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Misjudging The Audience

Monday, Apr. 02, 2006 02:22 AM


Predictably, in the recent hearings on Sen. Russ Feingold's Motion to Censure President Bush for his violations of federal law pertaining to the NSA's secret wiretapping program, Republican critics fired off the rubber stamp defense.

Criticizing the President and all the patriotic goodness embodied in warrantless wiretaps only emboldens the terrorists.

Not that they've been exactly shy or timid.

But, let's follow through on the argument. If criticism of the administration will only embolden the terrorists, praising them should reduce them to quivering jello. They will quake in their boots and keffiyahs at Our Righteous and Mighty Patriotic Splendor, As THE MOST SPLENDIFEROUS NATION IN GOD'S CREATION ...

... well, maybe that's going a little overboard.

The sad truth is that terrorism and the insurgency is being driven by religious ideology, and no amount of kissing George W. Bush's ass is going to deter them.


Speaking of which, it seems Condi Rice is the latest to try out the impatient parent routine, suggesting that the members of Iraq's parliament, like, stop mucking around and turn into an compliant, happy democracy, already.

Rice suggests that a compromise candidate, acceptable to the Shiite, Sunni, and Kurdish factions, be selected instead of interim Prime Minister Ibrahim al-Jaafari.

Hmm. Imagine if that had been the rule in 2000, and the Supreme Court had told the nation, "No, sorry, you can't have George W. Bush, you have to pick someone that everyone likes."

This sudden 'rush' to get things settled down in Iraq, both for the sake of midterm elections and any forthcoming issues with Iran, strikes me as terribly disingenuous.


In conjunction with the reality TV show, The Apprentice, Chevrolet launched a glitzy website where you can select pre-made clips of the 2007 Chevy Tahoe, add your own titles, and produce a masterpiece of advertising.

Except some enterprising souls have used the site to generate anti-SUV ads, even plugging environmentalist/activist websites.

"Like snow? Breathtaking landscapes?" asks one such spoof. "Be sure to take it all in today, because tomorrow, this asshole's SUV will change the world. Global warming isn't a pretty SUV ad, it's a frightening reality."

But the real humor comes from the official rules.

"Entries will be ineligible if they are corrupted, do not meet ALL of the specified requirements or are not able to be viewed due to technical error or reasons beyond the control of the Sponsors or the judges. In addition, a submission shall be void if it includes any endorsements or "commercial tie-ins", or if it contains any material which Sponsors or judges in their sole discretion deems patently offensive such as profanity, violence or nudity, or which might subject Sponsors or its licensees to unfavorable regulatory action, violate any law, infringe the rights of any person, or subject Sponsors or its Licensees to liability for any reason."

It's also possible that Chevrolet could sue the makers of such spoof ads for capturing or re-purposing their entries, as there's a clause that essentially cedes all rights to Chevrolet. The rules also contain a warning that seeking to damage the website or otherwise undermine the legitimate operation of the contest may constitute a violation of criminal and civil laws.

And maybe Chevrolet should have made entries subject to review, simply for the sake of screening out profanity, let alone environmental activism.

Autoblog has more, including links to several spoof ads. (Which, they note, contain objectionable language.)

I imagine the contest and website will be undergoing some changes later today ...


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