Phyrfight Intel

From: JAMES TARANTO WSJ Best of the Web

“Baby-boomer liberalism, with its smug sense of moral superiority and its impatience with America’s imperfections, is today the prevailing worldview among many of our elite institutions, not least the so-called mainstream media. This explains why Dotty Lynch is puzzled that Iraq hasn’t become another Vietnam.

The answer to her question is that Iraq isn’t Vietnam because “Vietnam” was the product of a peculiar set of conditions at an unusual moment in history–a moment that has long since passed.”

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After the invasion of Iraq, the dams that were put in place by Saddam we torn down. The marshes of Messopotamia are now returning. Iraqis in that area of the country must be terribly upset about this…….not.

ABC News has reported that US paratroopers will soon be using carbon-fiber wings to enter combat zones.

Can you say Starship Troopers?

“The Respect MP George Galloway has said it would be morally justified for a suicide bomber to murder Tony Blair.” – The Independent

If that statement isn’t worthy of treason, I don’t know what is. Well, maybe sedition.

From: PEGGY NOONAN

From ‘Eternity’ to Here
Americans didn’t always appreciate our soldiers the way we do today.

Thursday, May 25, 2006 12:01 a.m. EDT

“….It is good that we have this day to remember heroes, to think again of those who over the centuries put themselves in harm’s way for our country, for us. It is good that we remember, and take inspiration from, tales of valor, of flags carried uphill, like the one carried by the intrepid young First Lt. Arthur MacArthur, during a Union charge in the Civil War (he would go on to become a lieutenant general and the father of a son named Douglas), and heavily defended positions taken by a lone soldier, like Sgt. Alvin York in World War I. It’s good to remember the simple human potential for bravery that lives within all of us, and that in some is fully tapped and met with brilliant, unforgettable actions.”

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iDon’t!

It’s the slogan for SanDisk’s Newest mp3 player that uses flash memory instead of a hard drive and a graphical instead of a text-based interface. The new e200 series mp3 player is cheaper than an iPod in any of its 2,4, or 6 GB forms, with the 2 GB model coming in at a bargain basement price of $179. Oh, and unlike the iPod, this mp3 player has an unused flash drive for extra memory whenever you need it. I think I’ve learned to say iDon’t.

Maybe it’s the Sun’s fault.

“Global warming has finally been explained: the Earth is getting hotter because the Sun is burning more brightly than at any time during the past 1,000 years, according to new research.” – Telegraph

From Wired:

“A file detailing aspects of AT&T’s alleged participation in the National Security Agency’s warrantless domestic wiretap operation is sitting in a San Francisco courthouse. But the public cannot see it because, at AT&T’s insistence, it remains under seal in court records.”

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This email to NPR is from Brad Potter.

“Here’s what I just wrote about a story NPR ran Tuesday. The transcript follows.”

“On May 16th’s piece about firearm straw purchases, Kai introduces the story with the lead, “New York City’s Got a Gun Problem.” And you wonder why many listners accuse NPR of having a liberal bias? A more balanced lead would have been something like, “New York City’s Got a Murder Problem” or “New York City’s Got a Crime Problem.” When you cover stories on traffic deaths, do you lead with “New York City’s Got an Automobile Problem?” You also quote the mayor as saying guns bought in straw purchases from neighboring states have accounted for more than 500 NYC crimes in less than a decade. Let’s say it was over a full decade to make the math easier. That would be 50 crimes per year in a city of more than 10 million people. Most mayors would be bragging about such a tiny percentage. Your inflammatory lead and, in fact, your story selection, are not-too-subtle editorializing on what is supposed to be a straight journalism broadcast. Please label opinion pieces as such and just give me the straight news. Thanks!”

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From Annual Report of the United States Commission on Religious Freedom by way of Gandalf23.

“the repressive Saudi government continues to engage in an array of severe violations of human rights as part of its repression of freedom of thought, conscience, and religion or belief. Abuses include: torture and cruel and degrading treatment or punishment imposed by judicial and administrative authorities; prolonged detention without charges and often incommunicado; and blatant denials of the right to liberty and security of the person, including coercive measures aimed at women and the broad jurisdiction of the mutawaa (religious police), whose powers are vaguely defined and exercised in ways that violate the religious freedom of others. ”

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This from Dr. WC Douglass

Medicinal Meddling

“It’s intentional that I haven’t written much over the years about marijuana.

For one thing, I could only in good conscience write about it from a medical standpoint. And since it seems like the overwhelming bulk of the dialogue about the drug centers on its political aspects, its medicinal properties – and I’m not saying I’m certain there are such (I’ve seen evidence on both sides) – seem always to take a backseat. Because of this, the subject of marijuana use just hasn’t come up very often in contexts I’ve found it necessary to weigh in on.

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“The quickest way to end a war, is to lose it.” – George Orwell

Here is a great story about the coolest sherrif in the country. He works in Maricopa County, Arizona. Alien Roundup

I have come to realize that our society has become increasingly feudalistic. More and more content is owned by fewer and fewer corporations. The best example would be the big five of AOL/Time Warner, News Corp, Viacom, Clear Channel, and Disney. These corporations own most of the cable channels, many local channels around the country and most of the radio stations. When we the consumers want to get information it can usually be traced back to one of these companies. I recently found out that most of the billboards in the area I live are owned by Clear Channel or Viacom. Why is that? If some one wants to put an ad on a billboard, most likely the ad will have to adhere to Clear Channel or Viacom’s standards.

A personal gripe of mine concerns NBC Universal which used to be two separate companies and now is owned by General Electric, if that makes any sense. My point is that NBC Universal bought the SciFi Channel. The SciFi Channel was an awesome channel just a few years ago before they were bought. The channel had many shows that most people are unaware of, like Farscape and Lexx and they showed classic sci-fi movies like Forbidden Planet (that is where I first saw it). There programming was very good, until they were bought by NBC/U. Yesterday the SciFi Channel showed Law and Order: SVU. WHAT!? The reason of course was that Law and Order is shown on NBC and instead of coming up with original programming they showed Law and Order reruns. I would no longer watch SciFi if it wasn’t for Battlestar Galactica.

These are just a few examples of what we, the consumers, have to put up with when there is very little competition and we are given only what is allowed by those who have the content. Thank god for the Internet. The Internet allows us to express ourselves quickly and efficiently. It also allows us to get to the filtered content that the corporations will not allow access to.

From Wired:

“They can steal your smartcard, lift your passport, jack your car, even clone the chip in your arm. And you won’t feel a thing. 5 tales from the RFID-hacking underground.”

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