If I don't blog in the next 24 hours it's because of a certain weather related phenomenon. That is all.

UPDATE: Nope, I'm here. No problems.

Posted by: Rusty at 09:25 PM | Comments (3) | Add Comment
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A reader named Melissa Rutledge participated in last weekends Move America Forward rally at The Shrine of the Perpetual Lady of Mourning, otherwise known as Camp Casey. Here are some of her observations, you can leave comments for her below. Pics from the rally are below:

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We decided to drive from Austin to Crawford to participate in the Move America Forward tour. It was about a 2 hour drive.

We arrived at about 1:00pm just as the rally was beginning. The MAF tour started with a Christian prayer, which in these days of political correctness was more than just a little refreshing!

A number of speakers including several state senators and reps spoke to the crowd. Darryl Ancarlo was a crowd-pleaser and was rather potent in his comments. Ted Nugent's wife was there and spoke briefly about raising money for an awning at Brooks Army Medical Center for the wounded and recovering to be outdoors and sit under (particularly for the burned soldiers who cannot be in direct sunlight), to enable them to go outside.

One speaker was a father of a soldier in sniper training in Iraq. He said he spoke to his son on the phone, who told him that Sheehan's comments were actually goading on the insurgents and told his father to send this message: "Cindy Sheehan, Shut up! You are getting us killed!"

The crowd went wild!

About halfway through, a group of Sheehan supporters snuck in and hoisted some large signs in the middle of the crowd. A few minutes of palpable tension rose as the crowd -en-masse- roughed them up a little and literally ran them out of the rally, took their signs which were torn up them up then tossed them on the ground like the trash they were. The Sheehan people were mobbed by the press- which is all they really wanted. We listened to them talk and they bragged about going around the country and doing this at other rallies.

Most of the men involved with the group were from Minnesota! Long drive!
Welcome to Texas boys - now get out!

Obviously they are "professional" protesters.

The rally broke up as some of the Gold Star family members demanded that their children's names be removed from Sheehan's crosses from her demonstration! The McClennan County Sheriff's Department escorted the families to retrieve them.

There were probably between 2000 and 3000 pro- Bush supporters who descended on this little one-stoplight town.

The county sheriff's department was on hand as well as most of the local police from several surrounding towns. The Crawford town square was packed with pro- Bush / troop supporters. Lots of memorials and memorabilia stands.

We then drove out of the town to where the Cindy Sheehan camp is set up near the Bush ranch. Based on the media coverage, we believed that this would be a huge camp but when we got there, we saw only between 60 and 75 pro-Sheehan people camped.

It was a filthy crowd of sour-faced, long-haired, bitter-looking people. There was a sense of darkness over this crowd that is hard to describe. Their camp is just set up on a typical back-country Texas rural road. They have their tents set up along a fence line next to a corn field. It literally looked like an old hippy camp!

The most amazing thing about the Sheehan crowd, there was not a single American flag on display.

The pro-Bush people were on the North side of the street the Sheehan zoo on the South. Hmmm. North and South again!

Our side was rowdy and alive with signs, flags and loud pro-American yelling and taunting. Lot's of Texans on our side!

I made the mistake when we first arrived of trying to walk across the road to get some pictures of their group. When I tried to return to our side a sheriff's deputy told me that anyone who stepped into the road or crossed from one camp to the other was subject to immediate arrest!

If I had done anything other than very quickly apologize, feign ignorance and grovel a bit I would have been introduced to the Crawford jail!

All in all, it was an interesting experience. We thought Al Sharpton was going to be there Saturday, but his schedule was changed - Darn!
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Captain Ed also has a reader's account here. And the message is “All things bad are America’s fault”. more...

Posted by: Rusty at 07:04 PM | Comments (14) | Add Comment
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I hate being in academia. Except for the summers off. And the respect. And the hot young chicks. Wait, did I say I hate academia? What was I thinking?

Jeff Goldstein at Protein Wisdom deconstructs this article by The Stranger on why there are so few Republicans in academia and why this is a good thing. I'm sure Derrida would be rolling over in his grave if he learned that his little rhetorical trick which he called a methodology could be used to find the real meaning embedded in the structures of linguistic oppression by those on the Left as well as the Right. That is, unless death isn't just a social construct....

Goldstein:

In “Lessons Learned: Red States May Be Outbreeding Blue States, but Blue Cities—Particularly Blue College Towns—Can Help Turn the Tide,” Bill Savage, a lecturer in the Department of English and a college adviser at Northwestern University in Evanston, Illinois, argues that indoctrination is not really indoctrination when it’s people like him doing the indoctrinating; instead, it’s remedying the horrific materialist upbringing foisted upon the rich womb droppings of wealthy Rethuglicans, and in so doing, helping to save a nation! Let us read together:

On a seriuos note, there is a reason I blog anonymously. And Professor Chaos. And Steve the Llama Butcher. Because in academia it's ok to joke around about George Bush f*cking Jeff Gannon, but it's not ok to joke around about Osama bin Laden f*cking camels. You know, because the former is edgy criticism and the latter is just racist.

Posted by: Rusty at 05:41 PM | Comments (3) | Add Comment
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When Hurricane Ivan came through the Northern Virginia/Washington, DC area awhile ago it spawned a nerve-wracking series of tornados. I'd hear the NOAA weather radio issue a tornado warning with great urgency, and immediately head for the basement. The warning would subside and I'd then hear another warning in about 10 minutes. This went on for an entire afternoon, and eventually I began to get a bit jaded. I just stopped going to the basement. Apparently Ivan set some records for tornados, but what's different about Katrina, at least for the Mid-Atlantic area, is that the current storm is expected to pass by west of the Shenandoah. By and large that means that we'll get fewer tornados even though the mix of dry and moist air at different elevations tends to produce twisters. My impression of tornados when I went through this with Ivan was that they're a bit like a pest infestation: rats or cockroaches. They feed off of pressure differentials, and I'm not disappointed at all that Katrina is expected to spawn fewer tornados than Ivan, especially since the APSA convention will be happening concurrently.

Posted by: Demosophist at 05:33 PM | Comments (2) | Add Comment
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In Russia they have a saying:

Scratch a Russian find a Tartar.

I'm afraid that if you scratch a moderate Muslim you find that just underneath the surface is an antisemite, a paranoid conspiracy theorist, and a supporter of international terrorism. I wish this wasn't so, but all the evidence seems to point that way.

In fact, the word moderate is a meaningless political term. When was the last time you met some one who believed they were an extremist? Not likely to happen.

Muslims who call themselves moderate can hold a variety of political positions ranging from those who support the goals of al Qada only disclaim the methods used to those who wish to see fundamental reform in Islam to bring that religion into the 21st century.

Karim is a case in point. His first letter to me is here. Below are excerpts from his second letter to me. I'm not going to respond to him, but read how a moderate Muslim sees the world. He is an antisemite, a conspiracy nut, and a supporter of terrorism all the while believing he is a moderate. He even invokes the name of Michael Moore to justify his pro-terrorism stance. Imagine that?

Unfortunately, I'm afraid he is right. He is a moderate. And that is telling. more...

Posted by: Rusty at 05:00 PM | Comments (7) | Add Comment
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Phase I of the blogroll update is complete. That took way longer than expected. I've deleted dead links and those that haven't posted in several months. I've also updated those of you who have new urls.

UPDATE: Added plenty of new links. If I missed you, sorry.

UPDATE II: I'm thinking Mad Dog Vinnie needs to be delinked for this. Those pics were for private use........

On a related note, Digger's Realm celebrates 1 million visitors.

Posted by: Rusty at 04:37 PM | Comments (2) | Add Comment
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Caption this picture of Rusty at last year's American Political Science Association meeting

Winner will be announced on Monday.

We have a winner!

phin, for:

"After going years without a fatwa Dr. Rusty Shackleford finally suffered a mental breakdown. Dr. Shackleford now resides in the Tattooine Pastures Mental Facility, he can be seen wearing only depends and reenacting his favorite scenes from Star Wars during visitor's hours."

Honorable Mention:

Mr. Venom, for:

"I see your Schwartz is as big as mine..."

Make sure to check next weekend, I may have a picture of Rusty from THIS year's meeting for you to caption.

Muahahahahahaha!

Posted by: Vinnie at 04:30 PM | Comments (27) | Add Comment
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Originally posted at Sacred Cow Burgeres

Via David and Laura

Posted by: Drew at 03:26 PM | Comments (8) | Add Comment
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Al Jazeera has enough chutzpah to call the men who executed 15 civilians 'fighters'. Unfortunately I don't have enough chutzpah to call al Jazeera a news organization. Instead, I'll settle for propaganda arm of murdering terrorists.

Cindy Sheehan's freedom fighters at it again.......

Al Jazeera:

Fighters have executed 15 Iraqis after ambushing their vehicle on a road north of the city of Falluja, police said.

The armed men ordered the passengers out of the vehicle and lined them up before shooting them in daylight on Sunday afternoon, police on Monday quoted witnesses as saying.

They did not specify whether the victims were civilians or off-duty security personnel but said they were believed to be from the neighbouring town of Saqlawiyah, in the Sunni Triangle.

Pools of blood covered the scene of the attack on the desert road, next to empty cases of pistol and AK-47 machine gun bullets, suggesting that the victims were shot from close range, an AFP correspondent reported.

The road was blocked for nearly 10 hours until tribesmen from the neighbouring Sunni town of Ramadi removed the bodies, police added.

Linked at OTB

Posted by: Rusty at 03:07 PM | Comments (4) | Add Comment
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Amid all the pessimism over the Iraqi Constitution, it looks like one of the largest Sunni parties may support it in the end. Let's hope they do.

I have been arguing to my students lately that the forces lined up for and against the Iraqi Constitution are engaged in a struggle over symbolic politics. Sunnis object to the Constitution not on its merits, but because it symbolizes Iraq's defeat. The Constitution legitmizes the U.S. occupation and thus must be opposed, in their eyes. The details of federalism really don't matter.

Thankfully, symbolic politics only have subjective meanings. The same Sunnis who choose today to see the Constitution as a symbol of defeat and Arab subjegation to some Neocon-Zionst plot, may be able to view that same document in the future as a triumph of democracy over the Arab socialist fascism of the Saddam Hussein regime.

Al Jazeera:

One of Iraq's biggest Sunni parties has said it might back the country's constitution, despite calling for changes to a text agreed by the Shia-dominated parliament.

The Iraqi Islamic Party, a multi-ethnic group seen as moderate Islamist and opposed to violence, said on Monday that there was still room for negotiation on the constitution.

"We have not signed the constitution and we still have the time starting from now until the referendum comes.

"[But]we might say yes to the constitution if the disputed points are resolved," party general-secretary Tariq al-Hashmi told a news conference....

Earlier, hundreds of people marched in the city of Tikrit to protest against the constitution, witnesses said.

They carried photographs of the former president Hussein and held up banners saying "No to the Zionist-American-Iranian constitution". Some Iraqis say the Shia-led government is too close to Iran.

Posted by: Rusty at 02:58 PM | Comments (1) | Add Comment
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Ian at the Political Teen has a great Cindy Sheehan video. Is it just me, or do you also find it hard to believe that this chick is really fed up with bush? more...

Posted by: Rusty at 01:48 PM | Comments (2) | Add Comment
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Mister Snitch:

Lincoln did censor the press during the Civil War. His administration took control of telegraph lines, temporarily shut down disloyal newspapers and denied them access to the mails (the primary means of communication in a world before phones, radio, TV, etc.), and arbitrarily arrested editors.

Most US wars have been waged under censorship restrictions. World War I saw some press controls reminiscent of those enforced during the Civil War. Congress passed the Sedition Act and the Espionage Act, giving the Postmaster General the authority to censor the mails. President Wilson created the Committee on Public Information and the National Censorship Board. His Secretary of War took control of telegraph and phone lines leading out of the US. Some editors were arrested.

During World War II, President Franklin Roosevelt created the Office of Censorship and the Office of War Information. The Army and Navy likewise imposed censorship restrictions.

I believe I've been saying something like this for, er, how long now?

Censorship in a State of War
How we Lost the War in Iraq

Hat tip to, well, er, just about every body I know!

Posted by: Rusty at 01:33 PM | Comments (3) | Add Comment
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I love news like this. more...

Posted by: Rusty at 12:44 PM | Comments (7) | Add Comment
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Security officials are warning that an al Qaeda attack is likely at the upcoming Asia Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) summit meeting scheduled to meet in mid-November in Busan, Korea. President Bush is scheduled to attend the meeting.

While there will be heavy security around APEC officials, including President Bush, recent attacks in London indicate that terrorist may target soft-targets, such as transportation centers, or the capital of Seoul. Let's hope the South Koreans pull together security before the meeting takes place.

Al Qaeda has threatened South Korea in the past and a ring of Religion of Peace militants was broken up in that country last year. Members of al Qaeda's Southeast Asian sister-organization, Jemaah Islamiyah, would probably be those most likely to carry out the attacks. more...

Posted by: Rusty at 12:27 PM | No Comments | Add Comment
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A ship carrying relief supplies to war-torn Somalia was captured by Islamist militants two motnths ago. Unfortunately, the mostly Kenyan crew is still being held hostage. Many Somali 'militias' have close ties to al Qaeda. It was an al Qaeda trained militia that fought American soldiers in the Mogadishu battle made famous by the movie Black Hawk Down.

more...

Posted by: Rusty at 12:08 PM | No Comments | Add Comment
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Follow the link. Read the post. Be afraid.

Posted by: Rusty at 11:59 AM | Comments (2) | Add Comment
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Remember that other war we're fighting? You know, the one in that country where the U.N. is in charge of rebuilding and where NATO is in charge of security, yet, despite all that international cooperation there is still an active insurgency? Yeah, that country. It looks like we got another one. Unfortunately, just like in Iraq, kill a terrorist and another one takes his place.

CNN:

U.S. forces have killed a senior Taliban commander responsible for a spate of attacks in southern Afghanistan, the U.S. military says.

The man, identified as Payenda Mohammed, was in command of more than 150 Taliban fighters in Uruzgan province. He was killed along with three of his men in a battle last week, a U.S. military spokesman said.

"He was known for conducting rocket attacks, ambushes, guerrilla-style attacks and setting up illegal checkpoints," Colonel Jim Yonts told a briefing....

U.S. A-10 aircraft and attack helicopters were called in after the insurgents took up positions in some caves. Vehicles and weapons were later found in the caves, he said.

In a separate clash, six Taliban fighters were killed in a battle with police in Zabul province in the south on Sunday, a provincial official said.

Posted by: Rusty at 11:55 AM | Comments (1) | Add Comment
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With the upcoming midterm elections and even the Presidental race that is still off in the future, it's beginning to look like there's no way to get someone in the office who is both a social conservative and an economic conservative. Certainly Bush is as socially conservative as possible (except on Immigration), and yet his economic policies have left something to be desired.

Since this seems to be the type of person that seems destined to run for most of the next elections, I'm curious as to what is going to be important to you and why. So please take a minute to go here to answer a quick poll and tell us what you think. If you want to expound on why you chose what you did, please feel free to respond to the comments section of the poll (or here) with more infomation.

Personally I'm fairly torn over the whole issue. Obviously our economy needs some help. Yes, unemployment is looking good, but spending is still somewhat out of control and we darn sure haven't fixed anything when it comes to Social Security. So with that in mind, we need someone to hold some really tight economic reigns on this country for a few years and get everything straightened back out.

However, I personally cannot vote for someone who is pro-abortion. My beliefs on the whole issue simply won't allow it. Of course this puts me in a fairly akward position for the next elections and I'm pretty sure that one of my hardline stances is going to get short-shrifted.

But let's see what all of you think about the issue. Don't forget to go here and vote.

Posted by: Drew at 08:30 AM | Comments (5) | Add Comment
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BREAKING: An anonymous source tells The Jawa Report that, despite media reports, the end of the world is not yet upon us. The source indicates that we are not, in fact, doomed!....DOOMED!!....DOOMED!!! as MSM sources suggest.

"Hurricanes," say our source, "are local phenomenon. "If you live in Portland, OR, for instance, you are probably not going to be flooded out of your home."

Further, the source suggests that there may actually be news other than Hurricane Katrina. Some of this news is reported to be more important. The Jawa Report could not confirm this.

Developing......

Posted by: Rusty at 08:09 AM | Comments (2) | Add Comment
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WAPT is reporting that the New Orleans SuperDome may be failing.

A reporter inside says he is being "rained on" and it is becoming more like a "thunderstorm." People are clearly concerned but are not panicking.

Cross-posted at OpinionBug.com

Update (8/29/2005 9:10am):

From WABT: A 3 foot piece of the SuperDome's roof has blown off and sky can be seen through it.

People on the field are being moved off because it is no longer safe.

Some debris has also fallen through the roof.

Posted by: OpinionBug at 07:28 AM | No Comments | Add Comment
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