I was detained by the police today and accused of stealing. I was also illegally detained against my will by several Wal*Mart employees preceding the detention by police. My crime? Leaving Wal*Mart with four bags of sugar (that I had just purchased) without showing a receipt. I was threatened with being taken to jail, threatened with physical violence as I attempted to leave, and had to defend myself and my property while Wal*Mart security attempted to rip it from my hands. After I was released (having been completely innocent all along), I was lectured by the police officer and Wal*Mart manager about how next time I could make it easier on myself by just agreeing to give up my rights to their goons to begin with. While the initial employee who detained me apologized, the others, including the Wal*Mart Manager, did not.

Did I ever mention that I hate Wal Mart?

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Guantanamo Bay prisoners can go before U.S. federal judges to challenge their years-long detention, the Supreme Court ruled on Thursday in a landmark decision that delivered another setback for President George W. Bush's war on terrorism.

By a 5-4 vote, the nation's highest court struck down the law Bush pushed through the Republican-led Congress in 2006 that took away the habeas corpus rights of the terrorism suspects to seek full judicial review of their detention.

"We'll abide by the court's decision. That doesn't mean I have to agree with it," Bush told a news conference in Rome, where he was on a weeklong European visit. "We'll study this opinion and we'll do so ... to determine whether or not additional legislation might be appropriate."

Supreme Court rules for Guantanamo prisoners. Also read a related story at Salon in which I quote the most important part.

the court upholds the fundamental right to habeas corpus

I'm shocked and amazed by the TSA blog. It doesn't seem to be written by government robots, but by actual human beings who seem interested to address TSA issues. Take this latest entry.

On Monday afternoon we began receiving questions about airports that were requiring ALL electronics to be removed from carry-on bags (everything, including blackberrys, iPods and even cords). This practice was also mentioned on several other blogs and left us scratching our heads.

So…we checked with our security operations team to figure out what was going on. After some calls to our airports, we learned that this exercise was set up by local TSA offices and was not part of any grand plan across the country. These practices were stopped on Monday afternoon and blackberrys, cords and iPods began to flow through checkpoints like the booze was flowing on Bourbon Street Tuesday night. (Fat Tuesday of course).

How can The President allow this to continue. It must be shut down NOW!

Intel reported earnings yesterday, record earnings. Because Intel did not meet the expectations of analysts the stock is getting hammered.

Joel Hruska at Ars Technica has a great commentary on why they are expecting too much from a good thing.

Instead of considering Intel's Q4 2007 and projected Q1 2008 performance as proof of any weakness in the tech industry, financial analysts should step back and consider that they, themselves may have been irrationally exuberant. Intel's quarterly report and balance sheet reveal no pressing weaknesses. Business is strong across the entire globe, operating income and gross margins both rose significantly, and the company's lower-than-expected first quarter revenue projection is lower than analysts would like precisely because Intel chose to err on the side of caution.

Disclaimer: I work for Intel.

moar funny pictures

Despite the humor, this is a amazing picture.

Girls Gone Wild type Lantern Indoor/Outdoor Party String lights. Picture is of one pose type/women there are 4 other different women in different poses. You will recieve 2 each of the 5 different lanterns. Pictures are from the 1960s. Each of the 10 white lantern plastic covers measures about 4 7/8 inches tall x 2 1/2 inches wide (the size of a 12 oz. can of pop) like the ones in the picture. The 12 foot wire in this set of string lights is green and constructed like an extention cord so up to 3 sets of string lights can be connected together. These sets are specially configured by us for you and pulled from our brand new never used inventory. Some assembly is required, as in putting covers on lights.

NASA Spider Problem Shuttle Atlantis STS-122

For a long time the discussion has been more focused on when we would open, and we feel like now is the right time. Taos has a long-standing tradition of being family oriented, and now with so many young people snowboarding, we are turning away more and more families, particularly families that traditionally come to Taos. Opening to snowboarding allows us to refocus on being a family oriented mountain.

I wasn't expecting this. Snowboards are designed in such a way that it's easy to sit on your ass or your knees from an upright position. It's those snowboarders that use this capability and stop right at unloading area of a lift or on a run, right where a skier is going and cannot stop quite so easily, that make them all look bad. Most ski lifts are designed for skiers, not boarders, which doesn't help things either.

About half the people I know use snowboards, at least I can go to Taos with them now. I will never forget the last time I was there, I lost my very favorite Canon S500 digital camera somewhere on the slopes.

Chertoff, who said over the summer that he had a "gut feeling" that the country faced a heightened risk of attack, said that assessment still stands.

That's enough for me, i think i will go hide under my bed.

CompUSA is going out of business. I'm not sure what it is, too much competition, high prices, they can't figure out what it is they sell? Back in the day (early 1990's), they were one of the few places one could find Apple computers and accessories. My second Mac, a Centris 610, was purchased from a CompUSA in Arizona. I recall writing on a AMUG BBS about this computer's 20MHz 68LC040 being "blazing fast".

The actual purchase of the computer was not so blazing fast. I went to the salesman and said I want to buy that computer. The salesman goes to his little WYSE dumb terminal type machine and comes back with paperwork for me to fill out. I fill out the rather long form then wait like an hour to actually get the computer brought to me. Then i take it up front to pay for it.

Once in New Mexico, CompUSA was the only computer store to sell Apple products. Despite it being on the other side of town, sometimes taking a hour to get there, I used to visit frequently. I actually bought Mac OS X 10.4 "Tiger" there when it came out since there was no Apple store in town at the time. It's probably been a good year since I've been there, prices are too high and their selection was poor.

Boing Boing had this today

I walked from the arrival gate towards baggage claim, and when I was about halfway there, all of a sudden about a dozen or more TSA personnel and private security staff appeared, shouting STOP WHERE YOU ARE. FREEZE. DO NOT MOVE. Not just at me, but all of the travelers who happened to be wandering through the hallway at that moment.

I made a comment on that post that the exact same thing happened to me.

This happened to me when i was in PDX a few weeks ago. I was leaving the secured area after getting off a plane, i was near the screeners but not yet through. The TSA people started yelling and did the same thing you described and had everyone freeze.

It only lasted a few minutes for me.

My tax dollars at work. Whatever.

Motorists traveling across the state of Pennsylvania on Interstate 80 could pay a $25 tax by the year 2010. The Pennsylvania Turnpike Commission on Friday asked the US Department of Transportation for approval to turn the free and paid-for interstate highway into a toll road for the purpose of raising money for mass transit and other public spending projects. This would be the first conversion of a free interstate into a toll road since the interstate highway system was developed fifty years ago.

Once one state does this, the rest will try to do the same. Then there will be no free roads to travel on. Congress is attempting to outlaw this, but the US Department Of Transportation appears to support it.

The USDOT is doing such a good at managing our money. They are giving $354 Million to the City of New York, not to improve infrastructure, but so the city can collect more money from drivers.

Fascism is an authoritarian political ideology (generally tied to a mass movement) that considers individual and other societal interests subordinate to the needs of the state, and seeks to forge a type of national unity, usually based on, but not limited to, ethnic, cultural, or racial attributes. Various scholars attribute different characteristics to fascism, but the following elements are usually seen as its integral parts: nationalism, authoritarianism, statism, militarism, corporatism, populism, totalitarianism, anti-communism, and opposition to economic and political liberalism. Racism is not a requirement of Fascism.

Wikipedia's article on Fascism.

Ding-dong, the glitch is dead. In a move that is long overdue, Disney (NYSE: DIS) is axing its model of producing low-budget direct-to-DVD sequels of its animated classics. In a DisneyToon studio shake-up that is no doubt influenced by last year's infusion of Pixar's craftsmen, Little Mermaid III will be the last of these home video titles.

Thank God!

Thank god indeed. The fool.com article continues to discuss how Disney had one hit direct to video sequel and the rest sucked. In the process, it took away Disneys reputation of quality animation.

As a fan and former stock holder of Pixar, I was worried that Disney would bring down Pixar with it's money grubbing cheap animation. Looks like the reverse may be happening.

WESLEY CHAPEL, Fla. (AP) -- Dale Rippy says he was acting on instinct when a rabid 25-pound bobcat attacked him on his porch in this central Florida suburb. Rippy, 62, endured the bobcat's slashes and bites until it clawed into a position where he could grab it by the throat.Then he strangled it.

Associated Press article

I've refereed to many of my friends as a "ho" plenty of times, but most of them are white males. That's not racist. When Imus refers to an entire team of black women as "hos" and "nappy-headed", that's racist. Where I work, if I referred to any group of people with those words, It wouldn't be tolerated and I would most likely be fired.

If Imus's employers also do not tolerate racism, then they should fire Imus. By the way, I found this Reuters article interesting, because of the way it described why those are racist terms. In case you didn't know why.

Imus made the comments last Wednesday after the Rutgers Scarlet Knights team lost the national collegiate championship game to Tennessee. "Hos" is slang for whores. "Nappy-headed" is steeped in racism and viewed as a vile slur describing African American hair.

This Happened in Florida, where the police illegally entered a mans house to server some papers. From there a fight broke out when the home owner tried to resist the police.

Coffin, 56, had a right to defend his family and property because the deputies had no right to be in Coffin's house in the first place, De Furia said."Law enforcement was responsible for the chain of events here," De Furia said. "I think in situations like this, officers become so frustrated they go beyond what the law allows them to do."

I'm surprised more people aren't talking about this because it's a great idea. Postal regulators are suggesting the US Postal Service should issue a "forever" stamp.

The stamp would be purchased for whatever the current stamp price. When stamp prices go up, you don't need to purchase extra stamps to make up the price difference. I rarely send mail any more since I use billpay for everything. Last time there was a price hiike, I was left will all these underpiced stamps.

Yet another reason not to fly.

Without their knowledge, millions of Americans and foreigners crossing U.S. borders in the past four years have been assigned scores generated by U.S. government computers rating the risk that the travelers are terrorists or criminals. The travelers are not allowed to see or directly challenge these risk assessments, which the government intends to keep on file for 40 years.

The US Government needs to make cash money more easily discernible for the blind.

U.S. District Judge James Robertson on Tuesday ordered the Treasury Department to start working on the problem, leaving it up to government officials to determine the best solution. Possible changes include making bills of differing sizes or adding embossed dots or raised ink.

A suspected terrorist who spent years in a secret CIA prison should not be allowed to speak to a civilian attorney, the Bush administration argues, because he could reveal the agency's closely guarded interrogation techniques.

In recently filed court documents, the Justice Department said those methods, along with the locations of the CIA's network of prisons, are among the nation's most sensitive secrets. Prisoners who spent time in those prisons should not be allowed to disclose that information, even to a lawyer, the government said.

They should copyright their torture procedures and make the "suspected terrorists" sign a NDA, then they have a legal means to prevent them from revealing their secrets.

A Republican congressman accused of abusing his ex-mistress agreed to pay her about $500,000 in a settlement last year that contained a powerful incentive for her to keep quiet until after Election Day, a person familiar with the terms of the deal told The Associated Press. Rep. Don Sherwood is locked in a tight re-election race against a Democratic opponent who has seized on the four-term congressman's relationship with the woman. While Sherwood acknowledged the woman was his mistress, he denied abusing her and said that he had settled her $5.5 million lawsuit on confidential terms.

link to AP story.

People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals wants Six Flags Great America to scrap its Halloween-themed cockroach-eating promotion. A spokeswoman for the animal rights organization says the contest at the amusement park's FrightFest is "gratuitously cruel." The park in Gurnee, Ill., is joining other Six Flags parks in offering unlimited line-jumping privileges to anyone who eats a live Madagascar hissing cockroach. The bugs are up to three inches long.

Come-on. There's gotta be a line somewhere, and I think cockroaches are it.

The Pentagon has contracted Northrup Grumman to develop a travel booking system, (like Orbitz). If congress doesn't kill it, it will end up costing nearly $474 million dollars. thats MILLION DOLLARS. Even if it cost $1 Million I would say it was excessive.

"It will take 200 years to ever pay back the cost of this contract in terms of that savings," Sen. Tom Coburn, R-Okla., told ABC News, "especially when you consider they're not getting the best price." Four years ago, the Pentagon's inspector general recommended killing the defense travel system altogether, but it survived. Investigators say 70 percent of Pentagon travelers refuse to use DTS because of faulty software or because they believe they can get a better price elsewhere.

I love the way Northrup Grumman tries to make it sound all good and rosy. My first question at reading this article is why the hell did they contract Northrup Grumman? If they really needed their own booking system, which I'm not convinced they do, why didn't they contract a company that does this sort of thing. Like Expedia or Orbitz. My company uses American Express. Hell even IBM could have done it.

What a cool story.

When Susan Kuhnhausen returned home from work one day earlier this month, she encountered an intruder wielding a claw hammer. After a struggle, the 51-year-old nurse fended off her attacker by strangling him with her bare hands. Neighbors praised the woman for her bravery, and investigators said they believed the dead man - Edward Dalton Haffey - was burglarizing Kuhnhausen's home. But after an investigation, police now say the intruder Kuhnhausen strangled was apparently a hit man hired by her estranged husband - Michael James Kuhnhausen Sr. - to kill her.

Who the hell voted for this religious whack-o?

U.S. Rep. Katherine Harris told a religious journal that separation of church and state is "a lie" and God and the nation's founding fathers did not intend the country be "a nation of secular laws." The Republican candidate for U.S. Senate also said that if Christians are not elected, politicians will "legislate sin," including abortion and gay marriage.

Harris made the comments - which she clarified Saturday - in the Florida Baptist Witness, the weekly journal of the Florida Baptist State Convention, which interviewed political candidates and asked them about religion and their positions on issues. Separation of church and state is "a lie we have been told," Harris said in the interview, published Thursday, saying separating religion and politics is "wrong because God is the one who chooses our rulers."

"If you're not electing Christians, then in essence you are going to legislate sin," Harris said.

The new World Strip Poker Champion who beat nearly 200 other players celebrated winning the 10,000 pounds ($18,860) prize by removing his remaining clothes, thus securing a further 10,000 pounds for charity.John Young, a 32-year-old freelance writer from Slough, a town just west of London, secured victory after an eight hour competition involving both men and women from 12 countries, organizers Paddy Power said on Sunday.

Link

A former schoolteacher was arrested Wednesday in Thailand in the slaying of 6-year-old beauty queen JonBenet Ramsey - a surprise breakthrough in a lurid, decade-old murder mystery that had cast a cloud of suspicion over her parents. Federal officials, speaking on condition of anonymity, identified the suspect as John Mark Karr, a 42-year-old American, and one law enforcement official told The Associated Press that Boulder police had tracked him down online.

Link

This will be a great opportunity for airlines to start charging for banned liquids.

The Transportation and Security Administration, or TSA, said on its Web site it would allow passengers to bring up to 4 ounces (118 ml) of nonprescription liquid medication on board, including pain relievers and cough medicine.

Maple Desk - I love this desk and a absolute bargain at $149. I wouldn't be able to fit it down my hallway.

• Antique Dining Room Set in Santa Fe Looks nice but not cheap at $800 (but still may be a bargain)
• Sectional Couch - This freaked me out, my ex-girlfriend and I had an identical couch and spent way more than $700.
• Antique Sofa - Nice looking antique for a $100.
• Maple Chest of Drawers - Antique, not bad for $280.
• lawyers table - I love this, it comes apart! $129.
• Tiger Oak Dresser - A little rough and a perhaps a bit pricey at $169.

Yikes!

SYRIA'S foreign minister yesterday offered to join militant group Hezbollah in its fight against Israel and said a regional war would be "most welcome" as more than 30 people in Israel and Lebanon were killed on one of the worst days since the conflict began.

This is why it takes forever to get stuff done in Congress. Thanks guys.

Democratic senators blocked their own goal on Thursday of raising the U.S. minimum wage for the first time since 1997 after Republicans added a huge tax break for the rich to the legislation, actions sure to reverberate in this election year.On a 56-42 vote, the Republican-led Senate failed to get the 60 votes needed to clear the way for final congressional passage of the minimum wage increase and a big cut in inheritance taxes for wealthy Americans.

Power consumption across the U.S. and parts of Canada soared with scorching temperatures to new record highs on Monday, but blackouts were unlikely unless there were major equipment failures, said the industry group that oversees transmission.By mid-afternoon, power demand in the Midwest region and Texas exceeded 2005 records and continued to climb.

It was pretty warm in the Albuquerque area today, unfortunately it was not a dry heat. My swamp cooler wasn't that effective, still doesn't use as much power as a regular A/C.

The New York state Advisory Committee on Judicial Ethics has ruled that it is permissible for judges to pack a pistol beneath their robes while on the bench. "From an ethical standpoint, there is no prohibition ... barring you from carrying a firearm while performing your duties on the bench," the committee said in a decision published in this week's New York Law Journal. Judges would have to comply with existing laws to bring a gun into court.

Link

House approves 1965 Voting Rights Act renewal

As Southern lawmakers tell it, the House voted Thursday to punish their grandchildren for the racism of generations past when lawmakers overwhelmingly approved the renewal of the 1965 Voting Rights Act.

Opponents of renewing the law contended that states have ended racist voting practices. "I sincerely hope the U.S. Senate corrects these problems so when the bill returns to the House for final passage I can vote for it," said Rep. John Shadegg, R-Ariz., whose state is one of those under federal scrutiny.

Oh yeah, right. I'm sure there's no racism in the voting process.

"The Army lives on lessons-learned. We get better each and every time we do it," Foster said. "There's discussion under way that there may be -- may be -- a better way of doing this if you open it up to as many as three bids for the contract."

So says the Army Man, as they decide to dump the Halliburton contract and bid it out to have multiple suppliers to do the same thing. The next question is do they understand the concept of using a low bidder vs a high bidder.

High gasoline prices may dent economic growth, but consumers' fuel appetite is still strong. Those trends are likely to persist, experts said, as average nationwide pump prices approach $3 a gallon - a threshold once feared to be disastrous for motorists and potentially the economy.

Link.

Oil prices hit a new intraday high near $76 a barrel Thursday in a market agitated by escalating violence in the Middle East and news of explosions on Nigerian pipelines

Link.

The Pentagon acknowledged for the first time that all detainees held by the U.S. military are covered by the protections of an article of the Geneva Conventions that bars inhumane treatment, according to a memo made public on Tuesday.

Link

I have been a fan of David Letterman for many a year. But his interview with Bill O'Reilly was one of his best. His now famous quote about how "I'm not smart enough to debate you point to point on this, but I have the feeling, I have the feeling about 60 percent of what you say is crap." What a awesome quote, he admits he's not a expert but that the it just doesn't sound right.

I lived in California in 2001 prior to 9/11. On days I had nothing to do I watched Mr. O'Reilly on Fox (during a lot of coverage of Gary Condit at the time). They guy utterly pissed me off to no end, yet I still could watch him. Today I can't even stand to look at the guy. That's why I couldn't stay up to watch the interview, but I wish I had.

On Sunday night, Mr. President, you attempted to suck up to the American people with a TV address. I know this because the Simpsons were suppose to come on at 7pm when you came on. Thankfully Fox showed The Simpsons in it's entirety instead of trying to make up time. Thus I listened to your entire speal. thanks for keeping it under 20 minutes by the way.

You continue to insult my intelligence with your mixing of the 9/11 attacks and the Iraq war. I wish you would just admit that you were going to attack Iraq whether or not 9/11 happened. It seems that the majority of your speech was to get more support for Iraq, not about getting more power to take away American liberties. I certainly didn't want to hear about that.

This so-called war (so called because I don't think Congress declared war) has been ill-conceived from the start. You didn't know what you had, you didn't know what you were up against and you still haven't shown that you have a decent plan in place. Yet you are going up in front of America trying to build you case. In fact I actually agree with you, that would should finish the job we started and keep the troops there. I too fear if we pull out too soon the bad guys will take over. Yet I'm very concerned that your first priority is making sure Haliburton gets American tax payer money than ensuring the safety of our troops.

Let's not forgetthe real meaning of Christmas.

II. How Did Christmas Come to Be Celebrated on December 25?

A. Roman pagans first introduced the holiday of Saturnalia, a week long period of lawlessness celebrated between December 17-25. During this period, Roman courts were closed, and Roman law dictated that no one could be punished for damaging property or injuring people during the weeklong celebration. The festival began when Roman authorities chose “an enemy of the Roman people” to represent the “Lord of Misrule.” Each Roman community selected a victim whom they forced to indulge in food and other physical pleasures throughout the week. At the festival’s conclusion, December 25th, Roman authorities believed they were destroying the forces of darkness by brutally murdering this innocent man or woman.

My faith in the US Senate has been restored , at least for now.

In a stinging defeat for President Bush, Senate Democrats blocked passage Friday of a new Patriot Act to combat terrorism at home, depicting the measure as a threat to the constitutional liberties of innocent Americans.

Thanks to rapper Young Jeezy angry snowman image from his single "Go Crazy", all snowmen are being discriminated against. Although not clear to the layman, the image is referring to the snowman as being the coke dealer since coke is often refereed to as snow.

A local private school is banning all images of snowmen and snow due to the drug references. The falling of snow near the children at school or home is also banned.

This sounds like a story on The Onion. One guy is offended by the shape of a ice cream cone and Burger King caves?

The offending lid was spotted in a branch in Park Royal last week by business development manager Rashad Akhtar, 27, of High Wycombe. He was not satisfied by the decision to withdraw the cones and has called on Muslims to boycott Burger King. He said: "This is my jihad. How can you say it is a spinning swirl? If you spin it one way to the right you are offending Muslims."

"Katrina exposed serious problems in our response capability at all levels of government, and to the extent that the federal government didn't fully do it's job right, I take responsibility," Bush said. "I want to know what went right and what went wrong."

As much as I don't like the Bush administration, President Bush is doing the right thing by admitting to the problem and taking responsibility. To have Michael Brown resign from FEMA is further good news that they are trying to address the issues of what when wrong. Lets see if they continue to do the right thing.

I enjoy reading Boing Boing and they were quick to point out all the problems, yet I haven't read a single post about the governments admissions.

What the...

The children, ages 1 to 14, were found locked in cages at their home in Wakeman, about 40 miles southwest of Cleveland, according to Lt. Randy Sommers of the Huron County Sheriff's Office.

Authorities said the kids were kept in wooden cages, less than 3 feet by 3 feet, without pillows or blankets.

Police said no charges had been filed against the parents.

"Basically, the parents thought they were providing for the protection of the children from themselves and from each other," said Sommers.

"I felt her tooth go into my scalp," he said. "I thought, 'Oh, this is no good.' " Then he felt his scalp rip clean away.

The scary story of Johan Otter, who lured a bear away from his daughter. Besides the loss of his scalp he also had five broken vertebrae, three shattered ribs and other various injuries. The bear attacked his daughter anyways but didn't do nearly the that it did to him.

Ooohhhhh, now they're going to get it. Better yet, I liked the suggestion I heard to just fire everyone at FEMA (of course, I'm talking management here).

President George W. Bush pledged on Tuesday to review what went wrong in the initial response to Hurricane Katrina but resisted any immediate probe and lawmakers launched an investigation of their own.

I understand that he wants to place blame later, but he always looks like he's trying to cover something up when he avoids doing something like a "probe."

Google Maps has post Katrina satellite maps up. You can se the same area pre Katrina by pushing the "Satellite" button and back to the Katrina damage by pressing the red "Katrina" button.

I'm a littel confused as to what exactly all the troops are suppose to be doing in NOLA. First this.

The Pentagon said on Saturday it will carefully limit the role of 7,200 federal troops heading into chaotic New Orleans and other places hit by Hurricane Katrina to avoid violating a law barring them from domestic law enforcement duties. "They will not take on a law enforcement role nor have they been directed in any way to do so," said Lt. Gen. Joseph Inge, deputy commander of U.S. Northern Command, which oversees the military relief effort.

“This place is going to look like Little Somalia,” Brig. Gen. Gary Jones, commander of the Louisiana National Guard’s Joint Task Force told Army Times Friday as hundreds of armed troops under his charge prepared to launch a massive citywide security mission from a staging area outside the Louisiana Superdome. “We’re going to go out and take this city back. This will be a combat operation to get this city under control.”

So they won't be police, they will be fighting a war.

This was written in 2001.

New Orleans is a disaster waiting to happen. The city lies below sea level, in a bowl bordered by levees that fend off Lake Pontchartrain to the north and the Mississippi River to the south and west. And because of a damning confluence of factors, the city is sinking further, putting it at increasing flood risk after even minor storms.

I don't know, I away seemed to think that it was a bad idea to build a city in the bottom of a bowl near the sea.

There are some guys keeping their data center up and running in New Orleans, quite a amazing feat! But this blog entry is scary as shit.

The police are looting. This has been confirmed by several independent sources. Some of the looting might be "legitimate" in as much as that word has any meaning in this context. They have broken into ATMs and safes: confirmed. We have eyewitnesses to this. They have taken dozens of SUVs from dealerships ostensibly for official use. They have also looted gun stores and pawn shops for all the small arms, supposedly to prevent "criminals" from doing so. But who knows their true intentions. We have an inside source in the NOPD who says that command and control is in chaos. He reports that command lapses more than 24 hours between check-ins, and that most of the force are "like deer in the headlights." NOPD already had a reputation for corruption, but I am telling you now that the people we've been talking to say they are not recognizing the NOPD as a legitimate authority anymore, since cops have been seen looting in Walmarts and forcing people out of stores so they could back up SUVs and loot them. Don't shoot the messenger....

I guess it doesn't get much worse than this. A giant oil rig broke loose and slammed into a bridge. Takes a lot of storm to do that.

As I understand the two things that are needed is cash and blood. You can donate cash via the Red Cross. I'd give some blood, but I think I'm still a month out before I can give again.

Oh, those jokesters over at Fox News. John Loftus gave out some slightly incorrect information about the location of some terrorists in Orange County. When he gave out the address of these terrorists on TV, the information was 3 years old and put some poor family that now owns the house in danger.

What's worse is their pathetic attempt at a apology.

The Voricks said they had made several unsuccessful attempts to contact Fox News and Loftus by telephone and e-mail. They want a public apology and correction. Both have issued apologies — Fox in a one-line statement to the Los Angeles Times and Loftus in an e-mail to the family — after being contacted by the newspaper. The Voricks say they have yet to see or hear a correction. "John Loftus has been reprimanded for his careless error, and we sincerely apologize to the family," said Fox spokeswoman Irena Brigante.

If they were really sorry they would show up at the house with their TV crew and apologize live on air. A email? Give me a break!

When is god going to come down and zap the Westboro Baptist church with his lightning bolt? Their continued hatred has now been turned to the US troops in Iraq, the ones that have died.

The Rev. Fred Phelps, founder of Westboro Baptist in Kansas, contends that American soldiers are being killed in Iraq as vengeance from God for protecting a country that harbors gays. The church, which is not affiliated with a larger denomination, is made up mostly of Phelps' children, grandchildren and in-laws.

I might be worried about this.

According to Labor Department statistics, the overall blowjobless rate swelled to 37.4 percent in July, causing widespread deflation of egos. "Cutbacks in oral services have left 55 million Americans unsatisfied," Chao said. "Although June saw a promising jump in the age 15-19 demographic, with many teenagers finding summer blowjobs, almost 82 percent of married men are completely blowjobless."

The US Government has stolen back some extremely rare coins, that were stolen from the government in the first place.

The US government claims that the coins, considered by experts to be the rarest and most valuable in the world, were stolen from the mint in Philadelphia during the depression, when the then president, Franklin D Roosevelt, decided to preserve the country's supply of gold by outlawing currency made from it. Until Mrs Langbord's collection came to light, only one other Double Eagle was known to be in private hands. That was sold at Sotheby's by the British coin dealer Stephen Fenton for $7.59m in 2002, with half of the proceeds going to the US treasury. Authorities were unaware of their existence until last September, when Mrs Langbord, 75, found the collection and decided to get a valuation.

Find out more about Double Eagle Coins.

The Iraq constitution has some interesting bits to it, like this one:

Article (2): First, Islam is the official religion of the state and is a basic source of legislation:
a) No law can be passed that contradicts the undisputed rules of Islam.
b) No law can be passed that contradicts the principles of democracy.
c) No law can be passed that contradicts the rights and basic freedoms outlined in this constitution.

Conservative U.S. evangelist Pat Robertson called for the assassination of Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez, but top U.S. officials denied on Tuesday that any such act was being contemplated -- and noted it would be illegal. The founder of the Christian Coalition said during the Monday night television broadcast of his religious program, "The 700 Club," that Chavez, one the most vocal critics of President George W. Bush, was a "terrific danger" to the United States and wanted his country to become "the launching pad for communist infiltration and Muslim extremism. "We have the ability to take him out, and I think the time has come that we exercise that ability," Robertson said. "We don't need another $200 billion war to get rid of one, you know, strong-arm dictator," he continued. "It's a whole lot easier to have some of the covert operatives do the job and then get it over with." Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld dismissed Robertson's remarks. "Certainly it's against the law. Our department doesn't do that type of thing," Rumsfeld told reporters in response to a question.

Rumsfeld's department doesn't do that illegal thing, but other illegal things are still up in the air.

Update 082505 5:47 AM: Bla bla bla, whatever jerk, your still a maroon.

Conservative U.S. evangelist Pat Robertson apologized on Wednesday for calling for the assassination of Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez, saying he spoke in frustration earlier in the week. "Is it right to call for assassination? No, and I apologize for that statement. I spoke in frustration that we should accommodate the man who thinks the U.S. is out to kill him."

Oh lord, no. I just paid $2.70 a gallon yesterday and $2.50 last week. Albuquerque is usually on the low end of the price scale, but were over the national average lately. So what the fuck, lets talk about $5 a gallon next year. You know it's coming, prices never go back down.

"Why are they charging higher prices for gas? Because people will pay it. Apparently, we're not changing our driving habits much," he said. "Blame this on ourselves. This country has not built a new refinery in 30 years, we stopped new oil exploration . . . and put a moratorium on offshore drilling."

Of course the oil companies are raking in record profits and not making the refineries or reinvesting. We cannot totally blame ourselves for everything.

I've just had two drinks. They are about 1/4 cup each and consist of Amaretto, Rum and milk, Though chocolate milk would be better. You will have to forgive my spelling. If that screen would just stay still...

Today people I wish to talk to you about Sheeple.

Sheeple are people that follow blindly and never question their leaders. Their simple Motto is: "Follow the Asshole in front of you"

These are the robots that make the Matrix possible. They blindly follow the system, they do as they are programed. Don't be a sheeple.

There's been talk about a Montatna's Judge rulling that lets law officals sort through someone's trash, who also says that he fears 1984 is upon us. To you fearful internet reader, I make this recommendation: Get a shredder.

This case was about the cops finding residue of meth making chemicals in the trash of a person. It seems that the fact that these were in his trash couldn't have been enough evidence alone to convict him, and that the cops wouldn't have gone looking in his trash if they didn't have some suspicions or other evidence to begin with. It seems unlikely that the cops have the man power to do "random trash checks" or that it would be highly sought out job.

I think the cops digging through your trash is the least of your worries. Thieves digging through your trash is probably more of a problem, where they will take information about you. Your social security number, Address, name, those credit card applications (and guess what, the don't care about the legality of it). All of that can be used to steal your identity. Get yourself a shredder and destroy all that information before you put it in your trash, and you wont have to worry about the cops or the thieves getting into your business.

Is putting evidence of your illegal activities in the trash any different than having the blinds open so people can see you doing it in your house? I say no. If your trying to hide your illegal activities in your trash, your pretty stupid. You have bigger problems and your going to get what's coming to you anyways.

ABC News reports that Peter Jennings died today of lung cancer. I assume he got the cancer from smoking.

ABC News Anchor Peter Jennings died today at his home in New York City. He was 67. On April 5, Jennings announced he had been diagnosed with lung cancer.

Why do you suppose they would not turn over this requested information? Do they need more time to shred documents?

The White House has failed to turn over any of the information requested by the 10 members of the disbanded Sept. 11 commission in their renewed, unofficial investigation into whether the government is doing enough to prevent terrorist attacks on American soil, commission members said.

Nah, the US Government would never make a half-assed attempt at the Guantanamo Trials. Would They?

The second email is written by another prosecutor, Captain John Carr, who also ended up leaving the department.

Capt Carr says the commissions appear to be rigged.

"When I volunteered to assist with this process and was assigned to this office, I expected there would at least be a minimal effort to establish a fair process and diligently prepare cases against significant accused," he wrote.

"Instead, I find a half-hearted and disorganised effort by a skeleton group of relatively inexperienced attorneys to prosecute fairly low-level accused in a process that appears to be rigged."

She should ask her husband...

Ex-wife I understand, but that he has a girlfriend now. Some people just go too far sometimes and I think this is one of those times.

Willie Windsor, 54, of Phoenix has for several years lived as a full-time baby, wearing frilly dresses, diapers and bonnets, sucking on a pacifier, eating Gerber cuisine, and habitually clutching a rag doll, in a home filled with oversized baby furniture. According to a long Phoenix New Times profile in June, the diaper is not just a prop. Windsor said he worked hard to become incontinent, even chaining the commode shut to avoid temptation, and the reporter admitted feeling "disconcert(ed)" that Windsor might be relieving himself at the very moment he was describing his un-toilet training. Apparently, Windsor's brother, ex-wife, girlfriend and a neighbor tolerate his lifestyle (though no girlfriend has yet been willing to change his diapers). Windsor is a semi-retired singer-actor and said he's been celibate for nine years. [Phoenix New Times, 6-9-05]

Thanks Sis!. Here's the original article at the New Times.

No no, this is not out of control. Clearly robots are running things, because one would think humans would use common sense.

But Beaman says she couldn't find a third knife. It was a 5 1/2 inch bread knife with a rounded tip and a serrated edge. She thought she might have lost or misplaced it during the trip.

On the trip home, screeners with the Transportation Security Administration at Los Angeles International Airport found it deep in the outside pocket of a carry-on cooler. Beaman apologized and told them it was a mistake.

"You've committed a felony," Beaman says a security screener announced. "And you're considered a terrorist.

"Beaman says she was told her name would go on a terrorist watch-list and that she would have to pay a $500 fine.

"I'm a 57-year-old woman who is taking care of 37 kids," she told them. "I'm not gonna commit a terrorist act." Beaman says they took information from her Washington drivers license and confiscated and photographed the knife according to standard operating procedure.

She says screeners refused to give her paperwork or documentation of her violation, documentation of the pending fine, or a copy of the photograph of the knife.

"They said 'no' and they said it's a national security issue. And I said what about my constitutional rights? And they said 'not at this point ... you don't have any'."

Stopping short of proclaiming that Jesus himself told him that Shiavo was wronged, Bush gives up on the whole matter. If you live in Florida, watch out cause he might be looking into your personal life next.

Florida Gov. Jeb Bush has dropped his pursuit of an investigation into the 1990 collapse of Terry Schiavo after a prosecutor said there was no indication of foul play that led to her irrevocable brain damage. Bush, who worked hard to keep Schiavo on a feeding tube before her March 31 death, had ordered the probe after an autopsy confirmed she had been in the persistent vegetative state.

This is interesting, despite the Supreme Court ruling, Oregon is continuing with it's medical marijuana program. So if the ruling "has not impact", then what is the point?

"The (Supreme Court) decision has no legal impact on the operation of Oregon's program," according to a statement by Oregon Attorney General Hardy Myers' office.

How Sad.

The four-square-mile Green Zone, the one place in Baghdad where foreigners are reasonably safe, could be a showcase of American values and abilities. Instead the American enclave is a trash-strewn wasteland of Mad Max-style fortifications. The traffic lights don't work because no one has bothered to fix them. The garbage rarely gets collected. Some of the worst ambassadors in U.S. history are the GIs at the Green Zone's checkpoints. They've repeatedly punched Iraqi ministers, accidentally shot at visiting dignitaries and behave (even on good days) with all the courtesy of nightclub bouncers%u2014to Americans and Iraqis alike. Not that U.S. soldiers in Iraq have much to smile about. They're overworked, much ignored on the home front and widely despised in Iraq, with little to look forward to but the distant end of their tours%u2014and in most cases, another tour soon to follow. Many are reservists who, when they get home, often face the wreckage of careers and family.

I bought one of those M3Power razors, because as a gadget guy, I had to see for myself. And I quickly learned that it's complete and utter bulshit. Since then I switched to the Schick 4 blade whatever-the-hell-there-called razors and find that they are cheaper and work as good if not better.

Anyways, Schick thought that the ads for the M3Power were bullshit too, and won in court. Good for them. You always expect the loosing side to put a positive spin on things, but Gillete's spokeman should also be sued for this idioic statement:

But Szynal said the computer-generated image of the razor lifting hair away from the skin was never meant to be taken literally.

WTF? Do you think