Chris Vs. Ann Round I

This is the reason why I don't watch MSNBC, this and the fact that it really sucks.

You've got to be pretty nutty to make Ann Coulter seem level headed. Yes, Ann Coulter is a repugnant human being, but geez Chris, bring it down a notch. My ears are bleeding so much it's hard to determine who's more insipid.

I Guess this is what they call the "Cultural Divide".

Sometimes I wonder what exactly makes me a Democrat. Is is because I'm a minority and that's just what we do. Is it because since I was 14 some of my closest friends have been homosexual and I feel the need to quote/unquote "represent" for the fag-hags. Or is it because Democrats are generally more fun (you know-with the loose morals and all). Well as I was watching The Daily Show yesterday, I figured it out: I just don't get them. (them referring to many republicans)

Every single part of the Republican ideology seems ludicrous to me. To put it simply I find their logic to be both astounding and horrifying. Especially when it comes to the topic of the hour: Embyonic Stem Cell Research. I agree with Ronald Bailey, that in in forthcoming years the President's recent veto will seem ludicrous.

Bush claims he’s blocking stem cell research because each embryo "is a unique human life with inherent dignity and matchless value." If that were true, we would constantly be in the midst of a holocaust. John Opitz, a professor of pediatrics, human genetics, and obstetrics and gynecology at the University of Utah, testified before the President’s Council on Bioethics that millions of embryos—between 60 percent and 80 percent of all naturally conceived embryos—are simply flushed out in women’s normal menstrual flows unnoticed. This is not miscarriage we're talking about. The women and their husbands or partners never even know that conception has taken place. What are we to think about the fact that Nature (and for believers, Nature’s God) profligately creates and destroys human embryos?...Of course, culturally we do not mourn the deaths of these millions of embryos as we would the death of a child—and reasonably so, because we do in fact know that these embryos are not people. Similarly, 3- to 5-day old frozen embryos leftover from in vitro fertilization attempts are not people either. It is true that every person was once an embryo, but not all—in fact, most embryos do not become people.

To me, this all makes perfect sense. Completely sound and logical. But maybe it's just me.

Terrorists are People too...

Or atleast that's what the Deputy Defense Secretary is saying now:

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In a memo released by the Pentagon this morning, Deputy Defense Secretary Gordon England, citing the Supreme Court's decision, ordered all Pentagon personnel to "adhere to these standards" and to "promptly review" all policies and practices "to ensure that they comply with the standards" of the Geneva Convention's Common Article 3.
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Hmmm I am really interested to know what brought about this change in policy, because although they are now recognizing the Geneva conventions I honestly don't believe that anyone in the military gives two shits about how they treat the detainees at Gitmo. So this must be some sort of wayward PR move. After the Supreme Court's ruling that detainees need to be tried in military tribunals, I believe that this is one of those Orwellian attempts by the Bush administration to pretend like it was their idea all along to treat prisoners humanely, when that is clearly not the case. But ultimately it's probably too litle too late, and there's going to be a big hulabaloo about the sweeping changes that will be made, and of course nothing is going to happen.And O yes, I did just use the word hulabaloo whilst talking about politics.
Just in case you're unfamiliar:

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The Geneva Conventions are a series of treaties and protocols, formulated in Geneva, Switzerland, setting standards for humane treatment of combatants and civilians during time of war. The United States, Afghanistan and Iraq are among the signatories
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Honestly, I have never understood why we chose not to observe the Geneva conventions. In America I thought that we were supposed to be this bastion of democracy and fairness. If we're trying to spread democracy throughout the world, shouldn't we hold ourselves to a higher standard of conduct. Since this "War on Terror" began we have been fighting to for the respect of the rest of the world and I'm pretty sure mistreating prisoners of war isn't the way to earn that respect.

Source

Bush's proverbial Ship is Sunk...

Democrats are rejoicing around the country today as President Bush's Approval rating slips 2 points to an all-time low of 33%. This is all very interesting considering in the past months the Bush Administration has touted their many "victories", but apparently the public just doesn't buy it. As a Democrat these polls don't give me any sense of satisfaction, well maybe a little, but mostly I'm just pissed off. Because if the 67% of Americans who feel outraged now would have had even a tiny bit of forthought they would have cast their votes differently. Instead the so-called "values voters" rallied behind homophobia and Jesus and completely ignored our country's most pressing issue. But of course hindsight is 20/20 and there is nothing that can be done now but wait it out. Though it seems as though the Dems should be set for the Midterm elections this fall, with this party victory is anything but certain. This is because the democrats have no leadership to speak of. I believe that the Democratic party should be like the best kind of dysfunctional family. Smile and look happy in public and reserve the infighting for behind closed doors. God Knows, Republicans know how to rally when necessary. So we just need to suck it up and do the same.



Source: Good News Fails to Boost Bush's Job Approval

This tagline was on the frontpage of USAtoday.com:

Cheney Gets Physical Exam.

Now I'm sorry but I'm not quite sure that this constitutes "news". No offense Dick but seriously. WTF? Lately I have often found my self defending journalism and the media, but there are certain media outlets that make it really hard. Although I am not necessary pointing the finger at USAtoday, I simply think that we should advocate responsible journalism. In the age of instant gratification brought about by the advent of the internet, I believe that a lot of journalists are simply lazy. Just watch an episode of The Daily Show and you'll see numerous clips of television anchors reporting news using the exact same wording. I find it all to be utterly ridiculous. But what do I know?