The Little Log

According To The Constitution Giuliani Cannot Be President

2007-09-28T11:04:00.000-07:00

According to The Constitution (last time I checked, still 'the law of the land'), as a Knight Commander, Order of the British Empire (KBE), Rudy Giuliani is forbidden to be President per Article 1, Section 9, Clause 8:

"No Title of Nobility shall be granted by the United States: And no person holding any office of profit or trust under them, shall, without the consent of the Congress, accept of any present, emolument, office, or title, of any kind whatever, from any King, Prince or foreign State."

Not that I think he has any chance of being elected, but by law he should not be allowed to be part of the election process in the first place.

Get him out of the election.

Digg Dream Headline Checklist

2007-08-27T10:56:00.000-07:00

Rumsfeld Resigns: Check ... 11/08/2006
Rove Resigns: Check ... 08/13/2007
Gonzales Resigns: Check ... 08/27/2007
Cheney Resigns: Check ... 09/11/2007
Bush Resigns: Check ... 09/11/2007

Let the National Nightmare end completely.

Abortion and Gay Marriage Are Red Herring Issues – Time To Move On

2007-08-23T07:05:00.000-07:00

How long have politicians been arguing about abortion and gay marriage? Too long in my opinion. I personally am tired of it. They use these two issues to avoid real discussion of all the other issues they need to be talking about and acting on.

Politicians need to take a dose of reality, and here it is. Women will never allow the US to reverse course and start banning decisions they make about their own body. If abortion was banned we would see a revolution is this country, headed by women. Politicians know this. They need to publicly accept it and move on. Late stage abortion is a separate topic and seems barbaric to me unless the woman’s life is in danger. Let’s get a consensus on a cut-off time and move on.

Gays should be able to have civil unions nationwide, with all the entitlements of marriage. As the old joke goes, “Let them be miserable like the rest of us.” If they want to commit to a domestic partnership they should have the legal entitlements that go along with that. Sooner or later they’ll have it anyway. Let’s accept the facts, stay out of other people’s sexuality and move on.

For those who think the above two matters of discussion are a “sin,” that’s fine. I have one thing to say to you, “Let he who is without sin cast the first stone.” Case closed. It’s between them and God, just like it is with all the rest of us. Time to move on.

It’s time to move beyond these two issues of endless debate and get to the other issues at hand. They are legion. We need to move on them.

Portrait of a Digg Spook

2007-06-10T08:36:00.000-07:00

They label, divert, spin, confuse, slander, throw-off, wear out, brow beat, feign superior intelligence and logical reasoning abilities, spread disinformation, lie, berate, scold, question one’s patriotism, falsely claim to have direct information or “know actual witnesses,” misquote, manage, threaten, cajole, mislead, skew, engage in overzealous nasty rhetoric, monitor threads, and otherwise do things that give a strong indication they aren’t regular old Diggers …

And of course, if all else fails, they Bury the post.

In my opinion that has become an obvious problem on Digg.

There are certain topics which aren’t even “allowed to be discussed” on the Front page, even though it’s obvious by the number of Diggs before burial there’s demand to discuss. Even questions regarding said topics are off limits. We all know what those topics are.

Spin

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Public_relations#Spin

In public relations, spin is a sometimes pejorative term signifying a heavily biased portrayal in one's own favor of an event or situation. While traditional public relations may also rely on creative presentation of the facts, "spin" often, though not always, implies disingenuous, deceptive and/or highly manipulative tactics. Politicians are often accused of spin by commentators and political opponents, when they produce a counter argument or position.

The term is borrowed from ball sports such as cricket, where a spin bowler may impart spin on the ball during a delivery so that it will curve through the air or bounce in an advantageous manner.

The techniques of "spin" include:

* Selectively presenting facts and quotes that support one's position (cherry picking)

* Non-denial denial

* Phrasing in a way that assumes unproven truths

* Euphemisms to disguise or promote one's agenda

* Ambiguity

* Skirting

* Rejecting the validity of hypotheticals

* Appealing to internal policies

Another spin technique involves careful choice of timing in the release of certain news so it can take advantage of prominent events in the news. A famous reference to this practice occurred when British Government press officer Jo Moore used the phrase It's now a very good day to get out anything we want to bury, (widely paraphrased or misquoted as "It's a good day to bury bad news"), in an email sent on September 11, 2001. The furor caused when this email was reported in the press eventually caused her to resign.

Summer Digg Tour?

2007-06-03T06:32:00.000-07:00

I haven’t been over to FARK much lately but Drew Curtis used to have “FARK Parties” all over the place. I’m not sure if he still does or not. I’m sure I’ll be informed in this post.

Anyway, I think Kevin Rose and Alex Albrecht should do a “Summer Tour” of “Digg Parties!”

Come on Kevin and Alex. What do you say? It would be a blast! You could do a Diggnation episode from each city!

You could bring Digg Apparel along to sell. It would go like Hotcakes.

I personally would pay to attend.

Question For Democratic Candidates ...

2007-05-31T07:39:00.000-07:00

Do you plan to lead the country in restoring Constitutional Liberties by pushing to actually rewrite the following Bush Laws that deprived them?

I speak of the following:

The Military Commissions Act,
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Military_Commissions_Act ;

The Domestic Security Enhancement Act,
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Domestic_Security_Enhancement_Act_of_2003 ;

The "Patriot" Acts I and II
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Patriot_Act ;

Abuse of "Signing Statements,"
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Signing_Statements .

ALL give Dictatorial powers to the Executive Branch of the US Government. Obviously this was never intended in the Constitution. Actually it is expressly forbidden.

Are you going to change these laws or keep them and keep the power?

Why Can’t We Talk About 911?

2007-05-18T09:10:00.000-07:00

Why can’t we talk about 911 in this country without being labeled “Truthers,” or “Moonbats,” or “Conspiracy Theorists,” or “Unpatriotic,” ad infinitum?

Why can’t we talk about it? Just talk about it. Why is that bad?

Why is it bad if we have questions? Why is it bad if we want some more answers? Why is it bad if we don’t agree on exactly what happened? Why is it bad that even if “we don’t have the evidence” we have intuitive thought on some of the issues for which little is known.

911 happened to us all. It was a tragedy to us all. When did meaningful discussion die in this country? What are the motivations of the people who try to stifle it?

I don’t know exactly what happened on 911. Why is it a thought crime to say that? Why is it taboo?

“Just don’t talk about it,” seems to be the societal norm around 911. I recognize that as one of the signs of the grief process -- Denial.

Isn’t it time we move to the next phase of grief? We’re stuck.

Burying Political Stories On Digg Is For Wimps

2007-04-24T09:59:00.000-07:00

There's nothing I can do about it but not do it myself. I've tried. But I can certainly say how I feel about it.

Led Zeppelin - Stairway To Heaven [The Story]

2007-03-18T09:27:00.000-07:00

Led Zeppelin - Stairway To Heaven (Lyrics Interpreted)
R. Plant & J. Page
© 1971 Superhype Music Inc.

There's a lady(1.) who's sure
all that glitters is gold(2.)
And she's buying a stairway to heaven(3.)

1. Erma Rees-Gwynn, a Welsh divorcee intent on starting her own carpenter contracting business. She was recommended (some say as a joke) by the castle's previous owner, actor Richard Harris, who fled to the Bahamas to avoid the taxman.
2. This is a bit of Plant's irony. In other words if it didn't glitter, it probably wasn't worth much. Erma and her assistants reportedly broke and scratched a lot of valuables carrying lumber through the residence.
3. This means "building" a stairway to heaven, or, more likely, buying the materials for the stairway. Erma was contracted to build a deck in back of Page's castle, three stories high. The plans were for a 2nd floor landing, and steps leading up from the back vegetable patch. Plant once described Lelawcge-an-bryn as "heaven." The staircase when completed would be a stairway to view heaven if you climbed up it, or going down, a stairway to carrots and peas.

And when she gets there she knows
if the stores are closed.
With a word(4.) she can get
what she came for.
There's a sign on the wall
but she wants to be sure.
Cause you know sometimes
words have two meanings(5.)
In a tree by the brook
there's a songbird who sings
sometimes(6.) all of our thoughts are misgiven.

4. "Foreclosure." The small Welsh town in the district had only one hardware store in the area, and the owner was on a picnic with his family. Erma complained to Jimmy about not being able to get screw nails. So Jimmy called a couple of local aldermen he had in his back pocket, so they could get the damn store open. The store owner soon received the politicians' threats, and cut short his picnic.
5. In order the secure the landing at the second floor, Erma's crew had to enter Jimmy's so-called "Guitar Room." The sign on the wall said "Keep the Fuck Out - Everyone!" These words don't have two meanings, do they? Well, Erma let herself in anyway. In fact, only two double-necked Gibsons could be found in the room, out of Page's reputed collection of 75 guitars. No, this was his Occult Room, full of red satin furnishings and things with horns on them.
6. Reportedly Jimmy was out on his property, singing in his favorite tree, when he saw Erma's helper hanging out the Guitar Room's window. His berserk ranting ("misgiven thoughts") could be heard in the next county.

There's a feeling I get when
I look to the west.
And my spirit is crying for leaving.
In my thoughts I have seen
rings of smoke through the trees(7.)
And the voices of those who stand looking.
And it's whispered that soon
if we all call the tune.
Then the piper will lead us to reason.
And a new day will dawn
for those who stand long(8.)
And the forests will echo
with laughter.
And it makes me wonder(9.)

7. West of Page's property, beyond a neighbour's forested grove, there was a coal-burning power plant. Apparently the tons of sulphur-rich deposits pouring from its stacks disheartened Plant. One day Percy got pretty inebriated, and schemed that they should all protest until the plant shut down. Why not get all the girls, the other lads, and large-fisted manager Peter Grant out blocking their gate? "Great idea," one of the girls responded, "but how are we going to keep the stereo going, or even have hot baths without power?" This comment silenced Plant's protest.
8. Jonesy was the true all round musician of the group. Before Led Zeppelin the bassist/keyboardist extraordinaire wrote and arranged some of Lulu's best work, including "To Sir With Love." Whilst up at Page's castle he tried to form a little choir he wished to call the Zeppettes. Singing careers could've meant a "new day" for the girls, but none could carry a tune. The neighbours watched them rehearse in vain, hence the laughter echoing in the forest.
9. It's likely Plant spend as much time wondering about things as it took for him to write this line.

If there's a bustle in your hedgerow
don't be alarmed now(10.)
It's just a spring clean for
the May-Queen.
Yes there are two paths
you can go by.
But in the long run.
There's still time to change
the road you're on(11.)
Your head is humming and
it won't go- in case you don't know(12.)

10. It's said a lot of clothes were found in strange places after their infamous Victorian dress-up parties.
11. The "May-Queen" was Maytag's laundromat-sized washer/dryer combo ordered in to handle hotel-sized loads of laundry being done at Page's castle. Jimmy was promised a money-back warranty on the set if he wasn't satisfied. The "two paths" were whether to keep them or return. The warranty gave him time to change the road he was on, you see.
12. This was one of the worst hangovers Plant had ever felt.

The piper's calling you to join him(13.)
Dear lady can you hear
the wind blow.
And did you know
your stairway lies on the
whispering wind(14.)
And as we wind on down the road.
Our shadows taller than our soul.
There walks a lady we all know.
Who shines white light
and wants to show.
How everything still turns gold(15.)

13. Jonesy was going back to London and asked Plant to come along.
14. Actually, your stairway, and the whole damned sundeck laid on the ground. A spring torrent ripped through Great Britain that year, and destroyed Erma's shoddy work.
15. Jonesy and Plant hit the road in John Paul's Stutz Bearcat. By coincidence, they came across Erma waving a flashlight, trying to hitch out of Lelawcge-an-bryn County. After the sundeck fiasco she gave up on carpentry, and was leaving for a cousin's residence in King's Cross. "Everything still turns to gold," she promised, boasting ten thousand pounds profit on the Page job alone.

And if you listen very hard
the tune will come to you at last.
When all are one and one is all(16.)
To be a rock(17.) and not to roll.
And she's buying(18.) a stairway
to heaven.

16. A sarcastic bit of advice from Percy to the Zeppettes: just keep practicing, girls.
17. Plant decided to be a rock, if not a lump of clay, and stay home with his wife and family until the next tour.
18. Last heard from, Erma was in the Bahamas. "And she's buying a ticket to Nassau."

Top 5 Most Hated Comments On Digg

2007-03-18T06:54:00.000-07:00

1. Why is this on the Front Page?
2. And your point is?
3. This is Old News.
4. Dupe.
5. This is news because?

LGF - In Need of Balance

2007-02-28T16:28:00.000-08:00

I'd like to register on Little Green Footballs but it's never effing open. You people need something to balance out your comments.. You're all like, "Anything you say Charles," "We Love You Charles," "Please do me Charles," "We agree with anything you say Charles." It’s a bit pathetic. I’ll come over and be an opinion from the left, provided I have my own piece.

I'd Like to Register to LGF but it's Never Effing Open

2007-02-28T15:07:00.000-08:00

You people need something to balance out your comments.. You're all like, "Anything you say Charles," "We Love You Charles," "Please do me Charles," "We agree with anything you say Charles." It’s a bit pathetic. I’ll come over and be an opinion from the left, provide I have my own piece.

Tail Wags Dog And Then Laughs At It - Ban The Digg Bury Brigade

2007-02-28T09:07:00.000-08:00

Dog tries to catch tail ... Infinite Loop Ensues.

DALT I Treaty Proposal

2007-02-26T11:01:00.000-08:00

OK Political Diggers. It looks like we're going to have to solve this one on our own. I hereby propose DALT I, the Digg "Arms" Limitation Treaty.

If we want the debate to continue, we must unilaterally remove our fingers from "the [bury] button."

And, and, SNIFF they stole my Teddy Bear...

2007-02-25T23:16:00.000-08:00

Funny Digg Comments. What are your favorites?

Dear Kevin Rose, Please Create a "Who Buried This" Tab

2007-02-23T07:16:00.000-08:00

It's the only way to make things work for Political Diggers Mr. Rose. We must be able to "Trust but Verify."

Thank-You

In The War On Terror, Who Are Our Enemies and Where Do They Live?

2007-02-21T23:07:00.000-08:00

In a recent thread on Digg the following question was asked, “In The War On Terror, Who Are Our Enemies and Where Do They Live?”

A known satirist (at least to me), tried to muster an educated shot at the raw conservative response. I obtained his permission to republish it here.

“Our enemies are Islamofascists. They live in Iraq, Iran, Syria, Lebanon, Afghanistan, Pakistan, Palestine, and a whole bunch of other Arab populated Countries except for the ones that are our allies, and especially NOT in Saudi Arabia.

We need to Kill all of them. It’s going to take 30-70 years to finish the job, and Trillions of dollars. It would be a whole lot easier if Bush would just quit being a pussy and declare World War III. Then we could just start with Iran immediately.

Now Russia is getting a little anxious about all of this and there’s no telling what they might do if we hit Iran. But they’re still just a bunch of Communist Bastards anyway. We can take them too.

Europe isn’t thrilled about our War on Terror either but screw them. They’re all a bunch of pacifist pussies. They’re just lucky we saved their asses and they need to shut their cakeholes.

Pakistan has Nukes, but we’ve already made them into our Biatches so no worries there.

India has Nukes but they’re our Friends now.

China won’t do anything. They are good Capitalist Communists. They’ll just sit back while we invade their entire Continent, but they better not Phuck with Taiwan or we’ll have to kick their asses too.”

I think it’s a question we must all ask ourselves. So I pose the question to conservatives, who seem to be the biggest fans of the war in Iraq. In The War On Terror, Who Are Our Enemies and Where Do They Live? And what about the above response is inaccurate?

What Is Victory in Iraq?

2007-02-21T06:23:00.000-08:00

In a recent thread on Digg the following question was asked, “What needs to take place in order for us to attain Victory in Iraq?”

A known satirist (at least to me), tried to muster an educated shot at the raw conservative response. I obtained his permission to republish it here.

“Well, just like Cheney said, we’ve done a great job over there so far and we will continue to do a great job, no matter what anyone has to say about it, especially Liberals who are all Terrorist Supporters, Troop Haters and Treasonous Cowards.

In fact, I agree with Newt Gingrich, I think we should put legal limitations on so called “Progressive” speech. It’s providing comfort to our enemies when people don’t agree with Newt’s vision.

I know most Americans don’t want to hear this but Victory in Iraq is going to take 30 to 40 years. We need to make them into an American style Democracy. I mean think about it, we are still in Germany all these years after WWII. We’re still in Korea too.

This is a long term thing folks and the Democrats need to quit acting like the big pussies they are.

It’s also looking like Victory in Iraq is going to have to include Victory in Iran. You know, that Shia thing. Then again, you probably don’t understand. You don’t know about GeoPolitics, I do.

Victory will have taken place when Iraq looks like an Arab Japan, and any Islamofascists who have a problem with that are dead.”

I think it’s a question we must all ask ourselves. So I pose the question to conservatives, who seem to be the biggest fans of the war in Iraq. What is Victory in Iraq? And what about the above response is inaccurate?

I Used To Be a Moderate ... Until W

2007-02-19T08:48:00.001-08:00

I've only taken on the label of "Liberal" in light of the current attacks on our LIBERties by the sitting Administration. Before W came along I always called myself a moderate independent. I didn't like extremes, and I voted for who I thought could best do the job, regardless of party.

When the "Conservatives" stopped being conservative, I could no longer moderate my response.

There Is Nothing Conservative About Neoconservatives
Something just isn't right with the right anymore.

Click "read more" for related Article.

read more | digg story

The Little Log

According To The Constitution Giuliani Cannot Be President

Digg Dream Headline Checklist

Abortion and Gay Marriage Are Red Herring Issues – Time To Move On

Portrait of a Digg Spook

Summer Digg Tour?

Question For Democratic Candidates ...

Why Can’t We Talk About 911?

Burying Political Stories On Digg Is For Wimps

Led Zeppelin - Stairway To Heaven [The Story]

Top 5 Most Hated Comments On Digg

LGF - In Need of Balance

I'd Like to Register to LGF but it's Never Effing Open

Tail Wags Dog And Then Laughs At It - Ban The Digg Bury Brigade

DALT I Treaty Proposal

And, and, *SNIFF* they stole my Teddy Bear...

Dear Kevin Rose, Please Create a "Who Buried This" Tab

In The War On Terror, Who Are Our Enemies and Where Do They Live?

What Is Victory in Iraq?

I Used To Be a Moderate ... Until W

And, and, SNIFF they stole my Teddy Bear...