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Friday, February 06, 2004 |
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Interesting point..
A caller on Hugh's show asked thusly on the topic of gay marriage: What's stopping two single straight guys from getting married, sucking up marriage benefits, and going on about their lives as they otherwise would? Not a hell of a lot, and it opens an interesting can of worms. How do you prove ... [Capitalist Lion]
8:27:31 PM 
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Rummaging in the attic ...
I found this in my notes from 28 Oct 1997 ... Temperature measurements taken by National Oceonographic and Atmospheric Administration satellites, far from finding the warming which the climate models say should already be happening, have actually recorded a... [Curmudgeonly & Skeptical]
3:56:21 PM
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Weapons of Mass Hysteria
If the United States went to war with Iraq only because of the threat of WMDs; if the mass murdering of Saddam Hussein was found on examination to be highly exaggerated; if we had some secret plan for stealing the oil of Iraq, if Saddam Hussein posed no future threat to the United States or its allies; if the war resulted in a worse future for Iraq, the United States, and the surrounding Middle East; and if the administration deliberately constructed false intelligence evidence to advance such an unnecessary war that resulted in misery rather than hope, then an apology is needed now. But so far, that has simply not been the case.
The real outrage is instead that at a time of one of most important developments of the last half-century, when this country is waging a war to the death against radical Islamic fascism and attempting to bring democracy to an autocratic wasteland, we hear instead daily about some mythical rogue CIA agent who supposedly faked evidence, Martha Stewart's courtroom shoes, Michael Jackson's purported perversion, and Scott Peterson's most recent alibi. Amazing.
3:45:48 PM
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The Kerry Doctrine
John Kerry, as we've noted before, thinks that the war on terror isn't really war, but "primarily an intelligence and law enforcement operation." The New York Times reports from Hamburg, Germany, on an example of the Kerry Doctrine in action:
A German court on Thursday acquitted a former roommate of Mohamed Atta who was accused of providing support to suicide pilots in the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks.
The court cleared Abdelghani Mzoudi, the second suspect to be tried for involvement in the attacks, of accessory to murder and membership in Al Qaeda. . . .
"You are acquitted," said the judge, glancing at the defendant, who was allowed to leave jail in December. "Not because the court is convinced of your innocence, but because the evidence was not enough to convict you." . . .
The acquittal of Mr. Mzoudi is also a setback for the German government, which has asserted that terrorist suspects can be tried in criminal courts rather than in military tribunals, which the United States favor as a venue for many of the suspects it now has in custody.
Indeed. Also--let us hope--a setback for Kerry. Predictably enough, the Germans blame America for their decision to let Mzoudi go--specifically, "the Bush administration's reluctance to make captured terrorists available for testimony and to allow prosecutors to make use of intelligence information on the terrorist network." But does anyone doubt the administration is right not to want this information in open court?
Extending to the enemies of civilization the full panoply of due-process protections criminal defendants enjoy--the presumption of innocence, protection from self-incrimination, the right to a lawyer, and so on--makes it harder to gather intelligence and prevent future attacks. Three thousand people died on Sept. 11, but at least Mohamed Atta's civil liberties were never violated. Don't you wish they had been?
3:17:31 PM
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GWB quotes
"When I take action, I’m not going to fire a $2 million missile at a $10 empty tent and hit a camel in the butt. It’s going to be decisive." -- George W. Bush, 9/13/01
2:47:55 PM
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Desperately seeking electability
Democrats are cute when they're being pragmatic. They furrow their brows and try to think like Republicans. Or as they imagine Republicans must think. They turn off their hearts and listen for signals from their brains. No swooning is allowed this presidential primary season. "I only care about one thing," they all say. "Which of these guys can beat Bush?" Secretly, they believe none of them can, which makes the amateur pragmatism especially poignant.
10:14:08 AM
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Numbers, numbers, numbers
If your one of those people who put faith in polls this is the place for you.
It's easy to see why Kerry is leading in the polls, isn't it? If anyone thinks these numbers reflect the lasting sentiment of the electorate, you should check yourself in. There's absolutely no way the Democratic party will be viewed that much more favorably than the GOP come November. Rest assured Kerry's astronomically high polling numbers will settle back down to earth long before the first vote is cast. The President will rise again. It's just a matter of time...
9:34:02 AM
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Final Question
Here's my last thought for anyone who falls into the great "undecided" section of the American voting population. Ask yourself the following question:
Who do you think North Korea, Syria, Iran and Al-Qa'eda would prefer to see in the White House -- GWB or Kerry? Of course, if you think that those people are not the enemy, then your choice becomes a little more problematic -- or then again, maybe not. And now I'm off to... [Kim du Toit]
8:55:43 AM
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Weapons of Mass Distraction
Larry Elder writes: On Iraq and Weapons of Mass Destruction: Did the American President Lie? (Via Capitalism Magazine) The near pathological contempt so many hold for President Bush clouds their ability to put themselves in the commander-in-chief's shoes. On... [Cox & Forkum]
6:59:15 AM
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© Copyright 2004 Lopsided Poopdeck.
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