deadissue.com

Maybe someone can explain this to me. 

Wednesday, a 18-year-old chimp named Tony , escaped at around 8:25 a.m., Engells said. Dr. Christian Abee, director of the center, said a team that specializes in safe animal capture techniques followed the chimpanzee across the center’s campus onto adjacent ranch land. Officials tried to capture the animal for 45 minutes and used “at least one tranquilizer dart” before a 5-year-veteran of the police department fatally shot the animal, Engells said…

Counselors will be available at the center today and tomorrow to provide counseling for the center’s 120 employees. “A tragic event of this type takes its toll on our caregivers,” Abee said.

“A toll on caregivers” these animals are in a facility that does medical research on them, in fact probably the most humane death this animal could hope for was a bullet. It is amazing the lengths some people will go to see themselves as a victim.

This is almost as bad as Geraldine Ferraro trying to claim that she is somehow a victim, actually maybe the bozo’s at UT are worse.  It is close.

I didn’t even know about this stuff, I must be geting old

If their was one red phone moment for Hillary Clinton it was during the Rwandan genocide when almost a million people were killed. Hillary did not seem too concerned that Bill was not answering the phone. Then again Hillary may not have been sleeping next to bill when the phone was ringing, maybe Monica was in that position at the time. OK maybe I am taking the metaphor too far, but if Hillary was really the “co-president” at the time it seems like she needs to explain why the United States did nothing, while she was co-president.

Matthew Yglesias writes

Samantha Power is a Pulitzer Prize winning author, and a brilliant and original thinker and advocate for the intelligent deployment of American power in order to build a more just and humane world. But she’s supporting Barack Obama, she made a gaffe, she promptly and rightly apologized, and then she resigned. And now this afternoon, the Clinton campaign has continued to push out Power-bashing material in order to prove, I guess, that there’s nothing and nobody they won’t try to destroy if they think that will provide them with some slender additional shot at getting themselves and their clique back in power. It’s a bit disgusting.

I think this is what really bothers me about Hillary Clinton and her followers, I doubt they would have any problem outting a CIA operative if they thought it would help their chances in this election or at any time for that matter. Eight years or perhaps sixteen years of the ends justifys the means governence is enough.

I guess they have confirmed that this guy is or was in the Marines.  Thie one almost leaves me speechless, other than to say sometimes I am ashamed to be human.

Most people have probably heard about Hillary Clinton endorsing John McCain, or at least claiming that he has crossed the threshold to be commander and chief, whatever that means.  Mathew Yglesias says the following:

There is, however, a deeper worry that this expresses. Why does Hillary Clinton think McCain would be a better foreign policy leader than Obama? Now I expect millions of people around the country to agree with Clinton about that in November. Millions of people will, I think, decide that invading Iraq was a good idea, that staying in Iraq indefinitely is a good idea, that pushing the envelop of confrontation with North Korea and Iran is a good idea, that refusing to abide by any of our treaty commitments is a good idea, etc. Those people will, naturally, conclude that McCain would be the better commander in chief. That’s inevitable. I expect those millions of Americans to be outnumbered by millions more who prefer Obama’s approach and who want to see America pulled back from the brink and back toward something like the liberal internationalist tradition that’s governed us at our best since the Second World War rather than to continue on the path of militarism and hegemonism that’s been responsible for the bulk of our mistakes.

The part that sticks out to me is where Hillary Clinton seems to agree that we as a country do not need to abide by any treaties or even international laws. She seems to to be running her campaign in much the same manner.  Any rule she doesn’t like she just ignores, at the beginning of the campaign she knew delagates from Florida and Michigan would not be seated and that candidates were not supposed to campaign in those states. all of the participants in the democratic primary knew and agreed to the rules and accept for Hillary Clinton the abided by the rules.  What Hillary do, she ignores the rules gets herself on the ballot in Michigan and campaigns in Florida and is now trying to get the from Michigan and Florida to count towards her nomination. This is very much like the last eight years where their was a complete disregard for laws and treaties, one can only assume that Hillary Clinton would govern in much the same way she has campaigned, I don’t think the country can handle four  more years of that.
Yglesias can be seen here

I get that what this guy did is not as bad as an organized dog fighting ring but it is still pretty disgusting.

An animal rights group wants the PGA Tour to take action against player Tripp Isenhour, facing charges for hitting a hawk with a golf shot because it was making noise as he videotaped a TV show.

“Because of the high profile nature of this case, the PGA needs to take steps to address its interest and to make it clear that they don’t condone animal cruelty,” said Dale Bartlett, the Humane Society of the United States’ deputy manager for animal cruelty issues.

He said the organization would contact the PGA Tour on Friday to discuss the issue.

Isenhour was charged Wednesday with cruelty to animals and killing a migratory bird, misdemeanors that carry a maximum penalty of 14 months in jail and $1,500 in fines.

The entire article can be seen here

According to MSNBC Hillary Clinton while winning 3 of 4 states probably did not win a substantial number of delagates over the ones awarded to Obama.  In fact becuase of the mixed system in Texas where 1/3 of the delagates are awarded by a caucus system she may have come out behind in total delagates awarded.  None of this nuance will keep Hillary Clinton from claiming that she has acheieved the biggest victory ever.  It seems like the Clinton camp is trying to keep the election close and get the super delagates to award her the nomination.  If that doesn’t work she may try to get the Florida and Michigan delagates seated which again might get her the nomination but would circumvent the will of a majority of primary voters and caucus goers.   The problem with this approach, is that it says to the caucus goers and primary voters who nominated Obama by the rules of the party, “I know what is best, and it is not who you voted for”.  This approach is incredibly condascending and reeks of party elitism.  It is sort of like when Dick Cheney was supposed to find a good vice presidential candidate for George Bush and he picked himself.  Hillary is trying to pick herself to be the democratic nominee for our own good.

I know two people who caucused for Obama, one of whom says she will vote for McCain if Hillary is nominated.  Her reason eing that she is tired of Bush and his condescending little smirk that implies he knows best and she feels that Hillary has the same condascending attitude.  My other friend says he will support Nader because in his words their are “no differences between Hillary and McCain”.  To an extant he is right both Clinton and McAin are long time politicians who supported the Iraq war and tried to start another war with Iran.  While at the same time both of them have ignored most of the problems of the last eight years until they decided to run for president.  Both Hillary Clinton and John McCain have a lot of experience living in Washington DC; but John McCain has more so if that is your only criteria then McCain would probably be a better president.  And while McCain is a jerk he is at least not a condescending jerk. 

If Hillary Clinton gets the nomination it really does make the point for the cynics that, that all politicians are the same so you might as well just vote for the guy you would rather have a beer with. 

While all the cool bloggers are talking about the Wire.  I thought someone should point out that in the Sarah Connor Chronicles the cliffhanger for the season finale involves the well being of Cameron, the terminator.  It is interesting that the writers of the show figured that more people would turn in next season to see what happens with Cameron than any of the other charactors.  Maybe the machines really have won.

I was watching John McCain on TV the other night where he talked about getting sworn in to the Naval Academy when he was 17 years-old; which is impressive, when I was 17 about all I can claim is that I got both hired and a few months later fired from Burger King.  Before John McCain was appointed to the Naval Academy he lived on naval bases throughout the world, his dad was an Admiral and I would assume Admirals are given nice housing on most bases.  Once at the Naval Academy he went on to an impressive career in the Navy, where he became a pilot and was eventually shot down over Viet Nam.  Where he was held prisoneer for 5 years when he was released he came back to the United States and ran for Congress.  Later he became a Senator.  I am sure that his record is probably more impressive than I am making it sound, but one thing is missing from his record, he has never lived outside of a government job. 

Even when John McCain was a kid his insurance and housing was covered by the US government.  Once he got released from the POW camp he would have been covered by the VA, plus he would have recieved back pay for his time as a prisoner.  At no time in McCain’s life has he had to worry about health insurance or finding a job for that matter.  Many people have pointed out that John McCain is not too concerned with economic issues, I don’t think I have heard him talk about economic issues during the campaign, outside of a few references to tax cuts.  From his life experiences it is probably pretty hard to understand why anyone would worry about health insurance thanks to the Navy he has always had coverage.  Same with making a mortgage payment or paying for groceries, these things have always been provided for him.  His life experience is more in line with coming back to a country that did not appreciate the sacrifices he made in Viet Nam, and surviving for 5 years in POW camp.  In his case his main priority it seems, is to makes sure that other peoples sacrifices in Iraq are not in vain, it does not seem like he cares that this quest for honor in Iraq might bancrupt the United States.

As impressive as John McCain is, he does not have the experience to be president.  Throughout his life most of his needs have been taken care by the United States government.   Most people living in the US are not in the same situation, we at some point in our lives have to look for a job, figure out a way to pay for an education, find a way to get medical care.  In John McCain’s 71 years I doubt he has ever had to worry about any of these things and it seems to have made him very uncaring for those who do.