Glenn Beck hones in on Wisconsin's latest problem

From Wispolitics:

Sen. Jon Erpenbach, D-Middleton, appeared on CNN's Headline News with host Glenn Beck last night, where he tried to get in a few words edgewise in defending the "Healthy Wisconsin" universal health care reform proposal.

Erpenbach told Beck that the plan would end up saving Wisconsinites about $5 billion, but Beck was unmoved. Beck said that many people, including unemployed people and illegal immigrants, would "make a beeline for Wisconsin" to take advantage of the health care program.

"I apologize to the people of Wisconsin," Beck said, adding that he hopes that Wisconsin passes it to set an example of what a state should not do.

Beck is echoing my greatest fear. Once we start handing it out, we can never go back. So let's not encourage them. You know, there are some sane people in Wisconsin who would rather not be an example of what not to do.

Spears fears kidnapping

I told myself I wouldn't post about her until she shapes up and saddles up on her no-talent horse. I really wish she wasn't so trashy and would get back to her slutty get-up, I can't sing and-have-to-mouth-the-words routine. Those were the days....

But, in all seriousness, if Kevin Federline wants to take off with these kids, I say let him have 'em! Do we really waste an Amber Alert?



Yikes. In the name of responsible parenting, they could consider making an exception in Brit's case.

The Has-Been keeps on talking

I'm tired of everyone in this state kissing the ground Tommy Thompson walks on. I'm sorry I missed the grand decade of his governorship, but his attitude now just makes me feel sorry for him. Living on pipe dreams... he's a has-been. If I saw him today, I'd walk right up and tell him to shut his pie hole.
From the latest Wispolitics:

Tommy Thompson, in a new WisPolitics.com interview, says he "found it hard to break through" to President Bush while he was a cabinet secretary at HHS.

Thompson also says history will says that Bush ``missed the opportunity to have a lot more advisers that could have influenced him and he could have done a better job.''

WisPolitics.com: How would you relate with your cabinet secretaries?

Thompson: I would be much more open. I view the president of the United States should not be so insular and have such a cloistered type of administration. I found it hard to break through. The president likes to limit the contacts to him, and that's the way he governed and that's the way he conducted the affairs of state at the federal level. I'm a different type of person. I love to have people come in and see me. I'm very open. I was much more open with the press when I was governor. I met with the press any time they really wanted to. I got a chance to invite a lot of people with diversity, a lot of women, a lot of minorities. I always felt that was a better way of doing things than just limiting the kinds of individuals that will report to you. I think you've got to hear a lot of different variations in order for you to really understand the scope of the problem and make the right decision.

I'm sorry, isn't our President's cabinet and circle of advisors one of the most diverse in history?

I think when the history of the White House under George Bush is written, I think it's going to be that he missed the opportunity to have a lot more advisers that could have influenced him and he could have done a better job. I think that's what history's going to say.

Who cares? History books aren't going to report that Bush could have had a more diverse cabinet of advisors. Do we go back to the 50's and 60's and say Eisenhower or Kennedy should have taken a step forward and put a black man in his inner circle? History may criticize his advisors, and I agree Rove could have gone a while ago, but I believe critics will talk about his steadfastness and resolve. They'll talk about 'scandals' like the AG issue and 'shamnesty', but ultimately about faith-based initiatives, about an agenda of permanent tax cuts, reforming Social Security, fighting global terrorism and commitment to nations under attack from extremists, about renewing the USA PATRIOT Act, cutting the budget deficit in half, promoting education, reform in tort law, and creation of an ownership society. They'll talk about Nancy Pelosi and his lame-duck second term, but that will be outweighed by what they say about the Democrat's lack of progression and accomplishment on their 100-item agenda. Ultimately, history will talk about how much safer America was with George W. Bush in power.
This is the only good part of the story:

Not to say that he didn't do a good job. I think George W. Bush has had a lot more thrown at him than anybody else ever though possible. He's kept us from having any more attacks again.

Now, shut your pie hole.

Both my eyes on Newt

I've been hearing things and my ears are beginning to perk up. Newt in '08? His own words are pretty telling:

"I've always said it was unlikely I would run," Gingrich said in an interview last Friday with the Associated Press. And, he added, if Thompson "runs and does well, then I think that makes it easier for me not to run."

All I know is he's the smartest of the group and I think, has the power to define the debate.

But Gingrich has also said repeatedly that he would hold off any decision until after he marks the 13th anniversary of the Contract With America — the manifesto that spurred the GOP takeover of the House in 1994 — by holding an online policy seminar in late September.

It's like watching a movie with someone who's already seen it, and asking questions like "what happens next," or "tell me the end," but all you hear is "Just watch and see for yourself."

Tragedy TV is cyclical

When news is really tragedy-TV and in-depth features are just mouthpieces for whoever claims the title "victim" today, four have died during an attempt to cover such a tragedy saga.

PHOENIX — Federal investigators hope to determine why two news helicopters covering a police chase on live television collided and crashed to the ground, killing all four people on board.

Both helicopters from local TV stations went down in a grassy park in central Phoenix and caught fire Friday afternoon. No one on the ground was hurt.

What was the purpose of this? A high speed chase...

The helicopters were covering the police pursuit of a work truck. Just before the collision, the driver had jumped out of the nearly disabled flatbed pickup and carjacked another truck.

I'll ask them now, was this story really worth it? Two helicopters crashed and four people died in an attempt to capture the better camera angle for the lead story on the 6 pm news.

Why isn't the after-shot enough? I wish I had more sympathy.

Way to go, Bob.

Bob, you're a good man.

NEW YORK (July 26) - A day after Barry Bonds called him a "little midget man who knows (nothing) about baseball," broadcaster Bob Costas said he wasn't upset with the San Francisco Giants slugger and responded with a jab of his own.

"As anyone can plainly see, I'm 5-6 1/2 and a strapping 150, and unlike some people, I came by all of it naturally," Costas said Thursday in a telephone interview.

Thanks for standing up for the little people.


You're the best damn Olympic announcer out there.

YESSSSSSSSSSSSSS!!!!!!!!!!!!

The best thing about Green Bay is... PACKERS TRAINING CAMP! Download the Dope Sheet!

I prefer my meaty boys -I mean Packers- in football pants, so I may hit up the non-"full pads" night practices.

Does anyone know if there's an age limit for bike rides?


Anyone?

This is something we should already know.

WASHINGTON -- For Barack Obama, it was strike two. And this one was a right-down-the-middle question from a YouTuber in Monday night's South Carolina debate: "Would you be willing to meet separately, without precondition, during the first year of your administration, in Washington or anywhere else, with the leaders of Iran, Syria, Venezuela, Cuba and North Korea?"

"I would," responded Obama.

His explanation dug him even deeper: The notion that somehow not talking to countries is punishment to them -- which has been the guiding diplomatic principle of this administration -- is ridiculous."

Immediately upstaged by Hillary,

"Asked to be commander in chief, Obama could only play first-responder in chief. Caught off guard, and without his advisers, he simply slipped into two automatic talking points: emergency response and its corollary -- the obligatory Katrina Bush-bash. "

These gaffes lead to one of two conclusions: (1) Obama is inexplicably unable to think on his feet while standing on South Carolina soil, or (2) Obama is not ready to be a wartime president.

This underlines just what we already know: Obama has no business being President. He was a state senator just a few years ago. Would you elect one of your state senators to Commander in Chief? Lord, help us.

Careful who you call a nerd

You're never safe from a psycho. Especially those who drive 1,300 miles to burn down a bully's house:

ELM MOTT, Texas (July 26) - A Navy man who got mad when someone mocked him as a "nerd" over the Internet climbed into his car and drove 1,300 miles from Virginia to Texas to teach the other guy a lesson.

More.

Tavares took leave from his post as a weapons systems operator at the AEGIS Training and Readiness Center in Dahlgren, Va., and started driving.

So, this guy operates weapon systems? Who gave him that job?

"I didn't think anybody was stupid enough to try to kill anybody over an Internet fight," said John G. Anderson, 59, who suffered smoke inhalation while trying to put out the 2005 blaze that caused $50,000 in damage to his trailer and computer equipment.

Neither did we, man, neither did we.

Fred Thompson...we're all still waiting...

While I'm on the subject of candidate emails, I got one from the "I'm with Fred" crew too. It's very nostalgic, very presidential one might even say with
"I believe the US is at a crossroads" (achem, signature Ken Mehlman line) and "as I've been testing the waters, I believe they're pretty warm" (heh....heh) and even "I'm excited about everything I'm seeing out on the road, thanks for all you're doing" good-attitude pats on the back.

But, where were the big July 4th fireworks we were supposed to see? Seems the ship might have sailed already.

Jib Jab

This picture is a Jib-Jab waiting to happen...

Courtesy of a Mitt Romney email. The song possibilities are endless...

Paws at death's door

He's no Toonces the driving cat, but Oscar has one hell of a 6th sense.

Oscar the cat seems to have an uncanny knack for predicting when nursing home patients are going to die, by curling up next to them during their final hours.

His accuracy, observed in 25 cases, has led the staff to call family members once he has chosen someone. It usually means they have less than four hours to live.

“He doesn’t make too many mistakes. He seems to understand when patients are about to die,” said Dr. David Dosa in an interview.

Vindication!

I believe the UW-Whitewater protesters from 2004 should feel vindicated! Finally, Ward Churchill gets jabbed.

BOULDER, Colo. (July 24) - The University of Colorado's governing board on Tuesday fired a professor whose essay likening some Sept. 11 victims to a Nazi leader provoked national outrage and led to an investigation of research misconduct.

Ward Churchill, who had vowed to sue if the Board of Regents took action against him, said immediately after the 8-1 vote was announced: "New game, new game."

"The decision was really pretty basic," said university President Hank Brown, adding that the school had little choice but to fire Churchill to protect the integrity of the university's research.

"The individual did not express regret, did not apologize, did not indicate a willingness to refrain from this type of falsification in the future," Brown said.

Churchill's essay mentioning Sept. 11 victims and Nazi leader Adolf Eichmann prompted a chorus of demands for his firing, but university officials concluded it was protected speech under the First Amendment.

A faculty committee and an interim chancellor recommended Churchill be fired. When a second committee reviewed the case, three of its five members recommended a suspension. The other two said he should be fired.

Churchill remained on the university payroll but had been out of the classroom since spring 2006, first because he was on leave and later because the school relieved him of teaching duties after the interim chancellor recommended he be fired.

When you're a "bigoted terrorist supporter," you're out!

Following the Michael Vick saga

What would my blog be without an angry post on how much I loathe Michael Vick?

Newest update: Vick turned away from summer training camp.

NEW YORK (July 23) - Michael Vick was ordered by commissioner Roger Goodell on Monday to stay away from the Atlanta Falcons' training camp until the league reviews the dogfighting charges against him.

Very good. Discipline.

Part two: Emmitt Smith decides to speak out.

Smith, who was enshrined in the College Football Hall of Fame on Saturday along with 19 others, was asked what he thought about the Vick situation. He said he believes federal investigators are trying to pressure Vick to turn on the others.

"Now, granted he might have been to a dogfight a time or two, maybe five times, maybe 20 times, may have bet some money, but he's not the one you're after. He's not the one you're after, he's just the one whose going to take the fall - publicly."

Why would anyone defend this guy? If Vick has had ANY part in dog fighting, which most of the evidence shows he has (including the house that he OWNS), he should fall. Ok ok, we're all entitled to "innocent until proven guilty"... Sure, we can wait until the judge agrees with me.

If the investigators want to call Vick out first, more power to them. Michael Vick is NOT exempt - just because he's a famous athlete - from the law. He should know better.

Rewarding bad behavior

What a touching story. When local ethnic leaders step up and help a fellow out...except for the fact this man is an illegal immigrant. I am no longer warm and fuzzy inside.

Ricardo Lopez earned a bachelor's degree and then a master's, but the jobs never rolled in.

His spirits were buoyed this summer when he was accepted to another, yearlong graduate program, one that would prepare him for medical school — a dream he had chased since childhood.

The price tag for tuition and other student fees at a public university, however, wasn't cheap. In all, he figured, the education would set him back $10,000.
But his friends and admirers — some of them prominent Orange County Latino leaders — did not want to see the 27-year-old fail.

So they donated about $500 each. A Santa Ana city councilwoman. The executive director of the county's Human Relations Commission. A local leader with the League of United Latin American Citizens. In Lopez, they saw a rare perseverance.

I am unimpressed by their decision. It's a kind act but a prime example of rewarding bad behavior. When we allow illegal immigrants to come in and stay here without receiving the proper documentation, and then promote their illegal behavior and go out of our way to educate and provide for these illegal immigrants, we are setting ourselves up for failure. Where do we leave our own children, even if stricken with poverty or left in a ghetto with no guidance? We leave them in the ghetto.
It's inspiring that Lopez wants an education and works hard for it. But if a child wants a cookie before dinner, do we give him one? If a child gets caught red-handed, stealing a cookie from the jar, do you let him eat it? No. Or else he and all the other children will begin to think it's acceptable behavior. And it's not.

Some anti-illegal immigrant activists agree that Lopez's story is compelling but question why there is such support for a person living illegally in the United States while there are citizens who could use similar financial help.

"Stories like his are touching and inspiring," said Eileen Garcia, a member of the Minuteman Project, a border patrol group. "But what gets me is that if this guy, if he is illegal, and could achieve as much as he did, why couldn't he follow the law and get legal status?"

Well put, Ms. Garcia.

Allen Baldwin, executive director of the Community Housing Corp., a nonprofit low-cost home builder, said Lopez should be commended. "Perseverance against all odds" is how Baldwin sums it up.

Perseverance? How about skirting the law?

Shame on you, Latino leaders in Orange County. Shame on you.

Sickos

Come one, come all to Wisconsin. The land of beer and cheese.... and soon, hypochondriacs!

If Madison adopts this universal healthcare, I think we're all in for a stomach flu.

Democrats who run the Wisconsin Senate have dropped the Washington pretense of incremental health-care reform and moved directly to passing a plan to insure every resident under the age of 65 in the state. And, wow, is "free" health care expensive. The plan would cost an estimated $15.2 billion, or $3 billion more than the state currently collects in all income, sales and corporate income taxes. It represents an average of $510 a month in higher taxes for every Wisconsin worker.

Employees and businesses would pay for the plan by sharing the cost of a new 14.5% employment tax on wages. Wisconsin businesses would have to compete with out-of-state businesses and foreign rivals while shouldering a 29.8% combined federal-state payroll tax, nearly double the 15.3% payroll tax paid by non-Wisconsin firms for Social Security and Medicare combined.

Is anyone else feeling tightness in their chest?

As if that's not enough, the health plan includes a tax escalator clause allowing an additional 1.5 percentage point payroll tax to finance higher outlays in the future. This could bring the payroll tax to 16%. One reason to expect costs to soar is that the state may become a mecca for the unemployed, uninsured and sick from all over North America. The legislation doesn't require that you have a job in Wisconsin to qualify, merely that you live in the state for at least 12 months. Cheesehead nation could expect to attract health-care free-riders while losing productive workers who leave for less-taxing climes.

So where will savings come from? Where they always do in any government plan: Rationing via price controls and, as costs rise, waiting periods and coverage restrictions. This is Michael Moore's medical dream state.

Please pass the pepto-bismol.

Just for Fun

B&S is always good for some laughs and creative insight. I enjoyed taking the recommended political quiz today, and even more, the result:

My Conservative Identity:

You are a Flag-Waving Everyman, also known as a patriot. You believe in freedom, apple pie, rooting for America at all times, and that God gave us a two-day weekend so we could enjoy football and NASCAR.

Take the quiz at www.FightLiberals.com

What are you?

Please Read

The Opinion Journal from the WSJ editorial page has a fascinating article posted today. It is entitled "Contempt and Congress." I encourage everyone to read it.

Please feel free to post your thoughts and reactions to it as well.

Caring about the quality of your readership,
LMS

A commentary on political discourse

In light of Senator Feingold's weekend revelation of censuring the President once again, and a few other choice articles I read, I become more and more disturbed at the course of political rhetoric today - the one on the fast track down hill and into the gutter. Feingold wants to censure Bush for "his management of the Iraq war and his 'assault' against the Constitution." I do not think this is a smart political move by any means, but I'm not going to insult Senator Feingold for having an opinion or using the media as a mouthpiece to spread it. Just when I was beginning to like him for his proactive steps to promote Mark Green for Tanzania's next ambassador, he makes the front page on baseless political attacks. But again, I will not stoop to that level...and let me explain. These days, any political figure can have the microphone when he or she wants it. Often I complain about the liberal media bias and poor journalism (face it, it's out there), but it comes down to message management, or mis-management. The White House does a fantastic job of staying on message. They have oozed it since innauguration day, 2001. The campaign to re-elect President Bush in 2004 sweat message. You could wipe everyone's brow with the same hanky, it never changed. But is that the ultimate failure of the Bush administration now in his lame-duck term? If you've ever seen The American President, a young Michael Douglas plays a widower Democratic President in an off-year before re-election, struggling to pass a crime bill while his girlfriend Sydney Wade is pushing an environmental bill through Congress and their relationship continues to get more serious. The Republican challenger begins to emerge and attack not only the president but his girlfriend, trying to paint him as a candidate without family values. The applicable message comes toward the end when Michael J. Fox's character, Lewis Rothschild, challenges President Shepherd to finally respond to the negative attention Sydney has been receiving in the media and the effect she has on public opinion polls, so that America can focus on his political agenda and not his personal life. Shepherd tells everyone to "ignore it. It'll go away." Lewis argues: "Bob Rumson is the only one doing the talking! People want leadership, Mr. President, and in the absence of genuine leadership, they'll listen to anyone who steps up to the microphone. They want leadership. They're so thirsty for it they'll crawl through the desert toward a mirage, and when they discover there's no water, they'll drink the sand." I believe this is the problem. In staying on message, in continuing to never admit defeat, to promote his decisions as heart-felt and well-intentioned, President Bush has stopped doing the talking. To me, he is a leader in every sense of the word, not relying on public opinion polls to tell him everything up to where to vacation. (cough, Bill Clinton, cough.) He is going to stand by his choices - his leadership because he ultimately believes they are right for our nation. But by this monotone message, the President takes a backseat to whomever approaches the microphone. Senator Reid is free to say "The president already has the mark of the American people — he's the worst president we ever had." And that's what makes Monday's front page headline. Bush 'worst president ever.' Do you think Americans fare better because of this type of political discourse? It's no more than a childish name-calling competition, a fight on the playground. The President has allowed everyone else from Nancy Pelosi to Cindy Sheehan to define the rules of the debate and the rounds in the ring. He and his administration no longer preceed the debate with positive reasoning, they exist to respond to negative attacks. They exist to defend themselves and doing so after an attack - or avoiding it completely- makes the defense reverberate into the background like hollow echoes against a mountain butte. No one hears what they are saying. We have stopped hearing the President, but more importantly, we have stopped listening. We don't hear our government officials' path of reason and policy ideas and instead allow the baseless attacks to take center stage. And why should we listen anyway? It's not a message we haven't already heard a hundred times, right? What are the words "worst," or "great," really? They are adjectives to describe a noun. They are subjective adjectives when applied to people and political opinions. Bush is the "worst" and former AG Lautenschlager was a "great" AG. Says who? The problem is the White House and the Republicans aren't going to splash about in the press with adjectives that have no place being reported as facts. The non-response will continue to hurt the American public and their view of politics and government, as well as the direction political discourse will turn. All we hear these days are words of hatred for Bush from the mouth of Democrats -and many Republicans. We know already, you don't like the President and you think he's dumb! But that is not the way to progress the status of our Union. I am saddened and embarrased at the level of the rhetoric spewing from the mouths of our "leadership" these days. When can we get past playground name calling and see our elected political officials argue policy without immature slander mixed in?

It's what's for dinner

BEEF is evidently causing global warming- where are the Democrats now, calling for the take down of:
McDonald's
Burger King
Wendy's
Culver's
A&W
Dairy Queen
Hardee's
White Castle
In-N-Out Burger
Fuddruckers
Red Robbin
Five Guy's

Need I continue?

Let's not give the Dems anymore ideas on how to tell me how to live my life for the sake of global warming. Yeah, I'd like fries with that!

Cowardly Lion Dave Obey

I was praying Dave Obey might receive a heart soon, but I was wrong:

WASHINGTON —Lawmakers who have led the drive to bring troops home from Iraq have not devised a strategy to deal with the widespread killings that could follow a pullout, recent interviews with more than two dozen Democrats and Republicans show.

Many of them acknowledge that Iraq may plunge into vicious sectarian fighting much like the ethnic cleansing that consumed Bosnia a decade ago. However, they said they would reject the use of U.S. troops to stop the killing.

"I wouldn't be surprised if it's horrendous," said House Appropriations Committee Chairman David R. Obey (D-Wis.), who has helped spearhead efforts against the war. "The only hope for the Iraqis is their own damned government, and there's slim hope for that."

Uplifting words from the Gentleman from the 7th, everyone! Did Dave Obey just say there is no hope for the Iraqis' "damned" government? Why do we think America has such a poor vision of hope in Iraq? Because of grumpy old men like Obey and Reid, spouting off harmful rhetoric before thinking of the consequences.

Do they realize that people can hear them? That Iraqis and their leaders, and terrorists, are listening to US? Perhaps Congressman Obey needs a brain more than a heart.

"He's a brick.. house!"

Widgerson thinks he hit a funny bone, poking fun at Attorney General Van Hollen's Mason uniform. While I admit to being ill-educated on the Masons, in part as a woman who cannot join, I do know they are a group to be taken seriously.

I’ll let you do your own research, as I am clearly no expert nor will I pretend to be (Masons, to me = brick layers). Joking aside, let’s realize that Freemasonry gets a bad rap. Few people understand Masons and therefore, as outsiders, make baseless and shallow judgments causing Masons to defend themselves against a “cult” reputation that is entirely undeserved.

Here is a list of famous Masons, in no particular order:

Earl Warren, Chief Justice (1953-1969) - Grand Master of California 1935 to 1936, Potentate of Aahmes Shrine

George Washington - Past Master, Alexandria Lodge No. 22, Virginia. General, Politician, First American President

Harry S Truman, U.S. President. 33°, Belton Lodge No. 450, Belton, MO, Worshipful Master, Grandview Lodge No. 618, Grandview, Missouri, Past Grand Master of Missouri, 1940-1941 , Honorary Grand Master of the International Supreme Council, Order of DeMolay, May 18, 1959

Mark Twain, American author. Polar Star Lodge No. 79, A.F.& A.M., St. Louis, Missouri.

William Howard Taft, U.S. President. Kilwinning Lodge No. 356, OH

Franklin Delano Roosevelt, U.S. President. Holland Lodge No. 8, NY, October 11, 1911, Holland Lodge No. 8., First Honorary Grand Master of the Order of DeMolay, April 13, 1934

Theodore Roosevelt, U.S. President. Matinecock Lodge No. 806, Oyster Bay, NY

Paul Revere, St. Andrew's Lodge, Boston, MA; Grand Master of Massachusetts 1794-97.

James Monroe U.S. President, Williamsburg Lodge No. 6, Williamsburg, Virginia.

William McKinley, U.S. President. Hiram Lodge No. 21, VA

Andrew Johnson, U.S. President. Greenville Lodge No. 119, TN

John Marshall, Chief Justice (1801-1835), Grand Master of Virginia from 1793-1795

Thurgood Marshall, U.S. Supreme Court Associate Justice (1967-1991), Coal Creek Lodge No. 88, Tulsa, Oklahoma PHA

General Douglas MacArthur 33°, [8] Manila Lodge No. 1, 1936, Philippines

Andrew Jackson, U.S. President. Harmony Lodge No. 1, St. Tammany Lodge No. 1 (A.K.A. Harmony Lodge No. 1), Nashville, Tennessee, Grand Master of Masons of Tennessee, October 7, 1822 until October 4, 1824

Gerald Ford U.S. President, 33°. Malta Lodge No. 465, Grand Rapids, MI, Initiated September 30, 1949, Malta Lodge No. 465, Grand Rapids, Michigan, Passed to Fellowcraft April 20, 1951 Columbia Lodge No. 3, Washington, DC.

Benjamin Franklin, February 1731, St. John's Lodge of Philadelphia; Lodge at Tun Tavern, Philadelphia, PA; WM, Loge Les Neuf Sœurs, Paris; Past Grand Master of
Pennsylvania

James A. Garfield, U.S. President. Magnolia Lodge No. 20, OH

Jesse Jackson, Harmony Lodge No. 88, Chicago, IL (PHA)

Robert H. Jackson, U.S. Supreme Court Associate Justice (1941-1954)

John Jay, Chief Justice (1789-1795)

It gets longer. The list above is practically a Who’s Who of American Patriots and individuals who by tremendous historical accomplishments and test of character would find themselves amused at the idea of answering to simple-minded comedians. It is not something to mock or make fun of (as John Kerry’s Teletubbies suit might be).

I’m assuming JB doesn’t wear this outfit regularly, and even if he did, he does not need to justify it to someone outside the Mason fraternity. It is a remarkable honor that JB Van Hollen has received, and more importantly, achieved in his young lifetime. Let’s give him a break.

Hat tip

I've decided I do not like the whole "hat tip" or "H/T" reference people make when referring to other blogs that have given them ideas. Be original!

Instead, I have come up with "ty" for thank you, if I so choose to use it when referencing other blogs and their great posts. Now you may feel free to trash talk my own lack of originality...

At least I'm not lying about wearing a stupid hat and tipping it to people.

Count me in!

The headline says it all: Poll: 'None of the above' leads GOP field

The latest Associated Press-Ipsos poll found that nearly a quarter of Republicans are unwilling to back top-tier hopefuls Rudy Giuliani, Fred Thompson, John McCain or Mitt Romney, and no one candidate has emerged as the clear front-runner among Christian evangelicals.

Such dissatisfaction underscores the volatility of the 2008 GOP nomination fight....

More Republicans have become apathetic about their options over the past month.

You don't say!

Cruel and unusual punishment

Think Michael Vick will get what he has coming to him? I hope it gets a lot worse.

Federal investigators allege that Vick is a murderer of dogs who weren't willing to fight for his enjoyment. Even worse, his actions appear more sinister than most professional dogfighters...

Honestly, who can do this to an innocent animal?

Owners take young dogs, usually puppies, and put them in an enclosed area and see how they react. They prod the dogs and urge them to get angry. If a dog shows aggression toward another dog, that's a positive. If a dog is timid, it is useless. Some fighters give away puppies that don't show the required "gameness." Other owners don't bother with the trouble of finding them a home and simply kill them....

[Dogs] were killed "by hanging, drowning and/or slamming at least one dog's body to the ground."

Despicable.

If convicted, Vick and the others -- Purnell A. Peace, Quanis L. Phillips and Tony Taylor -- could face up to six years in prison, $350,000 in fines and restitution.

I appreciate innovative punishment- perhaps Vick should be tied up around the collar with metal chains and not fed until he gets angry enough to bite someone. Too cruel? I thought of a lot worse...Oh well.

It's a good day for the dogs.

It's the simple things in life...that require photo IDs

I was asked for my photo ID the other day when making a purchase by credit card. First time in a long time.

I would need a photo ID to buy alcohol or cigarettes, of course to prove my legal age.

A friend was asked for his photo ID while trying to obtain a copy of Wisconsin's Statement of Economic Interest from the Ethics Board in Madison today. This, as we know, is public information available to all who should request it. Interesting.

And yet, I still don't need a photo ID to vote in Wisconsin.

Politics at its worst

As Mark Green awaits his Senate confirmation to a pending ambassadorship, the only political move I respect comes from Senator Russ Feingold. Feingold has acted against petty partisan political plays like Senator Kerry's immature blocking of Green's confirmation, and this is a pleasant surprise.

Daniel has already put into eloquent language the argument I would like to echo:

Get out of the way, Senator Kerry, and let this good public servant go do his
best for the people of America and Tanzania.

John Kerry is a poor loser and the poster boy for what is wrong with Washington - not to mention what is wrong with national political discourse as a whole. When will we say "Grow up!" and replace the jokers in Washington with statesmen and patriots who will do what is right and what is best for the United States?

Sad attempt

Do Tommy Thompson's campaign folks realize that this is not a smooth tactic in asking for money?



What a pathetic appeal for cash. Thompson campaign, please stop throwing trash into my email inbox.

Last time I checked, our currency was the DOLLAR

Breaking news: the United States Congress has teamed with Mexico and Canada to create a North American Currency for everyone to use, acceptable to all travelling throughout the continent. This comes on the brink of success with the euro currency across Europe, and the Peso on American soil in Texas.

Just kidding. Don't worry folks. The only true part of that statement regards Europe's cross-continental success using the euro. Oh, and the peso is now accepted in Dallas, Texas.

Giant and Pizza Patron in Dallas want to set an example and accept the PESO as acceptable forms of payment:

Dallas-based chain Value Giant announced in a press release Thursday that their retail stores will begin accepting Mexican pesos as payment.

Yes, an example that it's ok to be an illegal immigrant and it's ok to come to America and pay with Mexican money.

In January, another Dallas-based business, Pizza Patron, created controversy with its announcement that it would accept the Mexican currency. Pizza Patron has reported increased profits since the decision was made.

Before the euro was adopted, was it OK to tell a Frenchman you were going to buy a cup of coffee and a lemon tart with pounds and not francs?

But hey, I'm supposed to be a fiscal conservative pro-small business Republican. As long as it's good for business, right?

A need for higher security?

Of all the questions this story provokes, I have just one:

Q: What is to stop anyone from walking into state government buildings, pointing, aiming, and firing?

It's a little unnerving to think any wack job off State Street could walk into our own Capitol building in Madison, and take whomever they would like out. And I don't mean for lunch at The Old Fashioned.

But, is there a need for higher security? Or do we take our chances, trust the American people, Wisconsinites, and hope that there is at least one capitol staffer in each wing breaking the law and packing a concealed weapon? Food for thought.

I'm outraged

And we let language like this occur? Is anyone else OUTRAGED?

To applause from his audience of 300 members of Atheists for Human Rights, Mr
Ellison said he would not accuse the Bush administration of planning 9/11
because "you know, that's how they put you in the nut-ball box - dismiss
you".

Because that is a nut-ball comment! Anytime you have to confirm or deny something "after the fact," it is hardly ever sincere and rarely true.

After his speech was reported, Mr Ellison said he accepted that Osama bin Laden
was responsible for 9/11. But his demagogic comments threaten to plunge him in
controversy.

Where is the outcry and shame at this man's comments?

No games, just sports

I got no problem with the lingo. W is still a starter in my line-up.

How many professional athletes do you know that play based on what the fans -or naysayers- recommend?

I want a head coach who can say this: "If you ever come down and visit the old, old tired me in Crawford, I will be able to say that I looked in the mirra and made decisions based upon principle, not based upon politics."

Quote of the week

Did anyone else read this?

"These priorities are sad," said Democratic Gov. Jim Doyle's spokesman Matt
Canter. "It's a shameful vision for the state that these are the priorities."

It seems Canter had a Freudian slip about his own boss and party's leadership. Yes, DOYLE's 'vision' is shameful. Honestly, the man vetoed the Ronald Reagan Highway(!?WHO DOES THAT?!), as the article even points out.

At least we don't have phallic posts, like Oregon.

What happens when we're not looking

Open your eyes, people! By NOT deporting an illegal immigrant, see what happens?

A 42-year-old convicted sex offender from Thailand who entered the U.S. illegally was being questioned by police Friday after he provided information that led to the discovery of the body of 12-year-old Zina Linnik, who police believe was kidnapped July 4 while watching a fireworks display.

Terapon Adhahn, who was convicted of incest in 1990, was being held for uestioning, Tacoma Police Chief Don Ramsdell said. Adhahn, who lists a Parkland, Wash., address, was being held by federal immigration officials on a charge unrelated to Linnik's apparent abduction.

Let's go back 17 years:
He entered America illegally. CRIME.
He raped a girl. CRIME.
It was his 16 year-old half sister. Incest. CRIME.
He was detained for these things... impending Deportation...
He was diagnosed with pedophilia. CRIME.
Now he is under investigation for kidnapping, murder and assumed rape of a 12 year old. CRIME, CRIME, CRIME.

What does it take to get these people off the streets?

Immigration and Customs Enforcement officials said Adhahn's 1990 conviction of
first-degree incest is the basis for his detention, which should have led to the
man’s deportation.

A person who rapes his sister should never be allowed back on the streets.

But a search by FOXNews.com of the state's voter registration records shows
that Adhahn registered in 2002, and his registration was current.

A person charged with crimes of illegal immigration, incestual rape, and pedophilia should not be allowed to vote! WAKE UP.

Telling our children "No" not an option anymore

Can we not teach our children about disappointment?

YORKTOWN - The attorney for the Billy Fischer family, whose daughter was cut
from the Yorktown High School junior varsity cheerleading squad, says her clients have no other option but to sue the school district."

At this point we are planning on going forward with a lawsuit," said Lisa Duke of the San Antonio law firm of Anderson and Duke. "We have not filed the paperwork yet, but we will soon."

Maybe she just wasn't good enough to make the squad. Disappointment happens.

We can't continue placating our kids or life is going to get a lot harder when they think they can just file a lawsuit everytime someone tells them no.

This man is out of order

Pardon the court room pun, but I couldn't resist. Although this does seem to quantify guilty by reason of insanity.

MADISON, Wis. (AP) -- A lawmaker who persuaded the Assembly to eliminate all
state funding for the University of Wisconsin law school says his reasoning is
simple: There's too many lawyers in Wisconsin.
"We don't need more ambulance chasers. We don't need frivolous lawsuits. And we don't need attorneys making people's lives miserable when they go to family court for divorces," said Rep. Frank Lasee, R-Green Bay. "And I think that having too many attorneys leads to all those bad results."

I'm sure there is an appropriate simile, but it's not coming to mind. I'm so stumped that Rep. Lasee actually expects us to take him seriously?

Let the comments from the Peanut Gallery begin~

The Valley girl in me

I'm somewhat intrigued. I admit to reading People and an occasional copy of OK or US Weekly magazine (and I don't mean US News and World Report).

But the Beckham's are coming to America, and I believe will make as big a splash as they have in the UK.

I do encourage you to visit this webpage, you don't have to read the whole article, but play the clip of them walking through the airport. If I had cameras in my face like that, practically tripping over them to get to my next destination, there would be pictures of me posted in the local jail as well. This is a classy couple.

So I'm intrigued...

Sure, Michael Moore, shove in another Twinkie!

Huckabee calls it like he sees it. Maybe he shouldn't have poked fun at Michael Moore's weight, because it would be the politically correct thing to do, but he has a point.

Prevention, not intervention.

Huckabee earlier told reporters that there should be a greater push toward
insurance companies paying for preventive measures such as nutrition counseling
and cancer screenings that would cut down on higher health costs in the future.

"Anything we could do to help steer people to healthier habits comes back to us many times over and that's a real focus that needs to happen," Huckabee said.

"Right now, insurance companies will pay $100,000 or more for a quadruple bypass but wouldn't pay a couple hundred dollars for a person to have nutrition counseling and maybe to work with an exercise physiologist to determine how to get those extra pounds off. ... It's a lot better to spend some more money on the prevention side than it is on the intervention side."

And as for this statement from Sicko producer O'Hara:

"No wonder the Republicans are in such trouble - their entire plan to fix the health care system in this country is to tell people to lose weight," she said. ...Just because he [Mike Huckabee] stopped eating Twinkies by the bushel doesn't make that an outline for a national health care plan.

It's not about twinkies, sweetheart. It's about cold hard truth. If you're overweight, you're more likely to be plagued by injuries to joints, muscles, and bones that can't sustain your weight, and diseases like diabetes, osteoarthritis, heart disease, certain cancers, strokes, need I continue?

Our overweight, fast-food American society is all about super-sizing and big gulping and then asking the government to expand to cover their waist-lines. It IS about asking America to lose weight. When I take care of myself, I don't want to pay a special tax just so people who don't can get healthcare coverage for diseases related to their obesity. Universal health care? I'd like to start with Universal Self Responsibility.

And before you scream hypocrisy, I may need to lose a few pounds too. And if I linger until I get diagnosed with diabetes or heart disease, you can bet I'll work like hell to shed them. Or maybe, I'll do something to prevent that now.

Suckling from the Government teat

The title is this: "Road to New Life After Katrina Is Closed to Many." It has been two years since Katrina hit the Gulf Coast and the levee flooded and destroyed New Orleans. But we are hearing still that people are wedged in trailer parks, children living off food stamps and no where to go. Last time I checked, the only rule to using U.S. highways is having a driver's license. And I'm supposed to feel sad for these people?

When Katrina hit and devastated much of Louisiana and Mississippi's coasts, I was sad. Just as sad as I am when any natural disaster strikes. It's the 'walk a day in their shoes' argument. So we all do our little part if we can, many do more, but the storm quiets and people stand up and get back to work, back to life. (See, Tsunami in Sri Lanka, fires in California, floods in Oklahoma and Texas.)

But this article does nothing but create a rise of anger and frustration as I watch the people of New Orleans bitch and moan over their sad lives and the "lack of government aid."

Their options whittled away by government inaction, they represent a sharp
contrast to the promise made by President Bush in Jackson Square on Sept. 15,
2005.
“Americans want the Gulf Coast not just to survive, but to thrive; not
just to cope, but to overcome,” Mr. Bush said. “We want evacuees to come home,
for the best of reasons — because they have a real chance at a better life in a
place they love.”

Government IN-Action? Yup, blame Bush for this too. Does it not say a paragraph down:

As of late May, however, there were still more than 30,000 families displaced by
Hurricanes Katrina and Rita spread across the country in apartments paid for by
the Federal Emergency Management Agency.

Yes, FEMA, a FEDERAL government agency of the United States Department of Homeland Security. 30,000 families are still suckling off the government teat. If these folks are still so poor and unhappy, here's an idea: pack up, move out, and get a new job! Let's make an argument for self-sufficiency. It's about getting out of bed, finding motivation, determination, energy to work, and getting a job, or a second job if need be.

Those still in trailers and FEMA apartments are the least equipped to start
over. In Houston, according to a city-sponsored survey in February, a third of
the people in those apartments were elderly or disabled, a third were employed
in mostly low-wage jobs, and a third were still looking for work.

Hmmmm. If you're elderly or disabled, you can ask for help from friends, neighbors, family. If you're employed in a low-wage job, get another one. Try to actually SAVE your money. If you're looking for work, KEEP looking, and LOOK HARDER.
I find it hard to believe these folks, including all the disabled, elderly, 'poor from before' Katrina hit, et. al. do not have friends, family, or neighbors to help them. If your living conditions are less than accommodating, move! Ask your friends or family for a hand, save up for a month and rent a car if you don't have one. You don't have any housing costs, you likely have help for food and other necessities, so you should easily be able to save enough money from your job(or two!) to move somewhere else. Heaven forbid you have to work 14 hours. Theme: Be self-sufficient!

The underlying problem (drum roll please) is that Katrina 'victims' don't want to be self-sufficient. They are glaring examples of the entitlement society that has infested our nation. "Dear Federal Government, I am miserable and unhappy, poor and living in a ghetto. Please send me a check to fix my problems."

But this claims the government is an obstacle to some people. Then AVOID the obstacle! The government doesn't have to solve all your problems.

“I was born poor; I’m probably going to die poor; and before the storm came
through I was doing pretty good,” Ms. Anderson said. She and Mr. Evans paid $325
a month for half a duplex in the Uptown section of New Orleans, with “a little
porch watching the laundrymat,” she said, “and a backyard.

I have no sympathy. You think your destiny is poverty, it will be. The power of the mind is that strong.

Can we stop pitying those who have no desire to do better for themselves? As long as the government teat is available, future generations will find it OK to suckle: it perpetuates the problem of poverty and welfare, to depend upon someone else or a government institution to give them what they need. Let's celebrate those communities that DO overcome, that work together to rebuild homes and businesses, to work double overtime for the extra milk money.

Let's applaud the thousands of families who have moved off disaster aid, the 56,000 people that have returned to New Orleans in the last year.

6.3 % !

The Alliance has honed in on what I think may be the most important finding of the 2nd quarter fundraising numbers for Congressman Kagen.

6.3% ONLY from constituents within the 8th Congressional District. 6.3%. Sad.

I would hate to be a congressman that got elected because voters were against the President and therefore the Party he was with and the war he was leading, instead of on my own merit. We'll see if Kagen's merit is good enough in 16 months.

Promises, promises

Please don't make promises you can't keep.

T. THOMPSON: Yesterday, Tommy Thompson said that if elected president, he would pledge to end breast cancer by 2015. He vowed to deploy “the vast resources of the United States … just like President Kennedy committed our nation to the moon. We'll start with breast cancer and then attack every major cancer one after the other.”

There isn't even a patch for it yet.

Commanders trump politicians

Here's a 'duh' moment for America:

The White House announced Tuesday that an upcoming progress report will result
in "the beginning of a new way" in Iraq, but President Bush said
military commanders, not politicians, will show the way forward.

Let's stop pretending Reid, Pelosi, newly elected genius Senator Webb, et. al. actually know better than our military commanders on the ground.

Duh.

Nothing worse than a dead campaign

Now's it up to McCain.

Can you hear me now? (Not) Good.

This says so much more to me about Sprint than it does about their customers.

Sprint Nextel Corp. is breaking up with about 1,000 subscribers the company finds to be too high-maintenance, according to news reports.

The third-largest wireless carrier sent letters dated June 29 to the dumped
clients stating: "The number of inquiries you have made has led us to determine
that we are unable to meet your current wireless needs," according to
reports.

The disconnected customers called customer service an average of 25 times a month, a rate 40 times higher than average customers, according to the Wall Street Journal.

Customers have been given until the end of July to find new service.

I'd sprint away as fast as I could.

Patches are like band-aids

There's a patch for everything these days, including Alzheimers.

Birth control. To stop smoking. Pain Relief. Dieting. ADHD. (to which I say come on now, are we medicating our kids enough yet?). Now dementia. Whatever your problem is, I'm sure there's a patch to cure it out there.

My boyfriend is lobbying for an anti-PMS patch: to cure whining, mood swings, crying, nagging, and chocolate cravings.

Couric needs to learn her lesson

I once slapped a boy on the cheek in 6th grade because he was making fun of my friend. He came to school the next day with a big bandage on his cheek, just to toy with me. I cried before homeroom and apologized. And I left the slapping antic on the playground.

Katie Couric should take a lesson from those middle school days.

How is her behavior considered ok - considered a joke?

"I sort of slapped him around," Couric admits. "I got mad at him and said, 'You
can't do this to me. You have to tell me when you're going to use a word like
that.' I was aggravated, there's no question about that." (She adds that the
pair made up, and the incident became a kind of running joke on the set.)

Katie, you're a real comedian. Those flirtatious displays of affection or irritation, whatever the situation might be, should be clearly defined in a work place. They do not include slapping someone.

Couric, stick to your day job. She crossed the line in my opinion.

Ode to the John

A new super restroom in China serving everyone's needs.

BEIJING, China (AP) -- They're flush with pride in Chongqing, where a recently
opened porcelain palace features an Egyptian facade, soothing music and more than 1,000 toilets spread out over 30,000 square feet. Some of the 1,000 stalls are open air overlooking the street in Chonging, China.

Officials in the southwestern Chinese city plan to ask Guinness World Records to have the free four-story public bathroom listed as the world's largest, state-run
China Central Television reported Friday.

"We are spreading toilet culture. People can listen to gentle music and watch TV," said Lu Xiaoqing, an official with the Yangrenjie, or "Foreigners Street," tourist area where the bathroom is. "After they use the bathroom they will be very, very happy."

What a gas!

A plea for wrestling alligators

Because this is a good idea?

Alligator handlers across South Florida said there is simply less money, glamour
and interest in the profession today than in its glory days, when crowds flocked
to roadside shows.
"I believe gator wrestlers are definitely a dying breed," said James Peacock, wildlife manager at Native Village in Hollywood. "We're fading out. Just like the cowboys and Indians of yesteryear, or the Japanese samurai."

Ah yes, alligator wrestlers are like Indians and Samurai....

Former Seminole Indian tribal chairman and alligator wrestler James Billie lost
a finger to an alligator, and still keeps the finger in a jar at his house.
Billie said the shows have died out along with the Indians' change in lifestyle.
"We don't have to hunt anymore," Billie said. "We eat bologna sandwiches like the rest of the world."

From alligators to bologna? All sarcasm aside, what is this article actually about?

Edwards poverty tour

Will he be answering questions about $1,250 hair cuts?

John Edwards plans to announce Monday that he’ll take a break from fund-raising
and campaigning in early-voting states next week for a three-day, eight-state,
12-city “Road to One America” tour aimed at calling attention to poverty in the
deep South, the Mississippi Delta, Appalachia and the Rust Belt. The campaign
points out that none of the states he’ll visit has an early 2008 primary, and
says Edwards won’t be doing rallies.

Instead, TV viewers will see Edwards in coal country, Edwards in a factory, Edwards on a farm, Edwards in a struggling neighborhood, Edwards in a school, Edwards in a health care clinic. “It’s an effort to show the rest of the country how 37 million Americans live their lives in poverty every single day,” an Edwards aide said. “It’s not only their workplaces -- it’s their homes and the places they get health care.”

I think not.

It's hard to believe in "one America," when it's preached from the mouth of a millionaire.

Good laughs on the 8th CD

Frank Lasee v. Steve Wieckert.

"It's not easy to unseat an incumbent congressman," Lasee said. "Especially one
that is a multimillionaire. But it's doable."

HAHA.

Considering a run, Wieckert said he would make a decision in October or sooner.
In 2006, he stepped down so Gard could better challenge Kagen.

In the next election, Wieckert said, "Maybe now it's his (Gard's) turn" to step down.
Wieckert said he spoke with fellow state Assemblyman Lasee last week about
the 2008 election. "I told Frank, 'That's my office you're running for,'" he
said.

HAHAHAHA.

In a race with these characters, I would look forward to more laughs and off the wall proposals about, oh I don't know, guns in crazy places, and walking 10,000 steps a day.

Face the Nation

This morning, on Face the Nation I heard this from Jeanne Cummings:

Fred Thompson has to show us he has the fire in his belly.

Fred Thompson's reputation in the Senate was that he was intelligent, he was affable, but he didn't work that hard.

No one gets handed the Presidency, you have to work tirelessly for it.

His campaign is gearing up and I think we'll hear an announcement by the end of the month. Then he'll have a lot of work to do, to show the American people he has the fire in his belly.

Simply stated. I wholeheartedly agree.

Tiger Woods, a politician?

I'd vote for him.

Here he is: Tiger Woods … future politician? Hey, he's already among the world's
most recognizable figures. Now he practically holds the key to the nation's capital by bringing professional golf to an area that was devoid of any tournaments when the tour's schedule was first announced.

It's no secret that Congressional's first club president also happened to be a U.S.
president, as Herbert Hoover resided in that capacity and fellow commanders in
chief William Howard Taft, Warren G. Harding, Calvin Coolidge and Woodrow Wilson acted as founding life members.

Tiger is as distinguished as Barack Obama, as eloquent as Hillary Clinton, as esteemed as Rudy Giuliani. He might straddle the fence on most current issues (then again, what politician doesn't?), but he knows a good cause when he sees one, offering complimentary tickets to men and women serving in the military, as well as a variety of other ways of giving back to the troops throughout the week.

"Even though my dad was retired, I basically grew up on a military base," he says.
"And just understanding the commitment that it takes each and every day for the
servicemen and women, what they do for us, I just think that it was something
that would have been and should be honored, and that's why we're doing it. What
they are doing right now for us, and for us back home, it's just a way to say thank you."

We can always do what we've done with the current panel of candidates and worry about his politics later.

France's Rosie -O

What has happened to political discourse?!

The http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/nm/ts_nm/storytext/france_sept11_dc/23656934/SIG=10rrj22pe/*http://www.ReOpen911.info website, which promotes September 11 conspiracy theories, has posted a video clip of French Housing Minister Christine Boutin appearing to question that Osama bin Laden's al Qaeda group orchestrated the attacks. Boutin's office sought to play down the remarks.

Asked in an interview last November, before she became minister, whether she thought Bush might be behind the attacks, Boutin says: "I think it is possible. I think it is possible."

ARE YOU KIDDING ME?! SHE IS PART OF THEIR GOVERNMENT? She is truly une chienne française.

Global warming is giving me heat stroke

I'm feeling a little nauseous and exhausted. Earlier I had a dizzy spell and my thighs were aching. My boyfriend would say it's probably PMS. Maybe I haven't been drinking enough water. I haven't even been outside yet. But I think it resembles heat stroke and I'd like to blame it on global warming.

Hypochondriacs to stop global warming!

I'm so tired of listening to liberals making a political issue out of an enviromental issue. Show me that Bush agrees, and add it to the list of disappointments. But don't try to convince me Al Gore is a climatologist and that 100% of all scientists agree on the impending doom we face as the globe heats up. It simply isn't accurate.

My latest favorite comes in a headline from the NYT (my favorite): "Songs for an Overheated Planet." Hey, I'll promote global concerts for good causes, but honestly, this title is one I'd expect to see on a Raffi tape for 4 year olds. (Sidenote: I spoke too soon. I can just see Dora the Explorer and other kid cartoons leading the way to places where climate change has 'severely impacted' life, brainwashing our youth who will be singing songs about carbon levels and minute degree changes before we know it.)

And who says we've over-heated? I don't see the masses being treated for heat stroke. I guess I'll wait for Michael Moore to release Sicko II: a feature film on how global warming will cripple health care operations across the world.

Would those promoting this radical, onerous mayhem over our (apparently?) rising global temperature, please help me understand this:

How come 30 years ago the concern was global cooling and we had to save the globe from an ice age?

In the 1970s, leading scientists claimed that the world was threatened by an era of global cooling. Based on what we've learned this decade, says George Kukla, those scientists - and he was among them -- had it right. The world is about to enter another Ice Age.
Dr. Kukla, in 1972 a member of the Czechoslovakian Academy of Sciences and a pioneer in the field of astronomical forcing, became a central figure in convincing the United States government to take the dangers of climate change seriously.

More.

Many today speak with derision of the 1970s global-cooling scare, seeing it as a
cautionary false alarm. Others see it as an embarrassment -- Newsweek magazine,
which published a 1975 article entitled "The Cooling World," even corrected the
record with a 2006 follow-up to its 1975 article arguing that scientists now
have it right.

Oh yes, scientists now have it right. They, like Kukla, should also know global warming always precedes an ice age. So it's the cool thing to be on board the global warming bandwagon.
Is global warming just another exasperated fad? Another embarrassment?

Meanwhile, I'll deal with the heat -have a popsicle and turn on the AC.

Perspective from a 12 year old

Rahjeen Mitchell is not a remarkable little girl. She is a remarkable person.

Rahjeen Mitchell woke up last week in a hospital, woozy with a foggy memory. The
12-year-old figured she must have fallen and hit her head.

She had been hit in the forehead by an errant bullet outside her home June 13, the same day she graduated from Barton Elementary School. Rahjeen then learned that Cortney Terry, the stepson of her mother's best friend, someone she had known nearly all her life, had been charged in the shooting.

"I hate the act, but I forgive him," she said. "I know he is remorseful."

If only she could stop all the Milwaukee gun violence.

Favre not the best in #4??

I'm shocked. I'm appalled. This is slander, blasphemy!



Sports Illustrated chooses Orr as the best athlete to wear #4 on a jersey. Runner up, Lou Gehrig (well, who can say anything bad about Gehrig), but Favre is merely "worthy of consideration."

Brett Favre is the Only 3-time NFL MVP, led the Packers to two superbowls, 1997 Super Bowl Champion, holds the record for most consecutive starts among NFL quarterbacks, AND most completions, will hold every major passing record, touchdown completion passing record, and record for total victories as a starting quaterback after the 2008 season, and is only worthy of consideration?!

(Thoughts: SI = bunch of dolts.)

I rest my case.

A lippy Libby decision

There has been much commentary on the Scooter Libby commuted sentence by President Bush.

For one, today's USA Today article highlighting Senator Clinton: 'Clinton sees differences between Libby, husband's pardons'. I do too, say, um, the sheer NUMBER of them!?

She stated: "This particular action by the president is one more piece of evidence in their ongoing disregard for the rule of law that they think they don't have to answer to." (Since when is the President a They? Could she be referring to the club of office holders, to which her huband belongs? Or perhaps the "we" in the office from 1992-2000.)

Bush has commuted few sentences, according to the Justice Department. As of
March 31, he had granted three commutations in six years, compared with 61 by
Clinton during his eight-year tenure and 13 by Ronald Reagan, according to
department figures.

Clinton granted 61 commutations! 140 pardons!

But the favorite has to be John Edwards:

"In George Bush's America, it is apparently OK to misuse intelligence for political gain, mislead prosecutors and lie to the FBI."

Political gain? Have you seen the President's poll numbers? (Seattle Times has a humorist take.)

Freedom Eden has more reactions. It's all just mere rhetoric to me.

Welcome, Legals!

Notice there aren't any Mexican flags in the crowd? Hmm.

(Thoughts: Legal. Immigrants, now Americans. Legally. Deserving.)





Wave 'em proudly, new citizens of the U.S. of A.

Kagen running scared

I just got in and turned on the 6:00 news. Right before my weekly dose of the Insider and celebrity gossip, I see a Steve Kagen ad.

It touts his vote to increase minimum wage, veterans benefits, some other accomplishment I missed while I had to run to the restroom to puke, and now his 'work to make drugs more affordable.'

The closer: "Steve Kagen is off to a good start."

Yuck. It's early for these kind of ads. Seems Dr. Millionaire knows he's vulnerable and wants to get a jump on misleading his constituents.

Happy Independence Day

Fun with fireworks.

Vermont (hardly) leading a movement toward secession

Good thing there is some common sense shown against this argument...be it at the end. "

The argument for secession is that the U.S. has become an empire that is essentially ungovernable -- it's too big, it's too corrupt and it no longer serves the needs of its citizens," said Rob Williams, editor of Vermont Commons, a quarterly newspaper dedicated to secession.

Actually, Mr. Williams, the U.S. seems to serve every need of every citizen these days, not to mention non-citizens. If there is something you want that you can't find, I'm sure your socialist Senator would listen to your concerns, and then create a social program to appease you.

"Congress and the executive branch are being run by the multinationals. We have electoral fraud, rampant corporate corruption, a culture of militarism and war. If you care about democracy and self-governance and any kind of representative system, the only constitutional way to preserve what's left of the Republic is to peaceably take apart the empire."

If that's how you feel, we'll happily take your voting rights away.

Osama Bin Laden Noggins

The best 4th of July yet~

Your fireworks display will be incomplete without an exploding bin Laden Noggin! Every good American-blooded child should get a chance to light a fuse to this one on Wednesday~