The story of success and accomplishment

The Misanthropic Bitch: Providing jack-off material for white misogynists s=
ince 1997
http://www.misanthropic-bitch.com
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The formula for finding love
Scientific matching connects you with the right person
Take the Free EmodeMatch Personality Test
http://click.topica.com/=
caabpoCa84xyJa99Yboa/Emode
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That was an enjoyable summer of unemployment.  I should quit jobs more=20
often.=20=20

Can you believe this site has been around for six years?  You've watched=
=20
me grow from an obnoxious, know-it-all college freshman to an obnoxious,=
=20
know-it-all 24-year-old.  Isn't it such a touching story of how the=20
Internet brings people together?  We really should do lunch someday.=20=20
Give me a call.=20=20

Lately, I've been wondering who reads my site.  Natural curiosity.  Oh,=20
I know a lot of irate Muslims, deaf activists and teen mothers do, but=20
what about YOU?  There are a lot of you.  Close to 4000 people on this=20
mailing list.  What's your story?  I've never signed up for a mailing=20
list, and I rarely visit personal websites, so who's the weirdo: you or=20
me?

I'll update soon.  I'll update even sooner if someone submits a new=20
design for my site.

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NEW YORK - Lawsuits blaming airlines, the Port Authority and the Boeing=20
Co. for injuries and deaths in the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks can=20
proceed, a federal judge ruled Tuesday.=20

The defendants had argued that the suits should be dismissed because=20
they had no duty to anticipate and guard against deliberate and suicidal=
=20
aircraft crashes and because any alleged negligence on their part was=20
not the cause of the deaths and injuries.=20

In his 49-page ruling, U.S. District Judge Alvin Hellerstein said the=20
Port Authority of New York and New Jersey, which owns the World Trade=20
Center property, "has not shown that it will prove its defense of=20
governmental immunity as to negligence allegations made by WTC=20
occupants."=20

The judge also said the evidence he had seen does not support Boeing's=20
argument that the invasion and takeover of the cockpit by the terrorists=
=20
frees it from liability.=20

The plaintiffs said Boeing should have designed its cockpit door to=20
prevent hijackers from invading the cockpit.=20

(One, the risk of an airplane hijacking was and still is minute, and the=
=20
factors involved in a hijacking are so varied that a reinforced door on=20
its own probably wouldn't prevent it.=20=20

Two, it assumes pilots would keep the cockpit door closed for the entire=
=20
duration of the flight, even if passengers and crew members were being=20
killed.=20=20

Three, who could have predicted that terrorists could overtake four=20
planes with boxcutters and the mere threat of bombs?  Guns, explosives=20
-- those are terrorist weapons.  Not an item I use to open my Amazon.com=
=20
orders.  The unfortunate fact is, we were a victim of the bubble we=20
chose to live in, where we assumed nothing bad would happen to us on=20
American soil.)

The plaintiffs had also argued that American and United Airlines and the=
=20
Port Authority were legally responsible to protect people on the ground=20
when the hijacked aircraft smashed into the twin towers, causing them to=
=20
collapse.=20

(What could the airlines or Port Authority done?  The PA can't stop=20
planes mid-air, and it wasn't until the first plane crashed into the WTC=
=20
that anyone in the organization had an inkling of what was going on.  A=20
number of PA employees died in the WTC, and as cynical as I am and as=20
much as I hate how the PA runs E-ZPass, I doubt the PA purposely put its=
=20
employees or anyone else at risk.=20=20

The airlines live and die by publicity and the confidence of the flying=20
public, and if they had any idea that an item as mundane as a boxcutter=20
could be used to bring down four planes, it would have made fiscal sense=
=20
to at least superficially improve security by adding items to the banned=
=20
list.)

The ruling was based on the cases of about 70 of the injured and=20
representatives of those who died in the 2001 attacks on the World Trade=
=20
Center, the Pentagon and the crash of a hijacked plane in Pennsylvania.=20

As a result of the ruling, court officials were preparing for a possible=
=20
legal onslaught at the Manhattan courthouse as early as this week as=20
some people choose lawsuits over applying to the federal victims=20
compensation fund.=20

Dec. 22 is the last day families may apply for the fund, created by=20
Congress to provide financial aid to the families of those killed or=20
injured in the attacks and to protect the commercial aviation industry=20
from crippling litigation.=20

As of late August, 2,275 claims had been filed. But roughly 1,700=20
families had yet to decide whether to enroll with the fund or sue the=20
airlines, security companies and government agencies.=20

The average payout has been about $1.5 million, with the highest award=20
$6.8 million. The minimum payout is $250,000.=20

The fund has made offers averaging $1.41 million to 398 families thus=20
far. About 1,600 families have filed papers stating an interest in=20
applying for the fund.=20

(This is greed, plain and simple.  The airlines have done the best they=20
can in reacting to the attacks, but how much can you do when most=20
Americans don't want to be inconvenienced, there are millions of people=20
flying each day, with millions of pieces of luggage, and you don't have=20
a huge wad of cash to spend on improving an antiquated system?  Suing=20
probably isn't going to improve matters, and isn't the purpose of the=20
lawsuits to bring about changes?  ::cough::)

Source: Associated Press

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WASHINGTON - Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld said yesterday that=20
critics of the Bush administration's Iraq policy are encouraging=20
terrorists and complicating the ongoing U.S. war on terrorism.

"We know for a fact ... that terrorists studied Somalia and they studied=
=20
instances where the United States was dealt a blow and tucked in and=20
persuaded themselves they could, in fact, cause us to acquiesce in=20
whatever it is they wanted us to do," he told reporters aboard his plane=
=20
at the end of a four-day trip to Iraq and Afghanistan.

(America, listen to your leaders.  Without our support, the government=20
will fail in its mission to capture Osama bin Laden and Saddam Hussein,=20
bring peace and stability to the Middle East, and set up colonies on=20
Mars in which to detain enemy combatants.)

"The United States is not going to ... [acquiesce]. President Bush is=20
not going to do that. Now, to the extent terrorists are given reason to=20
believe he might, or if he is not willing to, the opponents might=20
prevail in some way ... and they take heart in that, and that leads to=20
more recruiting ... that leads to more encouragement, or that leads to=20
more staying power. Obviously that does make it more difficult."

(Americans do a lot of bad shit around the world, but a lot of countries=
=20
do a lot of bad things to their own people -- without America's help.=20=
=20
Unfortunately, Americans do enough bad stuff out in the open that the=20
average non-American is willing to believe that EVERYTHING bad that=20
happens to them is due to our actions.  We could start to dispel this=20
notion, and thus lessen the impact of terrorist recruiting efforts, by=20
not so blatantly doing bad shit and gloating about it.  Problem solved.=20=
=20
Where's my consulting fee?)

Rumsfeld made clear that he was talking about both the international=20
press, such as reports on the Arab al-Jazeera television network, and=20
critics in the United States.

(Bush purposely refuses to entertain or even pretend to entertain other=20
ideas because he thinks it makes him look tough.  "I don't need no=20
France.  I can be little Iraq's mama and daddy."  That's why everyone's=20
pissed off, and why we're not receiving accolades in the international=20
press.  They're throwing our "go it alone" stance in our face.  You=20
don't have to like the rest of the world.  You don't have to like their=20
opinions.  Just pretend that you do.)

The comments followed a very similar expression Sunday night by=20
President George W. Bush in his televised address to the nation about=20
the situation in Iraq. "In the past, the terrorists have cited the=20
examples of Beirut and Somalia, claiming that if you inflict harm on=20
Americans, we will run from a challenge," Bush said. "In this, they are=20
mistaken."

(Unless you're a Jewish journalist kidnapped in a country that is one of=
=20
our bestest friends.  Then, you're screwed.  Try to get kidnapped in a=20
country we want to invade.)

In his speech, Bush outlined changes in the U.S. occupation policy in=20
Iraq, a strategy that had been largely devised by Rumsfeld.

Earlier in his trip, Rumsfeld criticized the U.S. news media for=20
ignoring "the story of success and accomplishment" in Iraq and argued=20
that the speed of improvement in the country "dwarfs any other=20
experience I'm aware of," including Germany and Japan after World War=20
II. He argued that the impact of continued attacks against U.S. forces=20
had been overstated and likened them to isolated terrorist violence "in=20
every country in the world."

(Wasn't 9/11 isolated terrorist violence, then?  Doesn't that mean the=20
impact has been overstated?)

Source: Newsday


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BOSTON - In the summer of 1999, AAA got a call about a young woman whose=
=20
car had broken down in a parking lot on Cape Cod. The auto club told the=
=20
woman's stepfather it would send help.=20

Melissa Gosule never made it home that night.=20

Her body was found in a shallow grave eight days later. She had been=20
raped and stabbed to death.=20

Gosule's family sued AAA for unspecified damages, claiming that if the=20
auto club had done its job that night, she would be alive today. Jury=20
selection began Monday in state court in Plymouth, south of Boston, in=20
the negligence and wrongful-death case.=20

(Sometimes, shit happens.  Remember those days?  When shit just=20
happened?  Not why did this shit happen.  Not who caused this shit to=20
happen.  Not who I can sue for allowing this shit to happen.  But shit=20
just happened.)

The case is being watched closely because it is the first time AAA has=20
been sued in the death of a motorist who was killed after seeking=20
assistance from the auto club, legal experts said.=20

Every year, the American Automobile Association, with a dues-paying=20
membership of more than 46 million in the United States and Canada, gets=
=20
about 30 million calls from motorists who need help with dead batteries,=
=20
flat tires and other roadside problems.=20

In their lawsuit, Gosule's parents, Leslie Gosule and Sandra Glaser, and=
=20
her stepfather, Peter Glaser, claim AAA left Gosule stranded and forced=20
to turn to a stranger for help. That stranger, Michael Gentile, killed=20
her.=20

"AAA is not who they say they are," Leslie Gosule said recently in a=20
statement. "Had AAA done what they tell the world they do and what they=20
said they were going to do -- provide reliable and reasonable emergency=20
roadside assistance that night -- Melissa would still be with us."=20

(Anyone who has used AAA knows that you take what you can get.  Usually,=
=20
service is prompt, but if it's a busy time and a limited number of=20
AAA-affiliated tow trucks are available in the area, sometimes you have=20
to wait.  That can be inconvenient or even frightening depending on=20
where one breaks down, but everyone agrees that Melissa was in a=20
well-lit, well-traveled public area with stores and restaurants.  She=20
had no great need to accept a ride from a stranger.)

Gosule's parents note that AAA, in its marketing materials, touts the=20
peace of mind it provides to motorists in trouble. "One call to AAA and=20
your worries are over," reads one brochure. AAA also refers to itself as=
=20
"family" and warns against depending on strangers: "In today's world,=20
relying on strangers has become a scary (and sometimes dangerous) thing=20
to do."=20

(Maybe Melissa should have taken that to heart.  Look, AAA provided free=
=20
advice.  Take it.)

The lawsuit names national AAA; its local affiliate, AAA Southern New=20
England; and the tow truck driver.=20

AAA disputes the family's claims that it did not offer Gosule help, and=20
says it should not be held responsible for her death. Gentile, a=20
newspaper delivery man with a long criminal record, was convicted of her=
=20
murder and is now serving a life sentence.=20

On July 11, 1999, Gosule, a 27-year-old elementary school teacher, had=20
returned at 5:30 p.m. from a bike ride at a park in Bourne to find that=20
her 1986 Pontiac would not start.=20

It was about that time that she met Gentile, according to testimony=20
during Gentile's trial in 2000.=20

Gosule used Gentile's cell phone to call her mother and stepfather, who=20
told her he would call AAA for help. Gosule was not a member of AAA, but=
=20
her stepfather was, and it is routine for the auto club to help out=20
relatives of AAA members.=20

(When I've called AAA, I had to showt my driver's license and AAA card=20
to prove that I was a member.  I've used AAA to help friends and=20
relatives, but I was there with my card.  Is it really routine for AAA=20
to help out relatives if no card holder is present?)

In their lawsuit, Gosule's family says her stepfather immediately called=
=20
the AAA's 24-hour emergency roadside assistance number and asked that=20
the car and Gosule be taken to a garage in Boston. John Cubellis, a tow=20
truck driver whose company is an agent for AAA, arrived at the parking=20
lot about 90 minutes later.=20

(Which, believe me, is standard, particularly if AAA is trying to find=20
an agent that tows long distances.  When I had a car towed 60 miles, I=20
waited close to two hours because most of the agents in the area=20
provided only local tows.)

According to both sides, Cubellis told Gosule he was busy and it would=20
be three to four hours before he could take her or her car to Boston,=20
about 60 miles away. The Gosule family says Cubellis did not try to=20
start the young woman's car, make sure she was taken to a safe location=20
or call another AAA driver to help.=20

(Which is an indication of poor service from the agent, but it did not=20
contribute to her death.  Give the step-father a free lifetime AAA=20
membership, and call it a day.)

Gosule then accepted a ride from Gentile.=20

(Instead of waiting for a ride from her stepfather or calling for a=20
non-AAA-affiliated tow truck and paying the cost.  Sometimes, it doesn't=
=20
pay to be cheap.)

In court papers, AAA says Cubellis had no reason to believe Gosule was=20
in danger. She was in a busy parking lot at the Sagamore Rotary with=20
restaurants, a gas station and a fire station nearby. When he pulled=20
into the parking lot, he saw Gosule talking and sharing a cell phone=20
with two men -- Gentile and a mechanic friend Gentile had called to look=
=20
at the woman's car.=20

AAA says Gosule could have taken a taxi or had a family member come pick=
=20
her up.=20

(There is no way anyone could have known that Melissa was dumb enough to=
=20
accept a ride from a complete stranger.  She could have stayed at one of=
=20
the restaurants until the AAA tow truck driver was available or a=20
non-AAA driver could tow her, and if she'd asked, I don't doubt the=20
firefighters at that station would have let her wait there.  She had=20
numerous options.)

In a statement, a spokesman for AAA Southern New England called Gosule's=
=20
death a "terrible tragedy."=20

"Our hearts go out to Melissa Gosule's family and friends," said Robert=20
Murray. "In our history, we have never seen a case like this. We believe=
=20
the auto club will be properly and completely exonerated."=20

Paul Martinek, editor in chief of Lawyers Weekly USA, a national legal=20
newspaper, said the lawsuit was initially considered a long shot, but=20
some of the claims could resonate with a jury.=20

"Proving that this was a foreseeable danger is a huge challenge -- that=20
AAA could have foreseen that a motorist would have accepted a ride from=20
a total stranger and then be killed by that total stranger," Martinek=20
said.=20

"But when you read these things about how AAA holds itself out as a=20
protector of motorists and basically tries to get business by=20
representing itself as a service that motorists need in part because it=20
can be dangerous when your car breaks down, you start to see the lawsuit=
=20
in a different light."=20

(No, you don't.  You see it in the same light, unless you're the kind of=
=20
moron who would accept a ride from a stranger when you have other=20
alternatives and who believes that a private company, somehow, should be=
=20
your savior from yourself.  Oh, shit, I guess that does describe most=20
Americans.  Carry on.)=20

Source: Associated Press
=20

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Actor Tommy Chong's own words outside the federal courthouse after he=20
pleaded guilty in May to distributing drug paraphernalia online might=20
hurt him tomorrow when a judge imposes a sentence that could put him in=20
prison for a year and cost him $250,000.

That's the stiffest sentence U.S. District Judge Arthur J. Schwab could=20
hand down, and he's indicated he may do just that, in part because of=20
what he called Chong's lack of respect for the law.

(That's probably even more than white-collar criminals involved in=20
corruption cases get.  But they aren't domestic terrorists who are a=20
threat to our freedom.  Who knew that "Up in Smoke" is a terrorist's=20
bible?)

Chong, a 65-year-old father of five who has made a career of playing=20
marijuana-addled morons on the big screen, was as subdued and contrite=20
when he entered his plea May 13.=20

But outside the courthouse he laughed and told the media he might put=20
the case in his next movie.=20

That was apparently a mistake, not only because it showed lack of=20
remorse but because one of the determinations Schwab must make is how=20
much of a fine Chong will have to pay.=20

Sentencing guidelines call for a range of $2,000 to $20,000, but the=20
judge indicated he may depart from those numbers and boost the fine to=20
$250,000 because of the possibility that Chong will exploit the case to=20
make money.=20

(Give that man the highest fine possible.  To think he might exploit a=20
case that exploited him.)

Schwab also said in court papers that Chong hadn't provided the=20
government with all of his financial records and could be trying to=20
misrepresent how much he's earned over the years from selling=20
paraphernalia.=20

Chong's net worth is $2.8 million, so prosecutors said he can easily=20
afford to pay the maximum fine.

"The defendant has become wealthy throughout his entertainment career by=
=20
glamorizing the illegal distribution and use of marijuana," wrote=20
Assistant U.S. Attorney Mary McKeen Houghton. "Feature films that he=20
made with his longtime partner, Cheech Marin, such as 'Up in Smoke,'=20
trivialize law enforcement efforts to combat marijuana trafficking and=20
use."

(Maybe that's due to law enforcement efforts to combat marijuana=20
trafficking being trivial because it's rarely the higher-ups who feel=20
the brunt of those efforts?  And that most Americans recognize that a=20
pothead isn't a threat to anything other than our snacks?  And that we'd=
=20
rather law enforcement dollars go toward enforcing laws that protect=20
us?)

The judge will also have to weigh Chong's attitude. In addition to his=20
courthouse comments, he made light of the situation in an online chat=20
sponsored by the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel in April, according to the=20
U.S. attorney's office.=20

When asked, "What do you feel about the feds cracking down on glass=20
pipes and bongs?" he replied, "I feel pretty bad, but it seems to be the=
=20
only weapons of mass destruction they've found this year."

(Did they put BC bud in the pipes and bongs?  Because that's a weapon=20
that could massively destroy your mind.)

Despite the jokes, however, two of Chong's Hollywood pals have written=20
letters to the judge saying he takes his case "very seriously" and=20
describing him as a wonderful family man and professional.=20

"I would ask that your honor allow Tommy to pay his debt by contributing=
=20
to the community," wrote his agent, Matthew Blake of The Gersh Agency in=
=20
California.=20

"He has fans all over the world that would respond to his message that=20
you can get higher on life without using drugs. He is the perfect=20
spokesperson to deliver this message."

Chong and his lawyers had asked Schwab to postpone the sentencing so=20
they could explore alternative sentences like community service, but the=
=20
judge said no.=20

He will sentence Chong to six months to a year in prison, a halfway=20
house, home detention, probation or some combination of those.=20

Chong has admitted to distributing bongs and marijuana pipes on the=20
Internet through his family company, Nice Dreams Enterprises, which is=20
named for one of his movies.=20

He also entered a guilty plea for the company, which does business as=20
Chong Glass in Gardena, Calif.=20

The case against him was part of Operation Pipe Dreams, a national=20
crackdown on drug paraphernalia that began in Pittsburgh during the=20
prosecution of Akhil Kumar Mishra and his wife, Rajeshwari, who ran two=20
head shops Downtown in the 1990s.=20

After an investigation by the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration, the=20
Mishras were convicted in federal court here in 2000 of conspiracy and=20
selling illegal drug paraphernalia.

Using information from that case, federal agents started pursuing=20
distributors and wholesalers across the United States. Chong's=20
enterprise was one of them.

Operation Pipe Dreams culminated in February with the arrest of some 55=20
people and the shutdown of head shops and distributors across the=20
country. Chong wasn't arrested at the time, but the family business,=20
which employs several glass blowers, was among those raided.=20

(Don't you feel safer now that that evil, terrorist-supporting head=20
shops have been shut down?  I'm glad the government is using its=20
dwindling supply of money to fight the good fight against suppliers of=20
bongs and roach clips.)

Source: Pittsburgh Post-Gazette
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LOS ANGELES -- Consider it a schoolgirl crushed.

Twelve-year-old Brianna Lahara was one of the 261 people sued Monday by=20
the record industry for allegedly pirating songs over the Internet.
=20
The seventh-grade honor student was also the first to settle with the=20
record labels, which agreed Tuesday to drop their case against her in=20
exchange for $2,000 and an apology.

"I am sorry for what I have done," Lahara said in a statement issued by=20
the Recording Industry Assn. of America, which represents the labels. "I=
=20
love music and don't want to hurt the artists I love."

The $2,000 settlement would mean more than a few months' allowance for=20
most 12-year-olds. It also could be a strain on Brianna's single mother,=
=20
Sylvia Torres, who, according to New York news reports, is a director of=
=20
a nursing agency who lives in public housing.=20=20

"For a single parent living in the projects, that's a lot of money,"=20
Phil Leigh, an analyst with Inside Digital Media, said.

Torres said they mistakenly believed they were entitled to download=20
music over the Internet because they had paid $29.99 for software that=20
gives them access to online file-sharing services.=20=20

(If you live in a city housing project, why are you wasting $29.99 on=20
Kazaa?  Who pays for P2P software?  I guess it explains why the director=
=20
of a nursing agency lives in public housing: poor financial planning.=20=
=20
Maybe she can use that advanced child tax credit to help pay off the=20
fine.)

When she learned she was being sued for downloading songs such as "If=20
You're Happy and You Know It" and the theme to the television show=20
"Family Matters," she told the New York Daily News that her "stomach is=20
all in knots."

(I like how the writer only mentions two songs that no one can imagine=20
being sued for downloading.  Yeah, because lots of 12 year olds in=20
housing projects are so innocent, they only download summer camp=20
classics.  I'm sure there's some Britney Spears and 50 Cent on there,=20
too.=20=20

God help me if the RIAA goes after me for downloading such moneymakers=20
as Daniela Mercury and The Dwarves, but at least I recognize that what=20
I'm doing is walking an ethical line.  But is it any less ethical than=20
reading magazines at the library to avoid paying for a subscription?=20=20
Someone (e.g., the library or a patron) paid for the magazine, and=20
someone paid for the songs that are being shared.=20=20

This is the same industry whining that followed the release of VCRs and=20
tape decks.  What happens if people tape "Mr. Mom"?  What happens if=20
they tape the Top Nine at 9 countdown?  Oh, God, a million copies of "18=
=20
and Life" will be circulating for free!  You adapt, scumbags.  That's=20
what you did.  That's what you should do.)

She may feel better now that she dodged a bullet that could have cost=20
her family far more, given that the penalty could have reached $150,000=20
for each of the 1,000 songs she had on her computer.

But Brianna probably isn't the only one who is relieved.

"The RIAA definitely wanted to get her out of the headlines," said Phil=20
Leigh, an analyst with Inside Digital Media, a market research firm in=20
Tampa, Fla. "They don't want to be seen picking on children. She's not=20
even a teenager."

The RIAA declined to comment on Brianna's case, but President Mitch=20
Bainwol said the goal of the lawsuits was "to send a strong message that=
=20
... illegal distribution of copyrighted music has consequences."

Analysts say the industry's tactics may backfire if more defendants like=
=20
Lahara emerge.

(Given the sheer number of Internet users who download MP3s, there are a=
=20
lot of people out there thinking, "What if I'm next?"  Unfortunately,=20
Americans are such sheep, they'll take the easiest route and roll over.=20=
=20
I suspect most people will pay a lesser fine just to be done with it.)

"If you go after too many 12-year-old girls, you can alienate a lot of=20
people," said Mike McGuire, an analyst with GartnerG2 in San Jose.

(Technically, they were going after whomever owned the ISP account,=20
which probably is the mother.  Using the 12-year-old -- who can be tried=
=20
as an adult for murder in some states, so how innocent can she be? -- is=
=20
a great way to show how asinine the RIAA's efforts are.  Oh, no, they're=
=20
going after children.  They must be stopped!  Guess the buggers are good=
=20
for something.)

Source: LA Times and AP


=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=
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"Kalexin _" <[email protected]> wrote:

"The death and destruction perpetrated against people by their fellow=20
man never ends. One group makes peace and another goes to war - often=20
because of variations in thought, appearance and belief that go largely=20
undifferentiated by outsiders. "
=20
You just decleared war against deaf people. Care to tell me your=20
address?=20=20

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-The Misanthropic Bitch
Providing jack-off material for white
misogynists since 1997
http://www.misanthropic-bitch.com

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