In the news

For today, I thought I'd share a few assorted things from the news; some old, some not so old:

Oh Rosie:

Actress, comedian and daytime talk show Rosie O'Donnell is being blasted in the media for making racial slurs toward Chinese people. See it for yourself here. It's interesting that a person who represents a couple of discriminated groups (overweight people and lesbians) would make such a comment. Sometimes, it's just better to shut up.

Some people are comparing her comments to Michael Richards. But I think a couple of things have to be considered. (1) Michael Richards ranted about a time when blacks were lynched and oppressed. Rosie, in her defense, wasn't trying to be deliberately offensive. And (2) Richard's comments involved violence that he would've done to his 'victims'. I think that's what annoys me most about his comments. The 'nigger' reference didn't bother me as much as the references to hanging people and sticking forks up rectums. Interestingly, nobody seems to focus on that part.

Praisin' God while lockin' and loadin':
This story is too funny to pass up. Apparently, there is a new video game on the market that promotes Christianity and killing. In the game Left Behind (based on the famous Apocalyptic fiction series by Tim LaHaye and Jerry Jenkins), fanatical Christians are dispatched into the world to convert as many people as possible. Those who they can't convert (Catholics, gays, Muslims, etc.) are to be killed.

I don't think I have to say any more.

Activist arrested:
According to this article, peace activist Cindy Sheehan has been arrested and is scheduled to be tried for trespassing. She, along with other members of their progressive anti-war group were detained for attempting to take a petition against the war to the United Nations Building which I guess is private property.

Don't get me wrong. Radicalism is usually welcomed the most if its done without violation (then again, that's debatable). But anybody with the nerve to arrest a grieving mother should be ashamed of themselves. Even if some grievers are OK with the war (incidentally, many people who have lost loved ones in Iraq still support Bush and his nonsense), opponents of the war should have an opportunity to protest without penalty.

This story bothers me on so many levels.

Chavez re-elected; dismisses U.S.
Venezuela has spoken. In an interesting turn of events, President Hugo Chavez has been re-elected. One of the first things on his agenda was to completely extinguish any possibility of talks with the United States. Calling the U.S. government "decadent", he dismissed it until they are ready to openly dialogue as equals.

I guess the next step for the U.S. is to launch a pre-emptive attack on Venezuela.

Another Canadian school bans, then supports pro-life student club
Although I've gone on the record stating that I'm against the agenda for pro-lifers, even I was disturbed to hear this story. As recently as last week, Carleton University in Ottawa banned the mobility of a student organization promoting pro-life. It was the second college in Canada to make such a move. Recently, however, it has finally dropped its ban and has now allowed tht group to meet.

Though not entirely related, the Hippie Conservative wrote a great piece about the hypocrisy of "free speech". Since this story involves Canadians; and I'm not too familiar with Canadian rules, I can't comment too much. All I know is that you can't allow a platform to one group and not the other...even if you disagree with them.

Another gay evangelical resigns
According to sources, another closeted homosexual minister has been discovered. I'm not the type to down somebody at a low point in their life; and I'm certainly not the type to gay-bash. But this story is really funny. I guess that I'm amused because of the sheer hypocrisy of it all. The ones who protest and make the most noise are apparently the ones with the most hidden in their closets.

William Jefferson re-elected
Filed under "WTF?", Representative William Jefferson, the crook involved in a series of bribes and corrupt activites that have been investigated by the FBI was re-elected to his ninth term. When I look at black Dems like him and Cynthia McKinney, I can't get mad at them. They're both nothing but products of the voters who put them there.

Sigh. Chalk up another one for ignorantly following Democrats; despite their record.

Out with a bang
After 'resigning' from his duties as Secretary of Defense, Donald Rums-failed (I mean, Rumsfeld) was giving a momumental ceremony to recognize his efforts. Only in America can a person complete f*** up a war, waste billions of dollars, and expend thousands of lives and still get a 19 gun salute.

Veep's daughter pregnant

After all the hoopla about gay marriage/adoption during the 2004 Presidential election, Vice President Cheney's daughter Mary is pregnant. OK. Everybody laugh with me now.

Presidential wacko not so loved after all
At first glance, you'd think I was talking about Bush. But not this time. Much to my suprise, many Iranians have voiced their displeasure with President Ahmadinejad in the partial elections held on Monday. As it appears, many Iranians prefer a moderate and less agressive government than the one under which they currently live. Is it possible that Armageddon will be put on hold?

HIV medics to be executed
This story really disturbs me. A Libyan court has found five Bulgarian nurses and one Palestinian doctor guilty of infecting over 400 African children with HIV. While the people of Libya see this as justice for the victims, Bulgaria is seeing it as an injustice against the defendants and has cited the poor conditions of the hospitals in the area.

Truthfully, I don't know who to believe. I do think that AIDS is a man-made disease, but I'm not so sure that people in the medical field would deliberately infect others. But then again, there was also Tuskegee.

Fight night at the Garden
Suspensions and fines were passed out like Christmas gifts after another NBA brawl broke out during the closing moments of the game between the Denver Nuggets and the New York Knicks. I don't know about you, but I'm sick of people catering to overpaid thugs who can't seem to recognize the responsibility that comes with being in their position. You've got families who paid good money to be at these games, and children who look up to these jerks. In response, they decide to act like n***gas.

Yeah, I said it.

Duke or Earl?

I just read that the alleged victim in the Duke University rape case is pregnant and is expecting in February. Though paternity tests indicate that none of the Duke players is the father, this story is still getting uglier by the moment. I don't know what to believe anymore.

Chinese Money Torture?

Despite the Federal Reserve ruling out the possibility, some anxiety is brewing with the rumors that China may get rid of its U.S. reserves. Being the alarmist that I am, I'm inclined to think that this story; albeit a suspected rumor; represents a larger problem we're facing. Even though I don't think China would dump their shares in the U.S. economy (since it's so closely tied to ours), I can see why they'd want to pull out. When the Feds stopped publishing M3 data, it's just become too hard to tell how much money is being printed and how much value the dollar has lost. Either way, this situation tells me that we've put too much of our debt in the hands of competing markets. Personally, I blame Bush and his war in Iraq.

Well I think that about does it for the news. It's the holidays for goodness sake (albeit, pagan. But that's another story for another day). Until next time, have a great week!

- ACL