Politics

Commentary (and rants) on national and local politics.

An arm with a tattoo: "I was made for the library, not the classroom."

Politics of Video Games

Trust Omar to find the good stuff. Bloglines is the shiznit!

Not only can I monitor the blogs I read regularly from one place – a la LiveJournal’s Friends list, without the creepy “Friend me” angle – but it lets me monitor other blog-like sites I check regularly, including Wizards’ D&D pages, Craigslist-ings, Snopes.com and my new fave, XBox sites!

Speaking of, this just in:

Def Jam Redefined

Vendetta II gets a new name.

April 30, 2004 – Electronics Arts has announced that their hip-hop battle title Def Jam Vendetta II has been renamed Def Jam: Fight For NY. Featuring more than 40 personalities and artists from the hip-hop world, Def Jam: Fight For NY will include Busta Rhymes, Carmen Electra, Lil’ Kim, Ludacris, Method Man, Redman, Sean Paul, Slick Rick, Snoop Dogg, and many more who are willing to beat the stuffing out of each other.

Great! Wonder if it will include an unlockable NYPD Rap Intelligence Unit to monitor the fighting? Maybe Benjamin Brafman or Murray Richman to defend them in court? Perhaps cut scenes of Tupac being shot up in a lobby, or Jam Master Jay in a recording studio?

I can’t believe this is the same company that publishes my beloved Madden football! Looks like I’ll be switching over to ESPN NFL 2005.

(more…)

Continue ReadingPolitics of Video Games
An arm with a tattoo: "I was made for the library, not the classroom."

Need more evidence that George W. Bush has a pretty good shot at being [re-]elected? Last night's American Idol bottom three. Stupid people vote more than intelligent ones. Today's horoscope: Sometimes you don't realize how much you have touched people's lives, Guy. Just the little things that you do, like smiling, or telling someone a joke to cheer them up, go a long way towards creating peace on the planet. Today you could get some pleasant feedback from someone who has appreciated your generous heart. They could tell you what a difference you've made in their life. Soak up their…

Continue Reading
An arm with a tattoo: "I was made for the library, not the classroom."

I love The Onion. After watching Bush's speech tonight, it's clear what his re-election gameplan is: you like him or you don't. Plain and simple. He's going to let Kerry do the dancing for the swing vote and cross his fingers hoping JFK hangs himself with a misstep or two. Much as I hate the guy and everything he stands for, I can't say I'm willing to bet against him at this point. Kerry better come up with a mind-blowing, paradigm-shifting choice for VP. :-( PS: Apologies to the Acentos crew for not making it out tonight. The weather, my…

Continue Reading
An arm with a tattoo: "I was made for the library, not the classroom."

The feedback from louder than words has been great. Much of it overwhelmingly positive, and where there was critique, it was generally offered honestly and clearly. Eric, Helen, Diane and I met Tuesday night to digest it all and tweak the format in a way that puts more emphasis on - and sets aside more time for - the debate. One of the comments we received - or, more correctly, I received as it was all directed at me - took issue with some of the things I said in my introduction, challenging me on both facts and opinion. The…

Continue Reading
An arm with a tattoo: "I was made for the library, not the classroom."

President Forever 2004

President Forever 2004 is the perfect computer sim for political junkies. I bought the full version last week (only $12, well worth it!) and have run through six campaigns so far with Dubya kicking my ass all but once. He beat Kerry twice, paired up with Edwards and then Gephardt, neither of whom helped carry their home states. He beat Kucinich twice, with Edwards and then Clark, again with neither VP delivering their home states. Kucinich's default setup is oddly to the right of the real deal. Not drastically, but subtly enough to illustrate the annoying nuances of politics that…

Continue ReadingPresident Forever 2004
An arm with a tattoo: "I was made for the library, not the classroom."

No such thing as a just war

Another hopeful sign…

Soldier who refused to return to Iraq to surrender in North Miami

By Erik Schelzig, Associated Press

NORTH MIAMI, Fla. (AP) Shaken by a gunfight in Iraq that killed innocent civilians, a 28-year-old U.S. soldier declared the invasion ”an oil-driven war” and said he won’t return to the Middle East and fight.

Staff Sgt. Camilo Mejia, of Miami Beach, surrendered Monday at an air force base in Massachusetts, where he was ordered to report to his unit Tuesday at the North Miami Armory in suburban Miami.

His attorney, Louis Font, said he believes Mejia is the first soldier to turn himself in after refusing to return to Iraq. Mejia said he would seek conscientious objector status.

Mejia was in Iraq for about five months last year until October, when he returned home on leave. He did not return to duty.

”This is an oil-driven war, and I don’t think any soldier signs up to fight for oil,” Mejia said Monday after arriving at Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood International Airport.

Mejia said he was particularly upset over an incident in which he and others were ambushed and innocent civilians were hit in the ensuing gunfire.

”That’s one of the things that tells me there’s no such thing as a fair war, no such thing as a just war,” he said.

(more…)

Continue ReadingNo such thing as a just war
An arm with a tattoo: "I was made for the library, not the classroom."

Spain Vows to Pull Soldiers Out of Iraq

Perhaps there is some reason for hope…

Spain Vows to Pull Soldiers Out of Iraq

By ED McCULLOUGH, Associated Press Writer

MADRID, Spain – The leader of Spain’s victorious Socialists said Monday he will withdraw his nation’s support for the U.S.-led occupation of Iraq, restating a campaign promise a day after his party won elections overshadowed by terrorist bombings.

Jose Luis Rodriguez Zapatero, calling the war that ousted Saddam Hussein an “error,” said he would recall Spanish troops from Iraq by June 30 unless the United Nations assumes control of multinational military operations there.

In a surprise defeat, Prime Minister Jose Maria Aznar’s conservatives on Sunday became the first government that backed Washington in Iraq to be voted from office. The election came amid charges that Aznar made Spain a target for terrorists by supporting the war, and that his government concealed possible connections between the attack and Islamic terrorists for political gain.

(more…)

Continue ReadingSpain Vows to Pull Soldiers Out of Iraq
Newer Posts
Older Posts