What's in a Name?

The continued campaign to turn Islamic fundamentalists into fuzzy, harmless balls of fluff:

Pakistani human rights activists burn a Danish flag at a protest rally to show their anger over the reproduction of Prophet Muhammad cartoons in Denmark, Thursday, Feb. 21, 200, in Gujaranwala, Pakistan.

Human rights activists? Which right is that, the one where someone is allowed to tell you to shut the hell up and you have to shut the hell up?

John McCain and the Won't Talk Express

Does John McCain want to win this election, or is it just his turn to run for president as the Republican nominee? This hints at the latter:

CINCINNATI - Republican John McCain quickly denounced the comments of a radio talk show host who while warming up a campaign crowd referred repeatedly to Barack Hussein Obama and called the Democratic presidential candidate a "hack, Chicago-style" politician.

Hussein is Obama's middle name, but talk show host Bill Cunningham used it three times as he addressed the crowd before the likely Republican nominee's appearance.

But? It's Barry Obama's middle name, what do you mean but? And what the hell is McCain apologizing for and denouncing? It's Obamessiah's middle name, for crying out loud. If McCain is doing this merely out of a sense of Senate collegiality, he's a complete moron. If he's doing this because he thinks it unfairly links Obama to Saddam Hussein, he's an idiotic asshat.

If this is the way the general election campaign is going to roll, it's going to be a very tough rock for Sisyphus to push.

Lorin Mazel: Idiot King for a Day

What a pathetic bunch of bozos:

PYONGYANG, North Korea - The New York Philharmonic performed "The Star-Spangled Banner" for North Korea's communist elite Tuesday — a feat of musical diplomacy aimed at improving ties with the isolated nuclear-armed country that considers the U.S. its mortal enemy.

You have to be kidding me. "A feat of musical diplomacy?" This is just a bunch of liberal elitist poseurs pretending to be all patriotic and really just jabbing a finger in the eye of America and saying "nyah nyah nyah nyah." Lorin Mazel is an idiot if he thinks for even a single second that this display by his orchestra is anything other than a coup for the North Korean leadership, which can now tell the subjects of North Korea that it can get even its "mortal enemy" to send an orchestra to play music for it.

Useful idiots? Useless idiots and pathetic tools.

Obama Lies about the Troops

An idiotic statement from Barack Obamessiah: Army captains leading half-staffed platoons of unequipped soldiers. Right. Wouldn't happen, couldn't happen, didn't happen. This is just an outright lie by Obama.

That he went to any length to lie like this is amazing. He could've just stayed shut-up and mouthed the platitudes of "change" and "hope." I think Obama senses inevitability and is looking for a bigger hammer to swing.

Smoke, Mirrors, Fog, Innuendo and Lies

Surprised the NYT would start attacking John McCain? Not me. It and every other news outlet does exactly this kind of thing each election cycle. Bush DUI. Bush "phony Air National Guard letters." Bush 41's "affairs." And on and on and on.

Expect more of the same:

Mr. McCain, 71, and the lobbyist, Vicki Iseman, 40, both say they never had a romantic relationship. But to his advisers, even the appearance of a close bond with a lobbyist whose clients often had business before the Senate committee Mr. McCain led threatened the story of redemption and rectitude that defined his political identity.

On the other hand, don't expect any of this kind of reportage on the Democratic side. Not gonna happen. Remember the story of the affair John Edwards had with a staffer. Didn't think so.

Islam and Box Cutters

Uh-oh:

TAMPA - A 21-year-old Clearwater man was arrested at Tampa International Airport this weekend after security personnel found a box cutter in a hollowed-out book, authorities said.

But it gets worse:

Officers found books in the backpack titled "Muhammad in the Bible," "The Prophet's Prayer" and "The Noble Qur'an." He also had a copy of the Quran and the Bible.

Well, there goes that "religion of peace" all over again, what with the box cutters and airplanes. It's notable that books don't shield metal from X-rays, but then this clown probably didn't do so well in science class.

Expect this story to go down the memory hole. Quickly.

Who in the Hell is Lindsay Lohan?

Lindsay Lohan? Never seen a film with her in it, and I'm only kinda certain she was the chick in the Herbie the Love Bug remake from a short-while back (not going to IMDB it). So who thinks she needs to go all Marilyn Monroe for more publicity? NSFW. Nice rack? Ehh.

Hillary Clinton, Huntress

Is it just that she'll say anything to any crowd, regardless of the obvious truth? Sen. Hillary Clinton on her history as a huntress:

“I’ve hunted. My father taught me how to hunt. I went duck hunting in Arkansas. I remember standing in that cold water, so cold, at first light. I was with a bunch of my friends, all men. The sun’s up, the ducks are flying and they are playing a trick on me. They said, ‘we’re not going to shoot, you shoot.’ They wanted to embarrass me. The pressure was on. So I shot, and I shot a banded duck and they were surprised as I was,” Clinton said drawing laughter from the crowd.

I dunno: she was out in the wilderness with a bunch of "friends, all men." Doesn't sound plausible to me.

Records Set

On the one hand, it cost more than twice as much to heat my house to 65F in December than it did to cool my house to 72F in August. For my personal experience as a utility payer, the $512 bill was a record. Then there's this to explain my January bill of $470:

The ΔT of -.75°C from January 2007 to January 2008 appears to be the largest single year to year January drop for the entire GISS data set.

This is yet one more indication of the intensity of planet-wide cooler temperatures seen in January 2008, particularly in the Northern Hemisphere, which has seen record amounts of snow coverage extent as well as new record low surface temperatures in many places.

Global warming is a complete and total bitch. Does whatever the hell it wants to do, asks for no permission, begs no forgiveness.

Tough Call

Let's see, should American taxpayers pay to jail illegal aliens? Hmm. I mean, jail illegal aliens convicted of crimes other than being illegal aliens. Seems almost a no-brainer, but, then, Arlen Specter is involved:

U.S. Sen. Arlen Specter will be touring the Chester County prison this morning "to better understand" what is involved in identifying and deporting non-citizens convicted of a crime, his office said.

I dunno, maybe Scottish law can speak to this problem. Or, maybe the will of the Senate will prevail. But there just can't be an easy answer to this question, now, can there?

I mean, what kind of nation are we that we won't deport a thief here illegally back to his native Mexico where said illegal thief will go from a warm, comfy jail cell with three squares of food to a shanty heated by Mom Nature and the reality that you have to kill what you eat. That's just mean, America, mean.

My Latest Letter to the Editor

Gene,

You howl into the wind when you try to argue that the US Congress has any business holding hearings on the integrity of baseball (or any other sport). Would Congress hold hearings to determine if it was unfair/illegal/whatever for Hollywood actresses to get boob jobs to increase their ability to get roles/attract paparazzi? Sports is no more noble than playing cello for the symphony, writing poetry for an online zine or digging a ditch for the electric company. Only fools think sports are supposed to provide anybody with hero figures up to whom we normal blokes look. They're entertainers; they might as well be singing and dancing.

That sports columnists can't understand this while opining about the state of government is particularly vexing, since you clearly have issues understanding what's really going on in the world/country. To wit:

This particular Congress was essentially installed in November of 2006 to end the war in Iraq.

How's that goin'?

This statement is a lie, you know it is a lie, yet you pretend it is the truth because it's convenient in your anti-America position that when America is involved in a war, America must naturally be wrong. The Democrats did not run campaigns in 2006 against the war in Iraq and if you can't make yourself understand that, maybe you can spend some time googling or youtubeing up some actual campaign ads that had Democrats running as more fiscally conservative than Republicans (and less "corrupt", btw). How's that goin'?

But what kind of drugs are you taking when you write this idiotic boilerplate:

Having failed spectacularly at its principal purpose, I don't like its chances on health care, the looming recession, immigration reform, energy policy, the environment, veterans affairs, Internet safety, education, national security, and the one billion other issues correctly deemed more important than the preservation of Roger Clemens' image, such as it is.

Now certainly, just because Congress is spectacularly impotent, that doesn't mean it should ignore its larger mission and instead throw rocks at the Rocket in the public square. But as I've pointed out previously in this context, any time you can get 20 or 30 Congressmen and Congresswomen to sit in one room for four or five hours, that's four or five hours they're not out there canoodling with big pharma, the gun lobby, the trial lawyers and the hundreds of other lobbyists who poison the legislative process.

So count your blessings.

Sheesh, you have some issues understanding the way the world/government really works. Big pharma saves lives by inventing new drugs that cure diseases. The gun lobby makes sure people can protect themselves against illegally armed criminals. The trial lawyers? The Democrats are in bed with the trial lawyers, Gene, so according to your belief system, that's a good thing. Do lobbyists "poison" the legislative process or do they give vital information to Congressmen who might otherwise go unaware of an issue? I dunno. I guess it depends on the lobby.

Of course, if you're going to stray of the sports reservation to inform your readership about the ills of government, then maybe you owe us a glimpse into how you think Congress should solve "health care, the looming recession, immigration reform, energy policy, the environment, veterans affairs, Internet safety, education, [and] national security," since you clearly think there are problems that need to be solved in those areas. I mean, if you think Congress should be investigating baseball players about their use of steroids and such, well, then you should surely be in favor of a much more intrusive federal government in all areas of life.

Maybe the feds should be allowed to determine what you can put in your body? Would you like that?

The Mis-Education of Dick and Jane

Okay, the public school system has a tough enough time teaching reading, writing and arithmetic, is already filled with leftists who want to raise your children "correctly," and now another left-wing hack politician has an idea to further pollute the minds of the children:

A Silicon Valley lawmaker is gaining momentum with a bill that would require "climate change" to be among the science topics that all California public school students are taught.

The measure, by state Sen. Joe Simitian, D-Palo Alto, also would mandate that future science textbooks approved for California public schools include climate change.

"You can't have a science curriculum that is relevant and current if it doesn't deal with the science behind climate change," Simitian said. "This is a phenomenon of global importance and our kids ought to understand the science behind that phenomenon."

First lesson of the curriculum: explain the climate that the planet is supposed to have. Is it, 10,000 BC or 1845 AD or 1934 Ad or 514 BC? What is the correct climate? Explain that, first, then explain why we all have to live in hemp teepees and eat twigs and berries while the wild animals roam free but the ruling class live in air-conditioned skyscrapers in cities with wifi and tofurkey.

Idiots in the Midst

Just because you have a billion dollars doesn't mean you're not also a flaming idiot:

The billionaire and potential independent presidential candidate also said the nation "has a balance sheet that's starting to look more and more like a third-world country."

That's Mike Bloomberg, the Democratic Republican leftist anti-smoking, anti-trans fat "I know what's best for you" socialist billionaire wanna-be dictator of America lying about the state of America. Because he can, and because he knows the socialist media will lap it up and promote it. There is nothing about America that looks "more and more like a third-world country" except for the areas where the illegals from the third world are hiding out while waiting for chumps like Bloomberg to pass an amnesty law.

Lies. Distortion. Free publicity. It's what's going to ruin this country.

Subjects, Not Citizens

In England, the anti-smoking bigots are going hog crazy all of the sudden, having recently banned smoking in bars and restauarants, and now proposing that if you want to smoke, you should get a license:

He said it was the inconvenience of getting a permit - as much as the cost - that would deter people from persisting with the smoking habit.

"You've got to get a form, a complex form - the government's good at complex forms; you have got to get a photograph.

"It's a little bit of a problem to actually do it, so you have got to make a conscious decision every year to opt in to being a smoker."

This is the future of government: making life difficult for the citizenry, on purpose, because someone in government has decided they know what's best for you.

What They Won't Acknowledge Won't Hurt Them?

Sigh: some people just don't understand how the world works. My response in her comments:

Steph, you're insane if you think the Islamic fundamentalist terrorists aren't real. Do you not remember the Fort Dix Six or the guys from Albany, NY or the huge cell they rounded up in Canada that wanted to behead your PM?

Or London.

Or Madrid.

What about the Danish cartoon riots across the globe? That didn't happen? Those rioters weren't Islamic fundamentalists bent on world domination (albeit through the lengthy process of wearing down Western democracies through PC multi-culti surrenders and not outright war).

Just because you don't/can't understand how the enemy is waging war on us doesn't mean we aren't waging a war. Think: Cold War. Was that a "war?" Most on the left (like you) didn't think it was until the Soviet Union collapsed and WE WON!!!!!!

Caps intentional for aggravation purposes.

Do you want to submit to sharia? Do you want gays stoned to death? Do you countenance the killing of Jews? Do you think free speech is an abomination if it concerns some religious fellow named Mohammed?

Are you a "liberal" (free speech, abortion rights, gay rights, & etc..) or are you a socialist striving for socialist control of western democracies and willing to take league with anybody and any ideology that you think would further your agenda, regardless of the ideology and whether its fundamental tenets are in strict contrast to your own beliefs.

Most humorous is your desire for "scandal" to sink the Republicans in the elections coming up, and not a triumph of ideas (you fear "fear" will fool the electorate into voting Republican, apparently). If your political ideas were so profoundly useful, they'd take traction.

I'm not a Republican, btw (fwiw).

By now you are probably seething with rage that anybody had the temerity to challenge your political assertions and beliefs and no longer able to argue the points of my argument. Pity, that. I'd like to know why we should ignore the Wahhabists in our midst who want to bring down western democracies and restore the Caliphate.

Oh, right: Bush LIED!!! NO WMD!!! 9/11 was an inside job!!! The sixteen words!!! No War For Oil!!!

Slogans, not arguments, are all that you on the left seem capable of generating. Sadly, the electorate, here as in Canada and most of the West, is too consumed with consumer pleasures to find out what the news media will not tell them: we are doomed if we do not fight back, now, with vigor.

It's an ideological struggle, Steph, and sometimes those also require physical struggles in strange parts of the world with people who don't look like us. It doesn't mean we hate them, it means we don't want them to kill us and our way of life and we're willing to preserve ourselves.

Plus, all the other terror attacks before and since 9/11 don't count, either, I guess, in Steph's weird world where The Rightwing Hate Machine is trying to scare people into voting for Republicans. Amazing idiotic thinking on display, here. Or, rather, a complete and total lack of thinking, just pure emoting.