Saturday
Friday
Clay Aiken - Humanitarian
As if we weren't proud enough of Clay already, we can now read Clay's great bio at "The President's Committee For People With Intellectual Disabilities" web page. This page, which is part of the Administration for Children and Families' Website, lists the bios of all members of the Committee. Click on Clay's name and it will take you right down to the bio.
Clay's bio reads as follows:
Clay Aiken became an international sensation in the wake of his appearance on the hit television show, ‘American Idol.’ In spite of his growing stardom, Aiken has remained steadfast in his desire to remain true to the simple values he learned as a child in Raleigh, North Carolina. “I still live in the town where I grew up,” he says. “I like surrounding myself with people I know and love.” It is this authenticity that his millions of fans have responded to, an almost supernatural earnestness that feels unconventional in the cynical world of today.
While the accolades that followed his stunningly close second-place finish on the second season of American Idol have validated him in ways that he never could have dreamed of, it is the charitable work that his musical career has enabled him to do that means more to him than anything else these days.
Mr. Aiken created the Bubel/Aiken Foundation in 2003, an organization that promotes and funds educational and recreational programs for children with special needs. “I worked with Mike Bubel, who has autism, when I was going to school at UNCC,” says Mr. Aiken. “His mother was very instrumental in encouraging me to get into this business.” The Foundation remains close to the singer’s heart at all times. “My music career has allowed me to do the same thing I was doing before—work with kids with disabilities,” he says. “It has given me a big stage to talk about the same things I always cared about. I don’t get to be as hands-on with the kids anymore, but I do get to work toward enacting change on a much larger scale.”
Also important to Mr. Aiken’s life as a humanitarian is his work as a goodwill ambassador for UNICEF. Since 2005, the singer has been passionately committed to supporting the organization’s education programs. Not only has Mr. Aiken testified before Congress urging the government to allocate more funds for UNICEF’s global work for children, he has also traveled to Indonesia and Uganda to see the devastating conditions affecting millions of the world’s children first-hand—disease, malnutrition, kidnapping, and war, chief among them. “You just cannot believe how some of these kids are forced to live,” says Mr. Aiken. “It’s truly heartbreaking, yet many people don’t even know these conditions exist. I am hoping to shed light on some of these problems and so that more resources can be allocated to help make things better.”
Mr. Aiken’s upcoming album A THOUSAND DIFFERENT WAYS expresses the many different kinds of love in the world, including his deep love for his fellow man, particularly the littlest ones among us. Where did such a driving need to help others come from? “The need for help!” he answers matter-of-factly. “You know, my mother has always been someone who urged me to help people in need. Maybe that’s it. I don’t think it’s something you can learn. It’s just something you do.” It seems that practically every positive characteristic of Clay is summed up here. The President could not have made a better choice for this Committee. He will add experience, knowledge, wisdom, love, and compassion to the decisions and recommendations to be made to the President.
Technorati tags: Clay Aiken
Thursday
Famous Quotes
"Be not intimidated... nor suffer yourselves to be wheedled out of your liberties by any pretense of politeness, delicacy, or decency. These, as they are often used, are but three different names for hypocrisy, chicanery and cowardice."
John Adams
John Adams
"We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty, and the pursuit of Happiness."
Thomas Jefferson
Friday
The Slander and Libel Must Stop!
Slander and Libel
"Libel" redirects here; for other uses, see Libel (disambiguation). For "liable", see Liability. In law, defamation is a right of action for communicating statements that may harm an individual's reputation or character. The common law origins of defamation lie in the torts of slander (harmful statement in a transitory form, especially speech) and libel (harmful statement in a fixed medium, especially writing but also a picture, sign, or electronic broadcast), each which give a common law rights of action.
"Defamation" is the general term used internationally, and is used in this article where it is not necessary to distinguish between "slander" and "libel". Libel is defamation that is published, but can also happen in other forms, such as effigy, a motion picture, or a statue; slander refers to any verbal, unpublished, defamation.
Fraud
In the broadest sense, a fraud is a deception made for personal gain, although it has a more specific legal meaning, the exact details varying between jurisdictions. Many hoaxes are fraudulent, although those not made for personal gain are not best described in this way. Not all frauds are hoaxes - electoral fraud, for example. Fraud permeates many areas of life, including art, archaeology and science. In the broad legal sense a fraud is any crime or civil wrong for gain that utilises some deception practiced on the victim as its principal method.
This Slander and Libel campaign has been going on since 2003.
It has come to a head with the fake CA encounter invented by butty and his minions or was it just fan fic!
It is time to end it NOW!
Wombats agree Clay Aiken deserves his privacy
For anyone that thinks Clay is guilty of all of this garbage in the tabloids and by the stalker take a gander at the requirements for the appointment CA just received from Pres Bush:
Here is the official release:
For Immediate Release
Office of the Press Secretary
September 5, 2006
Personnel Announcement
President George W. Bush today announced his intention to nominate eight individuals, designate two individuals and appoint thirteen individuals to serve in his Administration:
The President intends to nominate Mary E. Peters, of Arizona, to be Secretary of Transportation. Ms. Peters currently serves as Senior Vice President at HDR, Inc. Prior to this, she served as Administrator of the Federal Highway Administration. Earlier in her career, she served as the Director of the Arizona Department of Transportation. Ms. Peters received her bachelor's degree from the University of Phoenix.
The President intends to nominate Robert K. Steel, of Connecticut, to be Under Secretary of the Treasury (Domestic Finance). Mr. Steel is currently a Senior Director of The Goldman Sachs Group, Inc. Prior to this, he was a Vice Chairman of the firm. Earlier in his career, he worked as co-head of the Equities Division. Mr. Steel received his bachelor's degree from Duke University and his MBA from the University of Chicago.
The President intends to nominate Mary Amelia Bomar, of Pennsylvania, to be Director of the National Park Service and to appoint her to be a Member of the Board of Trustees of the American Folklife Center. Ms. Bomar currently serves as Northeast Regional Director of the National Park Service. Prior to this, she served as Superintendent of the Independence National Historical Park. Earlier in her career, she was Superintendent of the Oklahoma City National Memorial. Ms. Bomar attended Coalville Business College in Leicestershire, England.
The President intends to nominate Larry W. Brown, of Virginia, to be a Member of the Defense Nuclear Facilities Safety Board for the remainder of a five year term expiring December 18, 2010. Mr. Brown currently serves as Senior Policy Advisor at the Department of Energy. Prior to this, he served as an Associate at Lee F. Holdeman, Chartered. Earlier in his career, he served as a Captain in the United States Navy. Mr. Brown received his bachelor's degree from the University of Colorado, his master's degree from the United States Naval War College and his JD from Georgetown University.
The President intends to nominate John E. Mansfield, of Virginia, to be a Member of the Defense Nuclear Facilities Safety Board for an additional five year term expiring December 18, 2011. Dr. Mansfield currently serves as a Member of the Defense Nuclear Facilities Safety Board. Prior to this, he served as Associate Administrator for Space Access and Technology at the National Aeronautics and Space Administration. Earlier in his career, he served as a Professional Staff member on the Senate Armed Services Committee. Dr. Mansfield received his bachelor's degree from the University of Detroit. He received his masters' degrees from St. Louis University and Harvard University. Dr. Mansfield went on to receive his PhL degree from St. Louis University and a PhD from Harvard University.
The President intends to nominate Peter S. Winokur, of Maryland, to be a Member of the Defense Nuclear Facilities Safety Board for the remainder of a five year term expiring April 2, 2009. Dr. Winokur currently serves as Senior Policy Analyst at the National Nuclear Security Administration at the Department of Energy. Prior to this, he served as an Institute of Electrical & Electronic Engineers Congressional Fellow in the Office of Senator Harry Reid. Earlier in his career, he served as a Manager of the Radiation Technology and Assurance Department at Sandia National Laboratories. Dr. Winokur received his bachelor's degree from the Cooper Union and his master's degree and PhD from the University of Maryland.
The President intends to nominate William W. Mercer, of Montana, to be Associate Attorney General and to designate him Acting Associate Attorney General of the Department of Justice. Mr. Mercer currently serves as United States Attorney for the District of Montana. Prior to this, he served as both United States Attorney for the District of Montana and as Principal Associate Deputy Attorney General at the Department of Justice. Before this, he served as Assistant United States Attorney for the District of Montana. Earlier in his career, he served as a Counselor to the Assistant Attorney General and Senior Policy Analyst at the Department of Justice. Mr. Mercer received his bachelor's degree from the University of Montana, his master's degree from Harvard University and his JD from George Mason University.
The President intends to appoint the following individuals to be Members of the President's Foreign Intelligence Advisory Board:
Dennis Bovin, of New York
Martin S. Feldstein, of Massachusetts
The President intends to nominate Charles F. Conner, of Indiana, to be a Member of the Board of Directors of the Commodity Credit Corporation.
The President intends to appoint the following individuals to be Members of the President's Committee for People with Intellectual Disabilities:
Dallas Rob Sweezy, of Virginia, and upon appointment designate Chair, for an additional two year term expiring May 11, 2008.
Stephen Bird, of Virginia
Valerie Billmire, of Utah
James Boles, of New York
Stephanie Brown, of Florida
William J. Edwards, of California
Brian J. Kelly, of California
Mary Margaret Pucci, of Illinois
Linda Hampton Starnes, of Florida
Stephen Henry Suroveic, of Pennsylvania
William E. Tienken, of Illinois
MR. GOOD DEEDS GOES TO WASHINGTON
Just want to borrow a couple of excerpts from the Official Qualifications of what an applicant for a Government Committee has to undergo before he/she is approved and finally sworn in:
****Most applicants under serious consideration for an appointment will go through a full FBI background check in which their employment, professional, personal, travel, medical, financial, legal, military and educational histories will be reviewed and scrutinized. The financial holdings and sources of income for most applicants under serious consideration must be disclosed for review for possible conflicts of interest, and any conflicts must be remedied by divestiture, the creation of special trusts, etc.****
****...all aspects of your personal and professional life, including organizations to which you belong or once belonged; speeches you may have given and books, articles, and editorials you may have written; legal, administrative and regulatory proceedings to which you may have been a party; in short, anything that might embarrass the President or you if he should choose you for a position in his administration.*****
Mr. Clay Aiken was sworn in on September 14, 2006.
SINGER CLAY AIKEN IS AMONG TWENTY ONE NEW OFFICERS SWORN IN TO SERVE THE U.S. PRESIDENT’S COMMITTEE FOR PEOPLE WITH INTELLECTUAL DISABILITIES President George W. Bush swore in twenty one new members for the U.S. President’s Committee for People with Intellectual Disabilities (PCPID) (Link to http://www.acf.hhs.gov/programs/pcpid/index.html), including singer Clay Aiken. Aiken is also founder of the Bubel/Aiken Foundation, an organization that promotes and funds educational and recreational programs for children with special needs. The PCPID acts in an advisory capacity to the U.S. President and the Secretary of the Department of Health and Human Services on matters relating to programs and services for persons with intellectual disabilities. A Chairperson and twenty other citizen members are appointed to the PCPID for a two-year term and the Committee also consists of thirteen ex-officio members.
I believe that this is Checkmate for us!!
After 13 published accounts of Clay Aiken saying he was straight and not gay,
We say
Leave Clay Alone!
None of your Damn Business!
Sunday
Wombats on the "scurrilous" hunt
Anatomy of an Idol Smear Campaign by James Shepherd (2006/03/30)
This is a follow up to my previous treatment of this subject - Clay Aiken and ClayNation Undergo New Round of Attacks.
This is a follow up to my previous treatment of this subject - Clay Aiken and ClayNation Undergo New Round of Attacks.
Since that time, that National Enquirer piece has inspired even the reputable newspapers to begin to refer to the alleged sexual encounter between Clay Aiken and one John Paulus. But also, the alleged complaint to the FTC by nine ClayMates has somehow fueled the flames even more by giving more credibility to the story, and the reputable newspapers and other forms of media are beginning to refer to the incident as if there is something factual at the basis. (As for writing a rag-story, here are some interesting tips - link.)
Where there's smoke there's fire! Right? Or, maybe where there is smoke, it just means that there is a smokescreen in operation and there is no fire at all. But if people keep seeing smoke, what else should they think? What I will attempt to do in this article is walk right through the smoke and expose what is behind this whole mess.
Clay Aiken is a singer/performer about whom many are obsessed. Obsession is natural for those in his fan base - the term "fan" is derived from "fanatic." Therefore, Clay's fan base contain members at various levels of obsession to just mild interest. However, there are also what are called "anti-fans" of Clay Aiken. These are fans from other Idol fan bases who hate Clay's fans, for a variety of reasons, and center their hated upon Clay and his fan base. These anti-fans are obsessed with Clay too, but in a very negative direction. Fortunately, there are very few of these people.
However, there is another group of people sometimes overlooked as being obsessed with Clay Aiken. These people come from a portion of the gay community. They are huge fans of Clay, and sometimes they unite to share with one another their Clay Aiken obsession. The discussion board "Openly Clay" has been around for a long time. Some of its members are gay, and also, some of its members have this minor obsession about "outing" Clay, assuming that Clay is gay. They don't seem to believe Clay Aiken when he has stated that he is not gay. Most certainly it is their right to disbelieve Clay, but why be obsessed with an Idol who is a liar? It doesn't make much sense to me.
There simply seems to be this natural tendency to want to "out" Clay from some of his fans in the gay community. What makes it even more appealing to "out" Clay Aiken is that Clay has an evangelical Christian background. However, according to his autobiography, Learning To Sing, Clay has strong leanings towards the more liberal side of Christianity, so it would be a mistake to paint Clay Aiken with an evangelical Christian brush. In any event, it should be no secret that many evangelical Christians are known to be greatly opposed to the homosexual lifestyle. Some extremists from this group of people have gained a very unsavory reputation.
John Paulus, the source behind the National Enquirer article about Clay Aiken, seemed to have received his push into the limelight through Perez Hilton's website. Now if you peruse Hilton's website, you will find that it blends in quite well with the mentality behind the Enquirer - scandal, gossip, rumours and innuendo.
Recently, an alleged webcam shot of Clay Aiken was put up on Terry Goldman's very influential blog. The source is Paulus who claimed that this was a shot of Clay Aiken:
A photoshop expert duplicated the layer and used the "Exclusion" setting in Paint Shop Pro to bring up the manipulation that had been done. Now, when viewed, you will see a white line around the head indicating an insertion. When the photo is blown-up, the white line is even more noticeable:
John Paulus insists that this webcam is legitimate, but it's an obvious fake - (Paulus' comments from the Hilton website). This is simply a very poor photoshop job, but we shouldn't expect those who appear to want to maintain a scandal going to all have superb technical skills. Besides, where did Clay's big ears disappear to? Did he get an ear job recently?
There have been other gay columnists, like Billy Masters, who appear to have shown a "slight" obsession with Clay Aiken. This is not really a conspiracy but simply a reality in that some gay men in influential positions within the entertainment industry are more than willing to play along with the speculation of Clay Aiken and his alleged gayness. However, as for those they might support, as in Hilton supporting John Paulus, they might not be too scrupulous. But when it comes to scandal, rumour and innuendo, why be picky about one's sources.
This, of course, brings us back to the National Enquirer article that exposed Paulus' story about his alleged sexual encounter with Clay Aiken. How reliable is the reporter, Alan Butterfield of the National Enquirer? He allegedly has been the subject of several lawsuits, with at least one pending. And as for the kind of polygraph tests that the Enquirer administers, there is some question about their reliability since sometimes, allegedly, the test is taken more than once and the subject may sometimes receive anti-anxiety drugs to ensure that, for the second time, better results come about. (see link)
Some of the media picked up the Enquirer piece and made references to it. However, when those nine alleged Clay Aiken fans issued a press release that they were filing a complaint against BMG and RCA, more of the media treated the source of the story as having some sort of validity.
What people seem to be missing in this alleged lawsuit is that it is not a lawsuit but simply a complaint filed with the FTC, which by the way, would not even be considered by the FTC since the complainants' identities can not be confirmed. But when it comes to rags like the National Enquirer and lawsuits, it's usually the case that the Enquirer gets sued. But in this case, nine people are only filing a complaint based upon the strength of an article from this rag. How silly can these nine people be? However, anyone can issue a press release. Personally, I find it hard to believe that even one person would take any serious action based upon "facts" from a National Enquirer article. But if there are nine of them, how in the world did they find each other, considering that their combined IQ must be far less than their shoe size?
Up to now, all we have heard are allegations from a few scandal websites and a scandal magazine, and a press release that a complaint has been filed with the FTC. So, sometimes where there is smoke, there is a fire; sometimes it's just a smokescreen where there is no fire at all; and sometimes, the source of the smoke is just a burning dung-hill.
http://beaversonidol.com/articles/anatomyofasmearcampaign.html
Thursday
Saturday
Wombats - Not Queer at All
Notice My Bro Speedy hunting for cooties, a tin hat, and a pickle!
How to Make Up Stories for the Tabloids, Fox News, etc.
by Tom D'Antoni
When I was making up stories for one of the supermarket tabloids in the mid-1980s, little did I know that I was making up a template for others to follow, to use and prosper and with which take over America, however temporarily. This template has been used by many Republicans, by Rush Limbaugh, by Bill O’Reilly and his colleagues at Fox News, by foreign religious zealots and similar American Christian fanatics, by The Lincoln Group and of course many American newspapers who fail to check the accuracy of their reporters closely, if at all. This template served me well as I wrote classics like “Rabid Nun Infects Entire Convent,” which happens to also be the title of a book I wrote on the subject of tabloid journalism. Ok, not capital “J” Journalism, but apparent journalism, let’s say.Stories like “Grandma Turns Pet Dog Inside Out Looking for Lost Lottery Ticket,” “Woman Gets Pregnant, Has Baby Same Day,” and “Cult Uses Human Heads for Bowling Balls” all followed this simple template.
Here are the Rules:
First: Make up something false. It doesn’t matter how whacked-out it is, or how patently false to anyone with half-a-brain.
Second: Put it in a context that people are comfortable with. If it’s for a newspaper, write it so that it really really sounds like a newspaper story, with quotes, even. Make it sound like you have multiple sources, even though you’re pulling out of your butt.
The same goes for TV. It’s always best to have a distinguished-looking person read it, or a forceful one. Or one who shouts a lot and of whom people will be afraid not to believe upon penalty of being bitten. He (or a bleach-blonde she) doesn’t have to actually be an actual journalist at all. A good way to go is to find someone who has recently been a journalist, come from another network, and can provide sufficient credibility when he or she delivers the lies that you have pulled from your butt.
Third: Tell the story a lot. Play the story over and over if it’s for TV. The more you play it, the more people will believe it. Find a way to re-write that lie repeatedly if it’s for print. The average attention span of those inclined to swallow your lie is approximately seven seconds, and his frame of reference is tends to be in the last-fifteen-minutes range.
The big lie, told often, becomes truth after a while. I think Machiavelli said that, or Stalin. Rove, maybe? It might have been Nick Tosches.
Fourth: Pander to the worst in people. Work their fears, their ignorance and perverse pleasures. A worst-case scenario always worked for me. Predicting a worst-case scenario has worked for politicians since antiquity, be it Mongol hordes or mushroom clouds on the horizon.
Fifth: Quote somebody whom others do not know, or will never check. Hardly anybody checks anything. It’s better to jump on board the bus and run with an outrageous story. Some editors will just let things slide. Other editors or news directors have instructions from on high. Sixth: Make them feel a very big emotion. Get their blood boiling. Make them cry. My stories “Clown Ghosts Save Dying Boy,” and “Dead Daughter Leaves Message of Love on Daddy’s VCR,” are examples that can never fail to bring tears to those easily fooled.
Gross them out. My stories “Man Sells Bodies from Chemical Disaster to Starving Ethiopians as Meat for Prepared Meals,” and “Bandit Steals False Teeth from the Mouths of Elderly Victims,” are prime examples of this technique. The ability to tell a story in a way that makes the audience react emotionally will keep you employed.
Seventh: Whenever possible, get somebody not connected with your organization to deliver your lie. Pay them well to plant stories, or to give opinions supporting your lies. Pay newspapers cash to run stories you’ve made up.Eighth: Under no circumstances admit you were wrong or that your butt comprises your two independent sources. When someone comes at you with the real facts, call them names. Impugn their patriotism. Imply that they’re mentally ill. Divert all attention from your story. Make them the story. Make yourself the story.
Do anything to avoid the truth.Not all of these rules applied to the tabloid stories I wrote, but they are good rules and true. If you follow them closely, you too can become the next Stephen Glass and get serious backend money on the movie. You could get Random House to pay to make a book out of your lies, as I did.
Or you could get some fool elected president and start a war.
It’s easy.
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