Month: August 2005

Our big news this evening is a shootout some goober had with the police about noon. James Hughes, 38, of neighboring Orange County, Texas, ran a drug checkpoint the cops had set up off Interstate 10 for whatever reason. After leading police on a chase he ended up in a residential neighborhood outside of Beaumont and conducted an old fashioned shootout with police. Fortunately, the cops were a better shot. Hughes died at a local hospital.

KFDM-TV 6 reported Hughes seemed to be ready to personally take on Al-Quida. They said that in addition to the AR-15 semi-auto rifle Hughes was firing at police, he also had in his possession:

“a .308 Cal. rifle with a bayonet attached, a .30 Cal. rifle, three revolvers and a .357 semi-automatic handgun. All were loaded. ATF agents found ammunition in the duffel bags, as well as military paraphernalia including maps, meals-ready-to eat, and clothing. Hughes was wearing camouflage clothing.”

Apparently the camouflage didn’t work so well. I guess it’s a little late for a refund.

In addition to being ready for battle, KFDM reported Hughes also was in possession of conservative humorist P.J. O’Rourke’s “Peace Kills: America’s Fun New Imperialism.” Here is what O’Rourke’s publisher has to say about the book.

“Imperialism has never been so funny. ‘Americans hate foreign policy,’ says O’Rourke. ‘Americans hate foreign policy because Americans hate foreigners. Americans hate foreigners because Americans are foreigners… Being foreigners ourselves, we know what foreigners are up to with their venomous convents, lying alliances, greedy agreements, and trick-or-treaties.’ And yet America cannot ignore the world. ‘Our previous attempts at isolationism were successful,’ says O’Rourke. ‘Unfortunately they were successful for Hitler’s Germany and Tojo’s Japan.'”

Hey, I happen to like O’Rourke regardless of his politics. Some people just can’t take a joke.

Sweet Jesus Pat Robertson, make up your mind. He earlier said his remarks about “taking out” Hugo Chavez were misinterpreted. Here is what his Web site now says:

“Is it right to call for assassination? No, and I apologize for that statement. I spoke in frustration that we should accommodate the man who thinks the U.S. is out to kill him.”

But he doesn’t seem all that damned contrite as he goes on in his statement in an attempt to justify his stupidity:

“There are many who disagree with my comments, and I respect their opinions. There are others who think that stopping a dictator is the appropriate course of action. In any event, the incredible publicity surrounding my remarks has focused our government’s attention on a growing problem which has been largely ignored.”

So I guess you want us to think you did us a favor there Rev, and I use the title loosely? Favors? We don’t need no stinkin’ favors.

Christian Coalition founder Pat Robertson now says he was “misinterpreted” when he said the U.S. should take out Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez. Robertson said he meant that we should take Chavez out to eat. And never bring him back. Poor Pat, he’s such a misunderstood televangelist!

You know what? The war situation in Iraq is not really as bad as it seems. It is just being distorted by the media. Those mean old, left-wing, liberal, communist, secular-humanist, godless, media whose members probably kick puppies.

It seems a day doesn’t go by that I don’t hear something to the effect of:

“The media is only showing what’s bad in Iraq. They don’t show all the good things we are doing there!”

If that’s the case, then here is the solution. All of you folks out there who think that the media is distorting the truth should ask your government to institute these strict rules for reporters covering the war in Iraq:

1) No mention will be made of any U.S., coalition or Iraqi civilian casualties.
2) No combat action will be photographed or videotaped unless it is something the high command wants shot such as the rescue of Jessica Lynch.
3) Each report must have an image of American troops making a kind gesture to an Iraqi child such as giving them candy or kicking a soccer ball with them.
4) No journalists will be allowed to write their own stories. The military will supply journalists with press releases that are not to be rewritten. It will be full of all sorts of swell jargon as “OIF” and “CENTCOM.”
5) Journalists already adhering to these rules, such as those from Fox News, may disregard this.

Why that should the tide of public opinion back in favor of the war in no time, right?

Wow. A TV preacher says the leader of one of our nation’s biggest oil suppliers should be whacked. That’s over the top even for Pat Robertson.

But old Pat “700 Club-Send-Me-Your-Cash” Robertson is calling for a hit on Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez. Although Robertson’s pal GW doesn’t like Hugo very much, the Department of Condeleezza is distancing itself from the nutcase evangelist.

“These comments are inappropriate,” said State Department spokesman Sean McCormack. “They do not represent the policy of the United States. And I would add that any accusations, or any idea that we are planning to take hostile action against Venezuela or the Venezuelan government, any ideas to that regard, are totally without fact and baseless.”

Just the same, I’d be watching for button men if I were Chavez.

I confess that it has been a long while sense I’ve seen the inside of a church. Well it was Easter of 2004 when I worked as a reporter and covered GW, his family and Condi attending services at Fort Hood. But I seem to remember something about God and love. I guess if you think you are God like Robertson seems to do, you can twist supposedly important religious and social tenets like “Thou shall not kill” anyway you want to.

Yes, I’m sure Hugo Chavez doesn’t have a lot of redeeming qualities as far as our government is concerned. But it is just enormously stupid for Pat Robertson, one of the original gang of Religious Right-wingers, to call for anyone’s killing. It reminds me of the Ayatollah Khomeini calling for a hit on Salman Rushdie. Except the Ayatollah wasn’t as telegenic as Pat. Praise the Lord and pass the ammunition!