Welcome to Daily Contentions... Born in February 2003, DC is a daily-updated weblog covering a wide variety of issues, contemporary and timeless-- always with a unique perspective and open attitude.
Sen. Larry Craig's on crack / it all comes crumbling down
By Luke
Power and denial are each strong forces that often lead to unethical and/or immoral behavior. But when combined, power and denial can make for some pretty ugly scenes.
The latest episode is that of Sen. Larry Craig (R-ID), who was arrested for soliciting sex in a public men's restroom in a Minnesota airport. Craig has rebuffed rumors of his homosexuality in the past, and he now denies he's gay and he denies the charges claimed against him regarding the airport scene.
Just one problem: Craig pled guilty to disorderly conduct after that event. With his denial, he also concocted a fanciful story trying to show that the undercover police officer was somehow mistaken. Please.
Craig has obviously let his own power get to his head. He's convinced himself that he's invincible just like he tried to convince others and maybe himself that he's not gay. By continuing the denial, all he's doing is drawing out this sad and sordid affair.
My advice to politicians: show some freakin self-discipline, and if you do make a mistake (as all humans do to some level), admit it and apologize.
My advice to closeted gay politicians and public-figures: stop denying who you really are and stop hurting other gay people by either actively advancing a homophobic agenda or by passively accepting one.
This isn't exactly new news... okay, it's not news at all, but Russian President (dictator-to-be?) Putin has caused a stir with his shirtless photos. I have to admit that for his age, he's in good shape. But it's ludicrous to say, as some have claimed, that this transforms into some type of gay icon. It doesn't.
On the more serious side, is this an indication that Putin is trying to pump up his public image for an impending power grab? Or could it mean he's on 'roids, which could also explain his aggressive foreign policy behavior lately? Pure speculation at the moment.
When I saw the photos I couldn't help but think of a certain figure, and so I created this (and yeah I have too much time on my hands):
Iran: rock n' roll haircuts make you look like a homosexual
By Luke
Iran is pathetic. They've released a snazzily-edited video warning its teenagers against rock n' roll culture and haircuts, saying in part that it makes them look like homosexuals. Here's the video:
Andrew Sullivan and Peter Singer argue for just that, noting the difficulty of enforcing current rules banning performance-enhancing pharms. Sullivan puts it as such: "Let athletes take whatever drugs they want, within a clear boundary of non-destructive pharmaceuticals."
To be honest, it's been a while since I've heard anything so bone-headed.
First, there of all there is no such thing as a clear boundary between destructive and non-destructive drugs. And even if you did allow some drugs and not others, you'd still be left with the original problem of trying to enforce a ban against those outlawed performance-enhancers.
Second, sport is not about pharmaceutical research. It's about athleticism and physical training. Even if it's a constant struggle to stay ahead of the sophisticated dopers, should we not at least try?
So Google has added some overlay ads to some of the clips on YouTube in order to monetize its purchase. I can't say I blame them, but this is going to be tricky. While the ads are superior to ones that run before or after a clip (preroll/postroll), many users are already vocalizing their distaste for them.
And since I can't get enough of YouTube myself, here are a few funny clips:
On this date in 1785 American naval officer Oliver Hazard Perry was born. Perry led several United States ships to defeat a British naval squadron in the Battle of Lake Erie in the War of 1812. The American victory secured Lake Erie forcing the British to leave their forts in the area and giving the Americans the necessary leverage to retain possession of Ohio and Michigan.
Perry's Victory Monument, the world's largest Doric column standing at 352 feet, stands on South Bass Island, one of the Lake Erie Islands near Sandusky, Ohio. Personally, I've visted the islands a handful of times and the monument a couple times. The view from its observation deck is pretty impressive, including giving a view of nearby Cedar Point amusement park.
The format battle between HD-DVD and Blu-ray continues unabated. Blu-ray's sales have outpaced those of HD-DVD, but the former's players cost more to purchase. And now, Paramount has declared that it will only release its movies in HD-DVD format rather than in both. Thus Shrek 3, Transformers, and others will be giving HD-DVD a positive boost in sales.
Update:So somebody paid Paramount $150,000 million to make the switch to HD-DVD... Microsoft, one of HD-DVD's backers, says they didn't make the payment. So who did? This could be interpreted as a sign of weakness/desperation in the HD-DVD camp.
...Benjamin Harrison, 23rd President of the United States, was born in 1833. He was born in Ohio but lived most of his life in Indiana and as such is Indiana's only president. He was also the namesake of what is now the Indiana University School of Law - Indianapolis.
DAYTON, OH—A day of web surfing poetically ended just as it began Monday, when a random string of links brought area man Howard Nagel back to the same Facebook page on which he started nine hours earlier.
There really is no telling what you can run across in the infinite universe that is YouTube. I was lucky unlucky enough to find this...
Absolutely horrendous! But since it's German it magically becomes hilarious. Something tells me that this clip's title, "the next big thing," just doesn't quite fit. Oh and in case you wondered, the line they keep repeating means: "Where are you my sunlight."
As General Petraeus readies his much-awaited report on Iraq to be released in September, both Democrats and Republicans are being disingenuous or simply missing the whole picture.
On one hand are the Democrats, many of whom are cherry-picking the news out of Iraq to paint a gloom picture. The fact of the matter is that the surge is having a positive impact in Iraq and for the first time in a couple years we can see a light at the end of the tunnel: the strategy and resources necessary to create a self-sustaining secure democratic Iraq. But of course, how can the Democrats admit this, when Harry Reid declared the surge a failure and the Iraq counter-insurgency lost months ago before the surge was even fully implemented?
On the other hand are the Republicans, many of whom are ignoring the other side of the story--namely, that the U.S. military cannot sustain the surge indefinitely without a structural increase in the size of the permanent force. General Petraeus has responded directly in interviews that regardless of the state of matters in Iraq, the military will have to begin drawing down U.S. forces.
At the intersection of these two sides is reality, but in my mind that reality is in question. The surge may be working, but will we be able to sustain it long enough to achieve are goals? Our timeframe, as I understand it, is probably half a year until troop drawdown begins. We absolutely must push the Iraqis to achieve some political successes in this period.
The United States has officially labeled Iran's Revolutionary Guard Corps. military wing a terrorist organization.
I say bravo to this move. It puts Tehran on notice and gives us a better strategic position for diplomacy and potential military action. Nobody wants it to come to a military engagement, but the blunt reality is that the United States cannot allow Iran to create nuclear bombs. Period.
Newt Gingrich has had some interesting and persuasive things to say lately. He still has not ruled out a run for the White House, but I don't expect him to. Besides, I think he can have more influence working from the outside so to speak.
Newt's first target was the modern presidential campaign. First, he says it's borderline insane how long and drawn out the process has become. Prolonged campaigns serve to line the pockets of political activists, they trap candidates into seemingly contradictory positions in a changing world, and ultimately the majority of voters will make up their minds only shortly before voting. Second, he says that debates no longer work. The candidates reduce them to soundbites and there is no depth. He proposes roundtable discussions.
Newt's second target was the war on terrorism. He gave an incredibly powerful speech on the matter in front of the National Press Club. Stupid CNN won't let me embed the video, so click here to view it. It's only a couple minutes long. You can't miss it, I'm serious.
By no means are NTSB officials coming to any conclusions yet as to the reason for the bridge collapse in Minneapolis, but they are looking into a possible lead: a flaw in the gusset plates that connect the bridge's steel girders. The flaw could have been exascerbated by the extra weight of the construction equipment that was present on parts of the bridge. The problem may be present in other steel truss bridges and will be the subject of further investigation.
New York Times Select, the paper's pay online site, will soon be no more. NYT has decided to bring down the firewall and offer the content for free, apparently indicating that the pay service was not doing so hot.
Good now we get to read Thomas Friedman more. Sigh.
I can't help but like SecDef Bob Gates. He's soft-spoken but he's direct and even blunt at times. Here's a clip I noticed from last Sunday's episode of Meet the Press:
In case you haven't noticed, this is my second post related to the 2008 presidential election within the last week. You may have wondered if I was breaking my 6-month moratorium on such discussion... Well I'm not; I set that moratorium December 18, 2006, so it was up in mid-June.
So about Mitt Romney... My early impression was that he is a slickster riding on his good looks and family pedigree. But I admit that he has said the right things during the debates and he does seem to have some understanding of fiscal conservatism. This is a must as far as I'm concerned.
Now, after seeing him debate this self-important Iowa radio talkshow host both on and off the air, I think Romney is for real. He was blunt and unafraid to confront the radio guy who asked inane questions designed to pitt Romney versus his Mormon faith. Romney took him to task.
But don't take my word for it. Watch it below. It's split into 2 parts. The times when they are talking off the air are the most juicy:
This Indianapolis Star article details the sad fate that has befallen a gay couple who have been together for 25 years. One of the men had a stroke and has been partially disabled as a result. Indiana courts awarded guardianship to the man's parents and those parents have refused to let his spouse even visit him at his house.
Imagine that. You're married for 25 years and then suddenly you are forbidden from seeing the love of your life. It's hard to fathom the level of cruelty on the part of those parents, especially under the guise of morality. Unfortunately, I find myself less surprised since it was being done under the name of Christianity.
Legally, of course, the two men are forbidden from marriage in Indiana and that is why this terrible situation was allowed to happen. At this stage, the Indiana Court of Appeals has showed some reason and has ordered that the parents allow the spouse visitation, but they are appealing that ruling to the Ind. Supreme Court.
First of all, supporting a Republican at this point would be a waste of time. The only GOP candidates that might stand a chance in the general election do not engender the necessary passion in the conservative base. Yeah, I'm speaking about you, Mitt and Rudy. Consequently GOP candidates severely trail their Democrat counterparts in fundraising. And to be frank, none of the Republicans carry much conservative weight in my mind whatsover. Fred Thompson might be the exception, but it's still too early to judge that.
So now I'm stuck in the Democrat camp and what choices am I faced with? Right: 1 or 2 communists, 7 socialists, 2 populists, 1 nube... and Hillary Clinton. It's not so much that she pulled off a political about-face to the conservative ranks, as that all of her Democrat opponents are a bunch of crazies. Have you seen Mike Gravel??
The worst amongst her opponents is Barack Hussein Obama. Out of every 20 things the man says, 19 are pure rhetoric and only 1 is of actual substance. And he hides his substantive positions for a good reason: the positions are socialist and extreme. Obama blathers on about the "audacity of hope" and about a new tone of politics, but he hypocritically focuses completely on Hillary's vote in favor of the Iraq war, taking every chance he gets to dodge questions about what his policy is.
In contrast, Hillary often gives concrete answers to questions and she projects confidence and experience. Compared to Obama and the other Dems she comes off absolutely sane, albeit still in massive ideological difference from my own political philosophy.
