Just Plant The WMDs at This Point, George

Jesus! Can't this guy do anything right?



With at least 1,356 dead since the beginning of the Iraq war in March 2003, and ten of thousands more wounded, you would think that the best thing to do at this point would be to lie about the existence of WMDs in Iraq. Just like he lied about them at the beginning. Now that it's essentially too late to undo the damage, Bush should at least convince the easily convinced (aka. the Red States) that their sons and daughters haven't died for nothing. Especially since, even with the new information having come to light, we still have no hopes for so much as an apology from this president or his administration. President Bush still clings to the notion the Iraq War was totally justified because the world is safe without Saddam Hussein in power. Though this is probably true, it is undeniable at this point that Saddam represented no immediate threat circa March 2003.



Sometimes it's appropriate to lie. Now that it's too late for the truth to do us any good, planting false evidence about the existence of WMDs seems like the less arrogant move at this point. It would at least show that he cares enough about us to lie to us.

Bush Selects Pol Pot for Homeland Security Post

In a move that's sure to confound Democrats and Republicans alike, President Bush has picked former Khmer Rouge Central Committee leader Pol Pot as Tom Ridge's successor as chief of Homeland Security. This is a big political opportunity for Pot, having spent the last seven years in hiding. He claims that despite his intense hatred of professionals, intellectuals and "anyone wearing glasses," he will do his best to make America safer.

Armstrong Williams: Blogger's Choice

Yeah, we've heard of him, too. We have nothing to add (at least at this point), but we didn't want to let this story slip by without comment (even if it's comments by others). So, here's a whole bunch of Armsrong. Enjoy.



UselessKnowledge.com

Blue Mass Group

National Ledger

Conspiracy Planet

Editor & Publisher

mediamatters.org

Amy Ridenour's National Center Blog

The State

Author Of Terrible Book Dead At 50, or Danny Sugerman Breaks On Through

Danny Sugerman, a man for whom life as a slobbering Doors fan became a career, died about 36 years in a state of severe arrested development.



I'm not going to make any bones about this: The Doors are one of the worst rock bands you were ever sold, with Jim Morrison the worst lyricist/3rd rate Mick Jagger impersonator this side of The Strokes (with even less of a sense of humor). I find Sugerman personally responsible for extending the shelf life of these worthless, pretentious hacks who comprise the single most overrated band in music history with the release of his book "No One Here Gets Out Alive." Sample quote:

"My personal belief is that Jim Morrison was a god."

I mean, can you beieve a grown man pushing 30 wrote this? The cult of Jim Morrison revolves around perpetual adolescence fuelled by drugs and poor taste in music. The cult is as strong as ever today (Rolling Stone runs a feature on him about every five minutes. The demand for anything Jim Morrsion-related is so great that Moderm Humorist has created a Jim Morrison Simulatron that begs to be seen. It's quite a fitting tribute.



Check it out.

Ashlee Simpson: Victim Of The Musical Peter Principal, or Amusical Renegade?

See, I told you the SNL incident wouldn't hurt her career. What I wouldn't give to be on the cover of the Daily News!



But seriously, Ashlee Simpson gave a special halftime performance at the Orange Bowl last night. She actually sang, though the crowd roared for her to use the tape. The moral of this pathetic display, and perhaps the only good that can come from it, is the knowledge that sometimes (it's rare, I know) major corporate backing from the music industry machine just isn't enough. It takes a "special talent" like Ashlee to bring this kind of thing to light, but it looks as though she's done it. People really HATE her. And a nation really hating Ashlee Simpson signifies the existence of a healthy society far more than the mere acceptance of Britney Spears. Any artist can be mediocre (in fact, almost all of them are nowadays). I think we all owe Ashlee a great deal of thanks for showing us the way by being deemed musically unacceptable. It's as if she planned it all along. She performed the same favor for us as the Sex Pistols in their day: she showed us how utterly lame and careless the music industry can be. What we, the music buying public, do with this knowledge is entirely up to us. The revolution starts now? We'll see.

The Alan Freed Story

This is an idea I'm giving away for free, since no one seems the least bit interested. I've noticed for years the striking similarities between legendary Rock n' Roll disk jockey Alan Freed and actor Gary Sinise. I've also noticed that no one has ever done a proper depiction of Freed's life for the silver screen. This is oscar material in the making here. Think about it: renegade disk jockey gain enormous fame partially by helping to break racial barriers in popular music. The powers that be, predominantly segregationists, hate Freed and slowly destroy him through allegations of payola (a common practice even then, Freed was not unique in this respect) and economic strangulation by banning him from the airwaves. Freed, already an alcoholic, dies a tragic death, entirely forgotten by the music buying public around the time Beatlemania invades the United States.



Am I the only one who thinks this is a great story? I doubt that, my friend. Hollywood, are you listening? Don't make the filmed version of My Mother The Car, make this.

Illustrator Frank Kelly Freas Dead At 82

Frank Kelly Freas, one of the greatest and most influential illustrators of the modern era, died in his sleep 4:46 a.m. January 2nd. Best known for perfecting the image of Alfred E. Newman for Mad Magazine, Freas created many illustrations for science fiction magazines and novels. One of his most famous images (above) was originally created for a magazine called Astounding Science Fiction in October 1953. This artwork was later retooled for the cover of Queen's News Of The World in 1977.