Rap lyric of the week.

The whole swap meet went crazy
I'm sockin' more fools than Patrick Swayze
Toss a mess of fake Louie in the trunk
Hit the gas and the tach just sunk

This stream is desensitized.

I guess I'm walking around shell shocked. There is so much to have posted about in the last 3 weeks. I'm having a hard time getting motivated. It's ALL crazy.
The President of the United States of America guarantees your muffler. The Prez is bowing to a Saudi King (Where's Michael Moore? Didn't he argue President Bush was in league with these same Saudis? BHO is bowing? What's that you say? That wasn't a bow? WTF?). Trillions in federal spending goes by as the taxpayers watch. Trillions. Remember when President Bush was a complete failure for running a deficit? Heck, his was only a few hundred Billion. Radical Islamists aren't "Terrorists", the returning vets are! And by the way, we should privatize veteran health care to cut costs, but nationalize health care for the rest of us to cut costs. Did you see the First Lady? Wasn't that a nice sweater she was wearing? Oh yeah, I forgot the whole Bill of Attainder fiasco and AIG, which was engineered and signed off on by the President's guy, the admitted tax cheat. You know, the greatest expression of patriotism, paying taxes? Or was that dissent? Well, paying taxes is only patriotic if you're the party out of power or about to be appointed to a Cabinet level position. Otherwise, Katy bar the door and get a good/incompetent accountant. Hmmm, it's patriotic for YOU to pay taxes. Yeah, that's the ticket. By the time you finish reading this, another couple of trillion just went out the door. Great.
Events are so Fast and Furious, you can't even catch you breath.

The Government is Firing Private Sector Employees.

Yes, I get that these companies accepted government money (which I was vehemently opposed to), but still. Hello Central Planning? Capitalism going down man.

Sen. Bob Corker (R., Tenn.), probably the most knowledgeable man in Congress about the car bailout, and someone who argued months ago in favor of a pre-planned government-sponsored bankruptcy for GM and Chrysler, calls the Wagoner firing “a major power-grab by the White House on the heels of another power-grab from Secretary Geithner, who asked last week for the freedom to decide on his own which companies are ‘systemically’ important to our country and worthy of taxpayer investment, and which are not.” Corker calls this “a marked departure from the past,” “truly breathtaking,” and something that “should send a chill through all Americans who believe in free enterprise.”

From Larry Kudlow on NRO (link)

Chilling indeed.

I mentioned my support of the bankruptcy option at a Christmas party and was surprised by the acerbic reaction from a normally sweet and lovable school teacher. As Kool Moe Dee said, "How ya like me now?"
Now, what about the $14 billion doled out since then? Eh, easy come, easy go.

Education is important?

Remember this when the current administration and the Left in general discuss the importance of education. While sending their kids to private schools. Nice. (The context is a comment from Mitch McConnell and the omnibus spending bill that just passed. Again, nice.)

Chief among them is a proposal to terminate a program that gives scholarships for private schools to low-income children in Washington, D.C. Established in 2004, the District of Columbia Opportunity Scholarship Program helped 1,700 D.C. students attend private schools last year at a fraction of the cost of what the city spends per pupil on public education. The popularity of this program is beyond dispute: For every available opening, the city receives four applications. Yet an amendment to preserve it, proposed by Sen. John Ensign of Nevada, failed on a party-line vote. It’s hard to see how Democrats can match their rhetoric with their actions when voting to terminate a program that gives inner-city kids the same educational opportunities that middle-class and affluent students enjoy.

Couple a billion here, couple a billion there, soon we're talking about real money.

Check this link. Wow.

Name this President.

"The worst deficit comes from a recession and if we can take the proper actions at the proper time, this can be the most important step we can take to prevent another recession. That is the right time for a tax cut. A creative tax cut, creating more jobs and income and eventually more revenue. Across the board top to bottom in both corporate and personal income taxes. The billions of dollars it will place in the hands of the consumers and our businessmen will have both immediate and permanent benefits to our economy. Every dollar released from taxation will help create a new job and new salary. These new jobs and new salaries and other new jobs and salaries. And more customers and more growth for an expanding American economy."

This stream looks toxic.

Maybe I can get some "stimulus" money and declare this stream an EPA Superfund site?

Can't get away from the negativity and the new administration. It's mostly driven by the derangement demonstrated by the Left during President Bush's terms. How do you have a serious discussion with people comparing the President and Hitler?

At any rate, here goes:

Didn't Stephen King say something to the effect that if President Bush didn't consider waterboarding torture, why not let the Bush daughters be waterboarded? I know I posted it here before.

Well, I've been looking and I have yet to see any official statement from Mr. King about the education of President Obama's daughters. I saw this:

As with the Clintons, Obama so earnestly believes in public school education that he sends his girls to ... an expensive private school. He demands that taxpayers support the very public schoolteachers he won't trust with his own children.

Thank you Ann Coulter for reminding me of the enlightened left and their total lunacy for the last 8 years.

Biting commentary on a President's work ethic.

Remember how the Left (I don't even say MSM anymore, it's all the same, isn't it?) lampooned President Bush for going to bed early? What about the new guy?

I just wonder how pleased the citizens were to hear that in these trying times, when few can afford a family vacation, that the Obamas have already taken two at taxpayer expense.

Yes, a weekend at Camp David was not enough of a rest for the First Family. They required a weekend in Chicago in order to celebrate Valentine's Day this past weekend. It would seem that Michelle was not satisfied with the White House chef that she hand picked to cook for her for the next four years so after just a brief ride on Air Force One, the Ones found themselves snuggling in a corner booth at a swanky restaurant in their home town.

Under normal circumstances, I do not imagine that anyone would begrudge the Obamas a weekend in Chicago, but these are far from normal circumstances. According to the President, a failure to quickly pass his stimulus package would have resulted in catastrophe for the country. And Congress diligently obeyed the Messiah and passed the 1100 page bill without time to even read it. Hence, it must have been that Obama pulled a muscle in his signing hand while playing basketball the previous weekend at Camp David because wheels up on Air Force One occurred after the plan was passed by Congress but without the President's signature.

The Obama's have never truly experienced hard work despite their rhetoric requiring the citizens of the country to prepare themselves for years of it (someone has to earn a living and pay taxes so that the Obamas will be able to vacation at whim and elaborately celebrate superfluous holidays).

The extravagances that the Obamas have enjoyed in their first few weeks in office are turning into the bitter pill that the rest of the hard working Americans will have to swallow over the next four years. Americans are losing their jobs, being warned of impending catastrophe and the Obamas are acting like self-entitled royalty. They have yet to earn their position as First Family, let alone the perks that go along with it.

Get ready for the sequel to Obama's autobiography "The Audacity of Hope." At this rate it will be called "The Audacity of Laziness."

Find the whole article over at American Thinker. Link here.

Nerd alert funny.

The Spendulus is insane. I'm sorry that my kids are going to have to pay this back. There are actually three things you can count on: Death, Taxes and the government can always get bigger. Great.

PALO ALTO, CA - An international mathematics research team announced today that they had discovered a new integer that surpasses any previously known value "by a totally mindblowing shitload." Project director Yujin Xiao of Stanford University said the theoretical number, dubbed a "stimulus," could lead to breakthroughs in fields as diverse as astrophysics, quantum mechanics, and Chicago asphalt contracting.

"Unlike previous large numbers like the Googleplex or the Bazillionty, the Stimulus has no static numerical definition," said Xiao. "It keeps growing and growing, compounding factorially, eating up all zeros in its path. It moves freely across Cartesian dimensions and has the power to make any other number irrational."

Full article here.

Irony so thick you can taste it.

Leaders and Best.

Check the punk move at 1:30. Nice.

Is this a great time or what?

From the internets:

Obama's Victory--A British view
A victory for the hysterical Oprah Winfrey, the mad racist preacher Jeremiah Wright, the US mainstream media who abandoned any sense of objectivity long ago, Europeans who despise America largely because they depend on her, comics who claim to be dangerous and fearless but would not dare attack genuinely powerful special interest groups. A victory for Obama-worshippers everywhere. A victory for the cult of the cult. A man who has done little with his life but has written about his achievements as if he had found the cure for cancer in between winning a marathon and building a nuclear reactor with his teeth. Victory for style o ver substance, hyperbole over history, rabble-raising over reality.

A victory for Hollywood , the most dysfunctional community in the world. Victory for Streisand, Spielberg, Soros, Moore, and Sarandon. Victory for those who prefer welfare to will and interference to independence. For those who settle for group think and herd mentality rather than those who fight for individual initiative and the right to be out of step with meager political fashion.

Victory for a man who is no friend of freedom. He and his people have already stated that media has to be controlled so as to be balanced, without realizing the extraordinary irony within that statement. Like most liberal zealots, the Obama worshippers constantly speak of Fox and Limbaugh, when the vast bulk of television stations and newspapers are drastically liberal and anti-conservative. Senior Democrat Chuck Schumer said that just as pornography should be censored, so should talk radio. In other words, one of the few free and open means of popular expression may well be cornered and eaten by bullies who even in triumph cannot tolerate any criticism and opposition. A victory for those who believe the state is better qualified to raise children than the family, for those who prefer teachers' unions to teaching and for those who are naively convinced that if the West is sufficiently weak towards its enemies, war and terror will dissolve as quickly as the tears on the face of a leftist celebrity. A victory for social democracy even after most of Europe has come to the painful conclusion that social democracy leads to mediocrity, failure, unemployment, inflation, higher taxes and economic stagnation. A victory for intrusive lawyers, banal sentimentalists, social extremists and urban snobs.

Congratulations America !

Retail Insanity (or a clear case of he who hesitates is lost. Depends on your perspective).

I freely admit that I made a mistake. I had several opportunities to purchase a snow blower earlier this winter. I had one in my hand, and in a moment of financial panic, let it go.

But, seriously, the big box stores are now stocking lawn mowers? Lawn mowers? We talkin' about lawn mowers? It's January. In the Upper Midwest/Great Lakes. Nobody is going to be cutting grass for 3 months, at the earliest. I need a snow blower now. What is the deal? Who makes these decisions? What is the sound reasoning behind this policy?

Maybe this country can't spend it's way out of this "financial crisis" because people can't buy the products they actually need (leave the internet and speedwaysales.com outta this. I have a strong aversion to having an item this large shipped and the price is still pretty steep).

I wonder how many people are turned away. After foolishly convincing themselves that shoveling is healthy and better for the environment or not buying a snow blower in July and decide to go the store to get one, only to find it's not possible.

Unreal.

This video is amazing.

wingsuit base jumping from Ali on Vimeo.

What's up, Chuck?

An open letter to Charles Barkley:

Charles, what's the number? You have repeatedly said that 4 out of 118 black coaches is wrong. I agree, but what's the number? How many black coaches should there be? You say that White America has to reach out of the box and hire somebody that doesn't look like them. Racism isn't just a white people problem, Chuck. Unless you want to always be able to play the race card. It's disingenuous to go on tv and radio and suggest that white people only hire people that look like them. That seems to be a human being problem, not just a white people problem.
I applaud your effort to address racism in America. I rebuff your effort to make this about white people.

Hilarious.

Is the fate of automotive industry THAT important?

"...Greatest deliberative body" as in "Greatest Show on Earth?"

It doesn't seem the Congress persons on the Senate Banking and House Finance Committees think so. It was embarrassingly comedic when it was Major League Baseball (see previous post) but since it continues, it is appalling. Government by the people means we are governed mostly by idiots. Then again, maybe we mostly ARE idiots. I guess these people get elected somehow. Serious people should be outraged at this type of behavior. As in oh, I don't know, it's important to correctly pronounce the name because it shows you're engaged, that you take this matter seriously. That you are not above something as inconsequential as pronunciation. That an issue this important requires you to actually work. Work at proper pronunciation. Work at understanding the basic economic principles involved. Work at understanding the Constitution. Work at leaving your personal biases at home and concentrating on governing. Yipes, that's a lot of work.

And to make it worse, the two Senators arguably responsible for the mortgage/credit meltdown are now going to handle this? I'm surprised they aren't telling us that the automotive industry is "fundamentally sound." As if your personal desires and opinions on automotive design should have any bearing on this decision? Is that what the people of Massachusetts think when pulling the voting lever for Mr. Frank? "I'm not sure if this guy is capable of the duties of Congressman or takes the job seriously, but man does he have great taste in cars!"

Maybe we mean "greatest" as in largest?

Autos in Wonderland [Henry Payne]

Two days of auto hearings before the Senate Banking and House Finance Committees makes a powerful commercial for limited government. Some choice moments of foot-in-mouth, tongue-in-cheek, and stupefying arrogance from America’s greatest deliberative body. . .

- Rep. Maxine Waters, (D., Calif.), didn’t even bother to do her homework on how to pronounce the name of Chrysler’s parent company, Cerberus (a Wall Street investment firm). Waters repeatedly pronounced it "Cerebus."

- "It’s just not something I’d ever want to drive," blurted out House Finance Committee Chair Barney Frank, when Rep. Shelley Moore Capito revealed that her father once owned a Chrysler wagon he nicknamed the "Chick Magnet."

- "It doesn't matter how much they say they need. What matters is: Are they going to help Florida and America by building cleaner and, thus, more fuel-efficient cars?" said green zealot Sen. Bill Nelson, (D., Fla.) who insisted that, in return for government loans, the Detroit Three stop fighting efforts by his state and 12 others (led by California) to impose their own auto emissions standards. Such a patchwork of standards are inherently unworkable and opposed by nearly EVERY manufacturer, not just the domestics, because it would necessitate selling cars under potentially 13 different state emissions standards.

- Sen. Christopher Dodd of Connecticut called for the resignation of General Motors’ CEO Rick Wagoner saying he should “move on." Meanwhile, Dodd — the largest recipient of Freddie Mac money in the Congress, beneficiary of plum deals from subprime mortgage villain Countrywide, and a key player in watering down mortgage standards that led to the current credit crisis without which the Detroit Three wouldn’t be in the pickle they are — clings to his post as chairman of the Senate Banking Committee.

- "But what I think we have to put an end to is the head-in-the-sand approach to the auto industry that has been prevalent for decades now," said President-Elect Barack Obama who last year opposed a new, transformational union contract negotiated by the Detroit Three estimated to save $3.8 billion annually for GM, $2.4 billion for Ford and $2.0 billion for Chrysler.

- Sen. Richard Shelby (R., Ala.): You drove up here. Did you drive or did you have a driver? Did you drive a little and ride a little? And secondly, I guess, are you going to drive back?

Chrysler CEO Nardelli: Yes, sir. And I did have a colleague drive, and we rotated.

Shelby: What about you?

Ford CEO Mulally: We carpooled. I drove, and I'm driving back.

Shelby: You didn't carpool with him (Nardelli), did you?

Mulally: No. Carpooled with our Ford team.

Shelby: O.K. What about you?

GM CEO Wagoner: I drove with a colleague. We split it up about 50/50. We drove down yesterday and I'm going to drive back myself Friday or Saturday.

No freakin' way.

The End of the American Experiment.

The country has taken a decided lurch to the left. One that I don't see a recovery from. The ethos of America has changed. Not overnight, but there is a definite change. The pull yourself up by your bootstraps America is fading. The entitlement generation is on the rise. As businesses line up for more government handouts, the Fairness Doctrine, a new tax regime and the potential for nationalized healthcare looms, the Founding Fathers would be left scratching their heads.

Simple but true.

"I prefer American democratic capitalism to Euro-social democracy."

During a recent conversation with a registered republican who is considering voting for Obama, he expressed his frustration with the current "same as it ever was" mentality from Washington and the McCain campaign. His biggest grievance was the pick of Palin as a running mate. Well, which is it? Do you want another Beltway insider and more of the same, or do you really want change? Someone who brings a point of view for typical Americans. Don't attack her "lack of experience." Not in this election. Not when Obamas four years in a presidency would be his longest in ANY job.
See the rest of the Michael Novak article here.

Methodology.

The Messianic Style [Victor Davis Hanson]

Individually, the extra-electoral efforts are irrelevant. But in the aggregate, they start to add up. In 1996 Obama goes to court, challenges the petition signatures of mostly African-American voters, and gets all his rivals eliminated from the ballot and so de facto runs unopposed.

In 2004 sealed divorce records were strangely released destroying the chances of his chief Democratic rival Blair Hull; then in the general, lightning again struck, and Republican front-runner Jack Ryan's sealed divorce records were likewise mysteriously released—and he too crashed, in effect, leaving Obama without a serious primary or general election rival.

In this campaign, Acorn galvanizes to register voters and almost immediately runs into serial charges of voter registration fraud. Now an Obama ad runs asking Americans simply to take the day off to help get out the Obama vote: apparently American businesses, universities, and the government all are supposed to sacrifice hundreds of millions of dollars in lost collective work days to subsidize the Obama campaign in order "to change history"?

When one marries all that with the swarming of radio stations when someone like Stanley Kurtz goes on, the threats to go to court to stop ads, or the blacklisting of TV stations who dared to conduct tough interviews, the same old pattern reappears of by any means necessary. And in turn the explanation for all that?

The messianic style—the cosmic tug to "change history", or stop the seas from rising or the planet from heating, juxtaposed with the creepy faux-Greek columns, Michelle's "deign to enter" politics snippet, the fainting at rallies, the Victory Column mass address, the vero possumus presidential seal, and the 'we are the change we've been waiting for' mantra—reflects the omnipresent narcissism: the exalted ends of electing a prophet always justify the often crude and all too mortal means.

If this is considered 'right', I'd rather be wrong with McCain.

Man, I've been saying this for almost 10 years...

"...would have put to rest the notion that graduation from law school was any proof of either wisdom or morality."

Pulled from a Victor Davis Hanson article over at NRO

Link here.

Attention all undecided voters: Read this.

Is it any wonder newspapers are dying? This guy is exactly right. Public relations machine.

Would the Last Honest Reporter Please Turn On the Lights?
By Orson Scott Card

Editor's note: Orson Scott Card is a Democrat and a newspaper columnist, and in this opinion piece he takes on both while lamenting the current state of journalism.

An open letter to the local daily paper — almost every local daily paper in America:

I remember reading All the President's Men and thinking: That's journalism. You do what it takes to get the truth and you lay it before the public, because the public has a right to know.

This housing crisis didn't come out of nowhere. It was not a vague emanation of the evil Bush administration.

It was a direct result of the political decision, back in the late 1990s, to loosen the rules of lending so that home loans would be more accessible to poor people. Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac were authorized to approve risky loans.

What is a risky loan? It's a loan that the recipient is likely not to be able to repay.

The goal of this rule change was to help the poor — which especially would help members of minority groups. But how does it help these people to give them a loan that they can't repay? They get into a house, yes, but when they can't make the payments, they lose the house — along with their credit rating.

They end up worse off than before.

This was completely foreseeable and in fact many people did foresee it. One political party, in Congress and in the executive branch, tried repeatedly to tighten up the rules. The other party blocked every such attempt and tried to loosen them.

Furthermore, Freddie Mac and Fannie Mae were making political contributions to the very members of Congress who were allowing them to make irresponsible loans. (Though why quasi-federal agencies were allowed to do so baffles me. It's as if the Pentagon were allowed to contribute to the political campaigns of Congressmen who support increasing their budget.)

Isn't there a story here? Doesn't journalism require that you who produce our daily paper tell the truth about who brought us to a position where the only way to keep confidence in our economy was a $700 billion bailout? Aren't you supposed to follow the money and see which politicians were benefiting personally from the deregulation of mortgage lending?

I have no doubt that if these facts had pointed to the Republican Party or to John McCain as the guilty parties, you would be treating it as a vast scandal. "Housing-gate," no doubt. Or "Fannie-gate."

Instead, it was Senator Christopher Dodd and Congressman Barney Frank, both Democrats, who denied that there were any problems, who refused Bush administration requests to set up a regulatory agency to watch over Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac, and who were still pushing for these agencies to go even further in promoting sub-prime mortgage loans almost up to the minute they failed.

As Thomas Sowell points out in a TownHall.com essay entitled "Do Facts Matter?" ( http://snipurl.com/457townhall_com] ): "Alan Greenspan warned them four years ago. So did the Chairman of the Council of Economic Advisers to the President. So did Bush's Secretary of the Treasury."

These are facts. This financial crisis was completely preventable. The party that blocked any attempt to prevent it was ... the Democratic Party. The party that tried to prevent it was ... the Republican Party.

Yet when Nancy Pelosi accused the Bush administration and Republican deregulation of causing the crisis, you in the press did not hold her to account for her lie. Instead, you criticized Republicans who took offense at this lie and refused to vote for the bailout!

What? It's not the liar, but the victims of the lie who are to blame?

Now let's follow the money ... right to the presidential candidate who is the number-two recipient of campaign contributions from Fannie Mae.

And after Freddie Raines, the CEO of Fannie Mae who made $90 million while running it into the ground, was fired for his incompetence, one presidential candidate's campaign actually consulted him for advice on housing.

If that presidential candidate had been John McCain, you would have called it a major scandal and we would be getting stories in your paper every day about how incompetent and corrupt he was.

But instead, that candidate was Barack Obama, and so you have buried this story, and when the McCain campaign dared to call Raines an "adviser" to the Obama campaign — because that campaign had sought his advice — you actually let Obama's people get away with accusing McCain of lying, merely because Raines wasn't listed as an official adviser to the Obama campaign.

You would never tolerate such weasely nit-picking from a Republican.

If you who produce our local daily paper actually had any principles, you would be pounding this story, because the prosperity of all Americans was put at risk by the foolish, short-sighted, politically selfish, and possibly corrupt actions of leading Democrats, including Obama.

If you who produce our local daily paper had any personal honor, you would find it unbearable to let the American people believe that somehow Republicans were to blame for this crisis.

There are precedents. Even though President Bush and his administration never said that Iraq sponsored or was linked to 9/11, you could not stand the fact that Americans had that misapprehension — so you pounded us with the fact that there was no such link. (Along the way, you created the false impression that Bush had lied to them and said that there was a connection.)

If you had any principles, then surely right now, when the American people are set to blame President Bush and John McCain for a crisis they tried to prevent, and are actually shifting to approve of Barack Obama because of a crisis he helped cause, you would be laboring at least as hard to correct that false impression.

Your job, as journalists, is to tell the truth. That's what you claim you do, when you accept people's money to buy or subscribe to your paper.

But right now, you are consenting to or actively promoting a big fat lie — that the housing crisis should somehow be blamed on Bush, McCain, and the Republicans. You have trained the American people to blame everything bad — even bad weather — on Bush, and they are responding as you have taught them to.

If you had any personal honor, each reporter and editor would be insisting on telling the truth — even if it hurts the election chances of your favorite candidate.

Because that's what honorable people do. Honest people tell the truth even when they don't like the probable consequences. That's what honesty means . That's how trust is earned.

Barack Obama is just another politician, and not a very wise one. He has revealed his ignorance and naivete time after time — and you have swept it under the rug, treated it as nothing.

Meanwhile, you have participated in the borking of Sarah Palin, reporting savage attacks on her for the pregnancy of her unmarried daughter — while you ignored the story of John Edwards's own adultery for many months.

So I ask you now: Do you have any standards at all? Do you even know what honesty means?

Is getting people to vote for Barack Obama so important that you will throw away everything that journalism is supposed to stand for?

You might want to remember the way the National Organization of Women threw away their integrity by supporting Bill Clinton despite his well-known pattern of sexual exploitation of powerless women. Who listens to NOW anymore? We know they stand for nothing; they have no principles.

That's where you are right now.

It's not too late. You know that if the situation were reversed, and the truth would damage McCain and help Obama, you would be moving heaven and earth to get the true story out there.

If you want to redeem your honor, you will swallow hard and make a list of all the stories you would print if it were McCain who had been getting money from Fannie Mae, McCain whose campaign had consulted with its discredited former CEO, McCain who had voted against tightening its lending practices.

Then you will print them, even though every one of those true stories will point the finger of blame at the reckless Democratic Party, which put our nation's prosperity at risk so they could feel good about helping the poor, and lay a fair share of the blame at Obama's door.

You will also tell the truth about John McCain: that he tried, as a Senator, to do what it took to prevent this crisis. You will tell the truth about President Bush: that his administration tried more than once to get Congress to regulate lending in a responsible way.

This was a Congress-caused crisis, beginning during the Clinton administration, with Democrats leading the way into the crisis and blocking every effort to get out of it in a timely fashion.

If you at our local daily newspaper continue to let Americans believe — and vote as if — President Bush and the Republicans caused the crisis, then you are joining in that lie.

If you do not tell the truth about the Democrats — including Barack Obama — and do so with the same energy you would use if the miscreants were Republicans — then you are not journalists by any standard.

You're just the public relations machine of the Democratic Party, and it's time you were all fired and real journalists brought in, so that we can actually have a news paper in our city.

This article first appeared in The Rhinoceros Times of Greensboro, North Carolina, and is used here by permission.

Bailout blah.

What an incredible time.

$700 BILLION?!?

I'm having a hard time believing this "bailout" is necessary now. Shouldn't we actually have a crash first? Don't get me wrong, I don't want a crash and hope it doesn't happen, but sheesh.

If we truly are on the verge of a crisis, should our congressional "leaders" be taking a break?

Can we stop the blame game until this is resolved? A true crisis calls for leadership, not fingerpointing, politicizing, posturing or campaigning.

I've already been paralyzed by the presidential campaign as far as posting here goes. I'm waiting to see how this bailout develops....

USA Women’s Beach Volleyball Team Thanks the Prez (VIDEO)

The Decline of Hollywood.

Let me offer the electron elbow to the Left Coast and my dear friend, Mr. "Vote Libertarian!"

I really liked this article by Andrew Klavan in the Washington Post.

In a previous post, I alluded to the "one party effect" on creativity in Hollywood. I think this negative effect extends to culture and "art" (whatever that means).

I also found his reference to a "gray list" interesting. Hollywood elites and the left in general are always proclaiming the right is engaging in "McCarthyism." (Just try and say "Department of Homeland Security" at any Los Angeles hot spot). But that NEVER happens in high level, power suit studio meetings. NEVER.

Snidely funny election stuff.

Thought this was funny enough to place here.


It's unlikely you'll vote for Obama if you....

1. aren't a news anchor.
2. read the New York Times for pretty much the same reason the NSA monitors radio transmissions.
3. automatically conclude that the person laughing in the car next to you must be listening to Rush. Or maybe Obama off teleprompter.
4. dislocated your shoulder trying to explain Obama's position on Iraq to co-workers.
5. find autobiographies generally more interesting when the author has, you know, done something.
6. remember the Carter Administration.
7. would give a month's pay to play Jack Bauer's partner on 24.
8. increasingly agree with Mark Steyn that "almost everything [Obama] says is, well, nuts."
9. think it's relevant — despite what the sophisticates say — that several of Obama's mentors and associates have displayed a dislike for America or a disdain for Americans.
10. think it's relevant that several of McCain's mentors and associates are American heroes of historic magnitude.
11. think about 9/11 more than once a year.
12. have concluded that Larry the Cable Guy makes way more sense than Howard Dean.
13. feel a little safer during turbulence when your pilot is a calm "white haired dude."
14. thought about Hillary's 3:00 a.m. phone call ad when you first heard about Russian tanks in Georgia.
15. wonder why Obama felt it necessary to give a speech on patriotism.
16. get sorta creeped out by 200,000 Germans chanting "Obama! Obama!"
17. think the jury may still be out on Harvard Law School.
18. suspect "merci beaucoup" is French for "empty suit."
19. doubt that teleprompters are really magical dispensers of good ideas.
20. know in your gut that defiantly withstanding 4 1/2 years of torture trumps all of Obama's qualifications and accomplishments combined — regardless of what the elite pundits say.
21. repeatedly find yourself asking "Change to what?"
22. have ever used the term "pompous twit' in the same sentence with "Marx," "Marcuse," or "Sartre."
23. don't like being told what to do — especially by someone who hasn't done it.
24. really like ticking off the media, Hollywood, academics, and PC busybodies everywhere.
25. weren't born yesterday.

From Peter Kirsanow over at NRO

Kid gloves for Barry.

See this in the NYT.

Just bizarre. Barry has this thing in a cakewalk. You can't joke about him. You can't question his past. You have no track record to judge him against. He is the true Teflon candidate.

Isn't it a form of racism to not joke about him? Aren't the white comedians and talk show hosts racist for excluding him from their jokes and monologues based on his race? Hmmm, may have to call the Civil Rights Commission.

Jimmy Kimmel gagged on this interview. Barry is "so polished" that there is no possibility for comedy. Seriously? What about the raw ambition that it takes to actually want to be the Prez? No fodder there. How about the former "spiritual advisor"? Well, that would just be mean. Everybody knows that being mean isn't funny. Comedy shouldn't have an edge.

The Letterman guy kacked too. "We can't manufacture perception"? What? Isn't that what great comedians do? Plus, it's really hard to manufacture comedy. If only there were writers and joke-maker guys around to help with this.....

What is going on around here? Sadly, there doesn't seem to be anybody willing to answer that question or take on Barry. Yep, it's a laydown for him. This thing is over. Sorry Johnny Mac.

Hollywood, life and the creative process.

What an interesting view of Hollywood from this article.

First, the keying of cars is not limited to Hollywood and SoCal. I have a colleague that had a Bush-Cheney sticker on his car keyed here at work. In the county garage. We had the same conversation. It would never occur to me to key a car with prominent Democratic stickers. Heck, my arm would get tired. But the fact is, that sticker is on a car that belongs to somebody else. If they want to advertise their idiocy, have at it, Hoss. Keep you mitts off the private property, got it?

Second, I wondered if a close and dear friend has resorted to shouting out "Vote Libertarian" to ensure the operatives from Hollywood that he is in fact on board. Per our recent discussion, we can change our treatment to make the Guantanamo detainees the heroes, really, we can.

Third, I think Breitbart nailed the withering of the creative process. So what are all the people in Hollywood in it for? The art? The money? The politics? The power? Here comes the cynic in me......

Can orations carry a guy to the White House?

The impetus for this post is an article by Mark Steyn.

I happened to be watching tv just before Ursala the Sea Witch exited the race. One of the networks played Obama and McCain speeches back to back. The Obama speech wasn't the one cited in Steyn's article, but was equally flowing and mellifluous. Obama does have a great grasp on public speaking. Much like a preacher. You almost want to believe what he says. Almost.
The Dems will try to tell us how terrible life is in the U.S. right now. High gas prices, horrible economy, oh and don't forget Bush's war. We need change, folks. I mean, we aren't Europe yet. We have work to do. Not that the current problems have anything to do with failed policies and ideas from Europe. Laissez-faire immigration coupled with Draconian environmental laws. Oh yeah, that can't miss. If Barry does win, I'm sure we'll look back at the time The United States of America tried to become the European Union and how much that hurt.

It's like a trainwreck. I can't look away.

Call it a morbid fascination. Reading this article about Slick Willie just reinforces some of the long held beliefs I've had about him and his wife. Is this a hit job by Vanity Fair, because I'd never vote for her, but this article can't help, can it?

Caution, the article is lengthy.

“We are fighting to eliminate you.”

The "religion of peace" has a long history of violence, especially against the West. In the early stages of this blog, a fine west coast mind put forward the "religion of peace" canard.

I like this article. It reminds me of Conan the Destroyer: "What is best in life?" Conan "Crush your enemies. See them driven before you. Hear the lamentation of their women."

The article is also relevant. Oh but wait, we should dialogue with these guys. Right. How do you conduct negotiations with people that consider the fact the you are talking a sign of weakness? Better yet, why? Appeasement as a policy has a long and sorry history of being totally ineffective. The fact that the United States has done something about terrorism is significant. It's important that we are trying to change the status quo. Nobody likes war, but sometimes it's the best tool.

Look, you can also tie in Sharon Stone. See this quote:

Upon entering the city of Bukhara in 1220 he proclaimed: “If you had not committed great sins, God would not have sent a punishment like me upon you.”

She is just like Genghis Khan when she says that China is being punished by an earthquake for it's treatment of Tibet. Or at least has the same "...pagan, a shamanist" belief system. (Just as an aside, I don't know much about Tibetan Buddhism, but is that a tenet of the religion? A vengeful god/gods punish for our misdeeds?)

Hippocrite celebrities.

Or "Hippy-Crites." Those wacky British.

Still, another reason not to get info from any Hollywood source (I don't consider Squeeze a Hollywood source. He lives in Studio City).

Article.

I gotcha.

Why we can't leave Iraq.

This is a pretty good article.

The heart of the matter:

I was on the ground in Iraq for 16 months, and in that time I talked to hundreds of Iraqis. Some didn't like us; some wanted us to leave, but most did not. What they wanted was for America to live up to its word. They wanted us to rid the country of terrorists and militias so that they could live in peace.

They were willing to help us, but they are not a stupid people. They know that if they commit to the American side and the Americans abandon them as we did in 1991, it means death for them and their families. They know this, and it is real. It is not an abstract idea for them.

Most Iraqis don't support Al-Qaida and the militias, but when our commitment to stay in Iraq and finish the job is in doubt -- as it was when Sen. Harry Reid went on TV and said, "this war is lost" -- Iraqis are going to hedge their bets. They may not support the militias, but when they are betting their lives, most of them are not going to commit to America unless they are assured that America is committed to them.

Nice quote, Mr. Defendant.

So I'm reading this article, mildly interested, when I get to the last line......Wha? Huh?

Is this guy a moron or what? So let me get this straight, I'm getting accused of being involved in satanic rituals that include rape and torture and while I'm being interviewed by the local newspaper, I whip out that quip?

Have you seen the Guinness commercials with the pilgrim? You've got brass, son.

Racism, Obama and stuff.

I see I've fallen in a NRO rut lately. So I ventured over to WeeklyStandard and found this article to be compelling.

I don't see how Obama can separate himself from this Wright guy (preacher seems too dignified). Why am I constantly astounded by these issues of race? It must say something about my own naivete, which I find lamentable. My own serious lack of introspection? A limited intellect? Bull-headed?

On the other hand, it's only March. There's a long way to go to the Presidential election.

Marines. Thank God.

I meant to post something on this earlier. Also the brilliant mayor of Toledo.

Check this video at this link.

“Wouldn’t it be nice if there WAS a force to protect your freedom of speech?”

What a doofus.

Did you see this article?

The golfer actually hit balls at the bird? C'mon guys, what were you thinking?

God forbid we have to do another take. Not to get too granola-y here, but did it occur to anyone that you may have been too close to a nest? Fer cripes sake, take video of the hawk and try to sell it to National Geographic. Could you wait the bird out? Was anybody on the film crew smarter than a bird? I understand that making that instructional clip is very important, but to kill a bird? Really? What if it had been a dog barking? Tee up your driver for that, huh?

Didn't check the laws, but they take that migratory bird stuff pretty seriously in Florida. Seems like cruelty to animals is enough. I'm not travelling down the spotted owl road, and I think you can make logical distinctions between that issue and this one, but for crying out loud, actually hitting golf balls at the bird?

What an idiot.

Geldof and W.

***HAT TIP*** Pat in Covedale

Fascinating article here.

Continuation from post on Febuary 20, 2008.

It's very interesting to read Geldof's take on President Bush. I'm a little shocked by Geldof's flippant comments to the President. Even in an informal conversation, don't you still adhere to some formality? A little respect? A slight nod not only to the man, but to the office? I guess Geldof attended Blackrock University, but don't know if he graduated, but he seems to think he can pass intellectual judgment on President Bush. Thanks, drive by media.

It does seem that Geldof bears some respect for President Bush as a person. Even more important, Geldof is right that President Bush won't get the credit he deserves for his Africa policies. I'd like to see a comparison of aid to Africa between the Clinton administration and the Bush administration.

Interesting take from our neighbor to the north.

See article here.

What an interesting commentary. I'm not willing to give Obama this kind of power yet. I will admit that I know next to nothing about him. I have doubts that America is ready to elect a black man president. I wonder how the enthusiasm on the left compares to the Mondale - Ferraro ticket? I remember at that time that people thought they would get elected just because she was a woman. Wouldn't that be ironic if McCain chose, oh I don't know, Condi Rice? I doubt that is possible, but it's fun to ponder.

By the way, I thought calling him "Hussein" to be kinda funny. Officially, I have no comment.

USS Lake Erie, nice shot.

See this article.

I think this is awesome. I remember an article within the last 6 months about the Chinese capability to shoot down satellites. Good to see we aren't too far behind. Any complaining from China is self-serving drivel. I hope we are working on the technology to have a missle ship shoot down satellites, we need it. Oh and also, Take that, Ruskies!

Well tonight thank God it's them instead of you...

I love this article.

I didn't do any research, but don't know what Bob Geldof said about Slick Willie, "Mr. Don't Stop Dreamin' About Tomorrow."

I'm sure the NYT and 60 Minutes are putting the final touches on their reports.

Angry White Man Voters

See Article here.

I have no guns. At least none that I'm willing to tell the government about.

I'm not really angry either. Beaten into a near senseless state of catatonia. Constantly amazed or dazed.

My hope is that the feud between Hillary and Obama tears at the Democratic party and eventually moves people to the right. Exposing the far left of the party can be a good thing. Who better to pull the curtain aside than a Clinton? Perfect.

I still like the VP.

I will take shots for this and have taken them for this position before.

I found this quote from Jay Nordlinger of NRO.com pretty funny:

And I’m thinking: Cheney knew more when he was playing football and chasing chicks in Wyoming than these two bozos ever will.

Link to full article.

Daywalker in serious trouble.

***UPDATE***
Snipes acquitted. Link here. Wow, was I wrong on this one. Of course, it's always hard to convict famous and well-liked celebrities.


Blade about to be struck down. IRS stronger than silver, garlic and sunlight combined. Blade dull when failing to pay taxes. Tax code sharpest Blade of all. Excuse my indulgence, I'm actually not auditioning for the New York Post.

Wesley Snipes is in big trouble. Article here.

I've always liked his movies. What causes somebody to fall for this stuff? Yes, paying taxes stinks. Something good to remember during this campaign season. Wanna pay more? Think about it before you vote. He's probably going to see jail time. The former IRS commissioner in the article says this kind of case has to send a message. Not that the tax wackos out there will listen, but maybe it will stop somebody from getting sucked into this junk.

I especially like this quote:

Kahn now refuses to leave his jail cell because he believes the court has no jurisdiction to prosecute him.

If they don't have jurisdiction, why are you in a cell? Comedy. Believing you are invisible and actually being invisible are two different things.

MLB and Congressional hearings.

As I listen to espn hammer Congress over the handling of the steroid/hgh hearings, and as much as I hate espn, they are right. What a joke. These people can't pronounce the names? "Mr. Palmeiri's 300 hits?" 300? Mr. Palmeiri? Then the guy has the temerity to snark at the guy, "are you familiar with this case?"

It is fightening. If you're going to hold Congressional Hearings, wouldn't you do a little prep first?

Jeeze, I shoulda dropped out of high school, got a factory job and then run for Congress. This is worse than the old saw, "I can't believe I'm losing to this guy." I can't believe we're being governed by these guys.

Know. The. Freakin. Names.

Hilliary Insight.

2 shocking developments here:
1. Pat in Covedale sending a link to a Camille Paglia article
2. Me actually reading Camille Paglia

Well here's the link.

Fairly harsh, but I think accurate. I've always thought the Clintons were about power, I've made the same observation here on other ocassions. But what the heck do I know?

Union wages and reality.

"the days when manual sunskilled labor can deliver $65-per-hour in wages and benefits are disappearing." - Steve Miller, CEO of Delphi, an auto parts manufacturer.

What a mind boggling quote. The context for this post comes from an article in the WSJ on 1.7.08 and concern the fight between Delphi and its labor unions while Delphi is reorganizing during bankruptcy. (I won't link to the WSJ as you have to have a subscription).

Consider the auto industry and its current condition. $65 an hour? Manual, unskilled labor? Our country and culture have a lot of soul searching to do when planning our economy in the future. I'm just amazed and salty. I should've applied for every factory job in sight while in high school. Higher education? Pah! I'd be close to retirement now, or considering a buyout. Manual unskilled labor.

Lakota Declare Independence.

This makes me sad.

I've often pondered the issue of the plains and other Indians in the USA. I can understand why people would not want to assimilate into our culture today. Heck, there are huge swaths of our culture that mystify, sicken, disgust and bother me. But after 150 years, what is the Federal Government going to do? Send in troops? Federal Agents? This can't end well and sending delegates to foreign embassies is troublesome too.

What's the answer? I doubt its possible to have a rational discourse with these people. Forgive my rudimentary historical knowledge from that time frame, but I think those treaties were signed to prevent sending in troops.

Sad.

NFL player killed.

***UPDATE*** looked up the etymology for the phrase and found this on Wikipedia (a source that is interesting).


I read this article from Jason Whitlock, whom I've cited here before.

His writing is powerful and salient. Why does he seem to be the only voice with this message? I suppose Bill Cosby is close. I wanted to write, "Whitlock is a guy that calls a spade a spade", which I think is a poker reference, but I feared it would be taken as a racial slur. What is this world coming to?

Stephen King and his scary comment.

Saw this from the master of horror. Horror indeed.

Let me get this straight. King obviously believes waterboarding is torture. So the rational, intellectual method to forward discussion is to suggest the daughter of the President be subjected to torture? I suppose he's another of the "compassionate" liberals? I guess it's an interesting tactic, to suggest that another human be subjected to what you believe is torture to prove it is torture. What a jerk. I've read very little of Mr. Kings works, and I think I liked what I read. I doubt if I'm a fan now of the Liberal in the closet. Ha, now that's a true horror story.

Thanksgiving? You bet.

Loved this Mark Steyn article.

Aside from Britain and France, the Europeans cannot project power in any meaningful way anywhere. When they sign on to an enterprise they claim to believe in — shoring up Afghanistan’s fledgling post-Taliban democracy — most of them send token forces under constrained rules of engagement that prevent them doing anything more than manning the photocopier back at the base.

It’s not just Americans and Iraqis and Afghans who owe a debt of thanks to the U.S. soldier but all the Europeans grown plump and prosperous in a globalized economy guaranteed by the most benign hegemon in history.

Brilliant.

The Hawk has his work cut out for him.

Good economic history of Buffalo in this article. You can probably replace Buffalo with Toledo in many instances, except being "showered" with Federal funding. I suspect that Buffalo suffers from the same political leadership vacuum as Toledo. Strong Democratic counties, both Erie and Lucas.

Global warming is a scam.

From the guy that founded The Weather Channel? The same channel that has Heidi Cullen screeching about global warming and insisting that scientist that don't agree should be disowned by the NWS?

See link here.

Fascinating.

Missed October. Drat.

I guess the arrival of new family members will do that.

Did I miss anything?

Mom v. Islamofacism

I love these kinds of stories.

I'm sure there are people like this in all countries/cultures, but it seems like an "American" type of activity. If I have any skill the government can use, I'd probably try to parlay it into a paying job. If I had a hobby that could help.........well, I'd probably still try to get some coin.

I've mentioned it here before, but translation and speaking and understanding the language is probably still a headache for our intelligence services.

Good work, lady in SC.

Not the end of the world? Refreshing.

I really like this article. I'm disturbed by the effect of political considerations and need to win elections on America's foreign policy. Well, that's probably not accurate, as I suppose it has always been the case in our Federal Republic. It certainly makes it difficult. Somebody might say they were for something before they were against it, or something equally dumb. Maybe I expect our politicians to be slick enough to take advantage of our clear successes in Iraq. At first you say, "This 'surge' is a horrible idea and will never work. It will waste American lives." Then after the results are grudgingly accepted, you say, "Our troops are clearly the best in the world. Making a plan like that work. Dang near a miracle. Let's not forget, Iraq is still a very dangerous place. But, staying in Iraq will never work. It's a disaster and is a waste of our resources." Ah heck, it is hard to make these political stands. I don't know how the Dems and the left do it.

The article also makes me wonder about the Vietnam war and the argument that media hurt America. I think it lends some truth. Something to ponder.

Top 25 Skills Every Man Should Know

Per Popular Mechanics.

1. Patch a radiator hose
2. Protect your computer
3. Rescue a boater who has capsized
4. Frame a wall
5. Retouch digital photos
6. Back up a trailer
7. Build a campfire
8. Fix a dead outlet
9. Navigate with a map and compass
10. Use a torque wrench
11. Sharpen a knife
12. Perform CPR
13. Fillet a fish
14. Maneuver a car out of a skid
15. Get a car unstuck
16. Back up data
17. Paint a room
18. Mix concrete
19. Clean a bolt-action rifle
20. Change oil and filter
21. Hook up an HDTV
22. Bleed brakes
23. Paddle a canoe
24. Fix a bike flat
25. Extend your wireless network

Wow, tough list. Looks like I've got some learnin' to do.

After review of the previous post, I almost ended the blog. This blog has jumped the shark.

He's so damn talented.

I may post this every month.

Tiger Woods plays SoCom?!?

No Way!

I hereby extend the invite to Tiger to participate in our Sunday night league night.

He just mentioned SoCom as a video game he plays during an interview on ESPN radio.

A non-NRO linked post about Bill & Hillary

Consider this my weak effort to avoid the charge that I'm a NRO parrot.

Dick Morris has an interesting opinion of HillBill here. I have always said it's about the power with these two. A guy that knows them says virtually the same thing.

What I find revealing is Morris' detailing Hillary's record in the Senate. Junk. Pathetic. Yet she's always in the news.

Sick of Sub-Prime mumbo-jumbo.

Here's a little perspective.

My question is, what's the reason for the press? This can't be having a big effect on the economy. Why is it news for so long?

Bonds is a cheater.

In more ways than one.

Saw this article recently. Curious. Because I despise Bonds, I'd like to believe this.

I've always railed against his body armor, but don't know if I'm giving him a mechanical advantage.

PS Classic 2007

Another classic in the books. What a great time.

It's really a glory tour for the namesake. I haven't seen the official scores and totals, but PS won by about 10 strokes. Consistently good, all the way around. He even pulled it together on the back at Maumee Bay, when it looked like the wheels were about to come off after number 11.

Apparently, sand-bagging is an important element in The Classic. PS bemoaned his putting before and lamented his 3 putts, but he probably didn't have one until Stone Ridge and after 45 holes could count them on one hand.

Matt also tried to lay some beachwear before the first tee. Only played a couple of times this summer. Game not in good shape. Hacked up Butler National the Wednesday before The Classic. Then goes out and plays really well, finishing in second. I think garnered the most birdies. All while hitting an iron off the tee for the majority of The Classic.

I met with some difficulty at The Legacy. Started off ok, but the back nine still has gears and flywheels and shards of metal from the complete detonation of my game. Couldn't get it together, although was able to restore some semblance of respect at Maumee Bay. Doubt the delayed equipment change would have made any difference.

Got a chance to see Bart on Saturday night and had a great time. Really glad he made the trip in and met us for dinner and refreshment. War stories are funny.

As far as the after Classic meetings, it looks like the fourth round is going to stay and all seemed to enjoy Stone Ridge as a venue. Although, if that course becomes private, we'll have to start hunting for another venue and may have to abandon the Arthur Hills theme.

Good times, good times.

What about the child?

What happens to the kids in cases like this? As a society, we should be anxious about this ruling and asking these kinds of questions.

Check the link to the Stanley Kurtz article at the bottom.

Remember the best interests of the child?

86 Rules of Boozing

Link.

Worst President ever? Guess again.

***HAT TIP*** Pat in Covedale

Check this series from IBD. The chilling entry is the last, that connects current D presidential candidates with Jimmy.

While some of the logic is tenuous, the articles are important. Can we require these to be read before voting?

Racial discussions need this type of thinking.

I'm impressed with Jason Whitlock. See an article here. He seems to have a fantastic thought process on race in America. I'll have to see if I can find more examples. I had a similar discussion with a colleague and racial attitudes in society. I wonder what that status of race relations would be if more people in the black community embraced Whitlocks thoughts?

Turn off the Spanish TV? Exactly right.

Arnold is right. See the story here. The comments from Mr. Nogales and Ms. Marrero are the exact mindset Arnold is trying to change. To say that Mexican immigrants are too busy working to learn English is deplorable. It's just a miracle that the French, German, Polish, Czech, Chinese, Japanese, Vietnamese etc, immigrants from the last 200 years have been able to work AND learn some English.

No Mr. Nogales, what's really sad is that people might believe you and think it's naive to learn the language of the country where they choose to live and work.

Kansas tornado damage revisited.

I found this article striking. Two things stand out: First, the resiliency of the Midwesterners. In an earlier piece, the author touches on the spirit of the people directly affected. This article is a nice follow up to that story. Hope to hear more out of Greensburg and the success of the people. Second, the hypocrisy of the left and especially the Democrat governor of Kansas. Trying to politicize or gain political capital from a natural disaster (Katrina) and the suffering of her own constituents. While partying at Jazzfest with another governor that pulled the same shtick? Deplorable. Despicable.

Toledo's travails.

I had been considering a post detailing some of the actions of the Mayor of Toledo. Looks like I've been scooped. Check this link.

I also found this from a former Lucas County Commissioner, link here.

I can't believe the people of Toledo elected this guy. He is single-handedly running the city into the ground. The man has NO economic development experience, yet is the director for Toledo. His policy consists of spending taxpayer dollars frivolously and suing any company with economic interest in Toledo.

He demands action from his employees, yet makes his top officials sit in his waiting room, refusing to start scheduled meetings on time. Ironically, he holds a press conference to announce a hot line that citizens can use to report city workers for loafing on the job.

He is surrounded by inexperienced youths, that serve as "Yes-Men" afraid to provide any advice or say no.

Ever see Seinfeld? He's a real life George Steinbrenner. Calzones.

Gas prices too high?

At least here in NWO. Should come down by about a $1.00. That's my prediction. Let's see what happens.

No-hitter silence Ok?

From a discussion on sports talk radio this morning: If a pitcher is throwing a no-hitter, do you talk to him?

Cowherd thinks the silent treatment is ludicrous. I think I'm more a traditionalist. But if the guy is talking to me, I'm gonna answer him.

Science, Physics and stuff.

I know I shouldn't open this can of worms, but can anybody with any amount of education make the statement, "It's the first time in history that fire melted steel?"

What's really sad is that people have had to spend time explaining the chemistry, physics and you know, general science-type stuff to these idiots. Time that could be better spent probably (Cue the irony music, brought to you by the time-wasting blogger guy).

My pops used to say, "It's hard to soar like an eagle when you're penned up with chickens."

I saw that Shery Crow comment last week. Dang, why do the hot ones have to be so crazy sometimes?

So, it'd be like Toledo now, only bigger?

Unigov?

This does not seem like a good idea to me. It will be very interesting to see what the ideas are for "streamlining" local government. It's probably easier to raise taxes.....

I've often thought Toledo would be a great place for political scientists and psychologists to study. Amazing group dynamics. The Democratic party has no real challenge, so it splintered into an A team and a B team (can't get the tv theme song outta my head everytime I read it). These factions actually run candidates against each other.

At any rate, I'm sure that Indianapolis is a fine place, but if this is such a fabulous idea, why hasn't anybody else done it?

Nice work, "Your Honor."

This guy is a freakin' judge? You gotta be kidding me. We should arrange a sock party for this doofus.

There must always be a United States of America.

Krauthammer is right here. Especially at the end of the piece.

Mr. Krauthammer clearly explains why the UN and EU and even NATO are ineffective. The components do not have the same interests.

Can you believe the Dutch didn't want to discourage dialogue at the expense of those sailors? Outrageous, especially from the country that should know better when dealing with Islamist ideology.

We need to counter Russia and China economically. Develop new sources of energy at the least. It would be nice to remove the strategic importance of the Middle East and thus remove that lever. Of course, what do I care about the UN Security Council? That forum is a joke. Incremental withdrawl is an excellent plan.

Yeah, they may hate us out there, but they need us.

They Banned Legos?

Not going to send my children to a place like this.
The thought process is astounding. Damn our capitalistic society and it's winners and losers! We don't want our children to be prepared for that!

American MI5?

A fascinating article in yesterday's WSJ by Fed Circuit Judge Richard Posner called for the creation of a domestic intelligence agency. Link Here. Judge Posner cites the mission of the FBI as the basis for its lack of effectiveness in combating domestic terrorism.

I think he's right. The FBI is a law enforcement entity, not an intelligence entity. But how hard will it be to convince Congress and the public that a domestic intelligence agency is needed? The CIA seems to be the butt of many jokes today and the recent issues in the run-up to Iraq and beyond are shaking my faith. It can't be much different for the rest of the masses. If we don't think the CIA is doing its job, how will a domestic agency be any better? On the other hand, if you told the Dems that the staffers could be unionized, it might just fly (consider that my bitter sarcasm for the post).

Not to mention the flap the D's created over domestic wire taps. The cries will be loud if this idea is ever proposed. But if it is, I'm behind it.

Gonzales goes from "flap" to "crisis."

I think Fred Barnes gets it right here.

The WSJ ran an excellent opinion on the unprecedented firing of US Attorneys under the Clintons. All for political reasons, mind you. Vast right wing conspiracy? Ha! Vast Clinton conspiracy. Designed to discourage and terminate investigations into the Clintons and their friends.

The Bush Derangement Syndrome runs so deep and strong, I'm almost beginning to hope the Dems will really screw up the 08 elections. Almost.

Have guns, will (Blues) Traveler.

For this weeks WTF file. See this story.

Mike from Colorado, a classmate, once detailed a long plane flight back from Amsterdam sitting next to Mr. Popper. Just before the band became famous. Comedy.

Top 10 Most Played songs on my iPod

1. Bulls on Parade - Rage Against the Machine
2. Cumbersome - Seven Mary Three
3. Here Comes the Boom - POD
4. Killing in the Name Of - Rage Against the Machine
5. Number One Spot - Ludacris
6. Only - Nine Inch Nails
7. Flossin' - Mike Jones
8. Easy Lover - Phil Collins & Phil Bailey
9. Figured You Out - Nickelback
10. Control - Puddle of Mudd

The Ruskies are getting scary again.

After the fall of the Soviet Union, I was really worried that they wouldn't have the infrastructure to maintain security around their nuclear missiles/technology.

Guess I was wrong about that. Seems the KGB(I know they call their security service something else now, but I can't remember what) can do whatever it wants, possibly here in the US.

See this story. And this.

Not to mention that these yah-whos keep selling military and nuclear technology to various regimes in the Levant.

Putin is sounding like the French when he says that Russia needs to act as a counter-balance to the lone super-power.

The U Groove Controversy.

***UPDATE***
See the Golf Channel equipment guru's take on this issue here.


***Hat Tip*** Pat in Covedale

Could be trouble for hackers like me. Is my brand allegiance to Ping in trouble? Check this developing story.

Equipment rules are all over the board anymore. Does the USGA have this under control? I generally defer to R&A and the USGA. I'm starting to think they should have an official ball and let ya swing whatever chunk of semi-precious metal you can forge.

Mr. Carbon footprint.

It's almost comical. Al Gore wins an Academy Award for his opus. Meanwhile, his house consumes more electricity in one month than the average American home does in one year. Hypocrisy. So he reduces his carbon footprint by giving money to some green charity? Left hand gives the right hand some money and it's all good. How does he expect the average American to reduce their carbon footprint? Don't expect to see plastic over the storm windows at Chez Gore anytime soon.

JetBlue. What would you do?

I'm not sure I could take being trapped in an airplane for 10 hours. A 10 hour flight, sure. But sitting on the runway? Not good. Since I have some air travel planned in the not too distant future, I'm working on my strategies for dealing with this type of situation. I suppose I should read some of the FAA regs and maybe the CFR.
My initial reaction was to use my cell phone and call 911. Fake an epileptic siezure? Claim diabetes and demand to be released? What are the chances that there is an air marshall on any of those planes?
These episodes are totally unreasonable. I'd definitely be checking on the efficacy of a false imprisonment claim and any other potential lawsuit. You'd think that air carriers owed you an extra duty of safety and security. Crank up the pleadings machine.

The PTI guys got this one totally wrong.

Do you watch Pardon The Interruption on ESPN? I really like the show. Tony and Mike have a great chemistry and I can only imagine what the sports room at the Washington Post used to be like.
At any rate, they missed big yesterday while discussing the Vanderbilt coach and the player from Florida. If you didn't see it, the coach had the ball in his hands and the kid tried to grab it. The coach knocked the kids hands away and then the kid grabbed the ball. The PTI guys were all over the coach.
What? The coach? Tony said the coach was delaying the game and should have been Teed. Wilbon was off his rocker. Wilbon advocated the kid elbowing the coach. Are you kidding me? Wilbon, get ahold of yourself. Since when is it okay for the player to elbow the opposing coach? Since when is it okay to try and grab the ball out of the opposing coach's hands? When did it become desireable for players to physcially interact with the other coach? Wilbon thinks that college basketball has a problem because the coaches can't be controlled. I think the kid should have looked to the referee to control the situation and yes, the coach should have been called for a technical foul for delaying the game. But to come out and advocate violence against the coach or to blame the coach is wrong.

Why am I continually astounded by this former President?

What is Mr. Carter doing? Attacking the Wiesenthal Center? That's just crazy. See this link.

I have no idea.

I don't have much recollection of him while he was President. I remember our family was concerned about the economy and the hostages in Iran. Nice work.

Refreshing commentary from a D.

**Hat Tip** Pat in Covedale

Check this from Joe Liberman. Right on the money.

Awful. Terrible. Devastating. Crushing.

These are the only words I can come up with right now to describe Ohio State's defeat in the BCS Championship game.

My concern is this loss is more than just a loss. It's a setback to Coach Tressel and to the program. How will they recover? Only time will tell.

Whatever, Gwyn...

Tired of seeing Gwyneth Paltrow and her anit-American views. The most recent occurred in an interview with a Portugese daily newspaper. Paltrow said Americans were "uncivilized" and "less inteligent" than her now current neighbor Brits.
I remember her wailing about American patriotism in the past. Her move to England and marrying of the Coldplay dude says enough. Why do I know all this? I don't know, but I do know that she can take her back-pedaling attempt to save her bank account outta here (see this) .
I find the attempt to preserve her box office appeal sadly transparent. If I could respect you, I could respect you more if you admitted your bias and moved on. The publicist styled effort to claim being misquoted is pathetic. We know your true colors, Gwyn, and they're not Red, White and Blue.

Polonium-210?

I cannot get enough of this story.

How do you explain this type of radiation poisioning outside of Moscow operatives? How?

It's real life James Bond stuff. Unreal.

Check this article from NRO.

The streak is broken.

Didn't make a post for October 2006. Bummer. Almost missed November.

What did I miss?

Former President detached from reality.

**UPDATE**
Here's what Oliver North has to say. Some solid points. Is assassination illegal?



I'm sure you've seen the FoxNews interview with Bill Clinton. I watched it. What a fraud. It's embarassing that this guy was the freakin' President. TWICE. I always said it was about the power, with him and his wife. In a heated exchange with an avowed liberal, my final retort was, "words mean something." Not to this guy. Just recreate and redefine all you want. Now he's on a crusade to protect his "legacy." Good luck with that. Talk about tilting at windmills

Here's a great response from NRO.

"The France of North America."

Classic.

Rich Lowry puts the beat down on that state up north. Harsh. True?

Islamic Hypocrisy reaches new heights.

**UPDATE**
Krauthammer agrees.

**UPDATE**
Find a weighty article here discussing some of the tenets of the "religion of peace." It doesn't seem Muslim scholars are willing to explain/accept discrepancies in the Koran as it relates to jihad and peace. What a shock.

Of course I have to say "new heights" because Islamic hypocrisy has attained heights before.

I read this article and was appalled. It's amazing to see the Islamic countries, organizations, clerics, etc come out of the woodwork to criticize the Pope for his comments. It reminds me of the Mohammed cartoons. Some of the quotes from these people are amazing. Especially since you never hear a peep out of these people when Islamic terrorists are killing Americans on 9/11, Spainiards on trains, Brits in the subway, Coalition forces in Iraq, soldiers in Afghanistan, attack after attack. Yet when the Pope quotes a text from the 14th century, they pull out all the stops, going so far as to enact a parliamentary resolution and demand an apology? You have got to be kidding me. Did any of them do the same for 9/11? I don't know the answer, but I seriously doubt it.

Frankly, I have begun to have serious reservations about the roots of Islamic faith. A careful study of history doesn't reveal a "religion of peace." I used to subscribe to the "a few bad apples spoil the bushel" theory, but my opinion is beginning to waiver.

Dominating crisis for my generation.

Terrorism and the Middle East. Synonymous, really.

Check this article from Krauthammer. Absolutely terrifying. I haven't blogged about this recently because it's so overwhelming.

Within a year? Wow. I had always believed that Israel would prevent a nuclear Iran. They have to. But after the recent tussle with Hezbollah, I'm not very confident in Israeli ability.

Recently, George Will argued that the doctrine of preemption was dead. I wonder if he still feels the same?

PS Classic 2006

***UPDATE***
PS claims that Matt had the first birdie, on the front at RHR. Useful. Useful golf shot.

***UPDATE***
Here's the link for a possible fourth round for next year: Stone Ridge
Comments welcome.

Another Classic is in the books.

What a dominating performance by the namesake of The Classic. He came out on Saturday morning and put the iron boot down and then when asked what is best in life, he growled: "Crush your enemies. See them driven before you. Hear the lamentation of their women." Apparently, his new training regimen worked like a charm. In the past, we saw a weekend swoon, but not this year. There were minor signs of fading starting on 15 of Maumee Bay, but by that time, he was so far ahead, he still coasted to victory. If only we all could have "crappy shots" like his on 16 at the Legacy, that land 10 feet, oops he reminded me it was 6 feet, from the pin.

2006 provided the most complete field in PS Classic history. John was able to get a complete tournament score and also started strong on Saturday, finishing in second place after RedHawk Run. A back injury forced his game off track, but he still competed and completed. Based on some truly impressive green play, he garnered the first Boss of the Moss title. He also got stuck on the couch, which probably didn't help the injury, but he never complained. I tried to tell him the next day how much of an excellent golf companion he is, but he brushed me off and told me to stop mocking him. Let it be known, that JP is still playing the same equipment, and if he wasn't such a great father and good person, he would upgrade in an effort to keep up with the PS arms race.

The new Pops was impressive as usual. After making an equipment change after RHR, Matt brought his drives under control and chopped down his scores. He will be forgiven for allowing Frunk and Dunk to play through at the Legacy, and I'm sure he'll forgive me for giving him all of 5 practice shots at the range. Special nod for bringing his own copy of Old School. Special nod also for his expression after he asked where my inspiration for attending OSU came from, and I pointed at him. The jacket man, the jacket.

Winning this years Seismograph Award is me. It's like the line from Airplane, "13,000 to 900 feet. What an a**hole." I was all over the board. I also made an equipment change after RHR, but I'll take small credit for Matt's change, as it was my need for ammo that gave us the opening to go to Golf Galaxy. At one point, I was going to start my own splinter tourney and call it the Sir-Sucks-A-Lot Open. Only one invitee, me. Thank God PS has seen me hack it up enough to make an effective reccomendation for a new wedge.

The post tourney meetings provided some interesting insight. The Classic Committee had previously broached the topic of rotating venue, and it was discussed again. Also getting strong consideration is adding a fourth round. It was based on my suggestion that it may be the only way we reel in PS, by tiring him out. The discussion focused on a 2-1-1 format, with Friday, Saturday and Sunday golf. Keeping with the Arthur Hills theme, we discussed Stone Ridge as a possible venue. This format will garner serious Committee attention for next year's Classic.
Quoting PS, "Best Classic yet."

Not sure who recorded the first birdie of The Classic, but Frank the Tank is still the preferred celebration.

Put 'Em On The Glass!