Must be nice...

ROCK FALLS, Ill. — Alan Beggerow has stopped looking for work. Laid off as a steelworker at 48, he taught math for a while at a community college. But when that ended, he could not find a job that, in his view, was neither demeaning nor underpaid.

So instead of heading to work, Mr. Beggerow, now 53, fills his days with diversions: playing the piano, reading histories and biographies, writing unpublished Western potboilers in the Louis L’Amour style — all activities once relegated to spare time. He often stays up late and sleeps until 11 a.m.

“I have come to realize that my free time is worth a lot to me"

The picture you see above is Alan Beggerow. The text above is the first couple paragraphs from a NY Times article titled, "Men Not Working and Not Wanting Just Any Job" I initially felt a surge of anger as I read the extremely well-written and well-researched piece by Louis Uchitelle & David Leonhardt. Who the hell were these guys that just gave up work but then I realized it was something else...jealousy...resentment. Why do they get to not work when I need to work just to live? It became much more of an existential read. Here's some of the more poignant quotes.

“I was always thinking if there was some way I could get out of this, do something else,” Mr. Beggerow said. “What made me so upset was the insecurity of it all and the humiliation. I don’t want to take a job that would put me through that again.”

“I’ve been through a lot of layoffs over the years, and there is a certain procedure you follow,” he said. “You contact the headhunters. You go looking for other work. You do all of that, and this time around it didn’t work.”

How about you Zoooheads? Happy with your job? Have a job? Do you relate to these guys? Angry at them? Jealous? Grateful? I'm all of these...

I will say this. I recognize I am in serious trouble when I have too much freetime. Unemployment is the kiss of death for me...I need, truly need to keep occupied. Idle hands are the Devils playthings is not an abstract concept for me. It's a truth.

Stay together friends and as always..

Stay Naked.

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Now is the Time for a Pre-emptive Strike

People can disagree (and we do) about whether the U.S. attack on Iraq was truly a pre-emptive strike as generally defined. Skeptics (including us) wonder if Iraq ever constituted an actual threat to us, much less the imminent threat the Administration presented.

In this case, we don't care exactly how "imminent" the threat is, it is plenty imminent enough and justifies immediate action by all available forces on all available fronts. Pull out the stops, throw in the reserves and hold nothing back.

What are we talking about ? A story on the Boston Globe website picked up by the AP and then truthout and that is it so far. The Bush Administration has introduced a draft bill that would give the President sweeping powers to detain American citizens and hold them indefinitely without trial.

Let's see if we can boil that down. AMERICAN CITIZENS HELD INDEFINITELY WITHOUT TRIAL. Yeah that sums it up.

Let's not wait until the House has passed this turkey and we are waiting to see if the Dems in the Senate have the guts to filibuster it. Lets not wait until until we have another "attack on the homeland" (and if you are wondering about the quotes, set aside an hour and watch loosechange911 second edition. By itself, the fact that the only three highrise buildings ever to collapse due to fire all happened in that same place on the same day is enough to justify a little skepticism).

No, lets stomp this puppy to death next week when Attorney General Gonzalez appears before the Senate Armed Services Committee regarding the proposal. Call your Senators. Call the White House. Write the editor. Go to Washington.

The bill will only apply to "enemy combatants", but we are fairly sure we qualify.

Get active and

Stay Naked
jd

Notes from Iraq

What do you think of when you see Old Glory? I see promise. Hope. The promise of a better life. Hope for a better world. I see more people enjoying more Freedom than at any other point in history. I also see where we come up short but I don't blame the flag anymore than I blame Jesus for those guys that come to my door in tightly pressed white shirts:) But not everyone sees what I see. Below is an excerpt from a Iraqi news source Azzman.com. HERE is the link to this particular story.

The U.S. flag is associated in Iraqi minds with the surgical strikes in crowded cities such as Falluja, Tal Affar, Ramadi, Qaim and Baaquba.

The U.S. flag is associated with humiliating practices like ordering university female students in Mosul to take off their clothes inside the campus.

The U.S. flag is linked to the sexual scandals committed at Abu Ghraib prison which has now become more notorious than the days of the former President Saddam Hussein.

The U.S. flag is related to those marines who raped and then murdered the Iraqi virgin in the city of Mahmodiya.

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Azzman.com is a valuable resource for stories such as the following. We know what's going on in Lebanon. We know what's going on in Baghdad. But what about 'the rest of Iraq'.

Let's head South.

Security worsens in south; top cleric warns of popular uprising. Whoops.

Security conditions are worsening in several cities in southern Iraq amid reports of clashes between Shiite militias and the British troops in the region.

In at least three big cities – Basra, Amara and Diwaniya – the militias are almost in full control and have clashed with foreign troop or bombed their bases.

That doesn't sound so good. How about the North. I understand it's pretty mellow, controlled by the Kurds etc.

U.S., Turkish contacts unnerve Kurds What's this all about?

Turkish officials say Kurdish rebels known as PKK have killed at least 15 Turkish troops in the past few days through cross-border attacks from inside Iraq and have escalated their operations.

So far the U.S. is reluctant to give Ankara the green-light to conduct cross-border attacks to flush out the rebels.

However, Ankara has made it clear to Washington that its patience is running thin and has began bombing northern Iraq despite U.S. warnings.

Oh.

So, the situation is deteriorating in the South, we know Baghdad is screwed and now it looks like Turkey might invade Northern Iraq. Lovely. Tea anyone?
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I just came across this video of a UN Ambulance (stolen?) being allegedly used to move Palestian fighters.



Stay Awake and as always...

Stay Naked.

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Chalk One for Israel

It might be possible for readers to gather the impression that at least the Elder Zookeeper harbors some anti-Israeli (although he prefers the "anti-Zionist" formulation) bias. A typical post on the subject tends not to cast Israel's conduct in a favorable light.

It should be noted that the E.Z. stifled the impulse to immediately post U.N. Sec.Gen Kofi Annan's charge that the Israeli artillery fire that killed four U.N. observers in Southern Lebanon was "apparently deliberate". That seemed a little hasty (even to us) and we were confident that subsequent revelations would be sufficiently damning to be worth the wait. (There's that bias again.)

Subsequent revelations have turned out a little differently that we supposed. One of the late observers (the Canadian) had sent recent emails indicating that Israeli fire near their position was a "tactical necessity", apparently to deal with Hizbollah firing positions themselves deliberately sited to take advantage of the "shelter"of the U.N. outpost.

So, in the Israeli/Annan duel on this topic, score one for Israel and

Stay Naked
jd

White House Chief of Staff Josh Bolten on Stem Cell Research.

It's not often you see a mainstream media figure take apart an Administration flunkey. Josh Bolten was sent by the White House to appear on 'Meet The Press' to explain the Presidents position on Stem-Cell Research and explain why the President vetoed Congress's bid to lift restrictions on human embryonic research. Below is Russert taking the Administrations argument apart. Lovely stuff...enjoy.


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The word is out. Dump Condi Rice as Secretary of State. She is being called 'incompetent' by...conservatives? Yep. Insightmag.com which is about as conservative as you can get without burning a cross on your lawn. Check it out HERE. Want a taste? Sure you do

"Rice attempted to increase pressure on Israel to stand down and to demonstrate restraint," said Stephen Clemons, director of the American Strategy Program at the New America Foundation. "The rumor is that she was told flatly by the prime minister's office to back off."

I love rumors...



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Remember that great Rolling Stone piece on The Rendon Group? We highlighted it HERE on the Zoo. Anyways, they outdid themselves with an AWESOME article by James Bamford titled "Iran: The Next War"

Stay beautiful and as always...

Stay Naked.

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"Right now, I would love to kill George Bush."

Who could say such a thing? What beast of a person could utter such a profane statement? Well, It was none other than NOBEL PEACE Prize Winner (1976) Betty Williams. Who was she talking to? Hundreds of schoolchildren in Brisbane Australia. According to 'The Australian', the following was the reaction of the audience...

Her young audience at the Brisbane City Hall clapped and cheered.

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Do you know where the hell Matt is?



I like Matt.

Stay Moving and as always...

Kill The President...umm.. I mean...

Stay Naked.

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Now Can We Begin to Hope ?

It is easy enough to find Democrats beginning to be optimistic about their chances for regaining control of the House and/or Senate in the Fall elections.

Veteran Dem strategist and attack dog James Carville thinks things are looking pretty good. Dem Party Chairman Howard Dean is on his way to the bank to deposit the victories and start drawing interest.

It is understandable, Oh Best Beloved, if you are less sanguine and these seers have been (spectacularly) wrong before. So Democratic predictions have to be taken with a grain of the proverbial and Republican predictions (even ignoring their shrill and hysterical tone) are not to be trusted.

Then there is The Note. Created by ABC news, The Note has risen to almost mythic status in political circles. It is the first read, must read morning starter in Washington and far beyond. And this morning it carries ten reasons for Democrat optimism and Republican despair.

Now you can read, grin and

Stay Naked
jd

An American in Paris.

Who woulda thunk it? The year after Lance Armstrong wraps up his total domination of the Tour De France with SEVEN straight wins another American is atop the podium in Paris. This time it is former Armstrong teammate and current Phonak team leader Floyd Landis (pictured above). His victory includes a huge collapse on Stage 16 and historic comeback the following day when he took the race "a la pedal" (with the pedal) with pure guts, fire and anger...so good on ya Landis...although most no one over here will notice:)

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Ted Koppel is 'reporting' in a NY Times op-ed piece that the 'United States is already at war with Iran'. He is basing this analysis on a conversation he had with a 'senior Jordanian intelligence official'. (Thanks to HuffPo's Eat The Press for this...check it out HERE)

Koppel goes on to note that "over the past couple of months alone, he told me, Hamas has received more than $300 million in cash, provided by Iran and funneled through Syria" and "the more than 12,000 missiles and rockets...in Hezbollah's arsenal were largely provided by Iran."

Really?Hamas and Hezbollah? I can't understand how he could say such a thing? I wonder what Hamas is going to do with $300 million in cash? Perhaps buy some Blackhawk helicopters from Saudi Arabia? Interestingly, this Jordanian intellience officer echoes many of the same sentiments as George Bush...read on dear...umm...reader.

According to the Jordanian intelligence officer, Iran is reminding America's traditional allies in the region that the United States has a track record of leaving its friends in the lurch -- in Vietnam in the 70's, in Lebanon in the 80's, in Somalia in the 90's.

In his analysis, the implication that this decade may witness a precipitous American withdrawal from Iraq has begun to produce an inclination in the region toward appeasing Iran.

It is in Iraq, he told me, "where the United States and the coalition forces must confront the Iranians.'' He added, "You must build up your forces in Iraq and you must announce your intention to stay."

So he cautions against 'cutting and running'. What say you Zoohead? Are all of the events we're witnessing in the Middle East right now merely a proxy war with Iran? Are we really engaged in the early stages of World War III (as Newt Gingrich asserts)? Do you think more troops need to be deployed in Baghdad (Gen. Abizaid does:) Maybe Bush and the neoncons are right? Frightening thought isn't it?

Stay Mobile and as always...

Stay Naked.

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The Miracle of Birth

Many of you are looking at the accompanying image and saying, "That has nothing to do with birth, its a bomb exploding." Any you would be right. The technically savvy among you might say, "That is a napalm bomb exploding", and they would also be right. And you would all be missing the point.

Our Secretary of State, and nascent presidential candidate, Condoleeza Rice has described the Israeli bombs falling on Lebanon as the "birth pangs of a new Middle East". See ? Its a good thing. Now she didn't say whether she meant the "democratic, stable and free Middle East" the Administration has been predicting for some time or the "U.S. dominated secure source of cheap oil Middle East" some skeptics have accused us of seeking, so we guess you can take your pick.

In any case, this birth seems to be taking longer than was originally contemplated when Messrs. Cheney and Rumsfeld predicted that the Iraq war would take "weeks, not months". Perhaps we should be thinking about inducing labor.

Or maybe we should be thinking about Plan B which is the subject of a Reuters story with sourcing so murky you can't tell if it is a high American or Iraqi official who opines that "Iraq as a political project is finished". Plan B, to continue the baby/birth analogy, involves a Solomonic splitting of the baby (Iraq) in two, East and West. Details of splitting Baghdad remain to be be resolved, but surely enough killing can provide a solution.

Maybe that's what President Bush meant when he responded to President Putin's lack of enthusiasm for Iraqi democracy by saying, "Just wait." Waiting has not turned out to be a productive strategy in Afghanistan or Iraq or Lebanon so far so we'll just have to remain patient and

Stay Naked
jd

Oh, Just One More Thing

Oh, we know, we know. There's plenty to worry about, what with Iraq, Lebanon, Somalia, Darfur, global warming, peak oil, AIDS, Chechnya, avian flu, George Bush, rising oceans, erectile disfunction, broken borders . . . well, you get the picture. And we sympathize.

There is, however, just one more thing. War in space. Why are we thinking about this ? Because the Chinese are thinking about this. Why are they Chinese thinking about this ? Because we are thinking about this.

Writing in the Chinese paper Jiefang Junbao, Ge Zhou took note of the newest chief of United States Air Force Space Command, Gen. Kevin Patrick "Chily" Chilton, the first astronaut to hold the post, a development Zhou greets with something less that enthusiasm.

You see, USAFSC is tasked with protecting the United States through the "control and exploitation of space". Says so right on their homepage.

That this goal might be at odds with our obligations under the Outer Space Treaty does not seem to be a matter of significant import to USAFSC or Chily Chilton. The Chinese, apparently take a different view.

Chily will be trying to achieve creation of a "space patrol fleet" by 2014, a short eight years away, so that we will be able to "control space". He will also, we hope, be worrying about whether space combat will produce so much debris in orbit as to jeapordize any future interplanetary mission.

Just one more thing. Keep looking up and

Stay Naked
jd

Luck Fieberman

Hey there Zooheads. As you know, one half of the Naked Zoo lives in Connecticut. This lovely New England state is on the front lines of the struggle for the heart of the Democratic Party. We have a blistering race for Democratic Nomination for Senator. Greenwich native and political upstart Ned Lamont seems poised to knock off 18-year veteran and former Democratic Vice Presidential candidate Joe Lieberman (D-CT). We make no bones about our allegiences here on the Zoo. Joe has got to go. We think Ned needs a rallying cry, something that'll really get the troops galvalinzed and we think we might be onto something. So cry out...

Luck Fieberman!

Yahoo is reporting a Quinnipiac University poll saying Ned is now leading Joe 51-47%!

Stay political and as always...

Stay Naked.

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“Members, now is not the time to go wobbly. Let’s give victory a chance.”

Remeber that great quote? Well it was uttered by none other than Congressman Gil Gutknecht (R-MN) . Rep. Gutknecht has been a HUGE supporter of the War in Iraq...until he actually visited Iraq recently. Here are some of his insights from our friends at Mankato Free Press...also known as 'South Central Minnesotas Information Gateway:)

“The condition there is worse than I expected,” he said. “... I have to be perfectly candid: Baghdad is a serious problem.”

Thank you for that penetrating glimpse into the realm of the obvious. He goes on:

Gutknecht was critical of some of the “spin” from Bush administration officials in the Pentagon and the State Department. He specifically pointed to past statements that a few hundred insurgents were causing the violence in the Iraq. Military officials say they’ve captured 10,000 even as the insurgency continues unabated.“That’s a far cry from what we were told originally,” he said. “... All of the information we receive sometimes from the Pentagon and the State Department isn’t always true.”

So the Pentagon AND the State Department are lying to members of Congress? Ouch...So what does Mr. Hawk suggest?

“What I think we need to do more is withdraw more Americans”

Wow! You might not be able to teach an old dog new tricks or lead a horse to water but if you scare the piss out of him he might see things more as they are and not as he wants them to be. Perhaps all is not lost.
Good on ya Rep. Gutknecht...welcome back to the land of the thinking;)
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Are you worried about events in Lebanon and Gaza and Iraq and Iran and Syria and...whew. Do you feel anxious? angry? betrayed? Where do you feel this? In your heart? In your stomach? In your mind? It's horrible and horrifying what people are going through...click on John Stewart to find out where you REALLY are going to feel it...Be prepared. It's ugly:)



Can you believe those idiots? Of course you can...

Stay Human and as always...

Stay Naked.

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"Military Experts see US Iraq Exit by 2016"

I got this from Raw Story but it's actually from a Washington Times piece. You can check out the full article at a registration restricted HERE. (if you happen to register to The Washington Times).
Here is the the point I want to highlight.

U.S. war commanders think some level of American forces will be needed in Iraq until 2016 and those forces will receive continued support from the vast majority of Iraqis.

I feel like I'm living in some Bizarro world.

Point One: Is it possible they believe the US public is going to support another DECADE of this fiasco?

Point Two: Are they under the impression that even NOW that the 'vast majority' of Iraqis support us?

No wonder things are so f'd up. Nothing another decade of rape scandals, civilian murders and crap we can't even imagine at this point causes the Iraqi people to continue loving us with IED's and sniper fire. Don't get me wrong. I understand these are isolated events and that the vast majority of the soldiers stationed over there are doing their best under brutal conditions but I see it like this. I trust the cops in my town. I think they are generally good, solid guys who care about the community. I might not like getting pulled over but I understand that's part of the price we pay for law and order. But if I read that a few of them had raped and murdered a teenage girl, then murdered her family, then burned them all to cover up the crime...well I might not look at the rest of them in the same way. It boggles my mind that professional military men could say things so daft...
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Interesting little piece on the US News and World Report site on the NY Times banking surveillance 'scandal'. Turns out the Treasury Department, when they initiated the plan in 2003 EXPECTED THE STORY TO LEAK! In fact, they included a press plan:) So the story that isn't really a story and yet continues to be a story...
>>>>>>
Speaking of which. I just read this bizarre article from Slate.com penned by the rapidly getting weirder Christopher Hitchens. Let me get this out. I like Hitchens. I loved 'No one Left to Lie to" and appreciated his near total demolition of insane British Pol George Galloway. That said, what the hell is his Slate piece titled, "The End of the Affair: Novak exonerates the Bushies in the Plame case" all about? I thought...what the f*ck? He argues that Novaks explanation...

have dissolved any remaining doubt about the mad theory that the Bush administration "outed" Ms. Valerie Plame as revenge for her husband's refusal to confirm the report by British intelligence that Iraqi officials had visited Niger in search of uranium

Any remaining doubt? Are you crazy? There is a ton of evidence that's exactly what the administration was doing. I don't understand...I really don't.



Someone please explain that to me...until then...

Stay Naked.

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Free the Kidnapped Soldiers !

In the name of peace and humanity the Naked Zoo calls for the release of the kidnapped soldiers. There can be no resolution of the violence destroying Southern Lebanon and Gaza unless the plight of the kidnapped soldiers is resolved and those soldiers returned to their homes and units.

We are referring, of course, to the hundreds of Palestinian soldiers kidnapped by the Israeli Defense Force (IDF) and held interminably and without charges by Israeli intelligence (Shin Bet). Such kidnappings, accompanied by various beatings and torture, are routine according to Arik Diamant, an Israeli reservist with personal experience in these operations. None of this is ever reported in the Western press, of course, as it does not comport with the Israel Good/Palestinians Bad filter that all such news must pass through.

On the other hand, the outrageous kidnappings of Israeli soldiers, one by Palestinians and two by Hezbollah, are sufficient to justify any level of military response Israel chooses to use. Bomb the central power stations in Gaza depriving most of the population of electricity and water ? You bet. Bomb Lebanese infrastructure including the airport, roads and bridges and impose a naval blockade ? But of course.

All justified by the kidnapping of two soldiers, despite President Bush's patently false attempt to justify Israel's over-reaction by misstating the sequence of events. Bush claimed that the kidnapping and Hezbollah rocket attacks on Israel preceded the Israeli response, while contemporary reports make clear that the Israeli attacks were well under way before the rockets started falling. Israel's credibility suffers when its best friend must lie to protect it, to say nothing of the friend's.

Israel makes the return of its soldiers a condition of a cease fire. They and the world remain silent on the hundreds of Palestinian detainees. Makes you wonder so stay curious and

Stay Naked
jd

“I don’t think we’re losing.”

This is the Army Chief of Staff. His name is General Schoomaker. He was recently speaking at a luncheon on Capital Hill sponsored by the Defense Forum Foundation. He was asked a simple question: Is the US Winning? According to an LA Times report he, "...paused for more than 10 seconds after he was asked the question, lips pursed and brow furrowed, before venturing

I think I would answer that by telling you I don't think we're losing."

Hm. And that was after careful consideration:) He went on to say

“I believe that we are closer to the beginning . . . than we are to the end,”

So we're not losing and this is only the beginning? While there is ample comedic ammunition here it just makes me sad.
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Here's our Secretary of State Condi Rice on the situation in Lebanon.

"I get reports on this every couple of hours as to how this is going. Our ambassador who is on the ground will obviously do what we need to protect Americans."

Whew! That's good news. Who do they need protecting from? Oh...that's right. Israel. Ummm....yeah...


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I don't know if you're familiar with Baghdad Burning. It's a blog written by an anonymous 24 year old female living in Baghdad. She's acheived such acclaim she's even written a book.
I like catching up with her but this breaks my heart

Fourteen. Imagine your 14-year-old sister or your 14-year-old daughter. Imagine her being gang-raped by a group of psychopaths and then the girl was killed and her body burned to cover up the rape. Finally, her parents and her five-year-old sister were also killed. Hail the American heroes... Raise your heads high supporters of the 'liberation' - your troops have made you proud today. I don't believe the troops should be tried in American courts. I believe they should be handed over to the people in the area and only then will justice be properly served. And our ass of a PM, Nouri Al-Maliki, is requesting an 'independent investigation', ensconced safely in his American guarded compound because it wasn't his daughter or sister who was raped, probably tortured and killed. His family is abroad safe from the hands of furious Iraqis and psychotic American troops.

It fills me with rage to hear about it and read about it. The pity I once had for foreign troops in Iraq is gone. It's been eradicated by the atrocities in Abu Ghraib, the deaths in Haditha and the latest news of rapes and killings. I look at them in their armored vehicles and to be honest- I can't bring myself to care whether they are 19 or 39. I can't bring myself to care if they make it back home alive. I can't bring myself to care anymore about the wife or parents or children they left behind. I can't bring myself to care because it's difficult to see beyond the horrors. I look at them and wonder just how many innocents they killed and how many more they'll kill before they go home. How many more young Iraqi girls will they rape?

Why don't the Americans just go home? They've done enough damage and we hear talk of how things will fall apart in Iraq if they 'cut and run', but the fact is that they aren't doing anything right now. How much worse can it get? People are being killed in the streets and in their own homes- what's being done about it? Nothing. It's convenient for them- Iraqis can kill each other and they can sit by and watch the bloodshed- unless they want to join in with murder and rape.

Stay Naked.

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Around the World in 60 seconds...

Every now and then we like to jump a jet, visit foreign lands, read their papers and report back on items we find of interest.

We start with a chilling report from Ynetnews.com. They are reporting that Israel has issued an ultimatum to Syria

The London-based Arabic language newspaper Al-Hayat reported Saturday that “Washington has information according to which Israel gave Damascus 72 hours to stop Hizbullah’s activity along the Lebanon-Israel border and bring about the release the two kidnapped IDF soldiers or it would launch an offensive with disastrous consequences.”

The report said “a senior Pentagon source warned that should the Arab world and international community fail in the efforts to convince
Syria to pressure Hizbullah into releasing the soldiers and halt the current escalation Israel may attack targets in the country.”


Al-Hayat quoted the source as saying that “the US cannot rule out the possibility of an Israeli strike in Syria,” this despite the fact that the Bush administration has asked Israel to “refrain from any military activity that may result in civilian casualties.”

Israel blames Syria and Iran for the current conflict in Lebanon. It's comforting to see George Bushs vision of peace and democracy spreading through the Middle East come to fruition. For awhile there it was looking bad...

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HERE is an interesing editorial from Zaman Daily on the NY Times banking surveillance 'scandal'. I love how a paper doing it's job is now scandalous. Writer Tamar Korkmaz offers us a solution to the problem.

...there is only one thing the Bush administration can do: It should immediately announce to the American people that according to certain intelligence information, there are weapons of mass destruction in the cellar of the New York Times building!

And then The Times building should be bombed!

Brilliant! I called Judy Miller for comment and she had this to say

“I saw the weapons of mass destruction at The Times with my own eyes.”

There you have it. Proof positive the NY Times is in league with freedom haters. Warm the jets:)


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And finally another editorial, this one from 'The Nation'. No, not the hippie leftist US based paper;p but a Pakistani paper of the same name. This editorial is by Roedad Khan and is located HERE. It begins with a nice summarization of the founding of the United States and follows with a laundry list of crimes perpetrated by the US on the planet as a whole. Governments overthrown. Dictators embraced etc. but it's the final paragraph that jumps out at me

In the past, some envied America, some liked America, some hated America but almost all respected her. Very few respect America today. They all fear America. Today Muslims perceive America as the greatest threat to the World of Islam since the 13th century. The irony is that, despite all the untold crimes committed by successive American governments against poor, powerless, third world countries, the American Declaration of Independence remains even today an effective force and a source of inspiration for people, like us, who live under despotic rulers - hereditary monarchs or military dictators. They see in the American fight for liberty an encouraging precedent for their own struggles.

Well said. Here's his website is you want to check out more of his writing www.roedadkhan.com

And if you haven't read the Declaration of Independence lately...HERE it is.

Stay careful Zooheads...and as always...

Stay Naked.

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Valerie Plame Sues Cheney, Rove & Libby

Holy Paula Jones Batman. A wronged woman is suing the White House! We remember how that last case went down...with Impeachment Proceedings:) Dare to dream Zooheads. In a classic What the F*ck moment here comes Karl Roves spokesimbecile

Mark Corallo, a spokesman for Rove, said, "Without even having had a chance to review the complaint, it is clear that the allegations are absolutely and utterly without merit."

So without reviewing whether it's true...we'll just say it's not true. Brilliant!

Jason Leopold has a nice round-up on the news on Truthout HERE.

God Bless a Free Legal System...Is it possible to have courts without lawyers? ;)

Stay Litigious and as always...

Stay Naked.

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Israel Targets Gays for Death

On the virtual eve of the International Gay Pride parade in Jerusalem Israel announced an NIS 20,000 (USD4336.86) reward for the killing of any “Sodomite”.

The reward, announced on an anonymous flyer, for which no known group has taken responsibility, was none the less denounced as an “act of defamation and a hate crime by the State of Israel” by Brendan Gayguy, international coordinator for the upcoming parade.

“Israel must be held to the standard by which it judges others”, declared Gayguy. Noting that there was no evidence whatsoever to link the Israeli government to the reward offer, Gayguy nonetheless insisted on governmental responsibility.

“It is well know that the Palestinian Authority has no control over Hamas militias and the government of Lebanon no control over Hezbollah,” Gayguy observed, “but this has not prevented Israel from launching full-scale military assaults against the Lebanese and Palestinian peoples in retaliation for actions taken by independent militias.”

Gayguy promised the full power of his organization would be turned against Israel and that Israelis would “pay a severe price” for the anti-Gay reward.

President Bush urged Gayguy and his organization to “act with caution” while noting that “Gays have the right to defend themselves”, thereby condoning anything up to a tactical nuclear strike on Jerusalem.

Note: Only fragments of this post are true. Email us for a guide and

Stay Naked
jd

Restore Your Manhood !

When you get to the age of the elder of the zoo keepers the issue of loss of and restoration of manhood may become pretty acute. Hence the sales of Viagra, Cialis, male enhancements and penile implants.

The Hummer has now simplified all this confusion in its new tv ads. In one, a young man checking out at a grocery store is apparently humiliated because he is buying tofu while the guy behind him is buying beer, ribs and charcoal. The solution to this anxiety ? Of, course ! Buy a Hummer ! The final scene has the caption "Restore Your Manhood" is large letters.

Of course, the perfect solution starting at about $58,000.00 !

Vistas immediately appear for repairs to other modern failings. Fear an intellectual shortcoming ? Surely the immediate purchase of the Complete Works of William Shakespeare (in Library Binding, $2250.00) will shore up that crumbling confidence .

By simply ordering the complete Inflight Liberator Multi-Gym 6070 ($4399.00) you'll start shaping up that sagging physique. When this 1150 pound beauty is set up in your bedroom you'll be well on the road to fitness and when its been gathering dust for a month you should be a near perfect physical specimen.

Spiritual concerns musn't be overlooked, so if you're groping for moral guidance in a complex world, when currents of good and evil seem to swirl and mix, the mere presence of the 1659 printing of the King James Bible in Full Calf binding (less than $16,000.00, serious inquiries only, please) on your book shelf (the Zoo recommends a prominent display commensurate with its value and your piety) will guarantee salvation, earthly serenity and eternal bliss.

Have we missed something ? Focus on the problem, think money and

Stay Naked
jd

A Great Day for the Planet!

And yet...a 'Low Water Mark for Broadcast TV Viewing' Why? Well, according to the Yahoo! Asia News (I know;)...

TV viewers must have taken to the beach: It was the least-watched week in recorded history for the four biggest broadcast networks.

CBS, ABC, NBC and Fox averaged 20.8 million viewers during the average prime-time minute last week, according to Nielsen Media Research. That sunk below the previous record, set during the last week of July in 2005.

While this is good news. It's apparently not unexpected...

It wasn't entirely unexpected. By tradition, the week that includes Independence Day has the fewest viewers of the year, or close to it, because rerun season is in full swing and the public is consumed with outdoor activities

"The public is consumed with outdoor activities"...Hm. And we're insanely obese:) Something is wrong with this picture...
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Think things are getting better in Iraq? Then do not, under and circumstances, read any dispatch from CNN's Nic Robertson. Here is a partial one, taken from the New Republic on-line.

One international official told me of reports among his staff that a 15-year-old girl had been beheaded and a dog's head sewn on her body in its place; and of a young child who had had his hands drilled and bolted together before being killed.

Full article HERE. For once, I thank God we don't have a picture...

Stay Grounded and as always...

Stay Naked.

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When Is a War Civil ?

In 1944 the New Century Dictionary defined a "civil war" as a war "between parties in their own country.

The Compact Edition of the Oxford English Dictionary, long held to be the authority on the English language, (our edition published in 1971) defines civil war as that which occurs " among fellow citizens or within the limits of one community".

The Merriam-Webster Online dictionary (13 seconds ago) defined civil war as "a war between opposing groups of citizens of the same country".

Something must have changed because the MSM just doesn't seem able to pull the trigger and call fighting in Iraq a civil war. It seems to us to meet every criteria set forth in these definitions and it isn't as if they haven't been talking about it.

As far back as May of 2005, Newsday was worrying about whether Iraq was "on the edge" of a civil war or in the middle of one.

Then in February of 2006 FOX News wondered aloud whether a civil war in Iraq might be a good thing.

Around the same time the Christian Science Monitor was reporting Iraqi opinion that the "war could really be on now."

In March FOX retreated to the opinion that the media was "making it up" when it came to the existence or non of a civil war in Iraq.

In the middle of March our old friend Pat Robertson joined the discussion with the opinion that Americans (and presumably Iraqis) who thought there was a civil war in Iraq "don't have a clue". Pat's personal record on clue possession is not stellar, but we shall see.

Today, the Denver Post carries the headline " Iraq 'On the Edge of Civil War' ".

Why the reluctance to call a spade a spade ? The Chicago Tribune, back in April, indicated they didn't feel qualified to call an eight hundred pound gorilla an eight hundred pound gorilla. They were, they indicated, waiting for direction from Washington and Baghdad, the two places on the planet least likely to name that tune.

Washington won't say it, at least via the Administration, because to do so would put the final gloss on the portrait of utter, complete and abysmal failure that has been coming into focus since "Mission Accomplished".

The Iraqi government won't say it because to do so would predictably increase the pressure for an American ( sorry, "coalition") withdrawl, an event that would likely spell the end of their government and their employment.

Maybe we need someone in the MSM with the plain courage to just say it.

Maybe we need a statue, like that of Gen. Robert E. Lee, shown above.

Our thanks to MediaMatters for the Fox and Robertson materials.

Stay patient and

Stay Naked
jd

A Fascinating Microsoft RUMOR

We were just talking to one of our local Mac techs ('cause our G5 took a dump, but that's another story).

One topic led to another until the conversation came around to Windows Media Player 7. Install MP7 (as it is affectionately known) on your PC and you can play your tunes, watch your videos and etc. Cool right ? Right !

However, and this is a big HOWEVER, according to the RUMOR from our source, MP7 has some additional interesting features. It will:
1. Inventory all Microsoft software on your hard drive;
2. Report the information to a central Microsoft server, which will;
3. Check to make sure the software is licensed to that machine (nevermind the copy of your wife's Word program) and report back to your MP7, which will;
4. Disable any "pirated" software on your machine( like the copy of your wife's Word program, AND (here's the real kicker)
5. Also disable the original software at the source from which it was "pirated", or in the case of your wife, borrowed.

Is this nightmare scenario true ? We are not geeks, but a little googling reveals concern about Microsoft's Digital Rights Management agreement you sign on to when you click that box that says you have read and understood a document you (and we) never bother to read.
It says:

* Digital Rights Management (Security). You agree that in order to protect the integrity of content and software protected by digital rights management ("Secure Content"), Microsoft may provide security related updates to the OS Components that will be automatically downloaded onto your computer. These security related updates may disable your ability to copy and/or play Secure Content and use other software on your computer. If we provide such a security update, we will use reasonable efforts to post notices on a web site explaining the update.

That language sounds to us like Media Player 7 will "disable . . . other software on your computer" because that's exactly what it says it will do. Whether it behaves in exactly the way the RUMOR we are reporting here describes we have not yet determined. Are we going to install it to find out ? No.

We tried googling around on the subject and found nothing, which is a sharp blow against the RUMOR because we think the blogosphere would be going cukoo if this Microsoft "report and destroy" system were operating as RUMORED.

A check of various web hoax detection and reporting sites revealed nothing. Of course, we didn't hear this RUMOR on the web, so maybe that doesn't count.

Our call to a Microsoft flack charged with responding to inquiries regarding MP7 went unanswered. Perhaps he was unimpressed with our low-power radio/blogosphere credentials. Maybe he has something to hide.

Our source is anonymous because he has to work with Microsoft and fears retaliation. From Microsoft ?

We will keep working on the RUMOR and keep you posted while you and we

Stay Naked
jd

Thank you Jason!

The Naked Zoo wants to thank Jason Leopold for coming on-air today to discuss his book 'News Junkie', the California Energy Crisis, Enron and the Valerie Plame/Karl Rove case...I hope you caught the show but even if you didn't, you should check out the book 'News Junkie'

Stay Naked.

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Jason Leopold on the Zoo: Saturday at 10:00am PST/ 1:00pm EST

Okay Zooheads, HUGE news. Tune in tomorrow at 1:00pm EST/10:00am PST for an interview with red-hot investigative journalist Jason Leopold LIVE on the Naked Zoo News Review radio show. We're giving him the entire hour to talk about the Valerie Plame affair, Enron, the death of Ken Lay and of course, his brutally honest memoir NEWS JUNKIE...If you're not in the greater San Francisco Bay Area never fear...you can listen to the show stream live HERE at KWMR.org...click on the 'ON AIR' link at the top...email us here at nakedzoo@gmail.com if there are any questions you want us to ask him on-air...and let us know if you want attribution or to be kept 'anonymous' :)

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Last night, here in the balmy state of Connecticut, Senator Joe Lieberman (D- CT) faced off against his challenger Ned Lamont in what is going to be their only debate (which doesn't seem fair or very democratic but there you have it). Below you will see the YouTube link to the Iraq portion of the debate. You can also see the entire debate HERE at PoliticsTV.com



One thing comes across very quickly. Ned is a novice and Joe is a polished veteran well schooled in the art of schoolyard 'you're a big dummy' debating. Lieberman handles himself well but has compromised himself so badly that it's clear he's a Democrat in name only. He's actually been endorsed by Sean Hannity and Ann Coulter.
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Al Gore is high on crack. Global warming is a good thing...in fact, it's a great thing.

many argue that it’s a boon, citing its benefits to agriculture and its potential to make severe climates more hospitable —

This wonderful quote is from a National Review cover story on global warming titled 'Snow Job' HERE is a wonderful deconstruction by ThinkProgress.

FACT: The 2001 report by the IPCC finds that global climate change’s “negative health impacts are anticipated to outweigh positive health impacts.” Assuming that current emission levels continue, an increase in heat waves and a deterioration in air quality “will increase the risk of mortality and morbidity, principally in older age groups and the urban poor.” Additionally, any “regional increases in climate extremes (storms, floods, cyclones, etc.) associated with climate change would cause physical damage, population displacement, and adverse effects on food production, freshwater availability and quality, and would increase the risks of infectious disease epidemics, particularly in developing countries.”

God bless the internet...
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Stay Warm and as always...

Stay Naked.

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There's good ideas....

And then there's GREAT ideas. According to USA Today, as reported HERE, the nascent Iraqi government is fielding a request from some local insurgent leaders for some weaponry. Hmm...so the insurgents are asking for military help from the government they're fighting? Isn't this like us requesting British military help during the War of Independence...well yes...it is. The LOCAL insurgents are asking for some weapons to help fight the FOREIGN fighters...who, according to our State Department, account for "4-10% of the estimated 20,000 insurgents". Haider al-Ibadi, a Shiite lawmaker and member of Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki's Dawa Party has this to say

"They want to take part in the war against terrorists," said al-Ibadi, who supports the proposal. "They claim they could wipe out the terrorists and work with the government."

Let us try and wrap our heads around this. Although the article doesn't mention whether the requesting INSURGENTS are Shite or Sunni I think the point is moot...further arming of armed men is dis-arming but such is the rabbit hole that Iraq has become...Carry on Alice.

Stay Armed and as always...

Stay Naked.

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Happy Birthday to Us !

Happy 230th Birthday America, you are looking great for your age. Sure, there are some spots and wrinkles and the Zoo is never slow to point them out, but this is not the day.

This is the day to celebrate the promises that America represents in the world, however imprefectly those promises are kept at times. The promise that people can live as equals, control their own governments, worship as they please and speak their minds. The promise that the individual will be honored above the State and that hard work will earn a just reward.

These are the promises that keep people from all over the world focussed on coming here to live and work and raise their families and those folks are clearer on the facts than we are.

So, today is for celebration and you can't go far without one. Interested in the oldest observance ? Bristol, Rhode Island claims that honor and is holding its 221st. You can find about anything you want in the Boston Area. The politicians around there are going to be scrambling.

If you have been longing to see the largest fireworks show west of the Mississippi, it looks like the Melaleuca Freedom Celebration in Idaho Falls, Idaho is your destination of choice.

Fourth not complete without some old time rock and roll ? It says right here that Elvis, Chuck and Buddy will be appearing at 1 P.M. in Granbury, Texas.

Celebrate, Zooheads, and realize that for all the flaws she is the best thing going, capable of true greatness if we will be true to the promises.

Stay faithful, committed and patriotic and

Stay Naked
jd

What Does an Assassin Have to Do ?

Those were the good old days, when an honest assassin could count on a little ink. That's John Wilkes Booth over there, the man who murdered President Lincoln. There's your notoriety. 140 years later and school children still know his name.

Imagine if he had announced his intentions from some secure place. The outrage !
The sensation !

Nowadays, you announce your intention to murder the duly elected head of a sovereign government and you get nothing. Rodney Dangerfield gets more respect. Oh, sure, you might get a mention in The Australian and, with a little luck, the International Committee for the Fourth International (and that name is not a gag) will give you a mention on their World Socialist Website. But, that's it.

Nothing from ABC, MSNBC, CBS, CNN or FOX but a big fat yawn. O.k., to be fair and complete, truthout picks it up.


Our guess is that Israel so routinely commits crimes against international law that their announced intention to make the Palestinian Prime Minister an assassination victim just doesn't register on the news-0-meter. We thought at least FOX would like it with their taste for the testosterone response.

Unaccountable power usually leads to bad things, so we'll keep watching and

Stay Naked
jd

Better That 100 Guilty Go Free

Than that one innocent man be put to death. That has been the mantra of the pro-life (oh, sorry, no, "pro-life" means "anti-abortion"), we guess we mean, then, the anti- death penalty movement.

What has been missing is proof that an innocent man has actually been put to death. Until now and the arrival of a series in the Chicago Tribune of what now appears to have been the duly authorized and official murder of one Carlos de Luna in Texas in 1989.

It appears that De Luna as arrested, tried, convicted and executed for the murder of a convenience store clerk named Wanda Lopez. Only, he didn't do it.

So now what ? Here's a case in which it is all but legally proven that justice went haywire and an innocent man's life was taken by the state. The Governor of Illinois suspended executions several years ago on the strength of less evidence. Do we just take the view that those trigger-happy morons in Texas screwed up, but we don't have to worry ? The Innocence Project has data that would suggest otherwise.

Fortunately, we in California (death chamber pictured above) don't have to worry because we don't make misteaks.

Stay Naked
jd