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Saturday, January 31, 2004
I knew there was a reason why I always liked and respected Tony Dungy[Permalink] (0) comments
Friday, January 30, 2004
ESPN debates the merits of fan voting for all-star games.My view? Fan voting is a joke. If they want to have fan-voting, then have some kind of "Fan Game". If they want to select All-NBA players, and have a game, then have a real All-Star game and let the players and coaches choose. And for that matter, they should have it after the season is over, so the entire season can be used as a measuring stick.
I always remember the fans voting Reggie Jackson to the baseball All-Star game year and years after he'd even been average.
What a joke.
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According to Kerry, getting elected president is more important than the lives of little babies.
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I am telling you, this is the Timberwolves year. Everything is falling into place. Calls are going their way, shots are going in, the ball bounces the right way. It's getting to be almost miraculous how things just seem to happen right at the perfect time. Of course, now they actually have to beat the Lakers, but still....
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Gary -- some comments.
1. I am glad to see Ramesh and hopefully others taking up the cause. Not electing George Bush will be sending a clear message to the terrorists of the world that we are feckless, weak-willed, limp-wristed crap weasels. It will be begging them to come after us. Not re-electing about the only guy in government that is willing to stand up to these fetid cartons full of oozing puss would prove such a message to be absolutely true.
2. I totally agree with you on the Derb's comments. I read them with amazement. He's totally off-base here. He's also been off-base on free trade in The Corner lately as well. Weird.
3. Agreed, too, on Norquist. I applaud his work in the anti-tax arena, but he's gone a little loopy in other areas.
Overall, a strange time for us on the right. I'm none too pleased with what Bush has been up to lately, but I will, of course, vote for him. The thought of a scumbag Vietname protestor and raging liberal like Kerry sitting in the Oval Office makes my blood run cold. What Osama would think of that isn't worth contemplating.
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1. I am glad to see Ramesh and hopefully others taking up the cause. Not electing George Bush will be sending a clear message to the terrorists of the world that we are feckless, weak-willed, limp-wristed crap weasels. It will be begging them to come after us. Not re-electing about the only guy in government that is willing to stand up to these fetid cartons full of oozing puss would prove such a message to be absolutely true.
2. I totally agree with you on the Derb's comments. I read them with amazement. He's totally off-base here. He's also been off-base on free trade in The Corner lately as well. Weird.
3. Agreed, too, on Norquist. I applaud his work in the anti-tax arena, but he's gone a little loopy in other areas.
Overall, a strange time for us on the right. I'm none too pleased with what Bush has been up to lately, but I will, of course, vote for him. The thought of a scumbag Vietname protestor and raging liberal like Kerry sitting in the Oval Office makes my blood run cold. What Osama would think of that isn't worth contemplating.
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Apparently, he's had enough. NFL Commissioner Paul Tagliabue wants to cut NFL "trash" in the endzone after touchdowns.
I totally don't get this? What is the big deal? I think that banning this stuff is completely ridiculous. I personally think it is fun and adds a lot to the game. But no, somehow this is "humiliating, unsportsmanlike" and "has no place in the game". What a load of hooey. People that say that are uptight losers. Get a life. Have some fun. Lighten up. Sheesh, what's the big deal?
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I totally don't get this? What is the big deal? I think that banning this stuff is completely ridiculous. I personally think it is fun and adds a lot to the game. But no, somehow this is "humiliating, unsportsmanlike" and "has no place in the game". What a load of hooey. People that say that are uptight losers. Get a life. Have some fun. Lighten up. Sheesh, what's the big deal?
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Nick, Ramesh Ponnuru is saying the same thing you have said to me:
"A Democratic win in the presidential race in November means the end of the war on terror--or at least our side of it."
Not only that, as you have said, it's an invitation to the Bin Ladens of the world: "Come and get us!"
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"A Democratic win in the presidential race in November means the end of the war on terror--or at least our side of it."
Not only that, as you have said, it's an invitation to the Bin Ladens of the world: "Come and get us!"
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I like the Derb most of the time. But every once in a while he comes up with something like this about individual wealth:
"I believe that even in the freest and most open society, it is possible to have too much inequality, and I think that the state can legitimately interfere to moderate inequality. ... I do think that the dark side of ordinary human nature -- of which envy is certainly a component -- needs to be allowed for if society is to be stable and harmonious."
I just don't get it.
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"I believe that even in the freest and most open society, it is possible to have too much inequality, and I think that the state can legitimately interfere to moderate inequality. ... I do think that the dark side of ordinary human nature -- of which envy is certainly a component -- needs to be allowed for if society is to be stable and harmonious."
I just don't get it.
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I just finished reading a long, in-depth article about conservative Grover Norquist. Written by Frank Gaffney, Jr. who "formerly held senior positions in the Reagan Defense Department. Since 1988, he has been the President of the Center for Security Policy in Washington." Norquist has long been a prominent and respected conservative mover and shaker. But in the past several years has taken up the cause of advocating for Islam. It is Gaffney's contention, and he has thoroughly documented his case, that Norquist is being used by Islamists to foil anti-terrorism efforts here and abroad and to establish them as the leaders of all Muslims here in the US. Set aside a good chunk of time and read it.
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Here is a post by Kate O'Beirne on NRO that has a couple of links about Kerry's shameful behavior after he got back from his (admittedly heroic) service in Vietnam.
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Wow, a powerful report from the Powerline boys. They have a reader in Afghanistan who reports to them regularly. Powerful stuff, especially when you consider the effects on the children. My heart and prayers go out to that poor soldier who threw food to the Afghani girl, only to see her blown up as she went to retrieve it.
I am also struck by the fact that these scumbags, these lowlife vermin who attack our troops, are not Afghanis but foreign terrorists. The Afghanis seem to want a normal life of law, order, and peace (who doesn't?). These murdering piles of cat vomit are the same folks who want us dead here in our homes in America. Praise God that we have a leader like Bush who, though his policies here at home don't always please me, is willing to actually fight these useless dribbles of pig bile. And God Bless the men like Powerline's reporter -- a Reserve Army Major from Minneapolis --who go over there and defend us against these pathetic, murdering losers.
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I am also struck by the fact that these scumbags, these lowlife vermin who attack our troops, are not Afghanis but foreign terrorists. The Afghanis seem to want a normal life of law, order, and peace (who doesn't?). These murdering piles of cat vomit are the same folks who want us dead here in our homes in America. Praise God that we have a leader like Bush who, though his policies here at home don't always please me, is willing to actually fight these useless dribbles of pig bile. And God Bless the men like Powerline's reporter -- a Reserve Army Major from Minneapolis --who go over there and defend us against these pathetic, murdering losers.
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Wednesday, January 28, 2004
Dr. Howie shakes up his staff. When this happens in sports, it spells "rebuilding year ahead", but of course, Mad How doesn't have that luxury.[Permalink] (0) comments
My fervent prayer is that the unfortunate victim will press charges against Mr. Franken. Al is a violent man and should be taken off the streets ASAP, are you aware he threatened Rich Lowry?
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Come on, man, you were half right! Good call. I agree that next Tuesday will be interesting. Just for the record, South Carolina, Missouri, Arizona, Delaware and Oklahoma have primaries Feb. 3. New Mexico and North Dakota will hold caucuses (so says Fox News). I saw a few minutes of Dean's post-primary spech in New Hampshire and he was very calm, almost likeable. Maybe that impression will help him next week. I'd love to see Kerry and Dean duke it out for a few weeks.
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As you migh recall, Gary, I predicted a Kerry win, with Dean coming in second, within single digits. Predicting a Kerry win was nothing special, but Dean clearly did worse than I thought. Lieberman did worse than I thought he would as well. Poor Joe -- he seems like a decent fellow, and to lose to the nutjob Wes Clark must be humilating.
Right now, I'd have to say the race is Kerry's to lose. Next Tuesday ought to either seal it for him or throw everything into chaos. If Kerry doesn't wrap it up on Tuesday, then who knows what can happen? Should be lots of fun either way. I'm still pulling for Dean, because I think he'd be a total disaster in the general election. But Kerry will do as well.
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Right now, I'd have to say the race is Kerry's to lose. Next Tuesday ought to either seal it for him or throw everything into chaos. If Kerry doesn't wrap it up on Tuesday, then who knows what can happen? Should be lots of fun either way. I'm still pulling for Dean, because I think he'd be a total disaster in the general election. But Kerry will do as well.
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Tuesday, January 27, 2004
Apparently that paragon of Leftist virtue, that purveyor of "truth", the Human Lie Detector himself, Al Franken, has assaulted a heckler of Dr. Howie. It seems that Sir Franken did this unilaterally without consulting any European allies, and did it in the typical French fashion, attacking the guy from behind. No word yet on whether the heckler actually posed any kind of imminent threat to the good Doctor, or whether Franken will try to justify the attack as "pre-emptive". Dr. Howie was not injured in the attack, nor, unfortunately, was Franken. Reports were sketchy on the medical condition of the heckler after being tackled by the hefty Paragon of All That Is Good.[Permalink] (0) comments
Priceless!
Let's hear it for freedom of the press! Did these stories come out when Saddam was in power? Of course not. Good job, al-Mada.
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Let's hear it for freedom of the press! Did these stories come out when Saddam was in power? Of course not. Good job, al-Mada.
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Peter Robinson (author of How Ronald Reagan Changed My Life) hosts a show on PBS called Uncommon Knowledge. In October, 2003, he hosted Ron Reagan and John Podhoretz to discuss the presidency of George W. Bush. Very interesting.
First of all, little Ronnie is a liberal weanie. How did that happen? Second, Podhoretz backs up his statements with logical arguments and facts. Ronnie just throws out accusations. What a fool. Great transcript. I'll have to try to watch the show - it's on KTCI, 10:30 Saturdays.
BTW, Peter Robinson looks like Ferris Bueller's friend, Cameron.
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First of all, little Ronnie is a liberal weanie. How did that happen? Second, Podhoretz backs up his statements with logical arguments and facts. Ronnie just throws out accusations. What a fool. Great transcript. I'll have to try to watch the show - it's on KTCI, 10:30 Saturdays.
BTW, Peter Robinson looks like Ferris Bueller's friend, Cameron.
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If you look really closely, you probably can see little tiny beads of sweat welling up on the foreheads of some French leaders.
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I totally agree about Mr. Nordlinger's reports from Davos. What a fascinating place it must be, with all those smug lefties sitting around getting lectures, and the occasional clear-thinking conservative who gets to give it to them like they usually don't get it. I loved the report about Jack Straw, which I noted below.
I was also interested in his comments on Clinton's speech. Clinton of course talked all about himself, but it was interesting that even The Nord noticed that he wasn't a total jackass, and that he had some interesting points to make. (Interesting more for the fact that it was Clinton that was making them)
And man, talk about a Dream Team: Forbes at the Treasury and Gramm heading up the Federal Reserve? That is far too much to wish for, I suppose. Why Steve Forbes hasn't had a high-profile government job is a great mystery to me.
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I was also interested in his comments on Clinton's speech. Clinton of course talked all about himself, but it was interesting that even The Nord noticed that he wasn't a total jackass, and that he had some interesting points to make. (Interesting more for the fact that it was Clinton that was making them)
And man, talk about a Dream Team: Forbes at the Treasury and Gramm heading up the Federal Reserve? That is far too much to wish for, I suppose. Why Steve Forbes hasn't had a high-profile government job is a great mystery to me.
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Here's the picture that clearly shows that Duncan's slam was too late. Ball on hand, ball not through hoop, pink glow on net. No doubts.
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I love Nordlinger's reports from the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland. The Nord has a way of making you feel good about the future. It is especially interesting to hear what people outside the US are saying.
For instance, a Chinese questioner of labor boss John Sweeney, "Don't you think that workers in China, too, deserve a better life?"
Or the words of Hoshyar Zebari, the Iraqi foreign minister to the UN, "The United Nations as an organization failed to help rescue the Iraqi people from a murderous tyranny that lasted over 35 years. Today we are unearthing thousands of victims in horrifying testament to that failure."
And the Polish president, hoping that US-German-French relations will improve - "Why? Because, if not, those European countries will turn to Russia, and an alliance of Paris, Berlin, and Moscow 'is something that would endanger us.' It would be 'a repetition of history that's not very nice to us.' "
Finally, The Nord's comments about some Americans:
Phil Gramm - About "compassionate conservatism": "Freedom is compassionate, dammit!" About Democratic demagoguery concerning Grammite economic policies: "I'm sick of being lectured to about poverty by people who have never been poor."
Steve Forbes - He is a delight, purveying information and opinions in his bright and modest way. If there is a more modest billionaire, I don't know him. (Granted, my list of billionaire acquaintances is not long. Whose is?) Ideally, Forbes would be Treasury secretary in a second W. administration. For that matter, Phil Gramm would be chairman of the Fed. And Wendy [Gramm] could do whatever the heck she wanted.
Thankfully, there's more from Davos tomorrow!
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For instance, a Chinese questioner of labor boss John Sweeney, "Don't you think that workers in China, too, deserve a better life?"
Or the words of Hoshyar Zebari, the Iraqi foreign minister to the UN, "The United Nations as an organization failed to help rescue the Iraqi people from a murderous tyranny that lasted over 35 years. Today we are unearthing thousands of victims in horrifying testament to that failure."
And the Polish president, hoping that US-German-French relations will improve - "Why? Because, if not, those European countries will turn to Russia, and an alliance of Paris, Berlin, and Moscow 'is something that would endanger us.' It would be 'a repetition of history that's not very nice to us.' "
Finally, The Nord's comments about some Americans:
Phil Gramm - About "compassionate conservatism": "Freedom is compassionate, dammit!" About Democratic demagoguery concerning Grammite economic policies: "I'm sick of being lectured to about poverty by people who have never been poor."
Steve Forbes - He is a delight, purveying information and opinions in his bright and modest way. If there is a more modest billionaire, I don't know him. (Granted, my list of billionaire acquaintances is not long. Whose is?) Ideally, Forbes would be Treasury secretary in a second W. administration. For that matter, Phil Gramm would be chairman of the Fed. And Wendy [Gramm] could do whatever the heck she wanted.
Thankfully, there's more from Davos tomorrow!
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Monday, January 26, 2004
Yet another reason why my kids will never go to a public school: Honor Roll Is Suspended in Nashville[Permalink] (0) comments
This picture is definitely one of the stranger photos that I've seen in a while. How do you get picked to be the guy to break-dance for the pope? Is there some contest measuring a combination of your Catholic faith and your dancing skills? What if you spun out of control and kicked the Pope in the head? Would that somehow break Vatican protocol? What is the protocol for break-dancing in the Vatican?
I would have loved to be at the meeting when this idea was bounced around. "I know -- let's get some kids in to break-dance for the Pope! Just the other day The Holy Father was asking me -- 'What the heck is this "break-dancing" thing I keep hearing about anyway?'"
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I would have loved to be at the meeting when this idea was bounced around. "I know -- let's get some kids in to break-dance for the Pope! Just the other day The Holy Father was asking me -- 'What the heck is this "break-dancing" thing I keep hearing about anyway?'"
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Sunday, January 25, 2004
I want to go on record right now in saying that I don't want to know about every time LeBron James takes a dump. He's a slightly above average player on a very bad team, and he's not even the best rookie in the league so far this year. (Carmelo Anthony, call your agent).[Permalink] (0) comments
Friday, January 23, 2004
Susan Gonzales is our hero of the day for saving her family and giving bad guys what they deserved.[Permalink] (0) comments
"I'm not an expert in politics, but I think it is a bad sign when your speech ends with your aides shooting you with a tranquilizer gun." - Jay Leno
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Lucianne.com's quote of the day:
"I think Howard Dean has a bit of a problem. Earlier today at a debate in New Hampshire, he bit off Joe Lieberman's ear."
David Letterman
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"I think Howard Dean has a bit of a problem. Earlier today at a debate in New Hampshire, he bit off Joe Lieberman's ear."
David Letterman
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Nick, you beat me to it. I also wanted to hail the British Foreign Minister for making an unapologetic stand for truth and for democracy. Here's my favorite quote (actually, it's Nordlinger's paraphrase of Mr. Straw's words):
"The U.S. taxpayer has put an astonishing amount of money in Iraq, through Congress - and that's democracy, by the way. It's only natural that they should want some of the money to come back to American firms. But plenty of subcontracts are going to other Coalition partners. I applaud the astounding generosity of the American people, and I would remind you that the ultimate benefit, of course, accrues to the people of Iraq."
Thank you, sir. We applaud you.
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"The U.S. taxpayer has put an astonishing amount of money in Iraq, through Congress - and that's democracy, by the way. It's only natural that they should want some of the money to come back to American firms. But plenty of subcontracts are going to other Coalition partners. I applaud the astounding generosity of the American people, and I would remind you that the ultimate benefit, of course, accrues to the people of Iraq."
Thank you, sir. We applaud you.
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Check out how the British Foreign Secretary, Jack Straw, lays hard into the limousine liberals at the Davos Conference. Jay Nordlinger goes there every year, and his reports back from the front lines of limousine liberal-land are always a delight. The report is especially a delight because of Straw, who defends truth and democracy with mouth-shutting power. Go Jack!
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Wednesday, January 21, 2004
Everyone on the left is constantly ragging that we are "Going it alone", and this is a "unilateral action" in Iraq. That's a load of crap.Some critics have said our duties in Iraq must be internationalized. This particular criticism is hard to explain to our partners in Britain, Australia, Japan, South Korea, the Philippines, Thailand, Italy, Spain, Poland, Denmark, Hungary, Bulgaria, Ukraine, Romania, the Netherlands -- (applause) -- Norway, El Salvador, and the 17 other countries that have committed troops to Iraq. (Applause.) As we debate at home, we must never ignore the vital contributions of our international partners, or dismiss their sacrifices.
That's from Bush's speech last night. Hard to explain to the Democrats, anyway. I guess they just can't count.
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Tuesday, January 20, 2004
Minnesota is among the least corrupt states in the Union.[Permalink] (0) comments
Yes, that is a bit disappointing. But she sure can sing, and she is very pretty. And at least she doesn't go around acting like a statternly strumpet.
And yes, I got the Barry Manilow reference.
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And yes, I got the Barry Manilow reference.
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Boy, those Iowa Democrats sure have mixed things up. Didn't they get the memo from the National Media about how things were supposed to turn out? Here's my take on the whole thing:
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- Dick Gephardt apparently dropped out. That's too bad. He was one of the voices of reason in this crowd (at least relatively speaking.)
- Dean's poor showing is really the surprise. At least it surprised me more than Kerry's win. (A close second is Edwards. Where the heck did he come from?) But then last night, the guy goes into total meltdown mode. I seriously question his mental well being. Did you hear about this? I guess he went on a total tirade last night, culminating in some sort of primal howling. I personally feel quite disconcerted at the thought of his finger on the nuclear trigger.
- I think that Dean's poor performance is also a reflection on the folly of expecting real results from the college kid/moveon.org types. Guess it was too cold last night. Lileks points out that the messenger is the problem here, not the message, and after that little tirade last night, it really is the problem.
- And what is with this "caucus" thing, anyway? We do that here in Minnesota, right? Why can't they and we just have an election like normal people?
- Man, the more I listen to that tirade by Dean, the scarier it gets. Listen via Drudge.
- Clark and Lieberman didn't contest in Iowa, and I presume that they are viable in New Hampshire. So that makes it a five man race next Tuesday.
- Bottom line is that there is only one issue for the 2004 Presidential Campaign: National Security. There were only two Democrats on the right side of that issue -- Gephardt and Lieberman -- and Gephardt is already out, and I don't see Lieberman getting anywhere. Thus, the election will come down to a race between one side that wants to protect and defend us and our way of life from murderers, and the other side that wants to suck up to France, and cower in our basements, hoping they won't kill us anymore and wondering why they hate us so much. I feel pretty confident that the American people want to be defended, but heaven help us if we elect some lefty who wants to kiss France's behind. The Democrats have staked out the feckless weasel defense of America position. They can have it as far as I am concerned.
- Who is the Edwards guy anyway? Where'd he come from again? Man, wouldn't you love him to be the nominee? He'd make Dukakis look like a winner.
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Sorry to break this to you, man, but I'm more than a little disappointed in Mandy Moore. I'm sure it's difficult to always get parts that are as wholesome as hers in "A Walk To Remember," but one should strive for that. She fell short.
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Monday, January 19, 2004
I am an avid reader of Jay Nordlinger's Impromptus column, as well as anything else Mr. Nordlinger has written. He has even been kind enough to reply to some emails I have sent him over the years. I consider that an honor.He is a fine defender of freedom, and I appreciate that he never lets us regular readers forget about Cuba, and what a horrible place it is for the people who live under the rule of the murdering tyrant. Mr. Nordlinger never fails to note when some silly, preening Hollywood type or some awful lefty politician goes down to Cuba and fawns over the horrible torturer who rules that land with an iron fist.
And he never fails to let us know about the people who have the courage to stand up to Castro and then feel that iron fist in a very real way. Today, he reminded us of a humble website, Cuban Prisoner of the Week. I plan on checking it at least once a week, and saying a prayer for the prisoner I find there.
I'll also pray that one day soon the people of Cuba will be free of tyranny and fear, and live in freedom.
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ESPN has been discussing fighting in the NHL. I'm on the "Fighting is totally stupid" side. There's no point in it. High School, college, and Olympic hockey somehow manage to get along without it. European leagues manage to get along without it. Why should NHL hockey be any different? Why should every team be forced to carry a no-talent goon whose basic role is to fight? Why should you be able to do things on an NHL hockey rink that you can't do in a pickup game at your local rink? Until the NHL gets rid of fighting, it will always be just a few steps ahead of professional wrestling, and a few notches below professional baseball, basketball and football.
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Sunday, January 18, 2004
Have you guys seen those funny Budweiser commercials during NFL games with Keyshawn Johnson? I've been wondering what he's been up to since the Bucs dumped him.That is Keyshawn, right?
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I thought that picture of the doctored Time Magazine cover denigrating the military people thereon was bad.This is worse. Way worse. Good heavens, that's repulsive.
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While I stand second to none in my respect for Jonah, I don't like it that he has a monopoly on "feckless crapweasel". So I guess he doesn't anymore.
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Friday, January 16, 2004
Reading Jonah Goldberg is sort of like watching Michael Jordan play basketball. Jordan was, unquestionably, the best player ever. He consistently filled it up night after night. He played tough defense every minute he was on the court. He never gave up. He was so consistently good, that it was hard for him to astound us. But astound us he did -- even in the lofty realms of his own world, he'd sometimes get into some kind of "super-zone", not just the regular zone that he alone was in, and do something amazing. The championship winning shot against Utah, the dunk over Ewing with a side-comment to Spike Lee, the "Was-going-to-be-a-dunk- but-changed-to-a-left-handed-layup" shot all come to mind.Jonah is like that. His writing is always so wonderful, so insightful, so staggeringly funny and cutting and spot on that we grow used to it, and we almost don't notice his brilliance. But today's column just takes things to a whole new level. The sarcasm, the cutting yet funny insults of someone so richly deserving of such insults, the keen, clear insight -- he's clearly at the top of his game here. He's clearly risen up into a new level -- he's using a brain and a pen that we mere mortals can't possibly understand, but can merely gape at.
Jonah, Gretzky, Jordan. Birds of a feather.
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Have you heard much about Sims Online? I hadn't. Well, Sims Online, as I'm sure you're aware, is an online version of "the world's most successful virtual-reality game, the Sims." Alphaville, the online game's fictional city could have morphed into any number of things, depending on decisions made by the game's players.
As it was, Alphaville quickly turned into a hellhole of scam-artists, crime syndicates, mafia extortion artists and teenage girls turning tricks to make ends meet. It became a breeding ground for the very worst in human nature - a benign-sounding granny, for example, who specialised in taking new players into her confidence, then showered them in abuse. Then there was the scam-artist known as Evangeline, who started out equally friendly and then stole new players' money.
I guess that's what you get when a bunch of teenage computer geeks are put in charge of things. Anyway, the story of this article is that one of the players, who was editor of the Alphaville newspaper, and who had been reporting on the illicit goings-on, has been booted from the game by its creators, Electronic Arts.
I just find this interesting for a lot of reasons. The most intriguing: Why would Alphaville, starting with a clean slate, become the hellhole that it seems to be? I know that human nature is depraved, and yet my city doesn't sound as bad as Alphaville. We've never had "mobs [turn] up on [our] doorsteps, demanding protection money." I could go on and on ... but I won't.
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As it was, Alphaville quickly turned into a hellhole of scam-artists, crime syndicates, mafia extortion artists and teenage girls turning tricks to make ends meet. It became a breeding ground for the very worst in human nature - a benign-sounding granny, for example, who specialised in taking new players into her confidence, then showered them in abuse. Then there was the scam-artist known as Evangeline, who started out equally friendly and then stole new players' money.
I guess that's what you get when a bunch of teenage computer geeks are put in charge of things. Anyway, the story of this article is that one of the players, who was editor of the Alphaville newspaper, and who had been reporting on the illicit goings-on, has been booted from the game by its creators, Electronic Arts.
I just find this interesting for a lot of reasons. The most intriguing: Why would Alphaville, starting with a clean slate, become the hellhole that it seems to be? I know that human nature is depraved, and yet my city doesn't sound as bad as Alphaville. We've never had "mobs [turn] up on [our] doorsteps, demanding protection money." I could go on and on ... but I won't.
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Thursday, January 15, 2004
He actually did it -- he actually chastised Bush about global warming on the coldest day in New York City in 75 years. What a doofus.[Permalink] (0) comments
The eminently quotable Jonah Goldberg:
"I'm on record as believing that Paul O'Neill is a feckless crapweasel, and I stand by that."
Good stuff, Jonah.
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"I'm on record as believing that Paul O'Neill is a feckless crapweasel, and I stand by that."
Good stuff, Jonah.
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A while back I worried that the Iraqi governing council was moving toward a constitution based on Islamic law. Well, unfortunately, my fears are not without merit. On Jan. 4, Afghanistan passed its new constitution creating an Islamic republic with "Islam as its sacred religion."
Even revisions made to the final draft, meant to give last-minute protection to non-Muslims (and cover from a U.S. veto of the document), could be used to prosecute Muslims who oppose government policies. Those restrictions might make Americans - and particularly soldiers in both Afghanistan and Iraq - wonder what all this fighting to bring democracy to the Middle East is really about.
Great. Just great. This is not a democracy! Or if it is, then we shouldn't be fighting to establish them and around the world.
"If this is a dress rehearsal for Iraq, then we are in trouble."
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Even revisions made to the final draft, meant to give last-minute protection to non-Muslims (and cover from a U.S. veto of the document), could be used to prosecute Muslims who oppose government policies. Those restrictions might make Americans - and particularly soldiers in both Afghanistan and Iraq - wonder what all this fighting to bring democracy to the Middle East is really about.
Great. Just great. This is not a democracy! Or if it is, then we shouldn't be fighting to establish them and around the world.
"If this is a dress rehearsal for Iraq, then we are in trouble."
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Wednesday, January 14, 2004
This sounds like a Saturday Night Live skit. You couldn't make this up if you tried.[Permalink] (0) comments
Get a load of this photo posted on Powerline. You gotta love the US Military. By the way, those are the flags of the Russian Federation, Germany, and France. (thought you might need some help with those)
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... for your Minnesota Timberwolves for the NBA All-Star Game. The Wolves are one of the hottest teams in the NBA due, mainly, to the big three: Garnett, Sprewell, and Cassell. Apparently Sam Cassell isn't even in the top 10 among Western Conference guards. That's a travesty! Alleyoop.com ranks him the 11th best player in the league. Vote early, vote often.
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Tuesday, January 13, 2004
I'll take definition 1 any time.As I always say -- there's nothing in the world more dangerous than a 19 year old Marine with an M-16.
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O'Neill is backtracking on his comment about Bush like a D-back trying to catch Randy Moss. And of course Jonah had the best comment on it.
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Webster's Dictionary:
myrmidon
1. One of a fierce tribe or troop who accompained Achilles, their king, to the Trojan war.
2. A soldier or a subordinate civil officer who executes cruel orders of a superior without protest or pity; -- sometimes applied to bailiffs, constables, etc. --Thackeray.
With unabated ardor the vindictive man of law and his myrmidons pressed forward. --W. H. Ainsworth.
I'd never seen this word until today when I looked at that silly photo. To answer your question, Nick, they're all over the place.
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myrmidon
1. One of a fierce tribe or troop who accompained Achilles, their king, to the Trojan war.
2. A soldier or a subordinate civil officer who executes cruel orders of a superior without protest or pity; -- sometimes applied to bailiffs, constables, etc. --Thackeray.
With unabated ardor the vindictive man of law and his myrmidons pressed forward. --W. H. Ainsworth.
I'd never seen this word until today when I looked at that silly photo. To answer your question, Nick, they're all over the place.
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Mark Steyn makes some great points today about illegal immigration. I'll just quote his last paragrah:
The world's most powerful nation has an illegal immigration problem because it has a legal immigration problem. Transferring millions of people from the unofficial shadow network to the arthritic bureaucracy that allowed the problem to get this big is unlikely to solve it.
It seems to me the greatest obstacle to enacting change in the functioning of our nation is the size of the federal bureaucracy. There are far too many federal employees. The majority stay in their jobs from one administration to the next, continuing to do what they've always done even when the goals and plans at the top change. It would, realistically, take 3 or 4 terms as president for someone (Bush, for example) to remake INS into the agency that it should be. The same can be said for the IRS, or the State Dept., or the CIA. It just can't be done by one president.
Federal workers are running our country!
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The world's most powerful nation has an illegal immigration problem because it has a legal immigration problem. Transferring millions of people from the unofficial shadow network to the arthritic bureaucracy that allowed the problem to get this big is unlikely to solve it.
It seems to me the greatest obstacle to enacting change in the functioning of our nation is the size of the federal bureaucracy. There are far too many federal employees. The majority stay in their jobs from one administration to the next, continuing to do what they've always done even when the goals and plans at the top change. It would, realistically, take 3 or 4 terms as president for someone (Bush, for example) to remake INS into the agency that it should be. The same can be said for the IRS, or the State Dept., or the CIA. It just can't be done by one president.
Federal workers are running our country!
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John Fund of the Wall Street Journal talks about Former Sec. O'Neill. He describes O'Loser as a relic who "simply hadn't adapted to the post-Reagan Republican Party" and a man who had contracted "CEO disease" ("the inability for someone who runs a large enterprise to adapt and subordinate a large ego to the interests of a group"). Fund predicts the book will not do much damage to President Bush's reputation. But J-Nord says that O'Loser's charges have to be answered, they can't just let them lie.
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Sunday, January 11, 2004
Yeah, I bet the Treasury Secretary was privy to all that secret information. Yeah, the Treasury Secretary probably sat in on all the war planning and the Top Secret briefings. And if there was no evidence of WMD, then why does Bill Clinton himself think that there were WMD's in Iraq?What a loser.
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Saturday, January 10, 2004
Paul O'Neill was fired by President Bush in 2002. He should never have been hired. He didn't know what he was doing and couldn't take direction from his boss. He sounds like a big baby. Grown up adults take their medicine and move on, this guy couldn't handle it like a man.[Permalink] (0) comments
Yeah, I know. I just thougt it was funny. And yes, there are some people who don't need two Whoppers. They need to get some exercise and eat some fruits and vegetables.
Me? I enjoy an occasional Whopper. But I'm not 100 lbs. overweight.
By the way, who's going to sue whom?
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Me? I enjoy an occasional Whopper. But I'm not 100 lbs. overweight.
By the way, who's going to sue whom?
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In the interest of not being sued, I think I should point out that it was some radio hackers/usurpers that were saying these things, and not Burger King employees.
Now, having said that, what's wrong with eating a Whopper? It seems to me it's perfectly good food.
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Now, having said that, what's wrong with eating a Whopper? It seems to me it's perfectly good food.
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Friday, January 09, 2004
Customers at Burger King's drive-thru were told, "You don't need a couple of Whoppers. You are too fat. Pull ahead." Yes! Keep it up, BK! Where do I buy some stock?[Permalink] (0) comments
... is getting a tepid thumbs up from the Wall Street Journal editors for his foreign workers proposal. What most commends the plan, they say, is that it recognizes the world as it is. While it's true that these immigrants are here illegally, they would be removed - and kept out - only with methods the American public would not be comfortable with. It is true lawbreakers shouldn't be rewarded for their lawbreaking, so Bush's plan requires a fine be paid by those who are here illegally.
What's most interesting to me is that it was proposed at all. It seems to me the President could just lay low for the next 10 months, do what he's been doing, and win another 4 years in November. But he's not laying low - he's out there doing stuff. The next big thing is a "a permanent science base for astronauts on the moon that could serve as a steppingstone for sending humans ultimately on to Mars." You gotta give the guy credit, he's got guts. I hope he knows what he's doing.
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What's most interesting to me is that it was proposed at all. It seems to me the President could just lay low for the next 10 months, do what he's been doing, and win another 4 years in November. But he's not laying low - he's out there doing stuff. The next big thing is a "a permanent science base for astronauts on the moon that could serve as a steppingstone for sending humans ultimately on to Mars." You gotta give the guy credit, he's got guts. I hope he knows what he's doing.
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Instapundit has a link to the story about Clinton being convinced that Iraq had WMD's. Since it is a staple of the left that Bush "lied" about the WMD's to justify the war, does that mean that Bush and Clinton were in on the great deception together?
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The new plan to fingerprint people at the border has nabbed 30 criminals in three days. Good grief, that seems like a lot to me, but maybe not.
Either way, it's a good thing to catch criminals.
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Either way, it's a good thing to catch criminals.
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Everything VDH writes is so chock full of insight and meaning that I usually have to read it twice. Today's contribution is no different. Did you know much about the Yom Kippur War in 1973? I didn't either - I should have been paying better attention. Even at that time, with Israel under attack from its neighbors, Europe was not just neutral, they were antagonistic to the cause of freedom.
American "unilateralism" in those days meant acting alone not to let Israel perish. Had we gone "multilateral" and listened to our NATO allies - Germany, France, Greece, and Turkey all prohibited American planes from flying supplies in their space in transit to Tel-Aviv - there would be no Israel today at all. How odd that nations who asked for our protection from the Soviets would allow them to fly in supplies to the Syrian dictatorship, but not extend the same privilege of airspace to their protectors to save a democracy.
The world hasn't changed. Bush hasn't "squandered" anything. The French are as they've always been - cheese-eating surrender monkeys. Germany, Turkey, Greece haven't turned on us, they were never with us.
Indeed, America has no time to worry about dress codes. Instead it is has embarked on the most radical policy in the history of the region - one whose unorthodox nature has stymied even our worst critics from the mullahs in Iran to Muammar Khaddafi. Power - destroying and humiliating the Baathists in Iraq and the Taliban in Afghanistan - coupled with idealism in supporting indigenous democracy rather than a shah-like strongman, offers some chance of ending the old way of doing business.
We must continue hacking away the terrorist Hydra in the Sunni Triangle, and hope that the ongoing cultural, economic, and military fallout from Iraq begins to erode fascism and theocracy in Syria and Iran faster than such nearby pathologies can ruin us in Iraq. We are in a race for civilization like none other since World War II. And yet, due solely to the courage and skill of an amazing generation of American professional soldiers battling in Iraq and Afghanistan, we are winning - as this difficult war is beginning to resemble 1944 far more than 1939.
There is hope, thanks to a wise and bold President George W. Bush.
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American "unilateralism" in those days meant acting alone not to let Israel perish. Had we gone "multilateral" and listened to our NATO allies - Germany, France, Greece, and Turkey all prohibited American planes from flying supplies in their space in transit to Tel-Aviv - there would be no Israel today at all. How odd that nations who asked for our protection from the Soviets would allow them to fly in supplies to the Syrian dictatorship, but not extend the same privilege of airspace to their protectors to save a democracy.
The world hasn't changed. Bush hasn't "squandered" anything. The French are as they've always been - cheese-eating surrender monkeys. Germany, Turkey, Greece haven't turned on us, they were never with us.
Indeed, America has no time to worry about dress codes. Instead it is has embarked on the most radical policy in the history of the region - one whose unorthodox nature has stymied even our worst critics from the mullahs in Iran to Muammar Khaddafi. Power - destroying and humiliating the Baathists in Iraq and the Taliban in Afghanistan - coupled with idealism in supporting indigenous democracy rather than a shah-like strongman, offers some chance of ending the old way of doing business.
We must continue hacking away the terrorist Hydra in the Sunni Triangle, and hope that the ongoing cultural, economic, and military fallout from Iraq begins to erode fascism and theocracy in Syria and Iran faster than such nearby pathologies can ruin us in Iraq. We are in a race for civilization like none other since World War II. And yet, due solely to the courage and skill of an amazing generation of American professional soldiers battling in Iraq and Afghanistan, we are winning - as this difficult war is beginning to resemble 1944 far more than 1939.
There is hope, thanks to a wise and bold President George W. Bush.
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"Howard Dean should take his tax hiking, government-expanding, latte-drinking, sushi-eating, Volvo-driving, New York Times-reading, body piercing, Hollywood-loving, left-wing freak show back to Vermont, where it belongs."
- A new ad from the Club for Growth, currently running in Iowa
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- A new ad from the Club for Growth, currently running in Iowa
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(It starts with the spelling of her name. Ugh!)
Great stuff from The Derb. He makes a good point about marriage vs. gay "marriage." Here's a quote we might just want to commit to memory: "Things are for whom they are for. Voting is for law-abiding adult citizens of sound mind; marriage is for men and women; the fact that either institution might have been abused in some particular instance does not make a case for altering fundamental definitions."
And, of course, he's right on about "Britney" and the corner of our culture she rules.
"For this Buddy Holly died?"
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Great stuff from The Derb. He makes a good point about marriage vs. gay "marriage." Here's a quote we might just want to commit to memory: "Things are for whom they are for. Voting is for law-abiding adult citizens of sound mind; marriage is for men and women; the fact that either institution might have been abused in some particular instance does not make a case for altering fundamental definitions."
And, of course, he's right on about "Britney" and the corner of our culture she rules.
"For this Buddy Holly died?"
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Interesting commentary on the Marbury trade. This is the second time (third time?) Marbury has been involved in a "blockbuster" trade. That ought to say something about Marbury right there. One thing not noted in the article is that everytime Marbury gets traded, the team he left wins more games the following year. It's been true for the Wolves and the Nets, and I'll lay money it will be true for the Suns.
I like Marbury's game -- he plays hard and with passion, but I agree with your assesment, Gary: he doesn't make his team better, even with the gaudy assist numbers. He's an interesting player for that reason. Put me down as one of those guys that hope someday he becomes the kind of player that does make his teammates better. For some reason, I'd like to see him mature and be the player that so many people think he is.
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I like Marbury's game -- he plays hard and with passion, but I agree with your assesment, Gary: he doesn't make his team better, even with the gaudy assist numbers. He's an interesting player for that reason. Put me down as one of those guys that hope someday he becomes the kind of player that does make his teammates better. For some reason, I'd like to see him mature and be the player that so many people think he is.
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The Derb talks about Britney Spears on National Review Online today in his usual inimitable fashion. While I was reading, I realized that I do feel a bit sorry for the silly person that Britney is. I also realized that I can't think if a single song she's performed, nor would I even recognize a song as hers, other than the song she sang in the Pepsi commercial. Kind of weird.
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You can add Charles to the "You Should Read Every Word They Write" list any time.
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Gee, what a surprise! Charles Krauthammer is right again. That guy is rapidly rising up my admiration scale.
I agree that the Bush Doctrine is working great, from Syria, to Iran, to Lybia, and all the way to North Korea. It's a commonly known schoolyard maxim that if you punch one bully, the rest of the bullies will leave you alone. Just so, you invade one country so you don't have to invade all of them. No serious person thinks that Khaddafi's sudden change of heart isn't a direct result of what happened in Iraq.
The world is a much better place than it was two years ago. Don't beleive me? Just ask the average Iraqi or Afghani. They'll tell you.
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I agree that the Bush Doctrine is working great, from Syria, to Iran, to Lybia, and all the way to North Korea. It's a commonly known schoolyard maxim that if you punch one bully, the rest of the bullies will leave you alone. Just so, you invade one country so you don't have to invade all of them. No serious person thinks that Khaddafi's sudden change of heart isn't a direct result of what happened in Iraq.
The world is a much better place than it was two years ago. Don't beleive me? Just ask the average Iraqi or Afghani. They'll tell you.
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President Bush's immigration proposal is causing quite a stir out there in the blogsphere, inclucing on The Corner. I am not totally clear on what the President has proposed, but here are my thoughts.
1. People who break the law should be caught and punished.
2. Illegal immigrants are lawbreakers, and therefore #1 should apply to them.
3. We should do everything in our power to stop lawbreaking.
4. We should not suddenly allow people who were breaking the law to suddenly become law-abiding.
5. Anyone who wants to come to this country to work should be allowed to do so -- that is, they should be allowed to come here and work.
6. People who want to come here and not work, but rather take advantage of our welfare, should not be allowed to do so.
That all seems pretty clear to me. In short, I have no problem with people that want to come here to work, and we should facilitate that. What we shouldn't tolerate is lawlessness.
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1. People who break the law should be caught and punished.
2. Illegal immigrants are lawbreakers, and therefore #1 should apply to them.
3. We should do everything in our power to stop lawbreaking.
4. We should not suddenly allow people who were breaking the law to suddenly become law-abiding.
5. Anyone who wants to come to this country to work should be allowed to do so -- that is, they should be allowed to come here and work.
6. People who want to come here and not work, but rather take advantage of our welfare, should not be allowed to do so.
That all seems pretty clear to me. In short, I have no problem with people that want to come here to work, and we should facilitate that. What we shouldn't tolerate is lawlessness.
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"From Libya to India, ice is breaking and the region is changing. In this part of the world, there is no guarantee of success. But if this is not progress -- remarkable, unexpected and hugely significant -- then nothing is."
Charles Krauthammer again tells it like it is. He shows that Howard Dean is an idiot for continuing to say we are not safer after the capture of Saddam.
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Charles Krauthammer again tells it like it is. He shows that Howard Dean is an idiot for continuing to say we are not safer after the capture of Saddam.
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You may be right about reading "A Walk To Remember," but I couldn't read about (and see the pictures of) the Texas soldier's funeral with a dry eye. There are wonderful people living in Texas. I wonder if that would happen in many other states in the Union.
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Thursday, January 08, 2004
"A Walk to Remember" was a touch cheesy, but as you mentioned, a rare portrayal of a Christian in a positive light.I do recommend the book. It's an easy read -- you could probably do it in a dedicated afternoon, and it really is touching. If you thought the movie portrayed Jamie's faith in a sensitive way, read the book. Told from the first-person view of Landon Carter, it truly is a story of a journey to faith.
And as I said, I defy you to read it with a dry eye.
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Ervin Johnson (not the guy with AIDS) is rapidly becoming my favorite Timberwolf for two reasons. One, Erv loves Jesus. And two, he's a guy that knows his limitations. Erv's been around a long time, and knows what he can do and can't do. He can rebound, take up space, bang around a bit, and score some cleanup hoops. He can't get fancy, make a sweet move, or light up the scoreboard. I admire that. He quietly contributes. Over his career, he's made half his shots, pulled down 6.5 rebounds and put in 4.5 points a game. The fact that he's been in the league for ten years is a testimony to his steady, unspectacular, but valuable contribution to his teams.
Did I mention how cool it is that Erv loves Jesus?
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Did I mention how cool it is that Erv loves Jesus?
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I was very happy to read Peter Gammons' article called "Rethinking my vote for Rose". I've always disliked Rose, even when he was a player. There was something about that "Charlie Hustle" thing that always bothered me. The haircut -- which I can only describe as "four-year-old-ish" (and which he still has to this day) always reminded me of how immature and childish he was and still is. I've always thought he was a dirtbag, and I've always chafed when people said he belonged in the hall.
Overall, the guy is a total disgrace, to himself, to his family, and especially to Baseball. His faux apology about is psuedo-admission about his betting on baseball (something everyone knows he did) was repulsive. I, myself, can't stand to even listen to him talk. He crassly released his book to take the limelight away from the recent inductees -- Paul Molitor and Dennis Eckersley. That most people want him in the Hall of Fame makes me ill.
I agree with Gammons: "As far as I'm concerned, Rose can go to Cooperstown and sign tawdry items for those who, like him, have no respect for integrity, baseball or the Hall of Fame."
Addendum: Thomas Boswell does Rose even tougher than Gammons did.
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Overall, the guy is a total disgrace, to himself, to his family, and especially to Baseball. His faux apology about is psuedo-admission about his betting on baseball (something everyone knows he did) was repulsive. I, myself, can't stand to even listen to him talk. He crassly released his book to take the limelight away from the recent inductees -- Paul Molitor and Dennis Eckersley. That most people want him in the Hall of Fame makes me ill.
I agree with Gammons: "As far as I'm concerned, Rose can go to Cooperstown and sign tawdry items for those who, like him, have no respect for integrity, baseball or the Hall of Fame."
Addendum: Thomas Boswell does Rose even tougher than Gammons did.
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I love reading James Taranto's Best of the Web Today at OpinionJournal.com. Today he does his usual admirable job skewering headline writers. Here's today's best:
Won't That Make the Cow Madder?
"Japan Team to Visit U.S. to Probe Mad Cow"--headline, Associated Press, Jan. 7
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Won't That Make the Cow Madder?
"Japan Team to Visit U.S. to Probe Mad Cow"--headline, Associated Press, Jan. 7
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Gee, what a surprise. I feel sorry for this lady, she is your Webster's Dictionary photo for the word "whack-job."
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I agree. The poverty level definition uses a base year of 1963. The threshold is adjusted yearly by the CPI (Consumer Price Index). Also, as the Heritage Foundation's report notes, "There are a number of problems with the Census Bureau's poverty figures: Census undercounts income, ignores assets accumulated in prior years, and disregards non-cash welfare such as food stamps and public housing in its official count of income."
So, we have a 40-year old poverty standard (adjusted for inflation), and a wealth/income measure that underreports assets and income. This is a mess that will never get fixed. Why? Because any politician who tries to set things right (especially a Republican) will be excoriated mercilessly by the liberals. It's a political loser.
In the words of our Lord, "You will always have the poor among you, but you will not always have me."
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So, we have a 40-year old poverty standard (adjusted for inflation), and a wealth/income measure that underreports assets and income. This is a mess that will never get fixed. Why? Because any politician who tries to set things right (especially a Republican) will be excoriated mercilessly by the liberals. It's a political loser.
In the words of our Lord, "You will always have the poor among you, but you will not always have me."
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I liked "A Walk To Remember." Pretty schmalzy, yes, but a rare (in the movies) story of faith and values.
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(He doesn't mind his friends calling him "Bob.")
I agree, three cheers for Duvall. He's a fine actor, and he's not a fool (see Steven Spielberg). He's had a long career of great distinction. Here are some highlights:
1962 - To Kill A Mockingbird (Arthur 'Boo' Radley)
1970 - M*A*S*H (Maj. Frank Burns)
1972 - The Godfather (Tom Hagen)
1974 - The Godfather: Part II (Tom Hagen)
1978 - Invasion of the Body Snatchers (uncredited, Priest on swing)
1979 - Apocalypse Now (Lt. Col. William 'Bill' Kilgore)
1983 - Tender Mercies (Mac Sledge)
1984 - The Natural (Max Mercy)
1989 - "Lonesome Dove" TV miniseries (Augustus 'Gus' McCrae)
1997 - The Apostle (Euliss 'Sonny' Dewey - The Apostle E.F.)
2003 - Gods and Generals (Gen. Robert E. Lee)
42 years, and counting.
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I agree, three cheers for Duvall. He's a fine actor, and he's not a fool (see Steven Spielberg). He's had a long career of great distinction. Here are some highlights:
1962 - To Kill A Mockingbird (Arthur 'Boo' Radley)
1970 - M*A*S*H (Maj. Frank Burns)
1972 - The Godfather (Tom Hagen)
1974 - The Godfather: Part II (Tom Hagen)
1978 - Invasion of the Body Snatchers (uncredited, Priest on swing)
1979 - Apocalypse Now (Lt. Col. William 'Bill' Kilgore)
1983 - Tender Mercies (Mac Sledge)
1984 - The Natural (Max Mercy)
1989 - "Lonesome Dove" TV miniseries (Augustus 'Gus' McCrae)
1997 - The Apostle (Euliss 'Sonny' Dewey - The Apostle E.F.)
2003 - Gods and Generals (Gen. Robert E. Lee)
42 years, and counting.
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It seems that Rummy declined the honor of being Time's 'Person of the Year'
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Just doing our part here at Banterings to help along the GoogleBomb for the words "Great President".
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Here's an article discussing something that I think we all instinctively know -- that there are very, very few truly poor people in America. For instance, how can you be poor if you own a house? 76% of them have air-conditioning. Shoot, even the writers of the report in question agree:
If poverty means lacking nutritious food, adequate warm housing, and clothing for a family, relatively few of the 35 million people identified as being "in poverty" by the Census Bureau could be characterized as poor.
The other fun thing about this issue is how the poor are defined. If you define poor as the bottom 20%, then you can't solve poverty, even if all the poor people sit on gold-plated toilets.
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If poverty means lacking nutritious food, adequate warm housing, and clothing for a family, relatively few of the 35 million people identified as being "in poverty" by the Census Bureau could be characterized as poor.
The other fun thing about this issue is how the poor are defined. If you define poor as the bottom 20%, then you can't solve poverty, even if all the poor people sit on gold-plated toilets.
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The first reason was here great performance in the sweet movie, "A Walk to Remember". Here's another one -- she's modest enough not to pose in those almost-porn magazines like FHM and Maxim.
Now, before you jump on me about "A Walk to Remember", I challenge you to read the book with a dry eye, especially when you consider the wonderful gospel message the book -- and the movie for that matter -- contains.
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Now, before you jump on me about "A Walk to Remember", I challenge you to read the book with a dry eye, especially when you consider the wonderful gospel message the book -- and the movie for that matter -- contains.
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More proof why Texas is a great state and America is a great country. May SPC4 James M. Kiehl rest in peace.
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Duvall takes to task that murderer-lover Stephen Spielberg. Spielberg's response? "I never said that on national TV, even though millions of people heard me". What a dirtbag. Way to go Duvall.
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Wednesday, January 07, 2004
Rush Limbaugh is a great American. He shows you the stuff no one else will. For instance, check out howDr. Dean deftly avoids looking short next to Bill Bradley. Of course, most folks look short next to Bill, but Dean, at 5'8" would look particularly height-challenged. I love this kind of stuff. (Be sure to read the footnote at the bottom, becaus Howie isn't sensitive about being short. Nope, not him.)[Permalink] (0) comments
More proof that there is no liberal bias in the press. Nope, none. Not any liberal bias at all. Nope.
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Tuesday, January 06, 2004
Want to know why the left hates George Bush so much? Want to know why I respect him so much? Read this, and understand.[Permalink] (0) comments
As a father of girls, this article in the Washington Post has my attention. I've always thought that if I wanted to protect them from making bad decisions regarding sexual activity, I would help them avoid risky situations with boys. Now what? I guess, as always, I need to be ever vigilant.
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Hey, in a stunning coincidence I also bought a ticket with the winning numbers, but lost the ticket in the parking lot of the convenienc store.
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Monday, January 05, 2004
"Millionaires and charismatic Christians have accrued either material or spiritual fortification from Bush's administration." I was going to say, "this guy's a raving lunatic," but then he used the words "non-sequiturs" and "belie" and I realized I'm the stupid one.[Permalink] (0) comments
I had no idea I was so stupid. I must be really, really stupid. I mean, if this guy is right, I'm one of the stupidest people around.
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DJIA up 134.22 to 10,544.07
NASDAQ up 40.68 to 2047.36
S&P 500 up 13.74 to 1122.22
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NASDAQ up 40.68 to 2047.36
S&P 500 up 13.74 to 1122.22
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This is good news: "Authorities began scanning fingerprints and taking photographs of arriving foreigners Monday." Of course, there are exceptions - the 27 countries whose citizens currently don't need visas to travel here - but it's a start. The liberals solution would be to photograph and fingerprint every US citizen.
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It is because of this type of wonderful writing that I read NRO religiously: Rich Lowery has a few questions for Dr. Dean.
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We are, of course, huge fans of Mark Steyn. He is not only conservative and smart (those two so often go hand-in-hand, don't they?), he's pretty dang funny. Here are some bits from his latest:
'I feel extremely humiliated,' agreed the Egyptian writer Sayyid Nassar. 'By shaving his beard, a symbol of virility in Iraq and in the Arab world, the Americans committed an act that symbolises humiliation in our region.'
You should feel humiliated. It is humiliating when you invest your pride in a total loser. You know what would humiliate me if I were a hotshot Egyptian intellectual like Mr Nassar? The Americans democratising Iraq before the Egyptians manage to democratise Egypt.
More:
Why exactly did Colonel Gaddafi, within a week of Saddam's capture, throw open the gates of his WMD facilities to the Brits and Yanks? 'I will do whatever the Americans want,' said the Colonel, 'because I saw what happened in Iraq, and I was afraid.'
Or as I put it in the Jerusalem Post in early May, 'You don't invade Iraq in order to invade everywhere else, you invade Iraq so you don't have to invade everywhere else.'
And:
The delay between the fall of the Taleban and the fall of Saddam was a little too long: there should be an informal target of one tinpot thug per year, to be removed by whatever means are to hand.
This is news to me:
It turns out, despite the sneers of the bien pensants, that the axis of evil is not just a rhetorical flourish but a real live working axis. One reason why the scale of its advances was not known to the IAEA dupes is that Iran, North Korea, Libya and others were able to farm out different elements of the programme to different countries, thereby ensuring that it's only when you know the network that you can see the full picture. Nonetheless, we now understand that pre-Musharraf Pakistan and communist North Korea were at the centre of a huge conspiracy to nuclearise the Arab world.
God Bless The Coalition of the Willing
On the Sunday morning of Saddam's capture the President called the Prime Ministers of Britain, Australia, Spain, Italy and Poland. The Canadians had to wait for a brief conversation on the Monday, and the French, Germans and Russians had to make do with James Baker. ... Orrin Judd, who describes Britain's and America's interventions with Libya, Syria et al. as a classic good cop/bad cop routine: the urbane Foreign Office wallah flies in and explains nice and friendly-like that you really don't want to meet his Texan partner.
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'I feel extremely humiliated,' agreed the Egyptian writer Sayyid Nassar. 'By shaving his beard, a symbol of virility in Iraq and in the Arab world, the Americans committed an act that symbolises humiliation in our region.'
You should feel humiliated. It is humiliating when you invest your pride in a total loser. You know what would humiliate me if I were a hotshot Egyptian intellectual like Mr Nassar? The Americans democratising Iraq before the Egyptians manage to democratise Egypt.
More:
Why exactly did Colonel Gaddafi, within a week of Saddam's capture, throw open the gates of his WMD facilities to the Brits and Yanks? 'I will do whatever the Americans want,' said the Colonel, 'because I saw what happened in Iraq, and I was afraid.'
Or as I put it in the Jerusalem Post in early May, 'You don't invade Iraq in order to invade everywhere else, you invade Iraq so you don't have to invade everywhere else.'
And:
The delay between the fall of the Taleban and the fall of Saddam was a little too long: there should be an informal target of one tinpot thug per year, to be removed by whatever means are to hand.
This is news to me:
It turns out, despite the sneers of the bien pensants, that the axis of evil is not just a rhetorical flourish but a real live working axis. One reason why the scale of its advances was not known to the IAEA dupes is that Iran, North Korea, Libya and others were able to farm out different elements of the programme to different countries, thereby ensuring that it's only when you know the network that you can see the full picture. Nonetheless, we now understand that pre-Musharraf Pakistan and communist North Korea were at the centre of a huge conspiracy to nuclearise the Arab world.
God Bless The Coalition of the Willing
On the Sunday morning of Saddam's capture the President called the Prime Ministers of Britain, Australia, Spain, Italy and Poland. The Canadians had to wait for a brief conversation on the Monday, and the French, Germans and Russians had to make do with James Baker. ... Orrin Judd, who describes Britain's and America's interventions with Libya, Syria et al. as a classic good cop/bad cop routine: the urbane Foreign Office wallah flies in and explains nice and friendly-like that you really don't want to meet his Texan partner.
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Thomas Sowell writes another excellent article comparing the two earthquakes in California and Iran. The contrast is stark - tens of thousands dead vs. less than 5 dead. "Why the difference? In one word, wealth." Sowell continues,
Those who disdain wealth as crass materialism need to understand that wealth is one of the biggest life-saving factors in the world. As an economist in India has pointed out, "95 percent of deaths from natural hazards occur in poor countries."
Those who preen themselves on their "compassion" for the poor, and who disdain wealth, are being inconsistent, if not hypocritical. Wealth is the only thing that can prevent poverty. However, if you are not trying to prevent poverty but to exploit it for political purposes, that is another story.
He goes to attack the multi-culti mantra, "one culture is just as good as another."
It is just as good to lose tens of thousands of lives as not to? What hogwash! It is just as good to lack modern medicine, modern transportation, and modern industry as it is to have them? Who is kidding whom?
You the man, Tom!
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Those who disdain wealth as crass materialism need to understand that wealth is one of the biggest life-saving factors in the world. As an economist in India has pointed out, "95 percent of deaths from natural hazards occur in poor countries."
Those who preen themselves on their "compassion" for the poor, and who disdain wealth, are being inconsistent, if not hypocritical. Wealth is the only thing that can prevent poverty. However, if you are not trying to prevent poverty but to exploit it for political purposes, that is another story.
He goes to attack the multi-culti mantra, "one culture is just as good as another."
It is just as good to lose tens of thousands of lives as not to? What hogwash! It is just as good to lack modern medicine, modern transportation, and modern industry as it is to have them? Who is kidding whom?
You the man, Tom!
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My wife and kids were on TV last night! Sadly, our library was broken into, and Channel 5 News interviewed her about it. Go to the link and click on the "Video" link a the bottom.
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Sunday, January 04, 2004
No more need to wonder how many people haven't been killed since we freed Iraq from that murderous butcher with the tongue depressor in his mouth.[Permalink] (0) comments
Yes! I am redeemed! The most eminent of sports columnists agrees that Poole never would have gotten that left foot down. Scroll to the bullet next to the picture of the (naturally) anguished Viking, and read this:
And it was a bogus call to boot -- really, does anyone think Poole would have gotten that second foot in?
See? I'm not the only one. Add that to the fact that Bill and I are right on this, and it stacks up to redemption -- sweet redemption.
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And it was a bogus call to boot -- really, does anyone think Poole would have gotten that second foot in?
See? I'm not the only one. Add that to the fact that Bill and I are right on this, and it stacks up to redemption -- sweet redemption.
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Saturday, January 03, 2004
Years ago, I used to like to watch a TV show called "thirtysomething". You all probably remember it. Bunch of yuppies living angst-filled lives, unable to commit, struggling with parenthood, having trouble finding happiness, etc., etc. Typical stuff. The show was very well written, however, and a few episodes still stick in my mind to this day.One of those episodes was about the single, "can't find a decent guy" character, Melissa. Melissa signed up for a dating service, and found all kinds of strange guys, but one met the definition of the "perfect guy". She goes out with him, and he's "perfect" -- sensitive, caring, accepting, etc., everything she could want. Only he's boring. There's no spark. She can't figure out why she doesn't like him, but she wants to like him so very much.
The subplot is that she's getting her apartment painted by this guy who's nice and friendly. They talk a lot, but (horrors!) he's just a painter. In addition, throughout the show, Melissa is trying to find out whose shoe was left in her apartment after a party. She askes all the guys she knows, and it isn't anyone's. Finally, she asks the painter, and lo and behold, it fits him, and she suddenly realizes that she's looking for all the wrong things. You can get the allegory, I hope.
Point is, here's this person who says all the "right, proper" things, and he's oh, so sensitive and accepting and all that rot, but he's not at all attractive. And then there's the painter who's just a nice, genuine, honest guy, but for some reason, doesn't pop up on the dating service computer, if you will.
Why this tale? I read this hilarious link where Wes Clark plays Hardball. Wes says all the "right things", but of course he sounds like a raging idiot (not that we're surprised by that). People think they want a president who says all that crap, but what they really want is one that will take action when action is needed. Like Melissa, the American people are sucked in by the "dating service speak", but what they know in there gut is that the "painter-guy speak" is what really is valuable.
And who talks "painter guy speak"? George Bush does, of course, and the people like him.
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Thursday, January 01, 2004
It is a rare moment when one witnesses true greatness, when the perfection of photography and utter truth come together to become a thing of pure beauty.To see such an occurrance, go here, click on the picture to the right, look and see who is talking, read the text on the shirt, and bask in the profundity, the clarity, the greatness of the moment that it captures.
And then be sad, because such a moment is unlikely to ever occur again.
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I enjoyed Kill Bill. I thought it was interesting, intriguing, and excellently done. Lot's of comic blood, yes, but an intriguing story.
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Mark Steyn's predictions are quite right and quite funny. The best one?
9) OSAMA BIN LADEN
He will continue to be dead throughout 2004.
I think that we are in danger of becoming Mark Steyn sycophants. Not that there's anything wrong with that.
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9) OSAMA BIN LADEN
He will continue to be dead throughout 2004.
I think that we are in danger of becoming Mark Steyn sycophants. Not that there's anything wrong with that.
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