Some Truth on Global Warming

It's not from "right-wing nutjobs" - it's from the US Senate.

Here's the opening paragraph:

Over 400 prominent scientists from more than two dozen countries recently voiced significant objections to major aspects of the so-called "consensus" on man-made global warming. These scientists, many of whom are current and former participants in the UN IPCC (Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change), criticized the climate claims made by the UN IPCC and former Vice President Al Gore. (emphasis added)

The article also indicates that the skeptics seem to be increasing in number - this as panicky government regulations scramble to subjugate their economies and citizens to the fearmongers' theories, magnified by the "MS"M...

I'm not a denier - I'm a "fact-er." Be honest and then let's decide whether two degrees Fahrenheit is worth all the fuss...and if so, whether we can or should do anything to change it.

Why We Need Less Government

One acronym: DMV.

And the "news" is -

Next time we hear a charge of "hypocrisy" from the left, I'll give it - oh, about as much credence as I usually do. See this story:

The News' national poll of female voters found women - by a 40% to 35% margin - said Judith Giuliani's affair with Rudy made her less suitable to be First Lady.

However, they were more forgiving about Clinton's adultery, with 42% saying his affair doesn't make him less suitable to be First Laddie and 34% saying it does.

So... his wife's decision not to leave him while he was in the White House automatically imbues him with some innocence... interesting.

Thank you, King Abdullah!

...for pardoning the rape victim who was sentenced to 200 lashes for being in a car with an unrelated (blackmailing) male when they were both attacked!

Geez...

So the inquest into Princess Diana's death is to the point of reading her love letters... what a horrid Christmas for the royal family! How rude...thoughtless...stupid...mean...inappropriate...other non-obscene negative adjectives escape me.

(I posted the link only because I have to source my indignation)

Great speech alert

Romney gave the speech of the year (or century, or millennium) today - please read the text, as it is important for us to remember, regardless of our chosen faith. He sure said it better than I ever have!

What else are you going to do?

A team of passers-by rescued the driver from a burning car wreck - this is really a neat story. It shows how people can work together and do pull together in situations that require it. As one of the rescuers said, "What are you going to do? ...[If you don't take action get them out] what are you going to tell their families?" And to put it as John McClain did in the most recent Die Hard movie (finally! One I could watch!!!), "that's what makes you 'that guy.'"

A Big Congratulations to the People of Venezuela

...on resisting an astounding power grab by Dictator President Chavez. While it remains to be seen how lasting this resistance is or how willingly Chavez will submit to the Venezuelan Constitution, the "no" vote is encouraging, however slim the margin. At least more people have their eyes open than closed to the dangers of the dictatorial socialist agenda Chavez has been pushing - here's a logical path showing how subtlely and connivingly evil just one of his ideas is:

1. Chavez wants to shorten the workday from eight hours to six (although it didn't work well for the French);
2. Workers spend less productive time;
3. Workers earn less money themselves at the same time as Venezuela's productivity takes a hit and their economy loses steam;
4. Workers are more dependent on the government since they're less able to take care of themselves and more fearful of their economic security;
5. Government pushes for higher taxes for social programs to take care of them;
6. Government commandeers more money out of workers' smaller paychecks for those social programs, making them even less able to take care of themselves.
7. Lather, rinse, and repeat...

So what's the big deal? Aside from the (masked) Chavistas intimidating their opposition with threats at the polls? Socialism - whether it's Chavez's brand or a faux-homegrown US brand - is immoral because, put in coarsest terms, its goal is to enslave people to their government. As long as Venezuelans hold out and preserve what remains of their freedoms, we have reason to celebrate.

So celebrate we shall! *cheers*

Enough hoaxes already!

So the latest noose incident is yet another hoax. I am so tired of these. Every time something potentially race-related is found, here's all this hullabaloo for days about how racism is still this huge problem in the country, and while it is in some parts of the country, there have been very few actual incidents. The few real stories lose credibility when they're mixed in with a cacophony of hoaxes.

Of course racism (actually "ethn-ism" or "hue-ism" or something - we're all members of the human race, right?) is still a problem in some areas of the country. But automatically assuming the "usual suspects" are guilty of mysterious incidents - without any substance to back up that assumption - doesn't help. In addition, by not charging someone who deliberately creates and reports a hoax - one leading to denunciations of those the hoaxer hoped to smear - we send the message that we don't really care about the facts of the situation; we'll believe the assumed (but false) principle was true, anyway. It's ridiculous, and it's part of what's tearing the country apart.

Thank you, Sudan!!!

They're releasing that poor teacher - and protecting her while she gets out of that country and away from the savages who are calling for her execution for allowing children to name a teddy bear after Islam's prophet - oh, no, wait - a boy in the class who also shares his name with a huge number of males in Islamic culture. Way for international press to pressure "political" action!!!

Experts say

No editorializing necessary here - just a quote:

Experts say that even at ages 16 and 17, when compared to adults, juveniles on average are more:

• impulsive.
• aggressive.
• emotionally volatile.
• likely to take risks.
• reactive to stress.
• vulnerable to peer pressure.
• prone to focus on short-term payoffs and underplay longer-term consequences of what they do.
• likely to overlook alternative courses of action.

If that's all it takes...

...then let's boost arms sales to Taiwan and stay at our base in Japan!

China refused to let US ships dock in Hong Kong for family reunions this week. Why? Because we hosted the Dalai Lama earlier this year.

Wow. I mean, I knew they were miffed, but this?!?!?! Seriously, though, what would you expect from a government that just barely decided to stop arresting women for carrying condoms and is still forcing women to have abortions at the local authorities' discretion.

At this point, I think we need to warn our citizens to get their food storage and personal defense in order and then invite the entire nation of Tibet to visit. China will probably collapse our economy at that point, hence the food storage and defense mechanisms recommendation. After all, it's not like I haven't thought this through...*wink*

Excellent Second Amendment Article

Paul Greenberg's TownHall article is GREAT. It's a very well-put analysis in defense of Constitutional ambiguity. Let's all read the Constitution, shall we? :-)

Oooh, shiny!

This story was really heartwarming (at least in contrast to the deluge of turds being lobbed for the rest of the news) - a commendably honest and diligent meat cutter found and returned an ID bracelet to the original owner. Where did he find it? In the bird's gizzard. Gizzards are wonderful things, aren't they?

It may be working!

Now that news has gotten out, the SPP (aka: "North American Union") may be dying.

And don't take my word for it - take theirs:

...public exposure has been a hindrance to the progress of the program...

So let's keep the pressure on!

WE DO NOT ANSWER TO ANY GOVERNMENT BUT THE U.S.

Finally, a good preliminary assessment

In this article, Paul Edwards argues that the hysteria surrounding the release of the religiously atheistic movie, The Golden Compass, is counterproductive.

It is SO nice to finally hear someone in the media say that.

The approach I believe is proper lies at neither end of the loudness I've been hearing - at one end, "see this movie! It's great!" from the promoters; and at the other, "boycott this movie! It advocates atheism!" from many, many friends and family members.

The thing I do appreciate about the increased awareness is that it actually creates awareness. The movie does not advertise its agenda, and it does indeed have one. However, to organize against it is really paranoid.

To quote Edwards:

Pullman chooses to identify as true what in reality is a false religion in the garb of Christianity—while ignoring the work of the true Church in the world. Redefining good as evil is a plot element Pullman uses throughout the trilogy, and not just in relation to the Church. The books are a prime example of what Isaiah warned against when he said, “Woe to them who call evil good and good evil, who put darkness for light and light for darkness” (Isaiah 5:20).
Our response should not be to merely paint Pullman as a liar and deceiver, denying that the Church he depicts exists. On the contrary, we should agree, at least in part, with Pullman that such a Church has existed—and still exists—but that it is not the genuine Church, as Pullman leads his readers to believe.

This does not mean that I'm going to be seeing it, because hey, we haven't seen a movie together in the theater for over a year. But I'm not worried. When they come up, it's good to allow questions to your faith - even if they're formulaic and misguided - so that you can address them.

What a skill!

Here's a great article about forensic art/reconstruction. It was spurred by the accuracy of the forensic artist who did the sketch of "Baby Grace," but talks to others as well and includes a lot of really interesting information. Not exactly for the faint-of-stomach, but it was absolutely fascinating!

More cool robot ideas

Training dental students and helping people laugh. How sweet is that? I bet the human dental patients will appreciate it!

Two bad ideas and a good one

Good idea: making a robot that is touch-sensitive enough to help elderly people sit or stand up - given the recognized shortage of healthcare professionals around the country, this handy Japanese invention could be a real boon in a few years!

Bad idea: letting Middle-Eastern money own more of our economy. Isn't oil enough?

Bad idea: publishing the ramblings of a perverted fiction writer about waterboarding the President's daughter - the one who's into all the humanitarian aid. (And missing editing the first occurrence of the s-word, while editing it later in the article - I figured they were just quoting until I saw edits later... guess Time isn't what it used to be!)

Here comes the bride...not so fair, though

Wow - must really stink to be this terrorist, eh?

Return of McClellan

I am FED UP with what I'll call "reporting without substance" - or with minimal substance so as to turn speculation into "the real story." Stuff like you see here. (Yes, that's a FOX News article.)

Here's the big "ooh, ooh! Bush lied!!!" moment:

Former WH man Scott McClellan has a new book out (I don't think that's record time, but I'm sure it's close...). In it, there's one released, carefully-selected excerpt (found here) where he says the administration deceived him about what he was saying regarding the Valerie Plame non-scandal. Does he say how he was deceived or what the deception was about? Nope! Not yet, and I'm curious to see what he actually means. But the media has turned this into, "Bush lied about Scooter Libby telling Bob Novak that Valerie Plame worked for the CIA (in the house that Jack built.)"

I'm not sure what McClellan has to say yet, since I haven't read his book yet - and neither has anyone else, I'd venture to say - aside from from the oh-so-compelling, non-specific excerpt.

I am fairly certain, though, what the real scandal was here:.

• Valerie Plame was a desk jockey for the CIA by the time anyone in the media cared about her - and she told people herself about her job.
  
• Bob Novak found out Valerie Plame was a desk jockey for the CIA from Richard Armitage, a Clinton administration official.
  
• Bob Novak (whom I think has destroyed any semblance of his own moral authority, although a lot of people you'd otherwise think were smart still revere and like to quote him) blabbed about Valerie Plame to fill up his required weekly wordspace.
  
• Bob Novak refused to tell anyone that Armitage was his source until after Scooter Libby was ridden out of town on a rail, due to Novak's allowing an entirely misdirected investigation to proceed about something that was not a crime in the first place.

And now, therefore..."Mainstream" media proclaim Bush/Cheney lied and scapegoated Scooter Libby, deceiving poor Scotty McClellan in the process!

No wonder Drudge and the "New media" have made such thorough inroads to spreading news.

What a way to keep the media out of it

So have you heard about the Saudi gang-rape victim receiving 200 lashes and six months in (need I say, "a Saudi") prison? What a load of BS. The court claims they stiffened her sentence for going to the media about it. (Why, oh why, would they want the media not to know about this???)

This Australian article's comments do provide more details - although no source for them - that indicate (at least some of) the rapists received even more severe punishments...and apparently they attacked her male companion, as well. Wonder if that contributed to the harshness of their sentences...

At any rate, some point out that, "it's their country, and they know the laws, and they broke the law" to justify lashing the victim. That is ridiculous! Lots of things are "rules" and "customs" all over the world that should NEVER occur. In this case, lashings where the executors have to trade off because they get tired are simply inhumane. That inhumane things are "custom" does not make them right.

We don't have to ask where the civilized world's citizen outrage is - that's evident all over the media. But official outrage? *crickets* The US is "astonished." <sarcasm>Wow. I've never heard such thundering criticism - we'd better batten down the hatches...</sarcasm>

Too bad people who lop off hands for stealing own the spine we thought we had in the US.

ACK! It's happening!

You know the joke, "just because you're paranoid doesn't mean they're not out to get you?"

For a while, we've known that Chavez and other maniacs around the world have been cooperating to fight the US.

Now IT'S A HEADLINE.

We need to wake up and get our representatives to admit where our friends and enemies are - and finally call evil by its name, rather than ridiculing the President for doing it.

So much for moral equivalency

For those wanting to "dialogue" with Iran - here's what we have to work with:

Mohsen Yahyavi is the highest-ranked politician to admit that Iran believes in the death penalty for homosexuality after a spate of reports that gay youths were being hanged...

And another:

The latest row [between Iran and Britain] involves a woman hanged this June in the town of Gorgan after becoming pregnant by her brother. [for the record: gross, but I doubt it was consensual...] He was absolved after expressing his remorse.

Still think the "religious right" in this country is as much or more a threat than the Islamofascists fueled and financed by Iran, Rosie?

It's only right!

Please put what's right ahead of personal entertainment and help make a statement in support of the WGA strike by signing this petition.

It's only right that writers profit from their work, regardless of which distribution method their employers choose to make their profit.

Get the mop out...

This article is about "living poor." At least that's the title. But before the author actually gets into how she "lives poor," (and incidentally, there is very little substance in that thread, despite the fact that her article runs two pages long), she feels obliged to practice some verbal diarrhea by indicting our entire society:

Yet there is another reason I hesitate to call myself poor -- the cultural baggage associated with the word: Poor people are lazy, stupid, immoral, shameless and incapable of making smart decisions. Poor people are losers; our country loves winners. We want poor people to trade their rags for riches. We want them to embody the American dream.

Most of all, we want to believe that poor people are shiftless and depraved and always to blame for their poverty. Otherwise, we'd have to face the possibility that someday we, too, could wind up on the business end of the bread line.

Without resorting to acronyms for expressions I don't use, here are my thoughts on this:

1. ACK.
2. This woman does not know very many nice people. (And I wonder whether she knows any...)
3. This woman must not know any real conservatives.
4. This woman is a liberal class warrior who puts evil words in all of our mouths.
5. This woman sounds as if she thinks she's the only person with internet access who understands poverty or cares about the poor.
6. This woman is smart about her spending.

I know poor people, and I know people who make and spend more money. No one I've met in my LIFE - to the best of my knowledge - thinks that all people who are going through financial hardship are lazy, stupid, etc. On the side of the fake coin that the author uses, though, I do know a few who think poor people are just unlucky. The truth is - as usual - somewhere in-between "they're all just lazy" and "they're all just victims," depending on the individual, and these dishonestly-created divisions are the milk that class warfare thrives on.

Class warfare is destroying our country.

People are individuals, and as individuals, we react differently to the varied situations in which we find ourselves. Some individuals are stupid and have lots of money. Some are stupid and have no money. Many are smart and have little money, and many are smart and have lots of money.

YOUR INCOME IS NOT THE MEASURE OF YOUR PERSON, and despite the author's protests to the contrary, she does hold herself up as noble, by virtue of holding those not in her situation as ignoble.

Here's the one good part of her article:

I might not have selected this scenario for my life. But now that I have it, I'm going to see what I can learn from it. My hope is that it will make me wiser about what I eventually seek.

Hear, hear!

What would be the problem?

A FoxNews blog claims that the military may be (implicitly over-)diagnosing personality disorders - which then lead to discharges - in order to avoid paying for the diagnosed individuals' health care. In the author's words, "it appears that in some way this is being used as a quick way to discharge people that may somehow save the military money."

First, that's a pretty rash thing to say, not that that necessarily makes it wrong. But the blog doesn't even try to substantiate its claim.

Second, when was the last time the military had to try to save money? Oh, back when they had to cut half their contracts (and are threatened again with it now) because our government drastically reduced their budget (or, currently, are requiring a surrender date before they hand over a dime)? Maybe budget cuts on things that keep us alive aren't such a good idea.

Third, so what? Why would we require the military to pay for medical costs for people who can't serve, for whatever (non-wounded-in-service) reason? Pensions and retirement are slightly different issues, since it's continued compensation for completing your commitment. Where do we require people to pay for medical costs of (former) employees who can't work, aside from limited disability payments? How ethical is that??? The military won't pay for your continued insurance if you're discharged for being unfit to serve, because you haven't completed your commitment; it sounds rough to us thoroughly-entitled souls, but especially in the military, your physical and mental well-being are and should be considered almost a "good or service." Contracts are off if the good is defective or the service is not performed. Why should the military be different?

It's that big "but"

Here's a fun headline:

Iran's nuclear program "irreversible": president

Maybe it's "irreversible," but I doubt it's unbreakable.

LOVE Pres. Sarkozy

He's conservative, self-sufficient, intelligent, gutsy, and hey - he even thinks America's not the Great Satan! What a guy! He's France's President Sarkozy, and he's visiting the US right now (in an official capacity; he's vacationed here before). Sure, he's piled onto the "people cause global climate change" bandwagon, but nobody's perfect.

I have to thank the French people, who have shown much more spine (and understanding of reality) than the Spanish in their most recent elections. I love Spain, and their short-sightedness saddens me.

We are in desperate need of allies who have a real grasp of the most serious threats to freedom in the world - and no one would know better than France, who's been fighting a street war against Islamofascist "youths" for years now, as well as having economic issues. I am so glad we have a leader like Pres. Sarkozy to work with!

Vive la France!

Let the kid have it back already

A 3-year-old boy found a woolly mammoth tooth recently. Pretty cool, eh? Except now it's on display at an art gallery. Poor kiddo! Said his grandpa, "When we dropped it down at the art gallery, he was crying. He didn't want to let it go...At first he thought it was just a rock. Now he's all excited." The nearby archaeological center already has one on display. I assume the art gallery will be returning the tooth to little Kaleb after a show, but given that there's already one displayed in the area for people to ogle, I think it should be returned sooner, rather than later.

On a related note, I wonder what the Tooth Fairy left the mammoth for the two-pound chomper?

Happy Harvest - for pedophiles?

In a Newsweek article entitled, "Eye Candy," (at which my eyes almost popped out of their sockets), the author asks whether little girls' costumes are becoming "too sexy."

They've actually been heading down this road for a long time - for instance, two years ago, a co-worker said another co-worker was willing to send her daughter out for Halloween looking like a hooker. That's a nice word for a little girl, isn't it? But what's worse is that she was right!

Forget safety (oh, yes, every pedophile is obeying the "lights-off" rule), health (it gets COLD in some parts of the country), and common sense (oh, she's just little, anyway) - aw, it's so cute, isn't it? Hypothermia, the parentally-sanctioned sexualization of pre-teen bodies, and teaching our most precious children the fine art of double-entendre are really GREAT goals...

If this is the direction society keeps heading, then I raise my sparkling cider to eliminating Halloween celebrations from our culture altogether.

If you can't do anything nice...

...Stick to your last idea & DON'T DO ANYTHING AT ALL.

There's a whole House hearing that will be held to discuss how "global warming" may be affecting the wildfires. *snort*

Most experts (not the political hacks representatives who flap their gums simply to release the hot air building up in their heads) on last week's fires were talking about how it's the dry underbrush - which people been legally prevented from clearing - that's been fueling these "super-fires."

And I hardly think multiple incidents of ARSON qualify as "global warming."

*Update 01 Nov*: No, I'm not saying that "they" (Harry Reid & co.) are saying global warming started the fires...but I seriously doubt that half a degree (or even three-quarters of a degree) would make a whole new set of problems this year and be responsible for "super-fires" that are exploding Ponderosa Pine trees, Nature's asbestos plant...

Finally, a GOOD idea

Congress wants to work less.

Please?!?!?!

On our southern border

Regarding the safety of emigrating to the US - encouraging illegal immigration is a BAD, BAD IDEA. When people come here illegally, they are subject to this sort of torture and other horrors on the journey - just Google the subject to get a huge list of the corrupt, drug-run evils awaiting illegal immigrants. The link I posted was the SECOND story I've seen just this morning in the news!

Not exactly comparable with the terror of waiting in line for your papers...

Considering the illegally-low wages these immigrants are paid, allowing illegal immigration is NOT the "compassionate choice."

It's about time

It's high time that we grew a spine about dealing with China. Their reaction to President Bush's welcoming the Dalai Lama is understandable, given their history, but we SHOULD offend them if freedom and trying hard not to massacre your citizens is offensive.

People doing evil things are probably going to be offended when you say - or insinuate - that they are doing evil things.

As I started saying a while ago - when I started growing more of a spine - "there are some people whose good opinion I do not want." If the communist murderers in their government think we're just peachy, we're probably doing something wrong.

I've been wondering what all we're going to be doing and thinking in a little bit here, when the Olympics are in Beijing...I've been shaking my head in disbelief since the announcement.

And yes, I realize it would HUGELY impact our economy if we were to cut off every dealing we have with them. But, (together with Syria, North Korea, and the Soviet Russia), they're materially helping Iran fight us, too, so it's an issue of priorities.

Something finally stands out

...of the barrage of nonsense all over the news: a homeowner protects his property and is heralded by both the media and law enforcement.

Warms my heart!

Civil War, Take II

And in the "Say WHAT?" category: we have more secessionists...

Apparently half of them think our courts are "too right-wing."

???

The other half "never gave up on Southern independence."

Wow.

The part I understand? They're trying to "save themselves from an overbearing Federal government."

Another couple of those days

So again, it's "where to begin?"

With celebrities who think OJ should go to jail for both crimes this time...but who, as liberal Hollywood types, think any other criminal's actions should be blamed on racism and his childhood? (Well, at least the crimes that can't be pinned on the Bush administration...)

Or how about more criminals who need to go to Hell...taking a 2-year-old hostage for a stupid BANK robbery...I'm surprised the ground didn't swallow them up right where they stood.

Or maybe the newest ex-Mrs. Bin Laden, thanks to murderous relatives - and get this quote from her hubby:

I adore being with this woman. But we can't stand up when the waves from the sea are coming to wipe us out.

The waves of the sea?!?! No, no Islamofascist threat evident there...the family was concerned about "embarrassment" - yeah, the father-in-law is the #1 Most Wanted Terrorist in the world, and the silly British lady is an "embarrassment..."

On the other hand, how about Mrs. Let's-Have-Stillborn-Baby-After-Stillborn-Baby-and-Never-Report-the-Births... I mean, that would be an unimaginably horrid situation, but you don't just stuff the poor baby in a garbage bag under the sink! At least give the child a proper burial, and then how about some birth control once you notice a pattern???

Oh, we could go on forever, but it's just too much to handle in so few hours...time to go have some chocolate.

People Who Need to Burn

And in today's segment on "People Who Definitely Need to Go to Hell," here are infant murderers. Baby didn't do anything & wasn't even in the room when his daddy was murdered. No, Baby was in his car seat, in the car. Daddy was in the house. The #%^$#%^$# who shot him just decided to kill the baby as he was fleeing the scene. And "#%^$#%^$#" doesn't quite cover it.

Colin Farrell Is Nice; also Driving Miss Fatima

So there's a news article today about a really cool thing that Colin Farrell did for a homeless guy. He was helpful. As much of a lout as he may be, (or may have been, or at least seemed to be), this was truly heartwarming.

Also, much more importantly, Saudi women are pushing for some really radical freedom: the right to drive. GO SISTERS, GO!!! (Or more appropriately, "Vroom, Vroom!")

...Against All Enemies, Foreign and Domestic

I'm waiting for the charges of treason to be filed:

Kucinich hates the US #1

Kucinich hates the US #2

One argument AGAINST socialized medicine

It may be "free," but you don't get what the government takes your salary for:

Among other miseries: OB shortages, little attention, unnoticed life-threatening complications, being turned away from full maternity wards, no post-natal support, no pain relief, inadequate ultrasounds & screenings, overburdened midwives who can only pay you two seconds of attention... and the list goes on!

As a mom, this HORRIFIES me. I will NEVER consent to socialized medicine - it's an early death sentence for everyone!

Speaking of that big Mexico-to-Canada highway through the US

There was a horrendous accident in northern Mexico earlier today - at least 37 people are dead, and scores more injured.

Now, there are accidents frequently in the US, but they're not trucks full of dynamite.

And as of Labor Day weekend, we're letting Mexican trucks drive through the US unchecked?!?!?!

UPDATE: In continuing tracking of this article, I've found that apparently hazardous load trucks aren't included in the "free flow of traffic" (yet). GOOD.

Everything's relative, right?

What's wrong with these two items from today's news?

Drivers risk two years in jail for using their mobile phones

'[I]f you say you killed Madeleine by accident and then hid her and disposed of the body, then we can guarantee you a two-year jail sentence or even less'.

No wonder he's so certain

So Crazy Mahmoud over in Iran claims that he knows the US won't attack Iran. He has proof!

And in a totally unrelated story:

"There is an honorable butcher in our neighborhood who is aware of all the problems of the people," Ahmadinejad said, "and I also get important economic information from him."

What the UN Inspectors found

So the UN Weapons Inspectors have shown that they can still do their job: they found vials of a choking gas taken from Iraq in their HEADQUARTERS.

Wait... I thought there were no WMDs in Iraq... at least they found Iraqi WMDs somewhere...

Now, in truth, these were ten years old, so they weren't recent samples, but dang if it doesn't hurt their credibility a bit to have nerve gas sitting around unnoticed for a decade...eesh.

Oh my GOSH, where to begin?

Too much stuff going on lately - I'm forming opinions on entirely new issues every 5 minutes, which is far too little focus for a really thought-out opinion on anything.

Between AG Al Gonzales retiring, Sen. Craig's embarrassing cover-up outing him as at least dishonest with his WIFE, Katrina power brokers mouthing off while rebuilding the same insufficient way as before, more intersection spy cameras, etc., I've been in Analysis Paralysis for a few days.

And then there's empathy...

Rather than dealing with every issue separately now, I'll just say, "get your long-term food & water storage set up..."

You GO, Man!

Iraq's Prime Minister Maliki pretty much told US critics where they could go today...

My hat is off to you, sir!

More "Short-Man Syndrome"

So Russia is still flexing its muscles to compensate for its dictator's president's political and physical stature... now they're threatening the Czech Republic. Not that that's a new thing, but the entire government over there would benefit from regular talks with a (very) qualified psychiatrist. Between short-man syndrome and a heavy case of denial ("Nyet! The -Stans are ours!!!"), they'd provide plenty of material for discussion.

Claiming the North Pole, *snort*...you do know that claim and the accompanying footage were totally bogus, right?

But on a more serious note, they ARE serious. Russia, China, Iran, North Korea, and Venezuela are only the obvious countries who want the US rolled over and playing dead. We don't need to worry directly about their muscle-flexing; we do need to worry about the underlying causes and activities!

Wouldn't it be funny...

...if the whole alarm about radon (which is actually listed on the periodic table) gas were completely manufactured? I mean, I believe what they're saying, but when you hear a funny commercial about it, your mind starts wandering to things that make life more amusing...

1. It's "the number one cause of lung cancer among non-smokers..." - well, something has to be, doesn't it? For both cases of lung cancer among non-smokers every year? (And yes, I'm sure there are more than two, but I couldn't find specifics dividing the two at the CDC's site...)
   
2. It's "odorless, colorless, and tasteless" - it's either Radon or iocaine powder!
   

Anyway, back to regular, serious life now...

What a tangled web we weave...

[update 20Aug2007: no idea whose side to believe in this story, so I'm dropping it - received a well-worded but unsubtantiated criticism whose author has not responded to inquiries, so I'll just leave it as is and move on...]

Like a good chunk of the country - and probably like you, too - I heard about the High Point Church cancelling a Navy veteran's funeral because he was gay and had a great bellyful of righteous indignation.

If only that were the truth!

Here's the truth.

It wasn't a church saying "oh, he's gay - in that case, we don't love him anymore..." situation; it was a "guy's family refuses church's service and insists on turning his memorial service into a gay-rights rally" situation.

Good heavens, I'm glad someone is reporting honestly!!! (I feel like I did the first time I read the truth about McCarthy in Ann Coulter's Treason...) We have GOT to fix the "MS"M!!!

Does it take a whole strike???

So Mitt Romney has become my #1 Candidate by advocating more local security - one-strike laws.

Some "mistakes" don't bear repeating, and violating a child's innocence and tarnishing an otherwise beautiful future in such a horrid manner is NUMBER ONE in my book.

Jake Goldenflame, a guy who's reformed his behavior - too late to spare his three-year-old daughter - says that current child molesters (who haven't killed their victims so far...), in considering the one-strike or auto-execution laws, say that they'd be so afraid of getting caught, they'd just kill the victim instead. Don't a good portion of them do that already? And doesn't that make it MORE critical to KEEP THEM AWAY FOREVER?!?!?!

Sheesh - what the %#$ is WRONG with us, that we have to debate this?!?!

It IS Religious Bigotry - by AFA!!!

...to say that having Hindu and Muslim contributors in Congress is un-American.

I'd be interested to know what Rep. Sali's original remarks were...this issue, incidentally, was the topic of a spirited email discussion between the American Family Association and myself lately - texts are too lengthy to be posted below - and they're a bunch of paranoid Bible-thumpers.

Now, I voted for this guy as a real conservative, (not to mention his opponent's ads were immature and completely vicious), but if what's being reported is actually the substance of what he said, Rep. Sali will be the next recipient of a reasoned rebuttal to his myopic paranoia.

Updates coming...

OK - just talked to Rep. Sali's office. They had not heard of AFA, OneNewsNow, or AFNN prior to the interview resulting in the article now posted on their paranoid site, and they have not provided a complete transcript of the interview, even when his office requested it. This leaves me to conclude that the spin on his comments was largely AFA's doing. Also, his concluding remark that, "You know, the Lord can cause the rain to fall on the just and the unjust alike," indicates a more fair-minded approach: something like, 'we think they're rather incorrect, but they're free to worship.' That's the attitude I hold, and from speaking with his office, that's the attitude Rep. Sali holds, as well. Acknowledging that the country was founded on Judeo-Christian principles - and that its prosperity has sprung partly from that - does not mean that no one else is welcome to worship as they see fit. (And yes, I know that many of the founding fathers did not subscribe to a particular "Christian" denomination - nevertheless, they acknowledged the Creator and felt to worship Him instead of man's practices...)

Catching up again...

OK - so now that I've been inspired to start keeping this up again... what all's been going on?

1. Hope for the world - France has elected a leader who has an actual clue about the risk of global and local terrorism! And the troop surge in Iraq is doing great things - just wait for Gen. Petraeus's upcoming report.
   
2. Hope for the country - The Immigration Bill died in the Senate, due to citizen revolt, of which many acquaintances and I were a part - looks like the government isn't getting too far in running away from the citizens of the US! Citizens have - somewhat - been reawakened to their duty, as well as their proper role in the governing process. I sure hope it lasts! Not every attempt to destroy accountability and the rule of law in the country is so blatant...
   
3. Hope for the community - a move-in louse trying to prey on women in a local neighborhood has been apprehended and jailed!
   
4. Hope for the family - more people are starting to homeschool or make use of alternative public school systems, making a real statement about the (lack of) desirable environments in the public education system.
   

So... things are good! And GO MITT!!!