If you would like C-3PO to comment on one of your blog posts, just send a trackback or e-mail me.

C-3PO comments on images found on Paris Hilton's hacked Sidekick: "Oh my!"

On Jeff Ganon/James Guckert's plans to sue Media Matters: "R-2 says the chances of winning are seven-hundred and twenty-five to one."

On Bill Burkett plans to sue CBS News for publishing his phony memo:""Sometimes I just don't understand human behavior."

On the USA Next advertisement: "Good heavens, gay you say?"

On former Kerry advisers working for the UN and making anti-Fox News ads:"I believe they think I'm some sort of god."

On Taliban giving up in Afghanistan:""Wait a minute! Where are you going!"

On the British Navy recruiting the gays:"Are they in need of a protocol robot?"

On Congressman Hinchey's retreat from reality: "Oh switch off!"

On Elizabeth Hurley in new Harry Potter movie: "Fabulous."

On Japan considering outlawing knives: ""Are you sure this thing is safe?"

On ex-Turkish PM on trial for fraud and corruption: "I believe it's some sort of Jawa dialect, sir."

On Simon's Asian blog roundup: "I am programmed in over 6 million languages, sir."

On the New Blog showcase:"We have found the computer outlet sir."

On the Llama Butchers:"The above photo-shop is designed primarily for Steve's screensaver? I'm not telling him that."

Update: On the Earthquake in Iran: "It's against my programming to impersonate a deity."

Update II: On efforts to remove life support from Terry Schiavo:"See above."

On Ward Churchill getting tenure by mistake:"I'm sorry, sir, my irony circuits seem to be on overload."

Update III: On the Editor's engagement to be married:"I say, good show."

On Hawaii outlawing the consumption of dog and cat meat:"Oh no the Rancor!"

Update IV: On Bush efforts to reforge old alliances: "Do take good care of yourself."

On President's day:"R2d2 You know better than to talk to a strange computer."

On Democratic Underground Hunter S. Thompson conspiracy theories:"Good heavens, no!"

UPDATE 2/23: On Michael Schiavo's attempts to kill his wife Terry: Click to here

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The AP reports that Interim Vice President Ibrahim al-Jaafari was chosen as his Shiite ticket's candidate for Iraq's next prime minister Tuesday, after Ahmad Chalabi dropped his bid.

Al-Jaafari has sent mixed signals about his Islamist ties. He is brother-in-law to the Grand Ayatollah Sistani, the most powerful cleric in Iraq. His ties to Iran are also deep. After a failed rebellion against Saddam Hussein in the 1970s, al-Jaafari fled to Iran in 1980 where he lived in exile until 1989. He then moved to London where he became the chief spokesman for theh Dawa party in exile until the US led ouster of the Baathist regime. His wife and children remain in London.

On the one hand he has stated that he believes Islam should be the only source of Iraq's fundamental law. A chilling statement for Iraq's Christian minority who would be forced to live in legal dhimmitude--or second class citizenship--if even moderate sharia law were imposed. For instance, Islamic law forbids the free expression of religion and prescribes the death penalty as the maximum sentence for Muslims who leave the faith. But even if the maximum penalty were not given any society that forbids apostasy as a matter of law is not free.

On the other hand Al-Jaafari has been generally supportive of Kurdish autonomy. He is expected to become Prime Minister with the support of the Kurdish ticket which came in second in the elections. He has also been a critic of Wahhabi style laws which restrict women from voting or even driving. He supported the US invasion and was part of the original governing body appointed by the Coalitin Authority.

More from Wikipidia and BBC.

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Markos 'Screw Them' Zuniga takes offense at the above advertisement by USA Next running at The American Spectator, former home of one David Brock--the man who owns Media Matters and employs a number of prominent left-wing bloggers.*

Apparently his readers take offense, too, and he has inspired a number of 'clever' photoshops. The America(it's all about the gay cock)blog actually has a funny photoshop (inspired by Atrios) and is the least offensive. Dohiyi Mir and Suburban Nomad so 'cleverly' comes up with a photoshop of Bush's 'real agenda' of torturing prisoners at Abu Ghraib and stomping out the Constitution, inspired, no doubt by Kos' use of the word fascist to describe the GOP today.

I, on the other hand, propose this less offensive photoshop that Kos, Atrios, and Media Matters in general has inspired.

UPDATE: Kevin Drum and Digby chime in on those Swift Boat liars. (via Meme Random)

UPDATE II: James Joyner has a good run-down on the controversy.

*For the record the banner ad is pretty lame and inflamatory. But mostly it's just gay.

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UPI is reporting that Newsweek says Gannon/Guckert plans to sue Media Matters. Yes, that Media Matters. UPI:

Former Talon News writer Jeff Gannon has threatened to sue the liberal groups and blogs who exposed his lack of credentials, Newsweek said Monday....

Gannon told Newsweek he was the victim of a "political assassination" committed by groups like Media Matters for America, a cyberspace watchdog organization founded by former investigative journalist David Brock, and is considering bringing suit against them, though the group does not seem concerned.

"Everything we wrote about him came from the public record," Brock said.

Reporting that Guckert was a gay prostititue, that's a fact. Reporting that he was a schill, that's an opinion. You can't sue because some one has a poor opinion of you.

RELATED!

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On Hunter S. Thompson Suicide: "Fear and loathing emanate from the dark-side."

On Paris Hilton phone hack: "Not the only Hilton you are. Another sister you have."

On Hugo Chavez's claims Bush is out to kill him:"True, it is not. True, it should be."

On Cartesian philosophy: "Be or be not. There is no think."

Update:
On Bush admitting to have smoked weed: "Adventure. Heh! Excitement. Heh! A Jedi craves not these things. Pass the fritos."

Update II: On man getting penis cut off in Alaska: "Concentrate...feel the Force flow. Oh, sorry, I forgot about that whole 'got my penis cut off' thing. My bad."

Update III: On advice to Democratic Congressman Maurice Hinchey: "Ohhh! Great warrior! Lies not make one great.

Update IV: On the burden a national ID card would place on 'transgendered' persons:"--------. Wait. ------. On, hold please. -----. -----. -----. Laugh, must not. ----"

Update V: On declining civility in Congress: "Stopped they must be; on this all depends."

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Thanks to Joshua Micah Mellancamp Boutros-Boutros Marshall, Duncan 'Atrios' Black, and dKos for pointing out that conservative lobbying group USA Next is going after the AARP (American Association of Retarded People). Something Kos calls "a knife in the back" because the AARP "dance[ed] with the devil" (Atrios' words) by supporting Bush's drug plan and Marshall characterizes as a 'scam' orchestrated by KKKarl Rove.

I am reassured by Marshall, dKos, Atrios, and Cousin Oliver that the left-wing MSM is just an illusion. That's good to know. For a minute there I thought the fact that the first paragraph of this NY Times piece tries to claim that the Swift Boat Veterans for Truth were a front for an "orchestrated attack." Must be one of those illusions.

Speaking for myself, I'd love to see the AARP fall and not get up. They are the largest and most powerful special interest group in the nation and their members are the recipients of the largest entitlement program in the US--Social Security.

So, what is the connection between the Swifties and USA Next? USA Next is hiring the same firm, Creative Response Concepts, that the Swifties hired for their advertising. Do you see the deep dark connection here? They're hiring the same advertising firm.

It gets worse than that, oh yes the evil roots of this conspiracy run deep, you see the people that work for that advertising firm are all Republicans. Yes, you heard me right, Republicans.

Not like at a place like Media Matters or the NY Times where there are an equal number of Republicans and Democrats.

Sounds like the kind of connection that is so important that the NY Times feels it has to run an article about it. Not that there is any agenda at the NY Times. That would be an illusion.

The fact that the NY Times goes on to list the names and incomes of people who were associated with the Swifty ads, and does so in five paragraphs of text, is practically overshadowed by the one sentence that mentions that the AARP has already spent $5 million on anti-Social Security reform advertisments.

See how fair the NY Times is?

And just to show how fair the Times is, they let the unsubstantiated allegation made by unnamed sources that the White House is actually coordinating the attack juggernaut. To their credit, the Times did not ask Carl Rove how long had it been since he stopped beating his wife.

I call that fair and balanced.

I just hope that the USA Next attack dog is somewhat more masculine than Josh Marshall's.

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An editorial in al Jazeera today quotes Jesus Christ as the basis for why Christian fundamentalists are just like Muslim fundamentalists. The gist of the editorial is that all religious fundamentalism is basically equivalent.

Citing religious scriptures serves as an illustrative example. Prophet Jesus said: "Blessed are the peacemakers" (Mathew 5:9), but he also warned his disciples: "Do not think that I have come to bring peace on Earth, I have not come to bring peace, but a sword" (Mathew 10:34). Prophet Muhammad affirmed: "I am the Prophet of Mercy", but he also said: "I am the Prophet of War".

Most Christians the world over, view Jesus as the Prince of Peace, a belief shared also by Muslims, but Christian fundamentalists in America look at him differently.

In their view, he is not the Jesus known for turning the other cheek (Matt 5:39) but a Jesus "from whose mouth comes a sharp sword with which to strike down the nations; he will rule them with an iron sceptre" (Revelation 19:15).

We have quite properly linked the fundamentalist religious tracts of Islam with the intolerance they nurture, and it is time to remove the motes from our own eyes. We should be embarrassed when our best-selling books (the Left Behind series) gleefully celebrate religious intolerance and violence against infidels.

If a professor of tafsir (exegeses of the Quran) becomes a president of any Muslim country today, the American media would fiercely condemn him and his rule as a "regime of mullahs", and the French media would condemn him as a "regime des barbus" (regime of the bearded ones).

But President Jimmy Carter was teaching tafsir (exegesis of the Bible here) in one of the churches of Washington DC during his White House years. Carter's book, Source of Strength, is a collection of his biblical lectures at that church; another instance of how religion and politics are intermingled in America today.

While Islamists want to enforce a theocracy, most Christians live peacefully with competing value systems. Christians believe in winning people through love, not conquest.

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Clue #1) Ansarnet, the radical Islamist webforum, is down. Since Zarqawi's Tawhid and Jihad sites were taken down this is where his al Qaeda in Iraq group has been posting.

Clue #2) Three Zarqawi aids killed--allegedly responsible for web-based propaganda. When I first challenged hackers to take down Zarqawi's site (which they did) I got a lot of e-mails from people saying, "Dude, don't you know they can track Zarqawi through his postings?" I never really believed them, as Zarqawi's folks had to be smart enough to mask their IPs....Maybe I was wrong.

Clue #3) Police seem to be capturing Zarqawi aids on a daily basis now. Take for instance this news from yesterday.

Final Clue) US launches major offensive against terrorist forces in operation River Blitz.

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*****Exclusive*****Must Cite Jawa Report****

Oliver Willis admits to first-hand knowledge of Gannongate. How else could he have known?

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1 Yes, I saw that. Oliver in an intemperate moment admitted he had first hand knowledge of Gannon. My respect for gannon sure has fallen if that is true.

Posted by: capt joe at February 21, 2005 03:57 PM (2grsP)

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Asking price? $820,000.00. Any offers?

UPDATE: Jeff Goldstein needs cash fast to fend off impending NY Times takeover bid!! Give 'til it hurts!!! For the love of all that is holy give!!!!

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Despite the disappointment that our crack young reporter Ace failed to get a pic of Gannon/Guckert at last weekends CPAC, the Llama Butchers pulled through and were able to uncover this photo of Bill of INDC Journal, Gordon the Cranky Neocon, and former White House frontman and gay icon Ari Fleishcer after one too many jello shots from Ann Coulter's belly-button. Needless to say, Matt Drudge was not amused.

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Centcom press release:

MOSUL, Iraq – An Iraqi Media Network worker was kidnapped by terrorists in Mosul Feb. 20.

Iraqi Media Network reporter Raaeda Al-Wazan was abducted while on her way to work. Terrorists contacted the station and threatened to continue to target employees.

The Mosul IMN station has been targeted by terorrists several times in the past week because they have been broadcasting programs that highlighted the negative effects of terrorist activity. Those programs have had rapidly growing support from Iraqi citizens and therefore have caused the station to be targeted.

Terrorists continue to disregard their fellow citizens, as Iraqi Security Forces and Multi-National Forces continue to perform operations to ensure the safety of Iraqi citizens.

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Medien Kritik notes that Germany's left-leaning anti-American party loses ground in a regional election. Mixed results in Europe this weekend, though, as the Socialist party wins 120 out of 230 seats in Portugal. Incoming Socialist Prime Minister Jose Socrates was against the US led invasion of Iraq. He replaces pro-American Pedro Santana Lopes.

Others: Vodkapundit, Peaktalk

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Digger has some exclusive pics of the car belonging to Steve and Virginia Pearcy, the couple responsible for hanging an effigy of a US soldier at their Sacramento, CA home. No surprises here.

The car is a Porsche. Remember, Sacramento is their second home. Their first home is in Berkeley.

A placard on the high-priced car reads:

F*ck Bush
F*ck the Police
F*ck the US Government
F*ck Israel
F*ck SUVs
Burn American Flags

Remember, it's the Red Staters who are mean and intolerant.

Related: Soldier's Uniform Hangs From Noose In Front Of Home, Effigy Maker on US Troops: "I hope they all die"

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In every single beheading and murder video produced by the jihadis in Iraq, the victim is first forced to confess. Earlier this month we reported how the new Chief of Police in Mosul was taping confessions from those responsible for murder and broadcasting them. Images of the terrorists murdering helpless victims are juxtaposed with the same men, now broken and seemingly penitent. It seems the show is a big hit in Iraq and is in syndication. This week the national Iraqiya television station began running taped confessions of terrorists following the same format. Notice that Syria plays a prominent role in the confessions.

Reuters:

Iraq's U.S.-backed interim government is stepping up its propaganda war with insurgents by broadcasting videotaped interviews with suspects who appear to confess to killings, rape and theft on the orders of guerrillas.

The offensive was launched in recent weeks on state-run Iraqiya television, which broadcast lengthy interrogations of Iraqis it said had carried out terrorist acts under the direction of "Abdullah", described as a criminal with close ties to Syria.....

Before each man spoke, Iraqiya showed images of masked insurgents in black throwing a kidnapped hostage to the ground before beheading him.

One suspect questioned on Sunday, identified as Saad Ghanim, said he was paid $500 (260 pounds) to help steal $30,000 and then kill the owner of the cash. He said insurgents took the rest of the money to finance their activities.

"They told me I had to fight a holy war against the Americans. Abdullah told me my children would be killed if I did not obey," he said.

"I used the stolen money for gambling."

The interviewer encouraged the men to speak about "filthy crimes" and constantly mentioned Syria.

"So were these goods smuggled with the knowledge of the Syrian government?" he asked.

A suspect named Farhan first said yes and then no....

Ghanim described how he and several other people, including Abdullah, kidnapped a 20-year-old woman, put her in the trunk of a car and then raped and killed her.

"Don't you have a conscience?" asked the interviewer.

The men replied that intimidation and poverty had driven them to join the insurgents and kill and steal from innocents.

"I and someone else held the girl and then Abdullah slaughtered her," said Farhan.

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Despite the many differences we have with Russia over Iran, the fact remains that they are a key ally in the War on Terror. The reason Russia supports the Iranian nuclear program is it is because it is in their national interest to do so--they are the ones that sold Iran their reactors. The Russians might be induced to support our policy of Iranian containment if we were more vocal in our support of Russia's fight against the jihadis in Chechnya. Our criticism of the harsh tactics used by Russia in that fight is a major source of tensin between the two countries.

MosNews:

An al Qaeda member known as Abu Dzeit has been killed in the Russian internal republic of Ingushetia, Russian authorities said Monday.

“A joint operation with the Interior Ministry was conducted in a private house in a village in Ingushetia on February 16,” spokesman for the Federal Security Service Sergei Ignatchenko told reporters on Monday.

“The operation first resulted in the death of two of his accomplices. Abu Dzeit hid in a special bunker built under the house. When the entrance was discovered, he blew himself up,” Ignatchenko said.

He said investigators identified the body as Abu DzeitÂ’s.

A source in the FSB, RussiaÂ’s domestic security service, told RIA-Novosti that Abu Dzeit, eliminated in Ingushetia, was the leader of the so-called Ingush Jamaat and an emissary of the international terror network al Qaeda. He was also known as little Omar, and Abu Omar of Kuwait.

Abu Dzeit reported directly to Abu Havs, a purported coordinator of all terrorist activities on Russian territory, a source said. Abu Dzeit had received special training in al Qaeda camps in Afghanistan. Later he was appointed al QaedaÂ’s envoy to Ingushetia.

He was in charge of distributing cash funds provided by al Qaeda to radical Islamists in the Northern Caucasus.

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Al Qaeda in Iraq's propaganda chief has been killed in Iraq! You may know Adel Mujtaba's work from such blockbuster hits as Abu Musab al-Zarqawi Cuts Off the Head of Paul Johnson & Kenneth Bigly Execution: The Video. The best part of Mujtaba's death is that he was apparently in charge of the now defunct websites which Tawhid and Jihad used to run. News24:

Iraqi security forces have killed a propaganda chief of al-Qaeda's frontman in Iraq, Abu Musab al-Zarqawi, the government said on Sunday.

Security forces "killed the terrorist Adel Mujtaba, known as Abu Rim, who disseminated propaganda for Abu Musab al-Zarqawi's terrorist network", it said in a statement.

One of Abu Rim's associates, Abu al-Izz, was also killed in the same raid on February 11, it added, without saying why it was only now releasing news of the raid.

"Abu Rim specialised in creating terrorist websites which encouraged terrorism," the statement said.

"He glorified the murder of innocent people and published images which included terrorists torturing hostages."

Abu Rim is the third Zarqawi propaganda chief to be killed or detained after the alleged first and second in command, Abu Sufiyan and Husam Abdullah Muhsin al-Dulaymi, were respectively killed and detained, the statement added, without providing further details.

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It's not just you. The mu.nu server seems to be cutting in and out. Sorry.

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Two Indonesian journalists have been released by their captors. A video and still photographs were delivered to the Associated Press today showing the hostages receiving gift baskets, books, and shaking hands with the terrorists who had threatened to murder them only days before.

The two, Meutya Hafid and her cameraman known only as Budianto, were captured on January 31st, but Indonesia did not report their plight until last week [background here]. A hostage video then emerged two days ago and aired by the openly pro-terrorist al Jazeera televison [background here].

The AP reports that one of the masked terrorists in the video says:

"For reasons of suspicion, these two journalists were arrested. Based on the goodwill they showed, and respecting the feelings of brotherhood and Islam between the two countries, and respecting the Indonesian anti-occupation role, we decided to release the two journalists without any conditions or ransom."

Apparently, their sympathy with the terrorists saved their lives. Those worried about Giuliana Sgrena might be somewhat relieved to hear that.

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How does the Department of Political Science at Tattooine University celebrate President's day, you ask?

Wait, TODAY is President's Day? Is that, like, a holiday? You mean the rest of you get A DAY OFF?

Not around here. No-sir-ree-bop. Today is a WORK DAY for me. So if I'm a little more mean-spirited today you know why. Sour grapes.

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