Stupid Wisdom

Tim Russert will be missed

The campaign will not be the same without him.

And Sunday will not be the same without Tim on Meet The Press

My favorite news outlets

No it’s not Fox! Try Comedy Central for comedians, funny videos, TV shows, movies, games, jokes, ringtones and more.

• The Daily Show With Jon Stewart
• The Colbert Report

For a little more serious topics I like MSNBC - Breaking World and US News Stories & Headlines - Get the Latest Business, Health, Entertainment, Sports, & Technology updates from around the world - MSNBC.com is a leader in breaking news and original journalism. Stay current with daily news updates in health, entertainment, business, science/technology and sports.

U.S. policy in Iraq is NOT WORKING!

Not to insult the study group but it did not take a genius to figure this one out. Let’s just hope Bush snaps out of his stubborn mode of “Stay the Course“ . If he doesn’t listen to these guys then he won’t listen to anyone.

Panel says U.S. policy in Iraq “is not working” Group calls situation “grave and deteriorating” Bush pledges action

A rather impressive group comprises the “Iraq Study Group”

• James A. Baker III: co-chairman, secretary of state under the first President Bush and treasury secretary under President Reagan.
• Lee Hamilton: co-chairman, former Democratic congressman from Indiana and a leader of the 9/11 commission that studied the 2001 terrorist attacks.
• Lawrence Eagleberger: secretary of state under the first President Bush and a career diplomat.
• Vernon Jordan: former adviser to President Clinton, attorney.
• Edwin Meese III: attorney general under Reagan.
• Sandra Day O’Connor: former Supreme Court justice.
• Leon Panetta: chief of staff to Clinton, former Democratic congressman from California.
• William Perry: secretary of defense under Clinton.
• Charles Robb: former Democratic senator from Virginia.
• Alan Simpson: former Republican senator from Wyoming.

Staying in Iraq at any cost is not the answer.

Less than 3 months until midterms

I think the Lieberman defeat in Connecticut primary will set the stage for media coverage as well as campaign stradegy. Everyone is always looking for a sign of things to come, and this one had everyone’s attention. How this should be interpreted will surely be the center of discussion among campaign managers and the cable talking heads. My interpretation is that it indicates the anti-war issue is strong enough to motivate people to actually go to the polls and vote. I believe much of Lieberman’s support came from the more loyal democrat who would be typically more likely to vote than the balance of the party. The fact that loyalists lost to the anti-vote tells me the anti-war issue is a strong factor not only in terms of who you vote for but will also push voter turn out numbers upward. Even though a slim margin is enough for victory, Large turnouts speak with a much louder voice and tend to have a lasting influence over lawmaker’s positions. The prospect of a large voter turnout for the midterms is exciting to me. I hope people turnout in record numbers to have their voices heard.

Mel Gibson claims to not be a bigot

How can he admit to the bigot comments and make the claim to not be a bigot at the same time. The arrest seems to have been handle properly despite initial reports to the contrary. Alchohol brings out the worst in some people. I think he must have at least some of these feelings or they would not have come out of his mouth. Some say alchohol brings out the truth, I woudn’t go that far. But I would say his comments did have some degree of truth to them. Maybe this will get him to rethink his true feelings towards jews. I would hope so at least. He has nobody (or nothing including alcohol) to blame but himself. He needs treatment for the drinking and more. This has got to be a nightmare for him from a PR point of view. But he made his bed and now he has to sleep in it.

War: the cause is it oil, money, or religion?

It is often quoted that money is the root of all evil. However isn’t equally true that religious differences are the root of all wars? Whether or not the direct cause of conflict, it can be observed that opposing sides almost always have different religious beliefs. The almost wanna be a civil war in Iraq and the Israel vs. Hezbollah conflict in Lebanon are current examples. Religion could only be the solution if all sides unify their religious beliefs. Tolerance can ease tensions but only unity will lead to lasting peace. But which religion should it be? All will say mine… One world under Good we trust. If all could worship GOOD rather than a particular GOD we would all be better off. It is my opinion that god is simply the personification of all that is good.

Taking Zarqawi into custody would have been more useful

I know it might have been too dangerous and maybe impossible, but having Zarqawi alive or at least his laptop and/or contact list would have been very valuable. I doubt they will recover anything of any intelligence value from the rubble. No doubt he deserved to die, but now he is a martyr in the eyes of his followers. Had we recovered him and his contact list we could have made it appear as if he snitched out his partners in crime. The only type of propaganda the Bush administration seems to focus on is aimed at the US public. They want to control the news/media but instead they should be feeding the media and letting them do their job (reporting news). Zarqawi’s execution was carried out with two 500 pound bombs which is a bit of overkill in my opinion. Again that just raises his status in the eyes of his followers, as well as destroying any potential intelligence gains. I suppose though since the Bush administration doesn’t interrogate & prosecute terrorists it would have just been too much trouble for them to take him into custody. I suspect many of the terrorists we have in custody now will eventually be released when Bush is finished torturing them. Eventually human rights will outweigh any crimes they may have committed and bring more criticism from the world. OK they got Zarqawi now what?

After Zarqawi, no clear path in weary Iraq
Questions of leader’s legacy, followers’ unity are wide open

FBI head wants ISPs to keep records for 2 years

Depending on how the government goes about obtaining these records I see no real privacy issues. Provided they stick to using the courts to legally obtain the records privacy shouldn’t be a problem. The problem I see is putting quite a load on the ISPs. What if they don’t keep them long enough? Or they get lost? It sounds to me like we need an internet access tax to pay for all that storage. Since most internet usage is not metered I see no practical reason for the ISPs to need such a long retention. They do need them internally to monitor user activities for security and other reasons. But 2 years could present a huge database that may or may not be needed. All that data would need to stored and backed up. It would also need to be secured to prevent tampering and insure accuracy. This would probably present the need for new personnel for the larger ISPs possibly even entire departments for the largest ISPs. In term of time, people, & equipment the costs could be significant. Somebody would have to pay for it and I’m sure that would be the consumer.

US talking with Iran (Maybe) IF they stop nuke program now

After refusing previously the US (Bush & Rice) have said they would have talks with Iran if they stop nuke activities now. Quite a shift in policy and could be good if not viewed as weak. The real question is how Iran will react; I don’t think we can trust them. Lets hope the Whitehouse is as straight with Iran as they have been with the American public about Iraq. Diplomacy might be the best approach with Iran but that doesn’t promise a great agreement. Let’s all hope this flip-flop in policy doesn’t flop.

Man saves puppy from alligator’s jaws

The pup survives and is doing well. Now that is one loyal dog owner, he didn’t hesitate to take on the gator with his bare hands eventually freeing the six month old golden retriever. I think the tree hugging animal lover types out there should give this guy a medal or something.

Read the whole story here: Man frees puppy from alligator’s grip - U.S. Life - MSNBC.com

This just confirms how many people see pets as family members and will do what ever it takes to protect them. With all the bad press in Florida lately over alligator attacks finally a happy ending gator incident in Coral Springs Florida.