08 Jul 2004
Fisking Hatch

FAQs.org defines fisking as:

fisking: n.
[blogosphere; very common] A point-by-point refutation of a blog entry or (especially) news story. A really stylish fisking is witty, logical, sarcastic and ruthlessly factual; flaming or handwaving is considered poor form. Named after Robert Fisk, a British journalist who was a frequent (and deserving) early target of such treatment.

I think that this definition can now safely be expanded to include legislation: The Obsessively Annotated Introduction to the INDUCE Act is a superb fisking by Ernst Miller, taking apart the INDUCE Act (and to some extent, Sen. Hatch himself) piece by piece.

00:00 /Copywrongs | 0 comments | permanent link

Not Just Texas

As previously mentioned, the Republican party has been taken over by a bunch of loonies... and not just in Texas.

SECTION 4: STRENGTHENING FAMILIES AND COMMUNITIES The Republican Party recognizes the blessings that God has bestowed on this great Nation. We declare our faith in Him and ask His continued guidance as we work to preserve this government of “One Nation Under God”. We also recognize the sanctity of human life and marriage, and the central role of the traditional family in our society.

from The Minnesota Republican Party Platform as mentioned on Tacitus

00:00 /Politics | 3 comments | permanent link

Fat City

At last, somebody else notices this absurdity. The "weight control professionals" keep lowering the level at which one is considered "over weight", and then bemoan the "epidemic" of obesity! Here's a great observation:

"This is so ludicrous," says Ikeda. "Why are we doing this to ourselves? I think it has a lot to do with the dieting and pharmaceutical industry and the pressure to medicate every condition."

Yep - that's us! Not feeling well? Just take a pill.

Riding to the mall one Saturday, Joanne Ikeda's younger sister turned to her and asked, out of nowhere, "Do you know that I am now overweight?"

(link) [CNN]

00:00 /Home | 0 comments | permanent link

Coalition of the Billing

It seems as though with each passing day, this book becomes ever more prescient of our future: "artifical person", SARS, nuclear terrorism, ... the title of this post could've come straight from this novel, but instead it comes from the headlines.

It doesn't describe a world without hope, however, no matter how bleak a picture it sometimes paints. The older I get, the more I understand that change is neither "good" nor "bad" in and of itself: it's simply inevitable.

Military contractors will gladly fight terrorists -- for a price. By Bruce Sterling from Wired magazine.

(link) [Wired News]

00:00 /Home | 0 comments | permanent link

Lawyers Be Damned

I got a couple of interesting comments to my post bemoaning the selection of John Edwards to be Kerry's running mate, and my utter and complete loss of interest in Kerry's candidacy as a result.

So I did a bit more research - and became even more convinced that this was no "man of the people", going to bat for the "little guy". I invite the curious to observe the results of his landmark legal victories via Google : and if I may be so bold as to offer the link below as the best of the lot. Notably, The Atlantic is not considered a conservative publication by any means. Here's some samples from the article:

... the costs, initially paid by insurance companies and innocent stockholders, typically end up being spread across America in the form of higher insurance premiums and prices.

In short, the $4 million punitive award of which Edwards is so proud ultimately came out of the pockets of the same ordinary, hardworking Americans whose champion he purports to be—and a big chunk of it went into the pockets of John Edwards.

The piece concludes:

President Bush may not be the only national candidate who sees the world in black-and-white simplicities. And while Bush seems all too wedded to the plutocratic notion that what's good for rich Republicans is good for the country, Edwards seems all too comfortable with the populist myth that what's good for rich trial lawyers is good for those he has called "real people."

A look at John Edwards's legal career provides a window into the flaws of the legal system that made this mill worker's son a multimillionaire.

(link) [The Atlantic]

00:00 /Politics | 0 comments | permanent link

The Man Who Knew Too Much

And I thought I was a trivia buff ...

For thrilling competition, Slate says the Tour de France pales next to the 25-game reign of Jeopardy! supercontestant Ken Jennings. The 30-year-old software engineer has won a total of $788,960, beating the previous record-holder by a margin of over $600,000. Watching KenJen play is like witnessing any great athlete in top form: He's the Michael Jordan of trivia, the Seabiscuit of geekdom, and his antics have once again made Jeopardy! required viewing. (Update: 26 wins and $828,960: 'When Jennings ran the Marvel comics category during the second round, host Alex Trebek asked: Have you done anything besides read comics? It pays to be a nerd, Jennings responded.')

(link) [Slashdot]

00:00 /Humor | 0 comments | permanent link