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Saddam skivies and Rupert hates America
Or, does he? Having appeared as a guest on a few of Rupert Murdoch's television shows, I know that Rupert does nothing without the explicit approval (or collaboration) of the White House. Certainly, in a few cases Murdoch might set the tone and the White House dances, but it's usually the opposite.
Why then, we have to ask ourselves, would Rupert Murdoch's two flagship newspapers - the New York Post and the London Sun - print what might appear to be damaging photos of Saddam Hussein?
Perhaps what we're witnessing is "Flypaper 2", a renewed attempt to enrage the "insurgents" in Iraq and force us to massacre more of them then we've been doing.
After all, Murdoch would not do anything damaging to the U.S. in the long run. It might appear to be damaging, but perhaps that's just what we're intended to think.
And, as John Ciccilini pointed out below, $hrub and Karl Rove will do anything to distract our attention from issues like the Treasury Department awarding $2 billion in tax credits.
Cui bono...
Posted by Ariadne to Ariadne at 08:43 PM
Viral Democracy
Each day the lies coming from the Republicans get worse and worse, and each day their power becomes stronger. They desire absolute power, and they will do anything to achieve it.
What can we do? I'd like to propose an idea that some might wish to follow in order to save this great country from the fate that George W. Bush and his cohorts have in mind for us: join the Republican Party.
Yes, that's right: become a member of the Republican Party.
Hear me out...
I'm not suggesting becoming a true Republican, I'm only suggesting that patriotic Democrats should join the other party. Step by step they could nudge the Republicans back onto the right path. If enough Democrats did this, we could even gain a fair amount of control over the party and prevent this hostile takeover of America. Imagine: socialist "Republicans", liberal "Republicans", green "Republicans", progressive "Republicans", peace and freedom "Republicans", communist "Republicans", Trotskyite "Republicans", Marxist-Leninist "Republicans", the list goes on and on. Think of us as a Trojan Horse: millions of new recruits for the NeoCon crusade for blood and oil. Yet, secretly hidden within our hearts is true liberalism, monkeywrenching their plans for world domination.
We need to attack them in the only way we can: from deep within.
Posted by Ariadne to Ariadne at 11:46 PM
Newsweek, Isikoff, and... Karl Rove?
I've never been a spy, I've just played a couple of them in movies. However, for one of my roles I did do a bit of research. That research came in handy when I heard about the Newsweek "scandal" and the Koran that was flushed down the toilet...
Let's imagine this: a well-known reporter for a major newsweekly prints a story from an anonymous source who had previously been reliable. As I learned for my role in The Cartier Project, in many cases intelligence agencies feed accurate data to the other side, only to feed one last piece of inaccurate data after they've gained the trust of the other side.
There is no doubt in my mind that Michael Isikoff vetted what he was told with other anonymous sources in the administration. In fact, I wouldn't be surprised to learn that the highest levels of the White House - perhaps even "vice" president Cheney - approved of his report before it was issued.
After all, it was Isikoff who broke the Monica Lewinsky story...
Engaging one's thoughts further, one sees where this is leading. Feed some inaccurate information, then stomp on Newsweek as a way to tarnish the whole media. That is, the last remaining bits of the media that aren't simply part of the conservative machine...
Add in that the General said the riots were about permanent bases, and that the peaceful demonstrators were shot by Pakistan police... One shouldn't be surprised if one's hair is standing on end by now...
The overall reason? To draw the public's attention away from Memogate in the first part of June. Even if Newsweek reports that, one might be forgiven for not believing them after the job Karl Rove appears to have done.
I can't provide proof for anything above, but it all just seems too cut and dried. Chem deneg - "to whom the money" - as Stalin used to say...
Posted by Ward to Ward Beecher at 01:58 PM
Bill Moyers speaks truth to power
Hello, this is Ethan, Zeke Whittle's great nephew. I'm posting this entry on his behalf due to his recent sudden illness that was caused by the Drudge Report.
First, Zeke would like to thank all of you for the well wishes. There was an incredible outpouring of grief, followed thankfully by relief once our doctors realized that Zeke was just in a deep catatonic state. He thanks all of you.
And, Zeke wants to let you know that he will return to posting here the very moment that he's able. He's feeling a little guilty about not being able to give Ariadne his all, but everyone's told him it's OK and we understand and there's no rush.
So, in the meantime, Zeke wants to suggest that you read the thoughts of Bill Moyers of PBS: "Speech at conference assails right wing". He particulary appreciated this:
"The more compelling our journalism, the angrier became the radical right of the Republican Party... That's because the one thing they loath more than liberals is the truth. And the quickest way to be damned by them as liberal is to tell the truth."
Posted by Zeke Whittle to Zeke Whittle at 11:46 PM
El presidente, usted es mi presidente!
What a world we would live in if Venezuela's great leader Hugo Chavez could run for president in the U.S.? Instead of a barely funded, anti-people program like No Dollar Left Behind, we could have the Bolivarian model:Chavez affirmed that his government considers education to be a "vital aspect" of the Bolivarian political program and is committed to improving the education system’s quality and transforming its traditional paradigm through the construction of "Simoncitos," as the Bolivarian preschools are known, as well as Bolivarian schools, high schools, universities and technical schools.
Chavez blamed the capitalist and imperialist media campaigns for filling the people with poison, teaching them to overvalue money and leading them to believe that the poor "are worthless." In order to change these parameters, the Venezuelan President asserted, values such as unity, brotherhood and solidarity, must be placed above competition and individualism. "We are all a team, going along eliminating little by little the values or the anti-values that capitalism has planted in us from childhood"
...According to [head of education] Isturiz, the Bolivarian high schools are focused on transforming adolescents from being individualistic to being socially aware; from being competitive to cooperative; and from being consumers to being creative...
...After affirming that the transformation of the educational system was not only "Isturiz's responsibility, not only the responsibility of the government, but also of everyone, of the citizens," Chavez asked Isturiz to design evaluation committees composed of community members to discuss progress and projects. "The very own students, along with their professors, can form their cooperatives to operate the resources and develop their planes," he affirmed.
Posted by John Ciccilini to John Ciccilini at 01:37 PM
President Potemkin
A "Potemkin village" is a false front, like the Wild West storefronts on the lots at Paramount or Fox. In Brentwood Confidential, we didn't use any sets like that, because it was set in the present day.
Our "President" is also a "Potemkin President." Remember earlier this week when he was in Georgia, the country that used to be part of Russia (Potemkin is a Russian word.)
Well, guess who paid for everything you see in the picture to the right. Yes, that's right: you and me! The whole visit of "President Potemkin" to Georgia was paid for by the U.S. The whole thing was choreographed by the White House, just like a TV director directs a show!
What better way to show support for Bush than to pay for everything!
I just can't believe that we paid for our own brainwashing!
While the Bush administration's refusal to support Personal Wind Farms is one thing, this is far far worse.
Posted by Lori Gold to Lori Gold at 12:36 AM
Capitol evacuated, and public distracted
Don't watch the magicians hand with the cards, watch what he's doing with the other hand.
I see that the Capitol was evacuated today due to a terror "scare." But, it was just a small plane and nothing bad was happening. The pilot has not been charged with anything. Who is this pilot? Is he a friend of $hrub? Was he involved in this so called scare, or was he just a pawn in this national chess game?
With this obvious attempt to distract our national attention, $hrub has tried to keep America on it's toes and remind us of his "leadership" against "terrorism".
And, what was George W. Bush doing with his other hand while this was happening? He was bicycling!
Yes, that's right. While Senators and Congresspeople were running for the basement, Junior was biking through a park, without being aware that anything bad was happening. Why is it that whenever something happens, he'sl always doing something else? What of those 15 minutes, George?
And, what else was happening while pResident $hrub was out enjoying his day? You guessed it: the Treasury Department was awarding $2 Billion dollars in tax credits!
Watch the magician's hand without the cards!
Posted by John Ciccilini to John Ciccilini at 05:00 PM
The biggest story... never told!
At 1pm on March 20, 2005, gas prices for premium full serve in Malibu reached over $3 per gallon. Believe it or don't: you can look it up.
What could be behind this massive price increase, and, more importantly, who stands to profit? And, even more importantly, what aren't they telling you about alternatives?
Now, you might think of me as just an actress and the former star of Brentwood Confidential. But, what you don't know is that I'm also a committed political activist. When I'm not reading scripts or doing all the other things actresses do, I'm studying and reading about politics and energy policy. I soon began to ask myself, "What aren't they telling me about energy alternatives?" Digging further, I realized that George W. Bush, Karl Rove, their Texas energy buddies, and even the entire U.S. energy industry is deliberately trying to prevent alternatives from coming to market.
A case in point are PWFs. You've probably never heard of PWFs, but that stands for "Personal Wind Farms," sometimes called Small Wind Systems. At our property, we've installed several wind generating turbines in appropriate places. There are over a dozen placed in various passes throughout the property. These turbines generate clean, cheap energy, and we rely on them for almost half of our energy needs. Now, why haven't you heard about these before, and why aren't more Americans using them?
There are very many smart people on this site, several of whom have graduated from college. I invite all of them to help me figure out, "What aren't they telling us about energy alternatives?" Together we can find the answer to that question.
Posted by Lori Gold to Lori Gold at 12:04 PM
Zeke Whittle is ALIVE!
This is truly miraculous news. Earlier today Huff And Blow was shocked to hear that America's favorite newscaster Zeke Whittle had passed on shortly after his first post here.
Thankfully, that post was in error, and Zeke is still with us!
Apparently, after posting the entry, Zeke's great nephew Ethan began showing Zeke some other sites. Currently, Whittle family doctors speculate that Zeke was plunged into a deep catatonic state by flashing banner ads.
The site that caused this? The Drudge Report. I knew it was a danger to society, but not that much.
We wish Zeke a happy birthday, and the best for a speedy recovery. He'll be back posting here as soon as he can.
Posted by Ariadne to Ariadne at 01:43 PM
Ezekiel "Zeke" Whittle 1902-2005
Zeke Whittle is dead.
Ethan - Zeke's great nephew - just called my headquarters to inform us of this tragic news. Today was the legendary newscaster's 103rd birthday, and he was planning to celebrate it here at Huff And Blow and over the Internet. Sadly, all he was able to do was post this one, all too brief entry. Apparently he passed on shortly after that post.
We will all greatly miss Zeke Whittle and his wisdom. Please stay tuned to Caen Broadcasting throughout the day for all the details on Zeke's long life and innumerable accomplishments.
UPDATE: This report was thankfully in error. Please see "Zeke Whittle is ALIVE!"
Posted by Ariadne to Ariadne at 11:57 AM
A true conundrum
They say that time flies, but why is it that you lose time when you fly east, but gain it back when you fly west? I have always wondered whether it would be possible to continually stay ahead of the clock if one were to continually fly west. If one were to fly east, would one likewise continually lose time? I've been flying back and forth between Beverly Hills and Libya finishing up filming on my latest project "Kizmet 2", and I have often wondered about that. I'll be grateful when filming is wrapped up and it's finally in the theaters. It should be one of the leading Holiday season movies this year for those who are wondering.
I'd also like to welcome all the new readers to Huff And Blow. I believe that later today Aaron Kidney will be posting his famous chocolate chip recipe, and I'll be waiting with baited breath.
Posted by Ward to Ward Beecher at 11:38 AM
Todays journalistic ethics
Ariadne has asked me to speak to you about the journalistic ethics of today's reporters.
But first I'd like to thank my great nephew Ethan who will be helping me publish my thoughts on the computer. I am using a new invention that allows me to speak and the words appear on the television screen.
When I started as a young reporter in the first world war, we did not have such inventions. We gathered our news and transmitted it over telephones if we were lucky. Todays generation has it easy. Much too easy in my view.
In the old times it took real guts to report on British aggression against German troops but old man Caen wanted it and thats what I did. Todays reporters dont know what their doing with their computers and their portable phones.
Thats all Ethan just put it on the computer just do it.
Posted by Zeke Whittle to Zeke Whittle at 10:53 AM
Chavez, Castro unite for world's poor
For decades, Cuba has stood the line against America's "yanqui" aggression. It's one of the few true democracies in the western globe. Don't let the neo-con theo-cons tell you different. Unlike the $hrub administration, Fidel Castro cares about his country's poor people.
Another target of American imperiali$m is Venezuela's extremely popular leader Hugo Chavez. Of course, if our oil wasn't under their country Bu$h wouldn't care.
Chavez is leading the fight to help his country's poor and raise their standards of living. "Cuba, Venezuela offer medial assistance to other countries": Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez on May 8 said that his country and Cuba will carry out a programme entitled "Mision Milagro" with the aim of bringing light to the poor people with eye diseases in the Latin American and Caribbean regions.
In Venezuela, Chavez's oil revolution pumps money into programs for the poor: Under Chavez, the state oil company Petroleos de Venezuela SA spent more than $3.7 billion last year on social and agricultural programs, housing and other public projects -- about a third of its earnings.
Chavez sets an example that the neo-cons don't want you to know about. Open your eyes to the truth!
Posted by John Ciccilini to John Ciccilini at 10:18 AM
Another celebrity group blog?
Much to my surprise, it appears there's another celebrity group blog starting today. I'm not going to bother giving them any publicity, as Huff And Blow is the original such blog. I also question whether their celebrities and intellectuals are of quite as high a calibre as those reporting and commenting here.
In fact, later today America's favorite newscaster, Ezekiel "Zeke" Whittle will be discussing his 91 year journalism career. He was originally a young intern for Caen Newspapers during WWI, and then he hosted Caen Broadcasting's Nightly News for almost three decades.
Zeke will be joining us later today to celebrate - and blog about - his 103rd birthday.
Posted by Ariadne to Ariadne at 12:15 AM
Interview with Ann Coulter's "heckler"
Jason Buckley, who has a really nice blog, was lucky enough to snag an interview with Ajaj Raj, the so-called Ann Coulter heckler. In fact, he was just exercising his First Amendment Rights, until the crypto-fascists associated with the Bush administration arrested him. Luckily, the Austin People's Legal Collective is trying to find Raj an attorney. Go read the interview to read about a brave young man willing to stand up to the Rethuglicans.
Posted by Ariadne to Ariadne at 12:10 AM
Solidarity with Korea!
I went to the Democratic (I added that. It's more than we can say here) People's Republic of Korea a few years ago. It was a year or so before I went to Iraq and saw what that was like. The countries were very similar and were both suffering the oppression caused by the U.$ war machine for oil and other profits. Both countries were in bad shape.
I see from teh paper that the $hrub is massinv forces and it looks like some battle or war might happen. Haven't the people of Korea sufferred enough? Why won't Dumbya leave them to live and work in peace like all people all around the world want to do? Is peace so hard for him to understand? Please, read this and sign this. I've been up for a while thinking about this and running it through my head. I'll have more to say later.
Posted by John Ciccilini to John Ciccilini at 01:42 AM
The small things that matter
Welcome to my space on the World Wide Web. Rather than discussing important current events with this, my first post, I would like to tell you about something I did recently. It was a small thing, but sometimes the smallest things are the most important.
I was driving back from a meeting in Culver City in one of my favorite cars, a fully restored classic 1955 Ford Thunderbird Roadster. It's truly a special car, and it never fails to turn heads even among those who do not immediately recognize its driver. In order to save time, rather than going north through Palms and thence to the outskirts of Beverly Hills, I had decided to take Venice Boulevard. It's a rather run-down area, but with the occasional surprising bright spot. Suddenly, I realized that my view of the world had changed...
It wasn't that serious of an issue, but my rear view mirror had suddenly fallen off the windshield.
I, of course, had several options. I could continue driving to Beverly Hills and have an assistant or the concierge handle the matter for me. Or, I could stop in at one of the auto repair shops, of which there were several in the area. However, I decided to momentarily shed the cocoon in which I - and all other celebrities - ensconce ourselves. I decided to fix the matter myself, with my own two hands.
I soon spotted an auto parts store, and I asked for their advice. After the usual "hey, aren't you Ward Beecher?" I was well on my way to fixing the problem. You will no doubt be as surprised to learn as I was that they have specialized adhesive to attach mirrors to windshields. I had assumed it would be a general purpose glue, but I had no idea there would be something specially made for the task.
I read the instructions and set to work. Thankfully, my mechanics had provided me with a glovebox full of useful tools, and I had soon applied the preliminary adhesive and then the final adhesive that presumably does the actual work. After a brief wait during which I signed a few autographs and otherwise saw how actual people live their day-to-day lives, I successfully reattached my rear-view mirror.
While I have done some remarkable things in my time - as well as some things of which I'm not proud - the moment when I reattached my rear-view mirror is a definite highlight. I felt that not only had I accomplished something, but that I had learned things and gained new, valuable life experiences.
As I said, sometimes it's the smallest things that teach you the most.
Posted by Ward to Ward Beecher at 10:17 PM
