Biden: Guiliani's Sentence Structure: "A Noun, A Verb, And 9/11"

This has to go down as one of the best lines ever! In the Oct. 30th Democratic Presidential Debate, Joe Biden was asked a question about Hillary Clinton. He was asked by moderator Brian Williams,

Senator Biden, you said recently, "While Mrs. Clinton was meeting socially with the prime minister of a country, I was sitting down and negotiating with them. I know my experience is considerably deeper and more relevant."

Do you stand by that quote, and is your inference that she is less qualified than you to be president?

His answer was not about Clinton, but about the leader in the GOP race, Rudy Guiliani ... and it was classic.

I'm not running against Hillary Clinton. I'm running to lead the free world. I'm running to lead this country. And the irony is, Rudy Giuliani, probably the most underqualified man since George Bush to seek the presidency is here talking about any of the people here.

Rudy Giuliani -- I mean, think about it. Rudy Giuliani -- there's only three things he mentions in a sentence: a noun and a verb and 9/11. I mean, there's nothing else.

Watch the clip ... that section is approx. at -2:05 or a little more than 7 minutes in.

Why is it so hard to define torture?

Michael Mukasey's confirmation as the 81st Attorney General of the United States appears in limbo, or even dimming, because he refuses to call waterboarding torture. Yesterday he submitted 170 pages of elaboration on his positions to the Senate Judiciary Committee, but he still refused to say waterboarding was torture.

What he did say was that waterboarding was "repugnant" to him, but he did not say it was torture or illegal.

Let's drop the legality aspect for now. Let's just look at trying to define something as torture. I have only one question: why is it so hard to define something as or as not torture?

Here's a medical definition of torture from MedicalNet:

An act by which severe pain or suffering, whether physical or mental, is intentionally inflicted on a person, for a purpose such as obtaining information or a confession, punishment, intimidation or coercion, or for any reason based on discrimination of any kind.

Let's look at waterboarding first. From Wikipedia:

Waterboarding (aka "water boarding") is the practice of immobilizing an individual on his or her back, with the head inclined downward, and pouring water over the face to force the inhalation of water, that induces the sensation of drowning. Waterboarding has been used to obtain information, coerce confessions, punish, and intimidate. In contrast to merely submerging the head, waterboarding elicits the gag reflex, and can make the subject believe death is imminent while leaving no physical damage.

Now, let's just ask the simple question: if this were done to you, do you think it would be fun? No. Do you think it might be severe physical or at least mental suffering to feel that you were drowning?

Even more clear than that, from that same Wikipedia article (and other references), in 1947, the United States prosecuted a Japanese military officer, Yukio Asano, for carrying out a form of waterboarding on a U.S. civilian during World War II. Hmmm ...

Or let's try having a snarling guard dog stuck in your face, as was reportedly done at Abu Ghraib. Don't you think that fits the definition of torture?

My simple definition of torture: if it were done to me and I would find it caused me severe physical or mental suffering ... that's torture. And that's how Mukasey ... and Bush ... ought to look at these things, rather than tiptoeing around and saying the definition is unclear.

Judge in "Dry Cleaners Lawsuit" Gets Pantsed; Loses Job

You may recall (now former) judge Roy Pearson's lawsuit against Custom Cleaners, which he eventually lost, but which still resulted in the owners closing their shop last month. Yesterday Pearson lost his job, as after serving a two-year term, a judicial committee voted against reappointing him.

A source said the lawsuit had little to do with the reappointment decision, but what did was a review of his casework and a finding that he did not demonstrate "appropriate judgment and judicial temperament." Pearson also was criticized for displaying a "combative" nature with supervisors and colleagues and for failing to comply with policies in drafting opinions.

"Combative" nature, eh? Sort of the type of behavior demonstrated by say, suing for $54 million over a lost set of pants?

Cheney Embroiled in Confederate Flag Hunting Flap

At least he didn't shoot any people. Vice President Dick Cheney went hunting Monday at the Clove Valley Rod & Gun Club in Dutchess County, about 70 miles north of New York City. This is one of those "really fair" hunting clubs, where farm-bred pheasants are released before the arrival of the patrons, so they have really easy hunting.

What really got people's attention though, was when it was discovered that the private club has a Confederate flag hung there (pictured above, hanging inside a garage). After hearing of the picture, the Rev. Al Sharpton said,

"It's appalling for the VP to be at a private club displaying the flag of lynching, hate and murder. It's the epitome of an insult."

It's also weird since New York was definitely not a Confederate state. A spokesperson for the VP said he never saw the flag. Based on what he did to his friend Harry Whittington in 2006, when he shot him, I don't doubt it; his vision probably isn't that good.

Researchers to Sell Rights to Name Butterfly

Remember how baseball and football stadiums used to just be named after, say, the place they were built (Candlestick Park, Three Rivers Stadium) or some other nondescript name? Today stadiums seem to all be named after corporations, like Coors Field, AT&T Park, Petco Park, or whatever. Now researchers who helped discover a new species of Mexican butterfly are trying to sell off the naming rights.

In this case, I'm not upset. They will use the funds to further butterfly research. The winning bidder will determine the species name following the public auction at iGavel.com, which started Oct. 22 and ends Nov. 2.

This newly discovered butterfly (pictured), a species of Owl butterfly, lives in Sonora, a Mexican state bordering Arizona. It is of the genus "Opsiphanes," and is just waiting for the conclusion of the auction to get its species name. Could we see it called the Osiphanes AT&T? Who knows?

Britney Crucified Over "Blackout" Album Pics

Well, not literally, but pictures like the one above have incensed Catholic groups. The picture is from her Blackout album, which coincidentally releases today.

"This girl is crashing," Catholic League President Bill Donohue said. "She's not even allowed to bring up her own kids because she's not responsible enough. Now we see she can't even entertain."

Whoa, the album has actually garnered favorable press --- and a lot of it, so in terms of entertaining ... well, that's probably the only thing she's even remotely doing correctly, in spite of her lame performance at the MTV VMAs.

Outside of her music career, she's had a lot of trouble, however, including running over a photographer's foot, losing custody of her children, and losing, then regaining visitation rights ... and the problem is there's plenty more where that came from. The comment from Donohue about "crashing" above may not be far off the mark.

Is America Ready for a FLILF?

Interesting segment on The Daily Show last night. For those who don't know what FLIFL might stand for (I didn't until I took the time to think about it), take MILF and substitute First Lady for Mother ... and think of Fred Thompson's and Dennis Kucinich's wives. Got it now? OK.

This had me laughing out loud (as The Daily Show frequently does) when correspondent Jason Jones interviewed Kucinich's 29-year-old wife. When asked by her what FLILF meant, he said,

"What's a FLILF? A FLILF is an acronym, also a palindrome. Your husband would be a FLILF hunter."

Jones later asked her husband's health care plan, but was obviously not listening, despite the fact that her British accent is very endearing.

Watch the video.

N.J. Man Charged for Sex with 92-Year-Old ... Corpse

Just to be clear, it wasn't say a 30-year-old who died young and was then a corpse for 92 years (not that it would make any difference). No, we're talking about a 92-year-old elderly person who had passed away. I'm sorry, the thought of sex with a living 92-year-old doesn't do much for me, much less a dead 92-year-old. Yes, there's a word for this: necrophilia. And another one, sick.

Anthony Merino, a 24-year-old lab technician, was arrested Sunday after a security guard saw him having sex with a dead 92-year-old woman in the Holy Name Hospital morgue. And yes, that's our culprit in the mug shot above.

He's been charged with second-degree desecration of human remains. Bail has been set at $400,000.

Olympic-caliber H.S. Skeet Shooter in Trouble Over Shotgun Shells

Granted, I can understand why --- she's a high school student, and I'm sure none of you need reminding about Columbine or other such events.

Kim Peters has won several trophies in the male-dominated sport of skeet shooting. In August she was one of 18 athletes to attend this year's Junior Olympic shooting camp in Colorado Springs, Colorado. She attends Willow Springs High School in Surprise, Arizona. Last week, however, she ended up in hot water when a security guard noticed two unopened boxes of shells sitting in the back seat of the student's SUV.

She was running late that day so she actually committed another offense: parking in a visitor's only lot, and during the ticketing process is when the shells were noticed. Security also found cigarettes, yet another offense. No shotgun, however, just the shells.

She's concerned about her "permanent record" however, and is trying to get the offense expunged. Notably, neither of the other offenses were included on the Dysart School District disciplinary-incident form sent home with her. Most likely once he saw the shells, the guard didn't think anything else really mattered.

The record currently says she has a "dangerous instrument" violation. This wouldn't sell too well to some universities, obviously. The family has offered to "trade" the cigarette violation for the "dangerous instrument" violation, but realistically, I don't think trading should be necessary.

It should be noted that a 2007 federal education statute explicitly excludes shotguns and shotgun shells from being categorized as a "dangerous instrument" because they are primarily used for sport. On the other hand, the Arizona Department of Education says that districts are free to take disciplinary actions where they see fit.

D.C. Madam Clients, Like Birds of a Feather, Stick Together

Last week the Senate Foreign Relations Committee voted on Henrietta Holsman Fore's nomination to become the administrator of USAID. While the 13 - 5 vote moved the nomination to the full Senate for confirmation, it's interesting to see who voted against her.

Four Democrats and Sen. David Vitter, R-La., voted against her. What's so interesting about this? Vitter has been ensnared in the D.C. Madam's net, as his phone number appeared on her phone records.

Additionally appearing on the phone records was the last head of USAID, Randall Tobias. The day after being called by ABC News over the issue, Tobias resigned from USAID position as well as his positions as Director of US Foreign Assistance.

While obviously the confirmation of Fore will have nothing to do with Tobias' resignation, it's still humorous.

Birds of a feather stick together?

Man Put on Sex Offenders' List After Trying to Have Sex with a Bicycle

First of all, how do you have sex with a bicycle?

Robert Stewart was at the Aberley House Hostel in Ayr, south west Scotland, in October of last year, when two housekeepers entered his room, to find him, er, engaged with the bicycle.

They had knocked several times, but had not received an answer so, thinking the room empty, they used the master key to enter.

Deputy fiscal Gail Davidson said, “They then observed the accused wearing only a white T-shirt, naked from the waist down. The accused was holding the bike and moving his hips back and forth as if to simulate sex.”

Stewart was placed on the sex offenders’ list but his sentence was deferred until next month.

My questions are: was the bicycle of legal age? Did it consent? And did anyone get this on video?

Bill Maher Hires "Blackwater" After Security Fiasco

You'll recall on the October 19th installment of Real Time with Bill Maher, Bill actually went into the audience to eject some protesters when security was slow to react. This week, Bill introduced his new security firm: Blackwater.

"But please, extend a warm welcome to my security team: Blackwater. They're in the house tonight."

He had some trouble with the monologue, with a slow start and some flubs. But I particularly like the line about Lindsay Lohan and evacuations,

"Lindsay Lohan had to run out of rehab with nothing but the monkey on her back."

Watch the video.

Burglar Slits Own Throat on Broken Window Glass

In Adelaide in South Australia, a homeowner found himself in the strange position of trying to save the life of a man who was trying to burglarize his home.

The unidentified burglar threw a garden statue through the window, breaking it, but then apparently slipped on a piece of the statue. He fell, slashing his throat on a jagged piece of window glass.

The middle-aged resident, who asked not to be identified, found the man outside in a pool of blood when he went to investigate. He tried to staunch the blood flow with towels, but he said the man's throat looked "looked like an axe had hit it." The burglar died while the homeowner continued to try to save him.

Fox Shamelessly Proclaims Bush a "World Series Hero"

You can't even get away from politics in the World Series. Last night, prior to the 3rd game of the World Series, Fox aired a montage of great moments in World Series history.

The narrator said,

"The story of the World Series is told in seven chapters, each with their own tale, each with their own hero. These stories take us back in time to the place where we witnessed greatness."

Interspersed with the actual clips were "dramatizations" of the reactions of TV viewers.

Chapter 4 was Bush throwing out the first pitch in Game 3 of the 2001 World Series. As the clip rolled, the actors in the dramatization were laying it on thick. No only that, they were supposedly New York City firefighters.

FDNY 1: "Hey, the President's at Yankee Stadium. Price (?), come here."

FDNY 2: "Look at that."

FDNY 1: "Robert, Robert, check it out. He's in our uniform, he's wearing our uniform. I mean, look at this. All right, Mr. President, let's see what you got. A strike."

Greatness? Could you be any more ridiculous and self-serving than that? Looks like I have to stop watching Fox period, not just Faux News.

Watch the video.

Faux News Lies About "No Deaths in Iraq This Week"

At the start of this clip, Kilmeade says "You know something? Not one US military, member of the military, was killed in Iraq for the first time since 2004 this past week, and almost no one's talking about it." Well, quite possibly it's because he's lying, or at the very least mistaken.

He then went on to say, "In Iraq there were no casualties in the Al-Anbar Province last week, or in Iraq, US casualties ... terrorists attacks have drop 59%, sectarian attacks off 72%, IED attacks down 80%. It sounds like I'm making this up! If it was a year ago and I told you this is where we're going to be at, would you say I predicted this?"

Yeah, it does sound like you are making it up, because you are. The Iraq Coalition Casualty Count website has been tracking US and coalition deaths since the beginning of the war. Their figures are confirmed by the DoD.

Taking a look at the week from October 19th to 26th, when the broadcast occurred, if you drill down into the month of October on their website, you can see seven deaths between Oct. 19th and the 25th, the date of the last reported casualty. Even giving Kilmeade some slack, and excluding the ones listed as non-hostile, there are still four that are a result of hostile action.

What can I say? Fair and balanced? Nowhere in their motto is the word "accurate."

Watch the clip.

Yes, Virginia, There is a Draft for Iraq. Just Not the One You Think

There has been much speculation that in order to keep up, not with just the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, but with any future conflicts, the United States would have to re-institute the draft. Well, there is a sort of draft that's been instituted, but not a military draft. You could call it a State Department draft.

The State Department has been having trouble (small wonder) getting employees to go to Iraq voluntarily. On Friday the State Department announced that diplomats would have to take a one year assignment in Iraq, if requested, or lose their jobs.

Let's face it, who would want to go to Iraq? Harry Thomas, the State Department’s HR director, said about 250 “prime candidates” would be notified Monday that they have been selected to go to Iraq. You can bet people are crossing their fingers, and doing so all weekend long.

Those selected will have 10 working days to respond to the demand that they go to Iraq in summer 2008, and that only those with valid reasons, like a medical problem, would be exempt.

Sounds like a military draft, eh? You need to be 4F to get out of it.

Bill Maher on Dumbledore: "If I had the slightest interest in homosexuals with powers, I'd be a Republican"

Besides a burka fashion show, in his New Rules segment on the Oct. 26th Real Time with Bill Maher, Bill addressed politicians and disasters, Old Spice trying to become hip, Dumbledore and his homosexuality, Halloween, and FEAR as shoved down our throats by politicians.

Here's Bill's New Rule about Dumbledore:

I don't give two fingleberries and an McShittol that Dumbledore is gay. What concerns me is adults who read 800-page books about magic schoolboys, and then try to talk to me about it. If I had the slightest interest in homosexuals with powers, I'd be a Republican.

And on FEAR:

At the Republican debate this week Mike Huckabee said Islamo-Fascism is the greatest threat we've ever faced. Really? More than the Nazis? And the Russians? And the Redcoats?

We are the most powerful nation on Earth, with the largest economy and the best military and we're made to act the fool by a few thousand cave-dwellers who still put out their video on VHS.

And that's the problem. Because of the incompetence that goes by the name George Bush, we have become the most insecure paranoid superpower ever. We don't think we can get anything right anymore. We can't take care of our citizens after a hurricane or plan for our wars, or maintain our infrastructure, and our celebrity rehab facilities obviously aren't working at all.

Watch the video:

Is Sarah Jessica Parker Really the Unsexiest Woman Alive?

Maxim magazine has revealed their list of the five unsexiest women alive. The list is:

5. Britney Spears
4. Madonna
3. Sandra Oh
2. Amy Winehouse
1. Sarah Jessica Parker

Now, I have to question a couple of them here. I admit, Britney doesn't look anywhere near as hard-bodied as she used to, but surely there are worse. Or maybe her behavior just adds enough to the mix to make it reasonable.

Madonna? This one I'm not sure I agree on. OK, OK, not as hot as before, but it hasn't been that long since Swept Away and she was pretty hard-bodied there.

Sandra Oh? Well, she shares something with Sarah Jessica Parker, and unfortunately it's a ... well, I hate to say it, but kind of a horse face. And she doesn't have a body to make up for it.

Amy Winehouse? Just take a look at the picture; I would really agree with this one.

Now here's the one I really disagree with --- Sarah Jessica Parker. I admit, as I said above, she does have a horse face. I mean, you can't accuse her of being beautiful. But that's not this list. It's not the homeliest women alive. It's the unsexiest women alive. All one need do is take a look at the photo below and I really think that Parker doesn't qualify for that.

'Course, I admit this is likely pre-baby, but I did see a Time (or was it Newsweek) shot of her post-baby, showing her abs are still as sexy as ever. Too bad I can't find it online.

Cheney on "Cousin Obama"

As we know from my prior post, Barack Obama and Dick Cheney are very distantly related. Friday on Kudlow & Company, Larry Kudlow interviewed Cheney, and among other things, discussed "Cousin Obama."

Cheney didn't appear too happy to have to discuss his relative.

KUDLOW: Speaking of another Democratic front-runner, you and Senator Obama are apparently related. This information comes from your wife, Lynn, she appeared on our program not too long ago. Mareen and Susan Duvall, immigrants from France. You spoke to Mr. Obama about this shared experience?

Mr. CHENEY: Cousin Barack? No. No, we haven't. We haven't had the opportunity to talk about it.

KUDLOW: You haven't once?

Mr. CHENEY: No.

KUDLOW: You call him up and say, `Well, heck, there's a family tree.'

Mr. CHENEY: I didn't know whether that would help him or hurt him. So I thought I'd probably stay away from it, so. Apparently we do have a common ancestor about eight or nine generations back.

As you may recall, upon hearing the news of their relationship, Obama spokesman Bill Burton said, "Every family has a black sheep."

Watch the video:

FEMA and Their Fake News Conference

FEMA can't seem to get it right, can they? Still trying to make up for the errors of Katrina, Tuesday they held a press conference and, when no legitimate reporters showed up for the hastily called press conference, they substituted staffers for reporters.

Today, after the Washington Post blew the story wide open, FEMA apologized, and White House Press Secretary Dana Perino, addressing the issue, said, "FEMA has issued an apology, saying that they had an error in judgment when they were attempting to get out a lot of information to reporters, who were asking for answers to a variety of questions in regard to the wildfires in California. It's not something I would have condoned. And they - I'm sure - will not do it again. I don't think that there was any mal-intent. It was just a bad way to handle it, and they know that."

Some of the problem with the whole fake press conference idea was the soft-pedeled questioning.

For example, FEMA Deputy Administrator and Vice Admiral Harvey Johnson, who was at the podium, was asked, "Are you happy with FEMA's response so far?"

"I'm very happy with FEMA's response so far. This is a FEMA and a federal government that's leaning forward, not waiting to react. And you have to be pretty pleased to see that."

Nice patting yourself on the back, Harv.

Later, "What lessons learned from Katrina have been applied?"

"I think what you're really seeing here is the benefit of experience, the benefit of good leadership and the benefit of good partnership; none of which were present in Katrina. So, I think, as a nation, people should sit up and take notice that you have the worst wildfire season in history in California and look at how well the state and local governments are performing, look at how well we're working together between state and federal partners."

Wow, talk about a great performance.

Watch the fake news conference yourself:

AT&T and Their Concern for Wildfire Victim's Loss: "Pay for Your Satellite Receiver, Now"

AT&T has shown a total lack of sensitivity for San Diego fire victims. Unfortunately, I'm sure this is not going to be an isolated incident --- unless AT&T gets a lot of flak for this.

Matt and Dannell Azola's two-bedroom home had burned to the ground in the wildfires in Southern California. Dannell said she called AT&T because she wanted to cancel her telephone and cable service.

"I called there to let them know that our house was destroyed, to cancel all the stuff and the first thing they asked me was if I had a chance to grab the receiver for the satellite dish. I told them no, that's the last thing that was on my mind. Then they tole me I would have to pay the $300 for the receiver."

Darnell asked if the bill could be postponed until after they received their insurance payment, and she was told no.

As the reporter said, this is disturbing, that a company would treat victims this way, when other companies are going out of their way to pour assistance in.

My guess is this wasn't an AT&T receiver, but a DISH Network receiver. As you may know, they partner with Dish Network in many areas, and have all the bills, satellite and telephone, put onto one bill.

At any rate, this is ridiculous, and I encourage you to call and email AT&T and let them know how you feel.

Update: In an obvious CYA move, AT&T relented.

"This customer initially called AT&T to discuss other communications services. After she was transferred to Dish, the disaster policy Dish has in place was not followed. This customer will not be charged for service cancellation or equipment fees----that is our policy, and the policy of Dish, in times of natural disasters. We have spoken with this customer to clarify our policy, and we are committed to taking care of all customers affected by the fires."

Especially when to do otherwise would make us look bad.

Watch the video:

Colbert's "1,000,000 Strong" Passes Obama on Facebook in 5 Days

The Facebook group, "One Million Strong for Barack" is only at 384,946 members as of this writing. That's after 9 months. Meanwhile the Facebook group "1,000,000 Strong For Stephen T Colbert" has reached 1,037,938 members, and was only created on Oct. 17 at 5PM.

What does this show? The wild popularity of Stephen Colbert? Certainly that --- this type of response was a certainty based on the response to his call to change Wikiality for elephants, and his successful campaign to get a Hungarian bridge named after him.

Despite the fact that Colbert is no real threat to the Presidential candidates, he's gained double digit status in Rasmussen Reports' latest phone survey. 13% prefer him to Clinton or Guiliani. If Thompson is substituted for Guiliani, he still gets 12%.

And yes, I did join the Facebook group.

"Che's" Hair Auctioned for $119,500

People will auction off ... and buy ... anything. I wonder what the socialist revolutionary "Che" Guevara would have thought about this capitalist use of his hair. A former CIA operative auctioned the lock of hair and other items, including a scrapbook with previously unpublished photos, to Bill Butler, a Houston-area bookstore owner for $119,500.

Gustavo Villoldo, 71, had helped in the capture of Guevara in Bolivia in 1967, and said he had clipped the lock of hair from Guevara prior to burying him.

Heritage Auction Galleries, who ran the auction, has auctioned off hair before including strands from the heads of Abraham Lincoln, Elvis Presley and Marilyn Monroe.

Dana Perino and the "Health Benefits" of Global Warming

I'm happy to say despite the resignation of Tony Snow as White House Press Secretary, we still have plenty of unabashedly ridiculous statements coming from the current holder of that post, Dana Perino.

Wednesday in a press conference, the conversation eventually turned to the testimony of CDC director Dr. Julie Gerberding, whose testimony on the public health impact of climate change was alleged to have been "heavily edited." In response to this, Perino made sure she brought up the many positive health benefits of global warming.

Yes, you read right, global warming has positive health benefits.

From the press briefing, first Perino, in response to a question about Gerberding's testimony, said,

... And we have experts and scientists across this administration that can take a look at that testimony and say, this is an error, or this doesn't make sense. And so the decision on behalf of CDC was to focus that testimony on public health benefits -- there are public health benefits to climate change, as well, but both benefits and concerns that somebody like a Dr. Gerberding, who is the expert in the field, could address.

The press wasn't completely snowed, as later someone called her on that statement ...

Q And one more. You mentioned that there are health benefits to climate change. Could you describe some of those?

MS. PERINO: Sure. In some cases, there are -- look, this is an issue where I'm sure lots of people would love to ridicule me when I say this, but it is true that many people die from cold-related deaths every winter. And there are studies that say that climate change in certain areas of the world would help those individuals. There are also concerns that it would increase tropical diseases and that's -- again, I'm not an expert in that, I'm going to let Julie Gerberding testify in regards to that, but there are many studies about this that you can look into.

Thank you for the pseudo-science, Ms. Perino.

Misplaced SIM Foils Funeral Plans

Arso Banjeglav of Montenegro loved talking and texting on his cell phone, so much so that he told his son Brano that when he died he wanted it put in his coffin.

Well, Arso passed away at the age of 67, and they buried the phone with him. But, after the funeral in the central Montenegrin town of Cetinje, they discovered that the SIM wasn't in the phone, because Brano's son had taken the SIM out while playing with the phone.

Now they want to dig up the body to put the SIM in the phone. Of course, such an effort would be costly.

Honestly, is the SIM all that important? After all, the phone is with him. Maybe they'd better make sure any necessary memory cards are in the phone as well.

Family Security Matters and Their "Ten Most Dangerous Organizations in America" List

Well, this ought to be interesting. As SourceWatch says, Family Security Matters is a conservative front group that claims to represent "security moms" and supports President George W. Bush.

The mission statement from their website says,

"Our mission is to inform all Americans, men and women, about the issues surrounding national security; to address their fears about safety and security on a personal, family, community, national and international level; to highlight the connection between individual safety and a strong national defense; to increase civic participation and political responsibility; and to empower all Americans to become proactive defenders of our national security and community safety."

Here's their list:

1. Media Matters for America
2. Universities and Colleges
3. MoveOn.org
4. League of the South
5. Center for American Progress
6. Family Research Council
7. American Civil Liberties Union, National
8. CodePINK
9. Muslim Student Association
10. ThinkProgress

OK, digest that for a while.

Interesting to see League of the South there. That's almost progressive thinking on FSM's part! That organization is a Southern nationalist organization whose ultimate goal is "a free and independent Southern republic." In other words, they want secession.

I'm also surprised about the Family Research Council, as that's a right-wing think-tank and lobbying organization formed by James Dobson.

But ALL colleges and universities? And groups like Media Matters, CodePINK, the ACLU? Last time I checked, civic participation (part of their mission statement) would be fostered by, oh say, higher education as well as free speech and the right to dissent.

The preface to the list says, "Certain organizations in America are growing powerful in American politics because the propaganda they push forward is taken as fact by many in the media and the general public."

Hmmm ... based on that preface, if it was my list I'd probably put Faux News at the top, or maybe ... FSM!

Dallas Takes on "Saggers" with Rap, Not Rules

Saggin' is wearing your pants with the waistband closer to your knees than your hips ... a well-known fashion statement nowadays. However, just because it's well-known doesn't mean it's accepted by communities. Quite a few cities have at least considered an anti-saggin' law. But Dallas, although it first went down that road, decided on a different tactic.

Deputy Mayor Dwaine Caraway called a news conference and proposed a new saggin' ordinance. But instead fate stepped in. In South Dallas, a rapper named Dewayne Brown saw Caraway on TV. Brown's stage name is Dooney Da' Priest and, inspired, he wrote a song, "Pull Your Pants Up."

If you stand up straight, bet your pants fall.
Might as well walk around with your pants off.
Pull 'em up, pull 'em up, pull 'em up.
Be a real man. Stand up.
Is that your underwear, man? Pull your pants up.

One thing Brown wants to remind youth is that saggin' is also called jailin', because it apparently got its start from young men trying to imitate jail prisoners with sagging trousers whose belts have been taken from them.

Clear Channel is donating ad space on billboards toward the campaign against saggin', and Brown has designed a billboard ad (shown above).

So, instead of trying for force youth to change with laws, Dallas is trying to meet them on their own turf, so to speak. We'll see how it works out.

Brownie to Bush on Calif. Wildfire: "You're NOT doing a heckuva job"

Ironic, much? In an telephone interview with WJLA-TV, Michael Brown, former head of FEMA, who was erroneously told by Bush, "Brownie, you're doing a heckuva job" after Katrina, said that,

"The White House needs to recognize that we are overstretched. They need to increase the size of the regular Army and stop relying so much on the National Guard." He also said that another problem is that "some of these guys are home from National Guard duty in Iraq for literally 5 hours before they have to turn around and respond to something here, and that's not good."

Meanwhile, R. David Paulison, Brown’s successor as FEMA chief, defended the National Guard’s strength when asked about it Wednesday morning. Paulison said there are “plenty of Guardspeople” available.

Glenn Beck and his "Sympathy" for California Wildfire Victims

It's nice of Glenn Beck to cast a partisan net over a tragedy like the wildfires burning out of control in Southern California. On his Oct. 22 broadcast of his syndicated radio show, Beck said:

We all love America. We just disagree on how we should function, what we should do, big government, small government. It doesn't mean you hate America. I think there is a handful of people who hate America.

Unfortunately for them, a lot of them are losing their homes in a forest fire today.

Nice, so a lot of the people in California are America haters? The USA Today's On Deadline column asked for a statement, and received a response from Beck's TV producer. Chris Balfe was surprised over all the negative press, and said, "To most rational people, unfortunately still means unfortunately."

Eh? I see --- you're saying it's unfortunate that they are losing their homes, but you're still calling them haters of America? Frequently the use of the word "unfortunately" in such a context doesn't really mean you feel all that bad for the people, Glenn.

Download and listen to the radio show clip here.

Judge Judy: World of Wha-Craft?

And this is why I wonder about things like having senators like Ted Stevens, who don't understand technology, involved in making decisions that affect things like Net Neutrality. Of course, Judge Judy hardly affects things on the scale of the Senate.

In this clip from Judge Judy's show, the plaintiff is trying to get money from her ex-boyfriend, who apparently stiffed her for rent and did nothing but play World of Warcraft. While the girlfriend knew the term, and the acronym WoW, the judge didn't, and had to ask them to repeat it several times, and explain it as well.

"World of Warcraft. You ever heard of that?" she asked her bailiff, who shook his head.

In the end the case was pretty open and shut and she found for the plaintiff in the amount of $700 (you won't get to see it, though). Watch the clip:

"Brit and Run" Sock in eBay Charity Auction

I suppose people will buy (or auction) anything, though I will also say, this is a charity auction. You'll recall last week's Britney fiasco, in which she ran over a photographer's foot while exiting a Beverly Hills medical building (where she reportedly received some "lip enhancement").

TMZ is auctioning the sock, which belonged to its photographer. Proceeds will go to the Children’s Defense Fund. The sock will also come with a Letter of Authenticity. The auction is currently at $561 and there's only a few hours left, so if you want to bid, er, hurry.

"Fox and Friends" Use Outdated Memo to Imply California Wildfires an Al-Qaeda Plot

I guess that means there are no American arsonists. Give me a break. Today on "Fox and Friends," on the Faux News channel, hosts said the wildfires may be an Al-Qaeda plot. However, not only do they use a memo from 2003, they actually say it was a memo from this year. And, the memo does not mention California. The exchange took place between Steve Doocy, Alisyn Camerota, Gretchen Carlson, and Brian Kilmeade.

DOOCY: You’re looking live at pictures from San Diego — Santiago, CA, where the wildfires continue. We were talking earlier in today’s telecast with Adam Housley and apparently police officers in a hovering helicopter saw a guy starting one of these fires. And Alisyn, Alisyn Camerota, an FBI memo from late in June of this year (emphasis mine) is popping up this morning and it is ominous.

CAMEROTA: This actually has happened for many years in the past as well. An FBI sent out to local law-enforcement said that an al Qaeda detainee had given them some information that the next wave of terrorism could be in the form of setting wild fires. Adam Housley said lots of people on his block were asking him about it. Obviously this is something the FBI has looked into. They will continue to investigate it.

CARLSON: If they have this person in custody it probably won’t take long to be able to develop a link if there is one.

KILMEADE: A June 25 memo from the FBI’s Denver offices reported three days ago, excuse me, five days ago, by the Arizona Republic, that is a newspaper, they have been carrying the story and they continue to expand upon it. (I can't find this Arizona Republic story ... but I did find the real USA Today story, also linked above --- from 2003)

DOOCY: Brian, the plot they say, according to this detainee, and they don’t know if the detainee is telling the truth. The plot was to set three or four wildfires. But they don’t mention California. They mention Colorado, Montana, Utah, and Wyoming. We do know for a fact that a number of the fires in southern California are of a suspicious nature and they are investigating arson.

The only valid thing they said was that California was not mentioned. And of course arson is suspected. In something like this, it always is, but generally it's not a terrorist plot. And the out and out --- misinformation --- about the date of the memo is striking. This is obviously meant to fan the flames of fear in the U.S. again.

As far as starting fires ... it's quite possible these were backfires, lit for wildfire suppression. Finally, Faux News, how could this be? If it were an attack on U.S. soil, the GOP could no longer crow about "no attacks on U.S. soil since 9/11."

Japanese Invent Portable Car Toilet

I suppose any country that could invent a "vending machine disguise" would just have to invent something like this. Tuesday at the Tokyo Auto Show, Kaneko Sangyo Co unveiled "a portable toilet for use inside a car that totally conceals the user with a curtain."

It's called the "Kurumarukun." Seeing as how I haven't gotten a demo of it (nor would I want to), I'm not sure how well this thing works. However, the "instructions" say that drivers assemble the cardboard toilet bowl, fit a water-absorbent sheet inside and draw the curtain.

Uh, huh. Well, for guys this isn't really necessary ... at least half the time. And I'm not sure I'd want to use this for the other half of the time anyway.

If you're interested in this, cross your fingers ... or maybe your legs; it won't go on sale until November 15th.

One More Perk Gone By the Wayside as Belgian Police Reminded: Brothels are Off-Limits While On Duty

I wouldn't think you would have to remind the police about this. Perhaps because prostitution is legal in Belgium, the police there see this as something they just do when they're taking a break. At any rate, apparently a local police chief in Brussels' northern police district thought it was enough of a problem to have to write a letter to his subordinates.

"These officers think their duty hours are to be used to drink alcohol in bars, practice sports..., visit brothels or massage parlors, and entertain relationships with residents of the neighborhood during their patrol. It is only by setting a good example that the police can make itself respected," said the letter, which was reprinted in a Belgian newspaper.

The letter was confirmed as authentic by a police spokesman, but he said the police chief had only reacted to rumors of such on-duty behavior.

Uh-huh. Either way someone goofed up!

Mitt Romney and Obama bin Laden: Measured Mistake?

I've seen people mix up Obama and Osama before, but never to this extent. This goes beyond what you would call a simple gaffe, and seems more along the lines of perhaps a "measured mistake." Either that or he's just addled.

Tuesday while commenting on the Democrats, and specifically John Edwards, and their criticism of the "global war on terror," Romney said:

"Actually, just look at what Osam — Barack Obama — said just yesterday. Barack Obama, calling on radicals, jihadists of all different types, to come together in Iraq. That is the battlefield ... It's almost as if the Democratic contenders for president are living in fantasyland. Their idea for jihad is to retreat, and their idea for the economy is to also retreat. And in my view, both efforts are wrongheaded."

So, I can see switching Osama and Obama, but adding the Barack? That goes beyond a slip of the tongue.

The nice thing is Obama spokesman Bill Burton always has a nice comeback, as he did when it was revealed Cheney and Obama were distantly related. He said, "Apparently, Mitt Romney can switch names just as casually as he switches positions, but what's wrongheaded is continuing a misguided war in Iraq that has left America less safe."

Halle Berry's Censored Oops on Jay Leno: "This is like my Jewish cousin"

During a taping of The Tonight Show with Jay Leno yesterday, Halle Berry showed just why live TV is risky. While showing Jay some shots of herself that she had morphed with Apple's Photo Booth, she showed a picture of herself with a huge, distorted nose, saying "This is like my Jewish cousin." Jay said, "I'm glad you said it."

When the show aired they cut out the Jewish comment, but realistically, she just made a mistake and it's really no big deal --- unless people make it into one.

Smartly, Berry issued an apology yesterday, saying, "I so didn't mean to offend anybody - and after the show I realised it could be seen as offensive, so I asked Jay to take it out, and he did. We were going through pictures to see which ones looked silly, and one of my Jewish friends said (of the big-nose picture), 'That could be your Jewish cousin!' And I guess it was fresh in my mind, and it just came out of my mouth. But I didn't mean to offend anybody. I didn't. I didn't mean any harm. The scene was cut from the show."

Watch the video, it's about 1 minute into the clip. You can definitely see where both Leno and Berry had the word "Jewish" excised from the tape. According to those in the audience, the laugh track was added also --- as no one laughed.

VT Gunman Seung-Hui Cho Used to Advertise Flemish Opera

It could be termed strange, eclectic, thoughtless or perhaps even in poor taste --- The Vlaamse Opera (The Flemish Opera) is advertising its new production of "Siegfried" with a poster which includes a photo of a threatening Seung-Hui Cho. Cho is the man who murdered 32 of his fellow students at Virginia Tech University in a rampage in April of this year.

That image is also on their website, and is posted above. The site can be viewed in either Dutch or English.

I'm totally at a loss as to why they did this, as even trolling their site I couldn't get a clue. There is, I'm sure, an esoteric reason for it. The summary of the production says:

The third part of Ivo van Hove's version of Wagner's Ring cycle will, once again, be a both intriguing and moving present-day interpretation of the work.

I did notice, however, that tickets appear to still be available for all showings.

Apple Says 250,000 Potential iBricks Sold

Apple had one heck of a fiscal Q4. However, in listening to Apple's earnings call, generally hardly a wealth of interesting info, we heard an fascinating tidbit of information: just how many potentially bricked iPhones (or iBricks) they thought had been sold so far.

As may you know, Apple went to great pains with software update 1.1.1 to restore full control over their iPhones. Many devices which had been unlocked were bricked by the update (meaning, made useless except for using them as a doorstop or brick).

In response to a question by Toni Sacconaghi of Sanford Bernstein, which was actually about the effect of the iPhone's price cut on sales, Timothy Cook, Apple's COO said:

Toni, we were very happy with the elasticity that we saw. It enabled us to far surpass our expectation of hitting around a million units cumulatively by the end of the quarter. Some number of these were sold to people that have an intention to unlock and where we don’t know precisely how many people are doing that, our current guess is there is probably 250,000 of the 1.4 million that we sold where people had bought them with the intention of doing that. Many of those happened after the price cut.

Why they would even bring that up in response to that question, I'm not sure. But the data itself is quite interesting. I'm sure T-Mobile is really rooting for those hackers now.

Parrot Saves Family from Fire by Mimicking Alarm

I think it's time to consider parrots over dogs ... not only did a parrot warn its owner about a burglar in Dallas, Texas last week --- resulting in the death of the burglar --- in this case a parrot warned its family about a fire by mimicking --- only much louder --- the sound of the smoke alarm.

In Muncie, Indiana, Shannon Conwell, 33, and his 9-year-old son fell asleep on the couch while watching a movie. They awoke about 3 a.m. Friday to find the house on fire and the family's arrot, Peanut, imitating the smoke alarm.

Apparently Peanut was much louder than the alarm itself, as Conwell said, "He was really screaming his head off."

Conwell grabbed his son --- and thankfully, the heroic bird --- and ran out of the house. The reason for the fire is still under investigation.

I'll bet this bird gets some really nice treats for some time to come.

In Rare Feat, Mother Becomes Pregnant Twice in One Month --- and Carries to Term

It's rare enough that a woman can become pregnant two separate times in the same month --- that's called superfecundation. But to carry to term --- that's even rarer. Apparently the odds are one million-to-one, as usually the second, younger fetus will die as the older gets better nourishment in the womb.

But Beverly Robson, 32, of Bishop Auckland, Co Durham, delivered Leah (6lbs, 6oz.) and Lara (4lbs, 4oz.) by Caesarian on Sept. 26. She and her husband Craig were warned about the possibility of losing Lara, but fortunately she carried the baby to term.

Bob Aitken, medical director at Darlington Memorial Hospital, said: “I’ve known only one case like this in 30 years delivering babies.”

Robson and her husband also have two sons, Kyle, 9, and Zack, 6.

Stephen Colbert on 'MTP': "I would consider Larry Craig for my running mate"

As you probably know, Stephen Colbert, host of Comedy Central's The Colbert Report, has thrown his hat into the ring and joined the Presidential race. Sunday on Meet the Press, Tim Russert grilled him over issues like running mates, the letter "T," and Bert and Ernie on Sesame Street.

Both Democrats and Republicans should worry. Anyone who can affect the world with his Wikiality, including the elephant article editing affair at Wikipedia --- as well as getting a Hungarian bridge named after him through a campaign on his show --- shows enough popularity to worry about.

Some excerpts from the at times hilarious exchange:

MR. RUSSERT: We know you’re doing it ...

MR. COLBERT: Yeah.

MR. RUSSERT: ... but why are you doing it?

MR. COLBERT: I’m doing it, Tim, because I think our country is facing unprecedented challenges in the future. And I think that the junctures that we face are both critical and unforeseen, and the real challenge is how we will respond to these junctures, be they unprecedented or unforeseen, or, God help us, critical.

...

MR. RUSSERT: You are now Colbert (pronounces it Colbare).

MR. COLBERT: Yeah.

MR. RUSSERT: “Sesame Street.” There are two characters...

MR. COLBERT: Is this...

MR. RUSSERT: ...Ernie and...

MR. COLBERT: And Bert. Ernie and Bert.

MR. RUSSERT: B-E-R-T.

MR. COLBERT: Yes.

MR. RUSSERT: Then why aren’t you Colbert?

MR. COLBERT: Are you saying that I don’t have the right to drop the T in my name? Are you saying that? Last time I checked, this was America. Or does that mean not a thing to you anymore?

MR. RUSSERT: But why did you change your name?

MR. COLBERT: I changed my name because I knew that there were people out there who, who needed T’s.

...

MR. RUSSERT: Would you consider Senator Larry Craig as your running mate?

MR. COLBERT: I would.

MR. RUSSERT: Have you had conversations with him?

MR. COLBERT: Define conversation.

MR. RUSSERT: Have you spoken to him?

MR. COLBERT: No, no.

MR. RUSSERT: Have you met with him? Have you been in the same room together?

MR. COLBERT: Yes. And my...

MR. RUSSERT: And how...

MR. COLBERT: Sorry, my lawyer’s telling me to say no more.

You can see the Netcast here. Also, Colbert comes out of character and you can see that clip, a Web extra with Russert here, including why he won't let his kids watch his show.

Britney Regains Child Visitation Rights

Britney Spears has been granted visitations rights again, after losing them on Wednesday. Reports surfaced on Saturday that Spears had been seen driving with her children, and in fact some photos were posted around the web showing just that --- as well as someone in the front seat with them that appeared to be a court-appointed monitor.

Today her attorney Anne Kiley confirmed that she has regained her visitation rights, though Kiley did not elaborate on just what Spears did to regain those rights.

My question would be, how long before she screws up again? Things have not been going well for Spears, and it seems like her life is always verging on an out-of-control state.

Emu Collision Results in Motorcyclist Death

Yes, you read it correctly. In Edenhope, about 400km west of Melbourne, in Australia, a motorcyclist hit an emu, fell off his bike, and was killed.

The victim has not been IDed but was said to be a 47 year-old Mount Gambia man. The area in which the accident occurred is notorious for wildlife crossings.

It's unclear if the emu survived the accident, but emus can up to two meters in height and weigh between 30 and 45 kilograms (66–100 pounds), so it's possible.

Reason for Child Abuse: "I'm not a morning person"

My guess is he didn't have coffee that morning. On Friday, in Pennsylvania, Juan Arreola, 20, pled guilty to two counts each of endangering the welfare of a child, reckless endangerment and simple assault in regards to his treatment of his girlfriends two-year-old son.

On June 7, while moving into a new apartment with his girlfriend, Arreola kicked her son out of the way, then squeezed the toddler's face, bruising it. On June 10, while watching the boy, he admitted punching him to keep him awake. When the child's mother took him to the hospital later that day, the boy was diagnosed with bleeding around the brain.

The judge asked Arreola about his treatment of children, and Arreola replied: "I was working till midnight. I'm not a morning person."

Sentencing is scheduled for Dec. 14, with a maximum penalty of 20 years.

9/11 Truthers, Slow Security, Force Bill Maher to Take Matters into His Own Hands

On the October 19th episode of Real Time with Bill Maher, protesters disrupted the show ... such are the dangers of live television. In this case, security was very slow to act, and Bill actually got out of his seat to help escort the protesters out personally.

Maher has been taking heat, including protests outside the studio, from the 9/11 Truth movement when he said last month in a New Rules segment that, "Crazy people who still think the government brought down the Twin Towers in a controlled explosion have to stop pretending that I'm the one who's being naive."

The 9/11 Truth movement, for those who don't know, believe that "the perceived cover-up and anomalies in the official account can be explained only by the theory that members of the US government planned, carried out, and covered up the attack or deliberately allowed the attacks to take place."

At any rate, these were obviously 9/11 Truthers, based on the comments from the protesters, including "What about Building 7, Bill?"

Watch the video. The action doesn't really take off until about 1 minute into the clip.

Vending Machine Disguise, Artwork, or Both?

It sounds like something out of a spy movie --- a disguise that looks like a vending machine. And that's not all. There are other disguises, such as a backpack that turns into a disguise that looks like fire hydrant.

Such is the report by the New York Times, but they were fooled --- this is really not what it seems. The Times reports this as being designed by "experimental fashion designer" Aya Tsukioka, as clothing designs are intended to reduce the growing anxiety in Japan over street crime. While it's true that despite its low crime rate, worry has been growing in Japan over crime, particularly as amplified by a sensationalistic press (where have we seen that before), that's not the origin of this outfit.

This outfit was really a work of art --- and an award-winning one at that. Artist Aya Tsukioka won an award for this work of art in 2001. Now it's being recycled as a perfect solution to the fear Japan is feeling over a perceived rise in crime.

However, it should be noted, that despite the apparent ridiculousness of this --- it seems to work. When Tsukioka demonstrated it, obviously she drew attention while putting it on, but once fully covered, passersby seemed to not notice her.

Valerie Plame's Mission Before "Outing": Stop Iran from Acquiring Nuclear Weapons

Whether or not you believe Iran is a) trying to develop nuclear weapons, b) anywhere near the technological capability to be able to develop such weapons, in a 60 Minutes interview to be broadcast tomorrow, Valerie Plame Wilson reveals that her mission was to prevent Iran from acquiring nuclear weapons.

This is her first interview since her cover was blown. You'd think, despite wanting to retaliate against Joe Wilson, that this mission would be so important, that they wouldn't deign to touch it wouldn't you?

From the 60 Minutes clip:

COURIC: What went through your mind when you saw your name in print?

PLAME: Oh, it was horrifying, absolutely horrifying.

COURIC: She served 20 years in the CIA, many undercover in the agency’s counterproliferation division, rising to top positions and confronting one of the most ominous threats of our time.

PLAME: Our mission was to make sure that the bad guys, basically, did not get nuclear weapons.

COURIC: When senior administration officials leaked her name to reporters, they may have exposed other spies and damaged operations targeting Iran. CBS News has learned that she was involved in one highly classified mission to deliver fake nuclear weapons blueprints to Tehran. It was called Operation Merlin, and it was first revealed in a book by investigative reporter James Risen.

COURIC: Are you familiar with that?

PLAME: I don’t think I can tell you.

COURIC: He said the idea was to give the Iranians blueprints for the bomb that were seriously flawed to set them back. Does that sound like something the counter-proliferation division would do?

PLAME: I think I can say it sounds like a good idea.

You can watch the video here, and the full interview tomorrow night on 60 Minutes.

Bill Maher's New Rules for "Values Voters": Vote for Hillary

This weekend in Washington, D.C. is the "Values Voters Convention." As you can probably discern from the name, Values Voters are social conservatives. Bill Maher's New Rules last night had some interesting points for them.

First, he indicated if the two front-runners were to face off in the 2008 Presidential Race, Values Voters would have to do the "Christian thing," and vote for Hillary. This would be based on the following:

• "Hillary didn't commit adultery, her husband did" (as opposed to Giuliani and his affair)
• "And afterward she did the Christian thing and she forgave him"
• "She's raised an admirable daughter, while Rudy's kids couldn't hate him more if they were New York City firefighters"
  

Of course, after Bill's affair, she did have a GPS unit implanted in his penis, but that's another story.

Naturally, Bill went on to skewer Value Voters and their convention, or as he called it "Three days of peace, love and hypocrisy, where the Republican front-runners will spend the weekend kissing the *sses of 2000 social conservatives who despise Liberals, homosexuals, Muslims, Mexicans and Nobel Prize winners --- and who believe the sound of a condom wrapper being opened makes angels die."

He left out uninsured children, but anyway ...

Now, I haven't confirmed this myself, but Maher went on to indicate that the U.S. Census Bureau says that "the states with the most conservative Christians have the highest rates of rates of divorce, the highest teen pregnancy rates and the highest obesity levels. But at least they put homosexuality back where it belongs, in the airport mens' room."

His final point was that "if you had values, you'd draw the line at torture. And I'm pretty sure if you asked, what would Jesus veto, it wouldn't be health care for sick kids."

Watch the video. The Values Voters piece is last in the clip.

Rowling Outs Dumbledore as Gay

Tonight the 1,000 Grand Prize winners of the Scholastic's Open Book Tour Sweepstakes got a big revelation when author J.K. Rowling performed a book reading from "Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows" at Carnegie Hall in New York City.

When asked about Dumbledore and possible past loves, Rowling said that "Dumbledore is gay, actually." She also added that, in her mind at least, he had been in love with Gellert Grindelwald, whom he defeated long before in a battle between good and bad wizards.

Rowling also said when reading through the script for the movie adaptation of "Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince" she corrected a passage in which Dumbledore was reminiscing about past loves by crossing it out and scrawling "Dumbledore is gay" over it.

DoJ Voting Section Chief: "Minorities don't become elderly the way white people do. They die first."

Justice Department Voting Section Chief John Tanner has foot-in-mouth disease. Recently in a during a panel discussion on minority voters before the National Latino Congreso in Los Angeles, Tanner spoke about state Voter ID laws.

Of course, many feel that voter ID laws disenfranchise the elderly, the poor and minorities. Tanner said, "That's a shame, you know creating problems for elderly persons just is not good under any circumstance. Of course, that also ties into the racial aspect because our society is such that minorities don't become elderly the way white people do. They die first."

Oooh, big foot in mouth. Today Sen. Barack Obama, (D-Ill.) said Tanner should be fired for his statements.

In a letter Obama sent to Acting Attorney General Peter D. Keisler, he requested Tanner be removed from his position, saying, "Such comments are patently erroneous, offensive and dangerous, and they are especially troubling coming from the federal official charged with protecting voting rights in this country."

I think this just points out that politicians and public servants really need to make sure they don't make remarks without a speechwriter. Obviously thinking on their feet is beyond their capability, at least for some.

Watch the video:

Brit and Run: Spears Runs Over Photog's Foot

She just can't buy a good day, can she? On the other hand, in the video you can see how close all the paparazzi are. They're just asking for it.

The picture above details it all. Spears clearly ran over the photographer's foot, though fortunately she was not driving a Hummer. This incident occurred while she was leaving a Beverly Hills medical building, after some "lip enhancement" surgery.

Note this occurs the day after she lost visitation rights with her children. It also happened on the same day she reached a financial agreement with the owner of the car that she damaged on Aug. 6.

Britney, shouldn't you be working on whatever the judge wants --- or perhaps, not doing what he doesn't want you to do --- rather than plastic surgery? Assuming, of course, you want your kids back.

Watch the video here, and look about 10 - 15 seconds into the video.

Pasadena Police Hang Quadriplegic Upside-Down to Search Him

A Pasadena jury has awarded a quadriplegic man $80,000 over allegations that in 2005, police answering a disturbance call yanked him out of his wheelchair and hung him upside-down while searching him.

Cornell Greathouse sued the Pasadena and the four police officers for assault, battery, false arrest, false imprisonment, excessive force, intentional infliction of emotional distress, invasion of privacy and negligence.

The jury did not find the officers liable, but they ordered Pasadena to pay $80,000 to Greathouse, saying they failed to teach the officers how to deal with a quadriplegic.

Frankly, I would have found the officers guilty Surely Pasadena couldn't be held responsible for a lack of common sense --- or moral decency --- on the part of its officers. Or perhaps the officers were simply emulating --- oh, something they thought the CIA would do.

Britney Loses All Visitation Rights

Approximately seven days after being granted one overnight visit with her children per week, Britney Spears has had all visitation rights stripped.

According to reports, Spears must obey a court order, dated yesterday, before visitation will be restored. Its unclear what exactly Britney did, but she's failed to comply with the judge's orders in the past, resulting in her losing custody, at least temporarily, of her children.

At this point it seems like Spears is just in a "death spiral." Nothing the judge has indicated she must do is that complicated, yet she continues to fail to meet those goals.

Britney, meet Lindsay. Lindsay, meet Britney.

Armed Forces Mistakenly Recruit on Gay Website

When they say, "Don't Ask, Don't Tell," apparently they don't tell their advertising agencies, either. Or perhaps this is because they've lowered their requirements for recruits, as I previously wrote about.

At any rate, the Army, Navy and Air Force, who bar recruits who are openly gay, were caught recruiting on Glee.com, a website that is for "Gay, Lesbian, and Everyone Else." Click above image to enlarge.

Upon being informed of this by the USA Today, the armed forces took immediate action and removed about 8,000 ads from the site.

Maj. Michael Baptista, advertising branch chief for the Army National Guard, said, "We didn't knowingly advertise on that particular website," which he said does not "meet the moral standards" of the military.

Report: In Tests, Airport Screeners Miss Most Fake Bombs

However, the good thing is that the airport screeners caught 100% of liquids. In a classified report obtained by the USA Today, tests conducted at Los Angeles International Airport and Chicago O'Hare International Airport showed screeners missed the majority of simulated bombs and bomb parts planted by TSA agents.

At LAX, 75% were missed. At O'Hare, 60%. What's interesting is that at San Francisco International Airport, which uses a private company instead of the TSA, only about 20% were missed. According to the report, more frequent covert tests at the SF Airport have led to more suspiciousness (paranoia?) on the part of the screeners there.

One thing to note is the TSA has changed its tests to concentrate more on parts which can be assembled, some as small as a pen cap. Also, this report only addresses the three airports above, and thus shouldn't be used to generalize airport security across the U.S.

Still, how does this make you readers feel as a traveler, or a potential traveler?

Ineligible iPologies Lead to Terminations

You may recall a) that Apple gave all its employee free iPhones --- this included retail and Genius Bar employees, and b) after the $200 price drop, Apple issued a $100 store credit (iPology) to early adopters of the iPhone.

Thing is, there were some conditions attached to this offer. From the Apple web page about the store credit comes the condition:

Some iPhones will not qualify for a credit. They are: ... (4) iPhones that Apple provided to employees, either for personal use or for departmental use.

Word around the Internet is that apparently some 800 retail employees tried to cash in on the credit, were caught, and given pink slips.

Considering that retail employees live in a whole different world than most of those who work at Apple Corporate, I could see some of them trying to literally "take advantage" of the offer, yes. I'm sure they probably didn't expect to get fired for it, or that they would be caught.

You're Kidding, Aren't You, George W.? I Hope ...

During this morning's White House press conference, Bush was asked about Vladimir Putin who, it is rumored, will attempt to keep power after term as Russian president runs out. He reflected on his own thoughts along those lines.

Reporter: Mr. President, following up on Vladimir Putin for a moment, he said recently that next year, when he has to step down according to the constitution, as the president, he may become prime minister; in effect keeping power and dashing any hopes for a genuine democratic transition there ...

Bush: I've been planning that myself.

I hope (and assume) he was kidding, but I wouldn't put anything past him ...

Playboy Bunnies vs. You: Who Will Pwn the Other in NBA '08?

If you're in Los Angeles or San Francisco, and want to get a chance to play NBA '08 against some Playboy bunnies, hop over (pun intended) to Bloomingdale's on Beverly Boulevard or on Santa Monica Boulevard in Los Angeles and on Market Street in San Francisco.

Between 6 PM and 8 PM tonight you can meet some iconic Playboy employees (no, I don't know if they will be dressed in what you hope they will be dressed in) for the launch of a new Playboy line of clothes --- and to play NBA '08 with some lucky fans.

Who's going to pwn the other? You, or them? Take a chance, but hopefully they won't embarrass you in front of your buds!

Quebec Legislature Bans Use of the Word "Weathervane" During Sessions

The last time I checked, the dictionary didn't have a definition of weathervane that was a slur ... though this site which sells weathervanes says an alternative word for it is weathercock.

However, Premier Jean Charest has called Opposition Leader Mario Dumont a weathervane numerous times recently. Reportedly the reason for this name-calling is that Dumont has, according to Charest, changed directions according to the prevailing wind.

Speaker Michel Bissonnet added the word to the list of unparliamentary language Tuesday when, in the first session after the summer break, Charest used the word in discussing infrastructure.

I assume they won't be changing direction on this anytime soon.

Obama, Cheney Related. Worse, Obama, Bush Related.

They look alike, don't they? According to Lynne Cheney, during her research for her memoir, "Blue Skies, No Fences," she discovered that her husband Dick Cheney and presidential candidate Barack Obama are related --- they are ninth cousins, once removed.

According to Lynne Cheney, Obama is a descendent of Mareen Duvall. Her son married the granddaughter of a Richard Cheney, who arrived in Maryland in the late 1650's from England.

"Every family has a black sheep," said Obama spokesman Bill Burton.

Stranger than this is that apparently Obama is related to George W. Bush because they share the same great-great-great-great-great-great-great-great-great-great grandparents --- Samuel Hinckley and Sarah Soole Hinckley of 17th century Massachusetts, making them tenth cousins once removed.

Of course, Bush is also related to John Kerry, they are ninth cousins, two times removed. And I am removing myself from this "conversation."

Florida Strip Club Offers Free Flu Shots

For the second year in a row, Rachel's Gentlemen's Club in Casselberry, Florida is offering free flu shots to residents who are 55 years old and older. Unfortunately, it's only today.

If you're over 65 you also get a free lunch. If you're over 75 you also get a free lap dance. No, that last part was not true; too much chance of overexciting the customers, right?

At any rate, no purchase (ahem) is necessary, so if you're in Florida, go for it (don't expect the strippers to be the ones giving you the shots, though).

Piracy Group Snags Anti-Piracy Domain Name

In what can only be called ironic, or humorous, or maybe even a slap in the face, infamous Swedish Bittorrent site The Pirate Bay has taken over a domain formerly owned by a recording industry group.

The domain, IFPI.com, was formerly owned by the group the International Federation of the Phonographic Industry (which still owns IFPI.org). This is what happens when you let your domain name lapse, BTW.

The Pirate Bay says it intends to use the site for the International Federation of Pirates Interests (check the site to see for yourself).

John Paul II Seen in Flames?

Now, maybe it's just me, but I'm not sure why seeing Pope John Paul II in flames would be a good thing. OK, OK, enough with the heretical jokes. This image of a bonfire has been broadcast continuously on Italian TV since Vatican News Service director Jarek Cielecki, a Polish priest and close friend of John Paul II, traveled to Poland after hearing a witness had photographed the image.

The bonfire was lit during a service at Beskid Zywiecki on April 2, the second anniversary of John Paul II's death. Gregorz Lukasik, who took the photographs, said: "It was only afterwards when I got home and looked at the pictures that I realised I had something."

Naturally, it's the coincidental (or not) timing of the bonfire and picture that creates a lot of the speculation. On the other hand, "Photoshopping" is so easy, it's hard to believe anything in photos nowadays. What do you readers think?

Don Imus is Back (or Will Be)

The Rutgers Women's basketball team might want to stay away from WABC on their radio dial if they visit New York City. Don Imus will be back on WABC in New York City with his Imus in the Morning program. It will debut (or perhaps re-debut) on Dec. 3.

You may recall the "nappy-headed hos" comment which Imus made on April 4 of this year. It eventually resulted the cancellation of his show a little more than a week later. However, in May Imus filed a lawsuit against CBS, saying his behavior on his show was in fact encouraged, per the clause in his contract to exhibit "irreverant" and "controversial" programming. In August CBS settled the lawsuit out of court.

Citadel Broadcasting owns WABC, so it's likely Imus' show will be syndicated across at least some of its stations. "We'll have him on a standard 40-second delay," a studio source said. Obviously they know what they're getting.

Execs: Yes, We're Overpaid, But Don't Ask for the Money Back

A report to be issued today by the National Association of Corporate Directors (NACD) shows that Nearly 2/3 of the chief executives or company presidents polled by the NACD say they were overpaid. 1/3 said it was just right, while 2.2% (amazingly) said they were underpaid.

This comes at a time when many are upset not just over CEO pay, but also over "pay for failure," in which CEOs who are fired get a huge severance package. I would also add there are plenty who are seeing profits and sales lag at their companies, but are still getting huge salaries. Their companies may even be losing money, but you don't see them taking a pay cut.

Figures released last week showed the share of national income claimed by the wealthiest 1 per cent of Americans had reached 21.2%. Meanwhile, Paul Krugman, in an interview on NPR, cited figures that in the time after WWII, we were talking about 7 - 8% of income. Meanwhile, he said, it's tough to chart the income of middle class Americans, but as Krugman said, the fact that we are arguing over it means that there hasn't been much.

Meanwhile, many middle-class Americans are facing what they call a squeeze. Jobs have gone overseas, have been replaced (for some) by retraining --- but now these new jobs are going overseas. Income inequality has become a top-tier issue for Congress, even Bush, and for the 2008 candidates.

As far as "not asking for the money back," I will admit none of the execs surveyed said this --- because they weren't asked. I would love to see what their answer for that question would be.

Larry Craig to Appeal "Do-Over" Denial

Larry Craig, perhaps hoping to leverage his Idaho Hall of Fame induction into ... well, something, Sunday indicated he would be appealing a judge's earlier decision to deny his guilty plea withdrawal. He made this statement during the taping of an interview with KTVB-TV.

Craig also reiterated his intention to serve out his term.

At the time of his ruling, the judge said that the plea "was accurate, voluntary and intelligent, and supported by the evidence."

Ugh. Since the GOP has apparently been unsuccessful at pushing him out, I wonder why he doesn't just drop it, serve out his term, and quietly disappear after that. Though frankly, he's probably going to be a burden on the GOP during the 2008 elections.

"If you like oral sex, vote Caragol for council"

Now here's a campaign slogan deserving of a post. Hialeah City Council incumbent Jose ''Pepe'' Caragol, 76 has been using the slogan in his campaign for re-election to City Council. Unsurprisingly, some have been, er, upset at the use of it.

According to reports he's been saying the slogan in Spanish during several TV and radio appearances. If he wasn't Hispanic himself, I might say he was mistranslating it (much as Carter had his statement about Poland mistranslated in 1977).

Caragol said the slogan represents his unusual style and that he never intended on offending anyone. "People want to give it a negative interpretation, but anyone who knows me and my way of being knows that I didn't mean for the comment to degrade or offend anyone."

I think he and Ann Coulter need to talk about not offending people.

iPhone in "Flight Mode" Not Good Enough for Airline

ATA Airlines apparently doesn't get what "flight mode" (AKA "airplane mode" or "offline mode") means. It means the radio is off, guys. However, despite explaining that his iPhone was in "airplane mode" and that he was just watching I Know What You Did Last Summer, Consumerist reader Casey was told repeatedly to turn it off, and also that FAA regulations prohibit talking on a cell phone in flight. Of course, he wasn't talking on it, but that's beside the point.

The whole thing grew out of proportion, and eventually they brought out an FAA rulebook that confirmed what Casey already knew: "Things not allowed in flight: Talking on cell phones, Playing online cell phone games ... Things allowed over 10,00 feet: MP3 Players ... etc."

Based on this, you'd think he was OK, but it seems at this point it was a power struggle between the flight attendants and Casey. He was told, "You have to do anything I say, I am going to have you arrested ..." Finally it degraded to the point that they said to him, "I have called the police, you are going to jail ..."

And yes, they did call the police, but he didn't go to jail. It seemed like the F.A. was making up things as he went, as eventually he told the police that the plane was not shielded for ANY electronic equipment at all (which made no sense, especially since other people were using their laptops, etc.), then he changed it to not shielded for ONLY phones in airplane mode (which makes even less sense).

Eventually the police let Casey go.

Now, although Casey was right "in principle," let's not forget that in the wake of 9-11, flight attendants do indeed have a lot of power. While the "do anything I say" statement is probably overboard, would it really have hurt Casey to turn off his iPhone (after giving it his best shot, of course)?

On the other hand, he might have been able to say it was an iPod Touch and maybe, just maybe, the F.A. would have a) known what that is , b) agreed to that.

Unfortunately, it sounds like way too much testosterone was flying (the F.A. was male, if you didn't get that).

Larry Craig Honored in Idaho

As I previously wrote, Larry Craig was scheduled to be inducted into the Idaho Hall of Fame, and Saturday night was the ceremony.

Craig received polite applause, encouraging hoots, and no boos (as the audience was obviously friendly territory).

"I hope in a very sincere way that the attention that's been brought to me has not lessened the honor you receive," Craig told the other nominees and attendees.

As I previously wrote, he was chosen for induction last March, well before his arrest at the Minneapolis-St. Paul airport in June.

While even some Republican Party members suggested withdrawing or delaying Craig's nomination until another year, Michael Ritz, an Idaho Hall of Fame board member, said the 12-member board opted to go ahead. "We thought, 'It's kind of going back on your word.' Once a person has been sent a letter and voted into the Hall of Fame, it would be kind of like breaking a promise."

Still, despite what Ritz said, much as Craig wanted a do-over for his guilty plea, I'm sure the Hall of Fame board wishes they could have a do-over on his selection.

Naomi Klein: We are becoming a Fascist country

Whenever people bring up Universal Health Care, someone (usually associated with the health care industry or a politician with a lot of health care industry contributors) says "we don't want to become Socialist!" Well, a single payer system hasn't turned Canada into a Socialist country has it? And one need only look at the statistics to see that their infant mortality rate, which used to be higher than ours, is now lower than ours. Even right-wing activists should want children to live, shouldn't they?

At any rate, would you rather be Socialist ... or Fascist?

On Friday night, author Naomi Klein spoke with Bill Maher on Real Time with Bill Maher. The interview was about her new book, The Shock Doctrine: The Rise of Disaster Capitalism. He asked her, "Now, we all know that communism is when the government takes over private business. But, when corporations take over the government, that is what has been defined as fascism. Do you think that's where we're at?"

Her answer: "Yeah, or corporatism. It's not just happening in the United States; it's happening in Russia; it's happening in China; it's this collusion between big government and big business and this trading of favors between the two. So you could call it crony capitalism, you could call it corporatism, but it's certainly not the free market."

Continuing, she said, "And the irony is, it's the free market ideology that gets used to propel this vision forward which has absolutely nothing to do with --- it's not free for anybody but the contractors."

Since the book is about the impact of disasters and our (American) reaction to such shocks to our psyche, Bill then went on to compare Americans and our tendency to panic to other, less easily cowed nations.

I've said this myself, and he echoed that. When things happen in Israel, for example, and let's face it, they have the constant threat of suicide bombers, they don't start running around panicking. But we do! How would we react if we had that kind of constant threat? I think, stupidly, we would give up every civil right we had under the Constitution. Not me, I would fight it, but there are so many who would be trembling in fear over a threat that is less than being hit by lightning.

Watch the whole interview:

Bill Maher: "Show me a man wearing an American flag pin in his lapel, and I will show you an *sshole"

Last night on Real Time with Bill Maher, in his New Rules segment, Bill Maher addressed the big dust-up over Barack Obama no longer wearing an American flag pin in his lapel. As Obama said,

"The truth is that right after 9-11 I had a pin. Shortly after 9-11, particularly because as we're talking about the Iraq war, that became a substitute for I think true patriotism, which is speaking out on issues that are of importance to our national security.

I liked that statement. The truth is, after 9-11, my wife and I were swept up in rallies with flags, people running down the street shouting USA, and all that. But patriotism is more than a flag, and more than a pin. But the right-wing media started harping on it, as though not wearing the lapel pin was a sin. Remember being a kid and the response you'd get if you didn't wear green on St. Patrick's Day? Please.

Bill said:

"No lapel pin, Senator? It's like not wearing pants. Why don't you just stab the Statue of Liberty in the eye while bitch-slapping a 9/11 widow?" Another in a series of bullsh*t non-stories that have zero effect on the troops, the war or anything in the real world -- or, as Fox calls it, "Breaking News."

Not Fox News, Faux News, as I like to call them.

And more:

Of course, the Republicans are the party of Mark Foley and the Rev. Ted Haggard and Larry Craig and countless other closeted homosexuals, so their fixation on jewelry is understandable, but still ... the flag is just a symbol. You're getting pissy about a brooch, you drama queens, one that was probably made in China. It's probably leaking poison lead on you right now.

At least that would be some sacrifice, because let's be honest: this generation doesn't do real sacrifice or even pay for our own wars. That's what grandkids are for! No, we do flag pins and bumper stickers. And not even bumper stickers. Bumper magnets. Because stickers are tough to get off, and we may change our mind about never forgetting.

When I see the little flag right here, the first thing I think is, you voted for, and still like, George Bush, the man who has gotten more troops unnecessarily killed and maimed by failing to plan for their mission, by pushing their units to the breaking point, by letting his corporate enablers like Halliburton, Bechtel and Blackwater rape and pillage not just the Iraqis, but our own army.

Let's call this kerfuffle "Lapelgate." I hope voters aren't so ignorant --- or disinterested --- of the real issues --- that they vote based on wearing a piece of jewelry.

Watch the whole video. Note the piece on Obama is the last part of New Rules.

Downer Fortune Cookies Not Proving Too Popular

Frankly, I think fortune cookies should be renamed. Most of the time they have "sayings", not fortunes --- not that it really makes a difference (though in 2005 110 people won $19 million in the Powerball after playing a "lucky number sequence" from the back of a fortune). Now the biggest supplier of fortune cookies, Wonton Foods, has added some "downer" fortunes to their 10,000-strong catalog.

A couple of the ones showing up are "Today is a disastrous day. If you can't beat 'em, join 'em," and "It's over your head now. Time to get some professional help." Whew, pretty downbeat.

According to Derrick Wong, vice president for sales at Wonton, people, like me, were asking for more predictions and less sayings. The problem was it's not that easy to constantly come up with upbeat predictions.

"It's very hard to come up with more fortunes," Wong said. "Some people may not like them." No duh.

BTW, the Powerball winners were using a Wonton Foods fortune.

Army Meets Recruiting Goals with Help of Felons

Despite a war and repeated deployments to Iraq, which you think would scare off recruits, the military branches were able to meet their recruiting goals for fiscal year 2007, which ended Sept. 30th. But all is not as rosy as they would like you to think.

The Army recruited 80,407 new soldiers this year (goal of 80,000); the Navy recruited 37,361 (goal of 37,000); the Marines recruited 35,603 (goal of 35,576); the Air Force exactly met its new enlistment rate of 27,801 (now how could you exactly meet the number?).

Apparently the Army met its goal by lowering its standards, which most of us know, but much more than I would have expected.

The Army Recruiting Command said "moral" waivers for 1,620 felons were approved in the 2007 federal fiscal year. The 2006 mark of 1,002, so that's about a 60% increase. Now these were for people who had committed felonies, such as arson, burglary, aggravated assault and breaking and entering. Let's not forget those given waivers who had misdemeanors on their record, over 10,000.

"I don't think that they should reduce their standards at all because it's not going to pay off for them," said retired Marine Lt. Gen. Bernard Trainor. "It will be a short-term fix in making numbers, but a long-term headache in terms of performance, and I don't know one Army officer — particularly those who went through the Vietnam and post-Vietnam period — who doesn't take that same view."

When you look at events like Haditha, do we really want to continue to lower our standards like this? Obviously, all these sorts of events aren't due to recruited felons or such, but also obviously, statistically, you'd think the odds of more such events goes up the lower you make the standards of recruitment.

Ann Coulter: "No religious Jew or Christian would be offended by my statements"

I watched Ann Coulter on "Kudlow & Company" tonight, and the first question offered to her was --- what else -- about her statements on "The Big Show with Donny Deutsch" the other night.

Her response was "It was just a basic description of the Old Testament and the New Testament, as apparently everyone understands but Donny Deutsch, and the people lying about it now."

Interestingly that both Catholics United and Catholics in Alliance for the Common Good were dumbfounded by her original remarks. Does this mean, like Donny Deutsch, they don't understand "her truth?"

When asked about what she thought was happening, she said, "What is happening is this American sport of being the first to take offense, to be offended. He who is first offended wins, and I think it's getting a little old. When a statement of what Christians believe is offensive, I think there may be a competing financial news station starting up and somebody else is looking for attention."

Despite the fact that both the Anti-Defamation League and the Jewish Democratic Council have railed against her remarks, she then went on to say that "Liberals condemn. Religious Jews just randomly are calling in from Brooklyn ... saying of course, you have it exactly right. No religious Jew, no religious Christian is offended by a statement of Christianity."

Whew. OK, I guess all those aforementioned organizations are not "religious" then. Whew.

Watch the video here.

Mother of Boy in Pa. Columbine-Style Plot Charged with Buying Him Guns

Frequently in these cases, including Columbine, the parents of the shooter or plotter say they didn't have a clue as to what was going on. In this case, I don't think that excuse will fly.

A troubled 14-year-old was taken into custody Wednesday night after police searched his bedroom in a Philadelphia suburb and found a cache of weaspons. he felt bullied and tried to recruit another boy for the possible attack at Plymouth Whitemarsh High School. The teen's name has not been released because of his age. Of course, now that his mother has been charged (and named), it probably narrows down the list of possibilities.

Michele Cossey has been charged with buying her son a .22-caliber handgun, a .22-caliber rifle and a 9-mm semiautomatic rifle. Apparently the boy's father tried to buy him a gun in 2005, but he was refused because he's a felon.

What a wonderful family. It is unfortunate that it seems easy to see why the boy, as described by many, has psychological issues. It's unclear if he actually would have carried out this plan, but the plotting alone is worrisome.

Anti-Defamation League: Coulter's Remarks Anti-Semitic

You probably know that Ann Coulter stuck her high-heels into her mouth the other evening, on CNBC's "The Big Show with Donny Deutsch." She said that Christians were "perfected Jews" and that it "would be a lot easier if we were all Christians." Since then a number of groups have responded (including Christian groups), none of them favorably (as though that would come as a surprise).

Today the Anti-Defamation League, whose charter is "to stop the defamation of the Jewish people," said that Coulter's remarks amounted to anti-Semitism. In a statement released to the press, they said:

Coulter's remarks are outrageous, offensive and a throwback to the centuries-old teaching of contempt for Jews and Judaism. The notion that Jews are religiously inferior or imperfect because they do not accept Christian beliefs was the basis for 2,000 years of church-based anti-Semitism.

You may recall one of her original statements from my earlier post was:

"No, we just want Jews to be perfected, as they say. ... That's what Christianity is. We believe the Old Testament, but ours is more like Federal Express. You have to obey laws."

You can watch the clip at my earlier post, BTW.

Some have said that Coulter is simply out to shock people, and that nothing she says should be taken seriously. If that's the case, why do we listen to her at all?

Despite calls from some that Coulter be banned from the airwaves, she's scheduled to appear on a different CNBC show, "Kudlow & Company" on Friday. More on that, and I'm sure more unscripted foot-in-mouth disease, later.

Lynne Cheney: "Sometimes Dick will bite the head off a live chicken"

Well, at least the "evil one's" wife has a sense of humor. Lynne Cheney appeared on the Daily Show on Wednesday, and started things off by presenting Jon Stewart with a doll of Dick Cheney ... er, I mean, a Darth Vader doll.

Actually, she was mostly there to plug her new memoir of her childhood, Blue Skies, No Fences.

She indicated that Dick Cheney is a regular guy, that he "likes to watch old movies, every once in a while, he'll bite the head off a live chicken." Of course, Jon also steered the interview toward topics like gay marriage and Iraq.

Watch the video.

Study Shows Lead in Popular Lipsticks

And amazingly enough, they are not made in China ... I don't think. A report issued Thursday by The Campaign for Safe Cosmetics (CSC) showed that 61% of 33 brand-name lipsticks tested contained detectable levels of lead, with levels ranging from 0.03 to 0.65 ppm.

The Cosmetic, Toiletry and Fragrance Association trade group said in a statement that lead was a naturally occurring element that was not intentionally added to cosmetics, and that the lipstick tested by the CSC met FDA requirements.

However, from the CSC press release, we see some dissent:

“Lead builds up in the body over time and lead-containing lipstick applied several times a day, every day, can add up to significant exposure levels. The latest studies show there is no safe level of lead exposure,” said Mark Mitchell, M.D., MPH, president, Connecticut Coalition for Environmental Justice.

According to the report, among the top brands testing positive for lead were:

• L’Oreal Colour Riche “True Red” – 0.65 ppm
• L’Oreal Colour Riche “Classic Wine” – 0.58 ppm
• Cover Girl Incredifull Lipcolor “Maximum Red” – 0.56 ppm
• Dior Addict “Positive Red” – 0.21 ppm

You adult women, think about when you played dress-up as a little girl, perhaps putting on lipstick. Would you want your child exposing herself to lead? Remember just how thin the skin is on your lips. And we know that lead exposure is cumulative.

You can read the full report (.PDF) here.

End of the World ... Sex? Drink? Looting? What Do You Do?

An oncoming asteroid, comet, or other such Extinction Level Event (E.L.E.) is rapidly coming ... what do you do? Well, a survey by Ziji Publishing to mark the U.K. release of "Cloud Cuckoo Land" by debut novelist Steven Sivell showed a variety of responses.

The survey of Brits indicated the majority, 54%, would spend it either with or on the phone to their loved ones. 13% would kick back with a drink, 9% would spend it in the missionary position (sex), 3% in prayer.

2% would eat really, really bad food for themselves (why not; indulge yourself) while another 2% would loot.

Thing is, this is pretty similar to "Last Night," a great movie addressing this same issue over a few hours. I particularly remember the one man who was trying to perform all sorts of sexual acts, including sex with a virgin and sex with an old teacher. So this apocalyptic novel isn't really that ... novel. But the survey results are.

California Bans Smoking in Cars with Kids

California became the third state to ban secondhand smoke in cars on Wednesday, when Gov. Arnold Schwarzenneger signed a bill that will make it an infraction to smoke in a vehicle if a minor is present. However, the car cannot be pulled over simply for the smoking infraction --- there must be another offense, like speeding, car pool lane violation, for the police to stop the vehicle.

Much like the recently passed California law on teen cell phone use and driving (with regards to 16- and 17-year-olds), this is fairly toothless. That law fines offenders $20 for the first offense and $50 for any subsequent offenses, and you don't get any points --- and there is the same limitation on pulling the car over if that's the only offense.

In this case the fine is $100, and that's not going to stop anyone seriously addicted to smoking --- at least for a while.

Arkansas and Louisiana have similar laws, but with different age ranges. Arkansas bans smoking in cars with children age 6 and younger, while Louisiana has bans it when children 13 and younger are in the vehicle.

New Terror Tactic: Poison Gumballs

Dover is a town in Morris County, in the New York metro area. Three Dover aldermen have inspecting gumball machines over fears that terrorists could use them to poison children.

It seems the biggest fears is over unlicensed machines. Aldermen Frank Poolas, Jack Delaney and Michael Picciallo have found over 100 of them. According to Delaney, in many cases there's no way of knowing who's filling the machines. "There's just no record of anything."

While many in the town are concerned that the alderman should be looking at more mundane issues such as redevelopment projects, etc. instead of this (which the police chief has said was less likely than winning the lottery), they do have the support of the mayor.

It's interesting that this has come up, because I've thought of similar things in the past, though not related to candy. I've wondering why they can't ... oh, say, put poison on envelopes at ATM machines (so when you lick them you are poisoned), poisoning those water machines outside stores, stuff like that.

But if we worry about everything, we can't live our lives. And the likelihood of any of these is really, really small --- and the "return on investment," so to speak, probably wouldn't be that great. One goal of terrorism is to disrupt our lives, and if we worry about every single possibility, won't they be winning?

Ann Coulter: "America would be better off if everyone were Christian"

Wednesday Ann Coulter appeared on "The Big Idea" with Donny Deutsch. Not only did she say more outlandish things, she really offended him.

For example, he asked her: "If you had your way ... what would this country look like?" Her answer was "It would look like New York City during the Republican National Convention. In fact, that's what I think heaven is going to look like."

Uh, huh. When asked to describe the convention, she said:"People were happy. They're Christian. They're tolerant. They defend America."

Er, Ann, you know Deutsch is Jewish, right? He asked,"It would be better if we were all Christian?" to which she answered "Yes."

Deutsch then asked "We should just throw Judaism away and we should all be Christians?" to which she said, "Well, it's a lot easier, it's kind of a fast track."

Deutsch then said something stupid himself in that he said she was too educated to believe that (heh).

Pressing her on the issue, he got this from her: "No, we just want Jews to be perfected, as they say. ... That's what Christianity is. We believe the Old Testament, but ours is more like Federal Express. You have to obey laws."

This really upset Deutsch, and he said (as they cut to commercial), "If Ann Coulter had any brains, she would not say Jews need to be perfected. I'm offended by that personally."

Coming back from commercial, Coulter wanted to explain herself. She said "Our testament is a continuation of your testament. We think Jews go to Heaven, I mean Falwell himself said that. We consider ourselves perfected Christians. For me to say that for you to become a Christian is to become a perfected Christian is not offensive at all."

Well, Ann, it was obvious from Donny's manner that he sure was offended, even if you think what you said is non-offensive. What really offends me is that anyone continues to read your books or listen to you.

Update: Today the National Jewish Democratic Council called for media organizations to boycott Coulter (press release here). Many Christian groups, including Catholics United and Catholics in Alliance for the Common Good, were dumbfounded and upset by her remarks.

Watch the video:

Florida Cop Sues Family of Rescued Toddler Over Water Spill, Accident

Remember how I wrote about how litigious our society has become? Here we go again.

A Florida police officer who slipped and broke her knee while responding to a 911 call has sued the family of the one-year-old boy (who nearly drowned, and suffered brain damage, that day).

Joey Cosmillo had fallen into the pool, and required resuscitation. However, he suffered brain damage and now lives in a nursing home. Meanwhile, Sgt. Andrea Eichhorn claims the boy's family left a puddle of water on the floor, causing her to fall.

Richard Cosmillo, 69, the boy's grandfather said, "The loss we've suffered, and she's seeking money? Of course there's going to be water in the house. He was sopping wet when we brought him in."

Eichhorn has won numerous commendations. Her lawyer said that workers' comp and disability payments helped some, but not completely. The lawsuit seeks unspecified damages.

My question is: I would think normal medical insurance (as a police officer, she should have had some) would take care of most of it. While I feel for her, when I was a kid this would have been labeled an accident and left at that.

Callously, considering the plight of the toddler, her lawyer David Heil said, "It's a situation where the Cosmillos have caused these problems, brought them on themselves, then tried to play the victim," Wow.

Starbucks Recalls Plastic Kids' Cups (Yes, from "There")

As I previously said, I like to monitor the Consumer Products Safety Commission website. With all the recalls lately, you'll never be short on news!

Once again a recall of products from China, this time 250,000 plastic childrens' cups from Starbucks. If there's a positive to this it's that it's not over lead, which means if your child has been drinking for his cup he's OK. The recall is because if dropped the face on the cup (see picture) can break off, leaving pieces the child can choke on.

Two incidents of choking have been reported but no injuries.

The cups come in four styles and were sold between May 2006 and August 2007. Starbucks will issue a refund and also a free beverage to those who contact them. Hopefully the complimentary beverage will work better than the complimentary toy that was later recalled, earlier this year.

Mitt Romney and Presidential Crisis Management: Talk to Your Attorneys

This is what I love about unscripted forums, like debates (and beauty contests ). You get these type of responses.

At yesterday's debate, when asked if he would obtain congressional authorization before taking any military action against Iran's nuclear facilities, Romney said (and it was hilarious to watch):

"You sit down with your attorneys and they tell you what you have to do, but obviously the president of the United States has to do what's in the best interest of the United States to protect us against a potential threat."

Well, yeah, you wouldn't want other countries suing us over a violation of international law would you? Waitasec ... we don't really care about international law anyway! Hmmm ...

Naturally everyone else in the debate (whether they were lawyers or not) jumped on the opportunity to rake Romney over the coals.

Anyone want to check and see if Romney's got a lot of lawyers backing him?

Scammers Use Brain-Eating Amoeba Scare to Sell Water Purifiers

Brain-eating amoebas, Naegleria fowleri, have killed a number of people in Arizona, and according to tests, are present in many of the wells in the Tucson area. Scammers will pick up on anything, and this is no different.

Residents in Tucson are being warned about scammers posing as Tucson Water employees. They go door-to-door, pretend to test your water, and naturally find amoebas in your water supply. They then --- surprise --- pitch a water treatment system.

Smart residents will note they are driving unmarked cars, wear no uniforms, and flash their IDs too fast to be seen. I can understand the scare after what's happened in Arizona, but have a little common sense, people.

Star Trek Line of Funeral Products "Launches"

You'll recall earlier when Eternal Image announced an agreement to design, manufacture and market a line of Star Trek branded funeral products. Today at the National Funeral Director Association Expo (NFDA) they debuted the line, and showed off their first two products --- an urn (below) and a casket (above).

When I first heard about this (in my original article), I thought a photon torpedo style casket a la Star Trek II would be great, and it looks like the casket pretty much follows that idea. The urn is more stylized.

You can find the product web page here. The urn will be available later this year, and the casket in 2008. Memorials and vaults will be available next year as well. Unfortunately (!), pricing is not yet available.

If you want to be notified when the two products "lift off", there are links on the product page.

Use Credit Counseling, Lower Your Credit Rating

Oops. It's likely one of the more popular spam emails you'll get, as well as likely one of the more popular banner ads you'll see. Credit counseling to fix your credit. In this case, it didn't really have the desired effect.

Keith Gauthier says that after enlisting the help of Consumer Credit Counseling Services (CCCS), his credit score went down from 680 to 540.

CCCS is a well-known non-profit organization. In this case, they told Gauthier they would renegotiate his payments with his creditors. Unfortunately for him, two of his credit card companies never accepted the new terms. Thus he had been underpaying for a year.

Typically with these credit counseling firms, they renegotiate with your creditors, come up with a plan, and you pay them (the service) once a month. They distribute the cash to your creditors.

What I don't get is how CCCS didn't know about the problem, since they were paying the creditors. Although CCCS has sent out letters on his behalf, Gauthier is still stuck with a 10% mortgage, though to their credit (no pun intended) CCCS is still trying to fix things.

Present Participle Banned in Brazil Federal District

You'd think this was a joke, but it's not. The present participle verb form has been banned by the Federal District Governor Jose Roberto Arruda, at least for use by his administration. The reason: inefficiency.

First of all, I had to look up what a present participle was. In English, it's a verb that ends in "ing", like "talking" or "walking." The reason he banned it was to eliminate vague promises by government officials, such as, "We'll be taking steps."

Naturally, he's taking (dang!) a lot of flak over this, particularly from those who believe this is a linguistic issue, not a government one, and also from bloggers who find it hilarious.

Rat Head in Green Beans OK Because It's "Commercially Sterile"

A Lehi, Utah woman found an unwelcome surprise in her can of Allen's Green Beans: a rat head. What really hurts is the attitude the canning company, Allen Canning, has taken.

Allen Canning spokesman James Phillips said, "There's no way that product could have hurt her. This rodent was rendered commercially sterile. We cook each can individually at a temperature up to 265 degrees."

I'm sure, when you see a rodent head in your green beans, that the fact it's sterile is a real comfort.

Allen Canning offered the woman, Emily Watson, $100 to sign a liability waiver, but she turned them down, saying they were being disingenuous. Watson indicated she would not pursue legal action.

"You can be assured that the people who've been hurt by this is us. She's trying to ruin us through the media," said Phillips.

Deaf Man Attacked When Silence Seen as Disrespect

This shows you where society is nowadays. A deaf man was attacked with a crowbar by a cashier when he failed to respond to attempted conversation.

The cashier, Ricky Benard Young, 20, faces a charge of aggravated assault with a deadly weapon.

The victim, Cody Goodnight, 31, suffered "a large knot" on his head and still has pain in his head and neck following hospital treatment.

Lt. Dean Sullivan, a police spokesperson said, "Upon further investigation, it appeared the suspect became frustrated when the victim wouldn't respond or acknowledge his attempts to converse. He became outraged and struck the victim in an unwarranted attack."

For some strange reason (uh huh) the surveillance tapes were either overwritten or erased.

What was it Judge Wapner used to say on The People's Court? Something to the effect that "mere words cannot provoke a battery," meaning that just because something says something bad to you doesn't give you the right to strike them. In all cases of that nature that ever appeared on The People's Court, the assailant always lost, no matter what was said.

In this case, the person didn't say anything, and as such was thought to be dissing the cashier. Even if that were true, what gives the cashier the right to strike him, with a crowbar no less? Our society is messed up.

MILF Cautions Against "Witch Hunting" ... Really!

Yes, that's an actual headline. This is actually less about the real story, than what it could be about. After all, the first thing men think about when they hear the term "MILF" is, well, you know.

So does this mean that a MILF said we shouldn't participate in hunting down Wiccans? Oh, and yeah, I'm sorry I didn't post the type of MILF picture you probably wanted.

Nah, it's actually about the warning by the Moro Islamic Liberation Front that officials shouldn't jump to conclusions about the recent bombings in Kidapawan City in the Phillipines. In other words, don't start a "witch hunt."

At any rate, in this case, the headline is waaaay more interesting than the story.

52¢ Donut Could Cost a Man 30 Years in Jail

A single donut could cost a Missouri man 30 years in jail. Scott A. Masters, 41, is accused of shoplifting and pushing a store worker who tried to stop him. And it's the shove that has taken a simple theft of a donut into something that could land him in jail for a long time.

The shove turned the case into strong-arm robbery. That carries a five to 15 year prison term, but with prior convictions he could get as long as 30 years.

Farmington is a town of 14,000 people about 70 miles south of St. Louis. Masters is well-known to the police, generally for minor offenses such as drunkenness and marijuana possession, but also for more serious crimes such as insurance fraud.

Although many in the town feel this is overkill, both the County Prosecutor and Police Chief keep emphasizing the donut's lack of importance in the case.

Farmington Police Chief Rick Baker said "It's not the donut. It's the assault."

County Prosecutor Wendy Wexler Horn said, "People are missing the point. It is not about the donut."

My take on it: if you were going to do this, you could have at least tried to steal a Krispy Kreme donut!

Larry Craig to be Inducted into Idaho Hall of Fame

My first thought was, what!? You've got to be kidding, right? But no, Larry Craig is scheduled to be inducted into the Idaho Hall of Fame next week, on October 13th.

To be fair, the decision to include him in the Hall of Fame was made in March, long before his arrest in a sex sting operation. Still, hasn't anyone heard of changing one's mind?

"Larry Craig has made a great contribution to Idaho over the period of 20-some years. At the time it was considered, this other matter had not come up," Harry Magnuson, board director for the Hall of Fame said.

Well, naturally it hadn't come up then, but it has now. So how about doing the right thing and rescinding the nomination?

No Such Thing as a Free --- or Naked --- Lunch

A Greenville, Maine restaurant that has been giving a free sandwich called the Skinny Dip, featuring sliced prime rib in a baguette roll, to anyone willing to jump naked from the restaurant's dock into a lake.

The Black Frog Restaurant has been using this promotion for three years, and its been fairly popular, with about two or three patrons a week willing to take the plunge. However, a party-pooper has suggested to the Town Manager that the practice be banned.

The subject was brought up at a town meeting, and although no decision has been made yet, Leigh Turner, the owner of the restaurant, said he would stop the practice if asked. The dip was typically done at night, no frontal nudity was exposed to customers and a towel was readily available, Turner said. He also indicated that most patrons applauded any skinny dippers after the plunge.

Drugs Smuggled in Beetles Stopped by Customs

It was only a couple of days ago that Australian officials stopped drugs smuggled inside a Mr. Potato Head toy, and now Dutch customs agents have stopped a shipment inside a set of dead beetles.

The beetles, inside a parcel from Peru, had been slit open and filled with a total of 300 grams of cocaine, with an estimated street-value of 8,000 euros ($11,270). The parcel was opened after scans showed the insects inside the package.

Ex-McDonald's Employee, Strip-Searched in Back Office, Wins $6.1 Million Lawsuit

A Kentucky jury has awarded $6.1 million to Louise Ogborn, a former McDonald’s employee who sued the company after being strip-searched and humiliated in the back office of its Mt. Washington, Ky., restaurant.

The restaurant received a call from a purported police officer in April 2004 who persuaded assistant manager Donna Summers that Ogborn, then 18, had stolen money from a customer.

The caller asked Summers to take Ogborn into a back room and strip search her. The caller continued to make stranger and stranger requests, and eventually Summers asked her then-fiancé, Walter Nix Jr., to come to the restaurant and guard the teen while continuing with the caller’s demands while Summers went back to work.

That's just the start, as Nix eventually forced Ogborn to perform oral sex on him. All of this was captured on security tape, BTW. Nix was later convicted of sex abuse, and a number of other charges and sentenced to five years after pleading guilty in the case.

Ogborn claimed in her lawsuit that McDonald’s did not sufficiently warn its employees of similar hoax calls, which had been going on for some time. McDonald’s attorneys claimed that the company had, but managers at the Mt. Washington store failed to relay the information.

Florida correctional officer David Stewart, 37, was eventually charged with the crimes, but was acquitted last year.

What gets me is, what part of their brain, perhaps the part that controls common sense, were these managers missing? Would you respond to just anyone calling you, saying they were the police, and asking you to strip search someone? I'd tell them, hey, I'll hold 'em, but you send officers down if you want them strip-searched. Use your brain!

Pole Dancing for Kids Stirs Up Parents

Pole dancing for exercise has become somewhat popular, with an increasing number of classes being offered. But when St. David's Hall in Cardiff, Wales decided to offer a pole dancing class to children as young as 11, parents were outraged.

After all, the idea of pole dancing still evokes images of strippers. Originally the ad for the class said:

“Something I bet you’ve always wanted to try. It’s a great way to keep fit and have lots of fun at the same time. This session is suitable for participants of 11 years and upwards.”

Obviously they aren't going to be teaching teens sexy moves, but it's the appearance of impropriety that has cause the fury.

However, after a backlash over the classes, St. David's Hall stated that (fortunately) the classes have sold out, and no one under 16 signed up. Additionally, they stated:

We clearly misjudged the age-range issue.

Duh. I thnk from that we can assume they won't be offering pole-dancing lessons again to kids.

Lindsay Lohan Out of Rehab; Who Wants in on the "Back to Rehab" Pool?

Friday Lindsay Lohan checked out of the Cirque Lodge Treatment Center in Utah. However, how long does anyone think it will take before she's back drinking?

She has certainly shown she doesn't have the attitude to be serious about her addiction. For example, while in rehab, she managed to get two other patients fighting over her, by first going for one, then dropping him for the second. Of course, as the two beat each other senseless, she was "innocently" watching the spectacle.

Let's not forget the angry wife who accused Lindsay of sexing up her husband in the Cirque Lodge bathroom.

That type of behavior, along with how quickly she fell off the wagon last time she left rehab --- does anyone really think she's going to be able to control herself?

It's not just "drying out" in rehab; she has to change her lifestyle; an alcoholic can't simply drink occassionally. This plus her "I can't get in trouble. I'm a celebrity. I can do whatever the f*** I want" attitude leads me to believe it won't be long before she's back in trouble.

J. Lo Pregnancy Revealed by Concert Wardrobe Malfunction

As late as last month J. Lo's representatives were denying her pregnancy, but during her concert on Wednesday night, it appears wind and a wardrobe malfunction may have revealed the truth.

It was the opening concert of her United States tour at the Mohegan Sun Arena in Connecticut, and you can clearly see the bump in the picture to the right (click to enlarge).

Despite this, she still hasn't announced the pregnancy, though reports are that she will announce it Saturday night at her Madison Square Garden appearance.

Nuclear Power Plant Security Guards Caught Asleep on Video

An earlier story I wrote indicated that 45% of workers admit to falling asleep at work, so aren't these security guards just doing what comes naturally? While that may be, we're talking about a nuclear power plant here, and aside from the safety issues, there are obvious security issues.

Another guard shot video of the dozing guards after he claims supervisors ignored his repeated warning. The power plant in question is the Peach Bottom Nuclear Plant in Delta, Pennsylvania, owned by Exelon Nuclear.

The good thing is that the security company, Wackenhut, has had its contract terminated at Peach Bottom. That bad thing is that same company has contracts at three other Exelon Nuclear facilities: Three Mile Island outside Harrisburg, the Limerick Nuclear Plant in Montgomery County, and Oyster Creek in New Jersey.

You can view the original investigative report below.

China: Inmates' Organs Off-Limits

There is an underground organ trade in China, which reminds me very much of the concept of organlegging as used in the Larry Niven "Known Space" universe. At the same time, in what used to be a "legal" use of organs, China has been using the organs of executed prisoners. No more, they say.

At a meeting of the World Medical Association in Copenhagen, Chinese Medical Association officials agreed that they would no longer "harvest" organs from inmates to use in transplantation, except into the prisoners' immediate families.

What's interesting is that as many as 40% of the black market organs mentioned above go to foreigners desperate for a transplant. Although China has agreed to this, the concept of reducing prison terms in exchange for bone marrow or kidney donations has even been proposed in the U.S. Could we one day see a dystopian society much like Niven envisioned, where something like repeated speeding offenses are a capital crime requiring organ donation (The Jigsaw Man)?

Duke Lacrosse Players Sue Nifong, Durham

In a move that should surprise no one, the three Duke lacrosse players falsely accused of rape in 2006, David Evans, Collin Finnerty and Reade Seligmann, have filed a federal lawsuit against disbarred and disgraced former prosecutor Mike Nifong, the city of Durham and the police detectives who handled the investigation.

Last month the players and their families asked for a $30 million settlement from the city of Durham and reforms in the legal process, else they would file a lawsuit --- which they now have.

You may also recall that Duke University and the players settled, with terms undisclosed, in June of this year.

Larry Craig Loses One "Do-Over", Wants Still Another

Last week Larry Craig presented his case, trying to get his prior guilty plea in an airport sex sting withdrawn. As we indicated then, the judge said he would rule late this week, and on Thursday he told Craig: no do-over.

It actually wasn't unexpected, nor was the next thing that Craig did. In another do-over, he decided not to resign, as he said he would do if he could not get the guity plea removed. Instead, Craig said he would complete his term, which ends in January 2009. However, he will not run for another term.

I'm sure the GOP is thinking "at least that's something." By not running, he may help reduce the sort of effect Mark Foley and George "Macaca" Allen had on the 2004 elections.

On the other hand, who's to say he won't want a third do-over, and choose to run again?

Ann Coulter wants to repeal the 19th Amendment

Now why would Ann Coulter want to do that? And many of you are probably asking, "what is the 19th Amendment." The 19th Amendment gave women the right to vote.

According to Coulter (in an interview in the New York Observer earlier this week):

If we took away women's right to vote, we'd never have to worry about another Democrat president. It's kind of a pipe dream, it's a personal fantasy of mine, but I don't think it's going to happen. And it is a good way of making the point that women are voting so stupidly, at least single women.

Now, for some reason I don't think this is going to go over very well with either Democrat-leaning or Republican-leaning women.

Coulter has made some outlandish statements, for example, referring to John Edwards as a "f*ggot" earlier in the year, but this really takes the cake.

Lab Error Leads to Unneeded Double Mastectomy

My wife feels our society is far too litigious (think burglars falling through skylights), but watching this case on the Today Show, she said she wouldn't think twice about this one.

In 2006, Darrie Eason, a 35-year-old single mother, was told she needed to undergo a radical double mastectomy because she had an invasive form of breast cancer. She got a second opinion, which confirmed the diagnosis. In May 2006 she had surgery. However, the surgeon submitted tissue from the surgery for testing, and found she didn't have cancer at all!

An investigation discovered the lab which did the initial testing, CBLPath medical laboratory of Rye Brook, N.Y., had mixed her report up with another woman's --- note that the second opinion used the report from the first test --- they didn't test again.

Of course, Eason has filed a lawsuit, and let's not forget the second, unnamed woman, who thought she was cancer-free and saw her treatment delayed. She (IMHO) should sue as well.

NBC’s chief medical editor, Dr. Nancy Snyderman, said that one mistake here was passing around the lab report instead of retesting the same sample, I'd also wonder if it might be better to have a new sample taken. After all, if it was the samples that were mixed up, and not the lab report, a new test would still have an incorrect result.

Did Racist License Plates Sneak by the Arizona DMV?

It's not that easy to translate personalized license plates. An easy one like XCLR8 on a sports car ("accelerate") might be followed by a tough one like (XQZDST) on an earth mover (OK, OK, that was on a sports car too, but that makes it too easy --- "excuse the dust").

At first, Tara Peterson thought the plates, SKN1488, looked familiar but couldn't place them. She said she went home and Googled them (what else), and discovered they had racist overtones.

From my research, it seems that SKN stands for skin and 1488 is an Adolph Hitler reference" she said.

She reported it the to Arizona DMV, but didn't get a response, so she took it to local TV. The local TV station did some more digging and found at least five plates in Arizona with variations.

A spokesperson for the Arizona DMV said that they do check for obscenities and racial overtones, but that sometimes mistakes are made (naturally ... with obscure references like this).

Worse, Peterson is African-American, and must submit the complaint herself. Undoubtedly the owner will pick up on this story (Googling, again?) and because of that, she's a little scared.

One thing though: I can't find references to SKN1488 by searching for that term by itself on Google, Microsoft Live Search, or Yahoo! Search. I was able to find references to 1488 on white supremacy sites, though. I doubt she would make this up, though, and the other personalize plates with variations seem to indicate there's something there, but I don't know what query she used to find her info.

Crossword Puzzle Homework with "N-word" as Answer Gets an "F"

It was a history homework assignment about the 19th-century, so I can see where the word would fit into the lesson plan, but I think the teacher should have used a few of his own brain cells.

Some Sequatchie County, Tennessee fifth-graders were given a crossword puzzle as homework while studying the book "Sounder", and one of the answers was the N-word. Unsurprisingly, a parent complained.

Sequatchie County Middle School principal Donald Johnson says the teacher obtained the crossword from a subscription Web site, EdHelper.com. Going to the site, it looks like you can create your own crossword puzzles, but in order to do so you have to enter your own clues and words.

The teacher has apologized, as well as the principal.

Crowd Steals Groceries From Dying Elderly Man Hit by Truck

In Mesa, Arizona, a crowd of bystanders not only looted the groceries from a dying elderly man who had just been the victim of a hit-and-run driver, they also robbed the witness who was trying to help him.

The man, who name is being withheld by the police, was waiting for a bus Tuesday night when pickup truck swerved off the road and plowed into the stop.

According to Boro Mitrovich, who was himself nearly struck, bystanders started to grab food and run off. Mitrovich ran to help the man and had his grocery bag disappear as well.

What kind of people would do such a thing? Neither the thieves nor the driver has been caught.

Isn't this 2007? Alabama's Sex Toy Ban Remains Unscathed

Another archaic law remains unscathed as today the Supreme Court decided not to hear a case on Alabama's sex toy ban. This means a lower court ruling upholding the law will stand.

Sherri Williams, owner of Pleasures stores in Huntsville and Decatur had sued over the law being an "unconstitutional intrusion into the privacy of the bedroom." She plans to sue again, using the First Amendment as the grounds.

Channeling Charleton Heston and his former NRA speech, she said "My motto has been they are going to have to pry this vibrator from my cold, dead hand. I refuse to give up."

What gets me is not just that Alabama has this law, there are similar ones in Georgia, Mississippi, and Texas (and probably more). However, for those of you thinking of moving to get your sex toys, Louisiana, Kansas and Colorado have had similar laws struck down.

I'm also amused by the wording of the law. Alabama's anti-obscenity law, enacted in 1998 (so it's not even 10 years old --- what era were those legislators brought up in?), bans the distribution of "any device designed or marketed as useful primarily for the stimulation of human genital organs for anything of pecuniary value."

Pecuniary value = money. So does that mean if the stores give them away and ask for donations, that's OK?

Why are All the Air Traffic Delays a Surprise?

Today the Department of Transportation's Bureau of Transportation Statistics said that flights were delayed 28.9% of the time in August. While this is terrible, the real question should be: why is anyone surprised?

This is much akin to the infrastructure problem across the country (roads, bridges, etc.) in that they were built up and not really maintained, as though they would perform like-new forever. In this case, in addition to outdated air traffic control technology, you also have

• an increase (too many?) in passengers
• a trend toward smaller airplanes, meaning more traffic to control in the skies per a set number of passengers

I can understand the second one, as using huge airliners that are partially filled means a hit for the airlines. But the first one is the same one that affects us across the spectrum ... and I don't mean air travel.

The world is bursting at the seams with people. Many experts say it's currently close to unsustainable, and when you look at the number of people expected by 2050 (9 billion) ... ouch. That and our global economy means more and more travel, and the sky can only hold so many --- safely, that is.

Which brings up another point my acrophobic wife frequently brings up. Even if the airline industry has a low percentage of accidents, the more planes and flights, the higher the sheer number becomes. How long before that number becomes uncomfortable for many?

Toys Given Out as an Apology --- for Recalled Toys --- Recalled

Confusing isn't it? Last week RC2, maker of the Thomas & Friends Wooden Railway toys, recalled another set of the toys, for the same reason: lead paint. What was missed last week was that some of the toys which are being recalled (2,000 of them) are ones RC2 gave out as gifts in attempt to foster goodwill.

Well, it's fostered something all right, but not goodwill. How would you feel if you were a parent that turned in a bunch of toys which were toxic, then received replacements and a goodwill gift, only to find out the gift was toxic? No need for me to really ask, right?

The RC2 recall website (which most likely has been changed more than once over new recalls) says:

We deeply regret the burden that recalling toys creates for parents, but we believe parents deserve to be assured of two things: First that the Thomas toys they already have are safe, and second that the new toys in stores are safe.

Uh huh. OK, but keep any free gifts will you? Oh, and can we Americans finally start to get it through our thick skulls that we get what we pay for? Outsourcing of manufacturing to cheap, sometimes slave labor like plants ... what do you expect?

Why Did Britney Lose Custody? (Mostly Stupidity) ... and Why Didn't She Skate?

Many celebrities feel they are above the law, and seemingly, they are. Let's not forget what Lindsay Lohan said during her last brush with the law: "I can't get in trouble. I'm a celebrity. I can do whatever the f*** I want."

That's what many of them believe, and that's what seems to happen. Even those who end up serving jail time (with some notable exceptions like Robert Downey Jr.) usually serve far less than John Q. Public (Lohan is an example, then there's Paris, and let's not forget Nicole Richey's 82 minutes of jail time).

So why didn't Britney skate in this custody case? Precisely because of the children. I mean, look at celebs; they can drive drunk, take drugs, etc. etc. and get off scott free, or with a slap on the wrist. In this case, the judge had the children to worry about, and that trumped her celebrity.

Now, what exactly did she do? Or rather, what didn't she do?

One: apparently Britney, despite living in California, has been using a Louisiana driver's license. California law states that people must apply for a license within 10 days of residence. The judge in the case wanted her to produce a California driver's license by Monday ... and she couldn't.

Attorney Sorrell Trope told People, “Specifically,” the judge ordered that by 10 a.m. (Monday) morning, both parties show valid California driving licenses. I’ve been unable to produce evidence of that.”

Considering that Spears, has been charged with misdemeanor driving without a valid license and hit-and-run following a fender-bender in a store parking lot on Aug. 6, the judge's request makes sense. The fact that she didn't get her act together just shows how ... I can either use the word "ignorant" or "stupid" ... you chooose ... she is.

Also, Trope said another reason behind the judge's temporary custody ruling "was a claim by Mr. Federline's attorney that she had not complied with a previous order the court had made – before I came on board (as lawyer) – about having a random drug and alcohol test."

It should be noted that Britney finally got her California driver's license on Tuesday.

Therapy Dog Knows When You Are About to Die

Oscar the cat, meet Libby the dog. You may recall Oscar, the cat who lives at the Steere House Nursing and Rehabilitation Center in Rhode Island. Oscar doesn't show affection, unless, apparently, he senses a patient is close to death. Then he curls up on their bed next to them. Hardly a comfort.

On the other hand, Libby is a Therapy Dog. Her job is to cheer up people. I have a Therapy Dog, and we go to hospitals and senior centers and he allows people to pet him. It's great for the patients.

In Libby's case, that's her job, too. But there's trouble on the horizon if she won't go into a room. It means the person in the room will pass away within the next 24 hours.

Marge Stiller, Libby's owner, said "The first few times, I really didn't put it together." She said when Libby won't pass the threshold, it's because "she has the ability to know -- I don't want to say predict -- know when a person is going to be passing away within 24 hours." Percentage-wise, "It's 100 percent. It's been 100 percent, yeah," Stiller said.

Stiller also said she never tells patients if their room was bypassed.

Despite the probable smirks out there, this is probably no different than Oscar. In that case, experts theorized the "death sense" was biochemical in nature --- Oscar was smelling something that we humans can't detect ... and his reaction is what gave it credence.

I believe this ... I've even seen dogs who can sniff out skin cancers on people, too (and that dog was accurate!) so why not? Dogs have an even better sense of smell than a cat, so it makes sense to me.

"Point and Click" (?) to Vatican Site to Encourage Canonization of John-Paul II

It's not quite the same as "Digging," but it's interesting nonetheless. The official website of the Diocese of Rome has a section dedicated to the late Pope's canonization. You can surf the site in six languages, send e-mails and even receive fragments of the pope's white cassock.

You can also donate to the canonization cause in a variety of ways, including credit cards. While many want his sainthood fast-tracked (if you recall, mourners at his funeral mass chanted "Santo subito!" or "Sainthood now!"), some are critical of using the Internet to do it, especially asking for donations on the site.

Still, the Vatican has moved forward with the times (witness the plans to build a "solar roof"). What do you readers think? Yea or Nay to using the Web as a means to beatification?

Political Correctness Gone Wild (Again): Holiday Traditions to be Cancelled in Illinois School District?

When I was a child, we had ... Christmas parties at school. Not "holiday" parties, Christmas parties. And no one objected. Now political correctness has become so overblown that parents sue over Christmas parties, sometimes in the name of separation of church and state. Let's not forget objections over Easter Egg hunts at school, either. Of course, we know the Easter Bunny happens to be Christian.

While I can see their point, I also think it's way overblown. It's a party for kids, mostly for young kids! It's not like they're teaching them Christianity at a Christmas party ... and let's face it, for most people, Christmas is less about Christ and more about consumption and buying (and don't get me started on that subject). At any rate, this is the first time since I started this blog that I've had the opportunity ... or necessity ... to write about something like this, but doubtless not the last.

In Oak Lawn, Illinois, school has barely started, but already there are objections about the holiday traditions at Ridgeland School District 122. One Arabic parent has objected to the traditions, and because of this, a decision has been made to rename Halloween and Christmas to Fall Festival and Winter Festival.

The decision has led to anger among other parents.

And, while I agree those names are definitely P.C., I would tend to agree with another Arab parent (only one parent has objected to the traditional holiday festivals, despite 30% of the students being Arabic). Sala Abour said, "To take away Halloween and Christmas from little kids, that is very wrong."

Yes, they are kids --- come on! Do you know what they associate Christmas with? Toys! And Halloween? Candy! Give me a break!

Britney loses custody of children: reports

My question is: are they really that much better off with K-Fed? I suppose you could make the point that at least they won't be with someone who told them they were both mistakes!

You may recall it wasn't that long ago that random alcohol and drug testing was ordered for Spears, as well as meetings with a Parenting Coach every week. That was only about 1 1/2 weeks ago, so one wonders if she failed a test or simply failed miserably in her meetings with coach --- neither of which would surprise most people.

According to court documents obtained by Access Hollywood, custody of Sean Preston and Jayden James will be given to Kevin Federline on October 3rd --- Wednesday.

At this point the loss of custody may only be temporary.

More to come ...

Washington, D.C. to Recall Problematic Condoms

I've never seen a condom wrapped in paper, but apparently Washington, D.C. thought they were normal. They distributed a large number of the condoms as part of a campaign to reduce HIV and AIDs, but 170,000 of them have been returned by community groups due to the packaging, which some worried would make the condoms ineffective (i.e., too easy to get a hole in them).

My guess, based on the paper packaging, would be they would also be unlubricated.

Although city official still said the condoms were safe, they are going to replace them with name-brand condoms such as Trojans and Lifestyles in standard packaging.

A spokeswoman for Mayor Adrian Fenty said the city has received 125,000 of the new condoms and 400,000 more are expected in the next two weeks.

Woman Arrested After Samurai Sword Attack on Children

An Eagle, Colorado woman stands charged with numerous offenses after chasing a group of children with a samurai sword, including producing the world's funkiest arrest picture (above).

Amanda Harris, 21, was also charged with ethnic intimidation after she called the children "illegal spics." She allegedly chased the six children, aged 9 to 15, with an 18-inch samurai sword because they were playing in a parking lot of her apartments, according to a police report.

The children told police that Harris called them "little f*cking wetbacks" and told them to go back to their own country.

Ironically, Harris is employed by Pooh Corner Preschool in Minturn, Colo., according to the arrest report. She shows a fine ability to work with children, doesn't she?