Katie Couric's Case of the Blues

“CBS news anchor Katie Couric, invited to a briefing at the White House, complained about being the only journalist in attendance "wearing a skirt." Her colleagues included ABC's Charlie Gibson and George Stephanopoulos; NBC's Brian Williams and Tim Russert; CBS's Bob Schieffer; CNN's Wolf Blitzer; and FOX's Brit Hume.

Presumably, Couric's complaint concerned her status as the lone female in that room, rather than the restrictive dress code. Few viewers, I suspect, wish to see Tim Russert in a tutu or Brit Hume sporting a bra.”

Article

Milton Friedman Day

“Friedman won the Nobel Prize in 1976 for his technical work in consumption analysis and monetary theory. But his real impact came through his popular writings in books and magazines. The consummate public intellectual -- clear, concise, and congenial -- Friedman taught millions worldwide about the virtues of the free market and individual liberty. When communism fell in the Soviet bloc, a new generation of Friedman-inspired activists and intellectuals were ready to implement his message of less government and more freedom.

As you'll see in the documentary, Friedman was the furthest thing from a stuffy academic. With his impish smile and sparking eyes, he lucidly debunked the once-reigning idea that government regulators know best.

His interests were not narrowly focused on economics. He pointed out the folly of the government's so-called "war on drugs." His ideas helped create the school-voucher movement. And when the Vietnam war raged in the 1960s and early 1970s, no one argued more eloquently for ending the draft, and he helped bring about the all-volunteer army.”

Article

Getting to the Meat of the Matter

Racial Hypocrisy

“Freshman Rep. Stephen I. Cohen, D-Tenn., is not joining the Congressional Black Caucus after several current and former members made it clear that a white lawmaker was not welcome.
"I think they're real happy I'm not going to join," said Cohen, who succeeded Rep. Harold Ford, D-Tenn., in a majority-black Memphis district. "It's their caucus and they do things their way. You don't force your way in. You need to be invited."

Cohen said he became convinced that joining the caucus would be "a social faux pas" after seeing news reports that former Rep. William Lacy Clay Sr., D-Mo., a co-founder of the caucus, had circulated a memo telling members it was "critical" that the group remain "exclusively African- American."

Other members, including the new chairwoman, Rep. Carolyn Cheeks Kilpatrick, D-Mich., and Clay's son, Rep. William Lacy Clay, D-Mo., agreed.”

Article

Hat tip: Townhall.com

Ahmadinejad’s Days May Be Numbered

“Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad is facing increased opposition within his nation’s hierarchy and could be toppled in the near future, according to two experts on Iran.

In an opinion piece in the Los Angeles Times, Dariush Zahedi, who teaches in the departments of political economy and peace and conflict studies at the University of California-Berkeley, and Omid Memarian, an award-winning Iranian journalist, write: "The Bush administration's decision to step up pressure against Iran by going after Iranian agents inside Iraq, coupled with the Islamic Republic's increasing economic and diplomatic isolation, have pushed conservatives inside Iran to further distance themselves from President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad."

According to the authors, 50 members of the Iranian parliament have signed a letter calling on Ahmadinejad to appear before the parliament to explain his actions, and Iran’s supreme leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, has reportedly given parliament the right to criticize Ahmadinejad’s performance.”

Article

Bears Crush Saints

Now that Chicago is the champion of the NFC, do you think we’ve hard the last about poor, embattled New Orleans and what a remarkable inspiration the Saints have been to this devastated, built below sea level city of perversion ?
Nah!


Update:

The Colts beat the Pats in perhaps the greatest conference championship ever played!

The sports guys made a big deal over the fact that Lovie Smith is the first “African-American” head coach going to the Super Bowl. But wait. Tony Dungy, also “African-American” is also a head coach going to the Super Bowl! What a milestone this is!

When I look at Smith and Dungy I see men, not hyphenated men…men who are terrific coaches, not separated from all of us because they happen to be black men. Not special because of skin color, but special because they have the ability to lead diverse athletic individuals and mold them into a cohesive unit that defeats the opponent at any cost. Maybe our politicians should take note.

Coach Smith and Coach Dungy, I admire you.

The Sky is Falling…The Sky is Falling!

‘…the Associated Press, reflecting the fact that it is winter, a period known for cold and blustery weather, noted that, “The storms were among the most brutal to belt northern Europe in years” in one story.

In another, it noted that, “If anyone should be able to time a getaway during what’s been a bizarrely balmy winter, you’d think it would be America’s weather forecasters. So how to explain the conditions confronted this week by members of the American Meteorological Society who packed short sleeves for their annual convention in normally mild San Antonio—icicles dripping from the rails, sleet falling from the skies and a biting chill in the air?”

On the same day, the AP reported that “House Speaker Nancy Pelosi created a special committee yesterday in an effort to jump-start long-delayed government efforts to deal with global warming.” The panel, one that is guaranteed to be packed with folks devoted to scaring the pants off of everyone, is expected to “recommend legislation on how to reduce greenhouse gases, primarily carbon dioxide generated by fossil fuels, that most scientists blame for a gradual warming of the earth’s climate.”’

Read it.

Nanny Town

‘Jill Israel thought the "going out of business" signs were a joke.

But shortly after she reported for duty as a waitress at the New York Deli News in Henderson on Jan. 12, her boss told her the closure notices were real. The deli's landlord, a bar and grill, was ousting the restaurant to comply with Nevada's new law banning smoking inside taverns that serve food.’



'The Faughts, who aren't smokers, saw little sense in the new law.
"I wish no one smoked, but the smoking ban is ridiculous," Pam Faught said. "This is an adult place. People make the choice to walk in here. They're making businesses and workers lose their income with this law, but if they want to end smoking, they should start at the source, with tobacco companies."'

This is a really stupid statement that inanely tries to justify the acceptability of the government to interfere in all aspects of our lives. My mother is dead now, but she taught me how to deal with life on my own. I do not need nor desire a substitute.

Islamic Terrorists

I’m starting to get really pissed about the fact that sincerely patriotic pundits punctuate that the war against Islamic terrorism is limited to a small percentage of Muslims.

What is the root of this terrorism? It is Islam itself!

The goal of all Islamists is to allow no one to survive on this Earth that is not a Muslim. Read the Koran.

Politically correct Americans are afraid to say it. I’ll say it. “Islam is a filthy, murderous, satanic ideology that needs to be destroyed!”

Americans are so deluded that they (we) actually elect public officials who espouse our demise, extermination, and the finality of Sharia Law being implemented throughout the world.

Call me an idiot if it makes you feel better. It doesn’t matter because the true God will prevail in any case. If it his will that we be tested by this tribulation, so be it. There is no doubt in my formerly military mind that God, Yahweh, Jehovah…will be victorious in this great battle. But He may want us to be the soldiers who destroy the scourge of Islam on his behalf.

Science News You Can Use

Blind Cats Get Implants

1918 Flu Pandemic Virus Overwhelmed Lungs: Study

Freak Chickens Lay Eggs Loaded with Drugs

How a Hanging is Supposed to Work

Deadly Frog Fungus Spreads to Japan

Beavers Could Be Frogs’ Best Friends

Warm Spell in Russia Wakes Up the Bears
(But will it be enough to beat New Orleans?)

Fox News Poll

"Do you personally want the Iraq plan President Bush announced last week to succeed?"

------------------Yes-------No-------(Don't Know)
Average---------63%-----22%----------15%
Democrats------51%-----34%----------15%
Republicans-----79%-----11%----------10%
Independents---63%-----19%----------17%

"As far as the "Don't Know" answers go, I wouldn't be surprised if a lot of them have no idea what the surge is. I know that seems incomprehensible to those of us who are political junkies, but there are a lot of people out there who don't follow anything related to politics, government, etc., and couldn't tell you the difference between what's going on in Iraq and France.

On the other hand, if you do know what Bush's plan is and "don't know" if you want it to succeed, you're no better than the people who want it to fail -- and those people are contemptible. If you're an American and you want the surge to fail, you're rooting for your own country to lose a war and hence, you're not a patriot, you're not a good American, and you're not even a decent person."

Courtesy of John Hawkins

The Democrats are Right!

More and more Democrats and RINOs say that we should be engaging with the Syrians and Iranians regarding peace in the Middle East.

My staff and I agree with them.

We should engage them with HumVees, Abrams tanks, light, medium, and heavy artillery, Bunker Busters, Cruise missiles, and tactical nuclear weapons.

Let the Army, Navy, Air Force, and Marines engage the bastards!

Lives (ours) depend on it.

Soft People, Hard People

“If the 1976 western The Last Hard Men has it right, we Occidentals metamorphosed into jellyfish sometime around the early twentieth century. Although this title is more movie marketing than historical statement, there may be something to it. After all, Robert Baden-Powell, a lieutenant general in the British Army, was motivated by the belief that western boys were becoming too soft when he originated the Boy Scouts in 1907.

Regardless of the origin and rapidity of our transition from he-men to she-men, one thing is for certain: We have become a very soft people.”

Please read.

Hypocrites??

“Looks like democrat Sylvestre Reyes went to the John Kerry School of Policy: be for something, before you’re against it. Per the The Washington Times today in an interview back in December Congressman Reyes was very much in favor of a troop increase in the neighborhood of 20,000 to 30,000 troops in order to “dismantle the militias”(which I commented on here, and at the time gave Reyes props for going against his party’s “retreat at all costs” line on Iraq), but now that President Bush has proposed essentially the same thing, Reyes has had “a change of heart” to say the least:”

Article

Warrantless Surveillance Cave-in

“The Bush administration has apparently concluded that fighting to retain the warrantless surveillance program with a Democratic Congress would eventually be unsuccessful, and today announced that the presidential authorization for the program would not be renewed. Instead, the Department of Justice will transfer oversight responsibility to the FISA court, effectively ending the controversy over one of the most contentious counterterrorism projects adopted since 9/11:”

Read it all.

Hat tip: Michelle Malkin

What Happened in Your Birth Year?

Information for the self-centered

I was born in 1948

In 1948 (the year you were born)

Harry Truman is president of the US The Soviet blockade of Berlin's Allied sector begins Alger Hiss is indicted if perjury after he denies passing secret documents to a Communist spy ring Congress passes the Marshall Plan to help aid European countries rebuild Israel declares its independence Warner Brothers shows the first color newsreel Alice Cooper, Al Gore, and Prince Charles are born Babe Ruth dies Cleveland Indians win the World Series Philadelphia Eagles win the NFL championship Toronto Maple Leafs win the Stanley Cup Professional wrestling premieres on prime-time television

What Happened the Year You Were Born?

Quote of the Day

"Freedom is never more than one generation away from extinction. We didn't pass it to our children in the bloodstream. It must be fought for, protected, and handed on for them to do the same, or one day we will spend our sunset years telling our children and our children's children what it was once like in the United States where men were free."

-- President Ronald Reagan--

Let’s Just Lie Down and Let the Islamists Kill Us

“On 16 January 2006, the Ninth U. S. Circuit Court of Appeals in San Francisco shielded a convicted terrorist behind its robes when it reversed the sentences and conviction of Ahmed Ressam, who came to this country to detonate a bomb at Los Angeles International Airport (LAX).

Ressam was born in Algiers in 1967, and showed an early interest in American fashion and culture. During a trip to Paris for medical treatment when he was 17, Ressam read some Algerian-language political books that convinced him that the Algerian government was corrupt. Upon returning to Algeria, he joined an Islamic rebel group. He left his homeland in 1992 during the civil war and emigrated to France, then, on a forged passport, went on to Montreal. He was stopped by immigration officials there, but he claimed to be seeking political asylum, and was admitted into the country. In Montreal, he supported himself on Canadian welfare, and by robbing tourists on at least 30 different occasions. He joined the Armed Islamic Group (GIA), a terrorist cell affiliated with al Qaeda, whose foiled plots included a plan to hijack an airliner and pilot it into the Eiffel Tower. Ressam helped other terrorists obtain false identification documents, and provided himself with a false Canadian passport, on which he traveled to Afghanistan for advanced terrorist training under one of Osama bin Laden’s senior officers, Abu Zubaida.”

Read about more of this crap.

Drug War

“As most Americans are aware, a huge percentage of the illegal drugs consumed in this country come from or through Mexico. With that in mind, consider that two of our Border Patrol agents, Ignacio Ramos and Jose Alonso Compean, are about to serve a decade in prison for pursuing and shooting a Mexican drug dealer on United States soil. A huge grassroots effort is underway to obtain a Presidential pardon for these two brave men.”

Get busy Mr. President! This is too important for further inaction regarding border security. Pardon these men now!

The Adams Family

“If ever there was a “royal” American family, it was that of John and Abigail Adams: John, Founding Father, signer of the Declaration of Independence and president; his son John Quincy, president; and his grandson Charles Francis, Abraham Lincoln’s ambassador to England, who played a key role in keeping the British from siding with the South during the Civil War. Yet the Adamses were deeply mired in tragedy. Charles Francis Adams described his family as “one of great triumphs in the world but of deep groans within, one of extraordinary brilliancy and deep corroding mortification.”

Of John Adams, Benjamin Franklin said, “Always an honest man, often a wise one, but sometimes, and in some things, he is absolutely out of his senses.” Certainly historians have indicated this was often true of Adams as a father. John and Abigail Adams had three sons and two daughters, one of whom, Susanna, died in infancy. One son became president of the United States. The other two died alcoholics.”

More

My Uncle Used to Love Me but She Died

“My uncle used to love but she died
A chicken ain't chicken 'til he's licken good and fried
Keep on the sunny side
My uncle used to love me but she died”

In light of the first Annual National Music Week, I submit these brilliant lyrics for consideration in the coveted category “Lyrics That Have Altered Our Lives”. If it doesn’t win first place, I, for one, will be shocked!

Deep-ish Thoughts…Is there No End to this Folly?

Welcome, Dr. Sanity readers!

I hate to hear it when someone calls an inanimate object “sexy”. Automobiles are not “sexy”. Cell phones are not “sexy”. Handbags are not “sexy”. Patricia Heaton, on the other hand, is “sexy”.

I find people who know how many dimples are on a golf ball or who the gaffer was in all of Woody Allen’s movies, yet cannot name three Associate Justices of the U.S. Supreme Court extraordinarily annoying.

“Snoop Dog”, “Jay-Z”, “Pink”. Remember when singers had actual names, albeit sometimes fabricated?

Archeologists now have definitive proof that Rome was in fact…built in a day! Bet you won’t be hearing about this in the MSM.

Why do I see “the” spelled T-E-H so many times on the internet? Is this a deliberate tpyo?

We see fewer British accented frogs on the boob tube ( I apologize to all boobs, both kinds) these days. However, there are still far too many and perhaps it is time we drain some swamps…er, wetlands to further cull this menace from society.

Speaking of Geico advertising icons, we on the left (yes, I once listened to John Lennon’s Imagine for a full minute before chuckling and snorting) applaud the use of whining, effeminate Neanderthals to protest the wide-spread degradation to which Neanderthals are exposed to this very day. Even sub-species deserve a little R-E-S-P-E-C-T. Insensitivity may very well one day doom these gentle, panty-waisted, limp wrested Nancys.

And speaking of Nancys ( did you notice the smooth segue of these last two comments?), the staunch opponent of the evil Republican “Culture of Corruption” , Nancy Pelosi, has recanted

on her exemption of American Samoa re the minimum wage increase stating, “What’s a $17,000.000 investment? There will be plenty more where that came from!”

Some political pundits are espousing the possibility of a Clinton-Obama Presidential ticket in ‘08. This is nonsense and folderol, knuckleheads, and about as likely as Dubya and Teddy collaborating on a “No Child Left Behind Act”.

There was a time when I feared no man. But women…that was a different story. When I was seventeen (by the way, “It was a very good year”) asking a pretty, barely five foot tall, fifteen year-old girl to go out with me for pizza was terrifying! What if she noticed my palms sweating, my lips twitching, my speech halting and half an octave higher than normal? What if she said, “No!”

Now that I’m in the Autumn of my years, women still have an unknowable mystique that at once intrigues and sometimes frightens the little boy vestiges that remain in me. The internet shorthand “SWMBO” (She Who Must Be Obeyed) resounds with the message that men are not as strong and independent as we like to think.

I know that it is apocryphal that on his deathbed Sigmund Freud said, “What is it that women want, anyway?” But I can’t help echoing that sentiment when I see some women salivate over the likes of

Justin Timberlake or how they used to fawn over that long-haired hippy freak who couldn’t believe it’s not butter.

Finally, it appears that according to Muslim doctrine it is alright to cut off an innocent human being’s head with a sword, but totally barbaric and a blasphemy to accidentally sever the head of a mass murderer during his hanging for his crimes. Praise Allah!

“Dartmouth's disgrace”

“We commented last month on Dartmouth College's decision to bring in Harry Belafonte as the keynote speaker for Martin Luther King's birthday celebration. Here's a report from the daily student newspaper on what the old calypso singer had to say at Dartmouth. Here's an editorial from the same paper criticizing the selection of Belanfonte.
The editorial homes in on the primary objection to Belafonte. It's not that he's a left-wing extremist, and it's not that he's a has-been entertainer with no basis for claiming experise on the subjects he opines about. It's that he doesn't make arguments, but relies instead on invective and racist attacks on people he disagrees with (see below). This approach dishonors Dr. King who kept hate-filled utterances out of his rhetoric at a time when they arguably would have been justified. Moreover, as Joe Malchow has noted, Belafonte's approach is inconsistent with the (apparently one-directional) plea by Dartmouth's president for civil discourse.”

Read the rest.

The Left's Tiresome "Chicken-hawk" Mantra

“Senator Barbara Boxer has mastered the art of rudeness much better than she has cultivated wisdom on weighty matters of state.

When questioning Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice on the president's Iraq war policy, Boxer uttered a series of bizarre rhetorical questions. They were obviously intended to discredit Rice, not based on her support of the president's presumably dubious war strategy, but because she doesn't have children, which disqualifies her from participating in a decision that could affect people's children.

Referring to war, Boxer said, "Who pays the price? I'm not going to pay a personal price. My kids are too old and my grandchild is too young. You're not going to pay a particular price, as I understand it, with an immediate family. So who pays the price? The American military and their families."

Despite her professional and personal accomplishments, Rice is frequently a target for liberals, who apparently find Rice's Republican Party membership a particular betrayal, given her gender and race, which to liberals mean unquestioned allegiance to liberalism.”

Read it all.

The Reverend Doctor Martin Luther King, Jr.

“There is probably no greater sacred cow in America than Martin Luther King Jr. The slightest criticism of him or even suggesting that he isn’t deserving of a national holiday leads to the usual accusations of racist, fascism, and the rest of the usual left-wing epithets not only from liberals, but also from many ostensible conservatives and libertarians.

This is amazing because during the 50s and 60s, the Right almost unanimously opposed the civil rights movement. Contrary to the claims of many neocons, the opposition was not limited to the John Birch Society and southern conservatives. It was made by politicians like Ronald Reagan and Barry Goldwater, and in the pages of Modern Age, Human Events, National Review, and the Freeman.”

Read the rest.

Hat tip: Blonde Sagacity

More

The Western Male

‘We have become a nation of women.

It wasn’t always this way, of course. There was a time when men put their signatures to a document, knowing full well that this single act would result in their execution if captured, and in the forfeiture of their property to the State. Their wives and children would be turned out by the soldiers, and their farms and businesses most probably given to someone who didn’t sign the document.

There was a time when men went to their certain death, with expressions like “You all can go to hell. I’m going to Texas.” (Davy Crockett, to the House of Representatives, before going to the Alamo.)

There was a time when men went to war, sometimes against their own families, so that other men could be free. And there was a time when men went to war because we recognized evil when we saw it, and knew that it had to be stamped out.

There was even a time when a President of the United States threatened to punch a man in the face and kick him in the balls, because the man had the temerity to say bad things about the President’s daughter’s singing.

We’re not like that anymore.’

This article is over three years old, but by no means dated. Listen up, America!

Hat tip: Right Wing News

'Routine Cowardice' Threatens U.S.

‘With an eye toward history, Gingrich invoked the "long night in Baltimore" during the War of 1812, applying it to the contemporary struggle against terrorism. Americans have not yet come to terms with the "level of ferocity" that is being directed against them, he argued.

Citing the plot uncovered last summer to blow up U.S.-bound transatlantic flights, Gingrich recalled that the British authorities had arrested a couple with an eight-month-old baby who allegedly planned to disguise bomb material as baby food.

"There are people out there who hate you so much that they are willing to kill their own baby, so long as they can kill you too," he said.’

Article

This man must run for President!

From Neal Boortz

“If you're lucky enough to have a child who is preparing to attend college this fall, you're no doubt preparing to navigate the minefield of where to send them. How much is too much to spend? What school will prepare them the best for their chosen field? There are lots of questions to answer, lots of schools to visit and a lot of criteria to explore. But the one thing you can count on in academia is that the faculty will lean overwhelmingly to the political Left. Keeping from turning your child into a socialist will be a real challenge.”

Read it all.

Not So Exclusive Breaking News

Bill Parcells: 'I've Always Hated Football'

DALLAS—In the last press conference Bill Parcells would give this year after leading the Cowboys through a frustrating 9-7 season and an excruciating first-round playoff loss to the Seattle Seahawks, the hard-nosed coach surprised reporters...

Mass Resignation at Carter Center

‘Fourteen members of an advisory board at the Carter Center resigned today, concluding they could “no longer in good conscience continue to serve” following publication of former President Jimmy Carter’s controversial book, “Palestine: Peace Not Apartheid.”
“It seems that you have turned to a world of advocacy, including even malicious advocacy,” the board members wrote in a letter, a copy of which was reviewed by The Wall Street Journal. “We can no longer endorse your strident and uncompromising position. This is not the Carter Center or Jimmy Carter we came to respect and support. Therefore it is with sadness and regret that we hereby tender our resignation from the Board of Councilors of the Carter Center effective immediately.”’

Entire article here

At the End of the Day

To the pundits on TV: For all that is holy…please stop saying, “At the end of the day”. Life, hopefully, does not stop “at the end of the day”. When does the day end really…at midnight?, when we fall victim to sleep?, when we decide we’ve had enough of whatever the hell’s happening?

Let’s leave “the end of the day” to philosophy students and theologians. This will help occupy their time and perhaps give us respite from their ramblings.

And so, that I might not be accused of rambling, stop it, stop it stop it!

I’m done now.

Cutting Our Own Throat

“I often wonder at the motivations of those who oppose exploiting the oil resources of arctic Alaska. The Arctic National Wildlife Reserve is a frozen wilderness most of the year, and a swamp for the brief summer. The breathtaking pictures used to sell the public on the idea that this is a pristine wilderness, sacred (or at least scenic) land like the Yosemite Valley are propaganda. No endangered species are threatened there.

Opponents of drilling in Prudhoe Bay predicted disaster for the moose and elk which never developed. Yet, the credibility of drilling opponents in ANWR remains high in the media, and consequently among the general public which doesn't take the time to get more information than what is spoon-fed to them in misleading pictures.”

Read article

Personally, I don’t give a hot damn about caribou. Perhaps if I were stranded in ANWAR and there was no protein to kill… then I might care. But that’s about as likely as being carried by an eagle who drops me on Battle Creek, Michigan. Ain’t gonna happen.
So let’s cut the BS and drill for oil anywhere it may lie in the United States. While we’re at it, let’s build a huge wind farm that obstructs the view that Ted “Swimmer” Kennedy likes.

Dumbass Dem Quote of the Day

“How can you talk about bombing a country [Iran] when you won’t even talk to them? It’s outrageous. We’re the United States of America; we don’t do that. Don’t get me wrong, I’m not saying the military option is off the table, but diplomacy is not what Jim Baker says it is. It’s not, ‘What will it take for you boys to support us on Iraq?’ It’s sitting down for a couple of days and talking about our families and our hopes, and building relationships.” —Wesley Clark (emphasis mine)

Pelosi Bans Smoking in U.S. Capitol Lobby

“Nancy Pelosi is not off to a smoking start as House Speaker.

The California Democrat declared Wednesday that the Speaker's Lobby at the U.S. Capitol will be off-limits to smokers.

"The days of smoke-filled rooms in the United States Capitol are over," Pelosi said in a statement. "Medical science has unquestionably established the dangerous effects of secondhand smoke, including an increased risk of cancer and respiratory diseases.

"I am a firm believer that Congress should lead by example," she continued. "Effective immediately, smoking will no longer be permitted in the Speaker's Lobby of the United States Capitol.”

Entire article

As a corollary to her royal edict, Pelosi declared that male House members will hereafter no longer to stand up while urinating. Citing the every increasing need to blur the distinctions between the sexes, the Speaker said, “ It is long overdue that privileges once given exclusively to men are revoked so that women are not made to feel inferior.”

Representative Barney Frank (D-MA) applauded the decision.

Jefferson’s Koran

“It was quite witty of Rep. Keith Ellison, D-Minn., to short-circuit the hostility of those who criticized him for taking his oath on the Quran and to ask the Library of Congress for the loan of Thomas Jefferson's copy of that holy book. But the irony of this, which certainly made his stupid Christian fundamentalist critics look even stupider, ought to be partly at his own expense as well.”

Entire article here

Rats in the Toilet

“Residents of a neighborhood next to the University of Arizona say small white rats have been swimming through sewer pipes and into their toilets.

Laura Hagen Fairbanks, spokeswoman for the county's Wastewater Management Department, said she doesn't know where the rodents come from, however they are the kind that researchers use in labs.”

I see a movie here…certainly a better idea than “Snakes on a Plane”.

Full story here

New York Stinks…So What Else is New?

Welcome again, Dr. Sanity readers!

On Monday, January 8, 2007C.E. New Yorkers awoke to the horrible odor of something that smelled suspiciously like rotten eggs. Understandably, residents of the "Big Apple" became alarmed since most people identify nearly everything as another indication of Global Warming caused by the policies of the evil Bush Administration.

Anyway, to make a short story long, New York Mayor Bloombucks, stated that the stench of natural gas, laced with mercaptan, while annoying, like being stuck on an elevator with Adolph Hitler after a hearty meal of sauerbraten and cabbage salad, was not dangerous. The Mayor also downplayed, but did not exclude, that the leak originated in the Disinformation Bureau of the New York Times.

The Mayor did, however, order the immediate cessation of all restaurants within the city limits to serve any vegetable that ends in a vowel. The A.C.L.U. protested that this action would have a detrimental effect on “undocumented guests”, and would further escalate the deepening animosity toward the U.S. throughout the world.

Senator “Chuck” Schumer, called for a Congressional investigation into the incident to determine if a Republican might be brought up on charges of misfeasance, malfeasance, or nonfeasance in office.

Senator Clinton had no comment about the odor, probably because of her experiences with an unnamed former President.

Meanwhile, President Bush ordered the formation of a Special Monolithic Exploratory Limited Liaison (S.M.E.L.L.) committee to help him decide what executive power he has remaining to fight the worldwide war on obnoxious and noxious gasbags, er…gases.

Anchor Babies

EllisWyatt, in a comment regarding this article by ABP writes:

I say we change the 14th Amendment to read “All persons WHO ARE EITHER born TO A PARENT WHO IS CURRENTLY A CITIZEN OF THE UNITED STATES or ARE naturalized in the United States, and subject to the jurisdiction thereof, are citizens of the United States and of the State wherein they reside.”

I concur.

This Ain’t Gonna be Good!

Cox and Forkum

What the Hell are We Thinking?

“In a story that should have rang alarm bells in very newsroom across the nation, armed Mexican entered the United States and attacked unarmed National Guard troops working at a border patrol post near the US-Mexican border. The troops had to retreat to safety.

Not surprisingly, the news story received scant coverage by the mainstream news media and hardly a mention on the Fox News Channel. It's a story that should outrage all Americans including President George W. Bush.”

Do you think it is time to actually arm the National Guard? You know, maybe we could give the soldiers real weapons to protect themselves and us from the invaders. But, then again, maybe it’s just me.

Read the article.

Interesting Quizzes

Here are a couple of shallow, but fun, tests on where one categorically falls in the political spectrum.

Ann Althouse presents this Political Quiz. I was somewhat disappointed with my meager score of 36. I hope you score higher.

This one put me half way between libertarian and conservative.

Check them both out.

Hat tip: Instapundit

Oh, No!

President Ford Still Dead

Welcome Dr. Sanity readers!

There will be fewer memorial services in the coming months for Gerald R. Ford now that he has at long last been interred. Hopefully the American public no longer has to be reminded what a really swell guy he was, and what a terrific athlete he had been…not the bumbling numbskull that Chevy Chase erroneously portrayed. Why, Michigan even retired his football jersey number some fifty+ years after his college career, and not because he was President…wink, wink!

Nice and athletic are two of the most important attributes of a fine President. No, wait, that’s Prom King. How he lost an election to that pencil-necked weasel Jimmy Carter is mystifying.

Death has a way of making people seem greater, in retrospect, than they were in life. This is not the case with President Ford, for in life he was one of the finest U.S. leaders. His Presidency will be compared to the greats like Buchanan, Tyler, and Harrison (both of them).

America is a far greater country today because Gerald Ford once walked amongst us. Mediocrity and cluelessness are now cherished qualities in American life. For this, we thank him.

Goodbye, Gerry.

It’s a Start

Cox and Forkum

Quote of the Day

“In the annual spirit of compulsive declarations, summations and resolutions, let me just say, I’m sorry. For everything. The Crusades, destruction of the Mayan temples, the Spanish Inquisition, (really sorry for that), the Bay of Pigs and, not least, typing the word ‘possom’ when I really meant ‘possum’.” —Kathleen Parker

Gentlemen, Start Your Engines!

“New House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-CA) is drafting a law that will dissuade any conservative groups from recommending US citizens communicate directly with the US Congress in order to register their dissent with Congressional policies. Pelosi has included the control of US grassroots organizations, those which are predominantly conservative, in a bill being drafted to regulate lobbyists.”

More

Quote of the Day

“One difference between the Ethiopians in Somalia and the Americans in Iraq is that the former aren't fighting with one hand behind their back just in case some EU ally or humanitarian lobby group or fictitious Associated Press source leaks some "war crime" or other to the media. In fact, the Ethiopians have the advantage of more or less total lack of interest from the Western media. So they're just getting on with it.”

-Mark Steyn-

When we Were Cowboys, We Were Invincible

“We were John Wayne and Gary Cooper, Randolph Scott and Audie Murphy, rife with guts from Normandy to Hiroshima, and never once thinking it necessary to apologize for defending freedom—both our own and that of strangers. Wicked men trembled at the thought of our Marines on their shores, and the righteous oppressed whom we have repeatedly saved stood in awe of our decency, generosity, and ability to forgive and rebuild alongside an enemy that our efforts—and ours alone—transformed into a friend. There has never been such a nation in history; we overthrow evil but don’t overtake their country; we destroy the cancerous tumor dining on the flesh of the free without destroying the rights of the people to their God-given free will. We have been magnificent as cowboys, better than most and stronger than all, the keepers of the flame and the defenders of freedom on behalf of those too weak to fight for themselves. This has been the legacy of America. If we lose her now, there will never be such a realm again. Our new slave masters will see to it.”

Read it.

Dave Barry's Year-End Review

“It was a momentous year, a year of events that will echo in the annals of history the way a dropped plate of calamari echoes in an Italian restaurant with a tile floor. Decades from now, our grandchildren will come to us and say, "Tell us, Grandpa (or Grandma as the case may be), what it was like to be alive in the year that Angelina Jolie, Tom Cruise, Brad Pitt, Britney Spears and Katie whatshername all had babies, although not necessarily in those combinations." And we will smile wisely and emit a streamer of drool, because we will be very old and unable to hear them.

And that will be a good thing, because there are many things about 2006 that we will not want to remember. This was the year in which the members of the United States Congress, who do not bother to read the actual bills they pass, spent weeks poring over instant messages sent by a pervert. This was the year in which the vice president of the United States shot a lawyer, which turned out to be totally legal in Texas.

Also there were many pesky problems left over from 2005 that refused to go away in 2006, including Iraq, immigration, high gas prices, terrorism, global warming, avian flu, Iran, North Korea and Paris Hilton. Future generations are going to look back at this era and ask us how we could have allowed Paris Hilton to happen, and we are not going to have a good answer.

Did anything good happen in 2006? Let me think. No. But before we move on to 2007, let's take a moment to reflect back on the historic events, real and imaginary, of this historic year, starting with …”

Must read

Hat tip: Instapundit

Check Your Vocabulary Rating

Your Vocabulary Score: A

Congratulations on your multifarious vocabulary! You must be quite an erudite person.

How's Your Vocabulary?

I got lucky. Click the above link to take a quick multiple choice quiz.

Those Wacky Muslims

“Hundreds of Turks spent the first day of the Muslim feast of Eid al-Adha holiday in emergency wards on Sunday, after stabbing themselves or suffering other injuries while sacrificing startled and agitated sheep and other animals.

Muslims sacrifice cows, sheep, goats and bulls during the four-day religious holiday, a ritual commemorating the biblical account of God's provision of a ram for Abraham to sacrifice as he was about to slay his son. They share the meat with friends, family and neighbors and give part of it to the poor.

In Turkey, at least 1,413 people — called "amateur butchers" by the Turkish media — were treated at hospitals across the country, most suffering cuts to their hands and legs, the Anatolia news agency reported.

Four people were severely injured when they were crushed under the weight of large animals that fell on top of them, the agency reported. Another person was hurt when a crane, used to lift an animal, tumbled onto him, the agency said.”

Read it all.

This Bud's for You!

Good Riddance!

Saddam Dead!

“Three years after he was hauled from a hole in the ground by pursuing U.S. forces, Saddam Hussein was hanged Saturday under a sentence imposed by an Iraqi court, al-Hurra TV, al-Arabiya and Sky News TV reported.”

Read more.

Hat’s Off to Harry!

Did they really have to reveal exactly where he is heading?

“PRINCE Harry is going to Iraq, reportedly heading there with his unit in May.

Harry will be stationed near the southern port city of Basra and will likely be assigned to patrol the border with Iran.

London's Daily Telegraph said Harry, 22, is determined to go, despite reports of resistance from many in the military who fear he would be a fat prize for terrorists.

They're also worried he would attract attention and put his fellow soldiers in greater danger.”


Read the rest.

How to Wage War

“The Islamist forces who have controlled much of Somalia in recent months suddenly vanished from the streets of the capital, Mogadishu, residents said Wednesday night, just as thousands of rival troops massed 15 miles away. In the past few days, Ethiopian-backed forces, with tacit approval from the United States, have unleashed tanks, helicopter gunships and jet fighters on the Islamists, decimating their military and paving…”

Read it all.

More Deep-ish Thoughts (Sorry SNL)

Welcome, Dr. Sanity readers!

If someone prefaces a remark to you by saying, “With all due respect…”, he means that you are due no respect.

To Democrats Mitt Romney being a Mormon is a very bad thing, but Harry Reid being a Mormon doesn’t matter.

It must have been a Democrat who decided that “flammable” and “inflammable” mean the same thing.

I wonder what would have ensued if Thomas Jefferson and Benjamin Franklin had ever collaborated on some idea for an invention?

New Jersey has two professional football teams that have home fields within the Garden State, the New York Giants, and the New York Jets. Go figure.

I’m confused. In football, why isn’t the quarterback “spiking” the ball to stop the clock considered “intentional grounding?”

I like rabbits. They are cute, furry, cuddly looking and make a stew taste great.

Plasma TVs are bloody awful.

How come one can say…Kike, Wop, Mick, Polack, Cracker, Jap, Heeb, Kraut, Dago, Peckerwood, or Injun, without being significantly ostracized, but if one says Rag-head, or God forbid, the “N-word”, suddenly he becomes the object of scorn and labeled “Racist”?

Never, ever trust anyone who uses the word “veggie”, unless of course he is admonishing you not to trust anyone who uses the word “veggie”.

I watched the movie, “Groundhog Day” yesterday and also today. I think I’ll watch it again tomorrow.

I wince every time I hear the phrase “Earned Income Credit”.

Whoever came up with the phrase, “less is more”, is an idiot.

Why doesn’t awful mean “full of awe” and awesome mean “some awe”?

Here’s an easy way to remember how many days are in each month:

Thirty days hath September, April, June, and November.
All the rest have thirty-one, except Black History Month (February) which has twenty-eight, unless it is a leap year (which is every year divisible by 4, unless the year is divisible by 100, in which case it is NOT a leap year, unless the year is also divisible by 400, then it is still a leap year.), then it has twenty-nine.(source)

HAVE A GREAT NEW YEAR!

Gerald Ford, R.I.P.

Gerald Ford was a mediocre President, at best...but by today's standards, a giant!

Blogging Blues

Please forgive the light blogging. My new medication is making me feel lethargic, lazy, and stupid(er) than before. Bear with me.

MERRY CHRISTMAS!

Computer Woes

Could not post anything today (other than this) because the idiot who runs my computer screwed it up...again.

Science Shocker: Full Bellies May Harm School Performance!

“Regular listeners to my radio show already know that I proudly nurture, indeed cherish, a long list of idiosyncrasies: the single most consistent element between my life today and my earlier incarnation as a 1960’s liberal involves my refusal to conform to convention. In that regard, it’s always great to see scientific confirmation that one of my personal quirks, frequently derided by friends and colleagues, has received unexpected scientific backing from authoritative research.

Since my college years, I’ve always avoided eating anything substantial before some significant intellectual challenge – like a big exam or, more recently a speech or TV appearance. Every day, I eat next to nothing before my radio show – limiting myself to a muffin or a piece of fruit or, at most, an early morning bowl of cereal before I finish with the broadcast (at 3 PM Pacific Time). It’s always seemed to me that the hunger associated with this habit gave me an “edge” that helped my performance – and now a new study from Yale Medical School supports that idea.”

Read the entire article.

Extolling the Female Tongue

“A long time ago I read a short online piece about how women could get their men to put the toilet seat down. Inherent in it was the idea that this was an example of men’s lack of consideration and that the task at hand was one of disciplining these bad boys.

I don’t know, my attitude is that if women can leave a toilet seat down, men can leave it up.Of course, this is just a silly, pebble-in-the-shoe issue, but I see it as a metaphor for a modern phenomenon: The casting of women’s characteristic behaviors as the norm and men’s as dysfunctional deviations.”

Read the rest.

Bravo to the Brave!

“COPENHAGEN (Reuters) - A Danish art group that pokes fun at world leaders targeted Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad on Wednesday by placing an advertisement in a Tehran newspaper with an insulting hidden message.
Beneath a picture of the president, a series of apparently sympathetic statements were arranged such as “Support his fight against Bush” and “Iran has the right to produce nuclear energy”. The advert was attributed to “Danes for World Peace”.
However, the first letters of each phrase, when read from top to bottom, spell out “S-W-I-N-E”.”

Read it all here.

Islam and Tsunami Victims

“WHEN people around the world sent millions of pounds to help the stricken Indonesian province of Aceh after the Boxing Day tsunami of 2004, few could have imagined that their money would end up subsidising the lashing of women in public.

But militant Islamists have since imposed sharia law in Aceh and have cornered Indonesian government funds to organise a moral vigilante force that harasses women and stages frequent displays of humiliation and state-sanctioned violence.

International aid workers and Indonesian women’s organisations are now expressing dismay that the flow of foreign cash for reconstruction has allowed the government to spend scarce money on a new bureaucracy and religious police to enforce puritan laws, such as the compulsory wearing of headscarves.”

Read it all.

Hat tip: Blonde Sagacity

Cruel and Unusual Punishment?

“Which of the following scenarios constitutes cruel and unusual punishment, as prohibited by the Eighth Amendment to the Constitution: (1) aborting a baby with a fully developed nervous system and probably inflicting great pain; (2) murdering a nightclub manager in cold blood; (3) taking 34 minutes - twice the normal time - to execute the murderer of the nightclub manager?

Anti-death penalty forces want us to believe number three. They claim the Dec. 13 execution in Florida of Angel Nieves Diaz took too long and required a second injection, thus, violating the Eight Amendment. Florida's outgoing governor, Jeb Bush, has suspended all executions in his state pending an investigation into the state's lethal-injection process. In California, U.S. District Judge Jeremy D. Fogel declared California's execution procedure unconstitutional and lethal injections - the preferred execution method in 37 states - an offense to the ban on cruel and unusual punishment.

One wishes such considerations were available to relatives of the deceased, and to the deceased, themselves, who are not given a choice in the method of their execution, much less the option of continuing to live. Diaz spent more than two decades in prison before he was executed. That probably inflicted cruel and unusual punishment on the relatives of his victim.”

Read it all.

A Modest Christmas Wish List

Welcome, Dr. Sanity readers!

A candlelight dinner with Ann Coulter, who would later reject my advances because she has good sense.

Season tickets for the Philadelphia Phillies so that I can be humiliated by something other than the Philadelphia Eagles, Seventy-Sixers, Flyers… ad infinitum.

Piece and love (love of course is optional).

Learning how to not put a period at the end of clauses.

Someone to explain to me how “homophobia” doesn’t translate to “fear of man”, but does mean “hate of guys who like other guys and not women.”

A load of crap and Jimmy Carter, because I’d like to see if there is a discernible difference.

A “MERRY CHRISTMAS” for everyone!

A Pretentious Traitor

“Sen. John Kerry, on a Mideast tour taking him to Damascus for talks with President Bashar Assad, said Friday that the Bush administration’s rejection of dialogue with Syria and Iran to try to calm Iraq is a mistake.

Kerry’s trip is the latest in a growing tussle between the White House and Congress over the recommendations of the Iraq Study Group, a bipartisan panel that called for talks with Iran and Syria to win their help in stabilizing war-torn Iraq.”

Read it all.

Er...No it won't!

Quote of the Day

Veni, Vidi, Velcro....("I came, I saw, I stuck around")

From a guy named Bob Read on the Armorama site.

The New Porn Shop

Did Kirsten Powers undergo some kind of metamorphosis, or had I in the past misjudged her as another stinking liberal. Anyway, read this thoughtful article by Powers.

“WHEN did the doll section turn into a porn shop?

I'd gone to FAO Schwarz with a friend and her three small children; while they shopped for stuffed animals, I wandered over to recapture some of the innocence of my childhood. What a mistake.

Just feet from the Etch-A-Sketches and paint-by-numbers were dolls dressed in garter belts, bustiers, fishnet stockings and high heels. "Ella" was in a teddy; "Justine" in an evening gown with her breasts overflowing. Cleavage and lingerie were the order of the day.

As small children filed by, I felt myself panicking, wanting to cover their eyes or steer them away, as if they were going to be exposed to something they weren't meant to see. Never mind that they were the target audience for these hyper-sexualized dolls. I was, after all, in a toy store.”

Read the rest.

Mr. President, If I May Be So Bold...

“Most of our readers know the story of Joshua Lawrence Chamberlain at Gettysburg. Ordered to hold Little Round Top at all costs, Chamberlain's 20th Maine fended off one attack after another. Finally, Chamberlain's men were nearly out of ammunition and it was clear they would not be able to withstand another assault. Prudence counseled retreat, but Chamberlain's orders forbade it. The Maine regiment could neither fall back nor stay where it was, so Chamberlain took the only course open to him: he told his men to fix bayonets and prepare to charge.
It strikes me that you, President Bush, are in a similar situation in Iraq. You know (if many liberals do not) that retreat is out of the question. Yet the status quo is untenable. Support for your administration's policy is evaporating. Iraq is being pacified too slowly if at all, and minor tinkering around the edges--a few more men, some more training of Iraqis--won't make much difference. You need a decisive stroke. You need to tip the table over. You need to attack”


This is an important read.

The Ann Coulter Truth (as usual)

“How did we go from winning the war in Iraq to losing overnight? Was this decided by the same committee that changed "Peking" to "Beijing"?

These word changes are a fortiori evidence that liberals are part of a conspiracy. On what date did "horrible" and "actress" vanish from the English language to be replaced with "horrific" and "actor"? Who decided that? (Meanwhile, I'm still writing "Puff Daddy" in my nightly dream journal when everybody else has started calling him "Diddy.")”

Read the rest.

FAQ - The Shiites and the Sunnis

“1) Who are the Sunnis and the Shiites?
They are the two main sects of Islam. And generally speaking, they’re not crazy about each other.

2) What are the differences between them?
Historically, they suffered their fissure 13 centuries ago when they differed over who the rightful heir to Muhammad was. Beyond that little nugget, the typical congressman shouldn’t have to worry his pretty little blow-dried head about the origins of the two sects.
The Sunnis historically were much more political than the Shiites. Devout and fundamentalist Sunnis felt (and feel) that there can be no law above the Koran. That means they feel that government by necessity must be a theocracy. Also, fundamentalist Sunnis consider Shiites to be apostates. An apostate is an even worse thing to be than an infidel.
Shiites traditionally were relatively non-political. You’ve seen this kind of Shiite philosophy in action in Iraq where Ayatollah Sistani supported the formation of a secular government and declined to claim the reins of leadership himself.”

Please read the rest.

R.I.P. Peter Boyle

“LOS ANGELES - Peter Boyle, the actor who transformed from an angry workingman in Joe to a tap-dancing monster in Young Frankenstein and, finally, the comically grouchy father on Everybody Loves Raymond, has died. He was 71.
Boyle, who had been suffering from multiple myeloma and heart disease, died Tuesday evening at New York Presbyterian Hospital, said his publicist, Jennifer Plante.”

More

It never occurred to me that Peter’s dad was “Uncle Pete” on early Philadelphia TV for kids. He was a terrific quick sketch artist and introduced many young ones, like myself, to the “Little Rascals” of “Our Gang” fame.

Time truly is a thief.

Quote of the Day

“Clearly, a civilization that feels guilty for everything it is and does will lack the energy and conviction to defend itself.” —Jean Francois Revel

Hat tip: The Patriot Post

Ohio Rep. Kucinich to Run for President

Welcome, Dr. Sanity readers!

“CLEVELAND - Rep. Dennis Kucinich, an Ohio Democrat who unsuccessfully ran for president in 2004, said Monday he is planning to run again because his party isn't pushing hard enough to end the war in Iraq.
The liberal, anti-war congressman said he was inspired to run because he disagrees with the way some of his fellow Democrats are handling the war in Iraq, including approval of a proposal to spend $160 billion more on the conflict.”

Read the rest.

In a related story, pop tart Britney Spears once again apologized for exposing her kucinich in public.

Congressional Intelligence

“WASHINGTON (CNN) -- Rep. Silvestre Reyes of Texas, who incoming House Speaker Nancy Pelosi has tapped to head the Intelligence Committee when the Democrats take over in January, failed a quiz of basic questions about al Qaeda and Hezbollah, two of the key terrorist organizations the intelligence community has focused on since the September 11, 2001 attacks.
When asked by CQ National Security Editor Jeff Stein whether al Qaeda is one or the other of the two major branches of Islam -- Sunni or Shiite -- Reyes answered "they are probably both," then ventured "Predominantly -- probably Shiite."
That is wrong. Al Qaeda was founded by Osama bin Laden as a Sunni organization and views Shiites as heretics.”

Read the rest.

Hat tip: Lucianne

Compromise

“To most people a compromise is an agreement. Two or more parties sit down and they each give up something for a greater agreement. Thus they end up with a part of what they want but not all of it. The misery/goodness is spread equally.

Enter the Baker Report. It's been out two days and the left is celebrating. I haven't seen them this happy since the election of Bill Clinton and the Democrat Congress. Katie Couric was almost wetting her panties the other night in excitement. Lefty bloggers are going crazy with happiness.”

Read it all.

Cynthia McKinney Discusses Impeachment Bill

'On the day after she introduced a bill to impeach President Bush, soon-to-be-ex Congresswoman Cynthia McKinney was back to her training at a Georgia Burger King. While serving customers, McKinney spoke to TNOYF.

TNOYF: "Cynthia, thanks for agreeing to talk to us. Last time we spoke, you were training at a local McDonalds. Why the switch to Burger King?"'

Read the rest.

A Simple Conclusion

“Is there a more obvious product of heterosexual behavior than the creation of children? If so then isn't it somewhat peculiar that those who shun the behavior of heterosexuality so deeply crave the product that it brings?

This week as I read the news that Mary Cheney, the 37 year old daughter of the Vice-President, was pregnant, I had many such questions running through my head. I'm not supposed to mind you.

I'm not supposed to be allowed to think such things.

I'm not supposed to openly wonder what such conclusions might mean. Such wondering might bash the belief structure that men and women are completely interchangeable with one another. Yet I wonder them nonetheless. (Call it an ever growing desire to know the truth of the matter.)”

Read it all.

James Baker…Another Dolt!

“The members of the Iraq Study Group hope that their collaboration will, among things, help usher in a new spirit of bipartisanship. So as a Republican, I'll offer this bipartisan thought -- other than Jimmy Carter, I can't think of a major public figure I like less than James Baker.

The two share a strong desire to stick it to Israel. I've always thought that Baker's is less pathological than Carter's, but after reading the ISG report (and Scott's post below), I'm no longer certain. Baker's position as head of the ISG has provided him with one last chance to exert pressure on Israel to make territorial concessions, and Baker has seized that opportunity with gusto.
Yet the Israeli-Palestinian question has nothing to do with our problems in Iraq, and the ISG report presents no evidence or argument to the contrary. The Sunni insurrection is unrelated to Israel -- it's an attempt by those who had power under Saddam to seize back that power, or as much of it as they can. Al Qaeda didn't join that insurrection because of Israel. It wants to kill Americans, deal the U.S. a defeat, and establish a new territorial base of operations. The Shiite militias aren't in business because of Israel. They're interested in obtaining power and dishing out revenge on the Sunnis. Iran isn't meddling because of Israel. It wants influence in Iraq or, short of that, to make sure its old adversary remains weak.”

Read the rest.

She should have been President

Jeane Kirkpatrick Dies at 80

“Former U.N. Ambassador Jeane J. Kirkpatrick, a one-time Democrat who switched to the Republican Party and warmly embraced Reagan era conservatism, has died. She was 80.

Kirkpatrick's death was announced Friday at the senior staff meeting of the U.S. mission to the United Nations, said spokesman Richard Grenell, who said that Ambassador John Bolton asked for a moment of silence. An announcement of her death also was posted on the Web site of the American Enterprise Institute, a conservative-oriented think tank in Washington, D.C. where she was a senior fellow.

Kirkpatrick's assistant, Andrea Harrington, said that she died in her sleep at home in Bethesda, Md. late Thursday. The cause of death was not immediately known.”

Read the rest.

Cape Canaveral, an Idiot’s Launch Site

I’d like to know who the rocket scientist(s) was/were that chose Cape Canaveral as the ideal place to light a gigantic firecracker under the a$$ of human beings hell bent on being shot out of the influence of gravity.

The climate of central Florida is called sub-tropical for a good reason. In minutes the weather can go from sunny and bright to pouring rain.
Most of you know that rain and clouds are inconsistent with flying objects that are propelled by exploding gases.

Wouldn’t Arizona or some other state that nobody cares about have been a more thoughtful choice? In Arizona you can open a bag of Lay’s Classic potato chips in February, and by October they’re still fresh!

Did these morons ever hear that “it never rains in southern California?”

“But wait,” you say. “If the rocket crashes and burns, we don’t want it to land on a populated area. Better the shrapnel and poor unfortunates land in the ocean.”

If I were an astronaut this would not be a confidence building reassurance.
If NASA relies on the lowest bidders to build these enormous Roman candles, at least they should ensure that the weather gives a reasonable shot at continued living.

Dont miss Dr. Sanity's Carnival of the Insanities!

“Go to Hell, Israel”, says Baker

“The White House has been examining a proposal by James Baker to launch a Middle East peace effort without Israel.
The peace effort would begin with a U.S.-organized conference, dubbed Madrid-2, and contain such U.S. adversaries as Iran and Syria. Officials said Madrid-2 would be promoted as a forum to discuss Iraq's future, but actually focus on Arab demands for Israel to withdraw from territories captured in the 1967 war. They said Israel would not be invited to the conference. ”(emphasis mine)

Read the rest.

Hat tip: Right Wing News

American Soldiers are not just Smart…They are Brilliant!

"In an age of multimillion-dollar high-tech weapons systems, sometimes it's the simplest ideas that can save lives. Which is why a New Jersey mother is organizing a drive to send cans of Silly String to Iraq.
American troops use the stuff to detect trip wires around bombs, as Marcelle Shriver learned from her son, a soldier in Iraq.
Before entering a building, troops squirt the plastic goo, which can shoot strands about 10 to 12 feet, across the room. If it falls to the ground, no trip wires. If it hangs in the air, they know they have a problem. The wires are otherwise nearly invisible.
Now, 1,000 cans of the neon-colored plastic goop are packed into Shriver's one-car garage in this town outside Philadelphia, ready to be shipped to the Middle East thanks to two churches and a pilot who heard about the drive."

Read it all.

Remember Pearl Harbor!

Neanderthals Were Cannibals, Study Confirms

'Neanderthals suffered periods of starvation and may have supplemented their diet through cannibalism, according to a study of remains from northwest Spain.
Paleobiologists studied samples from eight 43,000-year-old Neanderthal skeletons excavated from an underground cave in El Sidrón, Spain since 2000. The study sheds light on how Neanderthals lived before the arrival of modern humans in Europe.
Researchers found cut marks and evidence that bones had been torn apart, which they say could indicate cannibalism.
"There is strong evidence suggesting that these Neanderthals were eaten," said the study's lead author, Antonio Rosas of the Museo Nacional de Ciencias Naturales in Madrid. "That is, long bones and the skull were broken for extraction of the marrow, [which] is very nutritious."
According to Rosas, there is evidence of cannibalism in Neanderthal remains from other European sites.
"I would say this practice… was general among Neanderthal populations," he said.'

Maybe this will shut up that annoying, effeminate, Geico guy…er, Neanderthal.