For an idealistic foreing policy moron, President Bush appears to be making real progress towards ending the violence in the Middle East.
Israeli and Palestinian commanders shook hands Monday, bulldozers dismantled checkpoints and Palestinian traffic flowed freely in the Gaza Strip — significant steps toward ending 33 months of bloody fighting.
Yep, there's still a long road ahead, but consider this paragraph:
But after Israel implemented a troop pullout from northern Gaza and agreed to pull out of Bethlehem on Wednesday, Prime Minister Ariel Sharon shrugged off calls to react to the shootings and called for patience.
"Even if the Palestinians were the fastest in the world and the most determined, you can't expect them to destroy terrorism in a moment, since this morning," Sharon told members of parliament.
That's from a hard liner Israeli, basically saying they have to give the Palestinians a chance to come into compliance. Did anyone even suspect that this was a possibility even a year ago? How about six months ago? Israel is pulling out of Gaza, and Palestinian Security forces are taking over. The Palestinians have a new Prime Minister, who seems to be actively working to end the Intifadah. Arafat is being pushed to the side; Hussein is no longer around to fund terrorism; the important Arab countries are uniting behind a call for peace, and a two state solution.
While it could all fall apart tomorrow, peace in the Middle East is actually a possibility instead of a pipe dream.
Really stupid idea right? I mean, who other than some stupid Texan who had to steal the Presidency would be dumb enough to think that cutting taxes is the way to prosperity?
Can you say Gerhard Schroeder
Sweeping reductions in income tax are on the way in Germany after Chancellor Gerhard Schroeder and his cabinet decided to bet on Germans' willingness to spend to save the stagnating economy.
This started as a reply to a comment from Barry B., but grew so long, I decided to make it a post.
I missed the part where I called you a liar and a thief, Barry. In fact, a careful reading of the post reveals that I did no such thing. Instead, I said that liberals have been taken in by a lie, and proceeded to illustrate it.
If you honestly believe that gov't exists to ensure that all our needs are met, then you are not a liar, even though the premise itself is false. If you honestly believe that it is okay to confiscate and redistribute the wealth of those who create it, then you are not a thief, even though it is theft of property.
Barry says:
I missed the part where I was not only a liar but a THIEF because I am a liberal who has paid into Social Security and Medicare and taxes for education all my life and I think I am entitled to have my SS payments and medicare payments in my retirement.
You believe you are entitled to get out of the system what you put in, and more if needed. Shouldn't the wealthy citizen expect the same: to get out of the system at least what he put in? But our system guarantees that he won't, since he's carrying the load for those who want to get out more than they put in. If you were told that you had to pay 10, 20, or 30 times the amount you could ever hope to get back from the system, would you do so willingly, in order to ensure that those who didn't contribute their share would be taken care of? Are you doing so now?
That's what you're asking of the wealthy.
And I don't buy the argument that it's OK because "They don't need it." Need is irrelevant. Property should never be taken simply because "they don't need it." It was earned, or created by these people; it belongs to them, not you or me. If ownership is based solely on need, then personal property rights are a thing of the past.
Barry asks:
Does Rich want to return to the days of the Robber Barrons and child labor?
By your argument, adopting liberal labor laws has increased the wealth of the owners/managers. Is it reasonable to suggest that if those laws were removed, those same owner/managers would return to a less efficient, less profitable business model?
I don't think so.
Barry asks:
Does Rich want to end the public school system?
Our public school systems have become a national disgrace. Yes, an educated work force is a boon to business, but are our public schools getting the job done? The resounding answer from both businesses and colleges is "No, they aren't."
Perhaps it's time to consider a new model.
Barry says:
If the government decides that as part of medicare we can afford a drug program yes [prescription drugs are a right] and it appears that the Republican Conservatives have decided it is a good idea.
It's only a right if we can afford it?
Here is a wonderful demonstration of the liberal fallacy in action. True rights exist whether we can afford them or not. A 'right' that only exists if we can afford it is by definition a privilege. A prescription drug plan is not a right, but a privilege of living in a wealthy society.
And that applies to everything we've talked about. I agree, all of these things are good to have. A good education, medical care, a welfare safety net, prescription drugs. I'm not against any of them.
BUT THEY AREN'T RIGHTS!
They are the benefits of living in a wealthy society where initiative, innovation, and hard work are rewarded. If we can afford them, then by all means, let's have them. But when an average guy is already paying over 37% of his income in taxes, I seriously question whether we can afford it.
Barry says:
Liberals think government can improve the entire state, country and community by collectively spending more of the wealth of the country taken in taxes and that typically they can increase the wealth of the wealthy so they benefit more even with the larger tax bite.
So liberals really want the wealthy to become more wealthy?
Paging Mr. Orwell, Mr. George Orwell. Double speak in progress...
If the goal of liberal policy is to increase the wealth of the wealthy, then why all the class warfare rhetoric? I also note the nationalization of wealth ("by collectively spending more of the wealth of the country"), a common liberal conceit. I hate to break it to you, but the wealth belongs to the people, not the country, not the gov't. The gov't levies taxes, and the people control the gov't. Should taxes grow too burdensome, the people act to do something about it, like elect fiscal conservatives. But then, we know how you feel about the people
Einstein is credited with the following gem of wisdom: “Only two things in my experience are infinite: 1) is the Universe 2) is human stupidity. And sometimes I am not sure about the universe.” P T. Barnam once opined that “ Nobody ever went broke underestimating the intelligence of the American Public.
Careful there, your elitism is showing.
Barry says:
98% of the wealth in this country is controlled by a very small percentage of the people. That wealth is what is primarily protected by the more than 50% of every tax dollar we pay. This includes Veteran’s entitlements like VA care and payments to wounded soldiers, the Homeland Security department, and the Billions we just spent in Iraq.
Why should those Americans with so very little to lose pay disproportionate amounts of their income to protect the wealth of the very wealthy?
Nobody has asked them to. Just as you point out that a majority of the wealth is controlled by a minority of the people, so too are the majority of taxes paid by that same minority. And I'd love to see figures on any 'disproportionate' amounts, either in dollars or percentages. Even the 'horrible' sales tax takes a larger bite from the wealthy than the poor, because the wealthy spend more.
Barry says:
The entitlements you mentioned are paid for by those entitled to them.
Simply not true. Families on welfare by definition aren't paying taxes. The average senior today will draw far more out of Social Security and Medicare than he ever paid in. It's simple logic; if they were able to pay in what they took out, they wouldn't need the assistance in the first place. If those who needed assistance most were able to pay for that assistance, the wealthy would not be in a 250% higher tax bracket (37%) than the majority of Americans(15%). The undeniable fact is that our liberal social policies are only made possible by placing the lion's share of the burden on the backs of the wealthy.
Liberals are not all bad people. Like most everybody, they truly care about the world around them, and want to do whatever it takes to make it a better place. Unfortunately, liberals have been exposed to a pernicious idea, utterly compelling yet disastrously misleading, and this idea permeates every facet of their philosophy.
That lie is called Entitlement.
At the heart of every liberal program lies the idea that we are entitled to something just because we have a heartbeat. Liberals tell us that we are entitled to these things not because we've earned them, worked for them, or sacrificed for them; we are entitled to them because we have a pulse.
"As human beings, we have rights," the libs cry. "We have a right to this and a right to that, and it is our God-given right to demand the other thing too, (unless we're atheist, in which case we can still demand the other thing, we just don't try to determine the basis for it.)"
Like the grasshopper in Aesop's fable, liberals believe that the government owes them a living. It exists to meet their every need, regardless of their own efforts, or lack thereof. It is only through the confiscation of wealth from the productive members of society that the government can support the entitlement lie, which leads us to "progressive taxation," and "making the wealthy pay their fair share," which are both euphamisms for confiscation of earned wealth. (This dynamic is being caried out on a global scale today, particularly in the UN. The Kyoto Treaty was another good example.)
Put simply, modern liberalism is based on a lie which is propped up by theft.
So what are rights? How do we distinguish between true human rights, and the parasitic privileges of a wealthy culture? In the Declaration of Independence, Jefferson wrote,
We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness.
Note the essentially limited nature of those rights. True rights delineate opportunities, not outcomes. Health, wealth, and happiness are not rights; the pursuit of them is. Jefferson tells us that we have the right to struggle, nothing more. Compare this with the liberal laundry list of rights, most of which define outcomes, not opportunities.
Somehow, we've switched from protecting opportunities to directing outcomes, which in practice actually reduces our real rights and freedoms, as demonstrated by the recent SCOTUS decisions on afirmative action. By defining an outcome, a diverse student body, as a right, the right to equal protection under the law, as well as freedom of association is diminished.
It has been said that a civilized society takes care of those less fortunate, and that is certainly true. The problem comes when that compassion becomes mandatory, or when those less fortunate believe they have a right to that compassion. The productive members begin to shoulder more and more of the burden, while the rest of the population gets more demanding. Not only do they demand the right to high wages (unions), they demand to be paid when they're not working (FMLA benefits). Conditioned to expect their needs to be met by the governement, they become less willing/able to take care of themselves, creating a downward spiral which ends when the load exceeds the ability of the productive class to carry it, leading to societal collapse. It is the inevitable outcome of the Entitlement lie.
Blogger's Bash, tomorrow night, 6 PM at Barleys in the Old City. See you there!
Awhile back, Trent Lott said something incredibly stupid. He implied that if Strom Thurmond had been elected President when he ran, the nationwould have been better off. The blogosphere, mostly led by conservative bloggers, picked up the story and kept it alive until the mainstream finally ran with it. The end result was Lott stepping down from the Majority Leader position.
Now Gephardt has made a similarly egregious statement.
When I'm president, we'll do executive orders to overcome any wrong thing the Supreme Court does tomorrow or any other day.
Let's ignore for the moment that he couldn't possibly follow through on such an outrageous statement, and concentrate instead on what the liberal blogosphere has to say about it. After all, Gephardt is running for President. He's been a leading light of the Democrat Party for quite sometime. Certainly if his view of running the country through Presidential fiat were not part of the Democratic mindset, then he will be denounced, right?
Let's just take a tour through the left and see...
From SKBubba:
So I don't know what he said, when he said it, or why he said it, and frankly I don't care.
From Barry Bozeman, nothing
From Barry (the original)
. I see it as an offhand comment during a discussion session at a candidates forum with other Democratic candidates and partisans.
From Kevin
If Gephardt does not apologize for these remarks, or continues to make them, then I will be concerned.
From Atrios: nothing
From Daily Kos: Nothing.
From the agonist: nothing
From Talking Points Memo: nothing
From tblogg: (Blogger links not working, scroll down to "He may be a fool but he's our fool.") A list of Bush malapropisms, to suggest that mangling the English language is somehow equivalent to mangling the Constitution, demolishing the Separation of Powers, and ruling by Presidential declaration.
In short, the left is trivializing the comment as meaningless. "He didn't really mean it." The problem is he did. Listening to the commentary shows that. He wasn't taken out of context, or speaking off the cuff, but announcing very clearly that if elected as President, he would overrule Supreme Court decisions by Executive Order.
If he doesn't back away from that statement, then we have no choice but to take him at his word. And if liberals do not call on him to back down, then we must take their silence to mean acceptence, if not active support, for that statement.
UPDATE: I inadvertantly left off the link to Rush Limbaughtomy home of Barry Bozeman. That has been corrected. Barry is a cool guy, even though he does tend to foam at the mouth at the first hint of conservative rhetoric, His stated goal is to drive Limbaugh fans to apoplexy using the tactics of el Rushbo himself. I don't know how successful he'll be, but it'll certainly make for entertaining blogging.
The GOP controlled Senate is taking steps to loosen the deathgrip Democrats have taken on the throat of Bush Judicial nominees. In a 10-0 vote today, the Senate Rules committee voted to approve an amendment to Senate rules which decreases the number of votes needed to end a filbuster each time a vote is called.
Interestingly, no Democrat member ofthe committee showed up to vote. Unfortunately for them, unlike in the Texas legislature, running and hiding wasn't enough to stop passage of the measure. Democrats deny that they boycotted the vote.
Next, the measure must go before the full Senate, although Majority Leader Frist has not said when he'll bring it up.
There's a game of brinksmanship going on here. The Dems are using the filibuster in an unprecedented effort to derail a sitting President's judicial nomination. Their opposition is not based on the worthiness of the candidate; Estrada for example got the ABA's highest rating. It's nothing more than partisan politics Now that the dems went nuclear, the reps are prepared to do the same, weakening the use of filibusters to block judicial nominations. While this measure is limited to judicial nomination filibusters, the threat to the filibuster in general is clear.
The minority party has two means of maintaining influence, compromise or obstructionism. Unwilling to compromise, gridlock has become the weapon of choice for the minority party. By limiting the ability of the minority party to obstruct the work of Congress, they may be forced into a more conciliatory mode of operation.
Frist is not eager to escalate the fight; the delicate balance of power between majority and minority is not toyed with lightly. But when excessive force is applied in one direction, it must be countered with a like force, or the balance is destroyed.
Dems now have a choice to make. Allow the nominations to proceed to the full Senate, and make their case there, or risk a permanent loss of power for the minority party.
There's a little debate over at Bubba's on unemployment, and what the gov't should do about it. Apparently, since I am not real sympathetic towards recent college grads who prefer to sponge off mom and dad until their dream job falls in their lap instead of working their way to their dream job, I'm a right wingnut.
Well, so be it.
When I got out of the Navy in 1993, the nuclear industry was in a major downturn. Operations and maintenance jobs were few and far between, so I took a job in field service for a bio-med firm, making use of the electronics portion of my training. It was entry level, and paid accordingly, and kept me on the road covering a three state territory, but it put food on the table and a roof over our heads. I was a road warrior for a little over a year until I found an opening in the nuke field. It wasn't the perfect job, but it took me one step closer to where I wanted to be. The pay was significantly better, almost double, but it involved long periods away from home. I stayed with it for a year, then found the job I wanted, and got back to Tennessee, hopefully for good.
The bottom line is that I took what was available to work my way to where I wanted to be. There are some who suggest that it just isn't possible today, that the job market is too tight, that unemployment is too high. For comparison, the unemployment rate then was 6.9%, roughly equivalent to today. With no college degree, and only specialized military training, I managed to go from well below the poverty line to solid middle class in about 5 years.
Don't tell me it can't be done today; I won't buy it.
As for that so called "poverty line", during my last two years in the Navy, even adjusting for benefits, my family lived significantly below the poverty line. We qualified for every program out there, WIC, section 8 housing, the whole ball of wax. When I got out of the Navy, my income took a jump, but it was outweighed by the loss of benefits, which kept me below the poverty line for about another year and a half, until I took my second job. Again, we were eligible for WIC, etc.
At no time did I take advantage of it. We had a car, two TV's, and a VCR. The kids had food, clothes, and went to the doctor as needed. We didn't have a lot of luxuries, we rarely went out for dinner, and there were tough times, and an emergency could have wiped us out. We did face one housing crunch, but fortunately I had my family to fall back on. We survive the crisis (It lasted a week, involved a duplicitous Yankee, and forms the root of my dislike for the state of Ohio) and moved along, scrimping and scraping until we made it past those rough years. I never considered us as part of the working poor, since we had the necessities covered, and even had a little money to play with from time to time.
Here's a quick test to see if you're poor:
That's not poverty.
Poverty is living in a cardboard shantytown outside of Rio de Janeiro, drinking filthy water.
Poverty is living in a tarpaper shack in the foothills of Appalachia, selling moss for pin money.
Poverty is living on the streets because you have no family to take you in, and nowhere else to go.
Poverty is your kids going to bed hungry because there's no money for food.
I've seen real poverty in my travels around the world; what we call poverty would be considered luxury just about anywhere else on the planet. We define poverty too broadly in this country, which dilutes our efforts in helping those who truly need it. There are two possible reasons for this expansion in the definition of poverty. Either we are aiming high, trying to elevate all of our citizens to a standard of living that would be considered wealthy by the rest of the world, or it is a cynical manipulation by politicians who want to amplify the problems of the poor in order to advance their own agenda.
I admit it; I'm a nerd.
I played D&D (although I preferred other RPGs); I played wargames; I read science fiction by the truckload. I've been messing around with computers for over 20 years now; I've had modems from 300 baud all the way up to my current cable modem. I've been a member of Q-Link, Compuserve and AOL (oh the shame!).
And I collected comics.
Not just as a kid; I started in college, and continued after I joined the Navy. I've still got 'em backed and bagged (For the uninitiated, comic collectors keep their comics in pristine condition by placing each one in an individual bag, backed with a piece of cardboard to prevent wrinkles) in my room. Over the years, I guess I've collected about a thousand of them, and The Hulk has his place in that collection.
I was eager to see the movie version for a couple of reasons. First, I love Ang Lee's work. Like the best authors of speculative fiction, he uses the extraordinary to explore the ordinary. While the mayhem is entertaining, it's the story that grabs you, and the characters that keep you. Stan Lee understood that principle, and used it to drive Marvel to the top of the comic book world. I wanted to see if Ang and Stan had anything in common beyond a last name. Second, Marvel seems to be on a roll with their latest movie adaptations. Spiderman rocked, and Daredevil was electric, so I had high hopes that the Hulk would work as well.
As the guy standing beside me on the way out of the theater said to his date, "They got it right!"
We'll get the bad out of the way quickly.
First, there was that godawful travesty aired during the Superbowl. What on earth possessed them to market an unfinished clip? On the basis of that promo, I was planning to skip the movie entirely. Fortunately, the trailer I saw later showed more movie, and less unfinished CG work. Next, capturing Nick Nolte's descent into madness on film (David Banner/Nick Nolte...typecasting? You be the judge) may have been interesting, but it led to some truly unbelievable moments in the film.
Yeah, I know, we're watching a movie about a guy who turns into a giant green monster, and I'm carping about unbelievable moments from Nick Nolte. As any writer worth his salt knows, maintaining the reader's suspension of disbelief is paramount. He has to convince the reader that what is going on is real in order to get him to care about it. In general fiction, this is hard enough; in speculative fiction, you've already got one strike against you, namely that giant green monster jumping around onscreen. The audience already has to work hard enough to stay with you on that; to ask that same audience to believe that the Army, knowing what Banner is capable of, would allow his father to try and bait him into a homicidal rage without acting to stop it is asking too much.
Now, for the good.
First, the obvious; Jennifer Connelly is the most beautiful actress in Hollywood today, and one of the most underutilized. With any luck, betwen this movie and her Oscar winning role in A Beautiful Mind, we'll get to see a lot more of her. Maybe they'll give her a role where she's not in love with an emotionally disturbed genius. How about one where she's in love with an emotionally disturbed blogger?
It could happen...
Second, Ang Lee's direction and Frederick Elmes' cinematography combine to echo the comic book format while transcending it. The split screens, the transitions, the extreme closeups, and the multiple angles all evoke the language of comics, where artists had to use all kinds of visual shorthand to convey complex emotions and actions in a few highly stylized static panels. Lee chose to emulate that shorthand and Elmes made it work brilliantly, bending and sometimes breaking cinematographic rules in the process, but producing a truly unioque and powerful look to the film. I'm betting that Hulk will be nominated and win for Best Cinematography.
The story itself is busy, as we have Bruce and his father, Betty and her father, Bruce and Betty, and both fathers, all interacting in a complex chain of move and countermove, all trying to influence the actions of Bruce. In this light, the Hulk becomes the monster, and more the victim of the machinations of those who try to take advantage of him. It is the contrast of that towering rage and relative innocence that makes the Hulk such a popular character, and this movie captures that contrast perfectly.
Rating: 9 out of 10.
Yep, that's me to the left over there. I was attacked by a sudden case of conscience and could no longer bear the deception I was engaging in. Sure, it was nice to present the old image to the world, smiling, confident, in control. But it was a sham, a hoax, a staged presentation with no more link to reality than a politican's campaign promise.
Now you can see the real me; harried, disheveled, battered by the slings and arrowas of outrageous fortune (OK, I stole that last bit), baffled by the real world, but still pressing on. Sure, I would have loved to keep the image of the suave, debonair, single father of six, but I could no longer live the lie. What you see is the real me, so get used to it!*grin*
PS: I've done Lileks one better. Rather than give his readers a picture to photoshop to make him look ridiculous, I've given my readers a pic that doesn't need to be photoshopped. I truly go to the extremes to keep y'all happy.
I hope you appreciate it!
Ok, folks, for those who don't have e-mail, don't read e-mail, or get so much e-mail you might have missed it, I've scheduled another Bloggers Bash for this Wednesday, around 6, at Barley's in the old city. I'm hoping for a big turnout since it's been awhile between bashes. I'd especially like to meet the newer members of the RTB, since we've been growing so rapidly. Drop me a line and let me know whether or not you can make it so I can let Barley's know how many to expect.
See you next Wednesday! (SKB, name the movie(s))
I may have started a trend in feminine hygeine humor. I got this in my mail this morning:
Fish Hook Salesman
A young guy from Texas moves to California and goes to a big "everything under one roof" department store looking for a job. The manager says, "Do you have any sales experience?"
The kid says, "Yeah, I was a salesman back home in Texas."
Well, the boss liked the kid so he gave him the job. "You start tomorrow. I'll come down after we close and see how you did."
His first day on the job was rough but he got through it. After the store was locked up, the boss came down. "How many sales did you make today?"
The kid says, "One."
The boss says, "Just one? Our sales people average 20 or 30 sales a day. How much was the sale for?"
The kid says, "$101,237.64."
The boss says, "$101,237.64? What the hell did you sell?"
Kid says, "First I sold him a small fish hook. Then I sold him a medium fish hook. Then I sold him a larger fish hook. Then I sold him a new fishing rod. Then I asked him where he was going fishing and he said down at the coast, so I told him he was gonna need a boat, so we went down to the boat department and I sold him that twin engine Chris Craft.
Then he said he didn't think his Honda Civic would pull it, so I took
him down to the automotive department and sold him that 4X4 Blazer."
The boss said, "A guy came in here to buy a fish hook and you sold him a boat and truck?"
Kid says, "No, he came in here to buy a box of tampons for his wife and
I said, 'Well, your weekend's shot, you might as well go fishing.'"
The AMA has endorsed cloning for research purposes, describing it as ethical. While it certainly is legal, I doubt very seriously that it can be described as ethical. And if it is, then cloning for reproduction is just as ethical.
Specifically, what the AMA has endorsed is cloning embryos to harvest their stem cells. Those stem cells are then encouraged to grow, in the hopes that they can be used in therapies for a myriad of degenerative diseases. At the same time, the AMA rejects cloning for reproduction as unethical, given the risks of the process, the high chances of producing defective fetuses, and the moral implications which arise once the clone is born and becomes a legal person. This gives rise to the odd notion that cloning is OK as long as you kill the clone prior to birth.
Opponents object to the process because they consider the embryo as a human organism, and reject the notion of creating a life to harvest its cells. They also point out that there are other alternatives for ESC, including umbilical blood and autologous adult stem cells, that have already proven their efficacy, and are being used successfully. Ironically, there have been no successful ESC therapies developed, yet the medical community holds out great hope for the future.
So here's my question: We already have evidence that adult stem cells can differentiate into multiple tissue types, just as ESC do. We also know that once differentiated, ASC show significantly more stability, resulting in fewer tumors. We also have empirical evidence that therapies based on ASC work, and work well. We also know that ASC can be isolated from the patient, eliminating all rejection and immune issues.
Why then are some pushing so hard for ESC research?
Liberals are much nicer people than conservatives. It says so right here on the label. They aren't mean spirited or petty, and would never stoop to personal attacks or vendettas in support of their own ideology. They always take the high road, discussing issues passionately, but reasonably, and always based on facts.
It's those nasty mean dirty conservatives who've dragged political discourse in the mud. They're ideology is morally and logically bankrupt, so all they can do is rant and rave and shout down any who try to disagree with them, going so far as to call anybody who dares have a differing opinion "unamerican," or "traitor."
It's a good thing we have liberals to keep us on the right, oops, correct path. After all, we the sheeple are too dumb to know whats best for us. We need our good Uncle Sam to take care of us and make sure we wash behind our ears before he tucks us in at night.
Yeah, right.
What ignited this little rant, you ask? I guess I'm just fed up with the rampant hypocrisy coming from a good portion of the left, particularly those who feel the need to take the most extreme elements of conservatism and use them to tar the entire conservative community while simulaneously denying that the extreme leftists are a part of the left. It's hypocrisy, pure and simple. Yes, there are whack jobs on the right, but they do not represent the views of the majority of conservatives; that's why they are called extremists. Get it?
Probably not.
Normally, I don't link to hate sites, but this little gem illustrates what I'm talking about. It's a Flash animation from the DNC talking about how Bush is going to destroy the Supreme Court. Now dems are claiming that it's just humor, (Funny how that excuse doesn't work when the humor is racist, sexist, or homophobic. Must be that non-existent bigotry against conservatives again.) but I fail to see anything funny in lies being used to try and scare people.
Examples? Sure.
It isn't a joke when lies, distortion, and innuendo are used to try and ignite a firestorm of opposition; it's demagoguery of the worst kind. Not to mention that the creators of this garbage take it very seriously.
"This is really using humor to talk about a very serious subject, that is the kind of thing at stake if George W. Bush actually gets to make an appointment to the Supreme Court," said Democratic political consultant Kiki Moore.
It's amusing to hear a liberal so scared of the power of conservatism that she honestly belives that Bush can turn the entire nation into an ultra-conservative nightmare with a single SCOTUS appointment. Conservatism must be some pretty potent stuff.
I already know what I'm going to hear from liberals who like the cartoon:
Alright, let's deal with these.
It must be awful living with such a core of self loathing. No wonder they tend to be so cranky.
Finally, I have to address the implication of the entire bit, that conservatives are either diabolical, plotting the overthrow of all that is good and decent, or subhuman monsters, programmed to do their master's bidding without thought or feelings. It's the same paradigm I pointed out before, that all conservatives are either corrupt ideologues, or dupes.
This is interesting. A ruling by the Supreme Court allows forced medication of criminal defendants in order to make them capable of standing trial.
High Court Limits Gov't Drugging of Nonviolent Defendants
WASHINGTON — The Supreme Court (search) on Monday limited the government's ability to forcibly medicate mentally ill criminal defendants to make them well enough to stand trial for fraud or other nonviolent charges.
The 6-3 ruling, a defeat for prosecutors, means that the government will have to revise a common practice now of putting defendants on anti-psychotic drugs for their trials. Justices said that the Constitution (search) allows the government to administer drugs only "in limited circumstances."The case required the court to balance the government's interest in punishing nonviolent crime with a person's constitutional right to control his or her body.
I understand the prosecution's point here; the strategy of avoiding prosectution by maintaining incompetency is reprehensible. On the other hand, the defendant does have the right to determine whether to accept or reject medical treatment. Where is the balancing point? When does the State have an interest compelling enough to allow them to violate a person's fundamental right?
Based on the language in Roe v Wade, I would have to say that the State's interest only becomes compelling when another life is threatened. That would limit the practice of forced medication to those facing prosecution for violent crimes, or defendants previously convicted of violent crimes. Even in those cases, competency at trial should not be confused with competency during the criminal act.
Just in case y'all missed the encyclopedic post below, I turned 40 over the weekend. I've heard them say that life begins at 40, which makes me wonder if the last 4 decades were a dress rehearsal for the real thing. If that's true, this is one show that will close out of town.
I don't know what the big deal is. I don't feel any older, no matter what my kids say. Sure there are a few more aches and pains in the morning, and certain body parts don't look or function the way they used to, but who cares?
I can always get stronger glasses.
To me, 40 is a reminder that eventually, I'm going to have to settle down and decide what I want to be when I grow up. Astronaut sounds good, but I don't know if I want to trust my life to a vehicle that complex built to government specs by the lowest bidder. Besides, I something that expresses my creative side. I think I'd like to make something; making money sounds nice.
I guess now I have to clear a little time in my schedule for my midlife crisis. Isn't that supposed to come around about now? I need to recapture echoes of my misspent youth, which of course would involve long hours of isolation in the library.
On second thought, I think I'll go for the other version of male menopause, and spend ridiculous amounts of money on frivolous luxeries. I'm trying to decide between the sports car, the trophy wife, or the motorcycle. (AKA the Hemi, the Hussy, or the Harley.)
Decisions, decisions.
Of course, there are some good things about turning 40. If my memory wasn't so spotty, I'm sure I could point them out for you.
It was the middle of 1963. Kennedy was still alive, although not for long; the Soviets had put a woman in space, and the smiley was invented; Martin Luther King had a dream, and ATT introduced touch tone dialing. Brad Pitt, JAmes Hetfield, Helen Hunt, Quentin Tarantino, Charles Barkley, And Mike Myers were all born that year. And in Memphis TN, on June 14th, so was I.
The labor was difficult, so difficult that my mom was told she couldn't have anymore kids except through c-section. I came out of the deal with a head shaped like a bananna. Fortunately, baby's heads are very pliable, and the nurses spent hours reshaping my head to something approaching normalcy.
The first few years of my life passed in a blur, as I tried to figure out what all these new things around me were. In 1964, while I was gumming rice cereal, Ford introduced the Mustang; the Beatles performed on Ed Sullivan; IBM introduced the System 360 computer family, boasting a whopping 48k of memory. The computer language BASIC was introduced, And Leonid Brezhnev replaced Nikita Krushchev as leader of the Soviet Union. 1965 brought turmoil as Malcolm X was assassinated by a group of his followers, American combat forces entered Viet Nam, race riots broke out all over the nation, and the Russians made the first space walk. Coincidentally, I took my first steps that year as well.
The changes kept coming in 1966. Star Trek premiered; Charles Whitman climbed a tower in Texas, and killed random people, NOW was founded, and Catholics were allowed to eat meat on Friday.
In 1967, Israel defeated a coalition of Arab countries in only 6 days. The first Super Bowl was played, won by the Packers, Thurgood Marshall was appointed to the Supreme Court. The first heart transplant took place. Apollo 1 caught fire on the pad, killing all on board. The first ATM was installed, and Elvis Presley got married.
In 1968, the world accelerated. Martin Luther King and Robert F kennedy were both assassinated, Laugh In ushered in lightning fast comedy. George Foreman won gold in the Olympics. In Viet Nam, the Tet offensive was launched. It was a military failure, but a political succews, breaking America's will to fight. The first 9-1-1 system was installed.
In 1969, Mary Jo Kopechne drowned in Chappaquidick while Ted Kennedy swam to safety. ARPANET, the precursor to the Internet was born, and in a coincidence presaging it's impact on publishing, the Saturday Evening Post published it's last issue. Charles Manson and his "Family" slaughtered several people in California. As I was taking my first steps into a larger world, going to first grade, mankind was taking its first steps into an even larger world, as Neil Armstrong walked on the moon.
In 1970, four students were killed at Kent State in Ohio during a war protest. Monday Night Football was broadcast for the first time. Apollo 13's mission to the moon faced disaster, but resulted in the triumphant return of all astronauts.
The first NYC Marathon was run, and the Hailey family ran its own marathon, moving from FLA to TN. I got to ride in the U-Haul with my dad. The trip was great except I kept slamming my thumb in the door of the truck.
In 1971, Billie Jean King became the first female athlete to earn more than 1 million dollars. Disney World in FLA opened. The Nasdaq opened. The Supreme court ruled that bussing to enforce desegregation was legal. The violence continued as the Weather Underground plane\ted a bomb in the men's room in the Capitol. Intel introduced the first microprocessor, the 4004 beginning the long evolution of the PC.
In 1972, HP introduced the first hand held calculator, costing a mere $395. It added, subtracted, nultiplied and divided. republican operatives broke into the Democratic headquarters in the Watergate Hotel. The Dow broke 1000. The Munich Massacre took place in the Olympic Village.
Watergate
In 1973, I turned 10, and thought Schoolhouse Rock was the coolest thing ever. Roe V Wade made abortions legal, but with many restrictions, most of which would be stricken later. Secretariat won the Triple Crown. America launched SkyLab, the first space station. Israel fought off another Arab invasion during the Yom Kippur War.
Steinbrenner buys the Yankees
In 1974, Patty hearst was kidnapped by the SLA. NIxon was impeached and resigned, making Gerald Ford President. People magazine published its first issue.
In 1975, the first PC was introduced, the Altair 8800. It had no display, no keyboard, and was programmed by manipulating switches in sequence. It sold in kit form, meaning you had to actually put it together. It sold faster than the inventors could manufacture the kits. The US and Soviet space programs linked up with an Apollo-Soyuz rendezvous in space. Saturday Night Live debuted with the Not ready for Prime Time Players. Several went on to become famous. Some died.
In 1976, America celebrated 200 years. I entered my teenage years. Steve Jobs and Steve Wosniak invented the Apple Computer, which changed personal computing forever. At the same time, Bill Gates was founding Microsoft, beginning a rivalry that continues today. The first super sonic passenger plane, the Concorde, began to fly. Israel rescued hostages held by terrorists at an airport in Entebbe. The prototype Space Shuttle was named Enterprise, in honor of Star trek, following a furious write in campaign from Trekkers and dreamers everywhere. The phrase, "200 years ago today..." entered pop culture, as the "Bicentennial Minute" played nightly during prime time on CBS. We saw pictures from the Martian surface, showing a blue sky. They were later corrected. Jimmy Carter replaced Gerald Ford as President
In 1977, the world was introduced to Luke Skywalker and compnay through the movie Star Wars. I rode my bike about 5 miles to get to a theater to watch the movie. Disco dominated pop radio, while metal surged just beneath.
In 1978, Roman Polanski fled the country after pleading guilty to sex with a 13 year old girl. Karl wallenda dies on camera attempting to walk a tightrope between two buildings. The evening news plays the footage over and over. The first test tube baby is born. Pope Paul dies, replaced by John-Paul I who dies and is replaced by John-Paul II, the first Polish Pope. Egypt and Israel sign the Camp David Peace accords. JIm Jones and his followers commit mass suicide in Guyana.
In 1979, things got scary. The Shah of Iran was deposed, and Ayatollah Khomeini took power. The American Embassy was taken, and the Americans were held hostage. An accident at Three Mile Island nuclear power plant caused a core meltdown. Soviets invaded Afghanistan. The US mint introduced the Susan B Anthony dollar. And I got my driver's license.
In 1980, President Carter rescued Chrysler Corp, but couldn't rescue the hostages in Iran. The FBI targeted Congress with the ABSCAM sting. We boycotted the Moscow Olympics to protest the Soviet invasion of Afghanistan. Mt. St. Helens erupted. John Lennon was murdered. Due to the poor economy and the Iranian hostage crisis, Carter was replaced by Ronald Reagan as President.
In 1981 both hostage crises ended as the Iranian hostages came home, and I graduated from high school. Walter Cronkite retired. John Hinkley attempted to assassinate President Reagan. Space Shuttle Columbia launched for the first time. Mehmet Ali Agca attempts to kill the Pope. MTV debuts, showing all music videos 24 hours a day. PAC-Man is introduced, and quarters are gobbled up by the machine faster than phosphor dots on the screen. I go to Indiana for college.
In 1982, ATT is broken up, ending its monopoly on telephone service. The local Bells become independent. groundbreaking ceremonies are held for the Viet Nam War memorial. A computer was Time's Man of the Year. Larry Holmes defeated Gerry Cooney, and Ray Mancini defeated Duk Koo Kim, who died from injuries suffered during the fight. Late Night with David Letterman debuts, following The Tonight Show. The world comes to Knoxville for the 1982 World's Fair. I came back to Knoxville as well, enrolling at UT.
In 1983, I turned 20. The internet grew up as well, shifting to the IP protocol. DNS was invented. President Ronald Reagan makes his initial proposal to develop technology to intercept enemy missiles. The media dub this plan "Star Wars." Israel agrees to withdraw from Lebanon. The Marine Corps barracks in Beirut are destroyed by a suicide bomber. United States invades Grenada. I invade the work force, proudly manning the counter at a convenience store.
In 1984, Apple introduces the Macintosh. The Soviet Union boycotts the 1984 Summer Olympics. Ronald Reagan wins a second term. There is much debate about George Orwell. After being robbed at work, I decide to choose a different direction, and join the Navy.
In 1985, I go through Boot Camp and A school in Great Lakes, Illinois. In an irony suited to the military, I spend my first two years in the Navy landlocked in Illinois, Central FL, and upstate New York. The Titannic was found. The Greenpeace vessel, the Rainbow Warrior, was sunk by the French, who finally found an opponent they could handle. We Are the World is recorded by dozens of stars to raise money for ending famine.
In 1986, plans are begun for the Channel Tunnel, linking Britain and France. The Chernobyl nuclear facility in Russia catches on fire. Soviets at first deny there is any problem. Iran Contra hits the news. While I was transferring from Fl to NY, the Challenger blew up, killing all on board. In a parallel, I was run over by an 18 wheeler on an icy highway south of Philadelphia one day earlier. I was driving a 1970 Cadillac deVille convertable. The car took considerable damage, but despite the tire tracks across the hood, I drove away and completed the drive. They don't build 'em like that anymore.
In 1987, an Iragi Mirage (french built) fires two Exocet(also french built) missiles at the USS Stark. 37 sailors die. I was deployed in the Med on the USS Nimitz at the time. We learned about it over short wave, listening to the BBC. We were due to leave the mad that day, and expected to be delayed. We weren't. Gary Hart withdraws from the presidential race after failing to withdraw from Donna Rice. Jim Bakker steps down from the PTL club after admitting to sexual misconduct.
In 1988, Jimmy Swaggart follows Jim Bakker as another televangelist admits to sexual misconduct. The Soviet occupation of Afghanistan ends. The Space Shuttle resumes flying. I meet my future ex-wife, then deploy for 6 months to the Western Pacific. The Olympics are held in Seoul, and my battle\group stands off the coast as a security force. Robert Heinlein dies.
In 1989, the GPS network is launched, with 24 satellites placed in orbit. Time and Warner merge. Protesting students are massacred in Tienanmen Square, in China. Solidarity wins in Poland, as communist governments begin to fail all over Eastern Europe. The Berlin Wall comes down. I get married, and begin life as a father with three children and a baby. Within a couple of months, we find out we're expecting another baby. George H.W. Bush defeats Walter Mondale. Pete Rose is banned for life from baseball for gambling. The Exxon Valdez runs aground
In 1990, Virginia elects the nation's first black governor. Yep, we're backwards here in the South. Apartheid ends in South Africa as Nelson Mandela is freed. The Soviet Union collapses. Iraq invades Kuwait on Aug 2. The UN instantly condemns the action, while President Bush begins working to build a coalition to throw back the invasion. East Germany is reunited with Germany, removing one of the last vestiges of the Cold War, and accelerating the collapse of the Soviet Union. My 5th child is born.
In 1991, it was transfer time again, as I moved from Washington State to Virginia to meet my new ship, the USS Shenandoah. The Gulf War begins while I'm in training. I leave class and say, "I'm going to go check if we are at war."
We were.
The Gulf War ends after 41 days of fighting, with Iraq removed from Kuwait, and promising to pay reparations, and disarm. Neither promise is kept. The next 12 years are filled with move and countermove as inspectors try to verify disarmament, and Iraqi officials try to deny them access. LA Police are videotaped beating Rodney King, stopped for reckless driving. The tape sparks massive outrage.
In 1992, I deploy to the Med for another 6 months. My son is born shortly before I return. Yugoslavia dissolves into chaos as ethnic groups fight for control of historical territories. The verdict in the trial of the officer's accused of using excessive force in the Rodney King arrest is returned. Riots break out in LA and elsewhere when the four policemen are found "Not Guilty." The riots lasted for several days and caused millions of dollars of damage. Rodney King asks if we could all "...just get along." Hurrican Andrew devastates Florida; Bill Clinton is elected President. The Blue Kays win the World Series, becoming the first non-American team to do so.
In 1993, I reach the end of my enlistment, and move my family (wife, six kids, three dogs) to Youngstown Ohio. A van parked in the World Trade Center explodes, killing 6, and injuring over a thousand. The bombing is linked to Saudi financier Osama bin Laden. BATF agents try to arrest David Koresh in his compound. The resulting gun battle kills 6 Branch Davidians and 4 agents, and began a 51 day seige, which ended when Janet Reno authorized an attack on the compound which killed 82 members of the cult, including all the children. reno accepts responsibility for the disaster. Intel launches the first Pentium chip, clocking a blistering 60 Mhz. President Clinton orders a cruise missile attack on Iraq, in retaliation for an attempted assassination of George Bush a month earlier. Iraq continues to resist inspections. Clinton sends the army into Somalia to help keep the peace. The mission goes bad, winding up in a fierce battle to extract US soldiers. 18 soldiers die, and some of their bodies are dragged through the streets. America withdraws.
1994 is a banner year for women. Nancy Kerrigan is attacked by the boyfriend of rival skater Tonya Harding. Lorena Bobbitt goes on trial for cutting off her husband's penis while he slept. (The severed member is found by police on the way to the hosptial and is re-attached. John Bobbitt goes on to a short porn career (Frankenpenis and John Wayne Bobbitt uncut)) Shannon Faulkner sues for the right to attend the all male Citadel and wins. She drops out within weeks. I move my family to Tennessee, then I leave for a year to Johnston Island, where I work on a plutonium cleanup project.
The English Chunnel opens after 7 years of construction. Nelson Mandela becomes President of South Africa. OJ Simpson's ex wife Nicole and a co-worker are found murdered. OJ leads the police on a slow speed chase throughout LA in a white Ford bronco driven by A.C. Cowlings. Simpson gives himself up at his home in Brentwood. Defended by a legal "Dream Team, he is found not guilty; no riots break out, although Leno and Letterman tell a few caustic jokes.
The investigation into the Whitewater real estate deal begins. The World Series is cancelled due to a strike.
In 1995, Timothy McVeigh sets off a truck bomb outside a federal building in Oklahoma City, OK. 168 people die. McVeigh is found guitly and sentenced to die. His accomplice, Terry Nichols is sentenced to life without parole. Iraq continues to resist disarmament and the inspection process as the UNSC begins to lose cohesiveness. France and Russia begin to sell prohibited items to Iraq.
In 1996, a computer, Deep Blue, beats Gary Kasparov for the first time. The Unabomber is arrested. The first mammal, a sheep named Dolly, is cloned. Bill Clinton wins re-election over Bob Dole, who becomes a pitchman for Viagra. Jon Benet Ramsey, a 6 year old beauty queen, is found murdered in her basement. The case is never solved. A bomb explodes at the Summer Olympics in Atlanta. The man who found the bomb, Richard Jewell, falls under suspician immediately. After months of investigation, he is cleared, although his life is destroyed.
In 1997, a criticality in a plant in Japan exposes three workers to fatal doses of radiation. One worker was kept alive for a few weeks through massive blood tranfusions and other radical therapies, but all three died in the end. 39 cultists commit suicide to rendezvous with an object they believe is trailing comet Hale Bopp. Hong Kong returns to Chinese control. Princess Diana dies when the car she is riding in goes out of control in an attempt to elude paparazzi. The first land vehicle breaks the sound barrier.
In 1998, John Glenn returns to space in what many see as a publicity stunt. The Lewinski scandal breaks big, forcing President Clinton to deny sexual relations on national TV. A double bombing at an Atlanta abortion clinic is traced to Eric Rudolph, who flees to the North Carolina mountains, where he hides for 5 years. Eric Rudolph also becomes the prime suspect in the Atlanta Olympics bombing. Mercedes buys Chrysler. Matthew Shepard is murdered for being gay, igniting a drive for gay civil rights legislation. More missile strikes on Iraq are ordered by President Clinton, who says that Iraq is failing to disarm, and is continuing to research and produce weapons of mass destruction. The UNiversity of Tennessee Volunteers go 13-0 and defeat the Florida State Seminoles to win the first BCS National Championship.
In 1999, there were major concerns about Y2k compliance. Doomsday scenarios abounded and paranoiacs all over the world prepared for the complete breakdown of social services. MIllenial festivities were planned to bwegin on New Year's Day, 2000, despite the persnickety folks who complained, correctly, that the new millenium didn't begin until 2001. Bill Clinton is acquitted in his impeachment trial on a party line vote. The DOW closes above 10000 for the first time. Two teenagers in Columbine CO take over the high school, killing 12 astudents and 1 teacher before turning the guns on themselves.
In 2000, y2k turns out to be harmless. Millenial madness is a flop. Charles Shultz stops drawing Peanuts. He dies shortly afterward. Janet reno is back in the news as she initiates a raid which removes Cuban refuge Elian Gonzales from his family in Miami to return him to Cuba. Nobody dies this time, proving that she does learn from experience. Ariel Sharon visits the Temple Mount on a holy day, which Arafat uses to launch the Intifadah. My wife and I separate. George Bush and Al Gore go to the wire in an election too close to call. eventually, the SCOTUS has to step in to end the legal manuevers of Al Gore, leading to his concession. The American public is bitterly divided over the legitimacy of the result. Survivor premieres, sparking a new "reality" television which quickly snks to apalling depths.
In 2001, the new millenium begins. George Bush is inaugurated while Al Gore returns to Tennessee to mend fences, eat heavily, and grow a beard. Dale Earnhardt dies during the last lap of the Daytona 500. A US Surveillance plane is rammed by a Chinese fighter, and forced to land in China. The crew is taken prisoner, and the plane confiscated. eventually, the crew was released, but the plane was returned only after the Chinese had thoroughly examined it. The World trade Center is attacked by 2 hijacked aircraft which fly directly into the towers. The towers collapse in a matter of hours, killing 3000 people. Another plane crashes into the Pentagon, while a fourth crashes into a field in Pennsylvnia after the passengers fight back to regain control of the aircraft. The US is stunned, but a new resolve grows under the leadership of President Bush, and New York Mayor Giuliani. The recovery efforts last months. America invades Afghanistan to chase down Osama bin Laden and the al Qaida network, the ones behind the WTC massacre
In 2002, US efforts in Afghanistan continue. The Taliban is out of power, the al Qaida compound at Tora Bora is destroyed, and OBL is missing and presumed dead. The Intifadah continmues in Israel, with Palestinians conducting suicide bombings, and Israel responding by taking out Hamas and Jihad Islami leaders. The US begins pressuring the UN to act against Iraq, seen as part of an "Axis of evil," which funds terrorism.
In 2003, Shuttle Columbia disintegrated on re=entry over California, Nevada and Texas. The cause appears to be damage to the ablative tiles, possible coused by impact with foam from the external fuel tank. despite heavy opposition from france, Germany, and Russia, the US and allies, chiefly Britain and Australia, invade Iraq to end the regime of Saddam Hussein. Hussein is not found, and despite fears to the contrary, the force plan works exceptionally well, minimizing casualties for allies and non combatants. The peace plan is not as successful, but is progressing.
A lot can happen in 40 years. (Anybody still reading?)
I've posted quite a few times about the realities of hydrogen power and fuel cells. To recap, while a fuel cell produces minimal pollution, hydrogen does not occur naturally and must be produced, which takes energy. Due to the 2nd law of thermodynamics, it takes more energy to produce the hydrogen than the fuel cell will yield. Essentially, the fuel cell will result in greater power usage for equivalent work, and we still have to come up with a way to generate the hydrogen. While there are a couple of promising biotech methods being studied right now, the most common approach involves electrolysis of water. Unfortunately, there is no cheap, easy, clean way to do this.
Now there's a new problem. According to this story (audio link)on NPR, free hydrogen could lead to depletion of the ozone layer.
If it's not one thing, it's another.
Here's an interesting question: If these problems are real (and I know they are. It's basic science and easy to verify), then why the push for hydrogen power?
The answer, as always, comes when we follow the money. Of all the alternative fuel sources, hydrogen is the one which is most similar to petroleum. Think about it: it's difficult to obtain, requires a significant technological investment to refine, requires special handling, requires frequent refueling, and requires a massive distribution network?
Hydrogen is a wonderful way to make the enviros happy, and ditch Arab oil while keeping the oil companies fat and happy.
Barry over at Rushlibaughtomy.com linked to this new ad from Honda. It is simply amazing. If you haven't seen it yet, go check it out.
No tricks involved, just lots of money, time and patience.
We heard a lot recently about how the Child Tax Credit was denied to poorer families by the cold hearted reps in Congress. Of course, we didn't hear the other side, that many of those poorer families paid little or no income taxes, meaning that the tax credit would, in their case, be a handout. We also didn't hear much about the fact that the initial proposal included just such a handout, but it was dropped by the Senate, in order to meet their arbitrary $350 billion dollar limit, imposed by moderate reps in a doomed attempt to win moderate dem support.
Now the Senate, urged along by the President is attempting to remedy that short sightedness by passing a new bill, authorizing the tax credit for poorer families. Everybody should be happy now, right?
Tom delay and his buddies in the House have decided to play a little power politics with this bill:
Majority Leader Tom DeLay said Tuesday the House will use the Senate's bill, which would send rebate checks of up to $400 per child to 6.5 million low-income families this summer, as a vehicle for language to make tax cuts President Bush signed last month less temporary."If they want the child tax credit, they ought to be able to have it in a package that actually creates jobs and helps the economy grow," said DeLay, R-Texas.
Now don't get me wrong; I'm all in favor of making those cuts permanent, but not now, and not this way. Reps won a victory getting the package passed in the first place. By approving the original bill, the rep Senate insulated itself against charges of indifference to the poor. But now Delay is following in the footsteps of Newt Gingrich and getting greedy. His greed could cause a backlash against reps going into the election cycle. While Bush seems firmly in the lead in the race for the Presidency, the House and Senate are completely up for grabs. Any sign of Gingrichian arrogance could cost reps dearly.
Guys, we've gotta talk.
There comes a time in every man's life when he has to face one of the biggest tests of his masculinity:
Buying feminine hygiene products.
My buddy at work says I must be dying for attention (Duh! I'm a blogger!) to bring this up, but I must, because we all know that sooner or later, whether it be for sister, girlfriend, wife, or daughter, we'll end up skulking furtively through that aisle, and shamefacedly handing our selection to the girl at the checkout counter. My first trial came at the tender age of 16, when my sister begged me to go to the store to buy her some "thingies." Mom and Dad were out of town, I had a driver's license, and she was in desperate need, so there I stood in the mini-mart, trying to work up the nerve to make my purchase. It was worse than the first time I tried to buy a Playboy. (Interesting side story. I wasn't real sneaky back then, and bought the magazine at the corner gas station, the same place where I was trying to work up the nerve to buy the "thingies" as a matter of fact. My dad was great friends with all the clerks who worked there, so I'm sure he knew all about my illicit purchase within 5 minutes of my leaving the store.)
I wandered the aisles of that little store for 45 minutes, carefully examining the dates on the dog food cans, to make sure they were fresh. I checked out the wide variety of canned vegetables, perused the offerings in the drink cooler, looked at all the leaflets designed to separate tourons (tourist + moron = touron) from their money as efficiently as possible, examined the floor to insure that it had been adequately swept, mopped and polished, all the while steeling myself to take the plunge. Finally, I screwed up my courage, dashed down the aisle, grabbed a mint green package of "thingies" and headed for the checkout counter.
The lady behind the counter took pity on me as I stood there with my head tucked low, trying to hide my face, and didn't try to engage in small talk, just took my money, put the "thingies" in a brown paper bag, and handed me my change.
Of course today, as a single father with three daughters, humiliation has aged into quiet resignation. I think nothing of running into the grocery store, wheeling my cart down "The Aisle," and grabbing a bag of pads, or a smaller box of tampons. But while the embarrassment has faded, it's been replaced with confusion.
Back when I made my "thingie" run, there were pads. Period. (Pun unintentional) The only decision to make was brand and quantity. Today, it's a whole new ballgame. Pads have wings, flaps, ridges, velcro, elastic, adhesive patches, and "moisture pockets." They come in unscented or scented, with a variety of smells with names like "summer breeze," "citrus blend," and "country morning." That last frightens me, because I always associated country mornings with breakfast, and somehow the aroma of eggs bacon and coffee just doesn't seem to me to be an appropriate scent for a feminine hygiene product. Then there are the sizes: Plus, maxi, super maxi, super plus maxi, and petite super maxi plus; it never ends. What happened to good old "medium?"
And, lest we forget, there's the wonderful world of tampons, which also come in a variety of sizes, shapes, scents and applicators. I can't figure out when these things became fashion accesories, but it is clear they have.
And you can't count on the commercials for help either, even though it seems the airwaves are saturated with them. It's nothing to see feminine hygiene products advertised during a football game. Heck, I'm waiting for Tampax to sponsor a Winston Cup car. Imagine going to the winners circle:
ANN: I'm here in the Winners Circle with Jeff Gordon, winner of today's race. Jeff, how was it out there?
JG: Well, traffic was flowing pretty heavy out there today, and I got caught up in a couple of tight squeezes in turn 2, but the Tampax Super Maxi Tampon Chevy kept me in the clear. Once in position, we were able to keep the rest of the traffic bottled up behind us, and bring home the win.
I ran into a different sort of advertising the last time I bought tampons. You know how when you check out, the litle machine prints up coupons based on what you buy? Well, all I bought was the tampons, but I got 2 coupons: one was for more tampons, and the other was for Hershey's Chocolate Kisses.
And they say marketing isn't a science...
Regular TV ads are bad enough, but have you ever watched daytime television? I've learned more than I care to know about the female anatomy, and the various troubles inherent in having the plumbing on the inside, instead of the outside. "Vaginal suppository" is a phrase that should not be heard on television, except maybe for late at night on the Jerry Springer show, and even then it should probably be bleeped.
I saw a commercial a little while back for a "Extra Strength" douche. Now, isn't that a scary thought?
Dow Chemical is proud to present "New and Improved Heavy Duty Douche. Now with scrubbing bubbles for that squeaky clean feeling!"
Another problem with these douche commercials: the ladies are always pulling these bottles out of the kitchen cabinet, never the bathroom where they belong. First of all, I'm not going to get into a conversation with my buddy over jock itch, and even if I do, I'm not whipping a tube of Cruex out of the snack cabinet and waving it around like it's Cheez Whiz.
Ain't gonna happen.
But in these commercials, Sally and Jane are sitting in the kitchen talking about having that "fresh, clean feeling" whenever they want, and Sally always reaches up into the kitchen cabinet to grab a bottle of Summer's Eve. I knew something funny was going on, so I checked the label on a bottle one day while I was shopping for tampons (It takes a man very confident in his masculinity to say that with a straight face), and brothers, I found the answer.
Add some olive oil and you've got salad dressing!
We now know more about the Hidden Valley than we ever wanted to.
Here's something I wasn't aware of, although I should have been, because I've used all the compnonent parts before.
Go to Google and type in your phone number, with area code using the format xxx-xxx-xxxx.
If your phone number is listed, up will pop your name, address, and two choices for maps to your location.
You can opt out by selecting the telephone icon next to your name. Scroll down and you'll find the opt out process.
I was late for work this morning.
But I have a really good excuse. I was going down my driveway when I noticed something unusual in my way. It looked like a large, flat rock, and I was going to just go over it when it moved.
Now that can't be good.
I got out of the car and walked over to see what it was, and it was a turtle. Not just a turtle, but a large snapping turtle. It looked to be about 5 feet long nose to tail, 4 feet wide across the shell, probably weighed about 75 lbs, had a largish chunk ripped out of the top of its shell, and it wasn't in a very hospitable mood. It just sat there looking at my with that reptilian stare, reminiscent of my company commander in boot camp. I walked around it, looking for a good way to get it out of my way, and its eyes seemed to follow me around even though its head never moved, sort of like those spooky pictures in haunted houses; you know, the ones that are always looking at you no matter where you stand?
It was fairly cool this morning, and I know that reptiles are cold blooded (rather like boot camp company commanders) and tend to be sluggish in the early AM. I figured I could sneak up behind it, grab it by its shell, and haul it out of my way. But as I looked at its eyes, and more importantly that large sharp beak, I began to wonder just how sluggish that turtle really was. Maybe he was just playing possum, waiting for me to get close enough to latch onto my arm. ONe of my sons used to have a lizard, and that thing was as slow as Christmas, except when it was time to eat. He'd just sit there, motionless, until that grasshopper got just a little too close and BANG!
Dinner was served.
I kept looking at the turtle, and it kept looking at me, and I found myself thinking of Steve Irwin, Crocodile Stalker and Snake Annoyer par excellence. I know what he would have done. He'd dash back to the house to get Terri and a camera, then jump right on top of the turtle, yell "Crikey!" a few times, talk about how wonderful the snapper is, point out it's razor sharp beak and powerful jaws, tell it how beautiful it is, then drop it off into a nearby pond.
Now I'm not Steve Irwin, but I'm a man, the pinnacle of millions of years of evolution, the top of the food chain. Surely I could handle one measly reptile, right? Of course I could. I might not have jaws that could tear through a NYC phonebook, or teeth sharp enough to cut through leather, but I had a human brain, the finest thinking machine on the planet, more than enough to compensate for any physical weaknesses. I came up with a foolproof plan to take care of this monster.
I woke up my son and told him to go get it.
Isaac just had a class in herpatology, and a large part of his time was spent in an independant research project, catching and tagging snappers in western Massachusetts. Here was a chance for him to broaden his efforts. I was contributing to his education. See, I'm a good father!
He came down and checked out the snapper, grabbed it by its tail and moved it out of the way. The entire time, that turtle kept his eye on me, as if to say "You got lucky today, but I'll be back. He has to go back to school sometime...and then you're all mine."
One thing worries me though. I'm beginning to wonder about this school my son is attending. I don't think they know what they are doing. Isaac said that the turtle was 2 feet long, and might have weighed 12 pounds.
I know it was bigger than that. They must be teaching the metric system up there or some such.
Everybody needs to read this latest release from the WHO and CDC
Download file
courtesy of an e-mail from a reader
and admits that race did play a role in the Blair saga.
At a recent meeting with staff, Raines said: "You have a right to ask if I, as a white man from Alabama, with those convictions, gave him one chance too many. When I look into my heart for the truth of that, the answer is yes."
Will this cure the rot at the heart of the NYT? We'll have to wait and see, but it certainly is a step in the right direction.
Compare this:
Doing this tour through the RTB has shown me a weakness in my own writing. As I read through each website, I looked for an entry the grabbed me, that I could excerpt to give a reader a feel for the piece, but would compel them to follow the link to get more, a hook, in other words. There were some pages where the hook was easy to find, two or three senences that let me know what was coming, but made me want to read more. There were many others where there was no easy hook to grab onto, no easy way to distill the post while maintaining interest.I've gone back and looked at a bunch of my stuff, and while the hook appears occasionally, far too often it isn't there
To this:
Doing this tour throught the RTB has shown me a weakness in my own writing; I'm not a hooker.See, as I read through each website, I looked for an entry that would give a new reader a feel for the blog, and would compel them to follow the link to read more. Too often, that hook was missing, making it difficult to make a representative excerpt. (Unlike some professional journalists, I don't edit quotes to make them more interesting.)
I went back through some of my entries, and found a few hooks, but not enough. It's something I'll work on.
Which version has the better hook?
OK folks, here we go for another whirlwind tour around the far flung Rocky Top Brigade, where the opinions fly fast and furious. We're pretty lucky here in the RTB, we have some of the most passionate writers in the blogosphere, covering the political and social spectrum. As Bubba noted, according to the News Sentinel, we have 6 of the top 200 blogs in existence right here in good old Rocky Top.
I am not one of them.
But here, without further ceremony, is some of the best from our best. By the way, I've done something different this time. I sent out a call for submissions, and those who sent them in are listed here first. Then I went out and grabbed something from everybody in the brigade. So for the first time, in one location, you can get the full RTB experience.
Maalox or Rolaids may be a good idea right now....
We start with a newer addition to the RTB, Barry Bozeman of Rushlibaughtomy.com, who shares a puzzling personal experience that happened on September 10, 2001.
Two hours passed before I heard from him again. This was his story:
“The airplane was towed to a remote area of San Jose Airport and the passengers were debarked to busses.” He said, “ We were taken to a large hanger and each passenger was asked for identification.” Several of the male passengers were escorted from the room and the remainder of the passengers were bussed back to the main terminal. The baggage was returned and those passengers were told to return to the airport on 9-11 for a morning flight. Bill then said that he would call in the morning when he knew his new ETA.
Next up is the original Barry, of Inn of the Last Home. He shares two posts. The first is on cynicism and how it affects our point of view:
Like so many other pundits, he believes any headline in which Gore or Clinton is mentioned or quoted is a blatant, calculated bid for political relevency. It doesn't really matter what the story says, as long as any former political adversary reemerges into the public eye, it must be solely politically motivated.
It's not a Democrat thing - it has nothing to do with the ideals of the "Left-Leaning intelligensia". It's not a Republican thing - it has nothing to do with the ideals of the "Knee-jerk right-wingers with low IQ's". It's a nasty stain of human nature that a lot of people - Republican, Democrat, black, white, male, female, gay, straight, Christian, Muslim, Jewish, Pagan - have thankfully come to recognize. Unfortunately, there's not enough yet, and we haven't progressed quite enough as a society or as a species to look beyond political differences.
Next up we have Deb, one of the Belles of the RTB, who shares a hair raising (poofing?) experience at the hands of her daughter:
As she begins to snip here and there, she keeps telling Becca to watch how she's holding the scissors. How she's pulling the hair back and not toward my face. Then it's hands-on for Becca. Practice, practice, practice! Here a snip, there a snip, everywhere a snip snip. Ohhh....then she pulls out the "special" scissors. The $600 pair of scissors. The ones for "special" cuts. I have a lump in my throat. She warns Becca to be veddy veddy careful with them. They're S-H-A-R-P. I'm nauseous.It's over. I'm shagged. Shagged like I've never been shagged before. Not only am I shaggy, I'm poofed. Evidently, that's Becca's speciality. Poofing. Heaven help me.
Let's not tell deb what 'shagged' means in British slang...
Next is Rex Mundi of Damn Art Diary, always good for something completely different, who gives us a short review about a film based on the life of Ed Gein. Who is Ed Gein, you ask? I'll let Rex fill you in:
Yet decades ago in Winsconsin, the real 'Leatherface' was busy with his hobbies. Gein began his experiments in home decor with stolen corpses, but eventually turned to murder. It will never be known just how many people Gein actually killed. When his crimes were discovered, the remains of nearly 20 people were found in his decaying farmhouse. They had become upholstery, lampshades, furniture, and even a 'woman' costume Gein liked to wear while dancing around the property.
Sliding in just under the wire is Bill Hobbs from Hobbs Online AM, who gives us an in-depth examination of the Guardian and the Wolfowitz flap yeaterday:
Contrary to the Guardian's spin, Wolfowitz wasn't talking about the motive for war with Iraq. He was talking about why the U.S. thought using economic pressure would work with respect to North Korea and not with regard to Iraq. Some say there's not much difference - that, in effect, Wolfowitz was admitting that we went to war against Iraq because of oil.
But that's an oversimplification. Sure, Iraq's oil made economic pressure less likely to work, perhaps making the war option more likely. That's not anywhere close to the same as saying we went to war to get Iraq's oil. Heck, lots of pro-war folks including me argued that oil WAS a reason for war, but in a different way than the anti-war crowd theorized. Oil made Saddam wealthy enough to A) build or buy WMDs and B) provide them to terrorists if he so chose.
And that does it for the submissions, although SayUncle and Guy Montag both challenged me to pick something from their sites. Everything else you read here will be my selections from each and every member of the Rocky Top Brigade.
First up is Peggy from A Moveable Beast. Her photography is interesting, creating abstract images using unusual framing of horses. Here she posts about an unusual website:
You can go here to play 20 Questions, and see if it guesses that you are thinking of "life" and "death." It gets a little mad at you, which is sort of cute, in a computer.
Next is Fletch from A Smoky Mountain Journal, who reminds us why it's great to live in East Tennessee:
Webcam shots like this provide for me a very brief suspension of thought and a slight taking of the breath, before reality sets in that I'm stuck in a skyscraper in downtown Atlanta and sullenness returns.
Next we have the AlphaPatriot, who writes out of Memphis TN. In this post, he discusses the proposed Family Time Flexibility Act which has unions in an uproar.
Let's work through this scenario. Say the worker makes $20/hr. Using UAW logic, the worker works four hours overtime and gets $120. Said worker takes four hours off next week, for which the worker gets nothing. Under the new guidelines, the worker works four hours overtime but doesn't get paid anything. The next week the worker gets six hours of comp time (time and a half, remember?) and gets paid regular pay, netting $120. Seems to me that the worker is ahead two hours with the family.
Next is Bjorn of bjorn again and KnoxPatch.com, who blogs about who talks the talk, and who walks the walk: