The Next Place for Democracy to Flourish

Great news for those worried about overpoplation and environmental degradation...

The best way to make Mars habitable would be to inject synthetic greenhouse gases into its atmosphere, researchers said Thursday.

The stuff could be shipped to Mars or manufactured there.

Scientists and science-fiction authors have long pondered terraforming Mars, melting the vast stores of ice in its polar caps to create an environment suitable for humans. The topic is highly controversial.

Some think earthlings have no right to mess with the climate of another planet. Others see Mars as a refuge for people who might need to flee this world as conditions deteriorate. Another argument holds that Mars was likely warmer and wetter in its distant past, and it might have harbored life, so bringing it back to a previous state makes sense.

Among the ideas for how to warm Mars: sprinkling stuff near the poles that would absorb more sunlight; or placing large mirrors in orbit around the planet to reflect more sunlight onto it.

The ethics of invading another planet, in my opinion, depend on our need for survival, and whether we're affecting another living being. Last I checked, we haven't discovered anyone or thing living on Mars, and we haven't even set foot there, so I think we can put this decision on the list of ones far off in the future.

Although if W. suggested this idea, the protests would probably start tomorrow about American interplanetary imperialism.

No Good Deed Goes Unpunished

It's times like this that I'm ashamed to be a lawyer...

A Colorado judge ordered two teen-age girls to pay about $900 for the distress a neighbor said they caused by giving her home-made cookies adorned with paper hearts.

The pair were ordered to pay $871.70 plus $39 in court costs after neighbor Wanita Renea Young, 49, filed a lawsuit complaining that the unsolicited cookies, left at her house after the girls knocked on her door, had triggered an anxiety attack that sent her to the hospital the next day.

Taylor Ostergaard, then 17, and Lindsey Jo Zellitte, 18, paid the judgment on Thursday after a small claims court ruling by La Plata County Court Judge Doug Walker, a court clerk said on Friday.

The girls baked cookies as a surprise for several of their rural Colorado neighbors on July 31 and dropped off small batches on their porches, accompanied by red or pink paper hearts and the message: "Have a great night."

The Denver Post newspaper reported on Friday that the girls had decided to stay home and bake the cookies rather than go to a dance where there might be cursing and drinking.

It reported that six neighbors wrote letters entered as evidence in the case thanking the girls for the cookies.

But Young said she was frightened because the two had knocked on her door at about 10:30 p.m. and run off after leaving the cookies.

She went to a hospital emergency room the next day, fearing that she had suffered a heart attack, court records said.

The judge awarded Young her medical costs, but did not award punitive damages. He said he did not think the girls had acted maliciously but that 10:30 was fairly late at night for them to be out.

Okay, I know that when you commit a tort, a.k.a. a civil wrong (somewhere, my former professor Jon Zittrain is shaking his head), you take your victim as you find him. But there's a difference between a plaintiff with an eggshell-thin skull and one who's a completely paranoid idiot.

Wing Bowl!

You know, I almost went to the first Wing Bowl, and I'm pretty sure I could have gotten in at the last minute. Now it's held at the Wachovia Center, the parking lot is packed several hours before the event (starting the night before) and the fans act like Philly fans.

And the hometown hero wins.

Hopefully, this protends good things for tomorrow night.

Colonel Sanders vs. Tawana Brawley

Maybe John Kerry will join Big Al...

The Rev. Al Sharpton has joined PETA in calling for a boycott of fast-food chain KFC, in a new TV and radio campaign.

Sharpton is urging the black community to join the People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals' boycott of the franchise, the animal protection group announced Thursday.

"If KFC wants to take our money and use it to pay for sloppy practices that hurt animals, I say we send them a message that this is not going to happen," Sharpton says in the ad.

General rule -- if something ticks off PETA and Al Sharpton, it's a generally a good thing. I'm not eating fast food right now, but I might have to make an exception for KFC.

The MSM Protects Its Own

Okay, enough.

I'm sick of the mainstream media.

I saw the following story in Opinion Journal's Political Diary myself last week, but figured it would take a few days to hit the mainstream press. Heck, it took the blogosphere until early this week to start looking into it. But here's the first post at TKS about the Chief News Executive at CNN accusing American troops of targeting journalists for death...

An extremely disturbing report from Rony Abovitz at the Davos conference:

During one of the discussions about the number of journalists killed in the Iraq War, Eason Jordan [chief news executive of CNN] asserted that he knew of 12 journalists who had not only been killed by U.S. troops in Iraq, but they had in fact been targeted. He repeated the assertion a few times, which seemed to win favor in parts of the audience (the anti-US crowd) and cause great strain on others.

Due to the nature of the forum, I was able to directly challenge Eason, asking if he had any objective and clear evidence to backup these claims, because if what he said was true, it would make Abu Ghraib look like a walk in the park. David Gergen was also clearly disturbed and shocked by the allegation that the U.S. would target journalists, foreign or U.S. He had always seen the U.S. military as the providers of safety and rescue for all reporters.

Eason seemed to backpedal quickly, but his initial statements were backed by other members of the audience (one in particular who represented a worldwide journalist group). The ensuing debate was (for lack of better words) a real "sh — storm". What intensified the problem was the fact that the session was a public forum being taped on camera, in front of an international crowd. The other looming shadow on what was going on was the presence of a U.S. Congressman and a U.S. Senator in the middle of some very serious accusations about the U.S. military.

To be fair (and balanced), Eason did backpedal and make a number of statements claiming that he really did not know if what he said was true, and that he did not himself believe it. But when pressed by others, he seemed to waver back and forth between what might have been his beliefs and the realization that he had created a kind of public mess. His statements, his reaction, and the reaction of all in attendance left me perplexed and confused.

Rony Abovitz is calling on the U.S. lawmakers present to get to the bottom of Jordan's story - if there's something to it, let's investigate. If it isn't, CNN ought to clear up why their head man is spreading horrifying rumors around about U.S. troops.

Yes, this is the same Eason Jordan who wrote in the New York Times that CNN reporters in Baghdad witnessed abuses, including torture of Iraqis by Saddam's secret police, and did not report this to viewers in order to to keep CNN's Baghdad bureau open.

Since then, half the world has been blogging the story, as TKS noted later. And that was yesterday morning. Hell, they're spending most of their time praising Barney Frank, a liberal icon, who had the decency and intelligence to ask Jordan to explain his insane charges that slandered the American military.

Is CNN reporting this? The Washington Post? The left-wing dishrag? Has even Fox News caught wind of this?

Not that they're telling us yet. But hey, I'm sure they'll get to it after the Super Bowl.

A New Business Model for the WNBA

Finally, something to make up for the absence of hockey...

A fight broke out in the stands of a girls high school basketball game, prompting police to fire Tasers to stop it and clear the gym, authorities said. Nine people face charges.

Witnesses said Tuesday night's melee, involving dozens of fans, began in an upper deck and spilled onto the floor. It was apparently sparked by an earlier dispute between students of the two rival schools, Prattville and Stanhope Elmore.

...Arrest warrants were issued for three adults and six juveniles, including three teens taken into custody Tuesday night, District Attorney Randall Houston said Thursday. Among the charges were assault, disorderly conduct and refusing to obey an officer, he said.

...The fight was captured on video and shown on television.

"People were screaming and running," Prattville cheerleader Cherish Cartee said. "Girls lost their cell phones. Keys got lost. It's something I will never forget."

I'll bet some nails got broken as well. On the plus side, this might bring fans to the women's game -- you can fight people in the stands and let out your anger. This is better than the NBA business model, where players get to punch out fans.

Did He Mean This?

Jon Stewart, apparently not being sarcastic...

Jon Stewart, late in the Daily Show last night to Newsweek pundit Fareed Zakaria: "I’ve watched this thing unfold from the start and here’s the great fear that I have: What if Bush, the president, ours, has been right about this all along? I feel like my world view will not sustain itself and I may, and again I don’t know if I can physically do this, implode."

Hey, at least he wouldn't be alone. Although I'd be short one more viewing option.

Once A Commie, Always A Commie

Trust a Communist to know about free elections...

Former Soviet president Mikhail Gorbachev has called the Iraqi parliamentary elections a desecration, according to Moscow News, an English-language sister publication of Gazeta.ru.

Interfax news agency quoted the pioneer of glasnost and perestroika as saying the 30 January elections in Iraq were "very far from what true elections are".

Gorbachev said: "And even though I am a supporter of elections and of the transfer of power to the people of Iraq, these elections were fake."

I don't think these elections will be of any use. They may even have a negative impact on the country. Democracy cannot be imposed or strengthened with guns and tanks," Gorbachev said, according to Interfax.

Maybe he's still wishing Reagan had listened to that last line about democracy not being strengthened with guns or tanks. We'd probably still be watching May Day parades in Red Square.

When Will Rather Report on This?

Here's how it started...

Iraqi militants claimed in a Web statement Tuesday to have taken an American soldier hostage and threatened to behead him in 72 hours unless the Americans release Iraqi prisoners.

The posting, on a Web site that frequently carried militants' statements, included a photo of what appeared to be an American soldier in desert fatigues seated with his hands tied behind his back. A gun barrel was pointed at his head, and he is seated in front of a black banner emblazoned with the Islamic profession of faith, "There is no god but God and Muhammad is His prophet."

A statement posted with the picture suggested the group was holding other soldiers.

"Our mujahadeen heroes of Iraq's Jihadi Battalion were able to capture American military man John Adam after killing a number of his comrades and capturing the rest," said the statement, signed by the "Mujahedeen Brigades."

Normally, we'd be worried about the soldier in question. Perhaps we should hold off...

The U.S. military said Tuesday that no American soldiers have been reported missing in Iraq after a Web statement claimed that an American soldier had been taken hostage.

The authenticity of the statement and photo, purporting to show a hostage with a gun to his head, could not be verified, and questions were raised about the photo's authenticity.

In Baghdad, Staff Sgt. Nick Minecci of the U.S. military's press office in Baghdad said "no units have reported anyone missing."

The posting, on a Web site that frequently carries militants' statements, included a photo of what that statement said was an American soldier, wearing desert fatigues and seated on a concrete floor with his hands tied behind his back.

The figure in the photo appeared stiff and expressionless.

Liam Cusack, of the toy manufacturer Dragon Models USA, Inc., said the image of the soldier portrayed in the photo bore a striking resemblance to a military action figure made by the company.

Now, here's the picture of the captured soldier, posted by Wizbang, along with pics of the toy that many believe actually appears in the photograph.

First question -- who's the mentally challenged terrorist who thought this was a good idea? Maybe it's the same guy who exposed al Qaeda's Muppet operative several years ago.

Second, "John Adam" is the name they chose? Why didn't they make up a more entertaining name, like say, Wolf Blitzer?

Third, they'd better release our soldier. Bush has Osama dead to rights.

Finally, G.I. Joe beat Cobra. Who the hell thinks a two-bit terrorist group like this could stop them? Maybe they should join Cobra instead.

Kevin Costner Will Probably Make a Movie About This

Well, at least it adapted to its surroundings...

A buffalo that escaped from an auction ended up in a dressing room at the Rushmore Plaza Civic Center where it spent a couple of hours staring into a mirror.

The buffalo jumped over a steel panel during the Black Hills Stock Show & Rodeo on Sunday morning, went down an alley and got into the dressing room reserved for visiting sports teams, said Brian Maliske, the civic center's general manager.

"The door happened to be unlocked and he pushed the door open and went in," Maliske said.

The crew conducting the Black Hills Classic Buffalo Sale decided to keep the animal locked in the dressing room for the rest of the auction. During its two hour stay, it reportedly became fascinated with the image it saw in a big mirror.

There's a joke about Michael Moore that needs to be made, but I can't articulate it.

No, It's Not... And Here's Why

Someday, when the Vietnam rant gets written in full, Christopher Hitchens' column today will be mentioned. Until then, enjoy his work destroying the false analogy between the war-whose-name-I-won't-mention and our current battles in Iraq.

All T.O., All the Time

There will be far more on this Saturday, when I sit down to write the first-ever Super Bowl rant. But it sure looks like T.O. will play...

T.O. is almost a go.

Terrell Owens, the Philadelphia Eagles' All-Pro receiver, practiced Monday for the first time since injuring his ankle last month, moving closer toward returning for the Super Bowl.

"I won't say anything outside of `He looks great. He looks great. He looks great,"' Eagles safety Michael Lewis said.

Owens took part in less than one-third of the team's 30 plays, getting a pass each time he ran a route. Just last week, Dr. Mark Myerson, the surgeon who operated on Owens' right ankle in December, said he would not clear him to suit up against the New England Patriots on Sunday.

"We limited what he did, but he did it well, and he did it with the team," Eagles coach Andy Reid said. "He moved around pretty well. I'll have to see how he does before we decide whether he'll play."

Are we having fun yet? E-A-G-L-E-S, Eagles!

Ketchupboy Rides Again

... if you're not moved by this image.

Millions of Iraqis went to the polls yesterday, most voting in a free election for the first time. Some did so on their native soil, while others did so in foreign countries all over the globe... including our own.

If I wasn't so beat up by the flu, I would take far more time to mock erstwhile Presidential election LOSER Ketchupboy, who seemed unable to articulate anything resembling grace during his appearance on NBC's Meet the Press on Sunday. First, Senator Flip-Flop wondered about the legitimacy of the election -- I'm sure he spent months doing the same when Saddam ran his faux elections in the past. Plenty of people have hammered him on this point, and rightfully so -- as usual, Kerry wants to find fault with President Bush's policy, while agreeing with it -- the "I would have done the same thing, but better" argument that most Americans didn't buy in November because (a) they didn't believe he would do the same thing, or (b) didn't think he would do any better.

In retrospect, perhaps I should take back my praise of the Senator from Friday, when I called him an "okay guy and a decent human being." The Kansas Redhead intimated as such in an e-mail. I could still offer the faint praise that at least he's better than Ted Kennedy... then again, this is like claiming that at least someone's not as fat as Roseanne.

But here's the classic lines from the interview...

MR. RUSSERT: Do you believe that Iraq is less a terrorist threat to the United States now than it was two years ago?

SEN. KERRY: No, it's more. And, in fact, I believe the world is less safe today than it was two and a half years ago.

...MR. RUSSERT: Is the United States safer with the newly elected Iraqi government than we would have been with Saddam Hussein?

SEN. KERRY: Sure. And I'm glad Saddam Hussein is gone, and I've said that a hundred times.

We're not safer! Yes we are! Wait, there's more...

MR. RUSSERT: Specifically, do you agree with Senator Kennedy that 12,000 American troops should leave at once?

SEN. KERRY: No.

MR. RUSSERT: Do you believe there should be a specific timetable of withdrawal of American troops?

SEN. KERRY: No.

MR. RUSSERT: What would you do?

SEN. KERRY: I understand exactly what Senator Kennedy is saying, and I agree with Senator Kennedy's perceptions of the problem and of how you deal with it. I would--in fact, last summer, if you'll recall, I said specifically that if we did the things that I laid out--the training, the international community, the services and reconstruction, and the elections and protection--we could draw down troops and begin to withdraw them. I think what Senator Kennedy is saying--and here I do agree with him--is that it is vital for the United States to make it clear that we are not there with long-term goals and intentions of our presence in the region. I agree with Senator Kennedy that we have become the target and part of the problem today, if not the problem.

Forget the flip-flop, once more , on whether Kennedy is right or not. Concentrate on the fact that Kerry thinks we "are part of the problem today, if not the problem." The arrogance of such a statement is astounding. If John Kerry thinks we are "the problem", he's more morally and intellectually bankrupt than anyone envisioned during the Presidential campaign. Either that, or John Kerry is incredibly stupid. The so-called insurgents are killing people in order to keep them from voting, threatening to murder anyone who exercises their rights... and we're the problem???

One final point -- I disagree with those who question whether Americans would go the polls in the same numbers if threatened. I think the American psyche is such that if someone threatened to prevent us from voting, voter turnout would actually increase, because we don't like the thought of anyone telling us what we can and cannot do. By contrast, the French... wh, it's not even worth it.