One thing that makes some people cynical — not me, of course, but “some people” — is a failed CEO getting nearly $50 million to go away, on top of a $5m severance package. Case in point: Kevin Rollins at DELL Computer Corporation.
Category: Politics, Religion & Money
We’ll Stand Up When Rove Stands Down
Good riddance to the divisive and destructive Karl Rove. He’s no genius, but he is the most successful in a chain of Republican operatives without scruples. It’s a list that includes the excretory Roy Cohn and, more recently, the pitiless and pitiful Lee Atwater.
You want an example of Karl Rove being divisive? Here’s one. Listen to this statement by Rove.
[audio:http://www.dograt.com/Audio/AUG07/Rove.mp3]This is a complete mis-characterization. What the Democrats wanted was adherence to the FISA Act, which requires court approval of the surveillance.
Colbert vs. Branson: Cooler Heads Prevail
The Net is full of talk about a spat between mega-rich Richard Branson and mega-influential Stephen Colbert. If it’s true that a peeved Branson dumped his glass of water on Colbert during the recording of a segment of The Colbert Report, then Branson is a fool, because the only possible outcome is Branson will lose and Colbert will gain. It’s been reported that Colbert retaliated.
The latest word is that the scene will be shown, so we will all be able to see what really happened. You can, of course, count on me posting it here as soon as the video of the event is available.
Girl-God Raises the Yamato
An episode of the previously-blogged anime Kamichu took us rather by surprise. Girl-god Yurie’s spirit form travels to the bottom of the Pacific ocean to raise the spirit of the Japanese battleship Yamato, for an elderly man who left the crew before the ship’s sinking in 1945. I’ve spliced a few scenes together.
[flv:http://www.dograt.com/Video/JUL07/KamichuYamato.flv 425 240]
What surprised us was how the episode rejoices in the legend of the ship — the largest ever built — without political overtones or, for that matter, ever mentioning WWII. The PBS program NOVA has a good section about the Yamato on its Web site. The old man in the cartoon who rhapsodizes about sailing on the Yamato says he was born in 1920, so either he’s supposed to be well into his 80’s, or the show takes place some time ago.
Colbert’s Limp Wrist
Stephen Colbert has broken his left wrist! Don’t know how, but it seems to be for real. See for yourself.
[flv:http://www.dograt.com/Video/JUL07/ColbertWrist.flv 400 300]
Brooks No Denial
The lame-brained Republican political commentator David Brooks is always good at raising my blood pressure, which is sometimes too low anyway. Look at this idiotic comment he made on The News Hour:
DAVID BROOKS: Yes, I’ll just tell you that, in private conversations months ago, Republican senators, senior Republican senators were anxious to move away from the White House, to move towards some sort of withdrawal. Now they’re not talking that way. They’re talking, “We’ve got to stick with the president.” And why? Two words: Harry Reid.
It’s because they detest the way he’s drawn the line. He’s drawn the line that said, “You’re either for a certain withdrawal right away, or starting with 120 days or whatever, or you’re with the president.” And they hate those two choices. And they’d rather not be in those choices, but Reid is the majority leader. He sets the parameters of the choices, and that’s the dilemma they’re in.
Sheesh. Always, always the Neocon supporters, mostly now reduced to being apologists due to the undeniably total failure of the Bush administration, still insist on constructing convoluted logic that blames Democrats for everything. Yeah, it’s Harry Reid’s fault that Republican politicians can’t distance themselves from Bush. Ridiculous.