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He hates us! He really hates us!
Howard Dean was looking like he had the DNC chair all sewn up, and then he let loose with this gem: "I hate the Republicans and everything they stand for...."
Red meat for the moonbats, sure, but it's got to have sane Democrats running for cover. Now I've always been softer on Dean than most of my brethren on the Right, and what I found most refreshing about him was his candor. Well, apparently he hasn't lost it.
...THIS is worth fighting for.
CNN is reporting a
There are people of good conscience on both sides of the war issue, but anyone who allows mindless Bush hatred to get in the way of celebrating this day with the Iraqis should be ashamed (case in point: this schmuck.) The peanut gallery here at home can call the elections a sham if they want to, but the 72% of Iraqis who braved violence and long lines to let their voices be heard clearly viewed things differently.
UPDATE: BTW, what are the chances that we can start doing that ink-stained finger thing here in this country?
This weekend's most ironic post comes from Wonkette, as she skewers Bush for (are you ready?) not being funny.
Bush was a real cut-up in today's C-SPAN interview, replying to host Brian Lamb's query about seeing the "ghosts of past presidents" with the quip that he "quit drinking in '86." And the punchlines kept coming. Take, for instance, his response to Lamb's question about government oversight over broadcast content: "As a free speech advocate. . . " he began.Does anyone understand all that lesbian bunny shit? I never thought I would say this, but I think Wonkette should go back to doing jokes about butt sex.We laughed until we stopped.
We kid. Of course the president is a free speech advocate. Except when it comes to lesbian bunny rabbits. Bunnies who visit lesbians. Or maybe it's ghostly bunnies and drinking lesbians. Something like that. The government should totally protect us from them.
The average woman can be completely trusted with a life-or-death decision such as abortion, but cannot be trusted to manage 2% of her income for retirement.
I'm sick of this notion that Robert Byrd's past should be off-limits for discussion because he's "expressed regret" in years since. I'm sick of his membership, however long ago, in a vicious, murderous, bloodthirsty hate group being passed off as a youthful indiscretion. I played that game for a while, but now I'm done. Condoleezza Rice's confirmation hearings were the last straw. I screamed for Trent Lott's head after his stupid remark at Strom Thurmond's birthday party, and I'll be damned if hold my political allies accountable for a bounced check while giving my opponents a pass for armed robbery.
Let's face it, Byrd wasn't just a "member" of the Klan, he was basically the Klan in West Virginia in the early 40's. Let's call the Klan what it is: a terrorist organization. If you have any illusions about what the Klan was and what it did, you might do well to take a look at this and this, if you have the stomach for it.
So how many lynchings did Byrd participate in during his tenure? How many of his recruits (for that is a Kleagle's job, after all) lynched innocent blacks? We'll likely never know the answer. But even if it's zero, how could he knowingly assume a leadership role in such an organization? And, having done so, how can he absolve himself? "I'm sorry?" "It was an unfortunate mistake?" Please.
Moreover, there is ample evidence that Byrd did not leave his racist views behind with his bedsheets when left the Klan. There was his infamous 1946 letter in which he called for the Klan's "rebirth" in West Virginia. In 1964, he opposed the Civil Rights Act, and he is the only senator to have voted against both African-American Supreme Court Justices (not even Strom Thurmond could make this claim.) Given Marshall and Thomas's diametrically opposite judicial philosophies, Byrd's record would be difficult to explain on ideological grounds. As recently as five years ago, Byrd could be heard using the term "white niggers" on national television.
Forgive the guy for his past if you want to, but please explain to me why he should be one of the most powerful lawmakers in Washington? As the most senior Senate Democrat, he has three separate times been third in line of succession to the presidency, most recently in 2003. That is un-friggin'-acceptable.
Sorry, Senator. You are a disgrace to your party, your state, your country and your race. Your fellow liberals who defend you out of political expedience have sold their souls, and they should be ashamed.
There, I feel better for having gotten that off my chest.
For years I've been scoffed at for my insistent belief in Hillary's presidential aspirations. The events of the past week however, including her vote for Condoleezza Rice and her triangulation on abortion, leave little doubt: Hillary is running.
I'm accepting apologies now.
I'm still scratching my head, trying to discern the real reasons behind the bitter animosity that Dr. Rice's nomination inspired in Bush's critics. When liberals try to explain it, it's typically either unsubstantiated name-calling (e.g., "liar" or "incompetent") or some vague assertion that she simply tells the president what he wants to hear.
I suspect this last is closer to the mark, but it's really just a patronizing, condescending way of saying Dr. Rice shares the president's vision. It's guilt by association, and Senators Byrd, Boxer and others are actually crucifying Bush by proxy.
Think about this. It's impossible to imagine Colin Powell receiving such crappy treatment at the hands of the Senate, even though he laid more of the groundwork for the war in Iraq than did Rice. The difference is that Powell was viewed as a kind of counterbalance to the Bush Doctrine within the administration. At the end of the day, Rice's ultimate, unpardonable sin was agreeing with her president.
Anheuser-Busch is planning to launch its own version of "Buzz Beer" -- beer spiked with caffeine.
Part of me is curious to try this, since I like coffee and beer separately so much. I'm reminded, however, of a night years ago when I stayed up late drinking Irish Coffees with my aunts. At a certain point I was really drunk, so I went to bed. Problem was, with all that caffeine in my system, it was impossible to pass out. I just had to lie there and watch the ceiling spin. Bad night.
(Hat tip: Tami)
Via K-Lo: The final vote was 85-13, with Senators Kerry, Byrd, Boxer, Dayton, Jeffords, Kennedy, Harkin, Reed, Durbin, Lautenberg, Levin and Bayh voting "nay." By my count, that's leaving someone out (nope, not Hillary, she voted "aye.") I'm not sure who's missing; the roll call hasn't shown up on senate.gov yet.
As far as the spectacle of Byrd voting no even when her confirmation was never seriously in doubt, well, there's been enough said about it that my $0.02 would be redundant. I'm just still astonished.
UPDATE: The missing no vote was Akaka (HI).
UPDATE: Power Line also has a piece on how the Democratic votes are starting to line up against Gonzales.
This time from Pete du Pont:
Harold Meyerson of The American Prospect says that "Social Security is not facing a financial crisis at all"; it just needs "to increase its revenue and diminish its benefits." So higher taxes and lower benefits are superior to personal ownership of retirement assets? And a government promise to pay you with money it doesn't have is better than allowing you to have assets under your own control? Neither makes any sense.
I'm really busy at work, and we have an epic plumbing disaster in our house right now. The plumber is upstairs and I just heard a horrible racket that sounded like a truckload full of monkey wrenches being dumped into a giant steel vat. I'm afraid to go look.
Anyway, I'll probably have a diminished presence here today....
UPDATE: Now there's sawing, and I just saw one of the guys walking upstairs with a blowtorch....
Okay, this is embarrassing, but here goes.
Back in the 80's, when I was in college and subscribed to National Review, I had a mad crush on Maggie Gallagher. We corresponded briefly, and I actually proposed marriage to her at one point. Thank God she declined.
In my defense, this was back in the day when she actually wrote about politics, and discussed subjects other than marriage. These days, I'm afraid, she's a bit of a broken record. She's more obsessed with marriage than Michelle Malkin is with immigrants. She's such a one-note Johnny that I don't even bother to read her columns anymore, because frankly they bore me to tears.
I'm talking about Maggie now, of course, because it's transpiring that she was also paid an Armstrong Williams-like fee to promote the president's position -- on marriage.
Now let's leave aside the ethics of the whole thing for a moment, and just ask the question: WHAT IN GOD'S NAME WAS THE WHITE HOUSE THINKING?!?! Fer chrissakes, paying Maggie Gallagher to pimp for marriage is like paying the pope to hawk abstinence!
Dear Lord, sometimes I just gotta shake my head and wonder....
UPDATE: In fairness to Maggie, she says the earlier reports of her arrangement were misleading.
Some homeless guy starts a fire in the NYC subway and before you know it, the C line is out of commission for 5 years.
Five f*cking years?!? For the love of God, we fought and won World War II in four years!! Only in New York, folks....
Actually, it's more like a prequel. Remember Memogate? Democrats traded memos on how best to obstruct Bush's judicial appointments, left them woefully unprotected on a server, and were outraged, outraged that the memos were read by Republicans. There was talk of criminal indictments, and blah blah blah...
Well the Democrats had better muster their outrage again, because a new memo (warning: PDF) has come to light, courtesy of the Wall Street Journal. It describes how Democrats exploited a security vulnerability to read private Republican memoranda in 1996, eight years before Memogate.
God, can you imagine how pissed the Democrats will be that a second instance of "purloined" memos has been discovered? I can only try to brace myself against the oncoming storm of Democratic fury. Because surely they will not hypocritically let partisan politics dampen their righteous anger on a matter of such importance, right? Right??
When Fox's 24 began its fourth season with Islamist terrorists kidnapping a sympathetic Secretary of Defense and planning to slaughter him in a Zarqawi-style video, you just knew some PC "balance" had to be in the offing. Well in tonight's episode, Jack's babe ID'd the evil American from the terrorists' lair as some guy she'd met at (are you ready for this?) a "Heritage Foundation" dinner.
No, I kid you not. I can't wait to see how this plays out...
The al Qaeda lieutenant responsible for most of the car bombings in Baghdad is now in custody. My guess is this guy knows quite a bit. Too bad we'll never be able to coax it out of him. No matter, it's more important that he get free "Cinemax After Dark" in his cell and conjugal visits with his llama, or whatever other damn thing the human rights crowd insists on.
I didn't know this site existed until it linked to me. Granted, Senatrix Boxer has acquired a sort of rock star status in the moonbat community of late, but now it looks like we're seeing the beginnings of a grassroots "Boxer for President" movement. I think this is such a terrific idea that I've added this site to my permanent blogroll!
Together with Howard Dean's strong out-of-the-gate start in the race for DNC chairmanship, this leads me to believe an earlier prediction of mine is coming to pass -- that the Democrats will convince themselves that they lost in 2004 by being too "moderate."
Hell, this is just getting too easy! It's almost not even fun anymore.
UPDATE: Link fixed.
[Note: Today's guest editorialist will no doubt be familiar to many. Since he's still under contract with that "other" publication however, his full name will not be used. -- BNJ]
No doubt about it, 2004 was the year of the "Blog". If you're new to this brand new phenomenon, the world of "Blogs" can be a bit intimidating. That's why I'm here, to help you get started with a brief overview of the "Blog-o-sphere."
Starting at the top, Glenn Campbell sits beside the "Blog-o-sphere" like a Colossus, with his award-winning site Instant Pundit. It's called that because it lets you "instantly" find out what's happening in the "Blog-o-sphere." Just be careful you don't get "Instant-lanched" in the process. Heh, indeed!
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| Guest Columnist |
At the other end of the totem pole, newcomer Andrew Sullivan doesn't have many readers now, but if he keeps up his unique brand of emotional liberalism he is sure to earn a sizeable following!
Blogger Huey Lewis has even written a book called "Blogs". He's also the author of "If It's Not Broke Don't Fix It." I haven't read either of these books, but I'm sure they're full of same balanced, evenhanded political analysis we've come to expect from Huey.
Next on our tour, we can stop by Australia's Tony Blair and say, "Ahoy, mate!" Then there's the sublime Wankette and the always-popular Daily Cos, although he's changed a lot since his Fat Albert days.
For humor blogs, check out Ace of Base (more cowbell!) and Ohio Hawk (man, what is he smoking in that big old pipe?) Blogger Oliver Wilson, whose motto is "stupid like kryptonite," runs a hilarious parody site poking fun at that kooky liberal logic! I've also heard Cellulite Wisdom is funny, but this is one critic who never "got it." Your mileage may vary, of course.
Now it's time for lunch! Let's stop into Arthur Treacher for some fish n' chips and maybe a side of Little Green Apples.
Our next stop is My Pet Jawa, named after those adorable furry creatures who sang Peace Train in the third Star Wars movie. Then we'll take a trip on the Captain's Corner and get some Stalking Points from Josh Marshal.
That concludes the nickel tour, but be sure to explore some new "Blogs" on your own. Better yet, start one yourself, because I'm sure 2005 will be the Year of the "Blog" as well.
Those humorless PC scolds, who are about as fun as John Calvin at his own funeral, have turned their ire against the Vermont Teddy Bear Company. Their offense? The "Crazy for You" Bear (get it?), a 15-inch stuffed little guy that comes complete with his own straitjacket. It's all terribly insensitive, don't you see? Besides, if one teddy bear is restrained, none of us are free.
But for all those who were planning to buy this lovable little guy this Valentine's Day, I'd like to offer an alternative, which will hopefully be more palatable to our more priggish caring moonbat friends. It's a slightly "modified" version of the ever-popular Ann Coulter action figure. Order yours while supplies last.
In fact, we had a great time, especially Zora. I did feel a little bad that the Cynical Wife had to work so hard shoveling the walkway, though.
Maybe the waitress brought it while he was in the restroom? Anyway, this is a question from Ask the Imam:
Can I pray at home in congregation with my wife if I missed my fard salaat. If yes than where will she stand ? besides me or behind me.
...if you perform Salaat with her, then she should stand behind you and not besides you.
| It began quietly enough, with a handful of dedicated, left-leaning activists urging an economic boycott to protest the inauguration of Bush's second term. The "Not One Damn Dime!" movement had its scoffers and detractors, but no one was laughing when the shock waves of the boycott were felt throughout the global economy, leaving a swath of financial ruin in their wake. |
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| On Wednesday, Brad Smith was a bond trader with a seven-figure bonus. Today, he wonders when he'll get his next meal. |
By 9:35 AM, the New York Stock Exchange was forced to shut down due to a complete lack of buyers, lest stock prices be driven to worthlessness. The other major stock markets soon followed suit.
Within an hour, the ripples had spread throughout the global economy. Foreign governments, unnerved by what was transpiring, instantly cashed in their treasury bonds. By 10:30 AM, the United States Treasury was officially bankrupt, and was forced to default on its obligations for the first time in its history.
News of this crisis spread rapidly via the internet, causing a nationwide run on the banks. Eyewitnesses reported scenes of absolute chaos and mayhem. People were trampled, and the National Guard was deployed in many states to restore order.
Retailers across the continent shut down, less from lack of customers than from the state of utter anarchy which prevailed throughout most of the country by noon. By 2 PM, a state of martial law nominally existed, but the military found itself helplessly unable to restore order. The existing commercial infrastructure lay in ruins, replaced by black markets and a barter economy. Prostitution and armed robbery were widespread throughout the most affluent neighborhoods, and the ghettos were in flames.
The White House, rocked by the collapse of the global economy, was forced to address the public. Karl Rove held a press conference in which he broke down sobbing, expressing deep regret that his administration's policies had led to such ruin and devastation. He resigned on live national television.
By 5 PM, George W. Bush was also expressing his intention to resign. "I am so, so very deeply sorry," Bush said. "I now see the error of our ways. I have learned my lesson, and I deeply regret my idiotic and wrongheaded policies. If there were any way to take it back, I would. Effective at 8 PM this evening, I will resign the office of the presidency. I would do so sooner, but I must first fire Vice President Cheney, and replace him with John F. Kerry. As soon as Kerry is confirmed by an emergency session of Congress, I will resign my office, effective immediately. At that point, President Kerry can begin the process of rebuilding this nation, together with its ruined economy and tarnished reputation. Once again, I am so, so sorry...."
No, not that Powell. This one. And unlike the WSJ, I'm not all broken up about it. I don't know who his successor will be, but at least there's hope that whoever it is won't spend quite as much time and tax money obsessing over who might have said "titty" on TV or radio.
When Peggy Noonan pans your inauguration speech, you've got a problem.
Ah well, there's always John Podhoretz.
I don't know what it means, but it seems so potentially fraught with Freudian significance, I think I'd best keep it to myself....
In case you were wondering why the criticism of President Bush's inaugural has focused on being too lavish during wartime, perhaps the reason can be found by looking back 8 years. The cost of President Clinton's 2nd inaugural was $42 million. And if you convert those 1997 dollars into equivalent 2004 dollars for comparison purposes, that number rises to $49.5 million, or almost 24% more than what is being spent today. Lavish indeed.
The war over Social Security appears destined to be waged between hysterical, Chicken Little Republicans and ostrich-like Democrats with their fingers in their ears, chanting "There is no crisis, there is no crisis, la la la la!!"
It's the sign of our times I guess, but it's unfortunate, because the American people deserve more. And it's hard to see how we can ever agree on where we're going when we can't even reach a consensus on where we are.
But all is not bleak out there. I encourage all of you, no matter which side you're on, to read George Will's latest column. It might be the first calm, sober, reasoned discussion of the situation I've red in the Op-Ed pages so far. Let's hope it's not the last.
The Bush administration is now officially half over!
John Kerry was the only senator on the Foreign Relations committee to join California moonbat Barbara Boxer in opposing Condi Rice. What do you want to bet he'll vote "yes" during the full Senate vote tomorrow?
More and more people are complaining about Bush's $40 million inaugural gala. Not that it's funded by tax dollars (it isn't), but that it's somehow... just, well, you know, wrong during a time of war.
Without addressing the aesthetics of it, this strikes me as one of these "unprecedented expectation" issues that Bush continually seems to run afoul of (Bush is, for example, the first president who's ever been expected to staff his cabinet with people who oppose his agenda.)
I'm just curious, have presidents ever forgone inaugural balls during wartime? I'm told FDR had a "modest," or "scaled down" ball during WWII, and some have tried to turn that into a precedent. It's worth pointing out, however, that the situations are very different. First, there were severe shortages and rationing during those days. Second, FDR inaugurations were beginning to be old hat. Christ, the guy had more inaugurations than most people have TV dinners. After the 47th one or so, they probably begin to lose their luster.
I dunno. God knows there are valid reasons to criticize Bush, but when the ABB crowd focuses on minutiae like this it weakens their case. They come across less like reasoning critics, and more like Statler & Waldorf, hell-bent on carping about every. single. goddamn. thing this administration does, no matter how insignificant in the overall scheme of things.
Whatever. I'm still boycotting.
Liberals are finally embracing the notion that people should be judged on their merits, not their race. Unfortunately, it only applies to Condoleezza Rice.
Ah well, it's a start.
See why you need to read Slashdot every day? Otherwise you would miss this kind of great tech-oriented stuff like this 1983 photo spread Bill Gates did for "Teen Beat" magazine.
Of course unless you were one of the first few to read the thread, you would have missed out on it anyway, because the original link was promptly taken down. (Not before I copied the pictures to my own server, however!) Enjoy, but don't get too aroused.
So do I think Iraq the Model is CIA-run?
Nah. Too Bush-friendly.
Check out the latest highly nuanced position by John Kerry. He chose a Martin Luther King prayer breakfast to launch charges of massive, systematic voter disenfranchisement in the recent presidential election. The accusations that people were "denied democracy" are very serious, of course. So serious that he chose to sit on his hands.
Though he chose not to contest the vote, Kerry said, he firmly believes thousands of Democratic voters were disenfranchised.
But never mind the disingenuousness of this strategy for a moment, and just look at how artlessly it was executed. What are the actual messages communicated here? To the Left, it was "Your concerns are valid, but I don't really give a shit." To the Center, it was "I may not come across like Michael Moore or George Soros, but they are nonetheless my ideological brethren."
These are the same patterns we saw throughout the campaign. Some things never change, I guess, but they do sometimes become more obvious. Now are you beginining to understand why so many of us simply couldn't vote for this guy?
...BUT WHY THE HELL WASN'T IT DONE ALREADY?!?!
"Boy finds $9,000, does the right thing"
Diversify?
But seriously? How do you not realize you've got a fricken nail in your biscuit?
Via lgf we learn of yet another fine moonbat product: the Fox Blocker!
Yes, for a mere $8.95 (plus S&H) you can protect you and your loved ones from the noxious right-wingery of the Fox News Channel. It's just as effective as, you know, not watching it, but doesn't require any of that pesky personal responsibility.
You know what my favorite thing about this is? You just know there's some Republican somewhere making a buck off of it.
Do you suppose CNN Blocker will follow, kind of like with the red & blue wrist bands? Somehow, I doubt it. I doubt seriously you could find enough Republicans sufficiently moronic to buy such a thing.
Be careful what you write online, particularly if it's anything critical of the Religion of Peace.
The father of a murdered New Jersey family was threatened for making anti-Muslim remarks online -- and the gruesome quadruple slaying may have been the hateful retaliation, sources told The Post yesterday.Hossam Armanious, 47, who along with his wife and two daughters was found stabbed to death in his Jersey City home early Friday, would regularly debate religion in a Middle Eastern chat room, one source said.
Armanious, an Egyptian Christian, was well known for expressing his Coptic beliefs and engaging in fiery back-and-forth with Muslims on the Web site paltalk.com.
He "had the reputation for being one of the most outspoken Egyptian Christians," said the source, who had close ties to the family.
The source, who had knowledge of the investigation, refused to specify the anti-Muslim statement. But he said cops told him they were looking into the exchanges as a possible motive.
The married father of two had recently been threatened by Muslim members of the Web site, said a fellow Copt and store clerk who uses the chat room.
"You'd better stop this bull---- or we are going to track you down like a chicken and kill you," was the threat, said the clerk, who was online at the time and saw the exchange. But Armanious refused to back down, according to two sources who use the Web site.
...
Armanious' fervor apparently rubbed off on his daughter, Sylvia -- who would have turned 16 yesterday.
...
The heartless killer not only slit Sylvia's throat, but also sliced a huge gash in her chest and stabbed her in the wrist, where she had a tattoo of a Coptic cross.Also found murdered were the wife, Amal Garas, and the parents' other daughter, Monica.
Whether it's "assault weapons," Glocks, or teflon coated bullets, the media is perennially warning against some new firearm innovation du jour that will leave our streets littered with the corpses of dead policemen if immediate action isn't taken.
The latest entry in this series, which has inspired much breathless hand-wringing, is the Belgian-made FN Five-SeveN:
Some police in the tri-state area are urging the gun be banned out of fear it can be used to defeat police body armor. FNH does indeed claim the gun can penetrate Kevlar, but only with special armor-piercing rounds that are not available to the general public.
So why are people freaking out about the gun? My guess is because it's a companion piece to the FN P90 submachine gun, and because FNH does claim that the Five-SeveN can penetrate Kevlar with the proper ammo. Moreover, a New Jersey police officer claims to have pierced a Kevlar vest with the legally available ammo in an informal field test, although FNH disputes this claim.
They're not the only ones. I have two friends who are both Class III collectors and gun experts, and they seriously doubt there is anything especially sinister about this gun based on its spec. And Kim du Toit, who is my ultimate arbiter on such matters, was openly contemptuous of the gun long before the controversy began.
Now I'm not definitively concluding the policeman in question is wrong, but it certainly appears to be an open question. This particular weapon deserves a fair hearing, at the very least -- an impartial, duly monitored field test by independent professionals. Is that too much to ask? I realize the Second Amendment has limits, but when anyone wants to proscribe limits on a constitutional right, the burden of proof should rest squarely on the would-be regulator.
So will the Five-SeveN ever get its day in court? Somehow I doubt it. New Jersey's two senators are already clamoring for a ban (at least that's evidence that Frank Lautenberg is actually alive.) These battles are almost always waged with emotion rather than logic, and they are fought and reported by people who generally have little understanding of the subject matter. That's a shame. For the record, I consider myself a gun enthusiast, but far from an expert. That makes it all the more troubling that gun legislation is so frequently debated and passed by people less knowledgeable than myself.
Even more ominous, the manufacturer's website appears to be down. A message says the site is "under construction," but it seemed to be working perfectly well on Friday when the story broke. I hope it's just a coincidence, but something tells me it's not.
