I SWORE I Wouldn't Do It...

..."it" being commenting on L'Affaire Gates. It's already much ado about not much... waaay too much ado, actually. But... seeing as how we've all read and heard too much about this stupidity already I don't think I'll hurt things by adding a couple of "don't miss" articles/posts on the subject.

First... David Burge has a guest posting at his place of bid'niz. The lede and link:

Cambridge Police Profiling Still A Grim Reality for Harvard Faculty Assholes

Guest Opinion
by Professor John Evans Evans-John
Harvard School of Harvard Faculty Asshole Studies
Harvard University
When I first learned of the arrest of my colleague Professor Henry Louis "Skip" Gates after he stood up to the fascist jackboots of a declasse, ill-educated Cambridge police officer, I was of course angered -- but scarcely shocked. L'Affaire Gates simply aired, in public, the dirty 100-thread-count table linen of an American culture where Harvard faculty assholes still face a daily struggle against profiling, abuse, and insolence.
It will come as no surprise that Skip's arrest was the talk of the Douchebag Room at the Harvard Faculty Club last Friday. I and a group of colleagues had assembled for our weekly lunch; I opted for their competently-prepared Ahi Tuna Tartare and an amusing glass of '05 Hospices de Beaune Premier Cru Cuvee Cyrot-Chaudron. I had noticed that the Franz Fanon Memorial Booth -- Skip's long-reserved lunch spot -- was uncharacteristically empty, and asked our waiter Sergio for an explanation.
"Professor Skeep, he no is come today," said Sergio. "I tink he is in the jail."

Heh. RTWT*, as we bloggers acronymize.

And Lex, he speaks for me: "they both suck." All three of 'em suck, if ya wanna include The Most Powerful Man In The World, who started the whole brouhaha with a statement to the effect of "... I don't know the facts, but..." Frickin' ROOKIE.

There. I'm done.

* Read The Whole Thing.

Minor Musings

Your F-22 update… from the usual source:

Full Court Press: The Obama Administration is making a concerted push to derail Congressional plans to extend production of the F-22 Raptor beyond the Pentagon requested 187 aircraft. On Monday, as the full Senate began its deliberation of the 2010 defense policy bill, both the White House and the Pentagon sent letters to the chairman and ranking member of the Senate Armed Services Committee, Sen. Carl Levin (D-Mich.) and Sen. John McCain (R-Ariz,), respectively, both of whom opposed the addition of extra F-22 money that sailed through the committee mark-up. President Barack Obama in his letter claimed he would veto any measure that includes more than 187 Raptors. Last week, Levin acknowledged the veto potential, but reportedly said he didn't think the President would act on the threat. (Obama letter) (Pentagon letter, signed by Robert Gates and Adm. Michael Mullen)

A Ghost of Vetoes Past: Now that Barack Obama has openly vowed to veto the defense bill to stop the F-22, one might ask: When was the last time a President defied a Congress run by his own party just to cancel one specific weapon? We don't know for sure, but it may have been Jimmy Carter in 1978. His target was a Nimitz-class aircraft carrier that the Navy wanted and Congress inserted into the bill over White House objections. Carter was determined to win, and wielded his veto. According to the Aug. 28, 1978 issue of Time, Carter "maintained that its huge cost would divert funds needed for the buildup of NATO forces." However, the story did not end there. Over the next year, the "carrier veto" became a potent club for Carter's political opponents, especially Ronald Reagan. When the Iran hostage crisis erupted, Carter put two aircraft carriers in the Gulf of Oman. By Spring 1980, Congress had put the same carrier into the budget and overwhelmingly approved it. This time, Carter signed. That carrier--CVN-71--is at sea today as USS Theodore Roosevelt. It was on station in the Indian Ocean on Sept. 11, 2001, and 26 days later launched the first US strikes against the forces of Al Qaeda in Afghanistan.

Hindsight is always 20/20, innit? That said, the Carter parallel is interesting as more than a few folks have opined we're currently enduring Jimmuh's second term. What remains to be seen… in this specific case… is whether the congress has enough votes to override The One's veto, if it should come down to that. "Interesting Times," as they say.

―:☺:―

Forget Tourette Syndrome… that is SO 20^th century… the video game generation is afflicted with First-Person Shooter Disease:

The good news: there are support groups available.

―:☺:―

Today's Pic: Red or Green? Evening sunlight on foliage as viewed during last night's after-dinner cognac whiskey and cigar event.

Dang Me

Now that the Obamas are vacationing in Hawaii I’ve noticed I’ve gotten well over 40 hits (or so) in the past 24 hours for “Obama on the beach.” And they click through to this… amazingly enough:

Now That's A Line!

Via Gerard… 20 More Photos Taken at Exactly the Right Angle. Like the one above…Obama on the beach. They’re all pretty danged cool.

Go figure. I’m thinking anyone interested in beach photos of The One wouldn’t be prone to click through on this. Imagine my surprise.

―:☺:―

Ear-worm. And it’s ALL Barry’s fault. From comments on his site:

Today's rhetorical question: How could I live this long without ever hearing "shellout falter?" That's a masterful turn of a phrase if ever there was one!
Buck | Homepage | 12.23.08 - 1:40 pm | #

---

Buck, my reaction exactly, but I'm not surprised that it sprang from the mind of Roger Miller, who is a lyrical genius.

Even the silly stuff -- *especially* the silly stuff -- I love. If you catch me whistling to myself at the office, it's often something like "You Can't Rollerskate In A Buffalo Herd."
Barry | Homepage | 12.23.08 - 1:55 pm | #

---

Agreed on the silly stuff. "Dang Me" came out when I was in USAF tech school... and imagine, if you will, 20 or 30 drunken young airmen joining in on the chorus and warbling "high from the highest treeeee... woman would ya weep for me? Doo-doo-dee-doot-a-looie..." (from memory, that, but ya get the idea, I'm sure). Miller was the soundtrack for a lot of great times back then.
Buck | Homepage | 12.24.08 - 3:18 pm | #

---

OK... it's been about an hour now and I can't get that danged song out of my head. Aiiieee!
Buck | Homepage | 12.24.08 - 4:15 pm | #

Misery loves company. So… join me and sing along, Gentle Reader.

Heh.

Classic!

Good Friend Lori out in the Bay Area Soviet Socialist Republic sends along a link to this:

Room for Rent -- Inauguration Day/ObamaCon 2009

---

Date: 2008-11-11, 11:45AM EST

In a search of a room in DC so that you can spend Jan. 20 standing in the bitter winter cold with thousands of like-minded souls watching the historic transfer of power from one Harvard grad to another? Look no further.



Me: Heartless, greedy right-wing oppressive type looking to make a buck.



You: Obama's election was Christmas/your first kiss/May Day all wrapped into one. You dutifully wore his button -- which you have yet to remove -- contributed money to his campaign from your non-profit job and chanted "yes we can" as if it were the 11th commandment. A strange void now exists in your life and -- like an old hippie looking to recapture the spirit of Woodstock -- you are undertaking a pilgramage to Washington for one last gulp of the Kool-Aid.



Along with my bedroom you will have access to the house's many amenities including cable television (not that you watch much TV) for viewing Keith Olberman's latest unhinged rants and CNN in high-def. Wireless internet means that the Huffington Post and DailyKos are only a click away on your MacBook. American flags and other patriotic paraphernalia in the room can be removed upon request.



The house is located in the diverse neighborhood of Adams Morgan with people of many different skin pigmentations that will allow you to revel in your tolerance. Rest assured, however, that this diversity does not extend to ideology and that you are sure to march lock-step with the prevailing sentiment ensuring that your most strongly held beliefs remain unchallenged.



Easily accessible subway and bus stops will help ensure a minimal carbon footprint while fair trade coffee is never more than a few steps away at any number of independently-owned establishments. Nearby non-chain bookstores similarly mean that tomes such as Mao's Little Red Book, Chomsky's latest masterpiece or additional copies of The Audacity of Hope can be easily purchased either for yourself or as early holiday shopping.



Rather than state a price I am requesting that you bid on this fabulous opportunity to ensure profit maximization on my part so that I can better weather the Bush Recession.



Lanier Pl. at Ontario google map yahoo map

• it's NOT ok to contact this poster with services or other commercial interests

PostingID: 914613135

The funny thing? I'm betting the dude/dudette is simply SWAMPED with offers.

The Scandal du Jour...

A screenshot from memeorandum this morning:

Yeah, OK. Right. Everyone who's anyone has something to say about this brouhaha, however meaningless and mundane it might be. I mean, we're talking Illinois politics, ain't we? Which is the antithesis of "squeaky clean." But I digress. All you really need to know about this oh-so-surprising scandal (surprising if you're a third grader, or if you live under a rock somewhere) is up at Iowahawk's place, to wit:

BREAKING: Feds Seize Blagojevich eBay Account

CHICAGO - The ongoing corruption probe into Illinois governor Rod Blagojevich took a dramatic turn this evening, as federal agents working for US Attorney Patrick Fitzgerald announced that they had seized the governor's eBay account. It is as yet unknown how the latest seizure will effect the outcome of the case.
IOWAHAWK EXCLUSIVE! RUSH UPDATE!

Leaked documents from latest sealed federal indictment (click to embiggen)

Heh. You really gotta see this...