perfidy

Ace of Spades digs up a link to the recent Time Mag poll that shows Bush with a double digit lead over Kerry.

The meaty stuff:

Friday, Sep. 03, 2004
New York: For the first time since the Presidential race became a two person contest last spring, there is a clear leader, the latest TIME poll shows. If the 2004 election for President were held today, 52% of likely voters surveyed would vote for President George W. Bush, 41% would vote for Democratic nominee John Kerry, and 3% would vote for Ralph Nader, according to a new TIME poll conducted from Aug. 31 to Sept. 2.

Most important issues: When asked what they consider are the most important issues, 25% of registered voters cited the economy as the top issue, followed by 24% who cited the war on terrorism as the top issue.

And this:

• Iraq: 53% trust Bush to handle the situation in Iraq, while 41% trust Kerry.
• Terrorism: 57% trust Bush to handle the war on terrorism, while 36% trust Kerry.
• Providing strong leadership: 56% said they trust Bush to provide strong leadership in difficult times, while 37% said they trust Kerry to provide leadership in difficult times.

Thanks to Ace, who I have been sorely remiss in linking. Bad me. Of course, I wasn't even posting for most of the summer, so I wasn't exactly tootin my own horn, either.

By way of my favorite supreme being we find this interesting article from, of all places, the San Francisco Chronicle. Debra Saunders has an interesting analysis of the two conventions:

A New York Times/CBS News poll in July found that three-quarters of Democratic voters and 86 percent of Boston delegates opposed the war in Iraq. Yet both John Kerry and John Edwards voted for the resolution authorizing force in Iraq in 2002.

The same poll found that 19 percent of GOP voters and 3 percent of GOP delegates oppose the war. Those delegates are in harmony with Bush and Veep Dick Cheney, even if 51 percent of all voters polled oppose the war.

That's the central difference between the GOP and the Democrats: The Democrats were willing to -- no, they chose to, by nominating Kerry -- sell out their core issue in order to beat George W. Bush.

That's how fanatical their hatred is.

Republicans, on the other hand, are willing to lose an election for a cause they believe in. Bush knew when he began that the war in Iraq could cost him the election, but he did what he thought was best. And he still isn't flinching.

This also sheds some light on the character of the two conventions - one sidestepping the records of its candidates, and some softshoe on the military service Kerry did three decades ago; the other aggressive, focused on the importance of one issue - the war on terror.

Debra concludes:

And many Democrats think that they're going to lose. A famous wartime poster had Winston Churchill's face looming over the words, "Deserve victory." You deserve victory when you believe in a cause so much that you are willing to take risks for it.

This year, the Democrats abandoned their principles, implying either that they don't trust the America people to appreciate their message, or that they don't trust their message. Democrats aren't willing to take risks, but they are willing to choose someone whom they want to mislead the public. For that alone, they deserve to lose, and I think they know it.

Just when you thought you'd seen the craziest lunacy the interweb had too offer, the Ministry is here to disabuse you of that notion. Herewith, a collection of truly disturbing gems from the darkest corners of the world spanning internet:

• Doing the Lynndie. Not sure what that is? Well, remember the disturbing image of Lynndie England pointing at the Iraqi POW's unit? Apparently people are taking it upon themselves to imitate her. Like this guy:

  

  Don't try this at home, as you'll likely get your ass whupped.

• Ever feeling a burning desire to crush your own nads? I never have, but the interweb has resources to help you do it correctly and effectively.

• Islam is the religion of peace - this is well known. But until recently Islam had lagged far behind other world religions in kitschy clocks. No longer! Welcome to Mosque Clock, home of the mosque shaped alarm clock! Don't miss your appointment with Allah, set your mosque clock, and it will tell you when to face Mecca.

  See the clock!

  

  Hear the clock! Now, if they were really smart, they'd include a compass.

• If you love someone set the free. If they don't come back, cremate them and turn their ashes into a diamond.
• Here are two completely different ways to increase productivity.
• Transformers breakdancing. And if they come into your room, you can retreat to your NBC protected, bulletproof and internet ready plush coffin.
• Finally, I am inflamed beyond the power of modesty! Touch my vitals quickly, lest I die!

Kerry's late night speech rather suprised me. You'd think that a nominally intelligent candidate for the highest office in the land would not, immediately after a opponent's convention that savaged his Senate record, jump right back to the one issue that has been the source of all his troubles for the last month.

"For the past week, they attacked my patriotism and my fitness to serve as commander in chief. Well, here's my answer. I'm not going to have my commitment to defend this country questioned by those who refused to serve when they could have...

The vice president even called me unfit for office last night. I guess I'll leave it up to the voters whether five deferments makes someone more qualified to defend this nation than two tours of duty.''

This ill-conceived rally, right after the end of the GOP convention, makes him look desperate. The tone and content of the speech makes him look ridiculous.

Now why would they be protesting the Republican National Convention?

Interested Participant links to a list of groups protesting the GOP confab, and I have to say that this list is the first evidence I've seen that the far left has a sense of humor. Oh wait, they're serious about those names. Sorry!

Here is an excerpt of the excerpt:

House of The Goddess Center for Pagan Wombyn
African Ancestral Lesbians United for Societal Change
Code Pink
Committee to Free Pedro Pacheco
Communist Party USA
Labone Branch of Ghana United Nations Association
League of Revolutionaries for a New America
Missing Kitten TV
Ronald Reagan Home for the Criminally Insane
Ruckus Society
Ukuleles For Sanity

and my personal favorite:

Victims of Direct Energy and Electronic Harassment

You can get the whole list here.

TL Hines alerts us to an article that is of particular relevance to our madly music reviewing minister Johno:

Clichés manage to find their way into our everyday language easily enough, but they're perhaps even more insidious in writing--so much so that certain communities of writers begin to fall prey (Was that a cliché? Yes, I think it was.) to a unique, snippet-filled shorthand.

Though the article is aimed at book reviewers, it is chock-full of tips for avoiding the landmines that litter the landscape of modern review writing.

A sprawling epic of an essay, an emotional rollercoaster that hits the ground running at breakneck speed.

Again via Rocket Jones, a link to the Winds of Change roundup of all the good news from Iraq. It's a long, long list.

Kerry really seems to want his cake and eat it too. If the soldiers in Vietnam were responsible for rapes, atrocities, and behaving in a manner reminiscent of Ghengis Khan as Kerry claimed that they did, perhaps that does make those who didn't serve there better qualified to be the leaders of our country. If soldiers in Vietnam, including Kerry, didn't do those things then perhaps if Kerry is to make such political hay out of his many medals he really ought to repudiate his comments from 1971. Either way, he's being hypocritical.

More information on Kerry's behavior after he came back from the 'Nam can be found at QandO, focusing on Operation RAW. (Link courtesy of Rocket Jones who has had a lot of good posts up recently.) Also, he apparently met with the North Vietnamese more than he had previously admitted, as FBI files show. This is arguably illegal. I don't think Kerry is being particularly forthcoming about his activities in the seventies in connection with the VVAW.

Everyone knows that when it comes to capricious backstabbing, random wantonness and general perfidiousness, nobody beats Ma Nature. The muscular and talented Phil Dennison has the details on some fairly badass relief efforts aimed at helping the victims of Hurricane Charley, and, we presume, the victims of Hurricane II: The Strange And Terrible Revenge Of Frances.

Great Western Media Satans Clear Channel and MTV have each launched a high-profile celebrity auction to raise money to aid the Red Cross' relief efforts in storm-hit areas. MTV's auction (full monty here) has items from the Video Music Awards, including everything from a sweaty wifebeater worn by Nelly (eww!) to guitars signed by Yoko Ono and Gwen Stefani (dude!!) to a Saturn VUE signed by everybody and their mother (sweet!!!!). Like seriously: everybody and their mother, Christina Aguilera, Carson Daly, Gwyneth Paltrow, Dave Navarro, Hulk Hogan, Will Smith, LL Cool J, Ludacris and the Beasties being among the signers.

ClearChannel's auction is a guitar bonanza, featuring guitars signed by everyone from The Nuge and Tenacious D to Alan Jackson. I even found one signed by JohnO, which is odd as I didn't even know I was in Five For Fighting! Where's my royalty checks and songwriter splits, dammit!? And why have I been writing such lameass songs?

If auctions aren't your thing, or if it's a ramen-in-the-dark-hiding-from-the-landlord kind of month, please consider donating to the Red Cross directly. The last tropical storm deluged my brother-in-law's family with ten feet of flood waters, and if Frances turns juuuuust a little to the north of it's present course my sister will have to run like hell for the high ground. Maybe these storms don't affect every one of us-- least of all those of us with the good sense not to live near the water in the Southern states-- but as REM taught us in "Everybody Hurts," human suffering is not only subjective but universal too.

If nothing else, bid on something for the queer satisfaction of seeing Clear Channel do something decent for a change.

Zell Miller's speech:

Damn!