The Barracuda?

Wow - McCain/ P A L I N ?!?!?!?!

Hmm.

I might not vote for him, but I would almost definitely vote for a good, conservative woman who can field dress a MOOSE.

Heh.

Love this woman.

Not Exactly Freedom Fighters

Those "insurgents" in Iraq (Al Qaeda in Iraq) are not just using Down's Syndrome women anymore - now they're so desperate that they're drugging their own children and wives to use as bombers.

Fortunately, a policeman found this teenage (married) woman wandering and was able to defuse the vest they'd saddled her with - she was looking for her mother to find help.

Might be good to remember next time we hear someone calling AQI "Freedom Fighters" or "patriots." Real patriots are willing to devote their lives to their country; cowards drug their children into human bombs.

Georgia Updates, from a Georgian

via Blackfive:

Part One
Part Two

Please take time to read them - it's critical to really understanding the context of the conflict and what Russia's doing over there.

It's not about "what's good for the goose is good for the gander" and self-determination; it's about Russia seeking to destroy and likely retake a democratic sovereign nation by amping up and using the potential divisions within it to pave the way for a not-very-subtle invasion (because: a, they're mad that Georgia broke away; b, Stalin was a Georgia boy, so there's a streak of nationalism; and c) Georgia was standing up and getting around the Russian energy monopoly on the continent).

So... for more history and a fuller human side, please check out those links - they're indispensable.

Really? (Okay, I checked Us mag online...)

From an Us magazine online article titled, "He's Just Like Us!":

"Spending the holidays in Hawaii is a tradition," wife Michelle (with Barack, then 28, in 1989) says.

Wow.

I don't know many people who have that tradition.

In fact, I'd bet that I don't know ANYONE who has that tradition. Most people I know have better ways to spend money than jetting to Hawaii annually during a peak travel season.

Good thing Obama knows how to relate to regular people, eh?

(In fairness, that article does have a cute little-kid pic of him riding a tricycle... and who didn't love tricycles when they were little?)

"Just like us," indeed.

We'll Pay a Price, Too

From some of the latest at Blackfive:

I fear that Georgia, Poland, the Ukraine ..., and the Baltic states may well pay a very real price for desiring autonomy and aligning with the West, and for standing up to Putin.

Evil dictators will always try to destroy free(-er) countries in order to maintain and expand their own power.

Putin is an evil* dictator** who most likely only handed over the "presidency" of Russia to avoid paperwork.

I know the situation is more complex when we look at every single possible consequence, but there is no doubt in my mind that standing up for free countries against evil dictators (or, for that matter, opposing evil dictators at every step of the way) is necessary and right.

So, while we know that Poland, Georgia, Ukraine, and pretty much anyone else over there who's got a spine will be feeling some serious Russian heat, I know we'll be paying a price, too, if we stick to our guns - and we should stick to them. I am in no way trivializing what our friends in Eastern Europe are going through. I'm just sure that the conflict is going to broaden. Greatly.

___
* Evil: "former" KGB; threatening, poisoning, and murdering "former" associates and political opponents; selling arms to rogue nations; and so much more...
** Dictator: quashing opposition (through legislation for businesses, and generally murder for individuals and journalists); cutting off oil supplies to the EU in winter to get his way; threatening other countries for making up their own minds; installing a puppet president; propping up other dictators' regimes; and so much more...

LOVE This Woman!

An 85-year-old woman took control of the situation when some punk broke into her house recently.

Gotta love that!

(and I'm glad the burglar was unarmed and not very resourceful ;-)

A Thank You Card Is in Order

According to this article, "In two decades of record keeping, no sitting Congress has passed fewer public laws at this point in the session -- 294 so far -- than this one."

KEEP IT UP, CONGRESS!!! A decreasing quantity of legislation is a good start to a GREAT trend...

(I mean, if you can't do anything GOOD, don't do anything at ALL. Please.)

Sweet!

I know the story's a couple days old, but I just have to post because I've been so fascinated by it:

Julia Child was a "listening ear" for the US during WWII.

I like her more all the time!

W00T to Pres. Bush!

For calling out Russia on their invasion of Georgia!!!

Specifically, mentioning "our solidarity with the Georgian people."

Better a little late than never, eh?

Powerline has a transcript.

Update: Blackfive has a good write-up & links to others.

Um, This Isn't Good

There's a chance that the government might look at enforcing the Fairness Doctrine on the INTERNET. As in BLOGS.

Oy.

Not that they'd come after someone like me who has virtually no traffic, LOL, but STILL. It's horrible.

Here's a summary quote:

McDowell told BMI the Fairness Doctrine isn’t currently on the FCC’s radar. But a new administration and Congress elected in 2008 might renew Fairness Doctrine efforts, but under another name.

The name? Probably "net neutrality."

Count me in on the "crash the phone bank" effort if they try it!!! Not that they'd listen, but hey... one more straw can't hurt, right?

All In Favor?

Understatement of the century: "Russia appears to want the Georgian government overthrown."

Who saw that one coming? I mean, waiting until the Olympics and then invading a former slave of the USSR through a friendly rogue province... who knew they were going to take over the capital?

All in favor of Pres. Bush (or maybe the internationally-lauded "Citizen of the World" that is Obama) getting creative and performing a international citizens' arrest on Putin, please say, "Aye."

Whither Innocence?

Now a ten-year-old is bullfighting in southern France.

Don't get me wrong - I LOVE learning about and experiencing other cultures. In fact, it's a bit of an obsession, if you'd like to term it that.

But I've been to a bullfight.

There was nothing glorious about it.

Instead, I felt like a conspirator to murder for paying to watch this poor bull bleed to death. I heard later that we "got a bad bull." I just think we did a bad thing. And on the occasion that I hear a bull gets even, it really doesn't bother me.

Bullfighting is one tradition that - no matter how old it is, or how dear it is to however many hearts - needs to go, and yesterday.

Yes, the meat is frequently donated... yes, I'm sure it has its roots somewhere in legitimate hunting.

But part of ethical hunting is to make a quick, clean kill; and bullfighting simply isn't either of those.

Golf Clapping Here

Pres. Bush has spoken out in "a blunt condemnation" of China's human rights policies.

I'm glad.

It's a step in the right direction.

But I still wonder what the right course of action is. According to the article:

...prominent Chinese dissident Liu Xiaobo, who has been jailed several times for his views and for his role in the 1989 student-led demonstrations in Tiananmen Square, said China’s leaders were likely to take a relatively sanguine approach.

"Whatever he says, the Chinese government won’t care too much about the content. The most important thing is that he is attending. Whatever he says is less important," he said.

And I'm not quite sure which of 1,000 ways to analyze that...

Check Another One Off

I just changed a light bulb in our hallway.

The flood of brilliant light was so refreshing - been waiting to change that for days while we've been stumbling and fumbling through the hall.

But it reminded me of how glad I am that we can still buy incandescent bulbs... and it reminded me to stock up.

Seriously.

I am SO fed up with the government mandating what we do in our homes. Shortly we will be forced to introduce POISON into every light fixture in every room in our homes, if we haven't already been badgered into it, and I'm not even being metaphorical. Yikes... and we worry about conserving water bottles and sorting the recycling? It just took an EPA team almost a week to clean up a mercury spill locally...

But let us be metaphorical for a moment: It's just one more straw.

Too Much Fun

Hmm... now we have coke-laced dollar bills.

Per the article, the amounts are minimal, which I can't doubt - I've never seen a bank employee who's just too energetic, LOL!

A Blonde Moment

...or rather, a moment for blondes everywhere, perhaps? As much as I just despise Paris Hilton, all I have to say to this, is, "Sing it, Sister!"

Another Chance for Stem Cells

... but NOT embryonic ones. Those grow hair and teeth and tumors. Gross.

Adult stem cells - found all over the human body, it turns out, are a possible fix for this poor girl's disease, as well.

Forget the "Bush hates science" propaganda - even from Dr. Dean - and look at the facts: regular stem cells are much more productive than embryonic ones, outside of, say, growing an embryo into a baby!

I'll have to update more as I dig up the old links to REAL stem cell stories...

Hey Look - It's the Beginnings of a Spine!!!

... and from the Republicans in Congress, even!

I just have to say... if I find out MY representatives were involved, I'll...

...have to send them a thank-you note!

Could We Just Drop the Facade? Please???

Apparently the US 1600m relay team from 2000 has been stripped of their medals for a member's doping.

To quote one of my favorite villains, Syndrome from The Incredibles, "Lame, lame, lame, Lame, LAME!!!!"

Especially since it's been happening a lot lately.

Why do we even have the Olympics anymore? To foster international goodwill and cooperation?

It turns into an international grudge-fest that takes - apparently - almost a decade to review. And between doping and gender confusion, we don't even know who the legitimate champions are. (Again, mostly going back to international tensions and individuals and countries trying to get some sort of unsporting advantage over others...)

It's just ridiculous.

And now it's turned into, "look! We can play nice with Mao!" (Yes, I am aware that Mao is no longer the ruler of China... but his evil, murderous government still is.)

Just a suggestion here - let's drop this pretense to being apolitical, super-human, and ignorant of any agenda, and go back to mending our (unfortunate but functional and necessary) walls.