Sunday, July 29, 2007

Is the nuclear threat to the US real?

lgf: Kos and MoveOn Harass Fox News Advertisers

lgf: Kos and MoveOn Harass Fox News Advertisers:

"NEW YORK - Liberal activists are stepping up their campaign against Fox News
Channel by pressuring advertisers not to patronize the network.
MoveOn.org, the Campaign for America’s Future and liberal blogs like
DailyKos.com are asking thousands of supporters to monitor who is advertising on
the network. Once a database is gathered, an organized phone-calling campaign
will begin, said Jim Gilliam, vice president of media strategy for Brave New
Films, a company that has made anti-Fox videos.
The groups have successfully pressured Democratic presidential candidates not to appear at any debate sponsored by Fox, and are also trying to get Home Depot Inc. to stop advertising there"



The reason I keep covering this story, and the reason I will continue to cover it is the real fears I think this has for the nature of debate in this country. Being thrown into the political debate is not something that most corporations are comfortable with, and many of them will choose to take their funding away from all political conversations as a way of avoiding public attack.

The end result is that you have companies on the left, and labor unions and other groups that are willing to support the message of the left, that will put their funding behind those messages. The same will be true on the right, with corporations that are willing to support the message of the right supporting the vehicles of those messages. The thing that it seems many are blind to right now, is that this attack while it was started by Bill O'Reilly, is being heavily promoted on the left. The left has the most to lose in this struggle, who do you think the giant companies are going to support, the people who want to give them tax breaks or the people who want to regulate them. I think the left is painting itself into a corner that it is going to regret later. (It should be noted that it isn't even the left as a whole, or the right as a whole that are engaged in this, but the damage will effect both as a whole.)

Bill O'Reilly of Fox News vs. Michael Moore






Gabby Babble: Is Paris Losing Her Hilton Inheritance?

Gabby Babble: Is Paris Losing Her Hilton Inheritance?:

"Paris Hilton's grandfather Barron Hilton is reportedly so disgusted by her
behavior, he is cutting her off from her $50 million inheritance. The senior
Hilton, who apparently is the only member of the family with a big chunk of the
Hilton hotel chain has plans to donate the $2 billion he will gain from the sale
of the company to charity. The money is set to go to the Conrad N. Hilton
Foundation which was set up in the name of the founder of the family business.
Allegedly, he is cutting Paris off, along with his other 11 grandchildren
because he is determined to carry on the family tradition of philanthropy. I
commend Barron Hilton if he carries out his plan to put the Hilton money into
good use."


I think that it is true that putting that money into charity is a far better use of the money than to give it to Paris. At the same time, Paris works hard and makes her own money, so I think that she will be able to survive just as well without the money. Paris is a star, she doesn't need the money from her family.

Joe Trippi would be worried if he were a Republican

Lynne Spears Seeks Kevin Federline Advice On ‘Pregnant’ Jamie Lynn Spears | Pop Crunch

Lynne Spears Seeks Kevin Federline Advice On ‘Pregnant’ Jamie Lynn Spears Pop Crunch:

"Kevin Federline found himself tangled up in his soon-to-be ex in-laws latest
bit of family drama when Jamie and Lynn Spears covened in his living to discuss
sixteen year old Jamie Lynn’s possibly pregnancy (a confirmed false alarm). The
one-time couple met with K-Fed at his Los Angeles home the weekend of July 14,
according to tabloid tattles."


While on the face of this I know you are thinking, why in the hell would she go and talk to Kevin about Jamie-Lynn being pregnant. However if you think about it, he would be a great person to know about having babies out of wedlock.

The good news out of all this is that the younger Spears daughter has not turned into a copy of her older sister, yet.

Behind the Philippine 'Thriller' video - 29 July 07

Michelle Malkin » Which of these is a crime in America?

Michelle Malkin » Which of these is a crime in America?:

"A) Submerging a crucifix in a jar of urine.

B) Burning the American flag.

C) Putting a Koran in a toilet."


I think if one of these is crimes, they should all be crimes. If one of them is protected by the constitution as free speech, then they should all be protected as free speech. I lean towards the second, that these should all be accepted forms of communication. While they are not to be promoted, or praised, I find them all to be highly insensitive, they should be allowed.

Celebrity gossip juicy celebrity rumors Hollywood gossip blog from Perez Hilton » Blog Archive » That’s Definitely Not Shanna

Celebrity gossip juicy celebrity rumors Hollywood gossip blog from Perez Hilton » Blog Archive » That’s Definitely Not Shanna:

"Travis Barker strolls the beach in Malibu on Saturday with his son and a hot
brunette."


Has Travis found for himself a new womyn?

ISSUE ONE!: CLINTON VS OBAMA! (REQUEST)

dailystab.com Hot Celebrity Gossip


She is so hot....

Hot Air » Blog Archive » Guardian reporter tours Iranian uranium enrichment plant, comes up with really good question

Hot Air » Blog Archive » Guardian reporter tours Iranian uranium enrichment plant, comes up with really good question:

"[T]here is another huge question mark hanging over Isfahan and Natanz: why is
the government in such a rush to enrich fuel, when it has no nuclear power
plants in which to use it?"


Can we really trust the leaders of Iran, can we trust a man who has talked about destroying another country. I know much is made of the fact that he has threaten to attack Israel, as it Israel has some sacred power. The more important point may be the fact that he has threatened another country, today it is Israel that is his subject of ire. I think it would be just as bad if that country were Turkey, or Romania or Russia, or another of the gulf states. Iran may be a threat not only because of its threats against Israel, but because it may be willing to launch this kind of violent rhetoric against anyone who stands in their way.

Michael Moore's New Health Care Solution: Coercion | NewsBusters.org

Michael Moore's New Health Care Solution: Coercion NewsBusters.org:

"“The way this works is, anytime they give you any grief – your insurance
company or whatever – you just whip this out and you say, ‘How would you like to
be in Michael Moore’s next movie or on the DVD of ‘SiCKO’?’ and … you know, it
says right here this card, if denied coverage, we’ll provide you coverage in a
Michael Moore film,” said Moore. "


This is silly and would fall apart as soon as it got started if it were ever attempted in mass. It doesn't take a genius to understand that Michael Moore is one person. One fat person who doesn't have enough cameras, enough time or enough energy to cover every person who finds them self in a disagreement with their coverage. I think Moore is getting blinded by his belief in is own power, which isn't nearly as great as he imagines.

CONGRESSIONAL HEARING NEXT WEEK ON PAT TILLMAN COVER-UP!

A Crude Awakening: The Oil Crash - trailer

Text of President Bush's weekly radio address - MarketWatch

Text of President Bush's weekly radio address - MarketWatch:

"THE PRESIDENT: Good morning. This week I visited with troops at Charleston Air
Force Base. These fine men and women are serving courageously to protect our
country against dangerous enemies. The terrorist network that struck America on
September the 11th wants to strike our country again. To stop them, our
military, law enforcement, and intelligence professionals need the best possible
information about who the terrorists are, where they are, and what they are
planning. "


The president used most of his time to talk about the laws that regulate wire tapping and the gathering of information, and how they need to be reformed. He claims that since the law that governs the monitoring of this information was written in 1978, it should be updated to reflect changes in technology. The law in question is the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act, of FISA, which Bush says should be changed to reflect the technology of cell phones and the internet.

Click on the link to read the whole address.

In The Know: Is Our Wealth Hurting Africa’s Feelings?


In The Know: Is Our Wealth Hurting Africa�s Feelings?

Naomi Watts To Play Narcissa Malfoy In Next Potter Film

I’m Not Obsessed: Naomi Watts To Play Narcissa Malfoy In Next Potter Film

"How exciting! Rumor is Naomi Watts has sealed the deal and is all set to
play Draco’s mother, Narcissa Malfoy in the next Harry Potter film. She doesnt’
have to start working on Harry Potter and the Half Blood Prince until
September."


She is hot, it will be good to see her in the movie.

Guess Who? | POPSUGAR - Celebrity Gossip & News.


Ugly Betty Isn't Ugly




Congrats to America Ferrera...

Britney Spears' Meltdown Continues

Britney Spears' Meltdown Continues:

"“You could see she was getting a bit wobbly but no one expected her to
throw a complete fit.
“Suddenly she was in floods of tears and stormed off set. She eventually came back but was sobbing hysterically.
“All her make-up had run. By now it was nearly midnight and the director just called things to an end and sent people home."


How many breakdowns does this poor girl need to have before someone in her family or group of friends come forwards and does something to help her. I don't know what her problem is, but she is clearly going through a hard patch, and it seems like she is being forced to go through it alone. Where is her family, where are her friends? I know she has fought with her mother and pushed her out of her life, and maybe she has done the same with others, there must be someone though that can stop this.

Gabby Babble: Richard Branson Reveals Losing Mile High Virginity

Gabby Babble: Richard Branson Reveals Losing Mile High Virginity:

"“I was sitting in economy on a Freddie Laker flight, next to this very
attractive lady, as we headed to LA. We got chatting and it went a bit further.
And it was every man’s dream, to be honest. I was about 19, I think. I remember
getting off the plane and she turned to me and said, ’Look, it’s slightly
embarrassing but I am meeting my husband at arrivals, would you mind holding
back a bit...’. But it was a memorable flight. The problem with plane loos
generally is that they are very small, and the acrobatics can’t take too long
because there’s no room and people start banging on the door. What I remember
vividly is seeing four handprints on the mirror as we finished, and thinking I’d
better wipe them off.”"


First of all this is way more than I wanted to know about Richard Branson. Secondly though it is funny to think that he has an airline that flies under the name "Virgin". I wonder what his policy is regarding such things on his airline.

Newt on Iraq 7/29

Russia makes a bid for the North Pole 29-07-07

Gingrich: Gonzales Is a Liability for America

Gabby Babble: Kirsten Dunst Kicked Johnny Borrell to the Curb?

Gabby Babble: Kirsten Dunst Kicked Johnny Borrell to the Curb?:

"Reports indicate that Kirsten Dunst kicked Johnny Borrell out of her North
London house because he was a slob. Although their were rumors that they were
planning on buying a house together after a wall in Johnny's house fell down
earlier this month, I guess she couldn't take his filthy living style."


Kirsten sweetie, I am a neat person, you could let me live with you? Sounds like Dunst and her boy friend are having troubles over his being a slob. This is one of those things that doesn't sound like a big deal, but when you think about having a relationship and living with someone it can be.

Lauren Conrad Possibly Dating Josh McRoberts - The Hollywood Gossip

Lauren Conrad Possibly Dating Josh McRoberts - The Hollywood Gossip:

"Yesterday, we brought you photos of Lauren Conrad and her new mystery man and
asked for help in identifying this tall, handsome devil. A couple of you think
you have done it.
Rumor has it that Lauren’s newest “accessory” is Josh
McRoberts, a former Duke basketball standout chosen by the Portland Trail
Blazers with the 37th pick in the 2007 NBA Draft."


What is the deal with all these stars and basketball player. It isn't clear from the pictures that this is the mystery person that appeared with Conrad the other night, it is close.

Musharraf Widens The War

Hugh Hewitt: Musharraf Widens The War

"Last week soldiers sealed all the roads into Miran Shah, the provincial
capital, occupied the hills around it and fired the first artillery salvo in
what Musharraf’s many critics have called a war on his own people.
On Friday
morning the army moved into parts of Miran Shah itself after militants blew up
government buildings overnight. Most of the 60,000 townspeople are feared
trapped, but hundreds of families have fled their mud homes in villages nearby
and headed east for the sanctuary of Bannu, a town in the neighbouring North
West Frontier province.
I watched last week as some of the 80,000 troops deployed in Waziristan dug in alongside the highway outside Mirali, a small town 10 miles east of Miran Shah. Almost all the checkpoints on this stretch of narrow road were empty. Three lay in rubble because the militants had blown them up. No troops drove along the road. They shuttled to the nearby Afghan border by helicopter."


If this is an honest move by Musharraf to take on the militants in the Federally Administered Tribal Areas, that is good news for America. The government of Pakistan attempted the best it could to reach a peace deal with the tribes, and I think that we should all learn from their example. That you just cannot make deals with terrorists, it doesn't work. If the Pakistani Army is going to seriously go after the terrorists that have taken to hiding in the loosely governed areas of Pakistan, and push them out, it could be a strong blog against Al Qaeda. They have been eliminated as a major force in Iraq, and they are losing strength inside Afghanistan, much of their strength there comes from being able to retreat to Pakistan. Taking away their final hiding place could mean the end to Al Qaeda as a group.

Note it is the end of it as a group, the war against terror is larger than Al Qaeda, while other groups might begin to fold the same way that one by one the countries of the Eastern Block fell, they could continue. Many of the new terror cells are loosely aligned to Al Qaeda and not clearly dependent on them for leadership or resources.

Mitt Romney SLAMS YouTube!

Michelle Malkin on The Factor: Scott Beauchamp

Elisabeth Hasselbeck Super Saturday


Elisabeth Hasselbeck Super Saturday

She is beautiful in this picture.

I Like to Watch | Salon Arts & Entertainment

I Like to Watch Salon Arts & Entertainment:

"These days, crazy is the new lovable. All you need to get viewers hooked
on a character is a succulent psychological disorder or two: Awww, he's so
obsessive-compulsive! Look, an alcoholic with violent mood swings! How cute! Her
sense of self is so malleable. Oh, I love it when she gets all socially
withdrawn and displays flattened affect like that!
Lead characters still
have back stories, but they're usually accompanied by a psychiatric
interpretation that justifies a whole host of dangerous quirks, from grandiosity
to paranoia to sociopathic tendencies. Robert McKee's screenwriting bible
'Story' has been replaced by the DSM-IV: Writers simply close their eyes and
point to a page, then delight in the possibilities presented by long lists of
lively maladies and disturbing behavioral tics. "


I think one of the major changes behind this change on TV is a change in culture. Where we once believed ourselves to be normal and healthy people, I think more and more Americans are starting to see themselves as mentally unbalanced. In come cases it is because more Americans are becoming aware of honest problems that they have, there are some who are adjusting to the new norm of thinking of yourself as being imbalanced, though they are not. I think that there is some benefit in having these characters in TV shows, but like everything else it is a matter of balance.

Britney's bodyguard talks to INF | INF Daily

Britney's bodyguard talks to INF INF Daily:

"'The longer this situation goes on, the more dangerous things are
becoming. I know that photographers are just doing their jobs and are trying to
get their shots and there's a lot of competition between you guys, but there is
a line that shouldn't and can't be crossed.'"


This isn't ground breaking information, but it is interesting to hear from someone who has a role on the other side of the cameras. I often wonder if when they ask people who wants to work for people like Britney Spears, they have a hard time finding people. Not because of who Britney is as a person, but because of how hard of a job it must be to deal with the photographers.

Jamie Lynn Spears Not Pregnant | Pop Crunch

Jamie Lynn Spears Not Pregnant Pop Crunch:

"Jamie Lynn Spears’ pregnancy scare has turned out to be a false alarm.
According to insiders at The National Enquirer,Jamie Lynn confided her faux
pregnancy fears in big sis Brit before taking a home pregnancy test that proved
a missed menstrual cycle to be a false alarm."


I hope you haven't already purchased baby gifts for Jamie Lynn. The National Enquirer is now saying that the baby rumors were a false alarm. This is great news really, it would be sad to see her have a baby at such a young age.

Popularity Contest

Republicans: Too

Bill Richardson's New Ads: Job Interview and Tell Me

Media Matters - O'Reilly accuses guest of lying -- but "hateful" Clinton comments he claims he removed are still on website


Media Matters - O'Reilly accuses guest of lying -- but "hateful" Clinton comments he claims he removed are still on website:


"During the July 26 edition of Fox News' The O'Reilly Factor, host Bill O'Reilly
claimed to have 'exposed' the Daily Kos blog 'as a hate website' and went on to
criticize the decision by some Democratic presidential candidates to attend the
YearlyKos convention. In response, Fox News contributor Jane Hall said to him,
'You had hateful comments on your website about [Sen.] Hillary Clinton [D-NY].'
O'Reilly then claimed: 'No, I didn't. We took them off.' "


It looks like he missed some of them...

Moyers on America

Captain's Quarters

Captain's Quarters: Able Danger, Alberto Gonzales, And The Senate (Update: Who Leaked It?)

"Two years ago, the tantalizing story of Able Danger came to light as three of
its team went public with information on the cutting-edge data-mining program.
Coincidentally, as the AD story got fitfully reported over the succeeding
months, the New York Times revealed an NSA surveillance plan that monitored
communications on suspected terrorist lines and cell phones from points abroad
into the US without a wiretap. Now it looks like the two may have more in common
than first thought, at least conceptually, and that may prove that Alberto
Gonzales told the truth in testimony this week in the Senate"


New information that is coming out appears to back up testimony that Gonzales has made before the Senate. It had been assumed that he was lying about the nature of the visit to the hospital room to visit John Ashcroft, because he had said that it did not involve the wire tapping. The new information brings to light a separate program that was being discussed in the White House around the same time, a program centered around data mining. It is this program that Gonzales may have been at the hospital to discuss with Ashcroft. If this is the case, while it is still dubious to be visiting a sick man in the hospital to get something approved, it does clear him of perjury.

Britney Spears Mystery Man Hollywood Club One | Pop Crunch

Britney Spears Mystery Man Hollywood Club One Pop Crunch:

"Aspiring stripper Britney Spears was spied at Hollywood’s Club One in the
company of an unidentified mystery man on Saturday night."


Does Britney have a new man in her life, what do you think will happen first? A)She'll get pregnant with his kid. B) He'll use her fame to be a model or a rapper. C) He sees what a wreck she is and runs away.

As U.S. rebuilds, Iraqi minister won't take over finished work - International Herald Tribune

As U.S. rebuilds, Iraqi minister won't take over finished work - International Herald Tribune:

"The process of transferring projects to Iraq 'worked for a while,' Bowen said.
But then the new government took over and installed its finance minister, Bayan
Jabr, who has been a continuing center of controversy in his various government
posts and is formally in charge of the transfers. 'After Jabr took over, that
process ceased to function,' Bowen said.
In fact, in the first two quarters of 2007, Bowen said, his inspectors found significant problems in all but two of the 12 projects they examined after the United States declared those projects completed."


At least when we operated the Marshall plan the peoples of Europe weren't undermining their own future for personal political gains. The more I hear about Iraq, the closer I get to thinking that we should just leave them with the mess that they are in. I have not crossed over yet, I do think that we should stay until the country is stable, for a number of reasons, but this makes me doubt that.

Vanessa Carlton - “Nolita Fairytale” Music Video | Music Video, Vanessa Carlton : Just Jared

Vanessa Carlton - “Nolita Fairytale” Music Video Music Video, Vanessa Carlton : Just Jared:

"Vanessa Carlton gets sheer leggy while filming the music video for “Nolita
Fairytale,” the first single off her upcoming third album “Heroes &
Thieves,” on Saturday afternoon in New York City."


There are so many pop singers out there, some of whom seem to have little talent. Not that pop music is the hardest kind of music in the world to do. I look forward to hearing Vanessa's new album, she has more talent than some of the others.

Jennifer Lopez In Russian Elle


Mike Gravel interview with Randi Rhodes

If You Google Ron Paul

Steve Martin Married! | POPSUGAR - Celebrity Gossip & News.

Steve Martin Married! POPSUGAR - Celebrity Gossip & News.:

"Everyone's favorite on-screen Father of the Bride walked down the
aisle this weekend to marry his longtime girlfriend, Anne Stringfield. The
couple have been quietly dating since 2002. Anne is a journalist for Conde Nast
publications like The New Yorker and Vogue.Everyone's favorite on-screen Father
of the Bride walked down the aisle this weekend to marry his longtime
girlfriend, Anne Stringfield. The couple have been quietly dating since 2002.
Anne is a journalist for Conde Nast publications like The New Yorker and
Vogue."


Congrats to Steve...

HARRY REID: Achievements of the Democratic Congress to date

Rebuilding Bint Jbeil - 28 Jul 07

Facebook

Dante Rose Pleiades's Facebook profile