Tuesday, September 30, 2003 :::
 
I got more for' ya, fresh off the morning blog train!

First, more details on Wilson's belief that Rove was at least responsible for the leak:

At a forum held last month by Rep. Jay Inslee (D-Wash.), Wilson said: "I don't think we're going to let this drop. At the end of the day it's of keen interest to me to see whether or not we can get Karl Rove frog-marched out of the White House in handcuffs. And trust me when I use that name. I measure my words."
Wilson said yesterday that he believes Rove "at a minimum condoned the leak," but said he has no evidence Rove was the original leaker. Wilson said that based on reporters' statements, he believes Rove participated in calls that drew attention to his wife's occupation after Novak's column was published. "My knowledge is based on a reporter who called me right after he had spoken to Rove and said that Rove had said my wife was fair game," Wilson said. He said that conversation occurred on July 21.
Wilson said a producer from another network told him about the same time, "The White House is saying things about you and your wife that are so off the wall that we won't use them." Wilson said the series of similar calls he received, which included four journalists from three networks, stopped on July 22, after he appeared on NBC's "Today" show and said the disclosure of his wife's maiden name could jeopardize the "entire network that she may have established."
NBC anchor Tom Brokaw reported last night that correspondent Andrea Mitchell had such a discussion after the Novak column appeared.

Furthermore, here's (http://slate.msn.com/id/2085803/) an article that fingers two men specifically for putting the yellowcake story into the State of the Union speech. It seems like thay did this almost independant of the administration's will, so that would also finger tham as the two most likely guys to have made the calls and leaked Wilson's wife's name. If this were true, it would save the administration the blame for cooking up this plot, but it would also mean the Bush sure as hell must know who did it by now, and the fact that he's issued no dicipline or named any names makes him, and everyone else in the administration who are trying desperately to make this story go away, complicit in the crime.

But I repeat, what we do know for a fact at this point is that two administration officials a: put false information into the president's speech, and b:committed a federal crime which endangered the life of a US citezen when her husband refuted that information.


::: posted by Comic Tools at 11:31 AM



Monday, September 29, 2003 :::
 
I'll tear into Clark's ass in a few moments, buyt first, here's some news you should all be aware of:

First, to whet your appetites, here's Condy on Meet the press, actually saying that the yellowcake lie made the state of the union speech because they forgot it was a lie. I shit you not. I'm including Tom Tomorrow's snide remarks about it also.


DR. RICE: First of all, the CIA did clear the speech in its entirety and George Tenet has said that. He’s also said that he believes that it should not have been cleared. And we apparently, with the—in October for the Cincinnati speech, not for the State of the Union, but the Cincinnati speech, George Tenet asked that this be taken out of the Cincinnati speech, the reference to yellow cake. It was taken out of the Cincinnati speech because whenever the director of Central Intelligence wants something out, it’s gone.
MR. RUSSERT: How’d it get back in?
DR. RICE: It’s not a matter of getting back in. It’s a matter, Tim, that three-plus months later, people didn’t remember that George Tenet had asked that it be taken out of the Cincinnati speech and then it was cleared by the agency. I didn’t remember. Steve Hadley didn’t remember. We are trying to put now in place methods so you don’t have to be dependent on people’s memories for something like that.

Gosh, I guess we all forget things from time to time. What we had for dinner last night, or whether a key piece of evidence supporting a planned unilateral invasion is credible or not. Things like that. At least they're working on methods to supplement fallible human memory. And Condi, if you're reading this, might I suggest Post-It notes? You can just scribble a quick note to yourself -- yellowcake uranium story utterly fictional, say -- and stick it on your computer monitor, so that when you get to work on that State of the Union address, you and everyone else who vets the SOTU speech in the entire goddamned White House don't "forget" anything.

Before I report our next big story of the day, allow me to brief people behind on the story.

Ambassador Joe Wilson was sent over to Niger by the CIA to look into reports of Iraq attempting to buy yellowcake uranium there. He made a report saying that the claim was totally bogus, and sent it to the administration. Still, the administration claimed publicly that Iraq had sought Uranium. Wilson challenged the president's claim, and the president backed down. Shortly thereafter, two administration officials, their identities as yet unknown, called six journalists, asking them to print a story which would reveal the true identity of Wilson's wife, who was a CIA operative. Robert Novak finally took the story. Because of his article, Wilson's wife will forever more be in mortal danger, she can no longer operate as an undercover agent, and all her contacts and sources are useless. It is a serious federal crime to out a federal agent, and it's disgusting that the administration would do this as revgenge for being refuted for lying. Now, there's no PROOF yet that the president knew about this, but here's a tidbit that I believe you'll all find very fascinating:

Wilson, while refusing to confirm his wife's occupation, has suggested publicly that he believes Bush's senior adviser, Karl C. Rove, broke her cover. Wilson said Aug. 21 at a public forum in suburban Seattle that it is of keen interest to him "to see whether or not we can get Karl Rove frog-marched out of the White House in handcuffs."

The white house issued a statement officially denying Rove's involvement. But the weird thing is, the white house is letting the Justice department investigate this. With a few phone calls, Bush could find out who did it, but he's taken no action, and diciplined no one, even though he knows two of his top people conspired to commit a federal crime and put an american's life in danger. Furthermore, the media have a policy against revealing anonymous sources, but Novak still knows who called him, as do the other six journalists "the two" called. If anyone decided to break journalistic principle and leak the source, two of the highest leaders of our country would be in jail.

Just something to think about.

Now onto Clark.

First, he supported and helped out in the formation of the CAPPS 2 program, which I wrote about a few weeks ago.

That's really all I need to know to dislike they guy, but to shoot the bloody pieces of an exploided dead horse, he also voted for Reagan and Nixon, and claims to greatly respect Dick Cheney.

Plus, until, like, a month ago, he was a republican, and now he's a democrat. What the fuck?

I'm with ya' on Kerry though, he's a scary, scary man. And he looks like a combination of Herman Munster and Bizarro world Superman.





::: posted by Comic Tools at 1:23 PM



Thursday, September 25, 2003 :::
 
Well, fortunately, Dean has given more than one speech in his career. Also, some actual votes and policies. The good people at Issues 2000 are keeping score here. So if you're curious about what candidates have actually done with their lives, go have a look.

I will also vote for anyone opposing Bush, unless it's Lieberman.

Then I'm voting either for Nader or myself. Whoever looks like they have a better chance.

::: posted by Carter at 2:58 AM



Wednesday, September 24, 2003 :::
 
I enjoyed the talk, but I am skeptical of anyone who wants to be president. We are all impressed that Dean is unafraid to oppose Bush very openly, but he seems to know this and now that it has been accepted by so many, he needs to give me more to chew. Not that there is anything wrong with telling me how you aren't at all like george w.

A skeptical man on the train remarked: "huh. sure. he's all things to all people. sure." (sarcasm there.) or something like that. I was thinking about that. Well isn't that what people who are running for president talk like? Yeah. So he might tell a lie. We might not all have free health insurance if he gets elected. But is that really worse than any of the rather devastating lies mr w bush has carelessly spit out? This wasn't just "read my lips/no new taxes."

So, I like dean, as much as i like anyone in a tie. I will certainly vote for anyone opposing bush, given the option. And I don't really know anythin about anyone else, unless i read it on Doonesbury (my only news source).

Someone with speakers attached to their computer should check out songsfordean.com because the people who advertised it at the gathering looked like the sort of people who would give you a hot chocolate at exactly the right time.

::: posted by Jeff at 11:14 PM


 
Um...CSPAN, you do it!

Or if you prefer to use your eyes and ears separately, you can read the good parts.

Or if you're THAT lazy, I can just tell you it was good.

::: posted by Carter at 10:47 PM


 
carter, you do it.

::: posted by Jeff at 5:25 PM


 
Well? Doesn't anybody want to know what dean had to tell us?

::: posted by Jeff at 1:05 PM



Monday, September 22, 2003 :::
 
Well, it'd probably be easiest for us to meet at Park Street, Jeff. Any chance of that? Howard is on at 11:45. To be safe, we should be there no later than 11 or so, when the doors open.

I don't know when they installed doors on Copley Square, but we'll deal with that when we come to it.

IM me and we can come up with a plan.

-Carter

::: posted by Carter at 7:48 PM



Sunday, September 21, 2003 :::
 
Ooooh yes, let's go see Howard. You should come over to my place first, on the green B line, griggs ave/long ave stop. When is Howard? I really want to know more about Howard. I don't know much about him yet, but I know he might be our hope for having a democrat, and I'm not being too picky this time around.

::: posted by Jeff at 12:00 PM



Friday, September 19, 2003 :::
 
I actually used to have that problem in 3D video games. Some kind of motion sickness. Which is ironic, because I never get any kind of motion sickness in reality. Anyway, I got over it.

Sandman actually has quite a few of these "fuck you" pages, here and there. Neil does seem to take some kind of perverse joy in showing off the medium, and more power to him.

Anyway, the real point here is that Howard Dean is speaking in Copley Square on Tuesday. If anyone else is in the neighborhood and the mood, let me know and we can go together.

-Carter

::: posted by Carter at 5:08 PM


 
Front page! Impressive. It's called "Endless Nights" (get it? Endless?) people. Buy it.

We were having an interesting discussion in class yesterday about how some people simply can't or don't enjoy reading comics because they can't process image and text as one. They read the words, and then look at the pictures. This going back and fourth makes the experience jerky and unpleasant. And the sad thing is, while some people can eventually learn how to properly read comics, some people have simply been so trained in western-style word/image seperation that they can't ever get used to it.

I mention this because I was reading about Endless Nights, and Neil was saying that the last page of Desire's chapter is his "fuck you" page. If you're a person who doesn't think comics is a gerat art form, if you think they're at all redundant or inferior, then it's his fuck you, because it's impossible to do what he and the artist do with that page in any other medium. Not film, not illustration, not literature. Only in comics can you produce 2 dimensional images that communicate time, space, sound and idea. Only in comics are drawing and authorship one thing, not complimentary components. Wanna see the page? Once again, I advise you to go buy the book post haste.

::: posted by Comic Tools at 1:01 PM


 
New Sandman book out. Real one this time.
I am overjoyed about this as an event in and of itself, but not nearly as much as I'm overjoyed to find that it qualifies as front page news in USA Today.

Dude...

-Carter

::: posted by Carter at 2:06 AM



Thursday, September 11, 2003 :::
 
That document is new, and studying it briefly, I see that with it's newfound power the PNAC's goals have become even farther reaching and more ambitious. Instead of merely wanting to maintain american millitary might, they now seek to actively squash any nation with developing capacity to compete with us either militarily OR industrially. They no longer want to be the biggest kid on the playground, with the ability to beat up any upstarts. They want to control every individual child on the playground, feeding the developing, stronger kids growth supressants and killing any imminent or potential threats to it's authority. I also note that they list "multiple wars" as one of their GOALS, not as a contingency. They openly seek war now, not just with a few hot button nations, but with any number of nations. We'll war with whoever we feel like, when we feel like it, basically.

No Carter, you're absolutely correct. The PNAC has literally upped it's goals to the level of rediculous, cartoonish supervillany. They want the U.S. to rule the world, with the threat of invasion, bombing, and nuclear strike to all who disobey.

In my fantasies, the Military realises it's being jerked around by the administration. The soldiers kill the officers giving them orders, and bomb the pentagon, the white house, and the congress building to the ground. Then they covertly assassinate the entire Saudi royal family.



::: posted by Comic Tools at 4:39 PM



Wednesday, September 10, 2003 :::
 
No, Matt, that's the one. You hit the nail on the head, all right. But you see, although you have posted in great detail about PNAC, you pretty much defined them as a cabal of yahoos who have been pushing and pushing hard for a war on Iraq since 97, regardless of any actual...you know...logic.

Which is completely accurate, but I feel it's neglecting the larger issue a bit, which is that this is a bunch of yahoos (Cheney, Rumsfeld, Wolfowitz, etc. in case anyone's forgotten) that are pushing for a war with everyone. One of their more recent documents states that we must "fight and decisively win multiple, simultaneous major theatre wars" as a "core mission". And that our armed forces are "the cavalry on the new American frontier". That we must develop a "world-wide command-and-control system" and "discourage advanced industrial nations from challenging our leadership or even aspiring to a larger regional or global role".

Can anyone think of any way that doesn't translate to "beat the living fuck out of everyone until they do exactly what we say?"

I sure can't. Which makes me wonder, like I'm sure you do, Matt, why exactly this isn't horribly embarrassing for the administration? This isn't a secret society or something, these documents are public record. You can find the one I'm talking about here. Nor are the administration's ties to PNAC in any way ambiguous, no fewer than nine high-ranking administration officials are card carrying members.

WTF?!?!

::: posted by Carter at 3:47 PM


 
The blog comments are back! The blog comments are back! Wheee!

Do you mean besides Project for the New American Century, Carter? Cause' I've posted about them, in great detail, in the past. Is there a new group I'm not aware of, ir is it them?

::: posted by Comic Tools at 12:58 PM



Tuesday, September 09, 2003 :::
 
Jeff, this is why you're not allowed to propose these things.

Ok, this is starting to bother me. Reading the normal newsfeeds, I've noticed an odd trend. Since when is tax money "treasure"? Why was I not informed?

Also, I've stumbled into an avalanche of evidence relating to an organization dedicated wholeheartedly to the violent conquering of the entire globe in the name of a neocon perversion of patriotism which operates completely in the open, and has several of its members functioning as high ranking officers of the Bush administration. For whatever reason, I had never heard of it until today, and I'm guessing at least some of you haven't either.

Details once I can find Ben...this is obviously a job for everyone's favorite newsrant organization...

Oh! And feel free to ask me about how my call for jury duty turned into a tupperware party!

::: posted by Carter at 6:21 PM


 
OK, does anybody know where to find eric?

::: posted by Jeff at 9:35 AM



Monday, September 08, 2003 :::
 
Pumped up the sidebar a little to reflect our newfound current event commentary leanings.

Also, we have archives again. Don't know where they went, but they're back now.

::: posted by Carter at 9:16 PM


 
Let it never be said that I am against gnomes.

I vote yes.

::: posted by Carter at 6:09 PM


 
Dear Jeff,

We must! If I had a spare job, you would be welcome to it, but at the moment I don't even have one for myself. I am still in Hingham, yes. Unfortunately, I seem to have suddenly become rather busy, since I have class starting soon and my time until then may be taken up by jury duty. Once time becomes available, I will let you know.

-Carter

PS, who is Eric H?



::: posted by Carter at 5:51 PM


 
I just had a whim. I think Eric H should be part of this blog. Anyone else think so too? Am I even allowed to suggest this sort of thing?

-Jeff

::: posted by Jeff at 4:21 PM


 
Dear Carter,

we must hang out soon. Can you get me a job? I need one. I am delighted to be nearer to thee. I almost remember how to get to hingham. Are you still there?

Love,jeff.

::: posted by Jeff at 4:17 PM


 
I found out why I can't see comments, and chances are you can't see comments either. the Yaccs server is down, and will be until at least september 9th. This doesn't affect ben's comments, as he used a different system, ao I can still read and post comments on his page.

::: posted by Comic Tools at 1:43 PM



Sunday, September 07, 2003 :::
 
Just got done watching the TV movie about 9/11.

I kinda went berserk in my livejournal while I was watching, so you can look there if you want my reactions.

::: posted by Carter at 10:28 PM


 
Me!

::: posted by Carter at 12:04 AM



Saturday, September 06, 2003 :::
 
I just moved to Boston. Am I closer to anybody?
-jeff.

::: posted by Jeff at 10:47 PM



Friday, September 05, 2003 :::
 
The quote comes from a 1977 issue of "Oui" magazine. It's 100% authentic.

::: posted by Carter at 5:16 PM



Thursday, September 04, 2003 :::
 

 
"Bodybuilders party a lot, and once, at Gold's -- the gym in Venice, Calif., where all the top guys train -- there was a black girl who came out naked. Everybody jumped on her and took her upstairs, where we all got together."
-- Arnold Schwarzenegger


::: posted by Comic Tools at 11:46 AM


 
Just a note to people, that I can't read my or anyone else's comments on the iMacs here in the library. So don't be surprised oir offended if it takes me a good week to respond to a comment or entry. Also, check your own blogs frequently for new comments on old entries, as I might comment on one well after you make it. I'll try to do a sweep of all the comments at least once a week though.

::: posted by Comic Tools at 11:42 AM



Wednesday, September 03, 2003 :::
 
Not that I could ever get word to whoever transcribed that, but it should really be "blonde" in this context.

I've also got a funny story about a man, a woman, a chain and a handgun if anyone is interested.

-Carter

::: posted by Carter at 11:10 PM


 
The gobs of mud being slung out of California just keep getting funnier and funnier.

"When you see a blond with great tits and a great ass, you say to yourself, 'Hey, she must be stupid or must have nothing else to offer,' which maybe is the case many times. But then again there is the one that is as smart as her breasts look."
-- Arnold Schwarzenegger

-Matt, heh.

::: posted by Comic Tools at 1:51 PM

ARCHIVES :::

Ben, Nick, Molly, Matt, Carter, Maria, Christy, Jason, Greg, Eric, and UNCLE JEFF!! We are truly honored to have someone among us who is over 20 and claims to have some sort of responsibility. It won't last long.