[September 29, 2000]
CRAAAACCCK! ...squish...
Why, it's a Terrapin getting stepped on by a Seminole. It was even more fun actaully being there... woo-hoo! Those turtle-shell fragments must be dangerous, though, since Chris Weinke injured his foot. He should be fine and ready for Miami on Oct. 7. W
From Kevin: Harry Browne - not Nader, not Buchanan - may be the kingmaker in this election. Browne is running ahead of Pat Buchanan and breathing down Nader's neck, despite getting a tiny fraction of the media coverage. So can anyone explain why is the media leaving him out?
What's happening here? Who is this unknown candidate? What is he saying that's attracting this support? Is he taking votes away from Bush or from Gore? Or is he reaching people who haven't been voting at all? Could he affect the outcome of the election in some states -- causing a switch in the states' electoral votes?
If Pat Buchanan and Ralph Nader are newsworthy, think how much more newsworthy is a candidate who has attained their level of support without their celebrity and press coverage.
Once again, the media has abdicated its responsibility to the public, serving not as impartial observer and information source, but as self-serving, partisan advocate. If even Tim Russert has gone down the rabbit hole, who can we trust?
If you think Browne should be included in the presidential debates, take a look at today's WorldNet Daily Poll. W
Note to self: the other half of the H family is back online. Add to the Portal. W
Survivor Castaway Colleen Lands Movie Role:
Haskell will play the love interest of comic actor Rob Schneider in the upcoming Columbia Pictures film "Animal,'' the studio says.
Memorial services for her movie career will be held immediately upon wrap. W
[September 28, 2000]
Lance at My Cluttered Desk said yesterday:
I haven't quite forgiven Mike yet for declaring that he's officially throwing away his vote for president this year, but that doesn't mean I don't think he has some great content on his pages.
I would have thought, Lance, that you of all people would understand a vote based on principle. If you think that voting for the person whose platform I agree with, instead of jumping on a bandwagon to support someone I think will win (and I do think Bush will win), is a wasted vote, then shame on you. If I fail to vote my conscience, then I will have truly wasted my vote, and then shame on me. W
It looks like Gov. Bush has finally figured it out:
The vice president's proposals would result in thousands of new government rules and regulations, government employees and millions of dollars in spending
He's driving the knife into Gore's soft underbelly: the fact that he's never met an entitlement program or regulatory program he didn't like. Why did it take him until the end of September to figure this out? W
[September 27, 2000]
I'm such a conformist... I won a TiVo. Read my essay on MetaTalk.
W
In a sure sign of growing desparation, Gore revives the old "wither on the vine" lie.
“What he said five years ago was his strong support of the Newt Gingrich plan that former Speaker Gingrich said would cause Medicare to ‘wither on the vine,’” Gore said today on ABCNEWS’ Good Morning America.
“They’re highlighting a plan that didn’t pass by a member of Congress no longer in office,” remarked another Bush aide. “A little thin if you asked me.”
Thin, indeed. Maybe the weakest Gore pander yet. W
[September 26, 2000]
Update on the Dar Williams show: I called the folks at Ticketbastard today as instructed. Although the first-line ticketbot wanted me to fax in my ticketstubs, blah blah blah, we don't see how they could have given you the wrong information, blah blah blah, I persisted and waitied on hold for her supervisor. After perhaps 15 minutes of Ticketbastard hold programming - a droning male voice chanting the Ticketbastard mantra about no exchanges, refunds, or cancellations - the supervisor came on, fighting a losing battle against her head cold, took my confirmation number, and told me she would credit a full refund to my credit card within 72 hours. No further hassle. Hey, great!
So as soon as that credit appears, my customer satisfaction rating can return to the neutral and upright position. Hey, I got my money back, but we did miss the show, dammit. Dineen and I plan to use the promised refund to backfill our Dar collection. By the way, Ticketbastard is in no way affiliated with the Ratbastard... to my knowledge. W
As is proper, the Supreme Court rejected the government's petition to skip over the appellate court in review of Microsoft's appeal. The government, as earlier noted, is seeking to avoid another spanking at the hands of the DC Appellate Circuit Court. W
Oooops. Now Gore invented the strategic reserve... two years before he entered Congress.
"[His claim] is just factually not true. He's becoming the Hans Christian Andersen of American politics," said Dan Sullivan.
If you're having trouble keeping track of this modern-day Edison, here's the scoresheet so far. W
Jim Carey in: The Ratbastard... coming soon to a theater near you! W
Want to see more coverage of the Libertarian party in the news media? Join the MinuteMen... an LP movement designed to alert media CEO's to the fact that coverage of third party candidates might actually be as good for them as it is for the country. W
In case you ever need to sue a corporation doing business in the Commonwealth of Virginia, here's who to call to get the necessary information: State Corporation Commission, Office of the Clerk. And since you ask, no, no relation at all to the last post. None. What. So. Ever. W
[September 25, 2000]
See the UPDATE!
So, the scoop on the Dar Williams show: The encore was great! Wait, you ask... the encore? What about the rest of the show? Well, for us and a few dozen other people, there was no rest of the show. You see, when one buys one's tickets through Ticketbastard - resorting, of course, to the phone line since their web site doesn't work - the ticket sales agent tells you what time the show is. (After slapping on a hefty $18 in fees for two $25 tickets) You, the ticket buyer might rely on that information. Or you may rely on the Ticketbastard web site, which also prominently features the show time. The incorrect show time. Dineen and I arrived at exactly 9:00pm, as advised by the ticket agent and the Ticketbastard web site. We arrived just in time for the encore. Which was fabulous. I can't wait until next year when she comes back.
We were not alone. Arriving with us at the show – at 9:00pm sharp – were a couple dozen other patrons, angered and confused by the departure of the band at the time they should have been arriving. Outside, immediately after the encore, about a dozen more very angry patrons crowded the ticket window, demanding answers, refunds, heads on platters. Three newly minted teenage girls, with pink hair, glitter, and matching homemade song-lyric t-shirts, sobbed as their chaperone parental unit waited for justice. It turned out they had flown from Massachusetts and Florida to gather here for the concert. Sorry, for the encore. They decided to linger outside the bus in hopes of meeting the star herself. I really hope they did. I gave their father-figure my phone number, told him we had gotten screwed the same way, and urged him to call me if he didn’t get satisfaction. I didn’t tell him I’m a lawyer – that can wait until later.
There may be good news here. I called the Ticketbastard customer service line (301.808.2405 if you ever need it – it’s hard to find) and actually got service from Tamara. She told me they were already aware of the problem – they had a pow-wow with their supervisors after the first angry phone calls came in – and were negotiating with the venue for refunds. She suggested I call back at noon tomorrow for more information. So there’s still hope. More as it develops. W
Four new commercials for Harry Browne are now available on the net - Battered and Baby will be, um, controversial, which is maybe what the campaign wants to get the discussion rolling. The best one, IMNSHO, is Building. I'm disappointed, though, that the campaign ignored the fundamental idea of the libertarian philosophy, which in my opinion stands to attract the most supporters, regardless of what their polling says. It's not decriminalizing drug use; it's not Social Security; it's not even abolishing the IRS. It's freedom, pure and simple - that "liberty" from which the party's name derives. W
Those missing emails that Al Gore didn't want backed up show that Gore knew the Buddhist temple event was a fundraiser, despite his denials.
I regularly gank headlines from TeamGOP.com and remember to credit them about 70% of the time, so go pay them a visit.
W
[September 24, 2000]
There's been some hullabaloo about a recent New York Times survey showing that states with the death penalty have higher homicide rates. Let me say that again - this is not an academic study, it is a "survey" by the New York Times. Besides having a completely inadequate sample for a true statistical analysis (the only states without the death penalty are Michigan, Iowa, Minnesota, North Dakota, Wisconsin, Alaska, Hawaii, West Virginia, Rhode Island, Vermont, Maine and Massachusetts) reliance on mere correlation is one of the best-known logical fallacies of argumentation. It never entered the minds of the article (editorial?) writers to question the causal relationship underlying the numbers. I'm inclined to think that the other states have the death penalty because of their higher homicide rates. Who knows where they would have been without the death penalty in place? The Times has made to attempt to look at the many complicated factorsa which cuase crime, and touted a superficial head-count as evidence in this debate. Another shameful performance turned in by the liberal national media.
One thing we do know for sure: Unarmed victims don't deter crime, either. W
This dearlership is perhaps two blocks from my house. The Alphabet Julen: 24 Hours W
Sometime very soon, I'm going to tell you about Saturday night's Dar Williams concert. W
Just so I remember: PaxZone - They give you stickies...we give you packages. Thanks, Dan. W
Would you use a web "design" firm whose site looked like this? I thought not. But hey, they also do graphics and interface design. They just have a minimalist style. W
A Gore staffer has been suspended after bragging that he knew the mole inside the Bush campaign. If it's true that a Gore spy infiltrated the other side, would someone please explain to me how that is any different from the Watergate break-in? W
Got a Palm or Visor? Get a condom. W
Angus trots out a stale old argument on gun control:
I have my own test, which applies to every single person on the planet: Do you believe that anyone should be able to own nuclear weapons? My contention is that if you answer in the affirmative to that question, then you are a raving lunatic.
Guess what, Angus - under the National Firearms Act of 1934, individuals are allowed to own nuclear weapons in this country. W