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Category: Current Events

Blowing the lid of voteforthemilf.com

Here’s where things get a great deal more interesting on this whole “Prank”

Usually, when you are going to perform a redirect as a prank, you use an A record to redirect the request, so domainnamenamevariant.com is redirected to someotherdomain.com via an A record. In this case the redirect is a highly disrecommended CNAME or Canonical Nam pointing to an IP address the record reads like this VOTEFORTHEMILF.COM IN CNAME 64.203.107.149.

This IP, whether you go to it via http:\\64.203.107.149 or voteforthemif.com (which now seems to redirect to google in some cases) goes to a special Palin greeting.

All of this is kind of known, but I’m providing a summation that makes the “It was a prank” angle seem like a stupid bit of misdirection.  How could the prankster have known that 64.203.107.149 led to a special palin message?  64.203.107.149 has no PTR record and is the A record of JOHNMCAIN.COM but NOT www.johnmcain.com.
The A Record for www.johnmcain.com points to an aliased address from his DNS hosting provider:

Name:    edgecastcdn.net
Address:  72.21.81.132
Aliases:  www.johnmccain.com

Johnmain.com does not

Non-authoritative answer:
Name:    johnmccain.com
Address:  64.203.107.149

Visiting the IP of www.johnmcain.com in your browser http://72.21.81.132/ connects you to nothing.

Visiting the IP of johnmcain.com in your browser http://64.203.107.149/ connects you to a website.

Why would the webmaster of John Mcain’s website link a site to one IP and not the other?  That’s more than odd.  Here’s why, it’s the same amount of work to set it up, you can copy and paste one configuration to another and make it active so that WEB recquests for IP one and IP two will go to the same place, but in this case reqeusts initially bound for 64.203.107.149 end up going to a special palin greeting. How could the prankster have pre-knowledge that the greeting would be there?  I mean, if voteforthemilf.com was a simple redirect to the IP, and the IP (in the case of the more popular www.johnmcain.com) does not connect to a configured website why would they imagine it would magically connect to a Palin related website?

This story is not over, not complete and the “prankster” isn’t giving up their secrets at all.

In the end, this is just a distraction, but it’s a fun tech mystery too, and what’s more fun on a Friday night than a fun tech mystery, right?

There really are some racist bastards out there

According to parents and students in Greg Howard’s seventh-grade social studies class, Howard on Friday, Sept. 26 asked the class a question regarding Obama’s call for change, and proceeded to write out what the letters C-H-A-N-G-E stood for.

“She told me that he wrote on the board ‘Can You Help A (expletive) Get Elected, and then laughed about it,” said Shelia Christian, a mother of one of Howard’s students.

Marianna teacher ‘told students what ‘CHANGE’ stood for’

As if this isn’t enough;  this comment was added:

Posted by ( leroy ) on October 03, 2008 at 9:00 am

LOOKEY MOM I FIGGURED OUT WHAT THAT THERE CAPS LOCK IS FER.

I’M NOT FEELING ENOUGH OUTRAGE HERE I GUESS TO DO THIS UP PROPER WE NEED TO GET AL SHARPTON AND OLE’ JESSIE INVOLVED.

The Teacher was trying to make a joke (if the facts are presented correctly) a poor joke that might have been accepted from the mouth of a comedian, but not to a bunch of middle-school kids, right?  That being said, if the semi-anonymous comments on the article are accurate, the teacher in question (Greg Howard) has been making loaded comments for a while now, while protected by the complacency of the school administration.

Myself, I’m not outraged, people say stupid crap all the time and laugh or tell inappropriate jokes, that’s the way of the world.  I don’t think any one group is inferior to me because of how or to whom the are born; but I will certainly crack jokes at the expense of an individual or a group based on stereotypes, that’s kind of how humor works.  Fat people like to eat, Hard Core Christians are willfully ignorant, smart people are nerdy and so on.   Broad stereotypes form the foundation of some humor and I can’t condemn anyone for using them for humor’s sake.  I can’t, however, condone slurs for the sake of a joke, especially to kids.

So Greg, I don’t envy you, you’ve put your foot right in your mouth, it’s time to either face the music and step down or weather the storm (if you can) and work for forgiveness. However, if you have an axe to grind with Obama, and this is how you express it; you probably deserve what’s coming.

From a web article the looks like parody about Toby Keith Backing Obama:

PAarmyWife See Profile I’m a Fan of PAarmyWife permalink

Toby Keith is a country singer with an extreme conservative base. I just came from his concert tonight and just stumbled upon this possible fact that Keith supports Obama. IF this is true, and a big IF, he can be certain that backs will turn and it’s possible he will lose some of the very fan base he has created over the past few years built upon conservative principles. My husband is a military man and is not very fond of country music but has always respected Keith for what he has done for the troops and his outspoken patriotism. This would be a huge disappointment to my family if he was no backing a piece of filth. But then again, to mainstream Hollywood, it’s the “cool thing” to do. I have always assumed Keith was above all the Hollywood hype.

Did she call Obama a piece of filth?

The Pat Robertson Prayer Challenge

In conclusion, it is my opinion that we have between 75 and 120 days before the Middle East starts spinning out of control.  If there was ever a time for fervent prayer, it is now.  Prayer can change the course of history!  The Bible says, “Seek righteousness, seek humility. … that you may be hid in the day of the Lord’s wrath.”  “… the fervent prayer of a righteous man availeth much.”

The believing prayers of tens of thousands of God’s people can change the hearts of the leaders of Russia and Iran.  God can cause situations to arise which will save Israel.  He is Almighty.  With God all things are possible!

With that in mind, I urge you to fervently seek God’s intervention in the following areas:

  • Pray that God’s mighty angels would surround and protect our nation in these perilous times;
  • Pray for unity among the body of Christ as we intercede for our nation and our world;
  • Pray that America’s leadership will seek godly wisdom as they face critical events in the weeks and months ahead;
  • Pray for the Holy Spirit to sweep across the globe, preparing hearts to accept Jesus and enter God’s Kingdom before tragic events unfold;
  • Pray for God to change the hearts of leaders in Russia, Iran, and other nations who wish to do harm to Israel.

Hopefully, our Lord will intervene and head off the disaster that seems to be approaching.  Let us pray together.  With God all things are possible!

http://www.patrobertson.com/pressreleases/PatRobertsonRegardingGeorgia.asp

Okay folks, here it is.  The Pat Robertson Prayer Challenge, this is where the rubber meets the road on Christianity, Prayer and the Intercession of Faith.

As a Celebrant, you can say to the flock, “Pray for X or if you don’t U will happen” if X happens you can say “You Prayed well and have been rewarded” and if Y happens you can say “You didn’t show enough faith, next time you will pray harder or give more of yourself”.  As long as X is easy “No Fire Demons come From the Sky” and Y is likely “Someone’s house will Burn Down” it means that the celebrant can effectively use statistics and basic common sense to look like a conduit for Gods words.  When in all likelihood they are just an astute observer of statistics and human behavior.

The Prayer Challenge

Between today and January 1st, Pat Robertson says that the Middle East will erupt in chaos and a limited nuclear exchange may occur unless his followers pray for Russian and Iran to “back down” if they don’t he can say “See, your prayers saved Israel” and if they do he can say “You didn’t Pray hard enough” or if Barack Obama is elected President and they do he can say “It’s your fault for electing that man, this is your Punishment”

What about a Third outcome?  What it American invades Iran and touches off a real war with Russia?

What if American forces step in among the Balkans?

What if Isreal bombs Iran?

Prayer against a massively negative outcome is easy, especially if it is unlikely.  Praying that a comet won’t hit the world is easy, and likely to come true.  Prayer that you won’t get wet on a rainy day is stupid, as you are going to get wet on a rainy day if you go out without rain gear on.  So to is this prayer easy, it’s highly unlikely that either Iran or Russia would provoke a nuclear war “Just because” and let’s face it, if the rhetoric of our politicians was enough to provoke a real war, Iran would have bombed Isreal years ago.

If Prayer is REAL and the world is on the edge of massive nuclear war, then it is likely that it WILL happen, because as you know, America has fallen to the forces of evil already:

We have insulted God at the highest level of our government.  Then, we say, “Why does this happen?”  It is happening because God Almighty is lifting His protection from us.
Once that protection is gone, we are vulnerable because we are a free society.

http://www.patrobertson.com/PressReleases/TerroristAttack.asp

My Little Christo-Fascist

Special Note: Yes, the title of this post is deliberately provocative.  Sometimes I just like to poke the bear and see if it really is asleep or just lying in wait.

I was raised Catholic and questions of faith and religion truly do enthuse me; I enjoy the debate and the conflict that surrounds religion. I willingly get into conflicts with my friends and family over religion and hope that my views on the matter have evolved over time in response to new information and my own personal growth as a person.  I also strongly believe that my brain wasn’t fully baked in place until my mid-twenties, and may still be cooling today.

Maybe Sarah Palin is Illiterate

“All of them”

I’m beginning to think that Sarah Palin might not be able to read; not at an adult level.  It’s looking more and more like the McCain/Palin ticket might be more special that one might first understand.

And yes, she gets more precious when she is cornered.  It’s amazing, this was not a compliment.

Updated: a transcript

COURIC: And when it comes to establishing your world view, I was curious, what newspapers and magazines did you regularly read before you were tapped for this — to stay informed and to understand the world?

PALIN: I’ve read most of them again with a great appreciation for the press, for the media —

COURIC: But what ones specifically? I’m curious.

PALIN: Um, all of them, any of them that have been in front of me over all these years.

COURIC: Can you name any of them?

PALIN: I have a vast variety of sources where we get our news.

The National Post Fails the "Truthiness" Test

In the past, we’ve been hard on the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation. In many cases, our criticism of the Ceeb’s left-wing editorial stances has resulted in run-ins on these pages with such senior corporate executives as former CBC News editor-in-chief Tony Burman. These dust-ups have provided spirited entertainment for readers, but they have also served a serious purpose: Canadians who disagree with the world-view of CBC editors and reporters should not be forced, through their tax dollars, to subsidize our public broadcaster’s unremitting attack on conservative ideas they hold dear.

No Byline Opinion Piece in the National Post

I’ve been appreciative in the past of the National Post’s online component, especially their prediliction for publishing a vastly more robust version of the facts in a given story.  Their well-rounded coverage of stories have often allowed their readers a well-informed view of a given subejct.  Bravo.

Then there is their right-wing editorial staff who don’t seem to have the intestinal fortitude to sign a byline on their opinion spots.  Why?

I take responsibility for my opinion, why can’t the author of this fox-news snorting one?  It’s all well-and-good to love the Americans and their right-wing politicians, but you should put your name on your work, right?

The Moral Majority Never Cease to Amaze

FedUp Canadian Fri, Sep 26, 08 at 08:27 AM
Firstly – obviously she is not responsible, mentally stable and mature enough to take care of a child. Children having children. And who’s stuck paying the bill? Secondly, (3) hours! Come on people, use your heads!! Think for gosh sakes! Enough already. Yes everyone, it’s just that easy for the Police and RCMP – “Oh Please, can you give us the baby.” Get Real! What kind of a society are we living in when the average Canadian cannot see past their noses what’s really going on out there! For all you Smart As___ . why don’t you go out there and deal with what the Police and RCMP have to deal with. Good Luck. But then when it comes Your Turn and you need their help, don’t complain because they tasered the guy who’s holding you hostage and some of that shock may have inadvertantly transfered to your body. Rather that than they try shooting him and hit you instead. Or maybe they don’t respond immediately when your house is broken into because they are spending (3) hours trying to talk a 16 yr old into handing over a baby she shouldn’t have custody of in the first place. And where were the parents and grandmother when all this was going on? Never mind, where were they before the incident began? Why is it that in todays society, it’s always someone else’s fault? I was raised to take responsibility for each and every one of my actions!

oh please Fri, Sep 26, 08 at 08:17 AM
i am not sure what all the fuse is about. it is obvious from this story that a taser was used on the stun mode. they did not shoot barbs into her. there is an infant at risk in an out of control situation and this “poor” teen is refusing all direction given by the police officers to let the baby go. lets not forget that the mother defied a supervision order, refused to give the baby to the officers and now wants to play the victim pathetic

B. Fri, Sep 26, 08 at 09:00 AM
Sorry Ms. Peterson but you’re definitely in the wrong on this one. Do as a police officer tells you what to do and you won’t get hurt. You weren’t being reasonable at all. You seemed to have very little respect for what the officers were telling you.

This is the WINNAR!

The backstory on this post is over here; essentially a young mother (16) wouldn’t let the police take her sick baby away from her.  The police were (if the story is accurate) simply acting in the “best interest” of the baby, but that’s not the reason I’m interested in this story.  It sucks that the girl was tasered, it sucks worse that the baby is going to have all this turmoil in their life and be sick (for the rest of their life).  I’ll quote the article here so that the main thrust is apparent:

A teen who was Tasered by police as she clutched her one-month-old son just wants her baby back.

Misha Peterson, 16, said Vancouver police held her down on a bed and shot her with a Taser twice on Monday while she held her one-month-old son, Taige.

“Three or four cops were holding me down and they Tasered me twice in the neck until I let go of my baby,” said Peterson.

Peterson said social services were trying to take Taige because her 17-year-old boyfriend, Scott Michell, broke a supervision requirement.

Michell can’t see his child without adult supervision after an argument about Peterson moving back to her mother’s “got out of hand,” she said.

Some of the details in the original story are vague, it takes a neutral tone to a fault, making the whole situation kind of muddy and doesn’t really provide enough framing on an obviously emotional story to allow us to form an opinion either way.  It’s good news, but a smart editor should have caught the kind of emotions it would provoke and tossed in some detail about the mother, the police and the whole situation to allow for fully-formed emotional responses rather than the knee-jerk ones we are treated to by the anonymous trolls I’ve quoted above.

It’s these trolls that I wish to address; I’m not referring to them as trolls in the internet sense (as in trolling for newbs, yo!) I’m referring to them in the (excuse the term) biblical sense, real trolls.  They squat around the internet and look for their next moral target, blaming the victims of police or government over-exuberance for not “just laying back and taking it like a man”

This girl has done what the Trolls wanted, she birthed a baby when she clearly could not handle it and should have taken the sane option of simply aborting the fetus or giving it up for adoption.  She clearly loves and wants the child.  She has passed the “life is important test” which the right to life will tell you is the most important test of all.  Why then, is she in a situation like this?  Shouldn’t society be all over her?  Making sure that both child and mother are in good shape?  It certainly seems like the police are acting to enforce the will of society to “help” the child, but I would state that perhaps they were too exuberant.

It’s this very exuberance that the trolls on the page applaud.

Which makes me question their very humanity.

I ventured deep into Malkin-Land for this

Image and video hosting by TinyPic

So, what can you learn from this?

  1. Only 10,794 people voted on a poll from a pundit that gets exposure on fox.
  2. Only 1,247 (12%) of her readers are b-tards of any stripe
  3. Only 1,436 (13%) are sensible people.
  4. 16% are pessimists.
  5. A full 59% of the sample are full on, in the tank (what a dumb expression) assholes.

These are the same people who refer to diplomacy as “weak”

They are the same people who refer to nuance as no-ancy.

They say nookular.

And they vote.

Psilons, in my campaign?

The debate on Friday was to focus on Mr. McCain’s perceived strength, foreign policy. Mr. McCain had not planned to devote large blocks of time to debate practice as did Mr. Obama, who was holing up with a tight circle of advisers at a hotel in Clearwater, Fla., on Wednesday, Thursday and Friday to prepare. Mr. McCain had a preparatory session on Wednesday afternoon at the Morgan Library in Manhattan, but advisers said it had been interrupted by his decision, announced immediately afterward, to suspend his campaign.

If you are up on the whole “Clambake” then you must know what Clearwater, Florida is, right? Let me remind you:

If you’re still here and you didn’t watch the video and am still not clear on where Clearwater is, it’s practically the center of the non-celebrity world of Scientology. Demographically, it’s a strange choice for the Obama campaign to appear there, what with the CoS’s somewhat tarnished public image. I’m going to have to do a little digging to look to see if any well-known CoS members are in the Obama campaign.

It appears I’m not the first person to question this

This is troubling to me, as I’ve been more and more concerned about how the CoS goes about defending itself from criticism in very aggressive and/or paranoid ways.  In Fact, I’m sure that I’ll get a few hits over here just for this post.

So, what do you think, is there a CoS mole in the Obama campaign?