618 Rants and Raves

OMFG... Part III

2009-12-06T18:03:00.003-05:00

Infectious disease trading cards. Three sets of them.

"Hey, Bobby, I'll trade you my Hantavirus and Anthrax for your Ebola..."

From the CDC.

(Via William the Coroner)

Follow-up to "A Real Hero"

2009-11-04T15:56:00.002-05:00

A couple of days ago, I told you about Alex Whitehouse, a Webelos Cub Scout in Turner, Maine. 10 year old Alex saved the life of his younger brother, Drake, when Drake began choking on a piece of candy.

Susan Kimball, of WCSH-TV, Channel 6 in Portland, covered the story today on the noon newscast (yes, I scooped the network affiliate!). Kimball mentioned that, prior to this incident, Alex had been selected to represent Maine at the People To People youth conference in England, and that the townsfolk were sponsoring a spaghetti dinner to raise the $7,000 needed.

I spoke with Ms. Kimball this afternoon, regarding an address for donations from people who can't attend the dinner. If you would like to make a donation to help this young hero get to England, please make your check payable to People To People, and write "Alex Whitehouse" on the memo line. Checks may be sent to this address:

Alex Whitehouse
c/o Claire Bailey
171 Birch Drive
Poland, Maine 04274

I know the economy is tough these days -- I've been unemployed for more than a year -- but I'm sending $10.00.

Other than begging for the Red Cross back during Hurricane Katrina (at the urging of Skippy the Bush Kangaroo and -- talk about strange bedfellows -- InstaPundit's Glenn Reynolds), I haven't asked readers to part with their hard-earned money.

But now I am asking. Even if it's just a few bucks, could you please contribute and help Alex travel to England?

Many sincere thanks.

Discosure: I am not related to, nor have I ever met, Alex, although I would like to. I am not affiliated in any way with People To People. I have NO connection to any of the people mentioned, other than having spoken to Susan Kimball about donations.

Maine Voters Veto Same-Sex Marriage

2009-11-04T12:04:00.002-05:00

By a 53-47 margin, Maine voters vetoed the same-sex marriage law. It is was tough, nasty campaign.

Protect Maine Equality, which supported SSM and opposed the veto move, based their campaign on facts, figures, legal opinions, human rights, and common decency. Stand For Marriage Maine [no link to homophobic fear-mongering idiots], which supported the veto and opposed the law, bravely countered with fear, innuendo, lies, and loathing.

SFFM aired many commercials pointing out that "gay marriage would be taught in Maine schools." State education officials pointed out that local school boards set local curricula, and already have the option to teach about gay issues if they so desire (none have done so). SFFM also claimed that support for the SSM law came from 40 states, implying that it was people "from away," those who "support the gay agenda," who were telling Mainers how to vote. Yet at the same time, SFMM was desperately fighting to keep its donor list secret. A cynic would think that was because the SFMM list would show a vast majority of their support came from outside Maine.

By enacting this citizen's veto, Maine legally relegated a substantial portion of the population to second-class citizenship status. These neo-con "morans" have effectively proven that the old adage, "As Maine goes, so goes the nation" is no longer a beacon of hope, but a harbinger of terror. Now that the mouth-breathers have forced "them damned queers" back into the closet, what's next in their quest for a 16th-century Christianist theocracy? Get rid of other "undesirables" like mixed-race couples, "moozlims", Jews, "nigras", Catholics, and -- eventually -- "libruls"?

Opponents of same-sex marriage sent out a broadcast fax several weeks ago, that I discussed here. It is a prime example of the way the far right amps up their base.

By appealing to the basest instincts of the Bible-thumpin', hooker-humpin', sister-marryin', rifle-rack-in-the-pickmup crowd, these homophobic idiots have once again gotten the "Ah have more toes than teeth... and I stuck mah foot under the mower" single-digit-IQ twits to do their bidding.

On a related matter, it might be time to re-examine the tax-exempt status of the Catholic Diocese of Maine. As a tax-exempt church, the diocese is barred from active participation in partisan politics. Yet the Portland Press-Herald, in its front-page coverage of the vote, ran a large picture of the official spokesman of the diocese, at the campaign headquarters of the SFMM, saying "we fought the good fight" [emphasis added]. That is particularly galling, in that the Catholic Church is setting itself up as a "moral arbiter" [THERE's a laugh], yet tacitly condones and actively protects HOMOSEXUAL PEDOPHILE SERIAL-RAPISTS in the priesthood, and demands bishops conceal these crimes.

If a same-sex relationship between two consenting adults is a sin, why is it okay for Father Flannigan to keep raping little boys?!?

If the Catholic Church is going to function as a political action committee, it should lose its tax-exempt status.

A REAL Hero.

2009-11-02T19:53:00.003-05:00

10 year old Alex Whitehouse is a real hero.

Let me say that again:

10 year old Alex Whitehouse is a real hero.

This past Thursday, Whitehouse saved the life of his 4 year old brother, Drake Gibbert, after the youngster began choking on a Tootsie Roll. Drake was bouncing on Alex's bed when the candy lodged in his throat.

As part of his Cub Scout training, Whitehouse learned how to perform the Heimlich maneuver last year. Alex grabbed Drake, wrapped his arms around his brother and squeezed.

Article in the Lewiston (Maine) Sun-Journal is here.

Right-Wing HATE Comes Back to Maine... Again.

2009-10-13T12:08:00.008-04:00

Yesterday, the lovely yet talented Mrs 618 showed me a broadcast fax that had been received at her office. It's from some batch of far-right-wing whackjobs out in Draper, UT, calling themselves "America Forever," and is chockablock full of the hate-filled, spurious accusations we've come to expect from wingnuttia. Capitalization and emphasis from the original.

The looney diatribe starts "You! Citizen of Maine who VOTED IN Senators Olympia Snowe & Susan Collins YOU WILL BE AS RESPONSIBLE AS THEY ARE FOR BRINGING DOWN THIS NATION INTO DESTRUCTION!" That almost sounds like a threat, not only against Collins and Snowe, but against the thinking people of Maine.

It continues, "The day that America socially recognizes, validates, and condones the stimulation of homosexuality to the children; GOD WILL REMOVE HIS HAND FROM THIS NATION." Oh, goody. The sooner the "Christianists" get the hell out of here, the better off we'll all be.

The hysterical screed goes on to claim that Snowe and Collins are "now part of President Obama's team, that continues to use the 20 year homosexual "power wheel" [whatever the hell that is; I couldn't find anything on "teh Google"] to bring down this nation as a nation under God" and that he would "give all rights to homosexuals." [Of course, under the photograph in the center of the fax, it says, "This is not about HATE or CIVIL RIGHTS."]

Some other gems from this paranoid, delusional piece of crap:

Both Senators have a "100% voting record with the homosexual agenda and [co-sponsor] their major legislation"
"HATE CRIMES LAW is the Back door to advance the entire homosexual agenda"
"[...] the URGENCY of HEALTHCARE REFORM is also about the homosexual, transgender, bisexual, and lesbian movement."
"Moreover, they [apparently referring to Snowe and Collins, or perhaps to thinking people as a whole] are intolerant and do not emulate any Christian Ethics"
The photo in the middle of the page shows a big black guy kissing a white guy... no racist feeling there, right?

The fax also urges readers -- in bold type -- to "check out the OBAMA KILLER SONG"

This piece of putrid trash ranks up there with the "manifestos" of various fringe-group terrorist cells, rife with all the delusional, paranoid, "black FEMA helicopter" garbage that passes for discourse with these idiots.

Jesus, what a hideous, hate-mongering message. And these assholes, these neo-Nazi/KKK thugs, these Bible-thumpin', hooker-humpin', sister-marryin', rifle-rack-in-the-pickmup slack-jawed drooling IDIOTS, dare to profess their "Christianity"?!?

How DARE they? Have any of these asshats realized that there is more to their precious Bible than the Old Testament? Have they completely overlooked the REAL message of Jesus, which is love and peace?

On the other hand, something good came of this execrable fax... many of the people in the town supported the "people's veto" of the state law recognizing gay marriage... but after this fax made its way around, they are now saying "where do these folks from away get off telling us how to vote? They're telling us how to be good Christians? Screw 'em, if this is the way they're gonna be, I'm going to vote against the veto!"

These frickin' "morans" need to go the hell away.

Since they seem to be in favor of stifling free speech, let's stifle theirs.

Hey, "America Forever"... SCREW YOU!

Republican Family Values: The Gift That Keeps On Giving

2009-10-02T13:54:00.003-04:00

Senator John Ensign (R-NV) has been in the news a lot lately. He is, of course, one of those "family values" Republicans... the kind that violates his deeply-held Biblical principles by fornicating with a woman to whom he is not married, and not to propagate the species, but simply because it's fun. In a half-assed attempt to atone for his egregious sin, Ensign used his political influence to find a job for the husband of his girlfriend, and to line up clients for the aforementioned husband of the aforementioned girlfriend of the aforementioned "family values" Republican.

In doing so, Ensign has joined the ranks of other "family values" Republican fornicators like Gov Mark Sanford (R-SC) who was cheating on his wife by boffing some babe in Buenos Aires; he is now also asking the SC Supreme Court to block the release of a state ethics report on his behavior, claiming it would be used for political purposes. He also lied to his constituents, but to a "family values" Republican, that's merely business as usual.

Another "family values" Republican lecher is Vito Fossella, who got bagged for drunk driving. He was on his way to visit his illegitimate daughter by the woman with whom he was committing adultery.

Ted Alvin Klaudt, a former state representative from South Dakota -- "family values" Republican, of course -- was charged with eight counts of second-degree rape, two counts of sexual exploitation of a minor, two counts of witness tampering, one count of sexual contact with a person under 16, and one count of stalking.

And of course, who could forget Mark Foley, disgraced former representative from Florida, who was hitting on underage pages?

In looking back through my previous posts on this never-ending topic, I found this link to ArmchairSubversive, which has a list of 82 instances of Republican pedophilia. And that's just child molesting (or child rape). There probably isn't enough room in the whole damn Internet for all the moral lapses by the "family values" Republicans.

My Take on Healthcare Reform

2009-09-10T13:34:00.002-04:00

Like many others, I listened to President Obama's speech last night. And, I hope, like many others, I was disgusted when South Carolina Representative Addison Graves "Joe" Wilson III -- a member of the "Sons of Confederate Veterans" -- shouted out "You lie" when Obama said his plan would not provide insurance to illegal aliens. But this is exactly the behavior we have come to expect from the GOP: completely obstreperous, completely devoid of logic, and completely lacking in sympathy for those less well-off than they. It was, after all, Representative Zach Wamp (R-TN, of course) who said, "Health care is a privilege... it's not necessarily a right." I wonder how Zach Wamp (what a perfect name for a redneck) would feel if his Congressional (i.e., taxpayer-paid) healthcare were suddenly eliminated.

BadTux has written extensively about the healthcare crisis, both the economic factors involved and the political implications. For a snarky penguin, he has a remarkable grasp of all the variables involved, and -- more importantly -- can impart them without sounding pedantic or condescending. I don't plan on duplicating his efforts; I don't have the knowledge he has, nor do I have his flair. I will instead give you my take on this mess.

I'm unemployed, and I have been for more than a year. Yes, some of it is my fault: my profession is safety and security, and a state as safe and secure as Maine has little need for safety and security professionals. Those facilities that do have such a need are (a) a two- or three-hour drive away, (b) Defense Department facilities (Portsmouth Naval Shipyard, Brunswick Naval Air Station [which is closing next year anyway], or Bath Iron Works), or (c) correctional facilities.

I did not move to Maine simply because I got tired of a reasonably good job, with reasonably good benefits, I moved because my parents are in their 80s and can no longer care for themselves.

I found a job for a while, but the contract ended unexpectedly, and I was laid off. I had not worked enough quarters in Maine to qualify for unemployment, and of course Michigan's unemployment wouldn't pay me in Maine. I was fortunate in that my wife and I had housing, and that she works part-time, so we had food and lights and all those other neat things.

But, I didn't have medical insurance. And Mrs 618's part-time job paid just enough to make us ineligible for MaineCare, the state version of Medicare/Medicaid. So, of course, I had to tear up my back and pinch my sciatic nerve* working around the house. No medical insurance meant no visit to the doctor until I couldn't bear the pain any longer. None of the few local doctors are accepting new patients, so Mrs 618 hauled me off to the local ER, where the doctor gave me a couple of prescriptions (I was just barely able to scrape up the money for two, the other two had to wait), and instructions for physical therapy. PT here runs about $300 an hour, more money that we don't have, so that had to wait.

Guess what? I'm not getting any better. I'm still in excruciating pain (since I ran out of pain-killers), I still can't walk, I still can't find a job... and now I can't even keep up with the chores around the house. Oh, and I explained to the hospital that I would need to make payments arrangements; when they heard my situation, we agreed on $20 per week (which means about 100 weeks of payments; meanwhile, other patients' payments are taking up the slack).

Do we need a "public option", the one the Republicans are screaming about?

Hell, yes.

*If you have never dealt with sciatica, consider yourself blessed. If you have, you know just how wonderful it feels....

Spinning in Their Graves

2009-05-27T13:47:00.002-04:00

Some of the greatest comedic geniuses are probably spinning in their graves.

Conan "My Parents Should Have Snapped My Neck at Birth" O'Brien is taking over The Tonight Show. Given O'Brien's overwhelming inanity, his complete lack of comic sense, and his overall stupidity, it's just a matter of time until The Tonight Show is dead and gone.

The original host of what would become Tonight was Steve Allen (1921-2000), a gifted comedian, writer, composer, and actor who has been credited with developing much of what defines modern variety shows. Allen hosted the show from it's 1954 debut until 1957, assisted by sidekick Gene Rayburn (who, in turn, went on to host numerous other shows, such as Match Game). Allen pioneered the "main in the street interview," still a staple of late-night television.

One of Allen's guest hosts was a little-known comedian named Johnny Carson.

In 1956, NBC offered Allen a chance to do a weekend show as well. He remained as host of Tonight Wednesdays through Fridays, with comedian Ernie Kovacs taking the Tonight reins on Mondays and Tuesdays. Kovacs, who died in 1962, was an innovator in television comedy; one of his greatest "inventions" was the Nairobi Trio - three gorillas in derby hats and long overcoats. The trio's extraordinary rendition of Solfeggio is a classic.

In January of 1957, Allen left the show permanently and NBC dropped Kovacs' participation, changing Tonight to a news-magazine format, which only lasted six months.

After the ill-fated news format, Tonight returned as a variety show with Al "Jazzbo" Collins as host for a month or so. Collins was a well-known jazz DJ who did stints on New York's WNEW radio from 1950-1960, 1981-1983, and again from 1986-1990 (when I used to listen all night, every night, working the graveyard shift on the PD). Collins' version of "Little Red Riding Hood" (adapted by Steve Allen) is well worth a listen.

Jack Paar took over in July of 1957, beginning a five-year stint as host. It was under Paar's stewardship that Tonight really became the entertainment phenomenon that it remains today.

Paar's guests tended to be more than just actors hucking their latest films, with folks like Peter Ustinov, Peggy Cass, and Zsa Zsa Gabor showing up regularly.

One of the (inadvertently) funniest bits ever to appear on television came in 1960, when studio censors cut a joke. Paar walked out in the middle of a broadcast, leaving announcer Hugh Downs to finish the show. A month later, Paar ambled out on stage and a famous line: "As I was saying before I was interrupted...I believe the last thing I said was 'There must be a better way to make a living than this.' Well, I've looked...and there isn't."

In March of 1962, Johnny Carson began his 30-year reign as the King of Late Night. Carson's era was not without turmoil, however: notable spats occurred with folks like guest host Joan Rivers, psychic Uri Gellar, Wayne Newton, Don Rickles, and Truman Capote. On the flip side, though, Carson also gave us some of the most enduring and iconic characters in American broadcast history, such as TV host Art Fern and Carnack the Magnificent.

Conan "My Parents Should Have Snapped My Neck at Birth" O'Brien made his name, so to speak, by writing for Saturday Night Live (during of its periodic tediously boring periods) and The Simpsons (Fox's horrendously miserable, poorly-animated fart fest). O'Brien -- whose hair bears a suspicious similarity to that of Jimmy Neutron, is -- to use a line from the late great Molly Ivins -- is about as funny as a heart attack.

Yes, there may be people who think Jimmy Neu-- err, O'Brien is a worthy successor to Allen, Kovacs, Paar, and Carson.

But I'm not one of them.

I think he's going to kill the show forever.

Schticks of One, Half a Dozen of the Other

2009-05-13T09:33:00.004-04:00

1. Ummmmm, okay....

Headline on a product recall at the Comsumer Product Safety Commission website:

Lumetique Recalls Botanika Candles Due to Fire Hazard

That seems to me to be a "well, duh" type of thing.

Turns out, the glass jar in which the candle sits may break, allowing a fire to start.

2. Life in the Slow Lane. Or not.

One of the many catchy phrases used by the State of Maine to boost tourism is "Life in the Slow Lane," generally with a drawing of a moose relaxing in a hammock.

Up in Clinton, Maine (roughly 25 miles north of Augusta on I-95), one moose apparently didn't get the memo.

A motorist reported that a 500-pound moose "fell out of the sky."

Police Chief Charles Runnels said the yearling bull probably panicked because of the noise and traffic along I-95 and began running. He said it just picked the wrong spot to jump the guardrail, falling onto a road instead of landing in a field.

There were no reports of any suspicious squirrels in the area.

3. Gay Marriage Approved by Maine Legislature

Last week, the state legislature approved a same-sex marriage bill (finally). Needless to say, the various far-right lunatics and the Catholic Church are oppsed. The Church adamantly swears that gay marriage will destroy America.

I would be a little more likely to accept the Catholic Church as moral arbiters if they didn't have so many homosexual pedophiles running around.

Let me see if I have this straight: Father Flannigan can rape all the little boys he wants, but two adult males in a long-term committed relationship are evil?

Schticks of One, Half-a-Dozen of the Other

2009-04-29T10:28:00.003-04:00

1. Arlen Specter, Democrat of Pennsylvania?

I believe Watertiger has it nailed on Arlen Specter’s switch to the Democratic party:

Shorter Arlen Specter: I'm gonna get my ass whupped in 2010 if I run as a Republican. Therefore, I shall run on the Democratic ticket, without actually having to VOTE with my new party affiliation.

Yes, Specter has done the right thing a few times, but obviously he's read the writing on the wall: the party of Limbaugh wouldn't elect him if he were the last man on earth, so he's switching sides.

2. Swine Flu

Speaking of Watertiger, she also has what could be the definitive explanation of how this whole swine flu thing got started:

http://www.dependablerenegade.com/dependable_renegade/2009/04/it-all-started-innocently-enough.html

3. New York Fly-by

By now, probably everyone has heard that some MO-ron in the White House and/or FAA thought it would be a great idea to have the backup Air Force One do a fly-by in NYC, allowing the powers that be to get some stock footage of the new plane. Everyone also knows that the same MO-ron(s) – probably in the interests of “national security” – didn’t bother to tell anyone in NYC.

Let’s see… Low-flying jet, chased (apparently) by a fighter, over Manhattan, on a beautiful day. Anybody see a problem with that?

Naw, I didn’t think so.

4. South Carolina Wild Fire

It appears – and I emphasize appears, as no definite cause has yet been established – that the wildfire plaguing South Carolina might have been started by a burn pile smoldering for a few days. The man whose burn pile has been mentioned has been receiving death threats.

His name? Torchi.

I swear, you can’t make this stuff up.

RIP: Richard Scheidt

2009-04-08T22:03:00.004-04:00

Via FireGeezer, I learned today that Richard Scheidt died on Monday at the age of 81.

Who, you may ask, was Richard Scheidt?

We all know that "a picture is worth a thousand words." Some pictures, however, are worth much, much more. Some pictures capture the very essence of a scene far better than words ever could. The famous photo of the second jetliner hitting the World Trade Center is one of those pictures. So is the photo of the Oklahoma City firefighter carrying Baylee Almon from the rubble of the Murrah building.

Another is this photo of Richard Scheidt:

Scheidt was a Chicago fire fighter. On December 1, 1958, a fire occurred at Our Lady of Angels School, a Catholic school. The fire began about 2:42 PM, just 18 minutes before school would have been dismissed.

When the fire was out, 92 school children and three nuns were dead. Chicago American photographer Steve Lasker snapped this picture of Scheidt removing the body of ten-year-old John Jajkowski. Scheidt also pulled 19 other dead children from the building.

This picture became the icon for the entire tragedy, and was on the cover of Life magazine on December 15, 1958.

Scheidt retired from CFD as a captain, in 1986. Memories of the fire haunted him throughout his life.

Captain Scheidt leaves behind his wife, nine children, 28 grandchildren and eight great-grandchildren.

Schticks of One - Coming Out of Hiatus Edition

2009-02-06T18:16:00.002-05:00

After a long, fed-up-with-politics-induced hiatus, a few new things worth discussing.

I. Police pursuits

First, WCSH-TV, Channel 6 in Portland, reported a day or so ago that the state legislature was looking at placing restrictions – or even an outright ban – on high-speed police pursuits. This was in reaction to some recent chases that ended in disasters all the way around. As a former police officer, I can tell you that many chases are unnecessary.

A large number of pursuits are for motor vehicle offenses – speeding, unsafe lane changes, and so on (a quick viewing of Cops, Speeders, and other similar shows displays the often questionable “basis” for pursuits). It is unnecessary and unconscionable to risk the police officer’s life, the lives of other motorists or pedestrians, or even the offender’s life for an offense that generally merits only a mail-in fine. This is aggravated by the introduction of the PIT maneuver (Pursuit Intervention Technique), where the police officer strikes the fleeing vehicle with his cruiser, causing it to go out of control. There have been many documented cases of innocent vehicles being damaged – and the occupants of those vehicles being injured or killed – as a result of the maneuver being performed on crowded highways.

Making this situation even worse is that in many cases, the police officer has been able to get the license plate number of the fleeing vehicle. I’m not sure about the laws in Maine, but when I was a police officer in Connecticut, there were statutory provisions establishing that the registered vehicle owner was the presumed operator (what the lawyers call a “rebuttable presumption”). If the police have the offending vehicle’s license plate number, they have sufficient information to track down the presumed operator of the vehicle; it then becomes the owner’s burden to prove that he was not operating the car at the time in question.

Additionally, I feel that a valid argument could be made for prohibiting pursuits of alleged drunk drivers: although already a menace on the highway, the drunk being pursued by police will almost inevitably make a mistake – often a tragic mistake – in his efforts to avoid apprehension. The drunk not being chased, however, has a tendency to try to drive very carefully, to avoid attracting police attention (in fact, we were taught in the police academy that “excessively careful” driving could be an indicator of operating under the influence).

Obviously, I do not believe that all pursuits should be banned – only those that pose an unnecessary risk to other members of the public. If the state feels that it must take some action, one option is basing a pursuit decision on the nature of the offense. For example, the state might allow pursuits in cases involving serious felonies (aggravated assault, homicide, rape, arson, armed robbery), where the offender’s identity is unknown. However, in lesser offenses like theft, burglary, or motor vehicle offenses, or in serious cases where the offender’s identity is known, the state may opt to prohibit chases.

II. Racists bailing on the Republicans

An article on the Southern Poverty Law Center’s “HateWatch” blog reports that white supremacists are saying that they have been betrayed by the Republican National Committee, which recently elected former Maryland Lieutenant Governor Michael Steele as its national leader.

“I am glad these traitorous leaders of the Republican Party appointed this Black racist, affirmative action advocate to the head of the Republican Party because this will lead to a huge revolt among the Republican base,” wrote former KKK leader David Duke. “As a former Republican official, I can tell you that millions of rank-and-file Republicans are mad as hell and aren’t going to take it anymore! We will either take the Republican Party back over the next four years or we will say, ‘To Hell with the Republican Party!’ And we will take 90 percent of Republicans with us into a New Party that will take its current place!”

Of course, it has been obvious for a while now that the Rethuglicans had consciously been wooing the racist/supremacist crowd, along with the fundamentalist Christianist community, in an effort to portray themselves as “real, working-class ‘Muricans.” This might have been more successful, had the primary interests of the real Republican leaders – accumulating ever more wealth and power – not been so at odds with the needs of the rank-and-file. The appeal of the Rethuglicans to the blue-collar crowd was three-fold:

We’re gazillionaires, so you can be, too;
We’ll keep them uppity n*ggers and women in their place (i.e., out of your jobs, bars, and neighborhoods); and
All the “best” people are Republicans

Couple this with their overt appeal to the ultra-conservative, ultra-patriotic types, and they had a potent force.

For a while.

But since their poster-child, the New England blue blood, cowboy-wannabe, good ole boy, global village idiot Dubya screwed everyone with his shameless prostitution to big business, even the redneck racists are learning: the Rethuglicans don’t care ‘bout nobody iffen they ain’t rich white evangelical neoconservatives.

III. Peanut butter recall

From the Dining section of Wednesday’s dead-tree edition of the New York Times:

Almost 900 products were recalled after salmonella tied to hundreds of illnesses was traced to a Georgia peanut factory.
The business of selling peanut butter in America is worth nearly $900 million a year.
When the economy goes south, it’s one of the inexpensive but nutritionally rich foods that shoppers buy more of.
[The Peanut Corporation of America] has expanded its recall to include any foods made with its products since January 2007.
Critics of the food industry, like the Center for Science in the Public Interest[1], say this outbreak points up how serious problems with food manufacturing can be.
[It also points out how the lackadaisical “oversight” by the FDA under the Bush regime resulted in huge profits for big business at the expense of the health of American citizens (and at least one Canadian)]
Peanut butter started its move to the masses in 1904 when, along with iced tea, cotton candy and the ice cream cone, it became popular at a world’s fair in St. Louis.

[1] These are the same folks who provided the startling news that movie theatre popcorn is not all that nutritious, and that Chinese food isn’t all that healthy either.

More "Family Values"

2008-11-19T15:39:00.002-05:00

From the rabble-rousing Boston Globe:

SAN ANTONIO—A former Sunday school teacher was arrested on charges of distributing harmful material to a minor after the parents of a 14-year-old boy found a topless photo of her on his cell phone.
Victoria Ann Chacon, 27, also a former middle school teacher, allegedly met the boy at their church, where she was teaching Sunday school.

You know, the more we read about the "family values" crowd, the more obvious it becomes that they have NO concept what family values really are.

What a bunch of low-life trailer trash.

A Firefighter's Death

2008-11-19T13:17:00.002-05:00

On Monday, a fire in Hartland, ME, claimed the life of volunteer Firefighter Michael Snowman, 49. Snowman was at the scene of a house fire when he collapsed from a heart attack. As a volunteer firefighter myself, I was going to try to post something Monday evening, but I just couldn't write about it at that point.

Then I found Queenie's blog. She has an incredibly moving post on FF Snowman's passing.

Read it.

Please.

And then say a little prayer for those who run into places everyone else is running out of.

Disgusting. Absolutely Dee-skus-ting.

2008-11-18T10:07:00.003-05:00

Last week, an AP reporter and photographer stopped at the Oak Hill General Store in Standish, Maine (about 20 miles NW of Portland), to check a tip about an "Osama Obama Shotgun Pool," in which bettors could wager on the date that President-Elect Obama would be assassinated.

Portland Press-Herald columnist Bill Nemitz:

It all started 11 days ago when The Associated Press in Portland received an anonymous tip of a sign inside the store announcing the "Osama Obama Shotgun Pool."
AP writer Jerry Harkavy and photographer Bob Bukaty took a ride out and, sure enough, saw those very words scrawled across a whiteboard inside the store.
Before they were rebuffed by a man behind the counter who wouldn't give his name, Harkavy said, they also noted that to win the $1-per-entry pool, a contestant had to pick the date that President-elect Barack Obama would be assassinated.
"Stabbing, shooting, roadside bombs, they all count," the sign said. And at the bottom of the board were the words: "Let's hope someone wins."

Of course, the Secret Service, the state AG's office, and the Cumberland County Sheriff are all investigating.

Note that the store is advocating the use of violence in the furtherance of a political objective. Guess what? Under Federal law, that makes the Oak Hill General Store a terrorist organization. I'd love to see the Ministry for Homeland Security swoop down on them.

Steve Collins, owner of the Oak Hill General Store, supports terrorism and murder. He should be arrested on terrorism charges.

The fine God-fearing folks who bought squares in the pool should also be arrested, for their obvious terrorist symapthies.

There have been other racially-tinged incidents in Maine, too:

Closer to home, a student was suspended from Gray-New Gloucester High School after standing up in class and delivering a racist, anti-Obama rant. And on Mount Desert Island, police are investigating three cases in which all-black, cardboard cut-outs of human figures were hung from trees along roadsides just after the election.

This is Maine, for God's sake. Maine, not Alabama or Mississippi or Arkansas.

Nemitz asks what can be done:

Thomas Harnett, Maine's assistant attorney general for civil rights education and enforcement, said it's too soon to determine what legal action, if any, might stem from the Oak Hill General Store sign. But he agreed with Wessler [Stephen Wessler, executive director of the Center for the Prevention of Hate Violence] that what law enforcement sometimes can't accomplish, community outrage can.
"The best way to counter hateful speech is to assert one's own right to free speech," Harnett said. "It's very important for people to speak out loudly and clearly and powerfully that this is not how Maine feels."

I'd say the decent people in Standish -- which voted for Obama -- should shun the Oak Hill General Store and leave it for the local KKK contingent. I doubt there are enough racists in town to keep the store alive, especially in this economy.

Maybe someone should grab the wire frame from a campaign sign and designate the store "Standish KKK Headquarters" or "We Support Terrorism and Murder."

Oh, and when the story broke on AP, Collins -- being the brave, courageous terrorist that he is -- fled to an undisclosed location in northern Maine for some hunting.

Stevie, you like posting hateful speech, so come on back and face the music.

You hateful, racist,neocon pussy.

Politics AND Cat Blogging...

2008-11-14T19:57:00.001-05:00

...who could ask for more?

http://ohnoespolitiks.blogspot.com/

I found them via a comment at Dependable Renegade.

Back to Being Serious

2008-11-05T12:07:00.004-05:00

Now that the election is over -- except for a few obligatory attempts to disenfranchise the 52% of the electorate who voted for Obama -- it's time to look ahead.

Number one, I'm sure the Secret Service is going to have additional agents assigned to Obama's detail. After all, they now have to worry about not just the usual loonies who want to kill a president, but also the disgruntled rednecks who "cain't beleeve we done elected a nigra." And unfortunately, these rednecks don't just live in the south. Here in central Maine, I ran into a guy who said the country "couldn't afford a n****r in the White House." Central Maine, mind you, not Alabama or Tennessee. I have said it before and I'll say it again: the Secret Service is the premier executive protection agency on Earth, and they've probably been planning for this since Obama formed his exploratory committee.

Second, the Christianists*, Dominionists, and other fundie wingnuts have lost this opportunity to have one of their own in the line of succession. That doesn't mean, however, that they're going to fade back into obscurity. The Dobsons, Falwells, and their ilk will continue to poison American discourse with their perverted views of Christianity; we must not miss a single opportunity to point out that -- despite their claims -- they do not represent this country.

Third, it will be very interesting to see what kind of surprises Cheney and bush may have planned for the country between now and January 20. Yes, Commander Codpiece called President-elect Obama (Lord, how that must stick in his craw!) to congratulate him, but I still don't trust Biggus Dickus or dim son as far as I could throw them.

__________

On a more pleasant topic, I saw a clip last night from WDIV TV in Detroit, showing the line at one polling location: the line came out the door, wrapped around the block, and had a start on a second wrap. This, from a city that has had low turnouts the last few elections.

Here in Maine, the Secretary of State reports turnout may exceed 80% - a record for the state.

And it appears that turnout may hit record levels in many, many locations -- a testament to the importance of this election, and to the effectiveness of Obama's GOTV efforts.

And this just in from WCSH TV in Portland: a referendum to allow a casino (with a legally-mandated 10-year monopoly) had been defeated. The bill would have lowered the gambling age from 21 to 19, in addition to the non-compete provision. It needed to fail, and it did.

Oh, and for those who don't keep track of these things, there are now NO Rethuglicans in any New England US House delegation. The last one, Chris Shays of CT, was defeated.

*Christianists as opposed to Christians, of course.

In Homage to the Rethuglicans...

2008-11-05T11:55:00.003-05:00

who were so gracious after their "wins" in 2000 and 2004...

Remember this?

Well, guys, this is for you:

WE WON, YOU LOST. GET OVER IT!

BWAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!!!

Firefighting Blog to Look At...

2008-11-03T23:29:00.003-05:00

Via FireGeezer, I found a link to a really delightful blog, FirefighterSam. It concerns the adventures of Sam, a vertically- and chronologically-challenged firefighter (he's 4 years old).

For an excellent depiction of what firefighters have to deal with, scroll down to the "Kids' Combat Challenge" post dated October 5.

A classic.

More Martial Law Worries

2008-10-16T23:52:00.002-04:00

In my previous post on the possibility of the Cheney/bush administration declaring martial law to avoid turning over the reins of power -- especially to Obama -- commenter Sheilanagig reminded me of something: the "John Warner National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2007", signed into law by bush in October of 2006, contained a couple of last-minute provisions inserted at the request of the administration, one of which concerned suspending posse comitatus.

Lycosing* "suspension of posse comitatus act" led me to an article on IntelDaily.com, entitled "Bush Paves the Way for Martial Law: 2007 National Defense Authorization Act overturns Posse Comitatus Act" which contains the following:

Sec. 1042 of the Act, "Use of the Armed Forces in Major Public Emergencies," effectively overturns what is known as posse comitatus. The Posse Comitatus Act is a law, passed in 1878, that prohibits the use of the regular military within the U.S. borders.

Overturning or suspending this Act effectively allows the President (in this case, Cheney) to use the military to intervene in domestic affairs; whenever the Chief Executive thinks it necessary, he can institute martial law, under which the military takes control of civilian governmental administration... like law enforcement.

Sheilanagig also mentioned "Directive 51," referring to National Security Presidential Directive NSPD-51, signed by Commander Guy on May 4, 2007. This little gem of (un)Constitutional law relates to continuity of government operations after a "catastrophic emergency". The directive defines such an emergency as "any incident, regardless of location, that results in extraordinary levels of mass casualties, damage, or disruption severely affecting the U.S. population, infrastructure, environment, economy, or government functions." [Emphasis added]

I can certainly imagine Cheney and bush deciding that a President Obama (or even a President McCain [shudder!]) would "severely affect" operations of their government.

This continuity of government would be achieved by the President "coordinating" the activities of the three branches of government. This is scary in that all of a sudden the President is coordinating the activities, as opposed to our current system where the three branches (Executive, Legislative, and Judicial) are independent and co-equal. The Wikipedia page on the Directive has lots more scary information.

Yes, continuity of government is a critical factor when considering the aftermath of a terrorist attack (or a natural disaster), but most continuity plans I have seen discussed retain the concept of three separate-but-equal branches of government.

So, even without going into the business of razor wire surrounding FEMA "evacuation camps" and the rest of the "black helicopter" paranoia, there seems to be increasing evidence that Cheney, bush, et al., are at least thinking about the imposition of martial law.

I really do fear for my country these days.

*"Lycosing" is not as mellifluous as "Googling", but as I mentioned in the post immediately below this one, Lycos is now the Official Search Engine of 618Rants.

Google and Yahoo Are Pissing Me Off...

2008-10-16T23:28:00.004-04:00

The geniuses at both Google and Yahoo have come up with an exciting new advertising ploy. When you click on a search result, you are redirected to an advertising page that often has nothing to do with your search.

For instance:

Google: I entered the term "Cocoanut Grove" looking for information on the 1942 fire. The first result Google returned was the Wikipedia page for the fire. Clicking on that link, however, took me to a fine food page, Gourmandia. Not only was I greeted with a truly obnoxious Flash animation for WallyWorld, it had nothing to do with the Cocoanut Grove fire, except possibly both involved exposing flesh to high heat. Clicking "back" (at least on Internet Exploder) took me to the redirect page, which sent me back to Gourmandia. To get back to the search results, I have to open "History" and click the link there. Once I finally get back to Google, clicking the Wikipedia link again finally takes me to the page I wanted initially.

Yahoo: On Yahoo, the first two results for "Cocoanut Grove" take me to the Cocoanut Grove (Florida) Business Improvement Committee website (with a side trip to Elle magazine). Returning to Yahoo -- again via the "History" button -- I click on the Wikipedia link, and, whammo, once again, I'm at Elle fashion. Hit the "history", find Yahoo search results, and finally -- finally! -- I get to the Wikipedia page.

Thus far, Lycos (http://www.lycos.com/, which used to be the leading search engine till Google came along), takes me to Wikipedia without a detour to irrelevant advertising.

Therefore, I am proud to announce that LYCOS is the Official Search Engine of 618Rants.

Schticks of One, Half a Dozen of the Other

2008-10-15T11:45:00.005-04:00

I. Gun Nuttiness

According to a filler in today's Portland Press-Herald, a woman in Lebanon, PA, lost her concealed carry permit after wearing a handgun in plain view at a soccer game. She claimed that "warm-weather clothing made it difficult to hide a firearm." Well, she has a point there. On the other hand, a right -- such as carrying a weapon -- comes with concurrent responsibilities -- such as not terrifying the populace, and obeying the terms of the permit. A "concealed carry" permit is just that: concealed. As a former police officer, I can testify that it is a real pain in the back of the lap to conceal a weapon on a hot summer day. That's why one occasionally sees beefy guys with short hair, blue jeans and black shoes (or black boots) wearing a windbreaker when it's 110 degrees. Chances are they guy's a cop. (And yes, the blue jeans and black boots is the giveaway).

If you're going to carry based on a concealed carry permit, your weapon has to be concealed.

Period.

Oh, and the local judge -- who also likes to pack heat on a concealed carry permit -- said the law required him to return the woman's permit.

II. Detroit Nuttiness

This tale of Detroit Nuttiness has nothing to do with former-mayor-and-convicted-felon Kwame Kilpatrick, but what the heck. Five (presumably female) Detroit police officers are suing the city for discrimination, in that they were forced to take sick leave when their bosses found out they were pregnant. The plaintiffs say they are contesting a 2004 policy that requires sick leave "unless a doctor finds they can crawl in confined spaces, jump from an elevated surface, and forcibly make arrests." Now, as a male, I have never been pregnant, and hopefully never will be (although I could use the money I'd get selling my story to the National Enquirer), but the policy seems to make a certain amount of sense. Being a street cop is a demanding, physical profession; does it really make sense to endanger not only your life, but the life of your unborn child? (And that comment has nothing to do with the question of when a fetus becomes a person)

On the other hand, given the dire financial straits in which Detroit finds itself, there should be some way of keeping these officers gainfully occupied while pregnant. The old standby of switching them to dispatch no longer is viable, due to all the specialized training now required of dispatchers (which is completely different than the training given street cops), but there should be other options, such as temporary re-assignment to Community Services (giving talks to school kids, who'd probably be thrilled at seeing a "girl cop"), Crime Prevention (Neighborhood Watch), or recruiting. Hell, sweeten the deal and arrange a temporary transfer to the Detective Division (to avoid having to buy maternity uniforms) and have them work Monday to Friday, 8:00 am to 4:00 pm, conducting follow-up interviews and investigations.

The city is going to wind up paying them either way, so they may as well get a return on their investment. And the average street cop has too much experience for it to lie fallow for five or six months, when they could be doing something productive for the city.

III. Dennis the Menace

Today's installment of the adventures of America's favorite "five-ana-half" year old has Dennis asking a guest, "If you're not married, who tells you when you're doin' something wrong?"

Oh, Dennis, Dennis, Dennis... Enjoy it while it lasts.

As any adult male can testify, there is always someone willing to tell you you're wrong. Female relatives, friends, acquaintances, even strangers, are always more than willing to point out the faults of any male.

IV. Bailout BS

After receiving something like $80 billion from the Feds as part of the bailout, AIG insurance execs blew $440,000 on a weekend retreat (including spas, manicures, pedicures, and a $10K bar tab). AIG then asked for $60 billion more.

And got it.

Meanwhile, ain't nobody bailing out us poor schmucks.

2008-10-10T12:37:00.005-04:00

On Wednesday, I mentioned the possibility of a desperate last-minute power-grab by the current administration. I said, "I wouldn't put it past Cheney ... to greet us the day after Election Day..." without stopping to think that it doesn't have to be the day after. It could be any day, up to and including Inauguration Day.

Obviously, the easiest way for the Cheneyites to retain power would be to have some sort of terror attack which would -- at least in their minds -- justify the imposition of martial law.

In discussing this with some friends, one pointed out that even Cheney and bush wouldn't have the gall to try such a move. Then, I found this video from C-Span:

"...There would be martial law in America if we voted no..." (Money quote starts at 00:25)

Now granted, Congressman Sherman was discussing the ramifications of the bailout bill, but this shows that the idea of imposing martial law is starting to percolate through the administration.

This is a terrifying thought.

My friend also said that even if they try martial law, the government wouldn't allow it. I fear that is wishful thinking. Congress hasn't stood up against this administration since Day One, not against the Patriot Act, the suspension of habeus corpus, Gitmo or any of the other schemes Cheney and bush have come up with. The legal system wouldn't be of much use either, since Cheney and bush have ensured that only loyal bushies are installed as US Attorneys... and they're the ones who would have to act (assuming that Congress is effectively neutralized, as I fear it is).

She also claimed that during the final days of Nixon's implosion, military and law enforcement units were placed on alert, just in case Tricky Dick tried to impose martial law to remain in power; she said the same thing would happen now. I'm not so sure. In the first place, Nixon's downfall took place at the tail end of Vietnam, by which time the military had lost all confidence in their Commander in Chief; I'm not sure that applies now. This time, one could argue that the military supports the administration's "efforts" to root out terrorists. Furthermore, Cheney and bush have been pretty damned effective in purging the military of "disloyal" commanders.

And let us not forget that after 9-11, Federal law enforcement, with the exception of the FBI, was concentrated in the Department of Homeland Security. I've written many times about DHS, often comparing the agency to the gone-but-not-forgotten KGB, the "sword and shield" of the Communist Party of the Soviet Union. DHS is completely under the thumb of the administration, and Michael "Skeletor" Chertoff doesn't strike me as the kind who would move against his superiors, especially not to defend a "goddamned piece of paper." I say it is entirely possible that any attempt to protest an imposition of martial law would be met by heavily armed DHS storm troopers fanatically loyal to Cheney and bush. The FBI would be equally useless, for under this administration, they have been given powers that they have only dreamed of, much more power than they held even under Hoover's heyday. Besides, the United States Secret Service -- formerly part of the Treasury Dept, and now, of course, an entity of DHS -- is the most professional, most competent executive protection organization on the face of the earth, and like the rest of DHS, would probably be loyal to the current regime.

Cheney and bush would have no problem inventing a disaster: another attack, "warnings" of an "impending" attack (and we've seen how often those crop up when the administration's in trouble), or even using the current economic meltdown. Cheney and bush would use bush's claim of "unitary executive power" and Cheney's position as "part of the legislative branch" to squelch any opposition.

Okay, maybe I'm paranoid, but -- as Henry Kissinger said, "Even a paranoid can have enemies."

It will be interesting to see if the United States of America still exists as a free nation on January 21, 2009.

Another Thing to Think About...

2008-10-08T16:37:00.002-04:00

We're coming into the final stretch in the campaigning now, and more and more of the polls are tipping Obama's way. Given the Rethuglican proclivity for stealing elections, it will be interesting to see what happens if the vote gets to the point where the R's can't finagle a victory for themselves.

But even if McSame and the MILF manage to pull off some typically sleazy theft, who's to say gee-dumbya and unca Dick are going to go quietly into oblivion? I wouldn't put it past Cheney (since bush is a useless appendage on Biggus Dickus) to greet us the day after Election Day with some sort of terrist attack (or threat, or "gut feeling" or something) that "requires" them to stay in power indefinitely, to deal with "those godless moozlums."

And if it gets to the point where Obama has obviously won, I'd say some sort of desperate, last-minute power-grab is almost a certainty.

Another One for the Blogroll

2008-09-25T13:28:00.001-04:00

My Two Cents. Worth the read. Found it via BlondeSense.