I've just opened up my account on BlogShares, and am trying to figure it out. Maybe I'll learn a little about the stock market while I'm at it. I gotta say, I'm not very lucky at picking shares. I once bought 50 shares of L.A. Gear at about $3/share, and, not long after, the value of the shares dropped like a rock, and they ended up in Bankruptcy. I lost it all, and I'm lucky I didn't lose more money.

I should have gotten a new CD player, I guess...

Anyhow, we'll see how it works.

Don't ever let anyone tell you that the Iraqis are against us. I mean when Iraqi refugees are giving up their food to US forces (just because we've advanced so fast we're outrunning our own supply train) and saying things like they want to come to California (because of the song), then we've won some hearts and minds.

It's gonna take some time, but we WILL win.

To all those brave members of our armed forces, even those who aren't in the combat zone, remember that you are doing something important. Somthing that requires the same fighting spirit shown by the combat forces, and by doing the job you are, and sacrificing where you are, you free up a soldier over there from having to do it instead. Every one of you is important, and don't you ever forget it!

I salute you all! (My wife would, too, but she's busy making a salad...)

Hey, good news! My step-daughter (whom I've been helping with her math homework) just got her finals score back, and she got a 295 out of 300 (maximum), second highest in the class (#1 got a 297). Despite my advice and assistance, I can't take any credit for that score, because I was nowhere near her when she took the test. So congrats to her! Well done!

Just swinging by to say, "Hi!" this morning, and hope that you are all having a fun day. It's kinda windy here today, but it's supposed to be up in the low 80's. If it weren't for the winds, my wife's parents would probably be stopping by to have a garage sale. We've got a ceiling fan, a 3-speed bike, and some other stuff to sell. Any of you want more details, just let me know, and we'll work out some kind of a deal.

We also have to find someone who owns a large truck, because the oldest step-daughter has gotten a new refrigerator and a dryer, and wants us to come get the old ones. We could use both of them, but all we have is a Chevy 2-door. Yeah, we have lots of trunk space, but not enough for either of those. We have a neighbor that has a big enough truck (he works for a plumbing company), but he's the type of asshole who comes back and dumps all the detritus from his jobs (metal shavings, scraps of drywall and concrete, etc.) into the complex' dumpster, leaving only about 1/3 of the space in the dumpster. There are seven households in this complex that normally use it, and one dumpster is just about enough for a week's worth of garbage, but when he comes in with a truckload of crap, then we have people having to balance their leftovers where the neighborhood dogs and cats can get at it, requiring additional clean-up.

So, long story short (Too late!), he's one I'm not going to bother asking. I've had to bite my tongue any number of times, but it's been tempting to put the fear of God into him. He's big, but I'm bigger, and I've had training, disability or no. Anyhow, if rent weren't due on Tuesday, maybe we would go rent a truck, but the step-daughter's getting antsy. I can't blame her, because we're talking two of the three largest appliances out there, and her garage is already crowded.

Maybe she should have a garage sale.

Looks like Hans Blix is gonna retire. I wonder how many of my tax dollars are going to pay for his pension, or does he not get one from the UN because he failed at his job? Maybe we should Veto it...

Heh.

An amusing little site full of utter idiocies (link sent in by Loyal Reader David) can be found both here, and in the left column, and I'm issuing a "Swallow Alert" for this site.

In other news... Reports that Martin Sheen was seen with a piece of duct tape (with the word 'Peace' scrawled on it) over his mouth. One question: Why stop there, Marty? Wasn't there anyone there to finish the tape job? I'm sure you could afford more than just a 6" piece, right? You're making $400,000 an episode on The West Wing, but you can't afford an entire roll of duct tape? Next time you want to cover your mouth with duct tape, just let me know. I'll go cash in some aluminum cans and plastic bottles for ya, buy a few extra rolls and I'll even help you tape yourself up... (Of course, you might have a little trouble getting loose again, but remember that it was your idea...)

Susan Sarandon was scheduled to appear at a Tampa charity, but got "axed" (according to the Internet Movie Database). As IMDb put it, "The United Way Of Tampa Bay - which raises funds for a series of good causes in the region - had lined up the Thelma And Louise star to give a talk at their April 11 event, but were concerned it would provide a means for the actress to voice her views. When invitations went out about two weeks ago, the United Way received over 30 phone calls, e-mails and letters from donors and others criticizing Sarandon's selection as a speaker - because of her anti-war stance."

I'll bet she'll whine about her views being "suppressed". (Kinda like Tim Robbins when he physically threatened a reporter who had interviewed Sarandon's pro-Bush mother...)

Hey, Tim, can you spell H-Y-P-O-C-R-I-T-E?

I'll be back in a little while...

I was kinda keeping an eye on FOXNews yesterday, and heard an interview with "Reverend" Jesse Jackson. I'm still chuckling...

One of the things he's calling for is an exchange of prisoners of war. Even if the reports are untrue and Saddam's barbaric thugs haven't actually executed our guys, Jesse has a few things to justify... First, what kind of ratio would be appropriate? If it's anything more than a straight one-to-one swap, then explain the inherent racism in the belief he is espousing that our guys are worth 10, 20, 50, or 100 (or more) Iraqi... If it is a one-to-one, then what do we do with the other 16,993 Iraqi soldiers? And here's the killer: what makes him think that the Iraqi soldiers want to go back while Saddam is still in charge?

He's also calling for a temporary cease-fire while humanitarian aid is being distributed. First, we're already distributing it! Even while fire-fights are going on, just a few klicks (kilometers) away, we've got guys working hard in the harbor to make sure that the ships can come in, drop off their food, water, and medical supplies, and get out again without getting blown up in the process. And others are bringing in food packs by the ton (21,000 meal packs in the first shipment alone).

It seems that every time that Jesse "Extortion is good - but only if you're me" Jackson opens his mouth and slurs his way through an interview, he manages to distance himself just a little more from reality. I really shouldn't laugh, but he brought all this on himself. Don't forget that this is the same man who gave Clinton marital advice while - at the same time - he was helping his pregnant mistress to move so that his wife wouldn't find out...

What a dingleberry.

The Pentagon is announcing the use of a 5,000 pound "Bunker Buster" bomb, and some of those specialty Tomahawks, with the carbon fiber filaments (that short out electronics, without actually damaging anything). I think the attack on Iraqi TV may have been one of those "E" missiles, but I have seen no indication of it elsewhere. It just seems strange that it is still transmitting. If we had used real explosives on the main building or on the transmitter, those things would cease to exist. Maybe the bomb wasn't as powerful as they had hoped or it was too high, or maybe the steel framework in the building provided enough shielding to allow for some jury-rigged repairs to occur.

I don't know, and I haven't been consulted with the technical specifications, so your guess is as good as mine.

So here's a topic for you: The Holy Roman Empire was neither Holy, nor Roman, nor an Empire. Discuss...

I've got this song running through my head, and I can't place it. I have the impression that it dates back to my earlier childhood memories because I somehow have a train-of-thought connection from the song to Mr. Aloysius Snuffleupagas (and if you don't know who I mean, then I'm not going to try and explain how embarrassing it is that I remember that name).

Anyhow, I've been trying to avoid blogging about the war, because so many others are doing it so much better than I, but there doesn't seem to be much else on. I mean, there was even a cutaway to the war's progress last night during a commercial break on Jeopardy!

I'm just puttering around the web, trying to find interesting things to blog about, while still remaining upbeat.

Oh, before I forget, go read the Cox & Forkum cartoon for today (and scroll down to yesterday's as well). It's well worth the visit, but swallow first.

Good morning! I got so caught up in watching FOXNews and its coverage of Iraq that I completely forgot that there was a new episode of "The West Wing" on last night, and so I missed the list of advertisers. My sincerest apologies, but they had skipped two weeks in a row, and there was just more satisfaction in hearing the reports that we were delivering thousands of food packs to the southern cities in Iraq, and shiploads more on the way in, to be delivered just as soon as they can certify the harbor clear of mines and booby-traps.

Amnesty International is demanding that a "full investigation" be held into the United States' bombing of the Baghdad marketplace ("souk"). They have the right to demand anything they want (and they are welcome, by the way), but it seems a little hypocritical to assume that we are the ones who launched that surface-to-air missile.

Meanwhile, Iraqi forces are dressing up in civilian clothes and forcing women and children to the front lines to be used as shields (so that the Iraqis can shoot with relative impunity from behind them), capturing the families of soldiers and using them as hostages to force the men to fight to the death (and no guarantee that their families will survive anyway), dressing as American soldiers to draw surrendering Iraqis out into the open (only to execute them), and using hospitals as military storage and staging areas.

There is even a news story out now that an Iraqi woman who was seen on the side of the road, waving at British troops as they came past was found hanged. AI probably thinks it was one of the Bush daughters who did that, because it is America who is the source of all eeeeeevil in the world, right? Never mind the tons of food and water we're shipping in (after all, it must be poisoned, right?), and never mind the medical assistance we're giving them.

Amnesty International exists to accuse nations of human rights violations, and it's easier to accuse those nations who actually try not to do things like that, because they will work harder at correcting the problem. They haven't changed the policies of China (where infant girls are tossed down wells for the crime of being female), Iraq (where the children of political dissidents are tortured to death while their parents are forced to watch, and people are fed into a plastic shredder), Saudi Arabia (where twelve young girls were beaten back into a burning building because they weren't fully dressed), North Korea (where a good meal includes one with real food), Yemen (where women are executed for the Capital Crime of being beaten and raped), and Afghanistan (where a young girl was raped by judicial decree for the horrendous crime of being seen talking to a man not in her family).

Come back to us and talk to us about 17 civilians... excuse me, let's make that JUST 17 civilians, when you've managed to turn all those governments around to the same level as we are, where the bias in our judicial proceedings is "innocent until proven guilty", not "which of his family members do we bill for the bullet?"

Gee, ya think?

Tomorrow, Annan to reveal that the sun rises in the east, fire is "likely" to be hot, and gravity will pull things in a downward direction, no matter how many Security Council Resolutions are passed to the contrary.

Just puttering around, reading some posts that are still calling this an "illegal war of American aggression"... Well, hell, maybe we should just admit it.

Fine, you left-wingers were right all along. We went into Iraq because of all the oil, and we have been targeting civilians by the thousands so as to send in our troops and starve all of the Iraqi and let them suffer from thirst while we plant evidence of chemical weapons and carpet bomb housing and give us all a lifetime supply of free gas for all of our SUV and Hummers, so we can be evil and run over all of those people with brown skins and the puppies and kittens and fluffy bunnies. Mwahahahahahahaha... no, wait. Sorry, that's not true.

Of course, if you listen to some of these left-wing wing-nuts, then you'll hear all of these accusations and worse.The Russian newspaper, Pravda, is apparently claiming that we started this war so that our military-industrial conglomerations could use those poor Iraqis as a test subject for our new weapons systems. (I guess they must have missed China Lake and Area 51, because anyone who knows anything knows that it's all about the extraterrestrial technology buried beneath the sands of southern Iraq...)

I don't know what to believe any more... but as long as there are people out there who refuse to look for the facts themselves, there will be people who manage to come up with all kinds of weird conspiracies...

Good morning! I've been doing some laundry this morning, and still managing to devastate a few pro-Saddam whiners here and there...

It's getting too easy, though, so I'm going to poke around the web and see if there is anything interesting to see.

Just one thing, though. I keep hearing about the horrors of war, and how we've killed hundreds of civilians with our bombing attacks. The total they use is between 200 and 300, so I guess they're technically accurate in using the word 'hundreds', but what they don't mention is that about 300 civilians die from natural causes (old age, disease, slip and fall accidents, traffic accidents, crime, etc.) every day, and our bombing has nothing to do with any of that.

Yes, every single death is a tragedy, but take a step back and look at a larger picture when you hear those horrible numbers. They say we've lost almost 30 soldiers in this action. But again, let's look at the bigger picture. Only about half of those are due to enemy action, and that's 30 - out of 300,000!! If I had a chance to free a nation of 23 million people, with a 1 in 10,000 chance of getting killed, I (along with millions of others) would jump at the chance.

So when you hear the tragic numbers of civilian casualties, ask yourself, "How does that compare with the horrors of everyday life in Saddam's Iraq?"

I'll be back in a little while...

I almost forgot (despite the kind e-mail reminder) that it's time for This-or-That Tuesday, so let's get started...

1. Poetry or prose? I prefer speculative fiction, so I guess neither.
2. Funky modern art or the older, "classic" variety? The classic stuff. If my tax dollars have to go to support it, though, it ain't art.
3. Sculptures or paintings? Both, if they are any good.
4. Theatre: exuberant musical or serious drama? I loved "Cats" and "Seven Brides For Seven Brothers" so I would guess 'musicals'.
5. Ballet or modern dance? Ballet seems more respectable, but I want to see those rhythm dancers from "Bring In Da Noise, Bring In Da Funk", too...
6. Movies: major studio or indie? Either. I don't care who produces it, so long as it's any good.
7. Authors: Shakespeare or Dr. Seuss? Shakespeare, hands down. My grand-daughter might disagree, though.
8. TV: PBS or A&E? The Discovery channels.
9. Music: Beethoven or Beatles? Either, depending on my mood.
10. Thought-provoking question of the week: You are a contributing member of your favorite art museum, and visit on a regular basis. They announce a new, temporary special exhibit by an artist surrounded by controversy...this person's work and/or political views offend you. Do you stop supporting the museum, or just stay away during the time the exhibit is there? If it were just a case of a thought-provoking display that I just disagreed with, I would respect it enough to support the museum and the artist, even though I might disagree. However, if (like Mapplethorpe) it was deliberately intended to insult a specific group, I would pull support now and forever. Art should make people think, not make them angry.

That's it until next week, and thanks for playing!

My wife has a great idea about what we should do the next time we're confronted with anyone complaining that Bush never won the last election.

Demand to see his voter registration card. She said, "If they ain't registered to vote, they don't get to complain."

I would have to agree, but I'm biased, especially given that I'm on the list of Election Officials in my county (and I'm even up for promotion to Precinct Inspector when the next state-wide election rolls around).

What do you guys think? If they don't vote, they don't get to gripe when things don't go their way. If they don't serve on juries, they don't get to gripe about O.J. Sounds fair to me...

I've been seeing news reports that France is griping that our government may be giving the contracts for the rebuilding of Iraq to companies in coutries friendly to the war effort.

Gee, ya think? You mean that we're being friendlier to our allies than to our enemies? Wow, what a novel concept...

Secretary of State Colin Powell has said that he will go to the United Nations with a resolution concerning the rebuilding of that punished nation, and the French are already saying that they will veto any resolution that gives any sort of legitimacy to the war currently being fought by the U.S. and her allies (46 of them, as of this morning). Huh?

They don't want us to give the contracts to our own companies, but if we go to the International Agencies, France won't let us get other nations involved, either. They can't have it both ways. It's either it happens, or it doesn't, but if France thinks that we're going to fight the war (that they've been fighting tooth and nail to keep from being fought) and then leave them in charge of re-building, they have simply got to share whatever it is they're smoking...

My wife says that "France deserves whatever punishment we give them."

Well said, dear. (I knew there was a reason I loved her!)

Good afternoon, folks. I've been digging out from under a bunch of stuff, filling some file requests, answering some mail, fighting with the Social Security (who are now arguing that I wasn't covered, which is a fact that was checked at step one, or they would have never accepted my application in the first place!), and posting a bunch of comments over at Lee's place.

The war still seems to be going well, and we're finally seeing some evidence that Iraq has started fighting dirty.

• Intelligence reports are coming out that Iraqi troops are waiting for our forces to hit a specific "line in the sand" before they use the chemical weapons the appeaseniks say that Iraq doesn't have (because the inspections were working!).
  
• Iraqi forces are captured that were using a hospital as a staging area. They even had a tank parked next to the building.
  
• They have their soldiers dressed up in American uniforms to trick their own troops into surrendering, only to execute them.

(Can anyone say "violations of Geneva Convention"?)

I've been looking over the past several posts, and I came to the realization that my posts tend to run to the verbose. (To put it more plainly: I use more words than absolutely necessary. To be even more succinct: I talk a lot.)

I'm not sure if that's a good thing. I imagine there are a few people out there who would wish that I would (in the words of Mme. Chiraq) "keep quiet".

I'm not sure when this phenomenon happened, but if the pro-dictator pro-Communist anti-American "peace" protestors (when they're not busy assaulting people and breaking stuff, I mean) want to speak their minds and tell me how evil I am, they claim the right to freedom of speech, but if I attempt to respond and point out their inconsistencies and failings, I'm not exercising my own right to free speech, I'm somehow "suppressing their free speech".

I guess I should just save my breath.

In other news, the Arab League is pushing for U.S. and British forces to withdraw. About the most truthful sentence in the whole story is this one: "If Iraq is to fall, many Arab countries will fall as well." We can only hope...

{Sigh}

Oh, one last thing... Hey, Michael Moore!

Just saw a screen 'nym on another site that took me on a nice little ride on the train of thought, and a funny bumper sticker I saw a few years back popped to the top of the turmoil that is my "flow of consciousness"...

It read, "Jesus saves. Allah forgives. Cthulhu thinks you'd make a nice sandwich." Heh...

(Sent in by Loyal Reader (and Good Friend) JK)

"Who's Smarter?" by Cindy Osborne.

The Hollywood group is at it again. Holding anti-war rallies, screaming about the Bush Administration, running ads in major newspapers, defaming the President and his Cabinet every chance they get, to anyone and everyone who will listen. They publicly defile them and call them names like "stupid", "morons", and "idiots". Jessica Lange went so far as to tell a crowd in Spain that she hates President Bush and is embarrassed to be an American.

So, just how ignorant are these people who are running the country? Let's look at the biographies of these "stupid", "ignorant", "moronic" leaders:

President GEORGE W. BUSH:

• Received a Bachelors Degree from Yale University and an MBA from Harvard Business School.
  
• Served as an F-102 pilot for the Texas Air National Guard.
  
• Oil and gas businessman 1975 til 1986.
  
• Elected Governor of Texas in 1994 with 53.5 percent of the vote.
  
• Re-election Governor in 1998 with 68.6 percent of the vote.
  

Secretary of State COLIN POWELL:

• Educated in the New York City public schools, graduating from the City College of New York (CCNY), where he earned a Bachelor's Degree in geology.
  
• Participated in ROTC at CCNY and received a commission as an Army Second Lieutenant upon graduation in June 1958.
  
• His academic achievements include a Master of Business Administration Degree from George Washington University.
  
• Recipient of numerous U.S. and foreign military awards and decorations.
  
• Recipient of civilian awards include two Presidential Medals of Freedom, the President's Citizens Medal, the Congressional Gold Medal, the Secretary of State Distinguished Service Medal, and the Secretary of Energy Distinguished Service Medal.
  
• Several schools and other institutions have been named in his honor and he holds honorary degrees from universities and colleges across the country.
  
• He retired a Four Star General in the United States Army.
  

Secretary of Defense DONALD RUMSFELD:

• Attended Princeton University on Scholarship, AB, 1954
  
• Served in the U.S. Navy (1954-57) as a Naval aviator.
  
• Congressional Assistant to Rep. Robert Griffin (R-MI), 1957-59.
  
• U.S. Representative, Illinois, 1962-69.
  
• Assistant to the President, Director of the Office of Economic Opportunity.
  
• Director of the Cost of Living Council, 1969-74.
  
• U.S. Ambassador to NATO, 1973-74.
  
• Head of Presidential Transition Team, 1974.
  
• Assistant to the President, Director of White House Office of Operations.
  
• White House Chief of Staff, 1974-77.
  
• Secretary of Defense, 1975-77.
  

So who are these celebrities? What is their education? What is their experience in affairs of State or in National Security?

BARBRA STREISAND: Completed high school. Career: Singing and acting.

CHER: Dropped out of school in 9th grade. Career: Singing and acting.

MARTIN SHEEN: Flunked exam to enter University of Dayton. Career: Acting.

JESSICA LANGE: Dropped out college mid-freshman year. Career: Acting.

ALEC BALDWIN: Dropped out of George Washington University after scandal. Career: Acting.

JULIA ROBERTS: Completed high school. Career: Acting.

SEAN PENN: Completed High school. Career: Acting.

SUSAN SARANDON: Degree in Drama from Catholic University of America in Washington, D.C. Career: Acting.

ED ASNER: Completed High school. Career: Acting.

GEORGE CLOONEY: Dropped out of University of Kentucky. Career: Acting.

MICHAEL MOORE: Dropped out first year University of Michigan. Career: Movie Director.

SARAH JESSICA PARKER: Completed High School. Career: Acting.

JENNIFER ANISTON: Completed High School. Career: Acting.

MIKE FARRELL: Completed High school. Career: Acting.

JANEANE GAROFALO: Dropped out of College. Career: Stand-up comedy and Acting.

LARRY HAGMAN: Attended Bard College for one year. Career: Acting.

Comparing the education and experience levels of these two groups, you should remember that President Bush and his cabinet are:

• Briefed daily, even hourly, on the War on Terror and threats to our security.
  
• Privy to information gathered around the world concerning the Middle East, the threats to America, the intentions of terrorists and terrorist-supporting governments.
  
• In constant communication with the CIA, the FBI, Interpol, NATO, The United Nations, our own military, and our allies around the world.

These celebrities have no:

• Intelligence-gathering agents (Other than the Hollyweird gossip grapevine - Drumwaster).
  
• Fact-finding groups.
  
• Insight into the minds of those who would destroy our country.
  

So, why all the hype out of Hollywood? Could these celebrities believe that since they draw such astronomical salaries, they are entitled to:

• Determine the course of our Nation?
  
• Make viable decisions concerning war and peace?

Did MICHAEL MOORE have the backing of the Nation when he recently thanked France, on our behalf, for being a "good enough friend to tell us we were wrong"?

Does SEAN PENN fancy himself a diplomat, in going to Iraq when we are just weeks away from war? Does he believe that his High School Diploma gives him the knowledge (and the right) to go to a country that is controlled by a maniacal dictator, and speak on behalf of the American people? Or is it the fact that he pulls in more money per year than the average American worker will see in a lifetime? Does his bank account give him clout?

The ultimate irony is that many of these celebrities have made a shambles of their own lives, with drug abuse, alcoholism, numerous marriages and divorces, scrapes with the law, publicized temper tantrums, etc. How dare they pretend to know what is best for an entire nation! What is even more bizarre is how many people in this country listen and accept their views, simply because they liked them in a certain movie, or have fond memories of an old television sitcom!

It is time for us, as citizens of the United States, to educate ourselves about the world around us. If future generations are going to enjoy the freedoms that our forefathers bequeathed us, if they are ever to know peace in their own country and their world, to live without fear of terrorism striking in their own cities, we must assure that this nation remains strong. We must make certain that those who would destroy us are made aware of the severe consequences that will befall them.

Yes, it is a wonderful dream to sit down with dictators and terrorists and join hands, singing Cumbaya [sic] and talking of world peace. But it is not real. We did not stop Adolf Hitler from taking over the entire continent of Europe by simply talking to him. We sent our best and brightest, with the strength and determination that this Country is known for, and defeated the Nazi regime. President JOHN F. KENNEDY did not stop the Soviet ships from unloading their nuclear missiles in Cuba in 1962 with mere words. He stopped them with action, and threat of immediate war if the ships did not turn around. We did not end the Cold War with conferences. It ended with the strong belief of President RONALD REAGAN...PEACE through STRENGTH."

My wife has gotten so fed up with so many of these actors and actresses that she wants me to blog that she is not going to spend another dime on renting videos or DVDs starring any of these boneheads who just had to run their f*ckin' mouths about the war!!! (That's a quote, BTW)

I've invited her to come and type out her anger on this blog page, but she says she doesn't have "the facility with language that you do".... (IMHO, anyone who can use the word "facility" in the proper sense like that can put it onto paper, or the electronic equivalent, but whatever. Just let it stand that she's rightfully pissed at Hollyweird...)

I love the fact that Michael Moore was booed off stage, and that Steve Martin quip ("The Teamsters are helping Michael Moore into the trunk of his limo") was priceless...

Susan Sarandon was either drunk, high, or stoned, when doing her presentation. She was just too glassy-eyed to be otherwise.

I'm fed up with them, though... Back to the news of a large (100 acre) camouflaged chemical weapons plant about 100 miles south of Baghdad. UN Weapons Inspectors are claiming that they were never made aware of this plant.

Really? Well, DUH... It's not like we haven't been saying that the Iraqis have been lying to them all this time, though, huh? I wonder how Hans Blix and Chiraq are gonna spin this...

Been dealing with a ot of input, and not much to say about it. Others in the Blogosphere can say it so much better, so I just surf the news channels, and web-surf the Blog sites as a means of keeping up with the news.

I feel like I'm abondoning you guys to other sources for your information and mandatory opinions (at least the VRWC-approved opinions, anyway LOL).

Please keep our soldiers in your prayers, as well as the families of those who may have been injured or worse.


Well, I've also been busy trying to do better on a few of the games over in the left column. I've managed to score a 1708 on Acno's Energizer, I'm up to level 18 on the Lazer game, and I've scored a 29 on the Miniature Golf game (and I have the screen shot to prove it, too!).

The news just hit the wire that Michael "Proven Liar" Moore won the Oscar for Best Comedy. Of course, he's trying to claim that it was really a Documentary, but about the only thing that was true in that movie were the names. The dialogue was scripted and heavily edited, with major directorial cuts from public speeches widely spaced in both time and place, and linked together to completely change the meanings of the words. The action was arranged and with strict direction, rather than trying to just document reality. The one incident in the bank (where he comes in with a quantity of money, opens an account at a bank, and walks out with a gun) was, according to the employees of both the bank and the gun store, arranged a month beforehand, and completely ignores the background check that would have been required, plus the waiting period, and the fact that no one would have been able to actually do that in real life. (A coupon to be redeemed at the gun store is the usual procedure.)

The rest of the nit-picking and fact-checking is most often done over at MooreWatch (which is linked in the left column). I'm sure that the people there will have every sentence of that script Fisked by the time the sun comes up. I'm equally certain he was one of the jackasses who made anti-war speeches and at least one comment about the 2000 election. Get over it, Mike - even Algore admitted that he got his ass waxed, which wouldn't have happened if he had been able to carry either Bill Clinton's home state (Arkansas), or his own (Tennessee).

The only bad thing I can think of is that he is going to be even more unsufferable.

So we have fiction portrayed as reality, heavily edited dialogue most of which was read from a script, and allegations made that are not even remotely based in any factual basis. But they call it a "documentary"... Riiiiight...

Morning reports that one of our supply convoys has been ambushed (with soldiers captured) by Iraqi Irregular troops. Al-Jazeera TV was apparently playing footage of the capture and questioning of some of these soldiers. I have not seen it for myself (I slept kinda late this morning), but if they are torturing and executing our soldiers, then all bets are off. But just questioning them, even if those shots are interspersed with shots of other soldiers who have been killed (by other means, perhaps), while repugnant, is not enough of a reason to start randomly shooting Iraqis.

Other reports that may be confirming that Saddam is dead might have a lot to do with the reason we've been running into fragmented resistance at best.

However, reports that an Iraqi unit was waving the white flag, just to draw our soldiers into the open (to honorably accept the surrender) so they can be targeted with artillery fire, IS going to mean that future surrenders will be dealt with in a much more stern manner.

For example...

Translator: "If you come out other than at my direction, or more than one person at a time, you will be shot. Line up in whatever order you wish, and wait for my commands. If you disobey those commands, you will be shot. If you emerge carrying anything in your hands, you will be shot. First person, step out with your hands on your head, and walk backwards towards the sound of my voice. If you turn around, you will be shot. If your hands drop below your shoulders, you will be shot. Stop. Remove all your clothing. All of it. Do NOT turn around while doing so. Raise your hands fully above your head, and turn one complete circle. Leave your clothes where they are. Continue walking backward towards my voice. Stop. Kneel. (Soldier cuffs his hands behind his back, and covers him with a blanket.) Next person, step out with your hands on your head..." etc.

I doubt that any more division-sized surrenders will be happening, and anything larger than a unit will be savaged until surrender seems likely. Pre-emptive surrenders are going to be extremely suspect from this point forward.

Nevertheless, I think this will be over by next weekend...