Transterrestrial Musings

Tenderly wiping tears of regret from his choir-boy eyes, Senator Daschle informs us that the economic “stimulus” bill is dead. He just doesn’t see how either side can come up with the sixty votes needed to pass it.

Never mind the disingenousness of the remark (even arcane Senate rules still allow bills to be passed with a simple majority, if it can get to the floor). What the plurality leader is really saying is either that he doesn’t want it to pass, or that he lacks sufficient control over his own caucus to bring it to a floor vote. If he wanted this bill to get to the floor, he is perfectly capable of making it happen. If not, one has to question his leadership ability.

Not that I care. I do in fact think that no bill is better than this one. I’d just like to see a smidgeon less sanctimony and duplicity from our “leaders.”

This just in to Transterrestrial News Network (TNN):

Beelzebub, aka Lucifer, aka the Devil, aka Satan has filed a reverse class-action suit in international civil court against Supreme Leader Ayotollah Khamenei of Iran and the Hizbollah terrorist organization, for impugning his previously-undisputed position as the world’s greatest Satan.

As evidence, he cited the Hizbollah leader’s recent comments:

A senior Hizbollah leader lashed out against President Bush Sunday, labeling him the “Great Satan” and dismissing U.S. accusations that the Lebanese guerrilla group is “terrorist” organization. “Bush is faithful to Satan, was his devotee, and is the greatest devotee in a leadership thirsty for killing and blood and aggression,” Hizbollah’s Deputy Secretary-General Sheikh Naeem Kassem told a rally.

He also provided the following verified quote from President Khamenei:

“The Islamic Republic of Iran is proud to be the target of the rage and hatred of the world’s greatest Satan,” Khamenei told journalists at a press briefing.

In addition to insufficient defamation of character, the supreme Evil One is suing for extreme lack of slander and non-libel, as well as trademark infringement. Damages claimed in the preliminary filing are:

• Loss of potential recruits to the true Cause of Evil, with resultant financial impacts
• Blurring of the long-established “Evil” (TM) brand recognition
• Reductions in sales of all satanic merchandise, including Halloween outfits, Red Devil firecrackers, Red Hot candy, and Harry Potter books

The Master of the Underworld is also suing for emotional distress, and pain and suffering.

“Since hearing the false charge that I’m no longer the greatest Satan, I’ve been unable to eat or sleep, and no longer take any joy from tormenting souls throughout eternity. I’ve been botching soul transactions, and gotten taken in several deals, particularly from House Democrats and Hollywood producers.”

The plaintiff has included U.S. President G. W. Bush in the reverse class action, for his refusal to defend himself against the charge of being the greatest Satan, or even acknowledging it.

“I’ve spent millennia establishing a reputation and trademark of ultimate evil, and this Texas cowboy thinks that he can just come in and take the throne in a few months?”

“And what’s with these stupid thugs in the Middle East? You’d think that people who rip womens’ fingernails out for putting polish on them, or who shoot up a young woman’s coming-of-age party would recognize true evil when they see it, but apparently this Bush guy has pulled the asbestos over their eyes.”

He revealed part of his legal strategy at the press conference, bringing forth just one of what are sure to be numerous negative character witnesses.

Biting his lip, Mr. Clinton put his arm over the plaintiff’s shoulder, proclaiming, “I know Satan. Satan is a friend of mine. And George Bush is no great Satan.”

(Copyright Rand Simberg 2002)

According to Sam Dealey, Houston Congresswoman Sheila Jackson Lee is literally a limousine liberal. In contravention of government ethics rules, each morning, she has one of her staffers pick her up in a limo at her Capitol Hill apartment, and drive her to her House office building–one and a half blocks away.

Boy, and they say people in LA don’t like to walk. This reminds me of the scene in LA Story, in which Steve Martin walks out of his front door, down the sidewalk to the street, gets into his car, starts it up, pulls it forward to the next house, gets out, and walks up and knocks on the door.

Of course, we have to consider that she’s not the sharpest tack in the box. This is a woman who, when the Sojourner landed on Mars, asked if it landed near the Apollo landing sites. And she serves on the Subcommittee of Space and Aeronautics.

I have no further comment.

According to Sam Dealey, Houston Congresswoman Sheila Jackson Lee is literally a limousine liberal. In contravention of government ethics rules, each morning, she has one of her staffers pick her up in a limo at her Capitol Hill apartment, and drive her to her House office building–one and a half blocks away.

Boy, and they say people in LA don’t like to walk. This reminds me of the scene in LA Story, in which Steve Martin walks out of his front door, down the sidewalk to the street, gets into his car, starts it up, pulls it forward to the next house, gets out, and walks up and knocks on the door.

Of course, we have to consider that she’s not the sharpest tack in the box. This is a woman who, when the Sojourner landed on Mars, asked if it landed near the Apollo landing sites. And she serves on the Subcommittee of Space and Aeronautics.

I have no further comment.

There’s a good editorial in today’s Journal by Thomas Bray that expresses some concerns that I’ve had since the undeclared “war” on terrorism began. I’m not as concerned, however, with his main point. He was disconcerted when the President said in the SOTU that “time is not on our side,” and believes that it contradicts his September 20th speech, in which he stated that the terrorists’ ideologies will be consigned to the unmarked grave of history.

I don’t see the contradiction. It’s possible to believe in ultimate inevitable victory, while still being concerned about near-term tactical attacks. The president wasn’t saying that we may lose the war if we are not expeditious–he was simply saying that, in doing so, we may suffer greater casualties than need be, and greater casualties than September 11, if we don’t continue to put pressure on all sources of terrorism.

However, I, like Mr. Bray, have been, and continue to be, disquieted by the seeming lack of any criteria by which we will know that the war is over, and by our continuing refusal to formally declare it. This is particularly troubling in the face of the continued erosion of our civil liberties that is being justified in its name.

I’ve somehow gotten on an anti-WTO/anti-capitalism/anti-everything mailing list based in London called Global Resistance.

Compare this delusional self-congratulatory nonsense:

We went along with the students to a Reclaim the Streets action immediately preceeding the main protest. We reckoned on 3-4000 were there – a brilliant sign. Marching through Central Park in the clear and cold weather was pretty surreal, and when we arrived at the main assembly point it was certain all expectations had been outstripped. The protest was young, a swathe of homemade banners and puppets, inventive slogans and many many pretzel jokes. The police presence was extraordinary. A few young people wearing masks were arrested near the beginning of the march, but it soon became clear that the polioce were not going to charge into the demo risking a full blown riot. Shops along the route remained open, and passers by appeared to have seen through the press hysteria and showed sympathy and solidarity with the protesters.

One coffee shop full of shoppers had a line of customers sitting in the window holding up “Bad Capitalist – No Martini. Shut Down the WEF” leaflets. Discussions had on the demo reflected constantly people’s delight with such a big turnout. Estimates ranged from 20 to 30,000. I think it’s safe to say there were 25,000 there.

With this story from the paper formerly known as the Paper of Record.

The New York forum — which attracted 7,000 protesters at its height on Saturday — has drawn far fewer activists than the estimated 50,000 who came to Seattle and the 100,000 who came to Genoa, Italy, for global economic conferences.

Note the reference to “pretzel jokes.” I’ll bet they were real knee slappers.

For those who, like Perry de Havilland, thought that my post about Blogdom attacks was an excuse for my not posting–sorry for the confusion. I was simply expressing general concern.

I myself don’t use blogger, and have had no technical difficulties at all. (I’m obviously not important enough to be attacked.)

I was simply busy over the weekend, and in addition, was undergoing a (temporary?) shortage of pith and wit.

For those who, like Perry de Havilland, thought that my post about Blogdom attacks was an excuse for my not posting–sorry for the confusion. I was simply expressing general concern.

I myself don’t use blogger, and have had no technical difficulties at all. (I’m obviously not important enough to be attacked.)

I was simply busy over the weekend, and in addition, was undergoing a (temporary?) shortage of pith and wit.

Blogspot seems to be down. That’s unfortunately not all that unusual, but combined with the hacker attack over at Cornerhost last night, it makes me wonder if there is someone who’s attacking Blogdom in general.

An eighteen-year-old (barely a) woman is going to be stoned to death for adultery under Sharia law in the Sudan. She was tried in a language not her own, she is a Christian, and the man who did the deed went free.