awkwardly

Thursday

Bringing character back to the office of President
From the character's tenth solo press conference (28 Oct 2003):
Q: Mr. President, if I may take you back to May 1st when you stood on the USS Lincoln under a huge banner that said, "Mission Accomplished." At that time you declared major combat operations were over, but since that time there have been over 1,000 wounded, many of them amputees who are recovering at Walter Reed, 217 killed in action since that date. Will you acknowledge now that you were premature in making those remarks?

THE PRESIDENT: Nora, I think you ought to look at my speech. I said, Iraq is a dangerous place and we've still got hard work to do, there's still more to be done. And we had just come off a very successful military operation. I was there to thank the troops.

The "Mission Accomplished" sign, of course, was put up by the members of the USS Abraham Lincoln, saying that their mission was accomplished. I know it was attributed some how to some ingenious advance man from my staff -- they weren't that ingenious, by the way. But my statement was a clear statement, basically recognizing that this phase of the war for Iraq was over and there was a lot of dangerous work. And it's proved to be right, it is dangerous in Iraq. It's dangerous in Iraq because there are people who can't stand the thought of a free and peaceful Iraq. [...blah blah etc].


From the Telegraph 30 Oct 2003:
However, Mr Bush's spokesman, Scott McClellan, later conceded that the banner was actually made and supplied by the White House.

"We took care of the production of it," he said. "We have people to do those things. But the navy actually put it up."



Wednesday

Unfinished Limey Tomato Recipe
2-3 pounds of potatoes, cubed
2 medium onions, diced
juice & some pulp from one lime
4 cups water
2 Tbsp Tomato/Chicken bullion
mushrooms ad gustum

When the potatoes and onions are cooked through, it's done. Might hold other ingredients until potatoes and onions are done, then add the rest towards the end.

It's potent. Maybe a little too strong, but I like it. Definitely missing something. I'm thinking either ground beef or bacon. Maybe not.
Relic of Mother Theresa
"John Paul himself appeared visibly moved as Indian girls bearing blue and white flowers performed an offertory Indian dance and accompanied a wooden reliquary containing a sample of Mother Teresa's blood to the altar.

"Beatification allows public veneration for holy people, so the relic - blood on a piece of cotton inside the reliquary - can go on display."

Tuesday

Member of the Ward?

The Jackson Citizen Patriot apparently printed my letter about "Mental Patient" halloween costumes on Oct 19. See the second letter titled "Member of the Ward?"

Friday

Connecting the dots

Petition to Roger Waters & Pink Floyd, plus everyone who performed at the full-length concert of The Wall live at the Berlin Wall -- ask them to perform all songs from The Wall at the new "Security Barrier" (sic) in Israel.














Thought for the day: I wonder if that dude who famously stood in front of the tank in Tiananmen Square was smeared by Chinese authorities in a way similar to the smears against Rachel Corrie.

Thursday

Sane enough to be executed
"Convicted murderers with severe mental health problems can be forced to take drugs that would make them clinically sane so that they can be executed, the US Supreme Court has ruled."

Is anyone working on a drug to make our society sane enough to stop killing its own people?

Wednesday

Novak could be prosecuted.

You'll have to dig for it, but in this transcript you can find where former Justice Dept prosecutor John Loftus says that Robert Novak could be prosecuted for helping to blow Valerie Plame-Wilson's cover. See? I wasn't totally off base.

Thursday

Voted Most Phallic Building in the World
I always tried to tell people that it was the most phallic building around, but no one heeded my warning. Other buildings may be rounded on top, but how many others have you seen with distinct heads? Local legend claimed that this water tower would explode if ever a virgin graduated from my alma mater, Eastern Michigan University. I proved it wrong in 1994.

Wednesday

US military probes tiger killing at Baghdad zoo
'...The top US military spokesman in Iraq, Lieutenant George Krivo, said the soldier had apparently tried to feed the big cat and "the tiger then engaged the soldier's arm".'