I find it amusing that the UK is having the same debate as we are on immigration but with a slightly different twist.

"Most immigrants fill posts that keep the economy going. It is funny how peoples' attitudes to immigration change when they suddenly find a Polish or Lithuanian plumber to do a job they cannot find a British tradesman to do at a reasonable price."

Just exchange "Polish or Lithuanian" to "Mexican" and you could be talking about the U.S.

I am not like most conservatives that are against the guest worker program or other immigration reforms. I know there are problems with free healthcare and employers paying low wages, but living so close to the Mexican border, I have seen too many hard working Hispanics taking long hours and low pay for difficult backbreaking work.

People say they need to come in LEGALLY. Well I am guessing that getting into the U.S. legally from Mexico is a lot harder than getting your learners permit to drive when you are 16, which I had to do today with my daughter and it was RIDICULOUS what we had to go through. The paperwork, the confusing directions on what to bring. My paperwork from Austin said if you had a passport then no secondary identification is required. On the secondary identification listed was a Social Security card. I didn't bring that since it was made clear it wasn't needed since she had a passport. But when we got there they show me a paper that says they now require the Social Security card. The problem was it was on their paperwork that you filled out when you got there, not on my paperwork sent ahead. That is just one example of how completely complicated and confusing the process was.

If this is how hard it is to get a freaking learners permit to drive when you have been a citizen your whole life, speak English, and have a passport, I can only imagine the hell the Mexicans go through to get their citizenship here. So maybe the answer to illegal immigration is to make becoming a citizen less complicated and more about TEACHING them to love America instead of filling out tons of paperwork that no one ever looks at or probably understands.


I wonder if we had Polish people taking these jobs if there would be the same complaints?

Well, this is one way to keep the little rugrats from running around...;-) 

The Washington Post describes Sec. Rice's attire as she landed at Wiesbaden Army Airfield to greet the troops like this: "Rice's coat and boots speak of sex and power -- such a volatile combination, and one that in political circles rarely leads to anything but scandal."

She indeed looks good, although the bleached blonde Billy Idol wannabe behind her might want to rethink his hairdresser. Seriously though. Come on! The post even went so far to say that her outfit brought the mind "To shadowy daydreams. Dominatrix!"

She looks great. Must everything be sexual? I really don't think we are going to see "scandal" from Rice since she is just sooo well known for her wild partying and drinking. I heard that one time at the Crawford ranch she had two beers and starting yelling, "I'm hitting the hay!" as she ran towards one of those haybales in the backyard. Let's hope she doesn't do any table dancing while overseas. That wildcat!!!

Calling on all single girl bloggers.

Mudville has some new blogger soldiers from Iraqi. One is Assumption of Command. He gives some insight on a soldier coming home to no family. He talks about coming home to an empty apartment from Bosnia in the late 90's. (that just breaks my heart) He goes on to explain:

"But not all soldiers have the "wife and kids" waiting for their return. Some soldiers nearest family maybe one or two thousand miles away from their home station. It the cases of soldiers stationed in Germany their nearest family could be an ocean away. These same soldiers have been incredibly close to their teams, crew members, and battle buddies in all facets of their lives. Now all of a sudden all of that closeness is gone and the single soldier is possibly alone without the people he until recently relied on. This can be just as difficult as trying to get used to the spouse that now runs the household without the soldier. The Army tries to prepare us for re-entry into our families. Granted this is very important, but they don't seem to have anything for reuniting with yourself. Just do me a favor don't forget about the single guys and gals just because they are back. Home can be a very lonely place too."

Awww... so go visit his place and see what we can do to help. Some single girl ought to get an organization going to greet the single soldiers when they get home. If you know of a blogger who might be interested in this. Let me know.

Paranoia news....

This from MSNBC:

"A new type of organism discovered in an Arctic tunnel came to life in the lab after being frozen for 32,000 years."

It goes on to say:

"NASA described the newfound critter as "the first fully described, validated species ever found alive in ancient ice."
"They immediately started swimming when the ice melted," Hoover told LiveScience, adding that the cryopreserved bacteria were instantly ready to eat and multiply."

Is this really a good idea?? I mean I don't want some 32, 000 year old happy but deadly "critter" being BROUGHT BACK TO LIFE!
I am no scientist (as I am sure you have noticed) but since it is 32, 000 years old and never seen before, is it really a good idea to wake this bacteria up ready to "eat and multiply??" How could they know anything about it? I keep thinking about that movie with Dustin Hoffman and Cuba Gooding Jr. Where that weird strain of bacteria gets out from a monkey, becomes airborne when they didn't think it could and people start bleeding from their eyes and dying a horrible death. What was the name of that movie?
Anyway, I just hope THEY ARE BEING CAREFUL...;-)

PunditGuy has the The 127th Carnival of the Vanities and I am in it. If you didn't read my post in November about a man I knew. Then go there to read it. It's my favorite post. There are lots of really good ones from other sites there as well.

Beautiful Atrocities has this regarding what I think will be the talking point of the left on the Jeff Gannon thing. But he just blows it away like a rifle shot on a beer can sitting on a fence.

Vanity Fair's James Wolcott on Gannon: "He did provide some genuine insight into the journalistic standards of the far-right fake-news prosties & their blog enablers" [I think that's us, guys!].

"To Gannon, & presumably to other fine fax-gathering organizations being fronted by Republican shills, objective journalism consists of running White House press releases verbatim--to him, that's providing vital information without a 'liberal filter.' Gannon really does embody the Bush-Rove ideal of the journalist as empty vessel."

So true, James! What we need is more fine, upstanding journalists like Dan Rather, Mary Mapes, Eason Jordan, "Reuters", & ABC News Director Mark Halperin, who famously directed his troops NOT to hold Kerry equally accountable as Bush. Alas.

Imagine This.

A discussion with a commenter got me to thinking the other day what the world would be like if we were all like Christ. If we lived by what he taught. I had said there would be no war or poverty, but I realized that there would be so much more that would be different.

Think about it. There would be no prisons, no policemen, no prison guards, no jails, and no bail bondsman. But think about this. NO lawyers! Except maybe for corporate and estate logistics. IMAGINE! A Christian world with no lawyers! It is enough to make you want to convert, isn't it??..;-)

I can say all that coming from a family of lawyers. Also, there would be no judges, except for the few for the stated above problems. There would be no government social programs because we would all take care of each other. There would be no private schools, unless we just do away with the government involved in education and fund them ourselves. Taxes would still be needed to fund highways and roads and such, but the government would be practically tiny.

We could leave our doors unlocked. There would be no rape or murder, no crime of any kind! No one would cheat on their spouse. There would be no pornography, no pedophiles, no divorce, no domestic or child abuse, no babies born out of wedlock, and no abortion clinics.

We would have so much more money to pour into medical research, and no one would price gouge. We could discover more cures for disease.

There would be no homeless, no drug abuse and no suicide. We would admire our teachers, nurses, and doctors not movie stars or sports celebrities. Actors would do movies that inspired and moved us. Sports would be about the sport, and not the money.

We would truly love each other.

Imagine a world like that.

Now , this is not saying that other religions wouldn't bring as much, I am just speculating on it. And it sounds good to me.

I love the way Bush answers questions. When asked about Iran yesterday he said, "The notion that we are about to go attack Iran is ridiculous. That being said, all options are on the table."

You gotta love that. He is saying to Iran,"We aren't going to bother you at all as long as you behave, so watch your backs and keep your nose clean."

This is what was so great about Reagan. He made it clear that he was reasonable, but tough. "Don't mess with us" was his whole attitude. And he ended the cold war, and was one of the main reasons for the collapse of the USSR and who could forget his demanding that the Berlin wall be brought down, and it was.

Bush has the opportunity to here to change things in this world as much if not more than Reagan did. Let us pray he succeeds. I would think everyone would want that.

If you want a good summary of Bush's trip to Europe, suprisingly you can find it here.

Refreshing news in the Israeli and Palestinian conflict:

Feb. 21, 2005 JERUSALEM (AP) -- Israel freed 500 Palestinian prisoners in a goodwill gesture Monday and President Bush pledged to support efforts to resolve the conflict, saying peace based on a two-state solution was within reach.
"Our greatest opportunity, and our immediate goal, is peace in the Middle East," Bush said in Brussels, Belgium, on the first day of a fence-mending trip to Europe.
"Bush also promised to back Palestinian reform, which he said would give momentum to changes throughout the Middle East."

The article goes on to say:

"In a historic Cabinet vote Sunday, Israel voted leave Gaza and four settlements in the northern West Bank and approved a revised West Bank separation barrier closer to Israel's pre-1967 frontier.
With the vote, an Israeli government agreed for the first time since capturing the West Bank and Gaza in the 1967 Mideast war to dismantle some of the dozens of Jewish settlements it has built there. "

Will Bush be able to form the alliances we should have, although many would argue we don't need?

Are we finally seeing the beginning of some sort of peace between the Israeli and Palestinian blood bath?

What I see is EFFORT. What I see is action and not just talk. Will all of it work? God knows. But it is nice to see the action. It is nice to see some work being put into these issues.

I think the alliances are important and I hope Bush succeeds.

We need to focus on the big picture. These are the important things. Not the gossipy stuff that bloggers have been ranting about.

There may not be alot we can do from here about the big things above, so maybe it would be a good time to bring a little civility to the blogpsphere. Let's try to be a bit nicer. How about that? Try a little alliance building of our own.

The Blog Herald has this:

"U.S. Sen. John Cornyn (R-Texas), a member of the Senate Judiciary Committee, introduced legislation on Wednesday to achieve meaningful reforms to federal government information laws, most notably the Freedom of Information Act of 1966 (FOIA). The Openness Promotes Effectiveness in our National Government Act of 2005 (OPEN Government Act) is aimed at substantially enhancing and expanding the accessibility, accountability, and openness of the federal government.
U.S. Sen. Pat Leahy (D-Vt.), the committee’s senior Democrat, is the bill’s co-sponsor.
Importantly for bloggers, the Cornyn-Leahy legislation grants privileged FOIA fees for bloggers and writers for Internet outlets, providing the same status as old media and will protect access to FOIA fee waivers for legitimate journalists, regardless of institutional association - including bloggers and other Internet-based journalists." via William Teach at Little Miss Attila

Very interesting.

As a side note. Mark my words on John Cornyn. He has been well known here in Texas for a long time. He is smart, handsome, conservative, and charismatic. He has been through enough dirty campaigns for us to know that there are no "skeletons' in his closet. A perfect combination for a great political future. Keep your eye on him. We will be hearing from him.

What is more important here? Naked pics or mail fraud? You decide.

WASHINGTON (AP) -- A former staffer for the Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee admitted Tuesday to stealing about $360,000 in donor checks while he was employed there.
Roger Chiang pleaded guilty in U.S. District Court to one count of mail fraud. Sentencing is scheduled for June.
Chiang, a staffer in charge of ethnic outreach and fund raising, was fired from the DSCC after about $360,000 in missing committee donor checks were traced to a bank account he had opened. The DSCC is the main fund-raising arm for Senate Democrats.


Anyone miss this story? Hmmm.... maybe because it was WAY more important to find naked pictures of some no name reporter (now known as the infamous Jeff Gannon) I mean, come on, the guy in the story above was just using hard earned donor's money for Senate Democrats to ...I don't know.. maybe catch some bling bling, dress for success, or get a pimpin ride. That is nothing to compared to Gannon's gayness. Am I right?

Where is that moonbat outrage when it counts? Huh?

I am just going to throw in this eating out etiquette that you probably didn't know, but should know. Very detailed for the etiquette impaired too...;-)

Wonderduck, don't get the big head with all this attention. but this is for you. They even have a Confessional! This is the place to confess your sins, your transgressions, and your Duckiest thoughts to the Popes, the Duck, and the entire world!

If you need one of these , it is time to throw out your computer ,because you have a SERIOUS problem.

all links via The Biomes Blog

"Kennedy wants you to ask Alberto Gonzales if Senators are exempted from drunk driving laws, Hillary wants you to ask him if he'll be investigating any shady cattle futures deals, and Robert Byrd wants to know if he'll put on a sombrero and run around really fast like his cousin 'Speedy.'"
via Caption This!

Now we know.

"NEW YORK Feb 20, 2005 — Private conversations with George Bush secretly taped by an old friend before he was elected president foreshadow some of his political strategies and appear to reveal that he acknowledged using marijuana, The New York Times reported."

Well we FINALLY know the reason behind the whole Jeff Gannon gay hooker/white house reporter story. Karl Rove is a freakin GENIUS. You know he put that naked bald gay escort thing out there so when this story broke, it would look like Bush had practically a pollyanna past.

Seriously, the conversations reveal what we already know about Bush. He is the same in private as he is in public. Honest and forthcoming. In fact I was a bit surprised at how nice he was. I mean I know he is a nice guy, but I also know politics. And when you're talking strategy and such sometimes you can get truly mean no matter who you are.

Love Bush or hate him, what you see is what you get.

Reposted in honor of Wonderduck, in what possibly may be duck heaven. 

Mudville has a great post about a soldier waiting 40 yrs of get a care package. He also gave some links where you can get involved. Last year my daughter's cheerleading squad sent care packages to a division where the cheer coach's brother was stationed in Iraq. I put all the things together, goodies and snacks, books, and baby wipes, and all kinds of things. The girls all wrote letters to the boys with a picture of themselves attached. (Nice wholesome pictures, so stop thinking the "internet cheerleader thing.") I received a wonderful thank you note back via e-mail with pictures of the guys. He said the guys appreciated so much all the goodies, but really all the kind words of appreciation from some high school girls who were growing up in a world that will be safer because of the work of these brave men.

Let's not forget our warriors. Send something if you can. Soldiers' Angels and Any Soldier tells you how.

We have a new kid in town and he is pretty funny. His blog is called The Nose On Your Face. Since I have a thousand things to do today I stole this from him.

Bush To Spotted Owls: "Bring It On!"

In what many are calling the first substantial environmental policy of his administration, President Bush has called for a comprehensive, preemptive strike against all endangered species of animals.
The mission entitled, "Operation Drop Dumbo" , is being carried out, ironically enough, by teams of Navy SEAL's.

"The spotted owl, the fur seal... the whole shebang. The kid gloves are finally off," stated one visibly giddy SEAL commander.

Calls to several top environmental activists were not returned as of noon, but their parents did all promise to give them the messages when they woke up.

When asked about the reasons for this new initiative President Bush replied, "As you all know Republicans hate animals and the environment. I thought it was high time that our policies reflected these hatreds. I have the political capital to push this forward and I intend to use it."

President Bush was evasive when asked about other major policy initiatives for his second term but did state that "if I was gay or a Frenchman I wouldn't be sleeping too soundly just now."


The part about the parents waking the envoronmental activists up is too funny.


This "interview" with Ted Kennedy on Valentines day is pretty hilarious. Check it out.

Can you stand one more post regarding Jeff Gannon? Here is what Ari Fleischer had to say about his dealings with the "reporter." He wasn't comfortable with him, but did say that Gannon was.... "just as legitimate as some of the fringe organizations in the room."via Salon.com

UPDATE: Paul at Wizbang has some more and we finally hear from Gannon himself.


This can't be good news for Hillary.......

According to Salon.com "David Geffen said during a question-and-answer session in New York that Hillary "can't win, and she's an incredibly polarizing figure." Although Geffen has poured buckets full of money into Democratic campaigns over the years, it sounds like he's unenthusiastic about dropping cash on a second Clinton's run for the White House. "Ambition," he said, "is just not a good enough reason."
-- Tim Grieve

Ouch.

What should we do about this ? It seems the public schools in Lincoln Nebraska allow kids to go to any public school in the area, not just in their own district.

"Like many of Nebraska's school systems, the Lexington district where Dick Eisenhauer is superintendent has seen an influx of Hispanics, largely because of jobs at the meatpacking plants, and an accompanying exodus of white students to public elementary schools just outside town."

"As a result, in Lexington, the in-town schools, with an enrollment of 2,500, have 804 students learning English as a second language, and 1,172 who are getting a free or reduced-price lunch. The six outlying elementary schools have about 130 students - none of them English learners, none of them living in poverty, according to the state Education Department."

Cecilia Huerta, director of the state's Mexican-American Commission says "People in Lexington and Schuyler do not want their kids being polluted by Latin Americans and Hispanics," Huerta said. "They think they're not going to get the quality of education if they have a diverse classroom."

Not so says..." Chris Dvorak, a white parent who has two children who attend a school outside Schuyler, said she sent her children there to avoid overcrowding in town, not to get away from Hispanics. "I would have done the same thing if they were all white kids," Dvorak said.
There are 45 students enrolled at Dvorak's children's school, compared with more than 850 at Schuyler Grade School.

State Sen. Chris Langemeier of Schuyler pointed out that anyone can attend the outlying schools. "It's not an elite group that gets to option," he said."

"But Aguilar said Hispanic students do not go to the schools outside of town because in many Hispanic households, both parents work and do not have cars to take their children to class."

Now the state Legislature is considering a bill to thwart what some say amounts to legal segregation in the schools. Thereby closing the small outlying schools.

So say your a parent and you have an option of sending your kid to an overcrowded school of 2,500 students or a school with 130 students. Of course any parent with the ability to drive their kids to the outlying smaller schools is going to do it. I really don't think the "polluted" statement by Heurta is fair at all. And like one parent pointed out, Mexicans are welcomed there as well. It isn't diversity the white parents are afraid of, it is too many freaking students of any color. Overcrowding is without a doubt, a major cause of poor education in any school. But now the legislature is considering a bill to close down the outlying smaller schools and force the kids into the crowded public schools near their homes.

What do you think will happen? Private schools will flourish and you will have the exact same situation. Government trying to force parent's hands is just not going to work.

What would you do if you were the Superintendent?

Just something to think about on a Saturday night.

Due to increasing product liability litigation, it has been suggested that American liquor manufacturers place these warning labels on all varieties of alcohol:

WARNING: The consumption of alcohol may make you think you are whispering when you are not.

WARNING: The consumption of alcohol may cause you to tell your friends over and over that you love them.

WARNING: The consumption of alcohol may cause you to think you can sing.

WARNING: The consumption of alcohol may lead you to believe that ex-lovers are really dying for you to telephone them at four in the morning.

WARNING: The consumption of alcohol may lead you to think people are laughing with you.

I just watched the Conservative Political Action committee conference on C-Span. You know, I love my party, but a more geeky looking bunch cannot be found. Maybe there is a link between geeky looks and intelligence, I don't know. But smart wins out over looks to me any day anyway.

The one thing Dick Cheney said that brought groans was that there are more people working on filing and working on tax returns than there is in the American military. (At least I think that is what he said) And it is no wonder that brought groans. Good God, that is mind boggling.

The speeches were good and spelled out what the future of our party faces and how much we have won and how far we have to go.

On a side note, I noticed that all the black people in the room were either at the table to speak or in the audience. The serving staff was made up of what seemed to be Hispanics and some of Indian origin. I didn't see one black waiter.

Guess that blows Dean's theory, huh?

Since I spent most of this week defending gays, I thought I might spend some time defending someone who was unfairly targeted for the dreaded "homophobia!" You probably heard all the hoopla over Dr. James Dobson, director of the Christian organization Focus on The Family out of Colorado Springs, Co. Supposedly saying that SpongeBob was gay. The media got it wrong on all accounts. This organization has been around for along time and like a lot of Christian organizations didn't really get involved in the political process until abortion became legal, and since that is a grave moral issue, felt they needed to get involved. Now with gay marriage being on the forefront, they are involved in that as well.

I first became aware of Dr. James Dobson from his secular child rearing books. I swear I would not have made it through parenting without reading his The Strong Willed Child. I recommend it to anyone with a stubborn difficult young child. He has written several more.

Dr. Dobson holds a Ph.D. in Child Development from the University of Southern California. He served for fourteen years as the Associate Clinical Professor of pediatrics at the USC School of Medicine, and for seventeen years on the attending staff of Children's Hospital of Los Angeles in the division of child development and medical genetics.

He is not a preacher. And what has always impressed me is that he does not take one dime from his non-profit organization Focus on The Family that he runs. He lives off the profits from his child rearing books. Although I am Catholic, I have always had a deep respect for him. He has never sounded 'wacky' or like some kind of TV evangelist. He and his wife and 2 kids always lived modestly and he has always practiced his faith in a kind and humble way.

The whole thing began when Dr. Dobson spoke during the inaugural week at a banquet hosted by the Family Research Council. He shared his concern over a video that was about to be distributed to 61,000 public elementary schools across the nation for use on the proposed "We are Family Day." March 11th.

The video featured nearly 100 favorite cartoon characters for kids. Not only SpongeBob, but Barney, the Muppets, Winnie the Pooh, and many others. Dr. Dobson said that nothing in the video was overtly sexual. What concerned Dr. Dobson was the organization sponsoring the video making a variety of explicitly pro-homosexual materials on it's Web site. One of the resources accompanying the video was a booklet which list it's allies as five of the largest pro-homosexual organizations in the nation including GLAAD and the Human Rights Campaign. The Web site made available school lesson plans that suggested these questions of elementary age students:

*How are you affected by homophobia?
*How would you be affected by your sexual orientation were it different than it is now?
*How will understanding these definitions change your thinking about compulsory heterosexuality and homophobia?

And then a hand out entitled, "Talking About being Out" there was this:

*Do you know of any people in your school whose sexual orientation differs from yours?
*What are some factors that might encourage or discourage a person about being 'out' as homosexual or bisexual in this class or school?"

This is just a sampling. And remember. These are elementary school kids we are talking about, K-5th grade.

A few days after the controversy erupted We Are Family Foundation's web site deleted the majority of overtly pro-homosexual content. Then the founder of the organization, Nile Rodgers went on the "Today Show" and said that Dr. Dobson had the wrong site and that they had nothing to do with homosexuality. Dr. Dobson claims he has clear documentation of the materials before they were removed. But the media isn't interested in that part of the story, of course. Making Dobson out to look like a fool was their intent.

Dr. Dobson has made it clear by saying "...to teach children to respect each other and to accept those who are different. We are entirely supportive of that message. I have been teaching it for years." But he sees clearly here an agenda operating here to teach young children about sexual behavior in a certain way which may contradict what their parents are teaching them, or exposing them to sexuality before their parents feel they are ready to learn about it.

Dr. Dobson emphasized in his letter to supporters that "Every individual is entitled to respect and human dignity, including those with whom we disagree strongly. The problem is not with acceptance or kindness, certainly. But kids should not be taught that homosexuality is just another lifestyle or morally equivalent to heterosexuality." And I will add, unless the parents wish to teach that to their children. It is the parent's responsibility to know when and what to teach their children about sexuality, not the teachers. Certainly not in elementary school.

It is truly unfair for Dr. Dobson, a highly respected man, being targeted for being conservative and Christian and speaking his mind. The media tried to paint him as a religious wacko, when it was the "We are a Family Foundation" that was being dishonest by removing material from it's website in order to make Dr. Dobson seem confused on the matter.

I don't think we will be seeing the media correct it's protrayal of Dr. Dobson any time soon. I think they feel their mission was accomplished.

Quote of the day.

"You think the Republican National Committee could get this many people of color in a single room? Only if they had the hotel staff in here."

Howard Dean during a meeting with the Democratic Black Caucus Feb.11th, 2005. Reported by the AP. via Kevin at Wizbang

Because we all know that only BLACK PEOPLE work low level jobs as hotel staff.....My God! How insulting is that?

Well, here's a newsflash for Dean, the RNC could probably get that many black people in a room by HAVING A BUSH ADMINISTRATION CABINET MEETING.

I think it is time to form a new committee. The GABWAGTBUBDAC. That is the "Gay and Black We Aren't Going To Be Used By Democrats Anymore" committee.

Reporter's questions causing problems everywhere!

Mayor of London Ken Livingston sparked a "controversy when an Evening Standard reporter asked him for a comment at the end of a party celebrating the 20th anniversary of Chris Smith's decision to come out as the first openly gay British MP. The mayor asked the journalist: "Were you a German war criminal?"
The reporter, Oliver Finegold, revealed he was Jewish, and Mr Livingstone replied: "Ah, well you might be, but actually you are just like a concentration camp guard. You are just doing it because you are paid to, aren't you?"via The Guardian

PM Tony Blair is asking Livingston to apologize and it seems Livingston is saying "your not the boss of me."

Imagine one of our politicians saying that? I guess Livingston should have just said "You are just doing it because you are a paid gay hooker, aren't you?"

And then it would have been fine. At least here it would be. Right?

It's disquieting at first, but eventually new senators get used to Senator Mikulski snapping flies out of the air with her tongue.
via Caption This!

ABC News business headline:

Stocks Down Ahead of Greenspan Speech
Dow, Nasdaq Trade Down After Posting Gains; Investors Prepare for Alan Greenspan Speech.

I am always amazed at the power this man has. It has to cross his mind sometimes that he could just go make some stuff up and just totally mess with the entire economy. What would happen if he gave his semi-annual report to the Senate banking committee completely drunk? Or starting quoting from Atlas Shrugged. what would the Dow do?

I'm in a wierd mood today, can you tell?

Have you seen this man? If so, call your local police. Heh.

Kid Rock of "don't let that hedonistic man ho play at the Bush inaugural" fame, has a warrant out for his arrest for assaulting a DJ at a Nashville Nightclub early this morning.

Those Southpark Republicans.....what are we gonna do with them?

The New York Times has this interesting article:

" The Pentagon predicts that robots will be a major fighting force in the American military in less than a decade, hunting and killing enemies in combat. Robots are a crucial part of the Army's effort to rebuild itself as a 21st-century fighting force, and a $127 billion project called Future Combat Systems is the biggest military contract in American history."

The article goes on to say:

"Robots in battle, as envisioned by their builders, may look and move like humans or hummingbirds, tractors or tanks, cockroaches or crickets. With the development of nanotechnology - the science of very small structures - they may become swarms of "smart dust." The Pentagon intends for robots to haul munitions, gather intelligence, search buildings or blow them up.
All these are in the works, but not yet in battle. Already, however, several hundred robots are digging up roadside bombs in Iraq, scouring caves in Afghanistan and serving as armed sentries at weapons depots.
By April, an armed version of the bomb-disposal robot will be in Baghdad, capable of firing 1,000 rounds a minute. Though controlled by a soldier with a laptop, the robot will be the first thinking machine of its kind to take up a front-line infantry position, ready to kill enemies."

Pretty cool, huh?

Beth My Vast Right Wing Conspiracy and Hyscience are trying to draw attention to Terri Shiavo, the woman whose husband has been fighting to have her feeding tube removed. Her parents have been fighting him. Both sites have the videos of Terri responding to her parents, clearly not in a vegetative state. Hyscience has this:

"The husband, who is engaged to another woman by whom he has two children, has sought and obtained a court order from Sixth Court Court Judge George W. Greer to withhold the feeding tube from Terri which will cause her death by starvation and dehydration."

If you can, pass this on in your own blog or e-mail. Go to Terrislife.org
and see what you can do to help.

Warrior Update

Enough of being a part of the vast rightwing conspiracy to defend gays!

It is past time for a Warrior update:

Blackfive has some AWESOME pics from Afghanistan and Iraq including one as our Warrior "covers a door with his 9 mm pistol as the interpreter calls for the owner to come out at the home of a known criminal located in a village located on the outskirts of Bayji, Iraq, on Jan. 24, 2005."

Michelle Malkin follows the story of a "Marine who may face the death penalty for killing two Iraqi insurgents in the heat of battle in a terrorist-infested town near Baghdad." More here and here.

Trying to Grok puts it briefly and well:

"If the story actually happened the way LT Pantano says it did, then I'm about sick and tired of our soldiers and marines getting charged with murder in Iraq. If I may quote State of Fear...
If someone tried to kill you, you did not have the option of averting your eyes or changing the subject. You were forced to deal with that person's behavior. The experience was, in the end, a loss of certain illusions.
The world was not how you wanted it to be.
The world was how it was.
There were bad people in the world. They had to be stopped."via Mudville
who has it put together well with even more links.

MOSUL, IRAQ (February 15, 2005) – In yet another instance of disregard for the sanctity of Islamic holy places insurgents launched an attack on Multi-National Force Soldiers from 1st Brigade, 25th Infantry Division (Stryker Brigade Combat Team) in northern Iraq today.
Read the Entire Entry...» via Stryker Brigade News


With the elections behind us we need not become complacent about the dangers our soldiers still face every day. Keep your prayers coming. This aint over yet.

The Jeff Gannon story that won't go away.....

This Jeff Gannon thing sure has the leftwing blogger's panties in a wad. Jeff over at PW has his funny but naughty (be warned!) take on it. Poor Jawa Report is being swarmed by moonbats! Wizbang discusses how the dems are so wrong on this. Just One Minute asks why the NY Times is listening to Kos on this.via BA. Ace has his take on it as well. Here is what I had to say about it Thursday.

It seems that what is driving the leftwing bloggers crazy is that we are sticking up for this guy. They have accused him of being a "gay hooker" and having something to do with the Plame/CIA affair. I haven't seen any evidence of either. Even if true, it doesn't mean he can't get a press pass. Ameriblog seems to have some racy pics of Jeff Gannon but I didn't bother clicking on them. The lefties seem to think that it is hypocritical for us to defend someone who doesn't espouse "family values."

When did we ever claim to be perfect? I don't like what this guy seems to be doing, but it is his life. I don't think a wild sex life posed a danger to the President at the press conference Gannon attended. Contrary to what lefties may think, we don't make sure a person is sinless before they enter the press room. If that were true, no one would be there.

Let's just get to the truth of the matter. What the leftwing bloggers are really mad about is the question Gannon asked. Saying that the democrats were "divorced from reality" was just too much for them. How dare he??? Only rude leftwing spun questions are allowed in there!!!!!

I know I am just adding to this. But we seriously need to let this one go. I am just wondering if Gannon is somewhere curled in a fetal position at his mom's house or racking up some serious $$$$ for dates. I am also wondering if he has any idea how much we are sticking up for his sinful ass...;-)

Love means loving you anyway.

I found this article in the Washington Post sad. Maya Keyes, daughter of outspoken, conservative, and former candidate against Barack Obama (D) for the Illinois Senate seat Allan Keyes, has openly admitted to being gay and is now estranged from her family. During the Presidential campaign I admired how Dick Cheney handled the questions about one of his daughter's sexuality. He made it clear that he loved her dearly, but still held to his own values. Not that the left or the media ever gave him any credit for it.

How difficult it must be to have this situation in your family. I guess I am lucky that I don't even have to deal with political differences in my family. They are all Republicans (although it took a few years for some to get there). At least we don't have heated fights over the holidays. I don't have any family members who are gay, but I have had friends, of course. But that is different. Especially when it is your child and you have raised them in such a way and you feel they are living differently from that which you have taught them. My kids are not on their own yet, but I know there is nothing they can do that would keep me from loving them.

When it comes to Christian faith, sexuality is a difficult subject. It is, of course, just as sinful to have pre-marital sex or to commit adultery as it is to have homosexual sex. So it would be as upsetting to me for my kids to live with someone of the opposite sex as it would for them to live with someone of the same sex. I would love them all the same. I would never disown them or not speak to them as it seems Alan Keyes has done with his daughter. (as a side note, I met Alan Keyes and his family a few years ago at a pro-life march. They were very gracious and nice.) His daughter, even though she has proclaimed to be a liberal, remains pro-life.

But what is worse than having to deal with different values in a family, especially religious values, is having to deal them as a public figure. It just must be AWFUL. Just like this Jeff Gannon thing, some people just feel that everything is open game.

In the end, we are all responsible for our own actions, sexual or otherwise. I can only teach my children what I feel is best for a happy life. They will make their own decisions. Loving them does not mean accepting everything they do or believe. If Alan Keyes and his wife have disowned their daughter then that is wrong. Christ had dinner with tax collectors and what could be WORSE than that????? Evil personified!!! My point being is that Christ knew that you can't love someone if you don't spend time with them. You can't get through things without showing them that you care. Oh, how the pharisees ranted about it! They just couldn't believe he would have dinner with sinners. Even the disciples questioned Christ speaking to the woman at the well, the woman who had had many men. He stopped the stoning of a prostitute. We all know what he said next. "Let those without sin throw the first stone." But hardly anyone speaks of what he said next to the prostitute. "Your sins are forgiven, go and sin no more." Now that is a tough one. As Christians we are called to go and sin no more. But we do. And Christ just keeps forgiving us, when we asked for it. When we mean it. When we love Him.

Perhaps Alan Keyes and his family will always have to accept their daughter's lifestyle. Maybe they will have to learn to live with her decisions. I know that will be hard. But it isn't easy for her either. She loves her family. Being rejected must be horrible. I can't even imagine it in my own family. I don't know all the answers, but one thing I do know. Love always wins. It does. Loving someone, despite your disagreements. Showing them that love, not just saying it, always wins. Always.

Saint Valentine

"The first of the Saints considered to be St. Valentine was a Roman Priest or Bishop of the Christian faith, who was also a physician and practised his trade from his house. He was said to cure the sick of ailments, giving them special medicines or ointments. He was said to have done this out of the goodness of his heart sometimes refusing any payment whatsoever or accepting a loaf of bread or whatever could be spared by the sick.

One Day the jailer bought his daughter to see Valentine, so as to see if she could have her sight gained and Valentine was said to have rubbed an ointment on her eyes and told the jailer to bring her back once a week to have the ointment rubbed on her eyes. Every night he would pray under the dark of night for the sick to be cured. As a result of his beliefs he was arrested and thrown in jail. The jailer who could not do a thing went to see Valentine moments before he was to be executed at which point Valentine asked for a piece of paper and pen on the piece of paper it is said he was suppose to have written 'from your Valentine' and inside the paper also was a blossom of which it is said gave the girl her sight.

Today we celebrate St Valentine's day by exchanging gifts such as cards, candy, flowers, etc. The reason why we celebrate it on February 14 is this was the day on which it is said that St Valentine was executed". via womensforum.com

I will be receiving a new front loader washer and dryer for Valentines. No flowers or candy for me. Give me a new appliance any day. It isn't that I don't appreciate romance, but a practical much needed gift is more my style. Besides, I am even getting it in a champagne color.

A Valentine to Michael Moore.

I had a busy busy weekend. I have some sports overlapping and a Valentine dance for the whole family. You haven't lived until you have taught your 8 yr old to swing dance.

Anyway, Happy Valentines Day to everyone! I always have gotten my kids valentines with some sort of chocolate candy, but I waited until the last minute and ran to Walgreens last night. I feel so sorry for these young guys. They wander around the Valentine section looking like lost puppies. But they have such great things now. Like the chocolate roses on a stem wrapped in red foil. Sweet. And one of my favorites is the chocolate keys, that say "you have the key to my heart."

Well, do you think you can stand another look at Vanity Fair magazine? They did a piece on Michael Moore and it wasn't a valentine, I can tell you that. I think they sort of blame him for pushing the envelope in trying to bring Bush down and it backfiring on him. Just so you know, Michael's next hit piece is on the health care industry called Sicko. No, I am not kidding. Moore says, " It'll never be the same for the H.M.O's again." Although Moore won't be getting his must desired Oscar for Fahrenheit 9/11, he did receive the award for Best nonfiction film for the New York Film Critics Circle and a People's Choice award for favorite film. (although, I think that had to be rigged somehow. I mean really. Do you think regular people voted for this film as their favorite???) During the interviews the author of this piece (Judy Bachrach) has with Moore, it seems every time she mentions anyone in the industry critical of him, he goe off on a rant. Even Steve Grossman, a former Democratic National committee chairman, who also chaired Dean's failed campaign for President says while the film did help "create unprecedented unity and energy," he says, " it was in a deceptively small segment of the Democratic Party and base and then there is the law of unintended consequences." Meaning that it energized our base as well and people not involved in politics really don't like to see their President trashed, no matter who he is. Moore's reaction to this statement of Grossman? He said, "What I did, what MoveOn did, what Bruce Springsteen did--we prevented a Bush landslide." An interesting admission on Moore's part. Moore was so determined for a Kerry win that he flew to 63 cities in a little more than a month, encouraging young listeners on college campuses to register to vote. He also offered boxes of clean underwear and ramen noodles to students who promised to vote. An uninspired sort of bribery, don't you think? Perhaps he should have gone with thongs and popcorn. At least it would have been more interesting and tasty.

When Moore is confronted with how Bin Laden sneered in his last tape before the election saying Bush was "listening to a child discussing her goat." while thousands of Americans in the Twin Towers were incinerated, a scene highlighted in Moore's film and obviously what Laden was referring to, Moore doesn't find this credible. Moore asked, "Where did Bin Laden get the DVD player? How did he plug it into a cave?" Hmm... Dude, he was being filmed. By a camera. I think he had access to some electricity.

Moore loves to describe himself as a working class kind of guy. He reminds people he was born in the blue collar town of Flint Michigan. When asked about all the money he has made he says, "A guy like me, with a high school education, who is suppose to be working in a factory," he muses, "that chance to reach as many people as I have, that's something I do not take for granted." Sounds good, but the truth is that although he was born in Flint, he grew up in nearby Davison, a mostly white, middle-class community. And although Moore's father did work on the assembly line of a G.M. plant, he managed to send his three kids to college. Moore dropped out of college at the University of Michigan after one year. So it was Moore's choice to only have a "high school education," not because he couldn't have a college education. But it sounds better that way, doesn't it?

Moore worked for Mother Jones for five months in 1986, but was fired for "being ornery," said the boss. Moore sued for $2 million and got $58,000 in a settlement. He also worked for Ralph Nader for a short time before his film idea about G.M was inspired, Roger and Me. A New York film maker named Kevin Rafferty gave Moore considerable help with the film. Ironically Rafferty is George W. Bush's first cousin!

Moore seems especially mean in his humor to destroy those he disagrees with. After an intern died in the office of conservative Joe Scarborough (now a pundit on MSNBC), Moore registered the domain name JoeScarboroughKilledHisIntern.com.

You remember Lucianne Goldberg, friend of Linda Tripp during the Clinton/Lewinsky scandal? She is a neighbor of Moore's and he set a what he called a "lucycam" trained on her apartment and put it up on a website called seelucianne.com, she says. The idea being that Moore wanted Goldberg to see how it was to have her privacy invaded. Lucy turned around and asked the National Inquirer if it wanted to paste an ad in her window, and made $1000 a week on the deal.

You have got to love that.

Remember Moore's awful portrayal of Charlton Heston in Bowling For Columbine? Heston was charmed by Moore, who, if you can believe this, is a member of the NRA. Heston felt he was being interviewed by someone on his side. Another interesting tidbit in that film is the part where Moore opens an account for a certificate of deposit at The North Country Bank and Trust in Michigan and was given a rifle within 15 minutes for doing so. The bank has insisted that that part of the film was staged and that there was no way for someone to get a gun in that time. One must fill out a ton of paperwork and wouldn't get the gun for 6 weeks. Moore says he has talked to the woman from the bank and threatened to sue. When the author of this article calles the woman she seems nervous and says she has been told not to talk, but the author asks, "Do you stand by your story?"
" Yes," she says.
"That the gun event was staged?"
"Correct."
"That it took something like 6 weeks to get a gun?"
"Correct."
The author then asks if Moore has threatened to sue her. The author seems to think it "seems peculiar for a man of the people to lob a bomb at one of his own."
"He did, yes." the woman from the bank says.

This Moore sounds like a hell of a guy, doesn't he? Keep in mind, this isn't The Weekly Standard here, this is Vanity Fair, a leftwing magazine if there ever was one.

Douglas Urbanski managed Moore's career for about 10 months in the late 90's. He says Moore was the only client he ever fired. He remembers asking Moore to describe himself. Moore said, "I think I should be the biggest star of a sitcom in America. I can write it, I can create it, I can act in it. I can be bigger than Jackie Gleason and I don't know why it's not happening... I am a movie star! I can write and direct movies!" The rest of the article (yes, it was a very long article) goes on to describe some of Moore's conspiracy theories, how his film and Mel Gibson's film The Passion of Christ, are a lot alike in many ways. This article paints a bizarre picture of a man deeply committed to being rich and famous while fooling himself into believing that he is doing it for a better cause. It is the mean things he resorts to that bothers me the most. He seems vindictive and bitter. I am wondering if his next film, Sicko, about the health industry is paving the way for Hillary and her presidential ambitions. It couldn't hurt for her biggest defeat, the federalization of health care, to be proven right. (At least by Moore's standards) Moore has tasted the sweet wine of fame and I can guarantee you we haven't seen the last of him. It says in the article that he wanted to change politics, and he isn't the kind to stop until he has done it.

An Inside Look at Dan Rather

Each issue of Vanity Fair Magazine always brings me an extremely interesting tidbit. I get the feeling that VF honestly doesn't think anyone on the right reads this magazine. The Editor Graydon Carter's years of over the top anti-Bush, anti-Republican rants may have driven all those even leaning to the moderate right away, so perhaps I am the only one.

Michael Wolf has an article on the demise of the nightly network news. He describes this year's annual CBS holiday press party when Dan Rather suddenly appears in the room. Wolfe says he seemed "stoic, willfully dignified, his face set, almost immobile." As Rather headed toward him Wolf wondered how to tactfully deal with Rather's professional disgrace. Wolf finally manages, "Really....how.....I mean....do you think it is that you have become such a......buzzword.....for the right wing.? "You tell me." Rather replied. Wolf said Rather stood "like an old soldier, stiff, stuffed, painfully erect."

How did he become a buzzword? Hasn't Rather always been what we deemed on the right as bias? This isn't new. We have ranted about Rather for decades. But this time Rather tried to put a fake document on the air, run a story that was false, and he got caught. But Rather, of course, doesn't see it that way.

"Civil Rights," said Rather. "Vietnam, Watergate. These were the stories we told. We're now being blamed for them."

Uhh...no. You are being blamed for never being fair politically. Your being blamed for letting your ideology come before your journalistic ethics. How many of us on the right were for Civil Rights? Against Vietnam? Horrified by Watergate? I think a great many of us. No, Dan, it wasn't the stories, it was the way you framed them. And it wasn't even those stories. It was all the stories in the years since. Decades of bias reporting that sent most of us to talk radio to TRY to get the other side of the story.

If it hadn't been for Rather, there would be no Fox News. Not because he paved the way, but because the marketplace demanded some fairness.

But even Wolf admits how pathetic that sounds:

"That we were back in the 60's was certainly pathetic. That we were blaming all our troubles on the great right-wing conspiracy was equally weak. Recalling all this was another way of saying that Rather, at 73, was not just a screwup, but misty with age."

Wolf then even admits what all in the network news business felt:

"I was or could be with just a little push, helplessly back in the cool and hegemonic and liberal network world. Our world. Our lost world. Our better world. When the news was the news. When we were young. When our side was winning. What had happened?"

Well, for one thing Mr. Wolf, the news wasn't "the news" and that was the problem. It was Dan Rather's version of the news. You even admit your side was winning. Should there have been "a side" in network news? Of course not. Which is why the right became so frustrated. I wish your world were lost, but it is still holding it's own, despite Rather. A better world? I'll just leave that one alone.

Mr. Wolf becomes brutally honest regarding the report on the memo scandal:

"Although the CBS report took special pains not to accuse the evening news of bias (a more dreadful sin than incompetence), surely Rather and company were thinking that they could kill the king."

He goes on:

"The king lives, however. Rather and the CBS's news division are dead. And their dying is for CBS's chairman, Les Moonves, something of a wet kiss."

But Wolf ends with an amusing belief. He says he doubts you could have a fruitful discussion about the value of the news with the CEO's of Viacom, G.E., and Disney "even on the best days-those without ominous calls from the Bush administration."

So the administration can strong arm those CEO's on the news, huh? An interesting but hardly realistic take I think.

There is no doubt that our voice is being heard now. There is no doubt that we have finally gotten our message out. But it took 2 decades of Rush and almost a decade of Fox News to get us there. And finally we have the bloggers, although not well known outside the internet and political circles, bloggers such as Instapundit, Hugh Hewitt, LGF, Powerline and Wizbang are no longer going to allow stories to go unchecked. Call them gatekeepers if you will. Most don't do it for money either, they do it for the love of politics, for the love of their ideas, for the love of truth.

You might call this a level playing field now.

Jeff Gannon....Who?

Ok, let me get this straight. If your a unknown reporter from a never heard from news organization and you asked the President a question in such a way that makes it obvious you are conservative and the leftie bloggers go insane investigating you, calling you gay (Kos, is there something wrong with that to you???) and because of all the invasion of your privacy, you quit your job and announce it at your website.

Ace of Spades gives us the Top Ten Reactions from Conservatives on this. (Very funny and has the guy's picture)

Insulted.org sums it up nicely quoting the hypocritical Kos. via Beautiful Atrocities

Are the leftie bloggers so desperate this days they have to swoop down on unknown journalists like the flying monkeys in the Wizard of Oz.

They are just never going to get over that Dan Rather thing, are they?

UPDATE: Kevin at Wizbang has more on this BIG STORY. Kevin also has a bit on the hypocrisy of the leftwing bloggers on this.

I'm sure you have heard all about the 27-year-old former teacher Pamela Rogers Turner who was arrested and charged with 15 counts of sexual battery by an authority figure and 13 counts of statutory rape for having sex with a 13 yr old student. For some takes on it:
Wizbang , Diggers Realm, Protein Wisdom , Six Meat Buffett , and Angry In The Great White North.

To begin with, if I hear another man say he wished he had had a teacher like that have sex with him when he was 13 I am going to puke. Also, when looking through the bloggers on this I could not find a single female blogger who had blogged on it. If you know of one, let me know.
If you read the commenting section on those blogs you will see the VAST difference of opinion between the men and the women. Most men are just babbling about how hot she is.. ect. (I know, there are exceptions) The women are totally disgusted by it, as we all should be. Some, like Digger, are asking why a goodlooking young woman would not just find a man her own age? Why a 13 yr old? Digger thinks they must be crazy. I think they are just a result of our culture. We are a sex saturated culture and as I have said over and over again, we have done little to keep our children from it. I wouldn't be surprised if it was the 13 yr old who started everything, or when she started it he knew just what to do. The amount of "instructional material" is readily available in every video store, most movies and music videos, not to mention the internet.

The 27 yr old woman grew up in a society that glorified sexuality. What is the difference between the pictures Britney Spears appeared in GQ and pictures in a 1975 Playboy magazine? Hardly any. How many R rated movies have sex scenes that would have been considered porn in the 1960's? Tons. One of the most popular TV shows of recent times is "Sex In The City." A show basically about slutty women sleeping with whoever fits their fancy. One show had the 30 something character having an affair with a college student who lived with his parents. The humor was all about his "young" interests like skateboarding and comic books, and his mom calling him to come home from her apartment while they were in bed, yet she just loved that young sex. Another show had one of the women characters lying about her age to bed a younger man while on spring break at the beach, and then she gets the crabs. She then gets a co-worker she doesn't like back by encouraging her to sleep with the guy.

Lovely stuff, huh?

Young women growing up in a time and perhaps a home where there doesn't seem to be any sexual boundaries, certainly no moral or religious standards to abide by, where does she learn where to draw the line? How many daughters have watched their Dad dump their mom for a young woman close to their own age? (Or have an affair, as in Clinton's case)

Demi Moore lives with a guy not much older than her oldest daughter and everyone thinks that is just great.

The sad fact is that we have blurred the line so much in our culture about when sexual activity should begin and who it should be with, that our kids are getting the message that just about everything is ok as long as you use "protection."

Aren't we all tempted with desire? We desire things we know are wrong all the time. Part of being responsible is learning to control those desires. Look at the many that cannot control their desire for food to the point where their weight and health are in jeopardy. There are also many who cannot control their sexual desires to the point of putting their relationships (and criminal behavior) in jeopardy.

Some people refer to overeating as medicating themselves with food. I think many also "medicate" themselves with sex because, as Clinton put it, they can. Digger thinks this former teacher is crazy, I think she is just a product of our culture, a culture that does not protect kids, nor even see them as such in their teenage years.

I found this opinion piece in Arab News. I liked it for his objectivity. It seems to be more sincere and less poltitical. I copied in it's entirety.


Washington Finally Putting Its Trust in the People
Dr. Mohammed T. Al-Rasheed, comments@d-corner.com

"In an area ravaged by wars, we grew up thinking that peace is the most important thing in life. In the thirty years of the last century, we had the Lebanese civil war, the Arab-Israeli wars, the Iran-Iraq conflict, the invasion of Kuwait and the ensuing war, and finally we have Iraq today. We are not even counting your almost daily dose of bombs, explosions, and human madness on personal scale, not even traffic accidents.

We were also told that “security” is the most important factor that should rule our lives. For better security, we should tolerate a grievous lack of freedom and civil liberties. Like many, I went for this myth with reservations.

Then again, I really had no say in it personally. The great window of dialogue the Internet has opened brought with it dialogue of the type we do not and could not have.

I had thought education to be the most important thing in life — more important than peace. I guess it is an issue I would fight for. But today we see the world in a different way and the world sees us differently too. Our “peace” was basically worthless. Our security a myth and our lives a waste land that even T. S. Eliot can be proud of.

There is very little peace in Iraq today, but Iraq is free of Saddam. America is an occupier, yet many countries in the world have an American base in it. Every single pundit tells us that America should leave Iraq, yet no one says a word about those bases and what they do. Double standard on our part? Of course.

But all in name of peace. I cannot quote what King Philip of France told Henry II when offered some similar deal, but you can imagine it.

This business of peace at any price has made clear the fact that if America comes in to preserve the status quo, America is a dear friend. If, on the other hand, America comes with its own agenda, it is a villain. The dialectics of history have forced America from its earlier position into something different. Suffice it to say that America is finally putting its trust in the people themselves.

It might take a while, but the policy will bear fruit.
An Iraqi constitution that provides for democratic succession is the next step. I would also add a clause about mandatory age of retirement for officials at 101. I wouldn’t be averse to constructing a secure chamber where nutters can go blow themselves up without risk to others. All in the name of peace for those who cannot understand anything else."

What to do about North Korea? The New York Times is reporting that even though North Korea agreed to seal a plutonium-based nuclear program,
..." in 2002, an American official confronted Pyongyang with evidence that it had been cheating on its nuclear promises, maintaining a covert uranium enrichment program.
In response, North Korea expelled international inspectors from Yongbyon, announced that it was quitting the Non-Proliferation Treaty, and said it was building up what it ambiguously called its "nuclear deterrent." The six-nation disarmament talks started in Beijing in August 2003, but have not yielded any tangible results."

The article goes on to say:

".... in today's statement, Pyongyang (a North Korean Foreign Minister) zeroed in on Dr. Rice's testimony last month in her Senate confirmation hearings, where she lumped North Korea with five other dictatorships, calling them "outposts of tyranny."

As much as I admire Dr. Rice, I think this was a mistake on Dr. Rice's part. North Korean's leader Kim Jong is clearly unhinged. It would do Dr. Rice well to choose her words more carefully when dealing with this man. He has a huge ego and does not like to be insulted. Yes, we should not back down from being tough, but words mean things. It wouldn't hurt Dr. Rice to be a bit more diplomatic. I know that sounds simplistic, but we have all known people like this. If it takes a little ego stroking to get him back to the table, then we should do it. If you can't change a situation, you try and control it the best way you can. We simply cannot afford to get into any kind of conflict with North Korea now and Kim Jong knows this and is taking advantage of it. We need to send someone over there now that can do that ego stroking. I don't feel we are in danger. North Korea is known for blowing smoke. But our leaders need to watch how they say things and keep in mind who is listening.

LONDON (Reuters) - British heir to the throne Prince Charles announced Thursday he will marry long-time lover Camilla Parker Bowles, the woman blamed for destroying his "fairytale" marriage to the late Princess Diana.

I hope they were being sarcastic with that fairytale thing. It was more of a nightmare marriage. I always think of a line I heard soon after Charles and Diana divorced. It said something like Prince Charles may be the only rich guy who threw out his trophy wife for his unattractive older mistress.

Not that I blame Charles (not that this matters in the big scheme of things anyway) but after reading and hearing so much about their lives, it should make one realize that it is not wealth, royalty, or fame that brings us happiness. Diana was beautiful and no one dressed more beautifully or was more loved by her fellow countrymen. But despite it all, she was sad and lonely most of the time.

And now it seems we will be treated to all the drama of her sons for years to come. I'm sadly guessing we will have more of the same kind of soap opera life for them.

A little history of Ash Wednesday.

Ashes are an ancient symbol of penance predating Christianity. They remind us of our mortality. We come from dust and unto dust we shall return.

They are made from the burned palms of last year. Placing ashes on the head was an ancient penitential custom, as is evident in the Bible (e.g. Jonas 3:5-9)

From about the fifth century, sinners confessed their sins on Ash Wednesday. They did not receive absolution but were enrolled in the "order of penitents," signified by placing ashes in the form of a cross on their foreheads. They were then assigned public penance to be performed throughout Lent and on Holy Thursday morning they received absolution.

2005 Lenten Booklet

In the comments section below regarding the "Progressive Depot" promoted on Air America Radio website, one liberal questioned my assumption of the word "progressive" for "liberal," but as another commenter pointed out, we on the right are used to the "language" of the left. I had cited many ways the left uses different words to make their agenda sound better or get a different message across. The leftwing blog Interesting Times provided exactly what I was talking about:


"One bit of framing advice to Democrats has been to avoid using the term "War on Terror". Doing so just re-affirms the Bush conception of the war we are in. But how do you talk about this war without using this all purpose, commonly accepted term?
The first way is to divide the war into its component parts, thus highlighting the contrast between the different conflicts. Refer to it as the "War in Afghanistan" and the "War in Iraq". This highlights the fact that they are separate conflicts that need to be justified separately.
The second way is to re-emphasize the reason we got into this conflict in the first place. This all stared with the attacks on September 11th. Thus, any conflict we get into must be justified on the basis of redress for that attack. We are in a war that is a response to 9/11. Therefore, this is the "9/11 War".

He seems to be ignoring the fact that we are killing or capturing terrorists everyday in Iraq (or they are killing themselves) which clearly puts Iraq in the "War on Terror" category. But this is the kind of thing I was talking about in the "Progressive Depot" post. Change the words and make it sound better. Instead of abortion, say "women's reproductive health care." Instead of sex ed, say "life skills class." Instead of invasion of property rights, say " environmental protection."

I suppose you could call it spin, but I call it deception.

A life-sized cutout of an American soldier appears to guard patrons of 'Our Hero's Hometown Restaurant' in Wellsburg, W.Va. Owners Rodger and Sandy Plants have a son serving with the Army in Iraq. They have dedicated the theme of the diner to veterans.
Andrew Cutraro
Post-Dispatch
Cool huh?

Thanks to everyone who responded on the three questions post. I can't wait to read some of the books, try and find some time to rent the movies, and listen to some of this music that I have never even heard of. But thanks most of all for the questions. Not only were they fun to answer, but they really made me think about some things.

You guys are great.

"Fool! Clinton would have had my bra undone moments ago." "Don't flatter yourself, girlfriend." via the ever funny Caption This!

Men + Sex = Stupid

I am convinced without a doubt that sex renders intelligent men completely stupid. Clinton is the poster child for this and now it looks like Bill Cosby could be following in his footsteps.

On Fox News this morning they are reporting that the young woman who is filing charges against Cosby for "drugging" her and then sexually molesting her, has taped phone conversations they had after the encounter. The news said that Cosby is saying that they did have sex, but that it was consensual.

When I say stupid, I am not just referring to the fact that these men were role models and famous and cheated on their wives. That is immoral as much as is it is stupid. I don't think anyone would argue with the fact that these men are intelligent. So how does one explain how someone who is famous, and every move is reported upon, cannot seem to control themselves even with the risk of total humiliation? But even more incredible is having PHONE CONVERSATIONS about anything intimate. Even Bill O'Reilly fell for that one. Had these men never heard of a taped phone conversation????? Did Nixon teach us nothing?????? How stupid can one be??????? Clinton even left messages on Monica's answering machine!!!!

I will say in Cosby's defense, (not that I wish to defend him) that what he has been preaching lately has never been about adult sexual moral behavior. He was preaching about parental responsibility, kids not dressing like a thug, and kids getting an education. He did say that 15 yr olds having babies is wrong, and we all know he is right about that. So, his preaching is really more about common sense and teaching kids to get to adulthood with an education and no children out of wedlock. Cosby has never claimed to be a Christian or religious in any way that I know of, so I don't think it is fair to paint him as being a hypocrite. He obviously feels that adults can make their own decisions regarding morality, but feels the inner city black community are not doing their job in parenting.

He may be cheating, but his message still rings true. He has probably lost a lot of credibility here and that is too bad, because his message badly needed to be heard from a man that the black community respects.

Now, I am relying on "innocent until proven guilty" here. If he actually molested this woman then he is a scumbag, but if it was consensual, then he is a cheater and it is disappointing, but it is even more disappointing that this important message might disappear along with his respectability.

I found this link at Air America Radio. It seems "Progressive Depot" has products and stores that give to "progressive" (read liberal) causes. I am not to happy that Old Navy is on there since they have great jeans that I love. I am also disturbed that Toys R Us, Barbie, Hello Kitty, Comp USA, Office Depot, and Apple computer were listed.

As long as I don't know, I can handle it. But once I see they give to causes I disagree with I can't bring myself to buy from them anymore.


Air America also talked about the candidates contending for the head of the DNC during a regional caucus in New York City. . Both Air America and this article described the crowd as "hissing" when Former congressman Tim Roemer discussed his abortion views. (he is pro-life, one of maybe two democrats in the country). They hissed. What is wrong with these people?

Hope for peace in the middle east.

"Israeli and Palestinian leaders have agreed a truce to end more than four years of fighting, both sides confirmed today.
Negotiators from both sides finalised the agreement during last-minute preparations for tomorrow's summit meeting between the Israeli prime minister, Ariel Sharon, and the Palestinian leader, Mahmoud Abbas, in the Egyptian resort of Sharm el-Sheikh."

More here.

This could be the beginning of sanity over there. It is hard to hold on to hope when nothing ever seems to change, but after what we have seen in Afghanistan and Iraq, it actually seems possible. Condi has a long road ahead of her, but I think she will turn out to be one of the most influential and world changing Secretary Of States we have ever had.

Liberal or conservative, this could be a win win.

This is an indication that there might actually be some hope for the democrats. Open your minds, consider for a moment, that maybe you were wrong. It's a start. via ColdFury

Spongebob weighs in on Ward Churchill.

As does Ace and Jeff at PW.
More than you could possibly want to know about the subject here at PW's comment section.
PW also gives us Churchill's latest quote:

In an interview Ward Churchill gave with Satya magazine, he was asked about the effectiveness of protests of U.S. policies and the Iraq war, and responded: “One of the things I’ve suggested is that it may be that more 9/11s are necessary.” via CBS/AP