What's wrong with this story?

Last week it was reported that the U.S. military had arrested four men in the case of kidnapped Christian Science Monitor reporter Jill Carroll. Charges are pending.

Sounds straightforward enough - bad guys did harm to one of our people, and we nabbed them. However.....according to our President, there is a viable, democratically elected government in Iraq. That being the case, and considering that this was a crime carried out in Iraq by Iraqi citizens, why weren't these four arrested by members of Iraq's crack security forces? After that, they could be put in an Iraqi-run prison and tried in the Iraqi judicial system. This system is now advanced enough that they are trying their own former dictator.

Could it possibly be that we don't trust the government that we say is so effective? That would be a case of talking out of both sides of our mouth.

Our side/Their side

Our side

From THE PHILOSOPHY AND MORALS of JESUS of NAZARETH by Thomas Jefferson

1. Be just: justice comes from virtue which comes from the heart.

2. Treat people the way we want to be treated.

3. Always work for peaceful resolutions, even to the point of returning violence with compassion.
4. Consider valuable the things that have no material value.

5. Do not judge others.

6. Do not bear grudges.

7. Be modest and unpretentious.

---

"Let he who is without sin cast the first stone." Jesus

And when you pray, you shall not be like the hypocrites. For they love to pray standing in the synagogues and on the corners of the streets, that they may be seen by men.... But you, when you pray, go into your room, and when you have shut your door, pray to your Father who is in the secret place; and your Father who sees in secret will reward you openly" Jesus (Matthew 6:5-6)

Their side

"Maybe we need a very small nuke thrown off on Foggy Bottom to shake things up" –Pat Robertson

"The idea that religion and politics don't mix was invented by the Devil to keep Christians from running their own country." Jerry Falwell

"We know who the homicidal maniacs are. They are the ones cheering and dancing right now. We should invade their countries, kill their leaders and convert them to Christianity." Ann Coulter

"And if we are the ones not actively involved in electing those godly men and women and if people aren’t involved in helping godly men in getting elected than we’re going to have a nation of secular laws. That’s not what our founding fathers intended and that’s certainly isn’t what God intended." Katherine Harris

A tale of two towns

Fox News commentator Bill O'Reilly has often mentioned his boyhood years growing up in the middle class Long Island town of Levittown. The problem is that O'Reilly's mother, in an interview with the Washington Post said that Bill grew up in Westbury. The key piece of evidence for that is that she still lives in that same house, which is in Westbury.

There are variant stories to be found on Wikipedia and the Fox News Web site, as well as from O'Reilly himself who claims that the Post misquoted his mother. The four versions of reality boil down to this:

1. O'Reilly, as reported in the Post article grew up in Westbury, but in housing that was built by the Levitt company.

2. The house was in Levittown when they bought it, but the boundaries changed in 1963, and the location changed to Westbury. This is found in Wikipedia.

3. It was Levittown, and that's that. This comes from O'Reilly who bolsters this claim with a mortgage document from the purchase of the house that he published online.

4. The Fox News Official Biography of O'Reilly, which used to boast that he grew up in the "Westbury section of Levittown."

To start getting the facts, we simply visited the East Meadow Public Library on Long Island and asked to see the 1958 Nassau County phone book. What we found can be seen here:

which shows the elder O'Reilly was, in 1958, a resident of Westbury.

The information provided above contradicts the "deed" which O'Reilly published that supposedly proves that he lived in Levittown all along. This can be seen at: http://www.frankenlies.com/lies/levittown.htm. If you examine this document closely, you might notice some peculiarities. The address is (blank) Lane, followed by a comma. Then you drop down three lines into a new paragraph. At the beginning of this, there is a long blank space, another comma, and the name Levittown, New York. This is followed by language that says "hereby to be referred to as the mortgager." A street address is the mortgager? It appears that the long blank at the beginning of that line may be the lending institution that happened to be located in Levittown. The actual town location should have immediately followed "Lane." Furthermore, the information with O'Reilly's parents' names and the end of the street address was done with a typewriter using courier font, and in need of a ribbon. The "Levittown" is in Times New Roman and is noticeably darker - looking like a pre-printed form. In reading through the right wing blogosphere, one can see this document treated as Holy Writ - an absolute slam-dunk that O'Reilly grew up in Levittown.

One creative O'Reilly apologist on Wikipedia, writing under the category of "O'Reilly controversies" made the claim that O'Reilly grew up in Levittown, then in 1963 they changed the town borders to bring the towns in line with the new Zip Code system. As a result of that, O'Reilly's street was sucked into Westbury, where it remains to this day. Again, if this were true, the 1958 phone book would have listed his address as being in Levittown, which it did not. The Wikipedia author cites as evidence of this 1963 land grab one online map that shows Levittown in large letters and no reference to Westbury at all

This dramatic change in the population of Westbury would have been major news in a town whose boundaries were first set in the 1700's. However, author John Dwyer, writing in the Village of Westbury's web page at http://www.villageofwestbury.org/index.asp?type=b_loc&sec={25bd8f5e-47ee-4fef-928b-f47883bffc8e} writes:

"In the mid 1950's, Westbury virtually ran out of undeveloped land and with it came the end of the building boom. In 1940, Westbury listed its population at 4,525. By 1960, Westbury's population had grown to 14,757, according to the census data for that year." Nothing here about that major change of boundaries a few years later.

No doubt Dwyer would have been amused by the official Fox News biography of O'Reilly which claimed he grew up in the "Westbury section of Levittown." A 400 year old town had suddenly been relegated to being a section of a town that was created in the 1940's. Fox News has since changed this to say that O'Reilly grew up in Long Island.

Referring to the United States Census of 1970, Volume 1, Part A, Section 2, page 34-37, Levittown, rather than losing population between 1960 and 1970 gained about 150 souls, going from a population of 65,276 in 1960 to 65,440 in 1970. Westbury's population picked up about 500 during that same period, but not, apparently, at the expense of Levittown.

This has been a fascinating journey into the world of "truthiness." If you read everything about this subject written by people with a political agenda, it becomes very complicated. However, as a librarian it is my job to consult objective sources and find out the facts. The truth is what it is. Barring stunning new revelations, Bill O'Reilly grew up in a house in Westbury.

Two canaries

Run, do not walk, but Run to your cineplex and catch An Inconvenient Truth. This movie is so compelling that the Far Righters are absolutely terrified about its effect. Massive amounts of the Karl Rove truth enhancement fund have been moved into place to make commercials like "Carbon Dioxide is our Friend." I'd always heard about global warming and thought "I'm nearly 60. I won't have to deal with this. My son and grandkids will." Ummm, guess again. Gore was absolutely 100% magnificent here, drawing an analogy between the icecaps and the canaries that miners kept around to warn of bad air. It's as entertaining as a film can be that tells me that my house in Long Island will soon be a Sea Bass observation center. See it.

Last piece of the world's information that wasn't in Google

I'm going to take a breather from commenting about the current state of public affairs and go back to my base constituency - computer nerds. For the past 6 years now, I've been getting together with a couple of friends from the university on Tuesday nights at a local watering hole where they have free chicken wings and 2 dollar draft beers. Twice a year, at the end of the semester, we get together for a blowout dinner.

A few weeks ago, I went up to Cheshire to get a sandwich at Subway, and noted that the Irish bar and grill that had been next door had been replaced by a new seafood restaurant named Yellowfin's. People coming out looked happy and well fed, so I offered this as a possible dinner spot for the occasion. They agreed, but as the day approached, I was asked to confirm that Yellowfin's is open Mondays and see if we needed a reservation. No problem - I'd just google it and get in touch.

Well, no such luck. Typing Yellowfins Cheshire Connecticut always got me lots of hits, but never the thing I needed. Then I found out the street address of the previous occupant and always got a slew of hits for them but not the new restaurant. I had to face the dreaded conclusion - here's a restaurant that is not in Google. We showed up last night anyway, and had an absolutely delightful evening. We had a pair of appetizers, shared the dishes around and found everything to be first rate. Our waitress said that they've been there for just over two months. They're at 1027 S. Main Street. Yesterday that information was missing from Google. In a day or so, it won't be.

Thought for today

"Only two things are infinite, the universe and human stupidity and I'm not sure about the former."

Albert Einstein

Coalition of the forgotten

It appears to me that as our liberation of Iraq continues, you hear less and less about the coalition. I verified this by searching Lexis. In 2003, there were more than 1000 references to the term "Coalition Forces and Iraq" in major newspapers. In 2004 there were 729. In 2005 there were 242. So far this year, 49. Here is what this coalition looks like using information from the Brookings Institute showing troop strength by country in the thousands:



From everything I've read, most of the countries in the "Other" column are looking for ways to gracefully disappear over a sand dune.

To the spammers who fill my mailbox

You people are really underachievers. I haven't got anything in months that had the slightest chance at ripping me off. Here are some tips, and if it helps you make more money, you can send me a check, but don't ask for my bank details. Just send the check.

Get a surname. The only person with one name who has the least chance of reaching me is Madonna, and I'm not even sure about that.

Buy a dictionary. If you don't know the difference between there and their, chances are you are not a multinational bank, even if you do add the right logo.

Get a life. Instead of mining the greed of Americans, go out and get a job and do something with your life. If you are really in Nigeria and have millions of dollars, spend some of that to help children in your country.

Oops

Three pieces that I found on CNN:

Sunni party quits Iraq government talks after mosque bombing

More than 100 dead in revenge attacks; 7 U.S. soldiers killed

Thursday, February 23, 2006; Posted: 2:26 p.m. EST (19:26 GMT)

At least 118 killed in Iraq attacks

Five U.S. soldiers among dead

Thursday, January 5, 2006; Posted: 9:36 a.m. EST (14:36 GMT)
BAGHDAD, Iraq (CNN) -- In the deadliest day since the December 15 elections, at least 118 people were killed in Iraq and scores were wounded in separate insurgent-bomb attacks, authorities said Thursday.
Among the dead were five U.S. soldiers with Task Force Baghdad, according to a U.S. military news release.

Cheney: Iraq will be 'enormous success story'

Friday, June 24, 2005; Posted: 12:28 a.m. EDT (04:28 GMT)
WASHINGTON (CNN) -- Vice President Dick Cheney on Thursday defended his recent comment that the Iraqi insurgency was in its "last throes," insisting that progress being made in setting up a new Iraqi government and establishing democracy there will indeed end the violence -- eventually.

That's all.

Get real!

I never watch reality shows, but unless you live in a cave, it's impossible not to hear endless details about them. Here is my idea for the ultimate reality show - select a group of people who will try to explain to us what reality really is. There would be a philosophy professor, a quantum physicist, a Priest, a Rabbi, a Zen Buddhist master, a mathematician, a psychologist, an Islamic cleric, a televangelist, and Yogi Berra. At the end of each show, one of them would be voted off by God, as they would draw straws. You heard it here first.

More fun with anagrams

A few of these have been found before. Most haven't:

Donald Rumsfeld - Fond Dull Dreams

Condoleezza Rice - Oozed a zen cleric

Paul Wolfowitz - Putz oaf ill - wow!

Karl Rove - Lark Over

Rudy Giuliani - Gaudily I ruin

Richard Cheney - Herd chicanery

George W. Bush - Bush ego grew, or SOB grew huge

Chapter 1 - January 15, 2005

Fun with anagram generators. Years ago, I ran the names of Grateful Dead band members against an anagram generator and got a number of gems - the best were Mickey Hart (Him rackety) and Jerry Garcia (Rare, racy jig). This afternoon, I found the same program and ran the name Google. Best hits were:

Ego log and
Go ogle

Nothing makes me feel older than writing a check with the date 2005 on it. I remember when it was a big deal to write the first check in 1984.

Chapter 1 - October 7, 2004

"There's overwhelming evidence there was a connection between al Qaeda and the Iraqi government. I am very confident that there was an established relationship there." - Vice President Cheney, 1/22/04 NPR Interview

"You've got your facts wrong. I never suggested a connection between Iraq and 9/11" Vice President Cheney, 10/05/04 debate.

Oh.

Chapter 1 - October 4, 2004

A high school friend of mine named Gary Palmer was going through a troubling time with mental health in the 1960's. More and more he had to spend time in one facility or another, including the one that nobody wanted - the state hospital. During one of his visits, he became fascinated with the idea of humor. He told me a story about some of the inmates that he had known - particularly a patient who was obsessed with leprechauns. This began to get the attention of the keepers, who lectured him about the nonexistence of these fantasy figures. One day it went too far, so a psychiatrist got the patient in the day room. "I'll be taking you to Ireland," the patient was told. In fact, the patient was led to the garden out back, where he and the psychiatrist walked around the trees and bushes. "See, no leprechauns." At the end, the patient thanked the psychiatrist and went back to solving puzzles. Another patient whispered to him: "That doctor thinks you're crazy." "He thinks I'm crazy? All I did was talk about some leprechauns and I got a free trip to Ireland."

Republican Reality test

The official Republican Trivia test, 2004 edition. In honor of the New York Republican convention.

Sponsored by "Librarians for the Truth."

RULES:
Answer as honestly as you can.
None of the correct answers have the name "Clinton" inside.


1. Who won the popular vote for President in the 2000 election?

2. How many Iraqis were on the planes that flew into buildings on September 11?

3. How many times has George W. Bush been arrested?

4. Essay question: Given that there were thousands of American families dealing with grief in the days following September 11, why were relatives of Osama Bin Laden and other Saudi's given special treatment and flown back to their homeland?

5. How many Americans have been killed in Iraq since Bush dared his enemies - "Bring them on?"

6. How many weapons of mass destruction have been found in Iraq since we liberated them?

7. What happened to the higher-scoring applicant to the Texas National Guard who was denied entry because George W. Bush was allowed in?

8. Why were air quality tests following September 11 hidden from the public, and substituted with misinformation that the air was fine?

9. What were Dick Cheney's "Other Priorities" that kept him from serving in Vietnam?

10. Of the 3 major candidates in the 2004 election, which one would most likely be supported by members of the Ku Klux Klan?

11. Is Bush's desire to find the person who outed Ambassador Wilson's wife as a CIA operative more intense or less intense than O.J.'s quest to find the real killer? Has he called Robert Novak into his office and asked him who did it?

12. Vice President Cheney spent a lot of effort to keep America from knowing who met with him about energy policy in 2001. Can you name an energy corporation executive whose presence on this committee might be embarrassing for the administration?

13. What percent of Iraqis view us as liberators and what percent think of us as a hostile invasion force?

"That felt good."

Richard Cheney

Fun with Lexis

Searching major papers for the last 6 months:

Reagan in Headline and first paragraph and prosperity in the text of the article: 164 hits
Reagan in Headline and first paragraph and market crash in the text of the article: 14 hits

Chapter 1 - August 12, 2004

I am the only one who has noticed lately that the terms "Conservative" and "Liberal" have lost all of their meaning. These days, "Conservative" means anything that a Republican does and "Liberal" means anything that a Democrat does. Sometimes this gets into pretty murky waters to say the least. Earlier this year, Arnold Schwarzenegger rode into the office partly on rage over Gov. Davis' decision to allow illegal aliens to get driver's licenses. So that's the "Conservative" position - right? A scant few months later, Bush declared that all illegal aliens in the nation should not only get driver's licenses, but should be able to buy into Social Security. Another "Conservative" position from times past was that you don't spend money you don't have. Now the national surplus has turned into a huge deficit to finance Bush's misadventures in Iraq. America in 2004 is a comedy co-written by Bill O'Reilly and George Orwell.

Chapter 1 - July 26, 2004

Fun with Windows

I am one of the few holdouts who still have a dia-up modem. Over the weekend, I tried to dial in to EarthLink, but the connection failed. A message came up that there was a problem in my Windows OS that caused my connection to malfunction. Do I want to send a report. Sure, but since I'm not online, how is that possible?

It reminds me of a story that I first heard in Philosophy class in 1964 at Phoenix College, told by Professor Hill. Napoleon was on the lam, and hiding out in the forest. One day he encounters a one-armed peasant.  The two strike up a conversation, and the peasant brags that he lost his arm fighting for Napoleon, and if he ever saw the general, he'd lose the other arm. The peasant subsquently finds out the true identity of the general, takes out his sword and cuts off his other arm. How? 

Important signs that civilization may survive until 2010

Air America Radio
Derek Jeter
The films of Eric Rohmer
The New York Fire Department
Countdown with Keith Olbermann
Project Gutenberg
Radio commentator Dave Ross
The International Space Station
Steve Earle
Katz' Deli on Houston
Michael Moore
Grateful Dead lyricist Robert Hunter
Yogi Berra
Chumbawamba
Google

Signs that civilization has crumbled while we were busy thinking about something else

Reality TV
George W. Bush
Britney Spears
The Patriot Act
Governor Arnold
The Halliburton Corporation
Howard Stern
Iraq
Joey Buttafuoco
Instant messaging
NASCAR
Courtney Love
American Idol
Don Zimmer leaving the Yankees
J-Lo
Ralph Nader
DVDs in SUVs
Frasier
Ann Coulter
Actors who write childrens' books
The New York Post
The Hairy guy who plays for the Red Sox
Scott Peterson
Cell phones and the people who love them
AOL
"The Incredible Mr. Limpet" on DVD and not "East of Eden"
Kobe Bryant
Dick Cheney