That's a sure sign of California, and a testiment to my granola roots that I don't mind soya in the java. It's just different is all.

Windows support on the new Mac hardware is official, which is fucking sweet.

Mr. Filloy is doing well. We've got some plans to gin up controversy around his graduation speech. Rumor is it may spark some protests from "The Hastings Eagles." Stay tuned for details.

AOL IM has apparently ground to a halt, which has disasterous consequences for my (and everyone else's) business life. Interesting.

I find this utterly terrifying:

It is believed that an American-led attack, designed to destroy Iran's ability to develop a nuclear bomb, is "inevitable" if Teheran's leaders fail to comply with United Nations demands to freeze their uranium enrichment programme.
...
The United States government is hopeful that the military operation will be a multinational mission, but defence chiefs believe that the Bush administration is prepared to launch the attack on its own or with the assistance of Israel, if there is little international support. British military chiefs believe an attack would be limited to a series of air strikes against nuclear plants - a land assault is not being considered at the moment.

Found via Echidne of the Snakes.

I don't think nuclear Iran is a great step forward for the world, but it might not be all bad, and I kind of think it's inevitable that more nations will get the bomb. You can't stop knowledge. And really, Iran is much less batshit crazy as a State Actor as compared to, say, North Korea. They're not on the cusp of anything anyway, and there's plenty of time to work this all out.

On the other hand, if this reportage from Britan is even remotely accurate, we're on the cusp of something much more awful. A US-led attack on Iran would have disasterous consiquences, starting with an enormous shitstorm coming down next door in Iraq, and ending who knows where. If it's a US/Israel show, then you can bet on open warfare and chaos throughout the region for the for the forseeable future.

We do not want to do this.

TIME:

Rep. Tom DeLay, whose iron hold on the House Republicans melted as a lobbying corruption scandal engulfed the Capitol, told TIME that he will not seek reelection and will leave Congress within months. Taking defiant swipes at "the left" and the press, he said he feels "liberated" and vowed to pursue an aggressive speaking and organizing campaign aimed at promoting foster care, Republican candidates and a closer connection between religion and government.

Delay was a major behind-the-scenes player in how the GOP congress worked, beginning with his tenure as whip under then-speaker Gingrich. This more or less signals the end of the "Republican revolution" that went down in 1994. 2006 is going to be an uncertain cycle, but my guess is something really fucking crazy goes down in 2008. People are trying to pretend like Hillary Clinton vs. John McCain is a done deal, but politics is far too weird a business for that to really be the story. I'm guessing another rogue billionaire or other outsider makes some waves, and that a dark horse takes at least one of the major party nominations.

Given his stated ambitions, I'm hoping he gets a cushy job and spends more time golfing. Foster care is ok, but "a closer connection between religion and government?" Do we really need that? Now?

Holla Back New York City - If You Can't Slap 'Em, Snap 'Em!

Fuck yeah. Shift that power around. Found via Steve Gillard's News Blog, which also documents the most disgusting fucking comment on recently freed journalist-hostage Jill Carrol I've seen to date:

"I've been watching this traitor bitch fawn all over her captors this morning. "Nice furniture, safe, nice clothes, they NEVER threatened me". I'm very glad you were so comforatble while working to undermine our efforts in Iraq. Now, wipe that muslim DNA from your face and confess to pre-planning this?"

I'm telling you, some of thse people are insane. This is what happens when you construct a one-way propaganda network of newsletters, talk-radio, books and faux news broadcasts: people get nuts. Then you present a medium where they can be heard. Oh shit, your coalition's crazy ass-crack is showing!

Like I said, shift that power around.

Of course, it's just just the Orcs who recoil from prolonged exposure to sunshine. I don't think the pundit class is going to look to hot in hindsight either.

Holla Back New York City - If You Can't Slap 'Em, Snap 'Em!

Fuck yeah. Shift that power around. Found via Steve Gillard's News Blog, which also documents the most disgusting fucking comment on recently freed journalist-hostage Jill Carrol I've seen to date:

"I've been watching this traitor bitch fawn all over her captors this morning. "Nice furniture, safe, nice clothes, they NEVER threatened me". I'm very glad you were so comforatble while working to undermine our efforts in Iraq. Now, wipe that muslim DNA from your face and confess to pre-planning this?"

I'm telling you, some of thse people are insane. This is what happens when you construct a one-way propaganda network of newsletters, talk-radio, books and faux news broadcasts: people get nuts. Then you present a medium where they can be heard. Oh shit, your coalition's crazy ass-crack is showing!

Like I said, shift that power around.

Of course, it's just just the Orcs who recoil from prolonged exposure to sunshine. I don't think the pundit class is going to look to hot in hindsight either.

Holla Back New York City - If You Can't Slap 'Em, Snap 'Em!

Fuck yeah. Shift that power around. Found via Steve Gillard's News Blog, which also documents the most disgusting fucking comment on recently freed journalist-hostage Jill Carrol I've seen to date:

"I've been watching this traitor bitch fawn all over her captors this morning. "Nice furniture, safe, nice clothes, they NEVER threatened me". I'm very glad you were so comforatble while working to undermine our efforts in Iraq. Now, wipe that muslim DNA from your face and confess to pre-planning this?"

I'm telling you, some of thse people are insane. This is what happens when you construct a one-way propaganda network of newsletters, talk-radio, books and faux news broadcasts: people get nuts. Then you present a medium where they can be heard. Oh shit, your coalition's crazy ass-crack is showing!

Like I said, shift that power around.

Of course, it's just just the Orcs who recoil from prolonged exposure to sunshine. I don't think the pundit class is going to look to hot in hindsight either.

Kevin Phillips: How the GOP Became God's Own Party.

This guy wrote the political bible for the Nixon Administration, and helped in the early days in which the modern Republican coalition was seeded. Today he warns that increasing religious fundimentalism, an energy policy that ignores reality, and an economy that's increasingly dependent on debt are threatening to lay the country low:

Conservative true believers will scoff at such concerns. The United States is a unique and chosen nation, they say; what did or did not happen to Rome, imperial Spain, the Dutch Republic and Britain is irrelevant. The catch here, alas, is that these nations also thought they were unique and that God was on their side. The revelation that He apparently was not added a further debilitating note to the late stages of each national decline.

I'm telling you. Energy Independence, a controlled end to the American Empire, and a renewal of our committment to science and technology (maybe related to the internet and health care) would clean up. Cut the fatbacks, god freaks and masters of war off from real businesspeople, actual Christians and true defenders of national security.

Jill Carroll is a journalist for the Christian Science Monitor who was kidnapped and held captive in Iraq for about three months. Wikipedia as a timeline.

For no fucking good reason that I can see, she's been repeatedly maligned by Right Wing Pundits from Imus to the alleged intellectuals who produce content for The National Review. I find this especially infuriating, because it's the absolute worst in Armchair Soldering (or Keyboard Kommandoism, if you like). These jackoffs don't have anywhere near the courage to put themselves on the line like Carroll has, and yet they feel justified to pontificate on her plight, question her courage, and suggest that she's been sleeping with the enemy.

Ugh. How about you go get taken hostage for three months and then we'll see how everyone feels, ok? Maybe then you can bring us back some of that good news we're all apparently missing.

These people have no shame.

I think about it all the time -- 24/7... twentyfour-seven -- oh yeah. One more plug for the Kleptones. It's good stuff.

There are so many things to be excited about here... Look out baby, 'cause here I come.