Just last night, my friend Sam and I were talking about how much we both hate the movie Titanic. It started with a discussion of how I’ve been banned from seeing certain films that other friends adore, like Shakespeare in Love, because I have a reputation for mocking mush and they don’t want to have to hear me rag on certain films. I was telling Sam that it’s really a rather unfair categorization, since its genesis was my bursting out laughing in the middle of Titanic, as Leonardo DiCaprio’s dead, frozen body sunk into the murk right after Kate Winslet murmured, “I’ll never let go, Jack.” *splash glug glug*
“Wasn’t that a comedy?” Sam asked.
“Apparently not,” I replied.
“I had no idea.”
“Nor me.”
So it was both with coincidence and no small amount amusement I found this mash-up trailer for “Titanic II” at Dlisted. Funny stuff.
Titanic II
Pledge a Protestor
Best Column Ever!
It’s called “The Hazards of Duke: Predatory Feminism” (the hat tip goes to Samhita at Feministing) and it was penned by David R. Usher, President of the American Coalition for Fathers and Children, Missouri Coalition, and it is one of the best defenses of feminism I have ever read—although I can assure you, that was not Mr. Usher’s intent.
You really must read the whole thing to appreciate it in all its luminescent glory, but here are some of my favorite parts:
Rapists sneak around and do things as anonymously as possible. They plan their mark and then police spend a lot of time and resources to figure out who did it. Gang-raping women in busy college party bathrooms while hollering racial epithets is not something that happens even at “Animal House”.I’m so glad that’s all cleared up. I guess we should release all the convicted rapists who committed their dirty deeds to film or turn gang-rape into a public spectator sport, since you’re only a real rapist if you’re clandestine and anonymous.
My prediction: The case will be quietly TUA’d and quickly replaced with a tremendous civil suit against the University (buffered by Duke-educated “experts” from the local women’s abuse center).Wow. Just wow.
This is exactly what the University deserves for allowing feminists to run the campus in the first place, while stifling the healthy political and social views of heterosexual men. Organized feminism is about women and trial lawyers using sex to make money from a pedestal of feigned Victorian purity.
He then goes on to declare the mission statement of Duke’s women’s studies department “an end-stage fascist manifesto.” As one would expect, it outlines an attempt to broaden the scope of how we view the world, to incorporate a spectrum of opinion and experience from members of each “gender, race, sexuality, class, and nationality.” Which is, you know, sort of the opposite of fascism.
But he doesn’t stop there. Mr. Usher’s got some recommendations, too.
My message to men and real women on college campuses everywhere: Stay away from feminists and strippers. The last thing you want to date is a girl who studies feminism. Be sure she believes in equal rights for men to be in the family. Make certain she rejects feminism before even asking her out on a date. Get to know her previous boyfriend to find out why they broke up. If she says he is a jerk but he isn’t, you probably have a feminist on your hands.I’m not sure from where he’s getting his numbers. I suspect that “over half” is referring to the divorce rate, which pretty much makes that a declaration that no marriage has ever ended through any fault of a man’s. I’ll be sure to call my ex-husband and let him know he’s off the hook; it wasn’t both of our failings after all. Just mine. He should be very pleased.
…Feminism has already destroyed over half the husbands and fathers in America. What you fail to do now is what you will get later.
I wondered, as I read this delightful jeremiad, who the audience for Mr. Usher’s work really is. Who are the men who read Men’s News Daily? And then I noticed the advertising, right next to the prominently displayed picture of Mr. Usher himself, clearly targeted to the expectations of a specific audience as are all adverts. I did a screen grab, so you could surmise for yourself the mentality of those to whom this swill is being marketed.
You know you want to!
If Rumsfeld didn't leave over Abu Ghraib...
...he certainly won't leave because six retired guys now say he should, no matter how many stars they used to wear, no matter how many different reasons they list for his dismissal. Rumsfeld is the chief architect of the invasion and occupation of Iraq, wholly and repeatedly endorsed by a president who wanted this war in the worst way.
President Bush said Friday that his embattled Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld has his "full support and deepest appreciation.""Earlier today I spoke with Don Rumsfeld about ongoing military operations in the Global War on Terror," Bush said in the statement released by the White House. "I reiterated my strong support for his leadership during this historic and challenging time for our Nation."
This goes well beyond George Bush's vaunted penchant for personal loyalty, which was always markedly overstated anyway. Ask Colin Powell about that sometime. Or Harriet Miers. No, Rumsfeld's viability is inextricably bound to Bush's credibility regarding the war on Iraq, its unlikely yet still-hoped-for success, its cost in blood and treasure, its effect on the stability of the wider Middle East and even the world.
A repudiation of this secretary of defense means, for Bush, a repudiation of the entire Iraq misadventure.
And that's why the SecDef's job is as safe as houses - as safe as the White House, at least. The only way that Rumsfeld leaves is if Bush leaves with him.
(Identical to this piece cross-posted here. Not identical to Paul's piece on the subject cross-posted there.)
Friday Blogrollin'
When I finally manage to get this stinking blog republished, the following blogs will be added to the blogroll, so stop by and say hi to:
The Psychotic Patriot
I Am the Lizard Queen
Bitch Lab
Gideon Starorzewski
3 Quarks Daily
Blue Gal
As always, feel free to make blogroll recommendations in comments, especially for your own blog.
RIP Rev. William Sloane Coffin
The Rev. William Sloane Coffin, a civil rights and anti-war advocate, has died at 81.
[H]e used his ministry to draw attention to the plight of the poor, to question American political and military power, to encourage interfaith understanding, and to campaign for nuclear disarmament. Courage, he preached over the years, was the first virtue, because "it makes all other virtues possible."Compare this to the Pope’s decision to use the occasion of Good Friday to
deliver a blistering attack on the “satanic” mores of modern society today, warning against an “inane apologia of evil” that is in danger of destroying humanity.Charming.
In a series of Good Friday meditations that he will lead in Rome, the Pope will say that society is in the grip of a kind of “anti-Genesis” described as “a diabolical pride aimed at eliminating the family”. He will pray for society to be cleansed of the “filth” that surrounds it and be restored to purity, freed from “decadent narcissism”.
Yesterday, in response to Spudsy’s post, I commented about the problem that arises out of Christian church leaders continuing to promulgate a doctrine of discrimination. There are denominations which don’t denounce homosexuality or reproductive freedom, who are willing to ordain women and regard them as equals within the church infrastructure, but they remain a frustratingly distant minority. This is not to suggest that every Christian who attends a church founded on a doctrine of passive or active discrimination is him- or herself personally engaged in discrimination (though if they're putting coin in the collection plates every week, they're subsidizing it), but for those adherents who are, they use the existence of such doctrine as justification for their actions. Hostility breeds hostility, which inevitably manifests in other forms.
What, exactly, are Catholics meant to take away from the Pope’s screed? That those things he deems “aimed at eliminating the family” should be regarded with apathy, or that they should actively endeavor to put a stop to them? This is the danger of espousing a doctrine of discrimination. Many of its subscribers will discriminate, and feel justified in doing so.
The Rev. William Sloane Coffin has his modern heirs. They preach a positive message, a message of inclusion. But they are being drowned out, and not just by the people who we criticize for acting seemingly in contradiction to Jesus’ teachings. They are being drowned out by the silent enablers who continue to act largely free of condemnation—Christian church leadership who provide the basis for their beliefs and actions. Not just Jerry Falwell, or James Dobson, or Pat Robertson, but the ministers and priests in small churches in small towns across the country, from a myriad of denominations, and the denomination leadership, who, whether they actively incite discrimination or not, continue to provide a basis for its existence. Saying, “We preach that homosexuality is evil, and that women are not equal in every part of society (starting with our church), and that birth control and abortion are abominations, but we don’t expect our parishioners to actually turn that into discriminatory action in society” just isn’t good enough. (And many of them don’t say that at all, but hope that the butts who fill the pews on Sunday genuinely do turn such preaching into political action.) It's not a coincidence that the denominations whose doctrine encourages full equality and inclusion don't have a marauding mass of bigots seeking to codify discrimination into the fabric of our society.
Simply disapproving of adherents who act on the doctrine effectively treats doctrine as bursting forth from a void. A man like Rev. William Sloane Coffin reminds us that is not so. Christian leadership, like the leadership of any other political or social movement, must share in the responsibility for the doctrine they form and transmit—and if that doctrine is inciting discrimination and hatred, it’s not enough to suggest that the wagers of the crusade should know better.
Seriously, how do they live with themselves?
Wait... I think we can scrape a little bit more off the bottom of this barrel....
I was listening to the radio this morning, and one of the topics discussed was the group of retired war generals that are coming forward to demand Rumsfeld's resignation, and basically pointing out that the Iraq debacle is an immense SNAFU.
Last month, another top officer who served in Iraq, retired Army Maj. Gen. Paul Eaton, wrote an opinion piece for the New York Times in which he called Rumsfeld "incompetent strategically, operationally and tactically." Eaton, who oversaw the training of Iraqi army troops in 2003-2004, said that "Mr. Rumsfeld must step down."
Also, retired Marine Gen. Anthony Zinni, a longtime critic of Rumsfeld and the administration's handling of the Iraq war, has been more vocal lately as he publicizes a new book, "The Battle for Peace."
"The problem is that we've wasted three years" in Iraq, said Zinni, who was the chief of the U.S. Central Command, which oversees Iraq and the rest of the Middle East, in the late 1990s. He added that he "absolutely" thinks Rumsfeld should resign.
On Tuesday, Gen. Peter Pace, who is the first Marine to serve as chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, attempted to tamp down the revolt of the retired generals. No officers were muzzled during the planning of the invasion of Iraq, he said.
"We had then and have now every opportunity to speak our minds, and if we do not, shame on us," he said at a Pentagon briefing. "The articles that are out there about folks not speaking up are just flat wrong."
"Wow," I thought, "How long is it going to take the 'Support the Troops' Right to drag themselves out of their slime pits and attack the Generals?"
Apparently, not long at all.
If you are a true believer neocon who was one of the leading advocates of this war, and you are petrified that the blame for this disaster will justifiably be pinned to your head forever, what to do about these Generals? Easy - attack their motives and patriotism and insist that nobody should listen to them on matters such as military strategy, but instead should continue to follow the armchair general pundits like Victor Davis Hanson who led us into this debacle.Read the whole thing. These douchebags are the lowest of the low, and they should have this disaster pinned to their heads forever. Seriously... how do they live with themselves?
(Big Bottom... Big Bottom... talk about cross-posts, my gal's got 'em...)
"Name That Cult Movie"- The Answering
Here there be answers! The photo is from Polyester, the John Waters film that featured the miracle of "Odorama," a scratch 'n sniff card with numbered spots; when a number flashed on the screen, you would scratch the same spot on your card and experience the odors of flowers, pizza, dirty sneakers and farts. A miracle in modern filmmaking!
1. Wild Zero- A rock 'n roll/zombie/ufo/completely gonzo flick featuring Guitar Wolf (pictured in the post yesterday), "Japan's Greatest Rock 'n Roll Band." They really have to be seen to be believed. Sadly, one of the members of the Band, Billy, recently passed away. However, they appear to be re-grouping, so if they come to your town, definitely catch them. I should also note that this is one of the most pro-transexual and pro-gender-blind love movies that I've ever seen. Check it out!
2. Piranha- The Joe Dante campy "Jaws" tribute. Or parody. Or rip off. Whatever you want to call it, it's great fun. Kentucky Fried Movie also had lots of fun with that "film at eleven" line: "The popcorn you're eating has been pissed in... film at eleven!"
3. Polyester- When good crafts go bad.
4. Repo Man- I hadn't seen this flick in such a long time that I had to rely on my friend Grendel72 to give me the quote. Now that the anniversary collector's edition DVD has been released, I'll have to check it out again. Warning: May contain traces of Emilio Estevez.
5. The House on Haunted Hill- The original, with my hero, Vincent Price. The dialogue came from a delightfully nasty exchange between Vince and his wife, who is hoping he'll kick the bucket soon so she can run off with all his money. Let's just say that Vince and an acid pit in the cellar may have something to say about all that.
6. Children Shouldn't Play With Dead Things- A very painful-to-sit-through zombie flick, with a few classic moments. As has been noted on many movie sites, the scariest thing in the film is the main character's pants. The best moment is at the very end of the film, (*spoilers!!*) when the zombies have broken into the house and are chowing down on what remains of the cast. The main character, Alan, tosses one of his friends down the stairs to the zombies to save his own cowardly ass. This is such a slimy display of cowardice that she, and even the zombies themselves take a beat to stare at him in complete disgust and disbelief. Apparently, this film is currently going through a re-make; it'll be interesting to see if it ever comes out.
7. Killer Klowns from Outer Space- Natch. This line is uttered by the nasty cop, Officer Mooney (played by the very missed John Vernon as only he can). Let's just say that his choice of words becomes very ironic later in the film.
8. Johnny Dangerously- My favorite character in this film is the grouchy cleaning lady in the courthouse, and this exchange between her and Maureen Stapleton is just hysterical. This film also features the last time Joe Piscopo was funny.
9. It Conquered the World- I've used this film several times in the past for this game, partially because it has so much fantastic dialogue. Also, I just really love this movie! Where's the DVD release, dammit?
10. The Tingler- Another exchange between Vincent Price and yet another gold-digging wife. When is Vince gonna learn?
Thank you for playing! You'll all get a copy of "Name That Cult Movie" the Home Game, and a year's supply of Rice-A-Roni, the SanFrancisco Treat!
Question of the Day
Pick one of your favorite films. Then answer: If you could see it remade by any director (living or dead), whose treatment would you most like to see?
An Inconvenient Truth
Below is the trailer for Al Gore’s upcoming film, An Inconvenient Truth, about the threat of global warming. (If you can’t see it in-page, go here.) Thanks for the heads-up to Ezra, who notes, “[I]t's a helluva trailer. My guess is that the reaction, and reassessment, triggered by this film will decide whether Gore enters the 2008 race. And with a teaser like this, the film could have a monstrous impact.” Described as “The story of former Vice President Al Gore's crusade to bring greater knowledge of global warming to the world at large,” the film will no doubt be another painful reminder of what could have been, but maybe, just maybe, it will help open some eyes to what could be, by making clear our inevitable future if we continue down the path we're currently on.
Mr. Unpopular
In a telling reflection of Bush's erosion in public support, 54% said they did not trust him to "make the right decision about whether we should go to war with Iran," while 42% of respondents said they trusted him to do so.In the words of a very wise man, “Fool me once, shame on…shame on you… Fool me…can’t get fooled again.”
That was a reversal of public sentiment since 2003, on the eve of Bush's decision to invade Iraq, when 55% of respondents said they trusted him to make the right decision over whether to go to war.
I know it’s really liberal-traitor of me and everything, but nonetheless I’d like to point out that a country whose majority doesn’t trust its president to make the right decisions about war is a country in grave danger indeed.
Nigeria: a homobigot's dream land
Nigeria is the homobigot’s dream country. A law was proposed by the country’s president, Olusegun Obasanjo, that would criminalize even attending a gay wedding or being a member of a GLBT organization—and even living with a person of the same-sex. Obasanjo is really freaked out by gay people--you’d almost think his real name was Peter LaBarbera.
It would impose a five year sentence on any same-couple who marries or goes abroad to marry. It also bans same-sex couples from living together, wed or not, outlaws adoption by gays and goes so far as to make it a criminal offense to be a member of a gay club, social organization or LGBT civil rights group.
The legislation would also impose a prison term on anyone who attends a same-sex union, witnesses a union or celebrates a ceremony involving gay or lesbian couples.
It doesn’t just affect the people who are Nigerian:
The bill would include foreigners living in Nigeria – a move that has humanitarian aid organizations concerned.
Gay or lesbian aid workers who go to Nigeria from countries where same-sex marriage is legal would have their passports scrutinized for any indication of their sexuality or marital status.
Get this:
The bill also says that publicity or any public display of “same-sex amorous relationships” including those depicted in the electronic or print media physically, directly, indirectly or otherwise are prohibited under penalty of imprisonment in Nigeria.
Sounds just plain ol' batshit insane, doesn’t it? Well, it the same kind of country the AFA and their ilk are lusting for this country to be like. Maybe the AFA members will vacation there instead of Australia.
(have cross-post, will travel...but not to Nigeria)
Big Brother
Lindsay picks up a significant story in the continuing NSA spy scandal from Wired News:
AT&T is seeking the return of technical documents presented in a lawsuit that allegedly detail how the telecom giant helped the government set up a massive internet wiretap operation in its San Francisco facilities.No doubt, Klein is just a disgruntled crackpot. Or will be, as far as the media is concerned, once the Rovian spin machine kicks into action.
In papers filed late Monday, AT&T argued that confidential technical documents provided by an ex-AT&T technician to the Electronic Frontier Foundation shouldn't be used as evidence in the case and should be returned.
The documents, which the EFF filed under a temporary seal last Wednesday, purportedly detail how AT&T diverts internet traffic to the National Security Agency via a secret room in San Francisco and allege that such rooms exist in other AT&T switching centers.
…[Mark Klein, a former technician who worked for AT&T for 22 years] issued a detailed public statement last week, saying he came forward because he believes the government's extrajudicial spying extended beyond wiretapping of phone calls between Americans and a party with suspected ties to terrorists, and included wholesale monitoring of the nation's internet communications.
AT&T built a secret room in its San Francisco switching station that funnels internet traffic data from AT&T Worldnet dialup customers and traffic from AT&T's massive internet backbone to the NSA, according to a statement from Klein.
Klein's duties included connecting new fiber-optic circuits to that room, which housed data-mining equipment built by a company called Narus, according to his statement.
Narus' promotional materials boast that its equipment can scan billions of bits of internet traffic per second, including analyzing the contents of e-mails and e-mail attachments and even allowing playback of internet phone calls.
Thursday "Name That Cult Movie" Game
Perhaps we could all use a little bit of frivolity. You know, before we're all blown to smithereens in another one of Dick Cheney's blockheaded schemes.
Read the quotes, and leave your guesses in the comments. Remember, every time you cheat using the IMDB, the Easter Bunny gets a painful kidney stone.
1. "Love has no borders, nationalities, or genders! Rock and roll!"
2. "Terror, horror, death. Film at eleven."
3. "I never wanted to use macramé to kill!"
4. "I don't approve of drugs."
"Neither do I, but it's my birthday."
5. Frederick: "Do you remember the fun we had when you poisoned me?"
Annabelle: (laughs) "Something you ate, the doctor said."
Frederick: "Yes, arsenic on the rocks."
6. "Humans are machines for generating manure."
7. "Go ahead, Dave! Make a dummy out of yourself! But you're not gonna make a dummy out of me!"
8. "We got a lot in common, you and I"
"Like what?"
"We both scrub floors for a living, we're both swell lookers, and neither one of us is Chinese."
9. First scientist: "All right, let’s assume you’re right. A superior intelligence has come from Venus – in my satellite! – established residency, turned off the world’s power, and is about to take over the world’s population--- Why aren’t you fighting it?"
Second scientist: "Because this superior intelligence happens to be a personal friend of mine!"
10. Wife: "Home so soon?"
Husband: "Did you hear what the little husband said to the big wife?"
Wife: "Is this another of you oblique jokes?"
Husband: "He said, "Why does the back door slam every time I come in the front door?"
I Got Your War on Easter Right Here
Okay, not right here. Auf Deutschland:
A German man has taken legal action against the Easter Bunny for grievous bodily harm.LOL. Something tells me Mr. Avenarius might not have been being totally serious.
Karl-Friedrich Lentze, from Berlin, has filed a complaint with prosecutors, accusing it of causing addiction to chocolate which leads to heart attacks, obesity and strokes.
Lentze said: "The Easter Bunny is a sadistic and unscrupulous offender who preys on people's sweet tooth. Find this evil bunny, handcuff his paws and remove him from shops in time for Easter."
Public prosecutor spokesman Christian Avenarius said: "We will act upon the complaint with speed and diligence."
Mike Gravel Running for President
Mike Gravel has announced that he will announce his candidacy for the presidency on Monday.
If you’re like me, you’re asking two questions:
1. How weird is announcing an announcement?
and
2. Who’s Mike Gravel?
Okay, well, Question 2 sort of answers Question 1, I guess. When no one knows who you are, you’ve got to generate some buzz. As for the answer to Question 2, Mike Gravel was a Democratic Senator from Alaska from 1969 to 1980 (here’s some crap he did), and now promotes the National Initiative for Democracy, which seeks to empower people to become lawmakers—a concept with which I’m not sure I agree, considering that the majority of this country voted twice for George Bush.*
Anyhow, he’s now just shy of his 76th birthday, and now lives in Arlington, Virginia. He seems like a feisty old dude and might be interesting (or something) to have in the race, if his candidacy actually goes anywhere.
One rather disturbing thing, though, is that Gravel apparently appeared as a speaker at the June 2003 conference of a Holocaust-deniers' publication. Every report on this I found leads back to the same source, which certainly implies that he was not there in any capacity other than as a Holocaust denier himself. I’d be interested to hear if anyone knows any more details about this.
--------------------
* Obviously that's not true, but you get my drift.
Stunning
You’ve got to read this piece by Larisa at Raw Story. Briefly, the Defense Department is using Mujahedeen-e Khalq, a terrorist insurgent group as an “operational asset” to lay the groundwork for an attack on Iran by creating conflict within the Sunni population.
According to all three intelligence sources, military and intelligence officials alike were alarmed that instead of securing a known terrorist organization, which has been responsible for acts of terror against Iranian targets and individuals all over the world – including US civilian and military casualties – Rumsfeld under instructions from Cheney, began using the group on special ops missions into Iran to pave the way for a potential Iran strike.Go read the whole thing. Seriously, we need to raise a humongous stink about this—and start petitioning the Dems to do the same. This is an absolute outrage.
“They are doing whatever they want, no oversight at all,” one intelligence source said.
[…]
“We are already at war,” the UN official told RAW STORY.
Asked how long the MEK agents have been active in the region under the guidance of the US military civilian leadership, the UN official explained that the clandestine war had been going on for roughly a year and included unmanned drones run jointly by several agencies.
In a stunning repeat of pre-war Iraq activities, the Bush administration continues to publicly call for action and pursue diplomatic solutions to allegations that Iran is bomb-ready. Behind the scenes, however, the administration is already well underway and engaged in ground operations in Iran.
Delusional
If you think the unwavering support for Bush that we were discussing yesterday is insane, check this out:
Powerline’s Hinderaker endorses DeLay for OMB Director: “No one knows more about the budget. And I’d like to see the administration show some support for DeLay.”(The Office of Management and Budget is vacant because of Josh Bolten’s promotion after Andy Card’s resignation.)
I’ve always wondered with what, exactly, that delicious Kool-Aid is spiked. I used to think maybe LSD, except I’ve dropped plenty of acid and not a single time did I hallucinate pink unicorns, believe I could fly, or succumb to outrageous fantasies like Tom DeLay as OMB Director being a good idea. (It was more of a “that crack in the ceiling is totally cool” thing.) So I’ve got no idea what it is. Maybe some kind of synthetic mind-altering drug concocted by scientists secreted away deep in Dark Lord Cheney’s “undisclosed location,” which I’m fairly certain is a underground bunker with air so thin it causes irreparable brain damage to anyone who isn’t at least 50% cyborg. It’s probably all the scientists who had the audacity to question the administration; one offhand comment about prematurely declaring Ground Zero safe, and they were whisked off to work on Kool-Aid enhancers for the rest of their pitiable lives, endlessly tortured by their proximity to the caged virgins whose blood is harvested for Cheney’s baths. Poor sods.
Anyway, whatever it is, Hindrocket’s obviously hooked himself to an IV so a steady stream can be delivered, lest he accidentally have a lucid thought.
