The good of the (Caucasian) one over the good of the (swarthy) many

Tony Blair just canceled his vacation in order to address the very urgent crisis in the Middle East. Good on him. Swift action is what is needed in this situation.

So what is Dubya doing? Equally important stuff:

President Bush arrived here Thursday evening to begin a 10-day stretch at his Prairie Chapel ranch, his longest planned period away from Washington during this summer vacation season.

So let's make this clear: Cutting short a vacation in order to help cease a four-week conflict that has claimed the lives of over a thousand civilians is not an option.

However, cutting short a vacation in order to dramatically fly to D.C. and sign a bill into law for the purposes of saving a woman who has been in a persistent vegetative state for over a decade with no hope of recovery is downright necessary.

You haven't seen the video, Tom. I HAVE.

I first saw this video several months ago and was astounded. It's popped back up here with included subtitles so you now know what this German kid is yelling.

(If you want to watch it, then either turn down the volume very low on your computer or put on headphones. Otherwise, you'll freak out your coworkers.)

I still have my doubts as to whether this is authentic or not. It seems too over-the-top. However, if it is authentic, then it leads me to two conclusions. First, online gaming attracts the kind of devotion that is normally reserved for guys who regularly use a Cat of Nine Tales on themselves. Second, Tom Cruise should promptly ceases his belittling of Ritalin after seeing this.


Oh, and one other sidenote about the video: I really feel sorry for that keyboard.

Oh, how they laughed to see such fun

Let's pause a moment for a few recent incidents of schadenfreude in the news:

Katherine Harris & Jeb Bush:

"The state Republican Party bluntly told Rep. Katherine Harris that she couldn't win this fall's Senate election and that the party wouldn't support her campaign, a letter obtained Monday by The Associated Press shows."

"Party Chairman Carole Jean Jordan made a last-ditch attempt in the confidential May 7 letter to force Harris out of the race for the nomination to challenge Democrat Sen. Bill Nelson. But the next day, Harris turned in paperwork to get her name on the Sept. 5 Republican primary ballot."

"The letter came as Gov. Jeb Bush was trying to get state House Speaker Allan Bense into the race. Bense announced later that week that he would not enter the race."

Ralph Reed:

"Reed was soundly defeated in Tuesday's primary by a conservative state senator, Casey Cagle. Cagle focused on Reed's connection with Abramoff, the convicted lobbyist whose relationship with Reed goes back to when they were both with the College Young Republicans. As a longtime favorite of Christian conservatives, Reed's clean-cut image took a beating when it was revealed that he took millions of dollars from Abramoff to lobby against various gambling initiatives in the South. Reed's goal is one that was shared by many religious conservatives. But when it was revealed that the money came from Abramoff's gambling clients, Indian tribes that felt threatened by competition, Reed was thrown on the defensive and never recovered. Cagle won with 56 percent of the vote."

And, finally, Joe Lieberman:

"The New York Times endorsed Ned Lamont over three-term U.S. Senator Joe Lieberman in Connecticut's Aug. 8 Democratic primary, criticizing the incumbent for a 'warped version of bipartisanship,' including support of President George W. Bush on national security issues."

"In defending the Bush administration's efforts to undermine restraints on executive power, Lieberman 'has forfeited his role as a conscience of his party and has forfeited our support,' the Times said today in an editorial."

Fiona!

ROCK THAT MUTHA!!!!!!



What I wouldn't give to hear Fiona and Ben Folds do a piano duet/duel. They'd both probably pound their instruments into splinters.

Skippy of the Day: Mel Gibson

No, I'm actually not going to discuss what everybody else is discussing concerning Mel and his run in with the Law. Enough has already been said.

It was Christopher Hitchen's commentary on these events that jogged my memory to something Gibson said over two years ago (thus, it doesn't really qualify as a current event "Skippy" post, but we'll let that slide). In an interview he made the following statement:

"My wife is a saint. She's a much better person than I am. Honestly. She's, like, Episcopalian, Church of England. She prays, she believes in God, she knows Jesus, she believes in that stuff. And it's just not fair if she doesn't make it, she's better than I am. But that is a pronouncement from the chair. I go with it."

In case you didn't catch that, he was referring to his conviction that his wife will not get into Heaven while he will. Thank you for that, Mel. You have provided a perfect example of how incredibly deluded someone can become when their devotion to earthbound dogma far surpasses their sincere faith in God.

And my sympathies go out to Robyn Moore, his wife of 26 years and counting.

Forest Whitaker Quote of the Month: August 2006

Ghost Dog: The Way of the Samurai concerns a child that is saved from death and adopted by a mobster named Louie. The child grows up under his care and, for whatever reason, steeps himself in the teachings of the Samurai. When he is grown, he believes himself a samurai warrior, and is so employed as a hitman for Louie's boss. When the order comes down for him to be eliminated, Ghost Dog does not go peaceably.

This may sound like a very conventional action film, but it isn't. Director Jim Jarmusch makes films that are slow and filled with quiet moments offset with quirky dialogue. This particular Jarmusch film also features some great music by RZA and the Wu Tang Clan. Ghost Dog himself is a man of few words. The majority of lines he speaks are his numerous quotations from The Hagakure. A Code to the Way of the Samurai. A more memorable line, however, occurs when is forced to shoot his savior Louie ... for a second time.

Louie: "Goddamn it! You shot me in the exact same f#&king place as last time!"

Ghost Dog: "I'm sorry. I mean you no disrespect. You're my retainer. I don't want to put too many holes in you."