Throughout history, many countries and regions have gone through some bloody periods after gaining independence. Countries are very rarely handed down without blood being spilled; many teeter on the edge of full-fledged Civil War. These conflicts usually happen several years after Independence as social groups grapple with new-found Freedom, and governments try and pick up the pieces and impress their ideals on their people. What we’re seeing in Iraq right now isn’t so different, if we think about it in the grand scheme of History.

Yesterday, the Golden Mosque at Samarra was bombed. Ethnic groups have clashed, and in a mere twenty-four hours, the situation has gone from hopeful to dire. The violence has reached a new level, with gunmen entering factories and killing all of the workers, or stopping buses and killing all of the passengers. It’s no longer faceless bombers killing without ever seeing the eyes of their victims, no; now, it’s up close, and personal.

Third parties — terrorist organizations such as Al Qeada — intent of keeping their populace poor and uneducated (in Allah’s name!) will do most anything to keep the 21st Century from happening. In their eyes, any attempt to bring education, technology and Freedom of Choice to the masses diminishes their Totalitarian ability to dominate and retain control. Their leaders falsely claim, “We’re just like you!”, all the while sitting in the lap of luxury, enjoying the ill-gotten gains received from provoking peons, promising prominent places in Paradise in return for dirty deeds which are most often nothing short of extortion.

They are spoiled children at worst, and common thugs and mobsters at best.

These are the people the new Iraqi Parliament know are the root of their problems. Now, it’s up to them to step up, to get their people to ignore the difference between Sunni and Shiite, to steel them against the monsters of the past, to channel their energy into rebuilding and innovation, and to unify them as One Nation, Under Allah.

Here’s hoping that President Talabani and his associates are up for the task ahead.

It took the the U.S. eighty years to go from Ruled to Independence to Government to Civil War to Resolution to United Nation. On the other hand, Iraq is averaging one step per year. In the grand scheme of History, it’s a major accomplishment.

This was just too good to not make a post about:

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I can remember a time when Funerals were occasions where people revered the deceased, and stood together, if only for a moment, remembering their life. They were humbling, often somber, reminding us of our own mortality, and bringing the promise that we would live on in the memories of those around us.

It’s a damn shame when some people want to use them as political platforms, reverting to the simians from whence they evolved, flinging their proverbial poo towards those at the precipice of the heirarchy.

During the memorial service of Coretta Scott King — wife of the former Dr. Martin Luther King — former President Jimmy Carter had plenty of flinging to do. In regards to current President Bush’s handling of one of our nation’s most horrible natural disasters, he stood and uttered these words:

We only have to recall the color of the faces of those in Louisiana, Alabama and Mississippi who are most devastated by Katrina to know that there are not yet equal opportunities for all Americans…

Shame on you, Mr. Carter, for cheapening the memory of a beloved Civil Rights activist.

I’m certain that many of us still remember your campaign. We only have to recall the color of the faces of those working your Georgia peanut farm.

Former Tennessee Highway Patrol Lieutenant C. B. Farmer’s story, alleging that he was fired in 2004 due to his family supporting Republican candidates, has finally hit the spotlight.

“The gist of my story was I was run out of the highway patrol,” former THP Lt. Charles B. Farmer said.

Appearing with his lawyer, Farmer presented supporting documents to the committee which is investigating claims of cronyism in the department. Among them were contribution disclosures showing how much Farmer’s wife and father-in-law had donated to Republican candidates in the 2002 statewide election.

State Sen. Jamie Woodson, R-Knoxville, asked Farmer about a transcript of a recorded conversation the former trooper had with a superior. According to the transcript, Farmer allegedly asked the superior if Farmer should have given $1,000 to a Democrat.

“Maybe you should have,” Woodson read from the transcript.

“Obviously, this conversation is disturbing to me. This is infuriating,” the senator said.

Farmer told the committee he had never received a low score on any of his performance evaluations in 20 years, but in 2003 the same superior officer who he alleges berated him for his political contributions gave him a low score.

Prior to his termination, he was assigned permanently to the midnight shift, Farmer told the committee.

“It was harassment,” said Farmer’s attorney, Arthur Knight of Knoxville.

Farmer, now working for a Knoxville mortgage company, said his dismissal from the THP was a blow that has left him teetering on bankruptcy and has weakened his marriage. He said the state must find a way to remove politics from trooper selections and promotions.

This is after repeated uproar within the THP over the last few months, as Governor Phil Bredesen crusades to end cronyism and corruption within this, and many other, departments of the state government. In recent month all over Tennessee, Police Departments have felt the sharp slap of the upper hand, with many long-time public figures being precipitately replaced.

From the Tennesseean:

Two-thirds of Tennessee Highway Patrol officers tapped for promotion under Gov. Phil Bredesen gave money to his campaign or had family or political patrons who did, a Tennessean investigation has found.

Among those with such connections, more than half were promoted over troopers who scored better on impartial exams or rankings, according to an analysis by the newspaper of three years of the patrol’s promotions and proposed promotions.

Of course, with Governor Bredesen being a Democrat, and his new regime inside the THP having a habit of giving people poor evaluations for being Republicans, it certainly seems to throw a few rocks at the glass house of “ethical government,” doesn’t it?

A Nashville-area man was arrested for felony reckless endangerment, but not because he was intoxicated:

A Rutherford County deputy says he stopped a man who was driving erratically on Route 840 and may have found the reason for his distraction.

The officer says David Kennedy of Old Hickory in neighboring Davidson County had several pornographic magazines on the seat next to him. He charged the 33-year-old Kennedy with felony reckless endangerment.

A woman who reported Kennedy nearly ran her off the road several times Friday called police, then followed Kennedy to the Rutherford-Wilson County line where Deputy Tony Hall arrested him.

The old drinking rule definitely applies: if you can’t walk, definitely don’t get behind the wheel.

This incident makes it clear that there are other things unsafe to do while driving than talking on a cell phone…

Again at LR2, Anton comes up with an interesting observation.

Is it my imagination or does this look more like Palpatine than Franklin?

My question is, does is speak highly of Palpatine, or less of Franklin? The mind boggles…

Brandon over at LR2 posted a link to site that went unnoticed by us (go figure): a Contest offering a tidy sum ($4357 at this writing) to the person who can successfully get an Intel Mac to dual-boot Windows XP and OS/X.

Quotes Brandon:

If I had the money, I’d pledge some .. but I spent it all on my Intel iMac. Har har har. The pot is up to over $4k, I’m thinking I should look into dual booting my machine.

The biggest question to me right now is: Why?

Edit: 01/26/2006 9:26AM EST
Damn spell checker. Nobody I know uses a Max.

Having watched how Saddam Hussien saved Iraq by bringing in good ol’ fashioned Democracy and Free Enterprise, Iran is now following exactly the same pattern: breaking IAEA Treaties, entering Nuclear enrichment plants and kicking out United Nations Inspectors.

For those of you still going, “Huh?” I’ll explain. Here’s what very well could have happened.

Read the rest of this entry »

Complaining about the Media has become dangerously close to being listed as one of my hobbies over the years. I had no idea that anyone enjoyed it as much as I did, but apparently someone else has been publicizing media mistakes on grand scale since at least April 2005.

In proving that many news-hounds aren’t housebroken, Craig Silverman of Ordinary Media has spotlighted many a pile of poo — and rubbed their noses in it — by posting their back-page apologies, retractions and clarifications to an extremely enjoyable blog, Regret the Error.

The December 13th posting, Crunks ‘05: The Year in Media Errors and Corrections, conjures up some of the best and brightest calamities of 2005.

Kudos, Craig! If we offered awards, you’d get one.

Although the story from New Mexico about 81-year-old Chano Mares losing his house — after a burning mouse ran back inside from a fiery leaf pile —- certainly counted as 2006’s most hysterical news story, we find out today that it isn’t true at all.

Mares lost everything — and has no insurance — but the mouse story still makes him smile.

“I started laughing, and I’ll be laughing from now on,” he said. “It’s silly.”

With a little luck, the information that the mouse was already dead will dissuade the imminent-but-misguided crusade of Animal Rights activists-slash-eco-terrorists intent on harrassing an uninsured, homeless, elderly man.