I Got Nuthin'

Image credit: U.S. Air Force via Wikipedia.

I started to write something for Independence Day, but then I took a look around the Internet, and that was such a downer that I just couldn't continue. This guy, who ought to know better, decided that Obama's failure to even show up for the FISA vote that mattered was some sort of master plan. Not that Mr. Dean should have any recollection of secret master plans, or anything. Thankfully, both Glenn Greenwald and Dana Hunter have delivered smackdowns of this piece, in what I must say are very contrasting styles.

Then this clown suggested that if we all stop picking on Obama-wan, maybe people would respect all us FISA "reform" opponents more. Yes, we'll just keep quiet about it. That's the sure way to get attention, isn't it? The guy who wrote this, John Cole, is treated by lots of folks as if he's some sort of genius. If that's genius, I'm an Einstein. And just to make that some folks know what I mean by that, I'll add that I can't remember which one is Special Relativity or General Relativity. I'll leave it to a real Einstein, Glenn Greenwald, to set this fool straight:

What all of this is really about -- the reason why political elites ... are so eager to defend it -- is because they really do believe that lawbreaking isn't wrong, that it doesn't deserve punishment, when engaged in by them rather than by commoners. People who defend telecom immunity or who say that it's not a big deal are, by logical necessity, adopting this view: "Our highest political officials and largest corporations shouldn't face consequences when they break our laws as long as they claim it was for our own good." That's the destructive premise that lies at the heart of this deeply corrupt measure, the reason it matters so much. Just like the pardon of Nixon, the protection of Iran-contra criminals, and the commutation of Lewis Libby's sentence, this bill is yet another step in cementing a two-tiered system of justice in America where our highest political officials and connected elite can break our laws with impunity.

The political establishment and telecom immunity -- why it matters

Let's see, John, where have we seen mention of lawless, corrupt government that claims to have to do illegal things to protect us?

We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness. — That to secure these rights, Governments are instituted among Men, deriving their just powers from the consent of the governed, — That whenever any Form of Government becomes destructive of these ends, it is the Right of the People to alter or to abolish it, and to institute new Government, laying its foundation on such principles and organizing its powers in such form, as to them shall seem most likely to effect their Safety and Happiness. Prudence, indeed, will dictate that Governments long established should not be changed for light and transient causes; and accordingly all experience hath shewn that mankind are more disposed to suffer, while evils are sufferable than to right themselves by abolishing the forms to which they are accustomed. But when a long train of abuses and usurpations, pursuing invariably the same Object evinces a design to reduce them under absolute Despotism, it is their right, it is their duty, to throw off such Government, and to provide new Guards for their future security. — Such has been the patient sufferance of these Colonies; and such is now the necessity which constrains them to alter their former Systems of Government. The history of the present King of Great Britain is a history of repeated injuries and usurpations, all having in direct object the establishment of an absolute Tyranny over these States. To prove this, let Facts be submitted to a candid world.

Something Some Bunch Of Dirty Hippies Wrote A Long Time Ago

Now, if those guys had just shut the hell up, who knows how much better off we'd be? And just when was that thing signed?

The only thing more depressing than watching what makes my country special dying in a spasm of stupid rhetoric and shameless opportunism is to have to read or listen to the excuses people offer as to why it's not so bad, and why we should all just get with the program.

I hope your Independence Day was a good one.

Wes Clark And The Morons

Image credit: WesPAC/Securing America

It's been fascinating to watch the dustup over Wesley Clark's remarks about what John McCain's service record in Vietnam qualifies him for. Clark's statement is here, in its entirety, along with the question he was answering:

SCHIEFFER: Well, you went so far as to say that you thought John McCain was, quote, and these are your words, "untested and untried." And I must say, I had to read that twice, because you're talking about somebody who was a prisoner of war, he was a squadron commander of the largest squadron in the Navy, he's been on the Senate Armed Services Committee for lo these many years. How can you say that John McCain is untested and untried, General?

Gen. CLARK: Because in the matters of national security policy making, it's a matter of understanding risk, it's a matter of gauging your opponents and it's a matter of being held accountable. John McCain's never done any of that in his official positions. I certainly honor his service as a prisoner of war. He was a hero to me and to hundreds of thousands of millions of others in the armed forces as a prisoner of war. He has been a voice on the Senate Armed Services Committee and he has traveled all over the world. But he hasn't held executive responsibility. That large squadron in the Navy that he commanded wasn't a wartime squadron. He hasn't been there and ordered the bombs to fall. He hasn't seen what it's like when diplomats come in and say, `I don't know whether we're going to be able to get this point through or not. Do you want to take the risk? What about your reputation? How do we handle it publicly?'

SCHIEFFER: Well...

Gen. CLARK: He hasn't made those calls, Bob. So...

SCHIEFFER: Well, General, maybe--could I just interrupt you?

Gen. CLARK: Sure.

SCHIEFFER: I have to say, Barack Obama has not had any of those experiences either, nor has he ridden in a fighter plane and gotten shot down. I mean...

Gen. CLARK: Well, I don't think riding in a fighter plane and getting shot down is a qualification to be president.

SCHIEFFER: Really?

Gen. CLARK: But Barack is not--he is not running on the fact that he has made these national security pronouncements, he's running on his other strengths. He's running on the strengths of character, on the strengths of his communication skills, on the strengths of his judgment, and those are qualities that we seek in our national leadership.

Transcript: Face The Nation, June 29, 2008

It's clear from this that Clark wasn't attacking McCain's service record, as some blowhards have suggested. He's making the point that being able to fly a fighter plane, and being shot down in one, doesn't automatically qualify you to be President. It's what you make of that experience, and what you do afterward, that are important.

No one needs to remind me of what John McCain went through in Vietnam. His best day at the Hanoi Hilton, at least before the day he was released, was probably worse than the worst day of my life. I'm sorry that he had to go through that, and grateful that he had the courage to face it. He deserves respect for what he did there. But then, John Kerry deserves respect for his service, and that didn't stop some of the same people from trashing him who are now whining about what Clark (didn't) say. I think the hypocrisy of that contrast speaks for itself. Ezra Klein makes the point well:

[T]here's nothing to reject in Clark's remarks. He not only failed to say anything untrue, he didn't even say anything controversial. John McCain would be the first to tell you that getting shot down doesn't prepare you for the presidency. When folks ask him about his war heroism, he's even got a stock reply: "It doesn't take a great deal of effort to get shot down," he laughs. But it does take a lot of effort to constantly remind the media and the voters that you're a WAR HERO. Which is why the McCain campaign is gearing up against Clark's comments. Whether it's relevant to McCain's fitness for office or not, his war heroism is central to his chances in this election. In that, Clark simply answered the wrong question. Getting in a fighter plane and getting shot down is not a qualification to become president. The McCain campaign, however, is hoping that it's a sufficient qualification to be elected president. And if the media happens to helpfully conflate the two, well, then, that's not exactly McCain's fault, now is it?

Mean Old Wesley Clark

Wes Clark stood up and told the truth. We like that around here. Sadly, the guy he was doing all this for, whose character he was extolling, didn't exactly live up to the billing:

“Inartful” was the word Obama used Tuesday to characterize remarks Gen. Wes Clark made over the weekend and subsequently about McCain’s military service.

Obama Call's Clark's Remarks "Inartful"

"Pissant" is the word I'd use to describe Obama's remarks. Someone comes to your defense and you don't even have the courage to back him up when he's right? Some leader of the free world you're going to be.

UPDATE: Dana Hunter, as she puts it, unleashes her Smack-O-Matic on various members of the press who have been misrepresenting this episode from the start.

Some OK News, And Some Good News

Following up on the story of the fire at Darcy Burner's house, the news seems to be as reported yesterday by the local papers:

As many of you may be aware, early this morning my home was destroyed by a fire. It appears to have been caused by a faulty lamp in my son's room. Unfortunately, our home and all of the possessions in it are a total loss, but I am so grateful that my family and I escaped safely. We may have lost our home and our possessions, but for the most part they can be replaced, and I feel like a true tragedy was narrowly avoided today. Please rest assured that while we have been a bit shaken by what happened, Mike, Henry and I are all okay.

Particularly, I am grateful to the wonderful men and women of the Redmond and Kirkland Fire Departments, and the investigators from the King County Fire Investigation Unit. Their rapid response and incredible professionalism brought the fire under control and kept it from spreading to our neighbors' homes. And these brave first responders even miraculously rescued my son's puppy, who we initially thought had perished in the flames. Sadly, our cat, Charlotte, did not survive the fire.

Darcy Burner: Thank You for Your Concern

She asks that if anyone wants to make a gesture of support that they give to their local humane society in Charlotte's memory.

On a happier note, it appears that One Fly received good medical news today. If you know him, go on over and share in the joy.

UPDATE: Dave Neiwert has an article up at FDL about how the netroots can help Darcy. Another way you can help is to feed her campaign money via Slobber And Spittle Blue.

Burner And Family Survive House Fire

Slobber And Spittle Blue candidate Darcy Burner and her family, except for their cat, survived fire that consumed their house this morning. According to the Seattle Post Intelligencer:

When she explains why she decided to run for Congress, Darcy Burner says the birth of her son, Henry, five years ago changed her life.

Tuesday morning, he may have saved it.

A few minutes after 7 a.m., Henry burst into his sleeping parents' bedroom in their home near Carnation, yelling about a fire. Burner scooped up Henry and ran outside, as smoke filed their wood-frame rambler on the edge of Ames Lake.

"He woke up and did exactly what he's supposed to do," Burner said.

Home of congressional candidate Burner destroyed by fire

Dave Neiwert has a good summary of the events over at FireDogLake, with many more links.

I just want to extend my condolences to the Burners for the loss of their home and their pet.

Happy Canada Day

[Another nice thing about Canada is that they haven't cut down all their trees yet. You can even ride trains to see them. Image credit: Hooked On Canada (UK)]

Once again, our unbelievably pleasant neighbors to the north are celebrating Canada Day. Rather than try to think of something new to write, I'll just link back to last year's article. Down here this day reminds us of all the things that come from Canada that are part of our own culture - hockey, curling, Alanis Morissette, The Guess Who, the the CanadaArm, Stargate, Battlestar Galactica, and of course, Da Vinci's Inquest.

How Not To Do Editing

One of the things you learn quickly doing blogging is how to quote what other people have written. It's pretty basic - you cut and paste it into matching BLOCKQUOTE macros. If there's anything that might be unclear, put the correction in square brackets. Here's an example of a quote from an earlier article:

[Obama could] just announce that it would happen over his cold, dead filibuster. Or he'd ask to put a hold on the bill. Even the dimmest majority leader, a category that probably includes Harry Reid, wouldn't risk an open fight with his party's presidential nominee. So if Obama had told Reid that the grotesquely-named "Protect America Act" was a non-starter, it would sit in committee until the end of the session.

Help Us, Obama-Wan

See how that works? The part in square brackets shows the meaning of the pronoun it replaced. There's a link to the source of the quote so that readers can verify that I got it right. I've checked links from quotes at dozens of websites. They don't all do it exactly the way I do, but they all do this somehow. I have yet to catch one changing words willy-nilly because they found them less satisfactory than other words.

Which brings us to these clowns. A group calling itself "American Family Association" has apparently decided it doesn't want to see the word "gay" anywhere on its website, preferring the word "homosexual". Hey, we all have style guides, but they're supposed to be applied to our own writing, not to someone else's when we're quoting them. To do otherwise is intellectually dishonest. Of course, as PZ Myers observes, intellectual dishonesty is the stock in trade of such groups:

It seems the American Family Association, which you can tell from the name is yet another institution that has mistaken "patriarchy" for "family"*, was a little overzealous in their use of search and replace, and renamed an athlete named Tyson Gay briefly.

*Try it! Just mentally substitute "patriarchy" for "family" in the title of every right-wing organization that uses the term in their name, and it will suddenly make so much more sense.

“Mr Homosexual” would be an awesome name

I must admit, it works for me.

Apparently, the AFA have been using some sort of automated editor on their site. Steve Benen notes:

But the American Family Association’s OneNewsNow website takes the phenomenon one step further with its AP articles. The far-right fundamentalist group replaces the word “gay” in the articles with the word “homosexual.” I’m not entirely sure why, but it seems to make the AFA happy. The group is, after all, pretty far out there.

Note to the religious right: auto-replace is not your friend

How intellectually dishonest do you have to be to do this sort of thing? I suppose it's to be expected of people who believe their god is both capable of designing a disease that will only kill the first born of one particular nation-state, and at the same time not be able to figure out how to get rid of "homosexuals" when they believe he despises them so much.

Whatever the twisted logic is that causes them to do this, it doesn't apply here. If I've misquoted something, let me know.

Fear And Loathing At Midnight

[The Doctor and another group of strangers try to solve a new mystery. Image credit: screenshot by Cujo359]







Courage is not the absence of fear, but rather the judgement that something else is more important than fear. Ambrose Redmoon

Recently I saw what was probably the most interesting Dr. Who episode ever. For a show that has had thirty seasons, most of which I've seen at least once, that's saying something. It's also saying something when you think about the changes that have happened to this show recently. It's far more frenetic than it once was. It's more overtly sexual in tone. This year, the Doctor's companion, Donna Noble, is both over the age of thirty and, while attractive, not glamorous. You have to go back to the first couple of seasons, when Barbara and Ian were the Doctor's somewhat reluctant sidekicks, to see a similar character. Even there, the similarities aren't all that great. Unlike Billie, Donna, played marvelously by Catharine Tate, isn't athletic, and unlike Martha, she's not in the same mental class as the Doctor. Yet she doesn't hesitate to tell him when she thinks he's wrong. She's also not above poking fun at him. She is his equal in ways few of the previous companions ever were.

So it's already been a unique season. Yet even so, this show is a standout. For one thing, Donna isn't really in it. For another, neither is the TARDIS, the Doctor's time ship. And, in contrast to many episodes, all you really need to know about the Doctor to understand his role in this episode is that he's a very old, very intelligent alien time traveler who looks like a human being.

The plot of the episode, "Midnight", is a rather basic one. The Doctor decides to go on a trip in a spaceliner to see an interesting natural phenomenon on a planet with a poisonous atmosphere and radiation levels that are fatal for any known form of life. Nevertheless, the spaceliner makes an unplanned stop, a powerful and previously unknown form of life gets on board, and apparently takes over the body of one of the passengers. The other passengers have to figure out what to do.

So far, this sounds rather humdrum and ordinary, of course. What makes this show interesting is the interaction of the passengers in reaction to their predicament. As you'd expect to see on an airliner, the passengers are a varied group people of above-average intelligence. There's a professor and his grad student, a young man and his vaguely professional parents, a recently divorced woman, and the Doctor. They, plus the flight attendant, spend the remainder of the episode trying to figure out what has happened, and what to do.

The confined space of the cabin, combined with the helplessness of the ship and an unknown and potentially dangerous intruder, quickly brings emotions to a boil. The passengers start to panic, and despite the Doctor's experience and self assuredness, he cannot calm them down. They decide to throw the woman who has been possessed out the airlock, and over time it becomes tragically clear that the Doctor can't talk them out of it. Appealing to neither their reason nor their humanity can dissuade them.

The episode features taught dialog that is delivered beautifully by the actors. In particular, David Tennant, as the Doctor, and Lesley Sharp as the possessed passenger, do a wonderful job of delivering dialog not quite in unison, and then in unison, in a gradual transformation that shows the alien's gradual success in taking over the Doctor's mind.

There's no doubt that the writers had our times in mind when they wrote this episode. The last few years have seen the kind of ugliness that unreasoning fear causes in the form of useless restrictions on freedoms, unnecessary wars, and acquiescence to, and sometimes celebration of, torture. On a more personal level, people seem less inclined to trust their neighbors, particularly if they are somehow "different". The rhetoric against immigrants, Muslims in particular, has grown alarmingly ugly. It's considered a slur to imply that a Presidential candidate is a Muslim. Considering some of the events that have occurred in the United Kingdom, I doubt the writers needed to look far from home for inspiration.

Some days I feel like the Doctor, trapped on a ship of panicky nitwits who won't think even though their lives depend on it. Unlike the situation the Doctor was in, though, for us there seems to be no hope of rescue.

Those American viewers who have cable should be able to catch this episode on July 11 on the SciFi Channel. I think this one's worth setting the VCR for.

UPDATE (Jul.1): Added another sentence to the paragraph about the Doctor's efforts to dissuade the passengers. It reads better now, and doesn't seem to give any more of the plot away.

The World According To Yoo

Image credit: UCSB collection

(Updated introduction) According to the article I where I found that photo, it depicts five Chinese prisoners being buried alive by Japanese soldiers during the occupation of that country. Apparently, we're in this business now. Doesn't it make you proud to be an American? We're now acting like the Japanese when half the world hated them for what they'd done. (End of update)

Over at Folo, Lotus featured this bit of testimony from John Yoo before Congress:

Conyers: Could the President order a suspect buried alive?
Yoo: Uh, Mr. Chairman, I don’t think I’ve ever given advice that the President could order someone buried alive. . .
Conyers: I didn’t ask you if you ever gave him advice. I asked you thought the President could order a suspect buried alive.

Yoo: Well Chairman, my view right now is that I don’t think a President . . . no American President would ever have to order that or feel it necessary to order that.
Conyers: I think we understand the games that are being played.

Yep.

“I don’t think I’ve ever given advice that the President could order someone buried alive”

Yoo is famous, one might even say infamous, for declaring publicly that if the President ordered it, crushing a child's testicles would be a legal act. Yet he's clearly reluctant to say that the President could have someone buried alive.

Does this strike anyone else as an odd ethical boundary?

If this man were merely a mental patient, or someone writing a blog, I'd find this distinction fascinating. But coming from one of the President's former legal counsels, it's just profoundly disturbing.

UPDATE: Apparently, it's not so much an ethical boundary as the difference between the hypothetical and the actual. The quote about boy testicles was a hypothetical posed during a debate. Apparently in the case of burying people alive, it wasn't so hypothetical. In the comments of that Folo article, Mary explains:

[cites a Vanity Fair article]

Bush’s lawyers (White House lawyers, as opposed to Dept of Justice lawyers - so people like Addington and Gonzales) approved live burial and the CIA had started to build the coffin for it when apparently some FBI agents put up a huge fight and the plan stopped. At least, for the time the FBI was still there.

There are other reports of a clash between FBI and CIA over some action which was so severe that FBI was on the verge of making arrests on site - if I had to bet, it would be that the live burial was what triggered that, but it would be just a guess.

Of course, there are also reports that Bush ok’d having the Taliban fighters who surrendered to US and Northern Alliance put in sealed shipping containers where many died

http://jurist.law.pitt.edu/forum/forumnew94.php

but I’m relatively sure that Conyers was getting at the Zubaydah situation.

Comments to “I don’t think I’ve ever given advice that the President could order someone buried alive”

As critical as I've been of what's being done in our name, I'm still shocked by some of the those things. This is one of those times.

Roll Over And Beg Award: All But Seventeen Members Of The Senate

Today, the Democrats outdid themselves. With the exception of fifteen Senators who voted "nay" and a couple who had good excuses for not being there, the entire Senate once again disgraced themselves. Like the House before them, they puffed up their chests today to make us safe from a few religious fanatics who live in one of the poorest regions on Earth. All they had to do to achieve that lofty goal was take away our freedom. Here is the list of Democratic winners:

Max Baucus (D-MT)
Evan Bayh (D-IN)
Thomas Carper (D-DE)
Robert Casey (D-PA)
Kent Conrad (D-ND)
Dianne Feinstein (D-CA)
Daniel Inouye (D-HI)
Tim Johnson (D-SD)
Herb Kohl (D-WI)
Joe (Short Ride) Lieberman (ID-CT)
Blanche Lincoln (D-AR)
Claire McCaskill (D-MO)
Barbara Mikulski (D-MD)
Bill Nelson (D-FL)
Ben Nelson (D-NE)
Mark Pryor (D-AR)
Jay Rockefeller (D-WV)
Ken Salazar (D-CO)
James Webb (D-VA)
Sheldon Whitehouse (D-RI)

Daniel Akaka (D-HI)
Jeff Bingaman (D-NM)
Benjamin Cardin (D-MD)
Byron Dorgan (D-ND)
Dianne Feinstein (D-CA)
Amy Klobuchar (D-MN)
Carl Levin (D-MI)
Patty Murray (D-WA)
Jack Reed (D-RI)
Harry Reid (D-NV)
Debbie Stabenow (D-MI)
Jon Tester (D-MT)

Hillary Clinton (D-NY)
Barack Obama (D-IL)

The first group are repeat winners from February. The second group are new, added because they can't seem to figure out that not calling something "immunity" doesn't mean it isn't immunity. The third group, which includes two Presidential candidates, simply didn't vote.

Clinton and Obama are particularly sorry cases. They wouldn't even stand up and be counted. This isn't unusual behavior for either one of them, but it's sad to think that these two were the ones left until the end of primary season. Far better people dropped out early. Ian Welsh sums up this situation pretty well:

Obama and McCain were both absent, as was Clinton. Unimpressive, but unsurprising, though I suppose I'm disappointed by Clinton (Obama has made it clear he didn't intend to try and stop the bill.) Clinton and Obama will claim there was no point since it wasn't close. But, with their leadership, it might well have gone the other way.

The Real FISA Vote Passes 80 to 15 With the Presidential Nominees Passing

I'm not in the least surprised that "Mr. Present" ducked under the couch again, and for McCain it was just another day of not being on the job, I'm sure.

That's some fine bunch we have running for the leadership of the Free World.

The Republicans all voted to break cloture. They deserve the award because they don't need to roll over for President Bush any more. He'll be gone in a few months, and those who haven't retired will be in the worst electoral trouble they've seen in many years.

All of these people have disgraced themselves and their party. As always, procurement of and payment for prizes are the responsibility of the winners. Enjoy your biscuits, ladies and gentlemen.

(h/t to Ian Welsh and commenters at FireDogLake who made those lists)

UPDATE (Jun. 26): Added a clause to the opening paragraph explaining what two Senators "had good excuses" for. Ted Kennedy has brain cancer and Robert Byrd has been ill of late.

S**t, P**s, F**k, C**t, C********r, M*********r, Tits

I can't think of a better title for a goodbye to George Carlin. The man was as irreverent as he was funny. His humor masked a keen mind that never seemed to fail to grasp an irony. Here's one of my favorite monologues of his:

We're so self-important. So self-important. Everybody's going to save something now. "Save the trees, save the bees, save the whales, save those snails." And the greatest arrogance of all: save the planet. What? Are these fucking people kidding me? Save the planet, we don't even know how to take care of ourselves yet. We haven't learned how to care for one another, we're gonna save the fucking planet?
...
Besides, there is nothing wrong with the planet. Nothing wrong with the planet. The planet is fine. The PEOPLE are fucked. Difference. Difference. The planet is fine. Compared to the people, the planet is doing great. Been here four and a half billion years. Did you ever think about the arithmetic? The planet has been here four and a half billion years. We've been here, what, a hundred thousand? Maybe two hundred thousand? And we've only been engaged in heavy industry for a little over two hundred years. Two hundred years versus four and a half billion. And we have the CONCEIT to think that somehow we're a threat?
...
The planet will be here for a long, long, LONG time after we're gone, and it will heal itself, it will cleanse itself, 'cause that's what it does. It's a self-correcting system. The air and the water will recover, the earth will be renewed, and if it's true that plastic is not degradable, well, the planet will simply incorporate plastic into a new pardigm: the earth plus plastic. The earth doesn't share our prejudice towards plastic. Plastic came out of the earth. The earth probably sees plastic as just another one of its children. Could be the only reason the earth allowed us to be spawned from it in the first place. It wanted plastic for itself. Didn't know how to make it. Needed us. Could be the answer to our age-old egocentric philosophical question, "Why are we here?" Plastic...asshole.

George Carlin's "The Planet Is Fine"

A sense of irony helps when you need to see the big picture.

When Carlin joked about the airlines, he didn't mention the food or the seats. He skewered the overblown language:

As soon as they close the door to the aircraft, that's when they begin the safety lecture. I love the safety lecture. This is my favorite part of the airplane ride. I listen very carefully to the safety lecture, especially that part where they teach us how to use the seatbelts. Imagine this, here we are, a plane full of grown human beings, many of us partially educated, and they're actually taking time out to describe the intricate workings of a belt buckle.
...
The next sentence I hear is full of things that piss me off. "Before leaving the aircraft, please check around your immediate seating area for any personal belongings you might have brought onboard." Well, let's start with immediate seating area--SEAT! It's a goddamn seat! Check around your seat! "For any personal belongings." Well, what other kinds of belongings are there, besides personal--public belongings? Do these people honestly think I might be traveling with a fountain I stole from the park. "You might have brought onboard." Well.I might have brought my arrowhead collection--I didn't, so I'm not going to look for it! I am going to look for things I brought onboard, which seems to enhance my likelihood of finding something, wouldn't you say?

George Carlin on Airline Safety Lectures

Carlin, a fellow non-believer, was delightfully scathing about sacred cows. Know what he'd have to say about James Dobson?, Probably what he's had to say about guys like him all along:

In the Bullshit Department, a businessman can't hold a candle to a clergyman. 'Cause I gotta tell you the truth, folks. When it comes to bullshit, big-time, major league bullshit, you have to stand in awe of the all-time champion of false promises and exaggerated claims, religion. No contest. No contest. Religion. Religion easily has the greatest bullshit story ever told. Think about it. Religion has actually convinced people that there's an invisible man living in the sky who watches everything you do, every minute of every day. And the invisible man has a special list of ten things he does not want you to do. And if you do any of these ten things, he has a special place, full of fire and smoke and burning and torture and anguish, where he will send you to live and suffer and burn and choke and scream and cry forever and ever 'til the end of time!

Celebrity Atheists: George Carlin

Think I'm going to pay attention to Dobson's interpretation of the Constitution? I'd rather go with Carlin's:

I love words. I thank you for hearing my words.
I want to tell you something about words that I think is important.
They're my work, they're my play, they're my passion.
Words are all we have, really. We have thoughts but thoughts are fluid.
then we assign a word to a thought and we're stuck with that word for
that thought, so be careful with words. I like to think that the same
words that hurt can heal, it is a matter of how you pick them.
There are some people that are not into all the words.
There are some that would have you not use certain words.
There are 400,000 words in the English language and there are 7
of them you can't say on television. What a ratio that is.

George Carlin Lyrics - The Seven Words You Can Never Say On Television

You can thank clowns like Dobson for that irony.

I'm really going to miss this guy.