Well, this is a first for me…

I just got locked out of making any new comments on an  anti-Chavez post on Boing Boing. I was told I wasn’t linking to enough ‘reputable news sources’ to support my arguments. That is true–I wasn’t. I didn’t realise I had to. Instead, I suggested that everyone watch the incredible documentary on the 2002 coup in Venezuela,  ‘The Revolution Will Not Be Televised’.

I always feel that this is a good place to start with any discussion on Chavez as it shows very clearly the motives and tactics of those lined up against him, and so helps balance the narrative coming from various ‘reputable news sources’ (essentially… he’s an evil dictator, despite such non-evil-dictator-type behaviour as conducting fair elections and winning them).

My last few posts, the ones which presumably angered the moderator the most, offered a deal.

“Why do you expect me to spend my time tracking down news stories that support my argument, when you don’t want to spend seventy-five minutes of your time watching an excellent documentary that was filmed from inside the 2002 coup? And why have you decided that the documentary is not reputable?

How about this…I’ll go Google ‘Chavez’ and find a few dozen things that support my argument (you could do this yourself, but never mind) if you watch the doc.”
Well, time is tight in the world of  internet discussion groups, and the moderator banned me instead. I include the link here again in case any of you haven’t seen this  thrilling film and can spare the whole hour and fifteen minutes it takes to watch it.

‘The Revolution Will Not Be Televised

(Update: Got a nice surprise today–a very kind e-mail from Cory Doctorow, saying that he didn’t think what happened to me was “fair or appropriate”. Xeni, too, wrote to patch things up. She disagrees with the content of my posts, but she also didn’t think I should have been blocked. Apart from the joy of being visited by two of the actual Elders of The Internet, I’m grateful they took the time to respond in such a gracious way.)

Fingers crossed!

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Things that make you go ‘hmm’

“Mike Connell set-up the alternate email and communications system for the White House. He was responsible for creating the system that hosted the infamous GWB43.com accounts that Karl Rove and others used. When asked by Congress to provide these emails, the White House said that they were destroyed. But in reality, what Connell is alleged to have done is move these files to other servers after having allegedly scrubbed the files from all “known” Karl Rove accounts.

In addition, I have reason to believe that the alternate accounts were used to communicate with US Attorneys involved in political prosecutions, like that of Don Siegelman. This is what I have been working on to prove for over a year. In fact, it was through following the Siegelman-Rove trail that I found evidence leading to Connell. That is how I became aware of him. Mike was getting ready to talk. He was frightened.”

Unfortunately, he won’t get to talk. He died in a plane crash yesterday. Link

(Update: Boy, that got up on Boing Boing fast! I agree with those who say that we shouldn’t rush to conclusions here. I am just saying hmm.)

Thank you, America!

At last, I have an excuse to publish this photo. (Wow…just remembered the photo in the post below. Really should not have provided both for comparison.)

I actually sort of love him for this

I’m not one for kicking a man when he’s down, but this is too funny to ignore.

(via milkandcookies)

Priceless

Failin’ Palin

Get your war on gets it on with Sarah Palin. Link

“Will there be a Vice Presidential Debate on Thursday?”

Cynical C asks a very good question.

“Will there be a Vice Presidential Debate on Thursday?

Last night after the debate, Joe Biden was on CNN for a rebuttal. It’s barely an interview with Wolf Blitzer asking a few softball questions and most of Biden’s speech is of course scripted. When they came back from commercial, Blitzer said that they had received emails asking why CNN wasn’t giving Palin a chance for a rebuttal. The answer was that they had asked the campaign if Palin would be available for the rebuttal and the campaign declined because apparently they are doing everything in their power shy of taking out a restraining order on anybody who could get close enough to aim a microphone at Palin

At this point, I just don’t see how they’re going to let Palin go on a televised debate which has a good chance of being one of the most highly watched debates of all time, when they won’t even turn her loose on a mostly scripted rebuttal for fear that she’ll get tripped up and start spouting nonsensical answers such as what else she can see outside her window. Seriously, has anybody ever seen a campaign treat their Vice Presidential candidate like the Gimp from Pulp Fiction, bound, gagged, and locked in a chest for safe keeping?

I just don’t think that they will let her debate Biden. What do you Cynics think?” Link

A heartbeat away…

…from the first Beauty Queen President!

(You Tube keep pulling the video so go here if the above doesn’t work.)

Via Cynical C

Oh, perfect, PERFECT, gag

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