yourself.

Posted by: Ace at 10:42 AM | Comments (30)
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Great article about Iran's maniacally mannichean president and his struggles against -- get this -- the mullahs who are more moderate than he is.

Ahmadinejad thinks he's caught the mullahs skimming $100 million billion from Iran's oil sales. And he might actually move to install his own handpicked Supreme Leader in favor of the current one.

Which may explain some recent unpleasantness:

Both Rafsanjani and Khatami have orchestrated a campaign of character assassination against Ahmadinejad in recent months designed to paint him as a delusional figure who believes that the Hidden Imam guided him through a September speech before the United Nations.

The mullahs may also have gone beyond character assassination. On January 9, a military plane crash killed 11 top commanders in Iran's Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC), which has been a key source of support for Ahmadinejad. General Ahmad Kazemi, the commander of IRGC's ground forces, died in the crash, as did a number of other military notables.

Although an IRGC spokesman blamed bad weather and dilapidated engines, the private intelligence company Stratfor has noted that while negligent maintenance is "a plausible explanation for the crash," there are several reasons to suspect foul play. One reason is the political context surrounding the crash: Not only was Ahmadinejad's election controversial, but also his recent bomb throwing has "stirred up noticeable hints of dissent within the ruling regime." Moreover, because the Falcon aircraft that crashed carried some of Iran's top military commanders, it "would undergo thorough tests for technical issues before flight."

Thanks to OgreGunner.

Posted by: Ace at 10:32 AM | Comments (11)
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That's Two or Three's headline.

Yeah... so, like, now? We might have to effectively ban OTC asthma inhalers because, like, it hurts the ozone layer and stuff? Or something?

I like the ozone layer and all the cute animals and stuff. Seriously. The earth is a great place, among my very favorite planets, and I heartily recommend that Moby and Margaret Cho check it out sometime (schedules permitting, of course).

But do you know what else I like? Human beings. I'd prefer it if they didn't die for want of a cheap disposable inhaler. Call me crazy.

Posted by: Ace at 10:19 AM | Comments (16)
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So, his spokeswoman likened bloggers to fire ants, stinging in groups.

So f'n' what?

I continue to support Shadegg, and I don't like Blunt much, but please, let's not make this personal and act like spoiled bitch-brats when someone returns fire on us. Q & O dissed Blunt; so, Blunt's camp disses bloggers.

Are the legions of us who trade in snark and stinging criticisms all day above a very gentle bit of ribbing ourselves?

Mike Krepansky attempts to make a larger point:

Way to build bridges with one of the most important emerging constituencies of the GOP. What would you people have done in the early 90's, pick fights with conservative talk radio hosts and call them nasty names? Genius.

But no dice. We ain't that big yet, and criticizing a fuddy-duddy politician for not knowing what blogging's all about is like... well, it's like Maureen Dowd ripping into George Bush for not watching Sex & The City. Personally, I don't want my elected leaders knowing what all the kids are into these days. A politician who says "I just can't live without my iPod" ain't getting my vote, that's for sure.

That said, Shadegg is preferable, and Red State is right to suggest people call their congressmen and urge them to support him.

Posted by: Ace at 10:02 AM | Comments (13)
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Whoa! Talk about overselling a story with a hyperbolic headline! I'm starting to get why the media uses headlines to really rev up the bias and slant -- because it's fun! And easy!

The headline is too much, really, but the story does softly support it:

China is preparing to "strike hard" against rising public unrest, a senior police official said according to state media on Thursday, highlighting the government's fears for stability even as the economy booms.

Prosperity tends to undermine the government's power, not enhance it. The more rich people there are, the more loci of power, the more they struggle against each other and the government. Resulting in the middle and lower classes being left alone more.

An unnamed top official of China's Ministry of Public Security told a Wednesday meeting that China faced a long period of dangerous social discontent, Xinhua news agency said.

"For a considerable time to come, our country will be in a period of pronounced contradictions within the people, high crime rates, and complex struggle against enemies," the official said.

"Contradictions within the people" is a Maoist term used to describe domestic social unrest.

China was suffering many "major sudden incidents" -- a term Chinese officials use to cover riots, protests and accidents -- the official added.

"Unpredictable factors affecting social stability will increase, and trends in protecting social stability don't allow for optimism," said the official.

...

Last week, China's Ministry of Public Security put the total number of "mass incidents" -- riots, demonstrations and smaller protests -- at a total 87,000 last year, up 6.6 percent from 2004.

A major reason for these "mass incidents"? They're seizing farmers' lands without adequate compensation.

That's the trouble with private property. Once someone has something, he has something to fight for.

Keep it up. I likes it.

Posted by: Ace at 09:36 AM | Comments (10)
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So says now the number two man in Saddam's air force, who claims he was told of the transfers by "very good friends" who served as pilots on the smuggling mission.

Before you get your hopes up-- he just happens to have a book coming out.

The man who served as the no. 2 official in Saddam Hussein's air force says Iraq moved weapons of mass destruction into Syria before the war by loading the weapons into civilian aircraft in which the passenger seats were removed.

The Iraqi general, Georges Sada, makes the charges in a new book, "Saddam's Secrets," released this week. He detailed the transfers in an interview yesterday with The New York Sun.

...

Mr. Sada, 65, told the Sun that the pilots of the two airliners that transported the weapons of mass destruction to Syria from Iraq approached him in the middle of 2004, after Saddam was captured by American troops.

"I know them very well. They are very good friends of mine. We trust each other. We are friends as pilots," Mr. Sada said of the two pilots. He declined to disclose their names, saying they are concerned for their safety. But he said they are now employed by other airlines outside Iraq.

The pilots told Mr. Sada that two Iraqi Airways Boeings were converted to cargo planes by removing the seats, Mr. Sada said. Then Special Republican Guard brigades loaded materials onto the planes, he said, including "yellow barrels with skull and crossbones on each barrel." The pilots said there was also a ground convoy of trucks.

The flights - 56 in total, Mr. Sada said - attracted little notice because they were thought to be civilian flights providing relief from Iraq to Syria, which had suffered a flood after a dam collapse in June of 2002.

Eh. Some people tell tall tales for money. We've heard such "secrets" before.

The WMDs may be in Syria. But I don't think one man's say-so proves that proposition.

Update: Laurie Byrd thinks this report, unverified though it is, does fit in with other evidence about a Syria smuggle.

She also links this bit from Right Wing Nuthouse. It's been mentioned before, but it's worth quoting again.

The CIA’s chief weapons inspector said he cannot rule out the possibility that Iraqi weapons of mass destruction were secretly shipped to Syria before the March 2003 invasion, citing “sufficiently credible” evidence that WMDs may have been moved there.

Inspector Charles Duelfer, who heads the Iraq Survey Group (ISG), made the findings in an addendum to his final report filed last year. He said the search for WMD in Iraq—the main reason President Bush went to war to oust Saddam Hussein—has been exhausted without finding such weapons. Iraq had stockpiles of chemical and biological weapons in the early 1990s.

But on the question of Syria, Mr. Duelfer did not close the books. “ISG was unable to complete its investigation and is unable to rule out the possibility that WMD was evacuated to Syria before the war,” Mr. Duelfer said in a report posted on the CIA’s Web site Monday night.

He's got more than that, too.

Who Is Georges Sada? Mark in Mexico has an extensive bio and clippings from the net.

He seems like a decent guy. For example, he fought Qusay Hussein's order to kill captured American pilots:

On Jan. 24, (2001) Qusai first ordered the POWs executed. When Sada balked, Qusai accused him of disobeying the orders of the president.

Sada tried to reason with Qusai, reminding him that even the prophet Muhammad once said that if prisoners of war learned 10 verses of the Koran, they could be set free. This only angered Qusai, who threatened to put the POWs in areas being bombed by American forces. Sada urged him not to use them as human shields. He kept turning to the Geneva Convention, which made Qusai angrier still.

"This was the end," Sada thought. "And I knew something was going to happen to me."

He was right. Qusai pitched him into a cell in the same prison as the POWs, and Sada wondered if his head would be separated from his body at last. But even locked up, Sada still had his contacts check on the POW pilots, making sure they were still alive.

After 12 days, Sada finally found a way to reach Qusai: He made the war personal.

"If you kill the pilots," Sada told him, "you will have new war between America and your family. They'll come and kill your father, your brother...." He ticked off Hussein family members.

"After that," Sada says, "he was changed. He thought twice."

Finally, Sada was released from prison. A few weeks later, the war ended and Eberly and the other POWs were released. Battered physically and mentally, they returned home in early March.

Still, as Powerline notes, character references just aren't enough to establish something as big as this.

For now, file it under "Stuff That's Too Good To Be True. Unless It's Proven."

Laurie Byrd is right, though-- if the political situation were reversed, the media would be running with this story without confirmation. And of course all the lefty blogs would be declaring a new Fitzmas -- maybe an Easter Sada.

But just because they, like Fox Mulder, "want to believe," doesn't mean we should emulate the, uhhh, "reality-based community."

Posted by: Ace at 09:12 AM | Comments (30)
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