tugmoose

Gimme babies!!!

Sez so here.

"You know whose fault this is, don't you, Yorick?"

The party of Karl Rove is shocked, shocked!

GOP staffer fired over e-mails attacking Strickland

JULIE CARR SMYTH

Associated Press

COLUMBUS, Ohio - The Ohio Republican Party fired a staffer Thursday for sending inflammatory e-mails about Democratic gubernatorial candidate Ted Strickland that Democrats labeled "gutter politics."

The messages, sent to GOP supporters, questioned Strickland's ministerial credentials, his toughness on child predators and his and his wife's sexual orientation.

Gary Lankford, a Christian school headmaster and former director of the Ohio Restoration Project, was let go over the postings, said Jason Mauk, the state party's political director.

The party had hired Lankford to coordinate the GOP's outreach to social conservative groups. Ohioans for Ken Blackwell, the campaign of Strickland's GOP opponent in the Nov. 7 election, paid him $15,000 during the primary for "voter contact," state records show.

Ohio GOP Chairman Bob Bennett said Thursday he did not see Lankford's e-mails before they went out and that they crossed the line.

"I will not tolerate anything like that. That's not how I run the party," Bennett said. "Unfortunately, I was a little slow to react to this."

Democrats, who said they first learned of the messages through news reports, blasted Lankford's postings, which he encouraged recipients to forward to others.

"This is the worst kind of innuendo and gutter politics, like you used to see in the 19th century. It's sleazy," said Brian Rothenberg, a spokesman for the Ohio Democratic Party.

Strickland called the firing appropriate.

"I would like to be able to take Mr. Bennett at his word when he says we ought to focus on the issues that are important to Ohio," he said. "That's what I've been doing my entire campaign."

He said the party should have been wary of Lankford, who had worked for the Blackwell campaign and the Restoration Project, a politically active, conservative Christian group.

"He was not an unknown quantity," Strickland said. "They got caught trying to carry out this campaign. It's unfortunate."

From The Nation:

Strickland, an ordained Methodist minister who has thrown Republicans for a loop by speaking about his faith during the campaign, is running far ahead of scandal-plagued Secretary of State Ken Blackwell, the Republican nominee who gained national fame in 2004 when he was broadly accused of manipulating election processes and vote counting to favor Bush in the presidential race.

What's the GOP strategy for getting Blackwell back into the running? Imply that Strickland is gay.

What are Republican staffers pointing to as evidence? Reports that the Democratic congressman and his wife of 20 years reside in different locations when he is in Washington.

In his email, Lankford, the GOP "social conservative coordinator," links to an Internet posting by a conservative operative that is headlined: "Article Adds Fire to Strickland Gay Rumors." The posting suggests that a mid-June Toledo Blade newspaper article implies "the Stricklands are both gay."

The article turns out to be a wide-ranging Father's Day feature on Strickland and Blackwell, in which mention was made of the fact that Strickland and his wife have no children. Blackwell was quoted as saying that it would be absurd to try and make an issue of whether the Democrat was a father or not. "Some of my most adored, most respected leaders are not parents," said the Republican. "Pope John Paul II was not a parent."

Why does Mel hate jewish people?

Perhaps he's doing research for "Merchant of Venice."

"Hath not a Jew eyes? Hath not a Jew hands, organs

dimensions, senses, affections, passions; fed with

the same food, hurt with the same weapons, subject

to the same diseases, heal'd by the same means

warm'd and cool'd by the same winter and summer

as a Christian is? If you prick us, do we not bleed?

If you tickle us, do we not laugh? If you poison us,

do we not die? And if you wrong us, shall we not revenge?"

Act III, scene I

From tmz.com:

Gibson's Anti-Semitic Tirade -- Alleged Cover Up

Posted Jul 28th 2006 9:15PM by TMZ Staff

Filed under: Celebrity Justice

TMZ has learned that Mel Gibson went on a rampage when he was arrested Friday on suspicion of drunk driving, hurling religious epithets. TMZ has also learned that the Los Angeles County Sheriff's department had the initial report doctored to keep the real story under wraps.

TMZ has four pages of the original report prepared by the arresting officer in the case, L.A. County Sheriff's Deputy James Mee. According to the report, Gibson became agitated after he was stopped on Pacific Coast Highway and told he was to be detained for drunk driving Friday morning in Malibu. The actor began swearing uncontrollably. Gibson repeatedly said, "My life is f****d." Law enforcement sources say the deputy, worried that Gibson might become violent, told the actor that he was supposed to cuff him but would not, as long as Gibson cooperated. As the two stood next to the hood of the patrol car, the deputy asked Gibson to get inside. Deputy Mee then walked over to the passenger door and opened it. The report says Gibson then said, "I'm not going to get in your car," and bolted to his car. The deputy quickly subdued Gibson, cuffed him and put him inside the patrol car.

TMZ has learned that Deputy Mee audiotaped the entire exchange between himself and Gibson, from the time of the traffic stop to the time Gibson was put in the patrol car, and that the tape fully corroborates the written report.

Once inside the car, a source directly connected with the case says Gibson began banging himself against the seat. The report says Gibson told the deputy, "You mother f****r. I'm going to f*** you." The report also says "Gibson almost continually [sic] threatened me saying he 'owns Malibu' and will spend all of his money to 'get even' with me."

The report says Gibson then launched into a barrage of anti-Semitic statements: "F*****g Jews... The Jews are responsible for all the wars in the world." Gibson then asked the deputy, "Are you a Jew?"

The deputy became alarmed as Gibson's tirade escalated, and called ahead for a sergeant to meet them when they arrived at the station. When they arrived, a sergeant began videotaping Gibson, who noticed the camera and then said, "What the f*** do you think you're doing?"

A law enforcement source says Gibson then noticed another female sergeant and yelled, "What do you think you're looking at, sugar tits?"

We're told Gibson took two blood alcohol tests, which were videotaped, and continued saying how "f****d" he was and how he was going to "f***" Deputy Mee.

Gibson was put in a cell with handcuffs on. He said he needed to urinate, and after a few minutes tried manipulating his hands to unzip his pants. Sources say Deputy Mee thought Gibson was going to urinate on the floor of the booking cell and asked someone to take Gibson to the bathroom.

After leaving the bathroom, Gibson then demanded to make a phone call. He was taken to a pay phone and, when he didn't get a dial tone, we're told Gibson threw the receiver against the phone. Deputy Mee then warned Gibson that if he damaged the phone he could be charged with felony vandalism. We're told Gibson was then asked, and refused, to sign the necessary paperwork and was thrown in a detox cell.

Deputy Mee then wrote an eight-page report detailing Gibson's rampage and comments. Sources say the sergeant on duty felt it was too "inflammatory." A lieutenant and captain then got involved and calls were made to Sheriff's headquarters. Sources say Mee was told Gibson's comments would incite a lot of "Jewish hatred," that the situation in Israel was "way too inflammatory." It was mentioned several times that Gibson, who wrote, directed, and produced 2004's "The Passion of the Christ," had incited "anti-Jewish sentiment" and "For a drunk driving arrest, is this really worth all that?"

We're told Deputy Mee was then ordered to write another report, leaving out the incendiary comments and conduct. Sources say Deputy Mee was told the sanitized report would eventually end up in the media and that he could write a supplemental report that contained the redacted information -- a report that would be locked in the watch commander's safe.

Initially, a Sheriff's official told TMZ the arrest occurred "without incident." On Friday night, Sheriff's spokesman Steve Whitmore told TMZ: "The L.A. County Sheriff's Department investigation into the arrest of Mr. Gibson on suspicion of driving under the influence will be complete and will contain every factual piece of evidence. Nothing will be sanitized. There was absolutely no favoritism shown to this suspect or any other. When this file is presented to the Los Angeles County District Attorney, it will contain everything. Nothing will be left out."

On Saturday, Gibson released the following statement:

"After drinking alcohol on Thursday night, I did a number of things that were very wrong and for which I am ashamed. I drove a car when I should not have, and was stopped by the LA County Sheriffs. The arresting officer was just doing his job and I feel fortunate that I was apprehended before I caused injury to any other person. I acted like a person completely out of control when I was arrested, and said things that I do not believe to be true and which are despicable. I am deeply ashamed of everything I said. Also, I take this opportunity to apologize to the deputies involved for my belligerent behavior. They have always been there for me in my community and indeed probably saved me from myself. I disgraced myself and my family with my behavior and for that I am truly sorry. I have battled with the disease of alcoholism for all of my adult life and profoundly regret my horrific relapse. I apologize for any behavior unbecoming of me in my inebriated state and have already taken necessary steps to ensure my return to health."

Here.

Also, here's Norton vs. Holmes.

What's that Huey Lewis song where they would drop in the name of different markets for radio play? "Heart of Rock n Roll"?

I remember people at Tulsa University who considered HL and the News to be "New Wave."

I never realized the seriousness of this book. Think Harper Lee drew a little inspiration from Betty Smith?

No love for Papa Joe?

I can't resist!!!

In happier times.

`Jeopardy' Champ Ken Jennings Blasts Show

By THE ASSOCIATED PRESS

Published: July 25, 2006

Filed at 3:40 p.m. ET

NEW YORK (AP) -- ''Jeopardy!'' ace Ken Jennings, who won $2.5 million during his 74-game winning streak, has a few unkind words to say about the show -- and dapper host Alex Trebek.

''I know, I know, the old folks love him,'' Jennings writes in a recent posting, titled ''Dear Jeopardy!'' on his Web site.

''Nobody knows he died in that fiery truck crash a few years back and was immediately replaced with the Trebektron 4000 (I see your engineers still can't get the mustache right, by the way).''

Jennings also takes aim at the show's ''effete, left-coast'' categories and ''same-old'' format.

''You're like the Dorian Gray of syndication,'' he says. ''You seem to think `change' means replacing a blue polyethylene backdrop with a slightly different shade of blue polyethylene backdrop every presidential election or so.''

A call by The Associated Press to ''Jeopardy!'' spokesman Jeff Ritter was not immediately returned Tuesday.

Jennings, a software engineer from Salt Lake City, snagged 74 wins on ''Jeopardy!'' in 2004 before he was beaten by challenger Nancy Zerg.

Trebek, 66, has hosted the show since 1984. In a ''correction'' posted Monday on his Web site, Jennings offers an apology of sorts.

''We regret the insinuation that Mr. Alex Trebek is a robot, and has been since 2004. Mr. Trebek's robotic frame does still contain some organic parts, many harvested from patriotic Canadian schoolchildren, so this technically makes him a `cyborg,' not a `robot.'''

I've noticed that this place is about 10 times less politically charged that it used to be.

There doesn't seem to be much that's debatable at this point. Chaney and Rummy got our tit in a wringer in Iraq, while at the same time giving Iran a fresh set of balls. Now it's Back To Baghdad for a bunch of guys on their third or fourth tour.

This album has taken residence in a corner of my sub/semi-conscious.

Jim Rome is a very angry guy.

. . . as are many, many Mats fans.

James Honeyman-Scott = Genius.

I was hoping it was something dirty.

We all sat back and relaxed when they said "Trust us" on Iraq. Should we sit back and relax for what they're feeding us now?

Which is the one where they rip off Sesame Street? Not cool.

Don't fuck with da Bird!

How soon before you got bored by the "Where the hell is Matt" thing?

For me, it was about 53 seconds.

Fun little thread going at the flaminglips.com started by Jim DeRogatis, author of Staring At Sound.

A while back -- I'm just catching up with reading the board -- the "So Kliph" Q&A thread included the following exchange:

quote:

Originally posted by The Softest Bullet Ever Shot:

I just finished reading Staring At Sound and I loved it. I couldn't put it down. I was wondering if you have read it or if you pretty much know all there is to know and if so what did you think? Is it correct or does it have a lot of errors?

KLIPH: I think it's okay. There are a lot of errors.

"A lot of errors"? Them's fightin' words, buddy! A search revealed that you made this charge a few other times, too, and it's just about the most insulting thing you could say to someone who takes writing, reporting, and research as seriously as I do, and who worked as hard as I did to do justice to my task as the Flaming Lips' biographer. On one occassion, you made this comment while admitting you'd only read a small portion of the book. That's like someone saying, "I hate the Lips" when all they've ever heard is "Hell's Angels Cracker Factory" (one of your favorite songs, I know -- NOT).

Listen: I've seen you and the boys in the band several times since the book was published, and I've asked all of you what you thought of it and if you found any inaccuracies. Some mistakes are, sadly, inevitable with any project that covers 23 years in the lives of four key players, involving interviews with more than 50 people, years of work on my part, and some 120,000 words. The errors that have been pointed out to me, by members of the band or others close to it, I have been happy to own up to and correct on the book's Web site, www.staringatsound.com; this list is in the "Errata" section under "About the Book," but I will include it below to make things even easier and clearer. If there are other mistakes, I am unaware of them, but if they are pointed out to me, and they are valid, I'll correct them, too, on the Web, and in future printings of STARING AT SOUND.

I'll add, on a personal note, that in addition to besmirching my reputation with the "lots of errors" charge, you hurt my feelings (boo hoo) -- STARING AT SOUND was a labor of love, which I worked as hard on as anything I've ever done in my life. I stand by every word, am very proud of the book, and will confidently assert that there is NO better recounting of the history, accomplishments, and fascinating personalities of this band. Period. All due respect to THE FEARLESS FREAKS, which is a great movie, but a film cannot possibly encompass 23 years of history, as STARING AT SOUND has done, or dig below the surface image that people chose to show on camera in order to get as close as possible to some version of "the truth" -- one of Wayne's favorite hobbies, as you know, and a pursuit he loves dearly in his inimitable "confronsational" style. Dig as hard as you can for what people really think, and who they really are -- that's Wayne's modus operandi, and he's been doing it, and excelling at it, for four decades. And so have I.

Perhaps, dear Kliph, you are confusing my occasional criticisms, opinions, or observations with factual errors or inaccuracies; the book, like any good biography, is a combination of reporting and criticism. Disagreeing with my personal opinions is something I have no problem with; I encourage every single reader of the book to form his or her own opinions and freely disagree with mine. (Some people love "Hell's Angels Cracker Factory," for example, but I am with you: I've never much cared for it.) Lips fans are some of the smartest and best people I have ever met in the music world, and after all, a major theme of the band's entire output is "Think for yourself," so I would expect no less of readers of the book. This business of factual errors, however, is seriously insulting to me, and I'm not letting you or anyone else get away with tossing that around lightly, especially when I have owned up to the handful of mistakes I made. And again, mistakes will ALWAYS happen: Such is life. There are numerous posts, for example, where you've admitted having an "off" show or a bad performance, like recording "War Pigs" at Trent Bell's studio. Let he who is without sin cast the first stone... etc., my friend.

In any event, here is the list of errors posted at staringatsound.com; the one thing I am not reprinting here is a letter posted on the Web from former Warner Bros. exec Jeff Gold, whom I characterized in the book (based on thorough reporting and three sources) as the Lips' biggest enemy at the label, someone who argued to drop the band several times. Jeff contacted me and disagreed strongly with that characterization, so in the interest of fairness, I've posted his missive on my site. Try to tell every side of the story -- that's basic journalism. But there ARE some facts that are just facts, some things where there simply aren't "two sides" to the story. Of my factual errors, the one I regret the most is not really a mistake as much as an omission -- it's the fact that I did not point out just how much bass Michael played in the studio on the later albums. This was because he and I spent hours (literally) talking about a subject that is very important to him, and which has been under-represented in all other writing about the band: Just how big a role he plays in co-engineering (and, really, co-producing) the recordings along with Dave Fridmann. In emphasizing his importance in the studio, I inadvertently shorted his contributions as a bassist; mea culpa, and I've pointed this out. Michael, in the end, seemed happy with the book, however (as were Wayne and Steven); I would refer you, in Michael's case, to an excellent (and rare, for the quiet Mr. Ivins) interview that is posted at http://www.looserecord.com/Interview_Indv/...dv.php?docid=67.

OK, here are the mistakes I am aware of, from my Web site:

As is perhaps inevitable with any project of the depth and length of Staring at Sound, I made a couple of regrettable mistakes, and I am man enough to admit them. The Flaming Lips never read a word of the book until it was in print, so the following errors in chronology, comprehension, or sheer bone-headedness are entirely my own fault. They will be corrected in future printings.

From NY Post Page Six:

July 19, 2006 -- DON'T joke about women, donkeys and bestiality if you expect Joel Siegel to watch your movie. That's what director Kevin Smith found out when the pun-loving "Good Morning America" film critic stormed out of a press screening of Smith's "Clerks II," which opens Friday - an act that's sparked a vicious war of words between the two.

"Time to go!" roared Siegel to his fellow critics. "First movie I've walked out of in 30 [bleeping] years!" His tirade came 40 minutes into the long-awaited Weinstein Company sequel to Smith's 1994 cult classic about two foul-mouthed Long Island convenience store clerks who razz customers and goof off.

In the scene that sent Siegel to the exit, the characters graphically discuss hiring a woman to perform sexual favors on a donkey. Siegel told Page Six: "It was so foul and mean and repulsive. I finally realized I could not say anything positive . . . I wasn't ready for this kind of smut . . . I hope he doesn't make any more movies."

An apoplectic Smith fired back on his MySpace blog: "Getting a bad review from Siegel is like a badge of honor. This is the guy who stole his mustachioed-critic shtick from Gene Shalit years ago, and still refuses to give it back. This is a guy who seemingly prides himself on his own nyuk-nyuk wordplay. For 'Pirates 2,' he made us all titter with 'Yo, Ho, Ho and a Bottle of Fun' . . . He made us squeal with delight when he wrote, 'Wheelie Good Time for "Cars." ' I mean, Fozzy [bleeping] Bear laughs at this guy."

And there's more: "I don't need Joel Siegel to [bleep] my [bleep] the way he apparently [bleeps] M. Night Shyamalan's, gushing over his flick ['The Lady in the Water'] before he's even seen it, but [bleep] man, man - how about a little common [bleeping] courtesy? You never, never disrupt a movie, simply because you don't like it. Cardinal rule of moviegoing: Shut your [bleeping] mouth while the movie's playing.

"I don't come down to your job and slap the taste out of your mouth for coming up with a line like, ' "Shark Tale" Is a Halibut Good Time' - so don't [bleep] with my stuff while it's still screening . . . What are you, a 12-year-old boy cutting loose with your pals at a Friday night screening of 'Scary Movie' 4' while your parents are in a theater down the hall watching 'The Devil Wears Prada'? Leave the diva-like behavior and drama-queen antics to the movie stars, not the movie reviewer, ya' rude-ass [bleep]."

More Siegal fun here.

The infield fly rule.