:: Naked Brunch: No Superbowl for Me ::

I really could give a damn about football. It bores the hell out of me. I find watching tennis more inspiring.......seriously. I'd rather be working. Besides which, I have no clue who is even playing. Which, should explain thoroughly my level of interest, as I am sure someone, somewhere along the line has told me this information in passing conversation, and it went *poof* right out of my brain as useless data necessitating zero storage capacity. I was actually invited to a Superbowl party, which is the only reason I know it's today. And, no, I'm not attending.

But, I'm not. Working, that is.....Yet. I have to prepare for about a 50-person, 2-day event and have yet to write my script. My video turned out fabulous, which is why I went to Shiner yesterday, to work with the videographer editing our video. In any case, I will be out of pocket here in Sine.Qua.Non land Monday and Tuesday as there will be no time to post. Maybe I can get Rip and Michael to post for me in the interim.

+ Theory: Bush/Cheney think the world is his own form of football's Superbowl, except they have a great big global map with little pushpins indicating the countries he wants to conquer and dominate. Can't you just see them standing over it and rubbing their greedy little hands with gleeful expressions on their faces?

+ NewsBusters needs to post a correction.
Apparently, they do not understand the scientific meaning of the term "global warming." Intentionally or not, they say NBC, in one breath discusses the warming of the global atmosphere and the release of the IPCC Report and the next cite them for talking about the freeze in Colorado. Understand the term, or don't use it at all I realize this might seem confusing for you, but, seriously, it isn't rocket science. Then again, it's NewsBusters...they live to misconstrue just about everything. But, for those of you who want to understand what the term means so you will use it correctly, here is a definition from Real Climate. Otherwise, use the term Climate Change. It's probably what you mean anyway.

Scientists use "global warming" precisely, to mean "a tendency for the globe to warm over a given period". Thus, in the question of human impacts, we discuss what proportion of the observed "global warming" in recent years is anthropogenic, what the magnitude of the "global warming" due to anticipated radiative forcing scenarios will be in the future, and the nature of climate change expected for a given "global warming". In each case, we usually mean by this phrase precisely and only an increase in the mean global temperature.

Additional resources defining "Global Warming" or "Climate Forcing":

• NASA Goddard Institute for Space Studies: Global Warming in the 21st Century
• MIT's New Orleans Site: Global Warming Definition
• Scientific American: Final Report: Humans Caused Global Warming

+ Scientists Offered Cash to Dispute Climate Change: No shit, and ExxonMobil and the American Enterprise Institute anti-environment policy, ie junk science purveyors & Bush - Cheney propagandists have been behind most of it.

+ Bush the Bully: This editorial is so right on the money, it's a must read.

Given America’s bitter experience in Iraq, one would think that President Bush could finally figure out that threats and brute force aren’t a substitute for a reasoned strategy. [more]

+ We are training the guys that kill our troops and the Iraqi's

If Tom Lasseter is to be believed -- and I think he is -- the junior officers leading our troops are not sanguine about our prospects in Baghdad. They think that Muqtada al-Sadr's militia has so thoroughly infiltrated the Iraqi army and police force that they're the ones who mostly benefit from our training [more]

+ Which additionally means the Surge Can't Work

According to the just-released Key Judgments of the National Intelligence Estimate on Iraq, political reconciliation is likely a bridge too far over the next year and a half.

The Sunnis remain "unwilling to accept minority status" and believe the Shiite majority is a stalking horse for Iran. The Shiites remain "deeply insecure" about their hold on power, meaning that the Shiite leadership views U.S.-desired compromises -- on oil, federalism and power-sharing -- as a threat to its position. Perhaps most ominously, the upcoming referendum on the oil-rich, multi-ethnic city of Kirkuk threatens to be explosive, as the Kurds are determined to finally regain full control over the city.

Interestingly, the listed prospects for reversing Iraq's deterioration contradict the NIE's assessment of where things actually stand. For instance, "broader Sunni acceptance of the current political structure and federalism" and "significant concessions by Shia and Kurds" could lead to stability -- but the NIE's earlier section viewed both these events as unlikely. To put this in the realm of the current debate, President Bush's "surge" is designed to give political breathing room to events that the intelligence community formally judges as unrealistic... [more]

+ Stephen Hadley speaks on the NIE:

+ The NIE, read it now. (PDF) I'd rather read boring reports such as these than watch football.

+ The Libby Trial: Is Cheney involved in the conspiracy that outed Valerie Plame's CIA identity?

+ More on Cheney's Fingerprints All Over the Plame CIA Identity Exposure

+ This is the first human, decent and intelligent thing Rick Perry has ever done, except we know there is some nefarious reason behind such an action, albeit it's in the best interests of females to have the vaccine: Texas governor orders mandatory HPV vaccination (More from Burnt Orange Report)

Today, the Lone Star State's Gov. Rick Perry signed an executive order to require all girls entering sixth grade to be vaccinated against HPV, according to the Associated Press. Perry, a conservative Republican opposed to abortion and stem cell research, avoided the battle such an aim would incite in the Legislature by issuing the order himself. Despite the fact that we can now successfully vaccinate against HPV -- the most common cause of cervical cancer, which kills 4,000 women yearly -- many conservatives are up in arms over the implications of inoculating young girls against a sexually transmitted disease. To do so would undercut messages about safe sex, possibly encouraging sexual activity, they argue.

This line of reasoning is so loony, so unabashedly callous, it's amazing to hear it so widely parroted. It essentially deems naughty girls who do not heed parental warnings about the dangers of unsafe sex as expendable -- either to an HPV, a disease we can prevent, or, in the worst cases, cervical cancer. "The HPV vaccine provides us with an incredible opportunity to effectively target and prevent cervical cancer," Perry said. "If there are diseases in our society that are going to cost us large amounts of money, it just makes good economic sense, not to mention the health and well-being of these individuals to have those vaccines available."

That's the thing -- there's little argument against the fact that this vaccine, made by Merck & Co., should be available. It's the idea that it is required that gets more than just the abstinence-only folks hot under the collar.

+ Surging toward Iran: We need to rid ourselves of this President and Vice President as well as the Cabinet. Why are we putting up with these merchants of death and mayhem?

[T]he policy process (or, rather, the lack of a process) that led the United States into the Iraq quagmire went beyond the administration's manipulation of intelligence on weapons programs and terrorist relationships. The administration so successfully shaped the policy question around its chosen selling points involving these two issues that what passed for a national debate gave little attention to important questions about the likely nature and consequences of a war. The debate was largely reduced to contemplating the terms of a pseudo-syllogism: Hussein has weapons of mass destruction; Hussein supports terrorism; therefore, we must use force to remove Hussein.

Now, an accelerating debate about Iran and its nuclear program shows signs of the same dangerous reductionism. Some argue for an airstrike against Iranian nuclear facilities sooner rather than later. Whether the Bush administration will act on such advice in the next two years is uncertain, but it is taking confrontational steps, including augmenting forces in the Persian Gulf and raiding an Iranian consulate, that increase the chance of heightened tension escalating into a military clash. [more]

+ Three former high-ranking American military officers have warned against any military attack on Iran

They said such action would have "disastrous consequences" for security in the Middle East and also for coalition forces in Iraq.

They said the crisis over Tehran's nuclear programme must be resolved through diplomacy, urging Washington to start direct talks with Iran.

+ This is a hoot: JEAN-PAUL SARTRE, 911 operator

+ Listen to this Neko Case version of Tom Wait's "Christmas Card from a Hooker." She did a brilliant job. Beautiful. Thanks for posting that Michael.

+ Bloggy Style: God is an Alien ~ The Rapture

+ Brilliant at Breakfast: Not that this will stop them

+ Dohiyi Mir: I have the Vapors! Ehgad! You mean women are actually working for John Edwards! And they swear and shit. And, have their own brains and can, gasp!, think on their own?

Hugh MacLeod's Valentine's Stormhoek Roadtrip. I'm jealous, I want one....some.

+ Bright Eyes (Conor Oberst) has a new album of work out. Watched him last night singing via Austin City Limits, as well as Wilco.

+ Jesus' General is on a HanniDate Lallopaloozah (or however you spell that)

+ Who is Glenn Beck (Looks like potential OBI material to me.)

+ Bush is lying to us again. The surge may require 48,000 additional troops. Mousing Musings direct links seem to be broken so look for " I'm Glad Someone Noticed" dated February 2, 2007.

+ Norwegianity on The Truth Will Out ~ the right vs. left debate

+ Interview: Mike Stark vs Jonah Goldberg

+ Pushing Rope: Watch the video on Iraq coverage CBS refuses to air

+ Republicans have the nerve to call Democrats anf Liberals radical? Random Fate on Bush's Radicalism And, happy 4th anniversary Jack!

Which segued nicely from Jack's post to The Heretik's Just the Facts. Perfect!

A new exercise routine? Straight White Guy has the Poop. I wonder if Eric caught this one? One wonders what particular muscles they might be toning.

+ TPM: A Senator from My State regrets voting for the Iraq Invasion and David Kurtz is On Point with this assessment of Pelosi's stance on stopping any invasion of Iran.

More on a potential Iran confrontation here and here.

+ The Rude Pundit does Molly Ivins proud. Thanks.

+ The Zen Cabin has some Superbowl stuff and a really cute picture of da Bears. Is football Zen? (Okay, now I know one of the teams playing.) He also has a little Bob James and Acoustic Alchemy. Now, that is delicious.

+ You Ain't No Picasso has a great review of Andrew Bird's new album "Heretiks"

+ Raw Story: Cheney Cracked

+ It seriously cracks me up that the National Journal spends time on this (bloggers), whom they ignore otherwise. They tag this a scandal over some foul language and posting on the LaCrosse players rape trial. Call me never hired either then. But this is heinous, they actually imply Amanda Marcotte plagerized within the context of the following paragraph, with absolutely no justification:

But whether it should have or not, this story now seems to have generated the kind of feeding frenzy that ensued among liberal bloggers when conservative Ben Domenech of RedState was accused of, at first denied and later admitted to plagiarism, costing him a high-profile blogging job at The Washington Post. Marcotte eventually may face the same professional fate.

+ I agree with Dan Savage: The Passion of Mary Cheney

Later.

tag: football, suoerbowl, bush, cheney.libby, plame, global warming, climate change, IPCC, climate forcing, iraq, iran, surge, troops, stephen hadley, NIE, rick perry, HPV, virus, vaccine, humor, god, alein, pole dancing, valentine, stromhoek, lies, molly ivins, demented, insane, mary cheney, pandagon, shakespeares sister, john edwards