perfidy

Here's a sickening followup on my post of yesterday about the enforcement of a no-free-speech-zones by the Secret Service.

A federal court has found a man guilty of speaking his mind in the presence of the President.

From the story: "U.S. Magistrate Bristow Marchant acknowledged Bursey was not a threat to Bush during the president’s Oct. 24, 2002, visit to Columbia. But the judge dismissed Bursey’s free speech defense and ruled the protester had no right to be as close to Bush as Bursey wanted in his efforts to show that some South Carolinians opposed his plan to attack Iraq."

Also from the story: "Bursey and other protesters testified he was not contentious. They said they were ordered to a "free speech zone" that did not exist and that police kept sending them farther from Bush. Secret Service agents testified there was no marked protection zone but said police patrolled the area and enforced a clear restricted area. Local police chose the demonstration area."

What? I don't get it. Apparently the celebrated "Chewbacca Defense" has been succeeded by the "Calvinball Defense."

-"So where do we protesters stand-- over here?"
-"You'll have to move."
-"Um, ok. Where to?"
-"Where we tell you to."
-"Great. Now where's that. Here?"
-"No, over there. Back up."
-"Here?"
-"No... keep going!"
-"But you said..."
-"Keep going!"
-"Here?"
-"Keep backing up..."
-"Here?"
-"That's it, asshole! You're under arrest! Swarm! Swarm! Swarm!"

A bold stroke by Clark. A lot of people are going to realize that under this plan, they won't be paying any federal taxes. Damn. Shows you just how much the top end in this country makes...

Don't believe me? Check out this picture.

Why are we doing this again?

Oh yeah -- because the universe contains many things we do not know, and we might as well learn a few of them while we're still here.

Seriously cool stuff.

Let's compare and contrast, class! It'll be our brain exercise for the day.

Eric Schlosser ("Fast Food Nation") has an op-ed piece in the New York Times last weekend about Ann Veneman, spokeswoman for the Secretary of Agriculture. Prior to this gig, Veneman was PR director for the beef lobby. Her message to America, about the threat of Bovine Spongiform Encephalopathy? "Remain calm, all is well!"

Meanwhile, the USDA is sending 450 calves to slaughter because they have no way of tracking which one is the offspring of the cow diagnosed with BSE. Also, a batch of beef bones sold mostly in San Jose California is being recalled. "Mmmmm, mom! This sancocho is really good! What's the secret ingredient?" "It's prions, mi hijo!"

According to Ms. Veneman, does the USDA need a better tracking system for cow lineages, and tighter observation of existing nerve-matter feed restrictions? Of course not, silly! All is well!

(also posted to blogcritics)

Norbizness has written a nice little screed about the "Free Speech Zones" the Secret Service enforces around the President. You know, the fenced-in lot a half mile away, and if you leave it carrying a sign that says "Bush NO!" you get arrested and hauled off for endangering the president with your pointy sharp words.

On the other side of the coin, Eugene Volokh has written a sensible and thought-provoking piece for (of all people) the scenery-chewers at the National Review Online, arguing that it's really not 'the liberals' who are enemies of free speech, at least from a judicial standpoint.

Den Beste is a good writer, and I certainly wouldn't want to get into any kind of intellectual pissing match with him; I wouldn't last long.

But.

"For thirty years we've been told that patriotism was shameful. " " For thirty years we've been pelted with the message that there was nothing about America that justified any pride."

What the hell is he talking about? "Pelted" with this message? By who? Most of the time? Some of the time?

Be honest. Exactly how much of the time are you pelted with the message that there is "nothing about America that justifies pride". The answer is, of course, hardly ever. The reason? The world's gray, and so is America. There are some very great things about this country and some not very great things.

In Den Beste's America, you're either with him, or you're against him. That is exactly what America is not about.

Several hundred words of bitching about poor, trod-upon "Patriotism", and he doesn't bother to define the term. That seems like something of an omission, until you realize that is isn't an omission. Everybody's definition of patriotism is going to be different. Den Beste's might be "unquestioning adoration for anyone who kicks random ass in response to terrorism". Mine might be "liberty and truth for all". Who knows? But it is almost certain that we disagree.

Den Beste further obscurs by failing to point out that virtually all criticism of America comes from overseas. His "real Americans" are in a sea of, well, people who don't agree with them! Dammit!

The constitution is a fuzzy document, deliberately, so that multiple viewpoints can find a home in this country. We reign in the extremes, and trust that the majority will be reasonably correct.

The poll question I'd like to see answered: Given what we now know about Saddam Hussein's WMD (there aren't any), would you have supported the invasion?

This NY Times article on Captain James Yee's case is rather sobering. Yee, as a few citizens in America may remember, was charged by the military with aiding the enemy, treason, or some such nonsense.

The result of all that is that there has been no evidence whatsoever supporting the charges. They are a complete fabrication. Good, you may say to yourself...the system worked.

Except that this guy spent 76 days, a fair number of them in leg chains, while the assholes who put him there did everything they possibly could to justify their having done so. They've destroyed his life, his family, and everything they could get their hands on.

The military's reaction to this? Pretty much nothing. Would somebody please explain to me how two officers, being charged with exactly the same crime, can be treated so differently? One is given immunity from prosecution, and tells her story. The other is thrown in jail for two and a half months. There must be some kind of legal principle that prevents this. Of course, that may not apply in military courts.

I am just stunned by the whole thing. At what point does a prosecutor figure that it's time to back off?

The double standard is appalling.

I wonder if Donanld Sensing, the team players at LGF, Winds of Change might care to refine their assessment of the case, and perhaps state their views on prosecutor infallibility.

Want to see a very scary graph? Check this graph. If you're not employed and you're in the population, you're being supported in one way or another...this is the real drag on the economy. I'd sure like to know how many of these people are employable and are not working...

Welly, welly, welly! Here's one from the obvious files, kids! Pete Rose bet on baseball. Yup, he said it.

In other news, OJ is thisclose to finding the real killers.

All kidding aside, it sucks that it took Pete this long to just fess up. Everybody in the world knows he did it and not very many folks care (this assertion being the result of an informal poll I just conducted on myself). Hopefully now that he's earned his lesson they'll let him back into baseball with all those other paragons of restraint and Christian virtue like Ty Cobb, Babe Ruth, Darryl Strawberry, Gaylord Perry, Doc Ellis, and David Wells.

It's a pity. Baseball makes heroes and legends of its players, but off the field baseball players usually end up coming off as petty, small people. Rose could have been spending the last fifteen years managing the Reds and burnishing his legend as "Charlie Hustle, king of the baserunners." Instead, we all remember him as a bullheaded player who ran out every single and very stupidly put Ray Fosse in the hospital during an All-Star Game.

Let's get him in the Hall of Fame quick, before he makes matters any worse for himself.

[wik] Eric Olsen, Godfather of Blogcritics and my lord and master, offers this assessment of Pete Rose, man and player:

I always prefer extraordinary talent over the "overachieving slob who doesn't have the talent but achieves on guts" crap, and especially if that overachiever is a swaggering, egomaniacal shit ranch. That turd had/has zero style and he hit like a girl - that's what his HOF plaque should read: "Pete Rose, more hits than anyone in MLB history, but he hit like a girl."

Well. Egomanical shit ranch it is, then. I rather disagree with Eric's "talent over guts" philosophy but I'm pretty sure that this bias isn't what drives his animus against Mr. Baseball. No, I think it's that Eric takes exception to Pete Rose being an egomanical shit ranch and with that I can't disagree.

This show is what they're basing their hopes on? Gimme a break! Idiots! Arggh!

Fox had one of the best shows in memory in their stable in 2002 -- the vastly underappreciated "Firefly". Having purchased the DVDs and finally watched the episodes in order, I can say that this show would have been their season. Dumb-asses!

I have been busy writing a screenplay for a dead show, over the past few days. It's a boatload of fun.

Die Fox, Die!