Berman Post

Hasan is Conscious, Talking, And 'Lawyered up'

2009-11-10T17:06:00.002-05:00

It does say something about our system of justice and our culture that the man who likely opened fire into an unarmed crowd killing more than a dozen and wounding dozens more in what was almost certainly a terrorist attack was treated for his injuries and now has a lawyer. What exactly it says I will let you come to your own conclusion; I just caution you to consider a society where the opposite would be true if you conclude something negative.

http://www.kltv.com/global/story.asp?s=11468746

"A U.S. Army hospital spokesman says the man suspected in a deadly conscious and able to talk.

Dewey Mitchell, a spokesman at Brooke Army Medical Center, says Maj. Nidal Malik Hasan remains in stable condition. Mitchell says Hasan has been awake and able to talk since he was taken off a ventilator Saturday."

http://www.google.com/hostednews/ap/article/ALeqM5ihGepAkECGoDagETVBMpPb3w7Y3gD9BS96PO2 (via)

"A lawyer for the Army psychiatrist accused in a deadly shooting spree at Fort Hood said Monday he asked investigators not to question his client and expressed doubt that the suspect would be able to get a fair trial, given the widespread attention to the case.

Retired Col. John P. Galligan said he was contacted Monday by Maj. Nidal Malik Hasan's family and was headed to an Army hospital in San Antonio to meet Hasan."

Past related posts:
Berman Post: Massacre at Fort Hood - 12 Dead, 31 Wounded
Berman Post: Fort Hood Shouted "Allahu Akbar!" Before Shooting
Berman Post: Kimberly Munley Credited With Stopping The Fort Hood Attack
Berman Post: Hasan Shot The Wounded as They Lay on The Floor
Berman Post: Post Traumatic Stress Disorder is Not Contagious
Berman Post: Hasan Shared a Spiritual Adviser With Some of The 9/11 Hijackers
Berman Post: Obama vs Bush - Reaction to Fort Hood Shooting
Berman Post: CNN Interviews 'Revolutionary Muslims' Who Believe Fort Hood Attack Was Justified
Berman Post: Hasan Said 'Infidels Should Have Their Throats Cut'
Berman Post: Hasan Tried Contact al Qaeda, US Officials Were Aware
Berman Post: "Going Muslim"

Five Guys

2009-11-10T16:09:00.002-05:00

A friend of mine has started a new blog; Trendy in NYC. We went to Five Guys (specifically), a place I first came across in DC and was pleased to find here in NYC. You can read her review here, though she did not eat the food save a few fries I gave her and taking advantage of the free refills with a soda. The choice of food is rather limited, but that does not really effect me since I like a good burger and fries. They have an open barrel of peanuts in the middle of the place which you are free to take from, though they ask you not to leave the store with any because of people's allergy's. If you are allergic to peanuts, stay far away from this place, but if you like them this could be a mini paradise for you. Everything is cooked once you order, so the peanuts act as a free mini appetizer while you wait a few minutes. The refills on the drinks are free and the fries are plentiful, if you want them. Everything is ordered individually (no meal combos). The way they serve fires is to fill the container size you order (either small or large), then throw another scoop of fries in the bag on top of that. A small will likely be sufficient for two unless your are exceedingly hungry. If it turns out you want more, you can just order another. It is not table serve. You order and pay at the register, get a number, and then get your food from the counter when your number is called. You can leave with the food, or eat at one of the many tables in the restaurant. That is what I usually do to take advantage of the free refills and peanuts.

Good food, friendly people, nice atmosphere; a great restaurant if you are not allergic to peanuts and are in the mood for a good burger/hot dog and fries. Free refiles, mounds of fries, cooked to order, reasonable prices, can not ask for much more than that.

Gibbs Gives Out Chuck Todd's Email Address During a Press Conference

2009-11-10T15:50:00.002-05:00

Comedy, threat, to push a point; some combination of those? Probably not the most appropriate thing to do at an official press conference, but it does not appear to be his personal email. A quick Google search also shows that it was widely available before this. It was not good, but it could easily have been worse.

Video embedded below.

"We've been doing this for how many months?" asked Gibbs. "When we say the end of the year, we've got a pretty firm end of the year deadline. ... How much clearer can I be? ... Please send a transcript to chuck.todd@nbcuni.com"

Reason.tv - "UPS vs Fedex" (Using Unions as Weapons )

2009-11-10T15:38:00.003-05:00

UPS should petition to bring there requirements in line with Fedex, not try to drag Fedex down.

Video embedded below.

Read also http://reason.com/archives/2009/09/28/using-unions-as-weapons.

North And South Korea Exchange Naval Fire

2009-11-10T15:01:00.002-05:00

There have not been any reports of casualties from this exchange, the first between the two in number of years. The North Korean ship appears to have gotten the worst of it. while damaged, it was able to sail away under its own power.

Video embedded below.

http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,573527,00.html

"A badly damaged North Korean patrol ship retreated in flames Tuesday after a skirmish with a South Korean naval vessel along their disputed western coast, South Korean officials said.

The first naval clash in seven years broke out just a week before President Obama is due to visit Seoul, raising suspicions the North's communist regime is trying to rachet up tensions to gain a negotiating advantage.

There were no South Korean casualties, the country's Joint Chiefs of Staff said in a statement, and it was not immediately clear if there were any casualties on the North Korean side. Each side blamed the other for violating the sea border."

Eighteen Button Mouse

2009-11-10T14:25:00.004-05:00

There have been a lot of computer 'mice' (mouse) produced and technology that may eliminate them all together, so to make headlines with a version of this product, a better 'mouse trap' if you will, you need to do something over the top. I type this post with the aid of my two button mouse with a wheel in the center. It is not the most complicated computer mouse, as 'gamer mouse' have an extra button on the side. Even a gamer mouse pales in comparison to this eighteen button mouse. They could and should add the Blue Laser component.

http://www.wired.com/gadgetlab/2009/11/18-button-open-office-mouse-makes-a-keyboard-look-minimal

"Over on the free-software side of the world, things are a little different. If the phrase “design by committee” ever sent an icy pang of fear into your heart, then look away now. The Open Office organization, behind the splendid free MS Word alternative of the same name, have come up with a mouse with not one button, but 18, all of which can be double clicked, if you can actually contort your fingers to reach them."

Picture embedded below.

More at http://warmouse.com

"Going Muslim"

2009-11-10T11:58:00.002-05:00

"Going Muslim"; a term for a Muslim terrorist sleeper cell? I think this is going a bit to far. It is the pendulum swinging past the point of rational equilibrium from the current politically correct place it is set now. While most terrorists today are Muslim, most Muslims are not terrorists. I think the point of the article was to push past the PC place we are in right now. If someone is setting off red flags, check them out. Act on those flags. People should not be afraid to report and act on them because the person is Muslim. "Going Muslim" is about as fair as "going postal", and while "going postal" did catch on I doubt the same will be said about "going Muslim". Scratch that, I am sure some people will now adopt that phrase, but I do not think we will see wide spread usage.

http://www.forbes.com/2009/11/08/fort-hood-nidal-malik-hasan-muslims-opinions-columnists-tunku-varadarajan.html

""Going postal" is a piquant American phrase that describes the phenomenon of violent rage in which a worker--archetypically a postal worker--"snaps" and guns down his colleagues.

As the enormity of the actions of Maj. Nidal Malik Hasan sinks in, we must ask whether we are confronting a new phenomenon of violent rage, one we might dub--disconcertingly--"Going Muslim." This phrase would describe the turn of events where a seemingly integrated Muslim-American--a friendly donut vendor in New York, say, or an officer in the U.S. Army at Fort Hood--discards his apparent integration into American society and elects to vindicate his religion in an act of messianic violence against his fellow Americans. This would appear to be what happened in the case of Maj. Hasan."

Past related posts:
Berman Post: Massacre at Fort Hood - 12 Dead, 31 Wounded
Berman Post: Fort Hood Shouted "Allahu Akbar!" Before Shooting
Berman Post: Kimberly Munley Credited With Stopping The Fort Hood Attack
Berman Post: Hasan Shot The Wounded as They Lay on The Floor
Berman Post: Post Traumatic Stress Disorder is Not Contagious
Berman Post: Hasan Shared a Spiritual Adviser With Some of The 9/11 Hijackers
Berman Post: Obama vs Bush - Reaction to Fort Hood Shooting
Berman Post: CNN Interviews 'Revolutionary Muslims' Who Believe Fort Hood Attack Was Justified
Berman Post: Hasan Said 'Infidels Should Have Their Throats Cut'
Berman Post: Hasan Tried Contact al Qaeda, US Officials Were Aware

A Virus That Uploads Child Pornography to Your Computer!?!

2009-11-10T10:52:00.002-05:00

Virus' are bad news. They can steel your files, steel your information, and do other assorted nasty things to your PC. As bad as all that sounds, you would even preferred to get a virus that locks your files and forces you to pay for the password to get back access over one of these. This virus uploads child pornography to your computer. It is either as done as a prank, or as part of a larger scheme for people who actually view this type of material to keep it off of their computer but accessible to them. It is the digital equivalent of someone keeping there 'stash' (drugs) hidden in your home so they can come over to use, but if the cops find out you get in trouble. Truly nasty.

http://abcnews.go.com/Technology/wireStory?id=9028516

"Of all the sinister things that Internet viruses do, this might be the worst: They can make you an unsuspecting collector of child pornography.

Heinous pictures and videos can be deposited on computers by viruses — the malicious programs better known for swiping your credit card numbers. In this twist, it's your reputation that's stolen.

Pedophiles can exploit virus-infected PCs to remotely store and view their stash without fear they'll get caught. Pranksters or someone trying to frame you can tap viruses to make it appear that you surf illegal Web sites.
...
Their situations are complicated by the fact that actual pedophiles often blame viruses — a defense rightfully viewed with skepticism by law enforcement.

"It's an example of the old `dog ate my homework' excuse," says Phil Malone, director of the Cyberlaw Clinic at Harvard's Berkman Center for Internet & Society. "The problem is, sometimes the dog does eat your homework.""

Martin - "White Republicans Are Scared of Black Folks" Michael Steele - "You're Absolutely Right"

2009-11-10T09:44:00.003-05:00

No this is not a joke. I did not believe the quote until I saw the video. What is Steele doing here?

Video embedded below.

"Michael Steele: Education and the economy, education and jobs, education and small business
Martin: "One of the criticisms I've always have is, white Republicans are scared of black folks"
Michael Steele: "You're absolutely right, I've been in the room and they're scared of me""

Carrie Prejean Sex Video, Real or Fake -> Fake, Sort of

2009-11-10T08:37:00.003-05:00

Carrie Prejean went on Hannity last night to talk about her book and the rumors of her sex tape. A sex tape it is not, at least if Prejean is to be believed. While she does not specify what happens on the tape, she says that she was alone, and sent it to her then boyfriend. That would mean it would not technically be a sex tape, but may be in the same section of the video store.

Video embedded below.

This lines up with what TMZ seems to be hinting at; "Sources tell TMZ Carrie's mom was in shock -- instantly turning sheet white as she watched her daughter give herself a hand.". This implies that she was alone in the tape. Just one person mean not technically a sex tape, but clearly something very intimate.

Past related posts:
Berman Post: Perez Hilton Calls Miss California (Carrie Prejean) a "Dumb B*tch", Was Thinking The thinking of the "C-Word"
Berman Post: Is The New Miss USA Pro-Gay Marriage?
Berman Post: Crowder Attacks Perez Hilton Over His Comments About Miss California
Berman Post: Miss California (Carrie Prejean) Happy to be Championing a Cause
Berman Post: Miss California (Carrie Prejean) Used in a Traditional Marriage ad
Berman Post: Savage Attacks Continue Against Carrie Prejean (Miss California)
Berman Post: Perez Hilton, The Latest Copyright Thug?
Berman Post: Carrie Prejean Attacked With 'Racy' Photo
Berman Post: Carrie Prejean Attacked Through Her Parents
Berman Post: New Topless Photos of Carrie Prejean (Miss California)
Berman Post: Carrie Prejean Keeps The Miss California Crown
Berman Post: Olbermann attacks Carrie Prejean (Miss California), Again
Berman Post: Miss California Carrie Prejean to Guest Host Fox & Friends
Berman Post: Miss California Carrie Prejean's Mom Had a Lesbian Affair?
Berman Post: Miss California Carrie Prejean Co-Hosts 'FOX & Friends'
Berman Post: Carrie Prejean Fired, Loses The Miss California Crown
Berman Post: Carrie Prejean - 'Pageant Wanted Me to Pose Semi-Nude For Playboy'
Berman Post: Carrie Prejean Sues Miss California USA Officials
Berman Post: K2 Productions Sues Carrie Prejean for $5,200 of Breast Implant Costs
Berman Post: Carrie Prejean Sex Tape?

Google Street View Now in All 50 States

2009-11-09T23:55:00.002-05:00

Love it or hate it, Google Street View is spreading. It is now available in Hawaii, the 50th state to be added.

http://googleblog.blogspot.com/2009/11/fifty-states-of-street-view.html

"In 1959 Hawaii became the 50th state admitted to the union. Today, 50 years later, we're including Hawaii as the 50th state in Street View on Google Maps. With our imagery of Oahu and Maui, you can now take a virtual vacation to white sandy beaches, revisit special places from your honeymoon, or plan your next getaway. We've worked with the Hawaii Visitors and Conventions Bureau to create collections in our new Street View Gallery featuring Hawaii's best beaches and hometown favorites of President Obama."

Berlin Wall Falls 20 Years Ago Today

2009-11-09T21:52:00.004-05:00

Twenty Years ago today a pivotal moments of the last century occurred, the fall of the Berlin Wall. Here is a little video which includes excerpts from two of the most famous lines from two of the most famous speeches, from two people widely seen as incredible speakers.

Video embedded below.

Obama did not go as was expected, but did send along a video message. He did not mention Reagan, but managed to reference himself.

Video embedded below.

"Who Is JOE BIDEN?!"

2009-11-09T21:29:00.001-05:00

This just goes to show that you can find painfully politically ill-informed people all over the place.

Video embedded below.

Iran Charges The Three American Hikers With Espionage

2009-11-09T16:54:00.003-05:00

Is this shaping up to be a mini hostage crisis? It will certainly complicate negotiations Obama has been planning and attempting.

http://www.reuters.com/article/newsOne/idUSTRE5A829G20091109

"Iran has charged three detained U.S. citizens with espionage, the official IRNA news agency quoted a prosecutor as saying on Monday, but Secretary of State Hillary Clinton said there was no evidence to back the charges.

The three, Shane Bauer, 27, Sarah Shourd, 31, and Josh Fattal, 27, were held after crossing into Iran from northern Iraq at the end of July. Their families said they were hiking and had strayed across the border accidentally."

Taylor Swift Takes a Well Deserved Shot at Kanye West on SNL

2009-11-09T16:06:00.003-05:00

Taylor Swift was on Saturday Night live, and as expected took a shot at Kanye West for his interruption of her speech when she won Best Female Video at the Video Music Awards. An action which led Obama to call Kanye a "Jackass" (see past related posts) You have to wait to the end to see it.

Video embedded below.

Hasan Tried Contact al Qaeda, US Officials Were Aware

2009-11-09T14:52:00.002-05:00

Hasan tried repeatedly to contact al Qaeda, and US officials knew about it for months. Seriously? Talk about your glaring, so large that it takes up the entire horizon red flags, even in a sea of other red flags. Questions have to be asked as to why no one picked up on any of them to prevent what was almost certainly a terrorist attack.

http://abcnews.go.com/Blotter/fort-hood-shooter-contact-al-qaeda-terrorists-officials/story?id=9030873

"U.S. intelligence agencies were aware months ago that Army Major Nidal Malik Hasan was attempting to make contact with people associated with al Qaeda, two American officials briefed on classified material in the case told ABC News."

Past related posts:
Berman Post: Massacre at Fort Hood - 12 Dead, 31 Wounded
Berman Post: Fort Hood Shouted "Allahu Akbar!" Before Shooting
Berman Post: Kimberly Munley Credited With Stopping The Fort Hood Attack
Berman Post: Hasan Shot The Wounded as They Lay on The Floor
Berman Post: Post Traumatic Stress Disorder is Not Contagious
Berman Post: Hasan Shared a Spiritual Adviser With Some of The 9/11 Hijackers
Berman Post: Obama vs Bush - Reaction to Fort Hood Shooting
Berman Post: CNN Interviews 'Revolutionary Muslims' Who Believe Fort Hood Attack Was Justified
Berman Post: Hasan Said 'Infidels Should Have Their Throats Cut'

Students in Denmark Given Full Access to The Internet For Tests

2009-11-09T14:16:00.003-05:00

Denmark has started to give full internet access to students taking exams, while they are taking those exams. While the problem associated with cheating are obvious, officials brush them off. Even considering the possibility of cheating, I suppose that completely open book open web tests are more realistic. Very rarely in your career, and increasingly rare into the future, will you be asked a tough question and be prevented from doing any research on the matter. That is not to say that there is no use for closed book/web tests to see what you have learned and what you need to study more, or just to make sure you are paying attention in class / doing your homework. All this is just to say that this may not be as revolutionary as it may seem on the surface, and may represent the leading edge of a trend.

http://thenextweb.com/europe/2009/11/05/students-denmark-allowed-full-access-internet-exams

"The country’s latest move see’s the Danish government preach that the Internet is so much a part of daily life, it should be included in the classroom and in examinations.
...
They can access any site they like, including Facebook, but they cannot message each other or email anyone outside the classroom. How that is prevented I’m not quite sure, but government advisors say pupils are disciplined enough not to cheat and that they can rely on the integrity of the pupil and the threat of expulsion if they are caught.

Surprisingly, students themselves admit it’s not easy to cheat using the Internet during an exam. According to the JP news agency, students are given a very short period of time in an exam to sift through the mounds of data they can call up on the Internet to answer a single question."

Hasan Said 'Infidels Should Have Their Throats Cut'

2009-11-09T13:52:00.003-05:00

Not only did Hasan say 'infidels should have their throats cut' among a few other statements in this latest example of another missed red flag, but he said it to military colleagues. How is it possible that no one picked up on any of these before he committed his attack?

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/northamerica/usa/6526030/Fort-Hood-gunman-had-told-US-military-colleagues-that-infidels-should-have-their-throats-cut.html

"Major Nidal Malik Hasan, the gunman who killed 13 at America's Fort Hood military base, once gave a lecture to other doctors in which he said non-believers should be beheaded and have boiling oil poured down their throats.

He also told colleagues at America's top military hospital that non-Muslims were infidels condemned to hell who should be set on fire. The outburst came during an hour-long talk Hasan, an Army psychiatrist, gave on the Koran in front of dozens of other doctors at Walter Reed Army Medical Centre in Washington DC, where he worked for six years before arriving at Fort Hood in July."

Past related posts:
Berman Post: Massacre at Fort Hood - 12 Dead, 31 Wounded
Berman Post: Fort Hood Shouted "Allahu Akbar!" Before Shooting
Berman Post: Kimberly Munley Credited With Stopping The Fort Hood Attack
Berman Post: Hasan Shot The Wounded as They Lay on The Floor
Berman Post: Post Traumatic Stress Disorder is Not Contagious
Berman Post: Hasan Shared a Spiritual Adviser With Some of The 9/11 Hijackers
Berman Post: Obama vs Bush - Reaction to Fort Hood Shooting
Berman Post: CNN Interviews 'Revolutionary Muslims' Who Believe Fort Hood Attack Was Justified

CNN Interviews 'Revolutionary Muslims' Who Believe Fort Hood Attack Was Justified

2009-11-08T22:09:00.004-05:00

I am not sure what is more disturbing, the fact that these people believe what they are saying or the fact that they are willing to say it to CNN cameras.

Video embedded below.

Past related posts:
Berman Post: Massacre at Fort Hood - 12 Dead, 31 Wounded
Berman Post: Fort Hood Shouted "Allahu Akbar!" Before Shooting
Berman Post: Kimberly Munley Credited With Stopping The Fort Hood Attack
Berman Post: Hasan Shot The Wounded as They Lay on The Floor
Berman Post: Post Traumatic Stress Disorder is Not Contagious
Berman Post: Hasan Shared a Spiritual Adviser With Some of The 9/11 Hijackers
Berman Post: Obama vs Bush - Reaction to Fort Hood Shooting

Bush - 'Miss me Yet?'

2009-11-08T17:52:00.002-05:00

Not an actual quote by Bush, at least not in this context. Still funny though.

Picture embedded below.

Passage in The House The 'High Watermark of Obama Care'?

2009-11-08T16:25:00.002-05:00

Ed Morrissey asks if the Health Care bill has passed in the House is going to be the 'High Watermark of Obama Care'. The implicit thought is that the Health Care Overhaul does not have enough votes in the Senate, and not twice. There is also a serious question if Pelosi could muster enough votes if the Senate decides not to have the abortion carve out, when she barely had enough with it.

http://hotair.com/archives/2009/11/08/is-this-the-high-water-mark-for-obamacare

"The Democrats wheedled, cajoled, begged, and finally abandoned its defense of abortion — truly a watershed moment — in order to get their version of ObamaCare passed … in the House of Representatives, where they enjoy a 75-seat majority. In the end, they could only muster a five-vote win on Nancy Pelosi’s bill out of that strong majority.
...
Now the focus swings to the Senate, where Harry Reid will have to gain supermajorities at least twice to allow the bill to proceed to a final vote. That seems unlikely, although not impossible. The process will slow down considerably from the jam-down Pelosi conducted in the lower chamber, perhaps even to a crawl if Tom Coburn makes good on his threat to have the bill read in its entirety on the Senate floor. That will leave plenty of time for ObamaCare opponents to find all of the taxes, mandates, and government intrusions that will make it even less popular as it sits in the Senate."

Are There Enough Votes to Pass Health Care Overhaul in The Senate

2009-11-08T13:35:00.003-05:00

Now that the Health Care bill has passed in the House, the question turns to if there are enough votes in the Senate. It is hard to guess, but it looks to me like the Democrats will fall a few votes short as the bill stands now. It is going to be close either way, and I would bet there is 'arm twisting' to the point of 'arm breaking' as the Democrats do everything they can to try and get those last few.

Video embedded below.

Obama vs Bush - Reaction to Fort Hood Shooting

2009-11-08T12:47:00.000-05:00

This is a comparison of how Obama and G. W. Bush reacted to the Fort Hood shooting.

Obama held a press conference. While there was not much to object about what he said, there was some objection to the fact that it took him two minutes from the time he started talking to mention the attack. Obama even gave a "shout out" to Joe Medicine Crow who he called a Congressional Medal of Honor winner, but Crow did not win that award. It was Obama that had presented him with the Medal of Freedom, not the Congressional Medal of Honor.

Video embedded below.

Bush on the other hand, chose to meet with the victims secretly without cameras. It should be noted that the Bush's 1,600-acre Prairie Chapel Ranch is less than 30 miles from Fort Hood.

There is also an important distinction to be made between the proper respective roll of a former and current president. Obama was right to hold a press conference, and Bush was right to visit with the soldiers secretly. My only qualm was the same as many others, the fact that it took Obama 'to long' to finally talk about the shooting.

Past related posts:
Berman Post: Massacre at Fort Hood - 12 Dead, 31 Wounded
Berman Post: Fort Hood Shouted "Allahu Akbar!" Before Shooting
Berman Post: Kimberly Munley Credited With Stopping The Fort Hood Attack
Berman Post: Hasan Shot The Wounded as They Lay on The Floor
Berman Post: Post Traumatic Stress Disorder is Not Contagious
Berman Post: Hasan Shared a Spiritual Adviser With Some of The 9/11 Hijackers

USS New York Commissioning Ceremony

2009-11-08T11:30:00.004-05:00

Here is the complete USS New York Commissioning Ceremony that took place yesterday. My favorite part of these ceremonies starts two minutes into the seventh video (eight videos total) with the setting of the first watch. The order to 'man our ship, and bring her to life' happens just after the six minute mark in the seventh video. The flyover ends my favorite part of these ceremonies. The flyover happens at the beginning of the eighth and final clip. While it is not specified, it looks to me like a couple of Ospreys.

Videos embedded below.

Health Care Bill Passes in The House

2009-11-07T23:28:00.002-05:00

The vote was 220-215 (218 is just over half) with only one Republican voting yes and 39 Democrats voting no. This is not the end of the debate. A bill must pass in the Senate, then the two must be reconciled, followed by another round of voting. It is a first step in what is shaping up to be an almost exclusively Democrat run overhaul of our health care system.

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/33748707/ns/politics-health_care_reform

"The final vote was a narrow 220-215. Only one Republican — Rep. Joseph Cao of Louisiana — voted for the measure; 39 Democrats voted against it."