Total Eclipse of That One ?

What is the greatest threat to the American economy today? Greedy Wall Street Masters of the Universe? Fear Itself ? "Nameless, unreasoning, unjustified terror which paralyzes needed efforts to convert retreat into advance?" For my younger readers "Fear Itself" is not an awful indy rock band.

No--John MCain says it's science. Here in September John McCain spoke about "planetariums and other foolishness." As a purest, McCain is not limiting his attacks to stars like Paris Hilton (who is still running against him and has been endorse by Former Fake President Jed Bartlet in this clip), he is also attacking the study of the heavenly stars as well.

When you need trillions for defense and a couple few trillions to keep out of debtor's prison (today McCain made a Freudian slip when he addressed a rally as "my fellow prisoners") who can afford the frills of education? Particularly if it's as controversial a subject as the study of the cosmos !






Science

November Voting: Ignore the man behind the curtain pulling the Levers ?

After "it" hit the fan in the presidential vote count in Florida in 2000, the government thought we needed some "sweeping reforms" to sweep"it" all up. With great creative imagination, the government decided that what was needed was--hold your breath--there's a surprise coming up that will shock and awe you--another bureaucracy. Voila--the United States Election Assistance Commission--with a broad mandate and a tiny checkbook. It seems Congress forgot to fund the agency---and no brooms=no sweeping.

The United States Election Assistance Commission described here is supposed to make sure that we have no electoral deadlocks, confusing ballots that record septuagenarians in Florida voting to end social security or erly bird specials, and machines that actually work. So, how's it going? It isn't.

The tax and spend Republicans (only in favor of taxing and spending when they're in power) figured that another Federal bureaucracy was just the thing we needed so they created one in the Help America Vote Act (HAVA). But they didn't HAVA clue how to accomplish their goal. So, is the assistance they give you a ride to the poll? Nooo, guess again. Will they make it easier to register? Nooo guess again, they'll make it harder! You'll need ID, voter cards (National ID?) and the like, because we sure can let the wrong people vote!

The Commission wanted "hit the ground running" which is Federal bureaucrat talk for not taking three years to come up with an organization chart. Instead they hit the grounds, since they had to meet in a Starbucks (*$$) until Congress found them some space and money.

They're supposed to be certifying and testing voting machines, but the results so far are comparable to the FDA on tomato safety.

Perhaps they're busy doing a mission statement or coming up with a motto: "Were the Federal Election Assistance Commission--and we'd like to help you out. Which way did you come in?"

Garbage In, Boy George songs Out!

Yes, Boy George, British rock/pop singer will perform at the Department of Sanitation’s annual Family Day on August 16th in New York. He will entertain New York's Cleanest as thanks for the kindness that they showed him when he was doing community service cleaning the streets under a court sentence. Then he returned to making music or, as it is known to us community disservice.

Civil War Claims Another Victim

The American Civil War has claimed one more victim if you're scoring at home.
A collector of Civil War relics was restoring a civil war cannon ball when it exploded and the shrapnel killed him, according to this report.

BOWLING IS RACIST

Hillary Clinton keeps pointing out that Barack Obama is a poor bowler--and Barack responds that she is playing the race card again. Bowling is a racist sport, he says, because the object is to cause a forcible collision between wooden, club like objects and black balls.

IN DEFENSE OF SILENT CLARENCE THOMAS

People have castigated Justice Clarence Thomas because he has asked no questions in court for two years, or roughly 730 "media years." He last asked a question from the bench on Feb. 22, 2006--when Rumsfeld was still running the war with optimism and Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie were rumored to be planning to wed--i.e., ancient times. This post is intended to defend his position. Justice Thomas, unlike many people who talk when they have nothing to say, spares us that situation. After all, he gets paid the same amount whether he asks questions or not, so there's no money in it for him as he has actually reminded us.
"Silence is golden" as the old saw goes, so why talk without remuneration? Justice Thomas makes money giving lecturers on the lecture tour, so why spoil the suspense of what you will say when there's cash on the barrel head by blabbering gratis? He got a cool million and a half for the book he wrote, which proves his silence strategy pay$ off.
And what would he say? Don't we know already? ("I'll have what Scalia's having?") He's written a book in which he appears to very bitter about his upbringing and his schooling, and if he were to prattle on about that we wouldn't want to hear it anyhoo, so he's saved us the annoyance. Remember the saing "Better to keep your mouth closed and be thought a fool than to open it and remove all doubt"? It may come from this Bible verse at Proverbs 17:28 : Even a fool, when he holdeth his peace, is counted wise:

and he that shutteth his lips is esteemed a man of understanding.

Everyone knows Calvin Coolidge because he was silent Cal. Thomas will gain notoriety for being Silent Clarence. Can you recall any characteristic of Justice Harold Burton?

US to Invade Taiwan? (Batteries Not Included)

The US has definitely confirmed that Taiwan posessed the starter kits for weapons of mass destruction. They're fuses for the nose cones of nuclear tipped missiles that the US sent them by mistake when they ordered helicopter batteries.

Now that the Taiwanese (the irritating pebble in China's shoe) have weapons of mass destruction, the Bush administration will have to look at some preemptive strike against them. Or ask for them nose cones back. The batteries and the missiles are not alike in size and shape, and no one knows how this could happen (unless you ever ordered something from a company online and didn't get the thing you ordered). No one knows why the government wasn't aware it was missing highly classified weapons. No one knows why the recipients didn't just slap a Fed Ex return address sticker and send them back COD, either. The nose cones were placed in storage-- perhaps awaiting a glorious Chinese New Years when they'd make a big fireworks display.

No one knows why the Bush administration didn't use these guys(Fed Ex's brother, Fred Ex?) to ship missile parts to Iraq so they could find some there when they got there.
My theory is that they found jobs for all those dufasses they ousted from FEMA at obscure Defense Department warehouses in Wyoming and Utah-- far from New Orleans. What possible harm could they do there? The fuses that were sent were shipped in 2005 and not missed despite quarterly inventories. No one explained if the helicopters were grounded for three years waiting for the batteries either! This is a story with more questions than answers--and I expect the investigation will keep going, and going and going like the Energizer bunny.

It was just a simple, understandable error--ya want Tibet to bet? Maybe they thought the Taiwanese ordered a missile battery--the phone connnection was really bad.