Yeah, Right, Whatever: Around and Around She Goes

To read the tribute to SFC Marcus Muralles, please click here

Thursday, February 03, 2005

Around and Around She Goes

It's been a while since I did a round-up (and if I tried to fisk the Dem response in toto, I'd have to hurt something), so here you go:

First, in world news:

In Tbilisi, Georgia (if you're looking on a map, here's a hint- it's no where near Atlanta)
Georgian Prime Minister Zurab Zhvania, who helped lead the revolution that toppled the corruption-tainted regime of Eduard Shevardnadze, was killed Thursday by what officials said apparently was gas from a heater.... A gas-fired heating stove was in the main room of the mezzanine-floor apartment, where a table was set up with a backgammon set lying open upon it. Zhvania was in a chair; Usupov's body was found in the kitchen.
Does this smell... fishy to anyone else?
According to this story, the Ukranian Orange Revolution was helped along, in part, by some well-placed cases of vodka."
When the miners (who were on their way to Kiev to wreck havoc at the pro-Western rallies) got on their buses and trains, they found to their joy case after case of vodka – just for them. When they arrived in Kiev, trucks awaited them filled with more cases of vodka – all free provided by 'friends' of the Donetsk coal miners. Completely soused, they never made it to Independence Square. Too hammered blind to cause any violence at all, they had a merry time, passed out and were shipped back to Donetsk."
And where did all the vodka come from? According to the story, it was a joint venture between the CIA and MI-6. Priceless...

And in the States:

The Citizens Project wants the IRS to investigate Focus on the Family for possible election law violations.
In a letter Tuesday to the IRS, Citizens Project complained about a November article in a magazine printed by Focus comparing presidential candidates George W. Bush and John Kerry and their positions on abortion, stem-cell research and same-sex marriage.

"You're pro-life, and you want to preserve the traditional definition of marriage for the next generation," the article states. "So which of the presidential candidates comes closest to sharing your values?"
So... stating a group of facts about candidates is against the law? Sounds like useful information to me. And, anyway, that letter was sent out via the FotF lobby organization, which follows different laws than the main organization. Yeah, I know it's splitting hairs, but...
Ward Churchill, who is now infamous for his essay claiming that the 9/11 victims weren't as innocent as we'd all like to believe, might be some more trouble. First, Hamilton College canceled his talk (which started this whole thing). The Colorado legislature passed a nonbinding resolution, condemning his essay. The University of Colorado Board of Regents is meeting tonight to potentially determine his fate with the school. Some lawmakers are questioning funding for the school at this point.
Some lawmakers yesterday urged the legislature to re-examine the amount of money set aside for the Ethnic Studies Department, saying while Churchill has a right to free speech, taxpayers need not subsidize his opinions.
Now, on top of everything else, it comes to light that Churchill has been kicked out of the American Indian Movement and International Indian Treaty Council. That can't be good, especially since he teaches Ethnic Studies.
Representative Nancy Pelosi (D-California) and Senator Harry Reid (D- Nevada) gave the Democratic response to President Bush's SotU speech last night. Although you could (if you felt like it) cut them a little slack, since they don't get to read/hear the President's speech before writing their response, the response was full of outright lies and intentional misrepresentations. You couldn't help but laugh at some of the things they said (and no, I'm NOT talking about the Groundhog Day jokes.) Some of the items that they said the President did not cover, he covered in detail. Loved it. Really.
In a companion story, we find Sheila Jackson Lee (is she really from Texas?) trying to rewrite the definition of "occupying force." You just keep on talking, Sheila... keep talking...
Actor Ron Silver said that "celebrity backlash" helped the President's re-election. Gee, Ron... ya think?

In... uh... other news:

Swiss businessmen have launched a new brew: Queer Beer.
"It really was just a crazy idea at first, but we've now come up with a product."

Hutmacher, from Zug. added: "Our beer is a humorous attempt to identify with the gay scene and we hope it will help people to feel relaxed with their sexuality and not hide away."

And he added despite its provocative name the lager wasn't just aimed at homosexuals but also straight people.

For some reason, I just don't see it catching on in the straight community. But it might just be me... but I doubt it.
And... uh... one last one, provided with no commentary, because... well... I can't think of a single thing to say.