The Garlic: 04/25/2010

Saturday, May 01, 2010

Palin's Experience

"Sarah Palin is back! The keeper of the light! All hail Sarah Palin! All hail Sarah Palin! Oh Sarah Palin can you see by the dawn's early light..."

Grand Central Station Locker Creatures.

It's a good thing I hadn't had my first morning cup of coffee when I caught this, otherwise, I would have spewed it all over the computer, as I fell to the floor in a fit of laughter.

It should be no surprise that The Wasilla Whiz Kid would call for, on her Policy Think Tank Facebook Page, continued drilling;

All responsible energy development must be accompanied by strict oversight, but even with the strictest oversight in the world, accidents still happen. No human endeavor is ever without risk – whether it’s sending a man to the moon or extracting the necessary resources to fuel our civilization. I repeat the slogan “drill here, drill now” not out of naiveté or disregard for the tragic consequences of oil spills – my family and my state and I know firsthand those consequences. How could I still believe in drilling America’s domestic supply of energy after having seen the devastation of the Exxon-Valdez spill? I continue to believe in it because increased domestic oil production will make us a more secure, prosperous, and peaceful nation.

No, actually "increased domestic oil production" will not make us more secure and prosperous (well, it will make the oil industry companies very prosperous).

It will continue to destroy our environment, and strain state and federal budgets, cleaning up, for years-to-decades, those "accidents with the strictest oversight" while underfunding the development of alternative, safe, renewal energy sources.

But that is not what would have had coffee shooting out of my nose.

Rather it was the Flying Monkey sycophants over on Conservatives4Palin.

Latching on to anything, anything, with Herculean powers, anything that could possibly make Mommy Moose look like a thoughtful, competent leader, they go to the source, the beryllium sphere, Ms. Ya'Bet'cha's book, to highlight "her experience" in dealing with oil spills.

Palin's Experience With Exxon Valdez Oil Spill

Governor Palin wrote earlier today about the oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico. As the governor mentioned in her Facebook posting, she's experienced the effects of an oil spill first-hand. The following is an excerpt from Going Rogue about the Exxon Valdez spill (pages 59-62):

On Good Friday, March 24, 1989, I baked a cake for Dad’s fifty-first birthday. It started out a great day, but turned into one of those “where were you when ...” moments. When Ronald Reagan was shot, I heard about it over the intercom upstairs in the library at Wasilla High; when the space shuttle Challenger exploded, I was watching it on TV while standing in my dorm room at UI.

On this day, I was in my apartment on Peck Street in Wasilla when the phone rang.

“Sarah, turn on the TV!” It was Blanche. The intensity of her voice did not spell good news.

[snip]

When the Exxon Valdez hit Bligh Reef, I was a young mother-to-be with a blue-collar husband headed up to the Slope. I hadn’t yet envisioned running for elected office. But looking back, I can see that the tragedy planted a seed in me: If I ever had a chance to serve my fellow citizens, I would do so, and I’d work for the ordinary, hardworking people—like everyone who was a part of my ordinary, hardworking world.

Well ...

Not exactly.

It was more like she'd work for, about, a half term, for those "ordinary, hardworking people", before bailing out, and jumping on the Money Train.

Meanwhile, back in reality;

Leaked report: Government fears Deepwater Horizon well could become unchecked gusher

The worst-case scenario for the broken and leaking well pouring oil into the Gulf of Mexico would be the loss of the wellhead and kinked piping currently restricting the flow to 5,000 barrels -- or 210,000 gallons -- per day.

If the wellhead is lost, oil could leave the well at a much greater rate.

[snip]

Gouget said the loss of a wellhead is totally unprecedented.

Maybe she can go down there, and wink at it.

Bonus Links

Andrew Sullivan: Tweet Of The Day

Laura Conaway: Palin feels Gulf's pain, but accidents happen, OK? As proved by 2nd rig collapse

Cheney, Baby Cheney ...

This Date ... On The Garlic

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With You I'm Born Again

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Wolcott: Nixon in a pantsuit

1 May 2007... On The Garlic

Breaking News! President To Reject Bill Under "Veto Accomplished" Banner; White House, To Counter Dems, Planning Own Elaborate Signing Ceremony; VP Office May Issue Update "Last Throes" Declaration; Military Bands and Wounded Vets Expected To Attend

Top Ten Cloves: Lengths White House Staff Will Go Today To Avoid Reminding President Of "Mission Accomplished"

Happy Law Day!

1 May 2006... On The Garlic

Top Ten Cloves: How Josh Bolten Plans On Getting White House’s MoJo Back

Friday, April 30, 2010

Cheney, Baby Cheney ...

While half of the World Wide Web is having fun, riffing on the war cries of the PartyofNoicans, of "Drill, Baby Drill", there are more darker reasons the United States (and, likely, the entire planet) will soon see the most largest, horrific oil spill in history.

Things are terribly bleak down in the Gulf of Mexico, with Louisiana, and virtually the entire Panhandle, stretching to Florida, is in the beginnings of smelling foul with oil, washed over and completely covered, the ramifications to last for decades.

The spill is much larger than British Petroleum, or the government, is stating publically.

The Cheeseburger That Sweats ((h/t Barry Crimmins)), and the Flying Monkeys of the Right Wing Freak Show have already begun pinning this on Obama.

They're already calling it "Obama's Katrina"

Sorry, but he hasn't done a fly over, while wildlife and animals line up at the Convention Center, for days-upon-days, with no food or water.

Nor, has Obama patted Janet Napolitano on the back with a "Heck of a job Nappy".

But, by way of Katrina, in one of those "six degrees of separation" things, we can start building the blame for this back to The Commander Guy, and the Shadow President himself, Dick Cheney.

For one, the company that must have the record for most No-Bid Contracts in a single administration, Halliburton, is front-and-center, their fingerprints all over the Deepwater Horizon Oil Rig disaster.

Oil Blowout: What Did BP and Halliburton Know, and What/When Did They Tell Us?

We still don’t know what caused the blowout and explosion, but the Wall Street Journal is running a story suggesting the cause may have been related to the process Halliburton used for sealing the holes and gaps created during the drilling process.

Scarecrow goes on to detail a bit more about Halliburton;

8. Enter Halliburton. It’s job, worldwide, is to plug the gap between drill hole and pipe to stop the leakage, and to partially close the hole to allow more control over the pressure from oil/gas trying to escape up the pipe. If it doesn’t do this well, the pressure can cause a dangerous surge, and because the gas is highly flammable, there is a danger of a blowout and explosion when the escaping gas/oil reaches the platform.

9. This happened recently in Australia, where a rig also being sealed by Halliburton blew up and was destroyed, while millions of gallons of oil gushed into the ocean. This may not be a rare occurrence; blowouts do occur; we just don’t hear about them except when the explosions are large and easily detected.

Ah, but let's go back just a bit further.

Do we all remember the Cheney Energy Task Force?

That was at the beginning of the regime, when The Bush Grindhouse became an Energy Jamboree, so evil were the wheeling-and-dealing, so many hands were stained with the payola, that they went to court to suppress having any of the information of the meetings see the light of day.

A few years later, we got a glimpse'

Papers Detail Industry's Role in Cheney's Energy Report

In all, about 300 groups and individuals met with staff members of the energy task force, including a handful who saw Cheney himself, according to the list, which was compiled in the summer of 2001. For six years, those names have been a closely guarded secret, thanks to a fierce legal battle waged by the White House. Some names have leaked out over the years, but most have remained hidden because of a 2004 Supreme Court ruling that agreed that the administration's internal deliberations ought to be shielded from outside scrutiny.

[snip]

British Petroleum representatives dropped by on March 22, one of about 20 oil and drilling companies to get meetings. The National Mining Association, the Interstate Natural Gas Association of America and the American Petroleum Institute were among three dozen trade associations that met with Cheney's staff, the document shows.

[snip]

The development of a new energy policy was Bush's first major initiative after he took office. He turned over responsibility of it to Cheney, a former chairman of Halliburton Co., a Dallas-based energy services firm

[snip]

Some key proposals, such as opening the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge to oil drilling, have never won congressional approval, but some measures to encourage oil and gas production, coal output, and the development of biofuels and nuclear power have been included in Bush's budgets and in the 2005 energy bill.

"Cheney had his finger on a critical issue," said David G. Hawkins, a climate expert at the Natural Resources Defense Council. "He just pushed it in the wrong direction."

Under The Shadow President, regulations were gutted that can be tied into BP not going as far as they could, in protecting their rig and, hopefully, avoiding a catastrophic oil spill.

Today, on The Ed Show, Shultz had a segment with Environmental lawyer Mike Papantonio, who has already filed a lawsuit on behalf of the Fishing Industries, laid out, astoundingly, how BP failed to have an "Acoustic Switch" on the Deepwater Horizon Oil Rig, a fail-safe that would have shut off the oil at the source, equipment that costs only $500,000, and is required by every other country where they drill (in an era where BP had $40-Billion in profits).

You can go HERE to watch the interview.

Well before this is over, the Deepwater Horizon Oil Rig spill is going to make the Exxon Valdez look like a half-glass of milk that was knocked over.

Louisiana, the entire mouth of the Mississippi, and, of course, New Orleans, has still been in recovery mode, from Hurricane Katrina.

With this oil spill, it, almost, appears that The Bush Grindhouse, and "Cheney, Baby Cheney", are reaching back, trying to finish off the job.

Amazing, not out of office a full two-years, and they are still reaking despicable havoc.

What needs to come out of all this, additionally, is that this is THE LAST OIL SPILL.

Yeah, Obama has put on the brakes as to any new drilling contracts, but he needs to go further and announce, it's dead.

No More Drilling, Baby, No More Drilling!

Henceforth, all monies are going into developing safe, renewal energies, all our energy goes in this project, a Rooseveltian-like rallying of the country to this purpose.

Let's go there, Mr. President, step up to the plate, make the call.

The destruction being wrought on the Gulf Coast, the jobs lost, the wildlife and habitats destroyed, should be the only item needed to launch this effort.

Bonus Links

EnviroKnow: Rep. Waxman Requests Information from Halliburton Regarding the Deepwater Horizon Oil Rig

Brad Johnson: Oil Rig Disaster Could Soon Be Worse Than Exxon Valdez

David Neiwert: Gee, whatever happened to 'Drill Baby Drill'? Its proponents are awfully quiet these days UPDATED

Joe Conason: Will Palin, and Obama, rethink offshore drilling now?

This Date ... On The Garlic

30 April 2009... On The Garlic

Let's Give It To Chuckie T ... He'll Ask It!

Klaatu barada nikto

Harman Turning To King Kaiser?

Take Me Out To The Ball Game ... Take Me Out Of My Job ...

30 April 2008... On The Garlic

"The Wheels On The Bus Go Round and Round ..."

30 April 2007... On The Garlic

Movie Industry Titan, and LBJ Lackey, Rolls His Final Credits - Jack Valenti Obit

Yes, Wolfie, People Will Be Talking, For Years, About You ... The Results - The Garlic Weekly Poll

30 April 2006... On The Garlic

Weekend Special - Sautéed Cloves

Garlic Poll Results - Before Scott McClellan Leaves His Job As Press Secretary, He Should ...

Thursday, April 29, 2010

Tijuana Gift Shop

Sorry, Garlic Fans, we be dry tonight, having worked away the day on the homefront, leaving little time (and less energy) to sit down and be creative.

We would like to bring your attention to a brewing pissing contest, over on The Reaction (where this writer is a Contributing Editor), and the on-going documentation of the "Craziest Republicans", by Michael Stickings.

Yesterday (Wednesday), Michael posted "Craziest Republican of the Day: Pat Bertroche", the PartyofNoican doctor running for Congress in Iowa.

The good Dr. Bertoche offered this, as a solution to the illegal immigration crisis;

I think we should catch 'em, we should document 'em, make sure we know where they are and where they are going. I actually support microchipping them. I can microchip my dog so I can find it. Why can't I microchip an illegal? That's not a popular thing to say, but it's a lot cheaper than building a fence they can tunnel under.

Well, Michael ripped him a new one, and the good Dr. Bertoche replied back, in a comment, that your can read HERE.

So, take a jaunt over there, and offer the good doctor some advice, about the "hysteria bandwagon" and "kool-aid" that he alleges we have been drinking, in attempting to gloss over his head-up-ass immigration advice.

You can do so, accompanied by the great Charles Mingus.

We had hoped to post the fiery "Ysabel's Table Dance", but, alas, it's not up on YouTube, so you get something a bit more whimsical (both tunes are off Mingus's 'Tijuana Moods' album).

Tijuana Gift Shop-Charles Mingus

This Date ... On The Garlic

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Another Instant Ignorant Dolt - Rep Virginia Fox (R-NC)

More TD Jesus ...Obama Should Punt

Oh Boy, Another One ...

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Bush May Tap Coulter For Energy Source; Studies Cite Time Cover Girl "Has Enormous Capacity"

The NFL Goes To Congress; McGwire Surprise Witness; Still Not Talking

Top Ten Cloves: How President Bush Plans To Get His Energy Bill By This Summer

Wednesday, April 28, 2010

Apple Validates Our Scoop On The iSqueal!

Who knew we would be so prophetic?

On multiple fronts.

First there was the minor fun we had, with the Little Lost iPhone last week, in our 'The iPhone That Knew Too Much', running a wisp of a thread of the classic Hitchcock film in it.

After dismissing that "Redwood City (California) will never, ever, ever be mistaken for in Marrakesh", we had this breaking news;

Police Seize Jason Chen's Computers

Last Friday night, California's Rapid Enforcement Allied Computer Team entered editor Jason Chen's home without him present, seizing four computers and two servers. They did so using a warrant by Judge of Superior Court of San Mateo. According to Gaby Darbyshire, COO of Gawker Media LLC, the search warrant to remove these computers was invalid under section 1524(g) of the California Penal Code.

Holy Handcuffs Batman!

Rapid Enforcement Allied Computer Team?

Do they actually have lightening-quick robots that go out, paralyze people, that drag them back to Apple HQ for an under-the-burning LED interrogation?

Apple asked for 'lost' iPhone criminal probe

The criminal investigation into the purported theft of an apparent iPhone prototype came at the request of Apple Inc., officials said Tuesday.

[snip]

Wagstaffe said that an outside counsel for Apple, along with Apple engineer Powell, called the District Attorney’s office on Wednesday or Thursday of last week to report a theft had occurred and they wanted it investigated. The District Attorney’s office then referred them to the Rapid Enforcement and Allied Computer Team, or REACT, a multi-jurisdictional, high-tech crime task force that operates under the Santa Clara County District Attorney’s office.

REACT then sought out the warrant that was served on the home of Gizmodo writer Jason Chen, seizing several computers, a server and external hard drives, as well as copies of Chen’s paystubs and his American Express bill. The warrant was served on April 23 while Chen and his wife were out of the house, leading investigators to break down his door and conduct the search.

[snip]

Apple is on the steering committee of REACT along with 24 other Silicon Valley companies including Microsoft Corp., Adobe Systems Inc., Symantec Corp., KLA-Tencor Inc., Applied Materials Inc. and Cisco Systems Inc. The committee acts as a liaison between the region’s tech industry and law enforcement

WOW!

When we said "Apple is, notoriously like The Yakuza", we had no idea they had a man on the inside.

Katie Marsal has more on that end of things.

Now, we have a cavalcade of legal circus acts to play out.

And this peaked our interest;

Apple May Have Traced iPhone to Finder’s Address

People identifying themselves as representing Apple last week visited and sought permission to search the Silicon Valley address of the college-age man who came into possession of a next-generation iPhone prototype, according to a person involved with the find.

“Someone came to [the finder's] house and knocked on his door,” the source told Wired.com, speaking on condition of anonymity because the case is under investigation by the police. A roommate answered, but wouldn’t let them in.

Hmmm ...

How did they know where to go?

Could they really trace it, and/or, did they get a tip?

That brings us square into a scoop we had, way back, in March of 2005;

Apple will also set up a special hotline - iSqueal - for people to phone or email in tips as to who may be leaking, or disparaging Apple or any Apple products.

Changes will be coming with iTunes as well. The purchase price will remain at .99, for those willing to sign a contract that they will not badmouth Apple. Otherwise, the purchase of a tune will cost $99 and Apple will create a dossier on that purchaser and monitor there actions and communications.

Ipods will now be outfitted with special senors to detect a batch of keywords related to dissent about Apple. If any of these keywords are used, the iPod shuts down, and sends a signal - much like a Lojack - for Apple to dispatch a lawyer to serve the iPod owner with a lawsuit.

Apple, unofficially, has validated the iSqueal!

We'll have to wait and see what else breaks with this case.

In the meantime, we'll let Andrew Leonard, of Salon, close us out, from his 'Steve Jobs' iPhone police state';

No one ends up looking good in this mess. Steve Jobs is a control freak with police powers. Apple employees don't know how to take care of super-secret prototypes! Finders of lost iPhones are perfectly happy to sell them to on-the-make media outlets. And the pursuit of the page-view jackpot turns reporters into black market entrepreneurs. It's a wonderful world.

Breaking - Amsterdam Jonesin'

The unintended ramifications, and unseen circumstances, of a volcano.

Those scamps, over at CAP News, have the scoop;

Amsterdam: We're All Out Of Drugs

AMSTERDAM (CAP) - Officials in Amsterdam are reporting an unexpected but dramatic consequence of the recent volcano-related travel restrictions in Europe: they have run out of drugs.

"We are totally, totally tapped," said Amsterdam Tourism Chief Baartege Fedde. "So many travelers were stranded in our city for so long that they smoked, snorted, and injected everything we had. Plus none of our regular supply shipments could make their way in - it was like the perfect storm."

Tourism officials say they know that drugs are just one of the two main reasons why people visit Amsterdam, "with the other, of course, being wild, freaky sex," said Fedde. However, they also know that the city's other attractions like museums and markets are "pretty sucky" if one isn't high while visiting them.

Go over to CAP News to read the rest of it

This Date ... On The Garlic

28 April 2009... On The Garlic

What Would TouchDown Jesus Do - Revisited

Shorter Krugman - Smack! ...Upside The Head!

Jon Meacham, Phone Home

Let's Not Go To Disneyland

Underachiever

28 April 2008... On The Garlic

Editor's Note: Maybe, Only Treading Water For The Next Day, or Two ...

28 April 2005... On The Garlic

DeLay Now Facing Additional Charges; Stowaway On Air Force One Effort To Avoid House Investigation

Police Investigate Arson Incident At Apple; CEO Jobs, Others Questioned Over Small Fire

Top Ten Cloves: Other PBS Reality Shows In The Works

Tuesday, April 27, 2010

Poland Goes To The Movies

Now, I understand that there has been a horrific tragedy, the lifeblood of a country, an incomprehensible loss of human life.

Yet, when I caught this article, it immediately came to mind;

Late Poland president's twin runs to replace him

Polish opposition party leader Jaroslaw Kaczynski said Monday he will run in summer elections to replace his twin brother, the incumbent president who was killed in a plane crash.

Jaroslaw Kaczynski said he will run to continue the mission of his brother and others killed in the crash.

"The good of Poland is a common duty that requires an ability to overcome personal suffering, to undertake the task despite a personal tragedy," Kaczynski said.

"This is why I have taken the decision to run for the president of Poland. I have the family's support in this decision."

Enter, stage left, Kevin Kline.

Remember "Dave", where "In a country where anybody can become President, anybody just did?"

More, from Wikipedia;

Dave Kovic (Kline) runs a temporary employment agency in Georgetown, Washington, D.C., and, as a side job, makes appearances impersonating President William Harrison "Bill" Mitchell (also portrayed by Kline), whom he greatly resembles. He is drafted by Mitchell's Chief of Staff Bob Alexander (Frank Langella) to make an exit at an appearance of President Mitchell, to cover up Mitchell's extramarital affair with White House staffer Randi (Laura Linney).

When the real President Mitchell suffers a stroke during the affair that leaves him in a coma, Bob Alexander sees an opportunity. Along with Communications Director Alan Reed (Kevin Dunn), Alexander arranges for the President's comatose state to be kept secret. They then con Dave into impersonating the president on an ongoing basis by telling him that the country would suffer if the truth was revealed or if Vice President Gary Nance (Ben Kingsley), who they say is mentally ill, took office. Nance is not mentally ill, but rather an upright politician who had refused several of the real Mitchell's underhanded dealings. Due to this, Nance has been sent on a series of extended diplomatic exercises intended to keep him away from the White House.

Apart from Alexander and Reed, only his Secret Service bodyguard, Duane Stevenson (Ving Rhames) and the medical staff tending to the real President Mitchell in the White House basement (being paid by Reed), know the truth. Neither Mitchell's mistress Randi nor First Lady Ellen Mitchell (Sigourney Weaver) are informed of the switch.

Okay, not a perfect "life imitates art", but pretty darn close ....

Bonus Riffs

Life Imitates Art ... Or, Did Burt Lancaster Invent Google Earth?

Swedish Film Icon Ingmar Bergman Dead at 89 ; Police Depressed, Working Through Emptiness, Not Ruling Out Foul Play

If You're A Disneyland Freak, Here's The Nuts-and-Bolts

A Stopped Clock

In our best tongue-in-cheek Gomer Pyle;

Surprise, Surprise!

From Crooks and Liars;

David Duke defends the Tea Parties from charges of racism: Why, they're just like him

Duke: Tea Party people are called racist because the vast majority wants to stop the massive non-European immigration that will turn America into a crumbling tower of Babel. Most Tea Partiers believe that we in America have the right to preserve our heritage, language, and culture, just as every nation has that human right. The vast majority of Tea Party activists oppose affirmative action and diversity, which are nothing more than programs of racist discrimination against white people. The vast majority of Tea Party enthusiasts despise Hollywood and the mass media

You know, the unelected media bosses have far more power than any senator or congressman, and are far more alien to America than the British were at the time of the American Revolution. At least the British were of our own, Christian cultural heritage, while the non-Christian ethno-religious minority who dominates Hollywood sees itself as very distinct from the 98 percent of the rest of us.

Tea Party activists are true populists who see the powers that control international finance and the Federal Reserve as the biggest threats to American prosperity and freedom.

...... The Tea Party movement is made up of American people who have watched in silent anger while the nation of our forefathers has been destroyed. The Tea Party movement, as the original Tea Party, is about preserving our heritage and our freedom.

Where's Orval Faubus when you really need him?

David Neiwert adds;

See, when David Duke whines that "pro white" organizations don't get treated the same as "pro black" organizations, he's ignoring a critical difference: "Pro black" organizations (think the NAACP) are all about lifting up people of their own color. "Pro white" organizations are all about tearing down people of other colors. That's why they call them "hate groups."

The Tea Partiers probably don't want Duke's endorsement. But he's basically right: The Tea Partiers argue from exactly the same kind of appeals that Duke and his fellow white nationalist have used for years, particularly the appeals to the "Founding Fathers" -- most of whom were, after all, white supremacists themselves.

Indeed, the Tea Party movement is nothing less than the manifestation of the agenda Duke has been pushing for years. We appreciate him pointing that out for public consumption.

And, Anomaly100, over on Freakout Nation reminds us;

Many years ago in New Orleans, Duke was running for political office. He explained away his past by saying, it was his past. He said he was no longer a racist. Now, he’s a lying racist.

I don't know ...

I feel a Sarah Palin Facebook Lame-Street-Media-Love-Hug-to-Duke post coming up ...

This Date ... On The Garlic

27 April 2009... On The Garlic

After Death, No Reason For The Spam To Stop

The FAA - Instant Ignorant Dolts!

They've Got To Give It HAL's Voice!

27 April 2008... On The Garlic

What Did You Expect - Jerry Springer!

You Say Lapel Pins ... I Say Lunatics...

Elizabeth Edwards: "The Cliff Notes of the news"

The Anatomy of Idiots

27 April 2006... On The Garlic

Top Ten Cloves: Things That Came Out In Karl Rove’s 5th Grand Jury Appearance Yesterday

27 April 2005... On The Garlic

Bush Plan For Iraq Statehood In Jeopardy

Syria Leaves Lebanon After 29-Year Stay; Bill Unpaid; Towels and Soap Missing

Top Ten Cloves: Early Signs That Steroids May Be Out of Baseball

Monday, April 26, 2010

Shorter Stephen Hawking - Throw Away Your Tinfoil Hats

Say It ain't so, Stevie, baby ...

We want the Spielberg version... You know, the mashed potatoes, the cute little kid, maybe a little of the harmless, spooky stuff with the lights and stuff ...

Those "Doot ... Doot ... Doot ... Doot .. .Doot" happy music signals ...

But not Outer Space aliens that come down and destroy us.

I mean, The Twilight Zone, with the Kanamits Cook Book, already played that one out

Should we read more into a gay character settling in Archie's Riverdale?

Is that the tip off?

Stephen Hawking warns over making contact with aliens

In a series for the Discovery Channel the renowned astrophysicist said it was "perfectly rational" to assume intelligent life exists elsewhere.

But he warned that aliens might simply raid Earth for resources, then move on.

"If aliens visit us, the outcome would be much as when Columbus landed in America, which didn't turn out well for the Native Americans," he said.

Prof Hawking thinks that, rather than actively trying to communicate with extra-terrestrials, humans should do everything possible to avoid contact.

He explained: "We only have to look at ourselves to see how intelligent life might develop into something we wouldn't want to meet."

You might be the smartest cat, this side of Ken Jennings, but, at the end of the day, who's to say what?

It could be Spielberg, or it could be all "Klaatu barada nikto", as in "The Day The Earth Stood Still", over beers and ribs at a ball game.

Or, are you saying that M. Night Shyamalan, blew it, gave'em a game plan?

They're going to replicate all the "Signs", but, and this is a big "but, only after, draining the Earth of all its' water?

Michael Stickings has it down;

So who really knows?

Alright... I'm making light of this. But who, even Hawking, is to say that a more advanced species wouldn't be more, well, civilized, more humane, than we've ever been? Shouldn't we be open to that possibility?

On second thought, hang on to those tinfoil hats ...

Bonus Riffs

Top Ten Cloves: Things About NASA Crashing Rocket Into Moon

Dr. Edgar Mitchell, Phone Home!

Top Ten Cloves: Things About The Rocket Scientists' Party, Yuri Night

NASA Almost Missed Photo Coverage Of Shuttle Mission; One-Hour-Photo Corp. Aids Agency; Builds Stand Inside Cape Canaveral

This Date ... On The Garlic

26 April 2008... On The Garlic

Wright's Right ...

Mr. Blandings Builds His Dream Embassy

Editor's Note: Down, But Getting Back In The Groove

26 April 2007... On The Garlic

Top Ten Cloves: Things Overheard At Democratic Candidates Debate

The Laura Bush Bummer Bombing-of-the Day; Warning - Bypass this post if you don't want to be discouraged

26 April 2006... On The Garlic

Top Ten Cloves: Ways Tony Snow Will Improve White House Press Briefings

26 April 2005... On The Garlic

NHL Owners Prepared To Go With Robot Players in 2005

Amazon Earnings Due Today; Modest Bump Up; Adjusts DVD Profits To Come Early in 2017; Overall Black Ink in 2045

Top Ten Cloves: Things Overheard At Bush-Saudi Prince Meeting In Crawford, Texas

Sunday, April 25, 2010

Will They Be Able To Call Off Luca Brasi?

"Michael: You took Freddie in because the Corleone Family bankrolled your casino, and the Molinari Family on the Coast guaranteed his safety. Now we're talking business, let's talk business.

Moe Greene: Yeah, let's talk business, Mike. First of all, you're all done. The Corleone Family don't even have that kind of muscle anymore. The Godfather's sick, right? You're getting chased out of New York by Barzini and the other Families. What do you think is going on here? You think you can come to my hotel and take over? I talked to Barzini - I can make a deal with him, and still keep my hotel!"

From 'The Godfather'

It remains to be seen if cocktail waitresses are getting banged "two at a time", or anyone gets slapped around for it, in the budding "Mob Museum War" getting ready to erupt in Las Vegas.

Vegas Mob Museums, Set to Go to the Mattresses

LAS VEGAS — The people of Chicago debate the Cubs versus the White Sox. In Philadelphia, the cheese steak purveyors Pat’s and Geno’s have long divided the citizenry. Soon, the residents of Las Vegas — and the millions of people who visit — will be able to argue over which museum best depicts the moral turpitude of organized crime.

[snip]

The idea for the Las Vegas Museum of Organized Crime and Law Enforcement was seeded when the city bought the 1933 federal courthouse and post office from the federal government for $1 in 2002, with the strict understanding that the building — one of the oldest in Southern Nevada — be used for cultural purposes.

For much of the middle of the last century, organized crime ruled the Strip, developing and managing an array of casinos, skimming their way to success. Federal prosecutors put an end to their reign in the 1980s. The city determined its historical relationship to organized crime — and the role the courthouse played in it — made the site a perfect fit. “It came from the soil of this building,” said Nancy Deaner, the city’s cultural affairs manager.

[snip]

The museum will have three stories and nearly 17,000 square feet of exhibits, including an interactive courtroom in which visitors can get finger printed. It will also include the brick wall from the St. Valentine’s Day Massacre (it was removed brick by brick and put in storage but will be constructed, bullet marks and all, Ms. Deaner said), roughly 700 objects and extensive exhibits on law enforcement efforts against the Mafia.

[snip]

The Mob Experience would include theme park-style exhibits, including one called “Final Fate” in which a visitor “gets made or gets whacked,” according to the description.

Color this idiotic ...

There are a great many things, in the history of our nation, that a city, or area, is infamous for, or holds a dubious title.

Does this signal, say, for Detroit, a city if there is one that needs an economic transplant, should look to building a "Devil's Night" museum?

They can have their "theme park-style exhibits", include getting egged, shot, or, perhaps, having the visitors' house burned down.

Besides, doesn't the History Channel own everything that has to do with The Mob?

I don't know ...

"Even Sonny won't be able to call off Luca Brasi."