Say "bye bye"

It seems that someone got their walking papers:

An Emory University professor has resigned after an academic panel released a report strongly critical of his research for a widely debated book about the history of guns in America.

The professor, Michael A. Bellesiles, said in a statement that he "cannot continue to teach in what I feel is a hostile environment."

[...]

The 40-page report, released on Friday, concluded that Professor Bellesiles had been "guilty of unprofessional and misleading work."

The report, written by scholars from Harvard, Princeton and the University of Chicago, said that Mr. Bellesiles's failure to cite sources for critical data "does move into the realm of falsification." It also suggested that he had omitted other researchers' data that contradicted his arguments.

The good Professor says otherwise, of course. Ah well, good bye, Mr. Bellesiles; good riddance.

He believes he saw a pig fly

Why does Jimmy Carter continue to spout?

It is not clear if the North Koreans are bluffing, actually have a nuclear program or have yet produced any nuclear explosives. It is clear that the world community cannot permit North Korea to develop a nuclear weapons capability.

See, Carter doesn't believe he negotiated a bullshit agreement with a corrupt, lying, despotic regime. No, they are just bluffing because "the United States has assumed what the North Koreans consider a belligerent attitude toward them."

Favorite quote: "Some progress has been made between the North Koreans and both Japan and South Korea in recent months, but similar efforts by President Clinton terminated with his administration."

Again, it's Bush's fault. Everything is. All the world's ills. He's horrid, dreadful, Satan's unholy and disowned spawn. Yes, that's right, the Devil kicked out this foul creature that inhabits the White House. Just ask any Democrat, he'll tell ya!

Spare me.

Is it so hard to admit when someone lied to you, Mr. Carter (and all you others, out there in the dark; you know who I mean)? Sputtering like this must makes you look foolish, doltish...senile. If you want to oppose military action against North Korea, fine. Just stop pretending that all was just peachy right up until Clinton copped a walk. The world did not go straight to hell one half second after Bush took the oath of office.

Argh

I think there's a great deal to like about Blogger. I think there's a great deal to hate about Blogger. Like how my template ceased to function, my cute little quotes went away, and I got errors every time I tried to publish an entry. Hence, we're back to this generic template. Oh well. Real Soon Now I'll get the links entered back into place.

Come, sing along with me (to the tune of "All I Want for Christmas Are My Two Front Teeth"):

All I want for Christmas is a web domain, a web domain...

Le sigh.

I hear jokes, I do

Amazing. Start law school and out come the lawyer jokes. My two favorites to date are....

Two lawyers are stranded on a desert island. Once day, while wandering around their small domain, they come upon a beautiful blonde woman who has washed ashore. She's lying there, alive but unconscious, most of her clothes torn away. One lawyer turns to the other and says, "What do you think? Should we screw her?"

And the other asks in disdain, "Out of what?"

And then there's....

A lawyer picks up his brand new Lexus and he is as proud as proud can be. He pulls up in front of his office, and as he opens his door to get out, his Lexus is side-swiped by a speeding, passing car, completely ripped the driver's side door off! The lawyer jumps out in shock and anger. Using his cell phone, he calls 9-1-1 and frantically screams out the bare details of the accident. Within minutes, a police officer drives up. The lawyer throws down his phone and lights off on the officer, all emotion, very little thought, just thoroughly upset at what has happened to his car.

"Goddamnitalltohell, where have you been? Did you catch the guy? What are you going to do? I'm a lawyer, you know, and when I catch that bastard I'm going to -- "

The officer listens for a moment, looking the lawyer up and down, then holds up both hands. "Whoa, hold it right there." The lawyer sputters to a stop and the officer continues, "You know, you lawyers make me absolutely sick. You are so materialistic! You've been screaming about your Lexus, but did you even notice that your left arm is missing below the elbow, that your arm was probably torn off when that guy hit your car door?"

The lawyer looks down, sees the bloody stump, and his mouth goes slack in surprise just before he yells, "Ohmigod, where's my Rolex?!?"

Submitted for your amusement.

Things that make you go "hmmm"

In A Prize for Peace, Michael Kelly weighs in on Carter's freshly award Nobel Peace Prize. Just a snippet:

Name, in the past hundred years, a single important triumph for peace and for liberal democracy that was purchased by the jaw-jawing the Nobellians so admire. No rush, take your time.

Now, look at what American war-war (and the threat of American war-war) won: the defeat of the fascist attempt to rule the world; the defeat of the communist attempt to rule the world; the consequent rebuilding of a Europe protected by American arms into a democratic and peaceful continent for the first time in history; the rebuilding of an American-protected Japan into a democratic and peaceful nation for the first time in history; the emergence of a world in which, for the first time in history, the peaceful values of liberal democracy are the ascendant norm.

Kelly thinks President Bush, either version, is more worthy of the peace prize than Carter. Read the entire piece to find out why.

And the survey says...

We have now seen an example of an excellent election reform. Obviously lessons must be learned. Here they had a 100% turnout, and 100% of the vote went the expected way. A proud day for democracy, indeed.

Day OH!

Harry Belafonte says that when he compared Colin Powell to a house slave, it was nothing personal.

First of all, let me hasten to say, Larry, that this was never meant to be a personal attack on Colin Powell's character.

No doubt Harry also meant to say, "And, Larry, let me make clear that when I call you a media hack and a little squealing bitch-monkey, that's not meant to be a personal attack, but a commentary on the right-wing conspiracy that engulfs the media, and CNN in particular."

Calls a guy a house slave, a mindless drone preaching the talk of The Master, and it's not a personal attack...? Sure.

Kinda makes you wonder...

Does anyone else find this...strange?

NBC: U.S. aircraft joins sniper hunt

Defense Secretary Donald H. Rumsfeld has approved deployment of an Army intelligence plane to aid federal and local law enforcement in the hunt for the Washington-area sniper, who claimed his latest victim, an FBI analyst, as she loaded her car at a Virginia mall Monday night.

Sure, this is becoming a high-profile case and I understand why, unlike say Michael Moore (quoted in a report over at Ain't It Cool News as saying “forty people a day are killed by guns, why are their death any less important? Cover them every day. The sniper, as bad as it is, distracts us from the real issue.”).

But why the military hardware? Because this is the Washington Beltway? Because it is such a high-profile case? Or is there something more going on? Oh, conspiracy paranoia runs rampant....

Oh, choke

Sorry, been away for a bit. School work sucks. But let's return to the fray with Jimmy Carter wins Nobel Peace Prize! Oh, stomach jerks in reflex reaction. Ugh. The man who brought us "modern day" Iran, who helped introduce the US to double-digit inflation, who pretty invented the term malaise...oh, gag.

The best part, though, is:

Asked if the selection of the former president was a criticism of Bush, Gunnar Berge, head of the Nobel committee, said: "With the position Carter has taken on this, it can and must also be seen as criticism of the line the current U.S. administration has taken on Iraq."

The committee made reference in its citation to current world events that may see the United States take military action against Iraq.

"In a situation currently marked by threats of the use of power, Carter has stood by the principles that conflicts must as far as possible be resolved through mediation and international cooperation based on international law, respect for human rights and economic development," the Nobel Committee said.

So a prize named for a man whose primary invention has probably killed more people than any other in history is now making a political statement for appeasement, for allowing despots and dictators to run free. Jolly.