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Friday, August 31, 2007

Hurricanes, Florida Style

Today, John Hawkins has a new column up on Townhall called It's Time to Get Over Katrina Already. He makes an excellent point:
Two years after Katrina, everywhere you turn, there are people carping, whining, and kvetching. Just why hasn't the pity party for the citizens of New Orleans run out of booze and chips yet?

It's not as if hurricanes are a once a millennium event in the United States. In fact, residents of Florida have so many of them that they don't even cancel a barbecue for anything under a Category 3.

Can I just say how true that is? We get hurricane warnings constantly. Most of the time, I yawn. And honestly, if it's a Category 1 or 2, it's a non-event... unless, of course, you are a surfer, in which case you can be counted upon to be at the beach trying to take advantage of the good waves, all the way up to a Category 4, when police have to be there to forcibly keep them away.

To us, hurricanes are kind of like big thunderstorms. Unless a really big, bad one comes along (like a 4 or a 5), it's pretty boring.

A few years ago, Florida got hit by four hurricanes in one season. Two of them, Frances and Jeanne, came through Jacksonville. My friends and I were all pretty excited. At the time, I was living at the beaches, and at my parents' request, came to stay with them further inland. Their house lost power for a few days due to downed power lines, my apartment at the beaches didn't. Wind and rain was minimal. Some friends and I even threw a hurricane party, completely ready with non-perishable food items, "beverages", and lots of candles. We were all set and ready for the exciting stuff to happen. But as we waited, and the hours passed, nothing happened. We didn't lose power. There were no gale force winds, no trees whipping about. The surfers ate it up out at the beach, and while some people lost power for a while, it was pretty much a non-event. It wasn't that anyone wanted large-scale destruction, but we were waiting for something to happen! You know, give us some strong winds, some power outages. It was more eventful a few months after 9-11, when the entire city lost power for no apparent reason (and there was definitely no hurricane in sight). Jacksonville hasn't had a major storm hit since the 1960s, and I'm not betting on it happening any time soon.

In the areas where the hurricanes were much stronger, like in Pensacola and the southwestern tip of Florida (Tampa, Clearwater, St. Petersburg, etc.), there was large scale damage and destruction that took years to rebuild. But did you see those people clamoring for the government to swoop in and solve everything for them? Did they whine and cry to the media about how the government wasn't paying enough attention to their plight? No! It was actually a pretty inspirational story, in my opinion, to watch these people see everything they owned destroyed, and pick themselves back up and keep going. Not only did they show resilience, but (to use a corny phrase), the spirit of brotherhood was alive and well. People from all over the state traveled to help with the rebuilding efforts. Neighbors pitched in to help neighbors. They worked together, usually selflessly, and over time, things got better. Then again, we also didn't have Louisiana politicians to screw it up for us, either.

There was no looting. No influx of crime. No Army Corps of Engineers needing to be called in to rebuild, only to be attacked by angry residents. Shit happened, and people took care of themselves. They picked themselves up, and went on with their lives, without requiring the rest of the United States to do it for us.

Contrast that with Katrina. And when it comes to Katrina, specifically, how many people remember that New Orleans was not the only city affected? States from Mississippi to Texas were affected, hit badly, yet how much media coverage and aid went to them? Was there an outpouring of compassion to help rebuild those cities? I'm sure there was some, but it was nowhere near the spectacle of New Orleans. We've spent more on rebuilding New Orleans than we did on the Marshall Plan, for crying out loud. At what point does enough become enough? I mean, sheesh. Obviously, there are Katrina victims who have picked up and moved on to lead productive lives. There are too many, however, who are enjoying the situation, milking it for all its worth, and happily living off the taxpayers' dime.

I'll say it again: shit happens. In Denver, it was massive blizzards. In Minnesota, it was a bridge collapsing. In the midwest, they have tornado alley. Here on the east coast, we have hurricanes. Pick up. Move on. Get a life.

Cross-posted at Wizbang

Thursday, August 30, 2007

So, like, what year was, like, 9-11, like?

Want proof that the nation has forgotten 9-11? It's easy to see that we have in the cut-and-runners, the treachorous rhetoric of liberal politicians, and the devil-may-care attitude towards national security that has permeated the country.

But how's this for shocking: a bunch of San Diego State University students couldn't even remember what year it happened!
Caitlin Upton should feel very proud today. It seems she's not the only young person in America who appears to be a little less than informed. Christian activist and author Mark Dice dropped by San Diego State University to see how many of tomorrow's leaders know what year 9/11 happened.

Apparently, the unsuspecting students couldn't quite remember. Perhaps if Mark had given them a hint -- like the year the Mariah Carey's cinematic masterpiece "Glitter" was released, or perhaps the year that Britney Spears' "Slave" song topped the charts.

Sad, isn't it? Even sadder is that there's video of the brainiacs. Now, only watch it if you have a strong stomach. The man who put on the video, Mark Dice, is apparently one of those "9-11 was an inside job" truther nutjobs, who also supports Ron Paul, so there's a lot of the truther crap in it. And that's on top of a bunch of college idiots who can't remember back to when they were in high school. I mean, honestly -- it was six years ago! It isn't like these kids were four years old and can barely remember it even happening. That's a sad, sad thing when you can't remember the worst attack ever to happen on American soil, and it was just over five years ago. Never forget? Yeah, right.

The greatest generation would be ashamed. Truly ashamed.



Cross-posted at Wizbang.

Lindsay Lohan's dad drops some bombshells

Regardless of whether Lindsay Lohan will ever get her life back on track, you can almost exclusively lay the blame on her parents for her current situation. Their childish bickering, her enabling behavior, and his being in-and-out of prison can only have contributed to her problems.

Now, Michael Lohan, Lindsay's father, drops a series of bombshells aimed at Dina, Lindsay's mother, in an exclusive interview with Perez Hilton. Here's a snippet:
PH: Well I hope maybe hopefully you’ll be able to resolve things without going to court.

Michael Lohan: You know what, that’s been my hope the whole time. This is about being good parents to the kids, not about Dina and I. But she still continues to make an issue between me and her. You don’t see me having some degenerate boyfriend around my kids, I don’t have anyone around our kids, but she has this degenerate boyfriend around our kids. The guy’s a drunk, he’s a rapist, he’s a piece of garbage hanging around my children.

Perez Hilton: Wow, uhm…

ML: Yea, and there’s plenty of proof. Look at her bodyguards. As soon as I had an investigation done on their backgrounds, I found out that they were New York city police officers that were thrown off for ticket scam, and then one of the brothers found out that uhm, found out that his employer, he once worked for a pharmaceutical company, was driving the CEO around and he found out the CEO had settled a sexual harassment case years ago, so he goes and sues the employer for sexual harassment himself.

Dina’s brother Paul Sullivan is getting sentenced for 9/11 fraud. Her other brother is still living at the basement of her mother’s house at 45 years old! You want to talk about backgrounds, look at her family background and look at mine. Look at where my family is. CEOs of companies. Partners of some of the biggest brokerage firms of the country. And look at the other side of the coin.

You want to see letters from people who have known us for 25 years? To see what a good father I was? How I was there for my kids, how I supported them in every way possible. I’ll give you 45 of them. And then you go and call everyone one of these people, including DAs, one from LA. And the one from LA will tell you that Lindsay had a stalker at one time and Dina didn’t want to do anything about the stalker because she said it would be negative press for Lindsay. But worked hard and nailed him.

What comes first, the money or Lindsay’s welfare. I put welfare first, Dina put a price tag on that. I’ve never taken one red cent from Lindsay. Dina still collects from her percentage [as Lindsay’s manager] $354,000 a year from her in salary. What do you have to say about that?

He also accuses Dina of doing cocaine, having committed multiple DUIs as well as several hit-and-runs, and that she has been purposefully keeping him from the children, despite the courts giving him custoday.

He says he has proof and evidence to back up everything he says.

While I don't know how much I'd ordinarily believe anything that comes out of this guy's mouth, I'd believe what he says about the cocaine, the DUIs, and the hit-and-runs. Those are all things that Lindsay has done, and Dina is right by her side at every single party and club.

Click here to read the entire scandalous interview!

Wednesday, August 29, 2007

Maybe they don't hate us that much after all

We're constantly reminded of how much Europeans hate Americans, and how they don't want us there. But in a poll of 1,500 European hotel managers, Americans were rated as the second best tourists, behind the Japanese:
Maybe we're not as ugly as we think. In a new poll, nearly two-thirds of American travelers said we're perceived more negatively in other countries than we were five years ago. But another poll commissioned by the same organization found a big surprise: In a survey of 1,500 European hotel managers, Americans were ranked second, behind the Japanese, as the world's best tourists.

In the poll, conducted in April by the online travel site Expedia's German branch, Americans were seen as the most likely to try to speak a foreign language and the most interested in sampling local food.

We came in third, behind the Japanese and British, as the "most polite" tourists, and third, behind the Japanese and Germans, as "best behaved." And - we're sure this has nothing to do with how the hotel managers view us - Americans were ranked far and away as the world's most generous tippers and biggest spenders.

On the other hand, Americans were seen, by an overwhelming margin, as the shabbiest dressers, the most likely to complain and the second noisiest. Who's louder? Only the Italians.

Some of the other findings: Russians were seen as the least polite travelers, followed by the Israelis and French. The stingiest tippers: the Germans, followed by the French and Israelis.

Italians, by far, were ranked as the best dressers, followed by the French and Spanish. In terms of slobby dressing, the British were a distant second to us, followed by the Germans.

Who's the most unwilling to try speaking in a foreign language? The French, the British and the Italians, in that order.

The Chinese are the most reluctant to sample foreign food, followed closely by - this is odd - the British, whose home cuisine is probably the world's most grievously mocked (a little unfairly, perhaps.)

And, finally, the overall award for "worst tourists in the world" goes to the French, with the Indians and Chinese taking home the silver and bronze, respectively.

So rather than Americans being completely unwilling to learn about a new culture, try new things, learn new languages, and so on and so forth -- not to mention the rudest or most stuck-up -- we find that it is actually the French who take home a medal in almost every one of those (negative) categories. Gee, maybe Americans aren't the rude, obnoxious, close-minded ones.

Somehow, I'm not surprised. I was surprised, though, to find the French in the best dressers category. The beret must be making a comeback!

Michael James Jackson sentenced to death

A verdict was reached today in the trial of Michael James Jackson -- he'll be put to death. For those of you not from the North Florida area, this is incredibly good news. He was the head of a robbery-murder ring who buried an elderly couple alive two years ago:
The leader of a robbery-murder ring that buried alive a retired Jacksonville couple was sentenced to death Wednesday.

Michael James Jackson, 25 had refused to allow character testimony on his behalf when Circuit Judge Michael Weatherby was weighing the sentence this summer.

During a midday hearing Wednesday, the judge said the eight aggravating factors outlined by prosecutors -- details of the crime that affect the sentence -- far outweighed mitigating factors.

Prosecutors described Jackson as the mastermind of the 2005 kidnapping and murder of James and Carol Sumner, whose bodies were left in a remote area in Charlton County, Ga.

The grave where they were dumped was dug days before the couple was abducted from their St. Nicholas home, loaded into their car's trunk and forced to reveal their bank card PIN number.

Jackson drained the couple's bank accounts and still had their financial records when he was arrested at a South Carolina hotel.

Jackson's defense lawyer, Richard Kuritz, said he's filing an appeal notice today.

For those unfamiliar, Jacksonville has a very high crime rate, especially for murder, which is one of the highest in the nation (I think Detroit and D.C. are the only places that have us beat, but I could be wrong). The head of a robbery-and-murder ring being put away and eventually killed is very good news.

Tuesday, August 28, 2007

Valedictorian sues school over graduation speech

Liberty Counsel is an organization that will file suit whenever schools censor religious or politic speech. And they filed a suit yesterday on behalf of Erica Corder, valedictorian at Lewis-Palmer High School in Colorado:
During her 30-second message Erica spoke about her faith in Jesus Christ. Afterwards, she was escorted to see the assistant principal, who said she would not receive her diploma because of the speech she had given. Principal Brewer later indicated that her comments were "immature." He said that she could only receive her diploma if she apologized to the school community. Erica prepared a statement saying the message was her own and was not endorsed by the principal. Brewer insisted that she include the words: "I realize that, had I asked ahead of time, I would not have been allowed to say what I did." Erica complied because she feared the school would withhold her diploma. She was also afraid that the school would put disciplinary notes in her file and would generate negative publicity, which could prevent her from becoming a school teacher. Principal Brewer sent out Erica's message in an e-mail to the entire high school community. Soon after, Erica received her diploma.

Liberty Counsel sent a letter on behalf of Erica to the Lewis Palmer School District Board of Education, explaining that her First Amendment rights had been violated, and requested that the district apologize for the e-mail that Erica was forced to write and institute a written policy to ensure that no future constitutional violations occur. The school board has thus far taken no remedial steps. Meanwhile, Erica continues to be the subject of public criticism from school officials.

I've never understood the objection to letting students speak about their faith publicly. To do otherwise is censorship and infringes upon freedom of speech. I mean, there is no freedom to remain unoffended in the Constitution, and if you get offended over a 30-second speech about Jesus, then you need to get yourself some thicker skin.

While schools reacting to students' public displays of Christianity like this regularly, they almost never react negatively if it is a non-Christian. Christianity alone is under attack. And with Erica's case, they took it a step too far, in not only witholding her diploma, but actually threatening to disciplinary notes in her file and publicly criticize her, therefore threatening her future as a teacher.

Now, Liberty Counsel does not usually file suit. After a letter, the school apparently will respond. But Lewis-Palmer High School didn't, and has taken no steps in apologizing for their behavior, and Erica continues to be the subject of public criticism by school officials. They had no choice but to move forward, a decision that was fully warranted.

When does this assault on Christianity stop? When will Christians decide they're tired of being bullied and stand up for themselves?

Hat Tip: Stop the ACLU

Monday, August 27, 2007

Safety First

Here is a neat little tool. This allows you to search for sex offenders in your area -- so if you're a woman living alone, have kids, or just want to know what kind of perverts you're surrounded by, all you have to do is enter your address, and you'll be able to find the name and addresses of every registered sex offender in the area. Pretty helpful.

The shortage of real men

I came across a post today that apparently is about five years old. It's an essay called "The Pussification of the Western Male". I read the entire thing, and loved it. Here's some of what the essay had the say, written by Kim du Toit. There is some profanity, but it's a great read (if you're easily offended, then I suggest ignoring this post). I sincerely hope he doesn't mind my reposting a large portion of the essay here, but it really is such a great read, although be sure to follow the link to read the entire thing:
We have become a nation of women.

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

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

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

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

We’re not like that anymore.

Now, little boys in grade school are suspended for playing cowboys and Indians, cops and crooks, and all the other familiar variations of “good guy vs. bad guy” that helped them learn, at an early age, what it was like to have decent men hunt you down, because you were a lawbreaker.

Now, men are taught that violence is bad—that when a thief breaks into your house, or threatens you in the street, that the proper way to deal with this is to “give him what he wants”, instead of taking a horsewhip to the rascal or shooting him dead where he stands.

Now, men’s fashion includes not a man dressed in a three-piece suit, but a tight sweater worn by a man with breasts.

Now, warning labels are indelibly etched into gun barrels, as though men have somehow forgotten that guns are dangerous things.

Now, men are given Ritalin as little boys, so that their natural aggressiveness, curiosity and restlessness can be controlled, instead of nurtured and directed.

And finally, our President, who happens to have been a qualified fighter pilot, lands on an aircraft carrier wearing a flight suit, and is immediately dismissed with words like “swaggering”, “macho” and the favorite epithet of Euro girly-men, “cowboy”. Of course he was bound to get that reaction—and most especially from the Press in Europe, because the process of male pussification Over There is almost complete.

How did we get to this?

...

In the 1950s, the TV Dad was seen as the lovable goofball—perhaps the beginning of the trend—BUT he was still the one who brought home the bacon, and was the main source of discipline (think of the line: “Wait until your father gets home!").

From that, we went to this: the Cheerios TV ad.

Now, for those who haven’t seen this piece of sh*t, I’m going to go over it, from memory, because it epitomizes everything I hate about the campaign to pussify men. The scene opens at the morning breakfast table, where the two kids are sitting with Dad at the table, while Mom prepares stuff on the kitchen counter. The dialogue goes something like this:

Little girl (note, not little boy): Daddy, why do we eat Cheerios?
Dad: Because they contain fiber, and all sorts of stuff that’s good for the heart. I eat it now, because of that.
LG: Did you always eat stuff that was bad for your heart, Daddy?
Dad (humorously): I did, until I met your mother.
Mother (not humorously): Daddy did a lot of stupid things before he met your mother.

Now, every time I see that TV ad, I have to be restrained from shooting the TV with a .45 Colt. If you want a microcosm of how men have become less than men, this is the perfect example.

...

When I first started this website, I think my primary aim was to blow off steam at the stupidity of our society.

Because I have fairly set views on what constitutes right and wrong, I have no difficulty in calling Bill Clinton, for example, a f*cking liar and hypocrite.

But most of all, I do this website because I love being a man. Amongst other things, I talk about guns, self-defense, politics, beautiful women, sports, warfare, hunting, and power tools—all the things that being a man entails. All this stuff gives me pleasure.

And it doesn’t take much to see when all the things I love are being threatened: for instance, when Tim Allen’s excellent comedy routine on being a man is reduced to a f*cking sitcom called Home Improvement. The show should have been called Man Improvement, because that’s what every single plotline entailed: turning a man into a “better” person, instead of just leaving him alone to work on restoring the vintage sports car in his garage. I stopped watching the show after about four episodes.

...

Real men ... have big f*cking mean-*ss dogs: Rhodesian ridgebacks, bull terriers and Rottweilers, or else working dogs like pointers or retrievers which go hunting with them and slobber all over the furniture.

Women own lapdogs.

...

Out there, there is a huge number of men who are sick of it. We’re sick of being made figures of fun and ridicule; we’re sick of having girly-men like journalists, advertising agency execs and movie stars decide on “what is a man”; we’re sick of women treating us like children, and we’re really f*cking sick of girly-men politicians who pander to women by passing an ever-increasing raft of Nanny laws and regulations (the legal equivalent of public-school Ritalin), which prevent us from hunting, racing our cars and motorcycles, smoking, flirting with women at the office, getting into fistfights over women, shooting criminals and doing all the fine things which being a man entails.

...

I don’t see why men should have become feminized, except that we allowed it to happen—and you know why we let it happen? Because it’s godd*mned easier to do so. Unfortunately, we’ve allowed it to go too far, and our maleness has become too pussified for words.

At this point, I could have gone two ways: the first would be to say, “...and I don’t know if we’ll get it back. The process has become too entrenched, the cultural zeitgeist of men as girls has become part of the social fabric, and there’s not much we can do about it.”

But I’m not going to do that. To quote John Belushi (who was, incidentally, a real man and not a f*cking woman): “Did we quit when the Germans bombed Pearl Harbor?”

Well, I’m not going to quit. F*ck that. One of the characteristics of the non-pussified man (and this should strike fear into the hearts of women and girly-men everywhere) is that he never quits just because the odds seem overwhelming. Omaha Beach, guys.

I want a real man as President—not Al Gore, who had to hire a consultant to show him how to be an Alpha male, and french-kiss his wife on live TV to “prove” to the world that he was a man, when we all knew that real men don’t have to do that shit.

And I want the Real Man President to surround himself with other Real Men, like Rumsfeld, and Ashcroft, and yes, Rice (who is more of a Real Man than those *sswipes Colin Powell and Norman Mineta).

I want our government to be more like Dad—kind, helpful, but not afraid to punish us when we f*ck up, instead of helping us excuse our actions.

...

I want our culture to become more male—and not the satirical kind of male, like The Man Show, or the cartoonish figures of Stallone, Van Damme or Schwartzenegger. (Note to the Hollywood execs: We absolutely f*cking loathe chick movies about feelings and relationships and all that feminine jive. We want more John Waynes, Robert Mitchums, Bruce Willises, and Clint Eastwoods. Never mind that it’s simplistic— we like simple, we are simple, we are men—our lives are uncomplicated, and we like it that way. We Were Soldiers was a great movie, and you know why? Because you could have cut out all the female parts, and it still would have been a great movie, because it was about Real Men. Try cutting out all the female parts in a Woody Allen movie—you’d end up with the opening and closing credits.)

I want our literature to become more male, less female. Men shouldn’t buy “self-help” books unless the subject matter is car maintenance, golf swing improvement or how to disassemble a f*cking Browning BAR. We don’t improve ourselves, we improve our stuff.

And finally, I want men everywhere to going back to being Real Men. To open doors for women, to drive fast cars, to smoke cigars after a meal, to get drunk occasionally and, in the words of Col. Jeff Cooper, one of the last of the Real Men: “to ride, shoot straight, and speak the truth.”

In every sense of the word. We know what the word “is” means.

Because that’s all that being a Real Man involves. You don’t have to become a f*cking cartoon male, either: I’m not going back to stoning women for adultery like those Muslim *ssholes do, nor am I suggesting we support that perversion of being a Real Man, gangsta rap artists (those f*cking p*ssies—they wouldn’t last thirty seconds against a couple of genuine tough guys that I know).

...

Only the strong men propagate.

And women know it. You want to know why I know this to be true? Because powerful men still attract women. Women, even liberal women, swooned over George Bush in a naval aviator’s uniform. Donald Trump still gets access to some of the most beautiful p*ssy available, despite looking like a medieval gargoyle. Donald Rumsfeld, if he wanted to, could f*ck 90% of all women over 50 if he wanted to, and a goodly portion of younger ones too.

And he won’t. Because Rummy’s been married to the same woman for fifty years, and he wouldn’t toss that away for a quickie. He’s a Real Man. No wonder the Euros hate and fear him.

We’d better get more like him, we’d better become more like him, because if we don’t, men will become a footnote to history.

I know that was incredibly long, but even as a woman, I loved it. I loved every word.

It is ridiculously hard to find real men today. I've dated every antithesis to the real man that exists. One guy was the biggest metrosexual I've ever encountered. He highlighted his short hair -- when he asked me to do it, he complained over and over again about how pulling strands with the tiny metal hook through the cap on his head hurt his scalp so badly. He took baths, in this gigantic tub, with bath beads, bath salts, bath bubbles. He'd light candles and play Enya. He liked to shop. Apparently, he watched Queer Eye for the Straight Guy a lot.

I've dated guys with no brains or spines of their own -- they just follow the crowd, doing whatever their friends will do, without ever giving a thought for themselves. I've dated guys that get mad when I don't cuddle at night, or get hurt when I don't want to go into deep discussions about our "feelings".

Are there honestly women out there that are attracted to these kinds of men?

My boyfriend is not one of those men (thank God). I am always shocked to find women attracted to men that take more than half an hour to get ready, or have to get all spruced up to go to the grocery store. I hated it when a guy I was dating wouldn't do anything -- or care -- when other guys hit on me right in front of him. I just wanted to shake reality into them! As Kim's wife noted, it could just be a look or a change in his stance -- but a real man won't just let it pass him by. You don't have to go beat the asshole down, but if someone's hitting on your woman right in front of you, do you really think you should just put up with it?

I don't want a man who doesn't know anything about sports, cars, and guns. I also don't want a man to sit there and blather on for hours about his "feelings" -- I'm the woman, not you, and that's my department (although any kind of smart woman will try to reserve those conversations for other women only). As much as I may joke about it, it isn't really exciting to hear about a man watching Sex and the City, or wanting to go see the latest Jennifer Lopez chick flick.

Men and women are different. If I wanted to date someone who was sensitive, emotional, stylish, cuddly, and always prepared to talk about "feelings", I'd be a lesbian and date a damn woman. I, and I'd be willing to say most women (real women, anyways), want a real man. When I get married, my husband will be the head of the household, because that's where he should be. It doesn't make my thoughts or opinions any less valid or worthwhile, but he should be the one running things. Ultimately, he's the one who should be in charge.

Real men understand honor, loyalty, camaraderie, duty, valour. They understand the difference between right and wrong, good and evil, and will stand up when needed to simply because it is what's right. They won't care about what the rest of the world thinks about it, because they know they're doing the right thing. Real men are honest, respectful, and loving, but that doesn't mean they aren't a little rough around the edges. They're respectful, and I'd be willing to bet don't want a doormat for a wife or girlfriend -- a strong man will want a strong woman who can understand him.

There's a reason men like Clint Eastwood and John Wayne have timeless appeal with men and women alike. It's because they're real men, men who do tough work, who get sweaty and dirty, who stand up for what's right, who can be menacing and hard, but kind and loving at the same time. They aren't ashamed of being men, most importantly.

We need more men in this country. I have a good feeling you could find a lot of these men in the military, and that's probably why so many women are attracted to the man-in-uniform bit. Soldiers, firefighters, police officers -- that the uniform is sexy is not because of the clothes. It's because of what that uniform represents, and what it signifies to us.

We should be encouraging boys to be boys, not trying to feminize them (sorry, Gloria Steinem). There's a shortage of real men in this country, and I'm lucky enough to have found one of them. We need to start encouraging men to be men again, though -- otherwise, we could end up with a bunch of European girly men... like, say, in France. And that's an ugly thought.

Hat Tip: Anti-Idiotarian Rottweiler (and where the inspiration for this post based on a five-year-old essay came)

Saturday, August 25, 2007

G.I. Joe is no longer a Real American Hero

Not in the new movie, anyways.

My newest post at Wizbang covers it all:

G.I. Joe was unabashedly patriotic. Many fans were, of course, excited to hear about the new movie to be released by Paramount.

But of course, in the liberal land of Hollyweird, a Real American Hero is just unacceptable. Nope, it's gotta be a global hero. G.I. Joe will be a global operation, not an American one, and G.I. Joe now stands for Global Integrated Joint Operating Entity:
The studio's live-action feature film version of G.I. Joe will no longer revolve around a top-secret U.S. special forces team but rather an international operation.

In a follow-up to their confirmation that Stephen Sommers will direct G.I. Joe, Variety offers this new description of the team: "G.I. Joe is now a Brussels-based outfit that stands for Global Integrated Joint Operating Entity, an international co-ed force of operatives who use hi-tech equipment to battle Cobra, an evil organization headed by a double-crossing Scottish arms dealer. The property is closer in tone to X-Men and James Bond than a war film."

...

So why the changes? Hasbro and Paramount execs recently spoke about the challenges of marketing a film about the U.S. military at a time when the current U.S. administration and the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan are at a low-point in global polls. When a studio makes a film as expensive as G.I. Joe will likely be, they want to know that as many people as possible around the world will want to see it. In other words, G.I. Joe -- "A Real American Hero" -- is a tough sell.

Nothing is sacred to liberals. Nothing patriotic or American is worth preserving. And I'm sure it never crossed their little liberal minds that perhaps if Hollywood made movies in the vein of those released during WWII, in which America, the military, and our soldiers were portrayed as strong, patriotic heroes, rather than today's military movies in which the United States is always the bad guy, war is always "wrong", and our soldiers are morally corrupt, people wouldn't have such a negative outlook on the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan (the mainstream media should get that memo, as well). They could be supportive and make movies that showed America, our troops, and their mission in a positive light. But that would go against the liberal agenda. What's even worse is that one of the scripts they had was evocative of the patriotic G.I. Joe, but they chose to go with a script that was less militaristic, described as "X-Men meets Mission: Impossible".

Make sure to read the whole thing.

Friday, August 24, 2007

Is Castro finally dead?

Could Fidel Castro actually be dead? Celebrity gossip blogger Perez Hilton announced a few days ago that Fidel Castro has finally died. Now, he has several posts up proclaiming that this is, in fact, the truth: that Castro has finally moved on, and that an official announcement will be made soon:
Update: An official announcement is still expected today. We are hearing that law enforcement wants to wait until rush hour traffic is over in Miami.

------------------------------------------------

The announcement of Fidel Castro’s death will be made at approximately 4:00 P.M. Eastern, PerezHilton.com has just been updated exclusively.

He also posted this little nugget of information earlier today:
Sources reveal exclusively to PerezHilton.com that U.S. officials will be holding a press conference shortly to announce the death of Cuban dictator Fidel Castro.

South Florida police organizations are calling in reinforcements before the announcement is made, we’re told.

PerezHilton.com was the first media outlet in the world to break the news of Castro’s death. We posted THIS ITEM on it last week!!!

Who knows what to think? Rumors of Castro's death have persisted for years, and while his health has been failing, other news sources have been reporting that there is nothing new coming from Havana. However, all sources agree that Miami is absolutely ablaze with this "development". One South Florida news station wrote:
While Local 10 doesn't usually report on rumors, the magnitude of how far reaching this was couldn't be ignored.

What may start as a whisper, quickly grows into a chorus of thousands.

The rumors have circulated for years. Usually every couple of months they'd start, but in the past week, the rumors have been in overdrive.

Could it be true?

We'll have to wait and see if this "official announcement" will come.

Lindsay's going to jail; Nicole's already out

Lindsay Lohan copped a plea deal (surprise, surprise) that will mean she has to serve a minimum of four days in prison:
Lindsay Lohan plead guilty to the nine misdemeanor charges - including two DUIs - against her on Wednesday.

The actresses’ high-powered attorney was able to score a deal with the LA District Attorney that was pretty painless.

By law, because Lohan plead no contest to two counts of DUI, she becomes a second offender with two DUIs and like Nicole Richie must serve a minimum of four days in jail.

The judge just said Lindsay will serve 36 months probation and attend an alcohol education program for 18 months for the first DUI.

As for the second DUI plea, she’s ordered to serve 48 hours in jail. She must serve 24 hours by January 18th. Lohan had already served time when she was arrested and that will count towards her sentence.

Lindsay must also perform 10 days of community service and she was ordered “not to associate with people with controlled substances.”

Lohan was not in court today. She’s still on vacation in rehab in Utah.

On January 18th, Lindsay must show the court that she’s successfully completed rehab.

All in all, the sweetness of celebrity justice scored Lindsay the MINIMUM possible sentence mandated by the law for a two time DUI offender in California, that’s four days in jail.

She definitely got off lucky. Had the judge charged her with felonies, rather than misdemeanors, she would be looking at the possibility of years in prison. Celebrity justice, perhaps? She's being smart, too -- doing everything she needs to do in order to clean up her image. She released the following statement:
“It is clear to me that my life has become completely unmanageable because I am addicted to alcohol and drugs. Recently, I relapsed and did things for which I am ashamed. I broke the law, and today I took responsibility by pleading guilty to the charges in my case. No matter what I said when I was under the influence on the day I was arrested, I am not blaming anyone else for my conduct other than myself. I thank God I did not injure others. I easily could have. I very much want to be healthy and gain control of my life and career and have asked for medical help in doing so. I am taking these steps to improve my life. Luckily, I am not alone in my daily struggle and I know that people like me have succeeded. Maybe with time it will become easier. I hope so.”

She's owning up. Pleading guilty. Going to rehab. Submitting herself to prison. Admitting she has a problem. I sincerely hope that she means all that she says, because once upon a time, Lindsay Lohan was a sweet, talented girl with a very bright future in front of her, and if she is serious about taking back control of her life, she could still have a very bright future in front of her. Unfortunately, many Hollyweird types only say and do these things for PR measures, so they can make their image all squeaky-clean again without actually changing anything (hello, Paris Hilton). Lindsay seems genuine, and I pray that she is able to find health and happiness again.

Nicole Richie, on the other hand, checked into jail and served a whopping 82 minutes before being released due to overcrowding.

Must be nice to be rich and famous.

Thursday, August 23, 2007

Man arrested for public sex acts with traffic signs

No, I'm not kidding.

A friend e-mailed me this story:
Sioux Falls police Tuesday arrested a 60-year-old man for burglary and for what they believe is at least two years worth of video-taped public sex acts.

Verle Peter Dills was arrested at his home at 2613 W. Bailey St. after a man who lives in the 1200 block of North Kiwanis Avenue chased Dills out of his yard Monday evening, police spokesman Loren McManus said.

The man saw Dills with a video camera and tripod and chased him for a short distance, McManus said. When the man returned home, Dills also returned with his camera and again was chased from the yard. He was seen entering the garage at 2613 W. Bailey St., McManus said.

There police found the video camera and a “large amount” of 8mm and VHS video of Dills engaged in masturbation and sex acts with traffic signs near his home, McManus said.

“We don’t know how long he’s been doing this,” he said.

He is charged with burglary, unlawful occupancy and six charges of indecent exposure.

He is being held in the Minnehaha County jail on $100,000 cash.

She wondered, and so do I: how exactly do you engage in "sex acts" with traffic signs?

Just curious.

And I can tell you this, if homeboy was engaging in "sex acts" in my front yard, he wouldn't be in jail. He'd be in the hospital.

Obama Girl not Obama's girl anymore

Amber Lee Ettinger is giving up Obama:
YouTube sensation Obama Girl has made the cover of Steppin' Out magazine, with Chaunce Hayden scoring an interview with the fickle pseudo-political hottie -- whose real name is Amber Lee Ettinger. Amber revealed to Chaunce that she's most likely voting for Hillary now! Not Obama's girl anymore!

Sen. Obama himself lamented that he wishes she hadn't made that video, because his 6-year-old daughter was asking about it. The video has been watched over 3 million times.

Is that really surprising? I mean, it seemed to me that this was just some chick looking to get some attention by looking hot (next she'll talk about how she's always wanted to be an actress, and how she really wants to sing as well). And from the looks of this magazine cover, I was right. And she'll get even more attention by -- gasp!! -- switching candidates.

I wonder how Hillary feels about landing the Obama Girl...

Kelsey's Purpose

This is the story of Kelsey Briggs, the daughter of a U.S. soldier. She died just days before he returned from Iraq, not even three years old, after suffering child abuse -- physical and sexual -- at the hands of her stepfather. Her mother and stepfather are both in prison for her murder. After being removed from the home of her mother, a judge, Craig Key, sent her right back (he made sure to write a book to tell "his side" of the story).



Child abuse is a tragedy, and one that happens too often. Visit Kelsey's Purpose to learn more about Kelsey and how you can help fight against child abuse.

Wednesday, August 22, 2007

More proof of global warming

Since, you know, any kind of odd climate change is automatically attributed to global warming, and we're all going to die if we don't bend to the Goracle's will and put the United States in the economic Dark Ages.

NYC just tied the coldest day in August, with a temperature low not seen since 1911:
A day after tying the record for the coldest high temperature during the month of August ever in New York City, temperatures were expected only to warm up slightly, before finally climbing back to normal by the end of the week.

The city along with the rest of the tri-state region is feeling the chilly effect of a cold front sweeping through the region, accompanied by cool rain showers.

Tuesday's high temperature in Central Park was just 59 degrees. The normal high for Tuesday was 82 degrees. The normal low was 67.

Must be further proof of global warming. No doubt about it.

Bill Murray the newest celebutard with a DUI

But, you know, so many celebutards get DUIs that you gotta find some way to separate yourself from the pack, right?

Bill Murray was arrested for a DUI... on a golf cart.
Veteran funnyman Bill Murray was arrested in Sweden earlier this week on suspicion of drunk driving.

Murray was stopped by police in Stockholm as he was driving a golf cart in the center of the city at 3:29 am on Monday morning.

Bill refused to take a breathalizer test and was taken to the police station for blood testing and processing.

Driving a golf cart drunk. Now, that may just be a new one! Hard to imagine, as celebutards are able to find so many different and exciting ways to break the law and get away with it, but that's pretty funny.

In all seriousness though, what is it about Hollyweird that makes celebutards think they can do crap like that? The instant you become a celebrity, does your agent sit you down and explain to you that you can do anything you want and get away with it, as long as you go to rehab and do some charity work? I mean, come on! There's no excuse for a celebutard -- or anyone else, for that matter -- to drive drunk. Not when you can afford to have a freakin' driver at your beck and call to avoid that very situation!! Ugh.

But hey, at least Bill Murray can claim he was unique in his law-breaking. I don't think I've ever heard of a DUI on a golf cart.

Tuesday, August 21, 2007

First post up on Wizbang

Well folks, my first post is up at Wizbang.

Here's a little preview:
The Seattle P-I has refused to run the photos, claiming that neither man is a suspect or has been charged with anything. None of the 19 men who hijacked four planes on September 11 were suspects or charged with anything on September 10, either. And of course, being aware and alert of what's going on around you is considered "racial profiling" by leftists, those bastions of fairness and tolerance they are. They aren't as concerned with keeping innocent Americans safe and alive as they are with not hurting anyone's feewings (but then, they'd also probably claim that we aren't really innocent).

Head over to Wizbang to read the whole thing.

Monday, August 20, 2007

Vick accepts plea deal

So says the AFP:
Atlanta Falcons quarterback Michael Vick has pleaded guilty to federal charges related to a dogfighting ring, according to a statement from his attorney.
In the statement, Vick agreed to plead guilty and accept a plea deal "after consulting with his family" and will "accept full responsibility for the mistakes he has made," Fox News reported Monday.

Vick is expected to be sentenced next Monday at US District Court here. He could face up to five years in prison and fines of more than 250,000 dollars as a result of the charges.

A grand jury was hearing evidence Monday on more possible charges that could have been filed against Vick, including racketeering gambling charges that might have substantially raised the stakes and possible prison term Vick might face.

The agreement also brings into question Vick's National Football League future. Vick had been banned from the Falcons' training camp by NFL commissioner Roger Goodell until his role in the scheme was more fully explained.

Three co-defendants of Vick had agreed to plea deals in exchange for contributing evidence to the case against Vick, who was charged with taking animals over state lines as part of a dogfight gambling ring.

Graphic details of his abuse of the dogs, including brutal methods of killing the animals, led to protests against him outside the courtroom and the club's headquarters.

This is really all he could do, after the two co-defendants copped pleas in exchange for testifying against him. Once that happened, Vick was screwed either way. Plead guilty? Well, you've just admitted you tortured and killed dogs for monetary gain. Football career's over, and you're probably facing massive fines and
jail time. Plead innocent, and it's likely that you'll be found guilty after these other guys testify against you -- and then your reputation will be even further tarnished because you said you were innocent!

Personally, I think Vick should be thrown in jail for a few years at least, fined to the high heavens, and never be allowed to set foot on an NFL football field again. Hopefully that is what will happen, but you never know -- celebrity justice and all.

Nice going, Haji!

You know, this video is damn-near priceless. I laughed and laughed and watched it over and over.



Thanks to Emperor Misha at Anti-Idiotarian Rottweiler for that one!

John Edwards: Ann Coulter is a SHE-DEVIL!!

The Breck Girl decided to come out from underneath his wife's petticoats and actually defend himself for once.

And of course, ABC News gleefully went along with the game plan (emphasis mine):
Edwards, D-N.C., was railing against the right-wing media -- including Fox News and Rush Limbaugh -- when he reminded a crowd in Burlington, Iowa, that his wife stood up to Coulter in a public spat earlier this summer.

"We know these people. We know their game plan. They're going to attack us personally," Edwards said. "They attacked Elizabeth personally, because she stood up to that she-devil Ann Coulter. … I should not have name-called. But the truth is -- forget the names -- people like Ann Coulter, they engage in hateful language."
In June, Coulter went on ABC's "Good Morning America" and said she had learned her lesson after being blasted for suggesting in a joke before the Conservative Political Action Conference that Edwards was a "faggot." "If I'm gonna say anything about John Edwards in the future, I'll just wish he had been killed in a terrorist assassination plot," Coulter said.

That prompted Edwards' wife, Elizabeth, to call in to MSNBC's "Hardball" and challenge Coulter directly. "I want to use the opportunity … to ask her politely to stop the personal attacks," Mrs. Edwards said.

The call left Coulter uncharacteristically flustered -- and was quickly turned into a fund-raising appeal by the Edwards campaign.

First of all, John, buddy, you need to learn the first rule of name-calling.

You don't call someone a name and then apologize for it ten seconds later!! If you're going to try and insult someone, especially a tough cookie like Ann Coulter, you need to be brash. Unapologetic. Go for it! She won't cry for days afterwards like you do whenever someone insults your hair, so don't worry!

And seriously -- She-Devil?! That's the best insult you got?? I'm sure Ann is reading that somewhere and laughing. No wonder your wife fights all your fights for you.

And of course, ABC News takes Ann's remark out of context, unsurprisingly. She was referring to Bill Maher's comment that he wished Dick Cheney had been killed in a terrorist attack, something he got a free pass for. She makes a sarcastic comment about it, and suddenly she's a SHE-DEVIL!! And flustered? Ann was not flustered, Elizabeth wouldn't shut her damn mouth and let her get a word in edgewise. I think frustrated is the right word there.

But anyways, now we all know why it is that the Breck Girl lets his wife do all the fighting for him. Clearly, he just doesn't quite know how to do it. Seriously... you don't throw out a lame-ass insult and then apologize for immediately afterwards. No wonder you're afraid of Ann.

Previous:
The Breck Girl goes paranoid
The John Edwards Poverty Tour!
Elizabeth Edwards: Doing the work that John won't do
MRC President John Bozell takes on Elizabeth Edwards
The Pot: Meet Kettle Segment Continues: Meet Elizabeth Edwards
Edwards just doesn't know when to quit

Announcement

Hello all,

Today I've got a quick announcement to make.

After some talking and "strategizing" (in a sense), I have been invited to join the roster at Wizbang, an offer I immediately accepted. I'll be blogging there as well as keeping up this blog, so don't worry -- I'm not going anywhere. However, this is a great opportunity for me to join one of my favorite blogs in the blogosphere, and I'm really excited to start.

So, with that said, make sure you visit Wizbang often if you don't already.

Thanks for everything, guys -- I can say with 100% certainty that if it wasn't for my group of dedicated readers this wouldn't have happened. Y'all are the best!

Cassy

Friday, August 17, 2007

Congratulations to Jenna Bush

One of President Bush's daughters has just become engaged to her boyfriend of three years, Harry Hager, and he even asked for her father's permission first (now that took... guts!):
The White House has announced that 25-year-old Jenna Bush has got engaged to her boyfriend of three years, Henry Hager.

And, being a nicely brought-up young man, he duly asked the President of the United States for permission to marry his daughter.

The pair met during the president's 2004 re-election campaign, and have been dating ever since.

They have been spotted together at many public events, including the White House dinner for Charles and Camilla in November 2005.

"They have been great, great friends all this time," Henry's mother, Maggie, said.

And it was she who revealed that her son had followed tradition and asked Jenna's father's permission, saying: "Anybody raised in this family follows the rules."

As to the location for the wedding, the word is that the White House is unlikely because Jenna does not see it as her home - the smart money is on Texas or Maine.

I think it's incredibly romantic and sweet, not to mention respectful, to ask for the father's permission first. That's gotta be scary for a guy just to ask a regular dad. But can you imagine asking the President?! Man. I'd be shaking, if it was me.

But anyways, congratulations to Jenna and Harry, and I wish them a lifetime of love and happiness.

Thursday, August 16, 2007

Padilla found guilty

The jury returned a verdict today in the case against Jose Padilla and his two co-defendants.

The charges:
Count 1 - Conspiracy to Murder, Kidnap, and Maim Persons in a Foreign Country as part of a conspiracy to advance violent jihad
Count 2 - Conspiracy to Provide Material Support for Terrorists
Count 3 - Material Support for Terrorists
Counts 4 and 5 are against Hassoun for unlawful possession of a weapon and making a false statement
Counts 6 through 10 are against Hassoun for multiple charges of perjury
Count 11 is against Hassoun for obstruction

Good to hear.

From Yahoo News:
“A verdict was reached Thursday in the trial of Jose Padilla and two co-defendants charged with supporting al-Qaida and other violent Islamic extremist groups overseas. The jury verdict was scheduled to be read at 2 p.m. EDT before U.S. District Judge Marcia Cooke in Miami’s downtown federal courthouse, according to an announcement from her chambers. The jury of seven men and five women deliberated for about a day and a half following a three-month trial. Padilla, Adham Amin Hassoun and Kifah Wael Jayyousi face possible life in prison if convicted of all three charges in the case.”

I'm exceedingly happy he was found guilty, but life in prison? He was tried in Miami. We still use the death penalty here in Florida, and once upon a time in the United States, we executed treasonous bastards like Padilla. Not so in the softer, fluffier America, huh?

Michelle Malkin has the timeline leading up to the scumbag's involvement with Al Qaeda and designation as an "enemy combatant" by President Bush, as well as his Al Qaeda "application form" (I never knew Al Qaeda bothered with a paper trail, but skip on over to Michelle's blog to see it for yourself):
May 1988: Padilla turns 18, released from juvenile detention in Chicago on probation until age 21.

October 1991: Padilla arrested in South Florida on gun and traffic charges. He serves 10 months in prison.

Early 1993: Padilla, while employed at Taco Bell in Davie, FL, inquires about converting to Islam.

1994: Padilla begins using the name Ibrahim.

1998: Padilla leaves U.S. to study Arabic abroad.

1999: Padilla travels to Afghanistan.

2001: Padilla meets with Abu Zubaydah. Padilla and an unnamed associate receive explosives training in Pakistan.

Early 2002: Padilla meets with Khalid Shaikh Mohammed and is ordered to return to the U.S. for reasons still unclear.

May 2002: Padilla arrested on a material witness warrant related to September 11, at Chicago’s O’Hare International Airport.

June 2002:Padilla designated “enemy combatant” by the president and moved to military custody in South Carolina.

And of course, HuffPo isn't disappointing. They're positively howling over this "outrage".
  • Didn't you see the movie "Judgement at Nuremburg"
    Judge Ernst Janning, played by Burt Reynolds, gave Jews their day in court and convicted them of being Jews. Padilla has been convicted of being a member of a Muslim sect.

    It is the saddest story, these times have ever seen.

    They're hangin' men and women for the wearing of the green.

  • Apparently you have missed the most significant aspect of this situation: The man suffered incomprehensible torture, for years, at the hands of the American military. He was tortured to the degree of having irreversible brain damage -- which has been proved. He confessed at the hands of his TORTURERS. Perhaps the smile you see on his face is the same smile that would register on the face of a mentally retarded individual. His brain is fried.

    Idiots like you, and the people who voted for Bush and his fascist fanatical party, who tortued and convicted this man shame this country.

  • And on HuffPo...

    The Day of Rage begins.

  • He was convicted B/4 he even went to trial.

  • That "evidence" is enough to put someone away for life? A document with his fingerprints on it? Give me a break!
    All I can say is the next time you're handed a document be sure you are wearing gloves.

  • Typical rightwing spin....Defend truth and honor and be labeled a traitor.

  • When due process is carried out by fascists, it's no longer due process, it's fascism.
    This trial looks awfully similar to what was going on under Hitler's regime. Anyone who dared to say something against him was a "terrorist." Anyone who dared to question the courts was immediately transferred to a Lager. Time have changed, fascism has evolved, Lagers would be too expensive today, destroying the lives of dissidents by just spying on them and then charging them with phoney BS is a lot easier...

  • And so on and so forth. There's even a comment about how "songs will be sung" about Padilla, because he's a martyr or some crap (someone gag me).

    Moonbats crack me up. They complain non-stop about Gitmo and how we are convicting terrorists without sending them to trial, and letting them be judged by a jury of their peers. We then do that, and a wanna-be terrorist asshole is convicted, and they're still upset.

    Just not happy until we let Al-Qaeda do as they please, eh? Don't question their patriotism though, not even when they're standing with terrorists and Al-Qaeda wanna-bes, rather than Americans.

    Anyways, if I had my way, this guy would be having his final meal tonight before he gets hanged tomorrow rather than having the pleasure of growing old in jail on my dime.

    But I'm a heartless conservative bigot, so what do I know, right?

    The new definition of "magic bullet"

    Look at this photo and the caption associated with it:
    Caption: AFP/Yahoo!News Caption: Tuesday August 14, 2007: An elderly Iraqi woman shows two bullets which she says hit her house following an early coalition forces raid in the predominantly Shiite Baghdad suburb of Sadr City. At least 175 people were slaughtered on Tuesday and more than 200 wounded when four suicide truck bombs targeted people from an ancient religious sect in northern Iraq, officials said.(AFP/Wissam al-Okaili)



    The AP ran this story.

    Anything jump out at you as strange or out of place?

    Yeah, those bullets have never been fired. Maybe someone threw them at her house!

    The AP changed the caption with no mention of any actual error on their part, of course:
    CORRECTS BULLETS TO UNSPENT An elderly Iraqi woman holds up two unspent bullets at her house following an early coalition forces raid in the predominantly Shiite Baghdad suburb of Sadr City, 14 August 2007.”

    Ace points out the dishonesty at work here:
    Ummm... that's not all that was corrected, AFP. The old caption said those bullets hit her house.

    Now that you acknowledge they were never fired, of course you admit they could not have hit their house.

    Funny how you just omitted that part without actually acknowledging your error there.

    Why not just let that caption remain? The woman claimed these obviously-unfired cartridges hit her house. Why protect a liar from being exposed?

    Unless, of course, you have a some interest in protecting a liar.

    The woman claimed these unfired bullets hit her house. That is what she claimed, and that fact -- the fact of her making that claim -- remains true, unless the photograher simply made that up.

    If the photographer made it up, he should be fired and AFP should admit this.

    If he didn't make it up, then the woman is a proven liar, and the evidence of her stooging for Sadr should remain on the record, rather than being whitewashed away.

    Well, it was of course a much better fit to the AP agenda originally -- gee, this little old lady had bullets striking her house from coalition forces. See what we're doing over there? We're targeting women, children, and little old ladies. We're so, so evil.

    But the blogosphere lit up over the photograph, Hot Air contacted them rather quickly, and they presumably changed the caption to change their own skin.

    Or at least, that's my take on the situation. I'm sure it's pretty accurate. Either way, it isn't anything new for the AP to practice fauxtography in their journalism.

    Others commenting:
    The Autonomist
    Michelle Malkin
    Hot Air
    Blackfive
    Q & O
    Little Green Footballs
    Confederate Yankee
    Snapped Shot
    Gateway Pundit
    IMAO

    Obama: Our troops are air-raiding villages and killing civilians

    You know, I think liberals were right when they said Iraq is just another Vietnam. We've got liberals insulting our troops right and left, with politicians clamoring for defeat while crying "QUAGMIRE!" and simultaneously smearing our troops with this kind of garbage -- just like in Vietnam.
    Presidential hopeful Barack Obama was warned by a friendly voter Monday to avoid public spats with his Democratic rivals - but remarks he made later could add fuel to the criticism against him.

    Maggie North of Claremont told Obama he risks becoming part of the usual political scene if he keeps being drawn into well-publicized disputes with rivals. He and chief rival Hillary Rodham Clinton have jabbed at each other over foreign policy, the war on terrorism and the use of nuclear weapons.

    ...

    But during a later appearance before about 800 people in Nashua, Obama made a comment likely to further the spats he was warned about.

    Answering a question on how he would refocus U.S. troops out of Iraq to better fight terrorism, he said, "We've to get the job done there and that requires us to have enough troops so that we're not just air-raiding villages and killing civilians, which is causing enormous pressure over there."

    Earlier this month, Obama drew criticism when he said he would send troops into Pakistan to hunt down terrorists even without local permission, if warranted.

    John Kerry did it and won the Democratic nomination. Maybe Obama thinks it will work for him, too. After all, every Dem thinks crap like that of our troops, because they hate them. It's just that most of them are seasoned politicians who are smart enough not to say it out loud (most).

    However -- that anyone would say something like that, let alone say it to gain political profit, about our troops in Iraq is despicable in my book. There is nothing lower than insulting, smearing, and debasing the sacrifice of the men and women over there risking their lives for Obama to act like a donkey's ass. They protect his right to slander them, yet this is how he repays them?

    There really is nothing lower.

    Gyllenhaal to star in Broadway production of political play "Farragut North"

    Apparently, there's some new top-secret Broadway play coming out called Farragut North. And Brokeback Mountain star Jake Gyllenhaal is set to star in the play about "presidential politics" written by a campaign staffer to Howard Dean.

    I know, I know -- the internal groaning is beginning already. But just wait until you see how the play is described (emphasis mine):
    According to the article, the Brokeback Mountain star played "a young, idealistic communications director who works for an inspiring, though unorthodox, presidential candidate. During the campaign, his career is done in by more seasoned politicos who thrive on poisonous partisan politics, dirty tricks and back-stabbing." Gyllenhaal, who previously took part in a star-studded workshop of the play, will reportedly decide by the end of the week if he wishes to take it to Broadway. Jeffrey Richards (Spring Awakening) would produce.

    Titled after the Washington, D.C. Metro station that is located near many lobbyists' offices, the play is loosely based on democrat Howard Dean's 2004 presidential election campaign (during which playwright Willimon worked for Dean). Riedel writes, "People involved in the reading say it reminds them of Primary Colors, Joe Klein's novel about the Clintons, and The Best Man, Gore Vidal's gripping 1964 play about presidential politics."

    I can already imagine just who is thriving on the poisonous partisan politics, dirty tricks, and back-stabbing. And let me guess -- a Howard-Dean like candidate is supposed to be the one who was "inspiring" and "unorthodox" and his campaign was ruined only because a bunch of mean Republicans played a bunch of dirty tricks, right? Because, you know, that's how Dean's campaign really went down the crapper.

    Best of all? Supposedly, the play is set to open smack dab in the middle of the presidential election season next fall.

    Oh boy, I can't wait.

    Can someone call me a ho so I can get a big lawsuit, too?

    I mean, jeez, if a cheap insult means you can file a lawsuit, then someone insult me, quick!!

    Unsurprisingly, Don Imus is being sued for his "nappy-headed hos" comment. I also wouldn't be surprised if more of the Rutgers girls file lawsuits, as well.

    But, basically what's happening is that Kia Vaughn is suing Don Imus for slander against her good name (emphasis mine):
    Don Imus is facing his first lawsuit from a player on the Rutgers Women's Basketball team for derogatory comments that cost him his job as a radio host in April, ABC News has learned.

    Kia Vaughn, star center for the Rutgers Women's Basketball team, has filed a lawsuit against Imus for libel, slander and defamation -- the first civil suit to be filed against the former radio host. Vaughn is asking for monetary damages of an unspecified amount.

    "This is a lawsuit in order to restore the good name and reputation of my client, Kia Vaughn," said her attorney, Richard Ancowitz, in an exclusive interview with the ABC News Law & Justice Unit.

    Today's suit refers to terms used by Imus April 4 -- including referring to women on the team as "nappy headed" -- as "debasing, demeaning, humiliating, and denigrating" to Vaughn and her fellow players. "There's no way these bigoted remarks should have seen the light of day," Ancowitz told ABC News.

    "Don Imus referred to my client as an unchaste woman. That was and is a lie."

    Of the networks that aired "Imus in the Morning," the lawsuit alleges that they "wrongfully, intentionally, willfully ... created, tolerated and maintained an atmosphere in which the making of outrageous statements and comments was acceptable, encouraged, and/or rewarded for many years prior to this occurrence and/or overtly encouraged the statements made."

    Robert Baker, a civil trial lawyer in California, says the high visibility of Imus' comments would help Vaughn in court. "Everyone knows how unwarranted those comments were. It makes it easier for them to win their case," Baker told ABC News.

    "She has a slander per se case -- the word itself was something derogatory. She doesn't even have to prove that she was damaged."

    Well, at least there's some truth to this story. Who cares if this girl is damaged or not? A white guy said something rude and insulting about a black girl, so therefore, she must deserve money.

    Excuse me while I roll my eyes and snort in disbelief.

    It's sad that we have become so litigious today. I mean, really -- why is this even a viable lawsuit? Does this girl deserve any money because some guy called her a mean name? It was rude and wrong of him, but that does not automatically equal a lawsuit. And he didn't even single her out specifically!

    I don't see how she has a case, anyways. I mean, take the word "ho". As rappers gleefully indicate, "ho" can have many different meanings. It can mean an unchaste woman. It can mean a prostitute. It can mean someone's girlfriend. It can simply mean female -- and so on and so forth. All Imus has to do is point out that she fits one perceived definition of the word "ho" and there goes the worst insult she received. And seeing as he didn't say "Kia Vaughn is a nappy-headed ho", I don't see how she can claim intentional malice against her, personally.

    Vaughn is also arguing that she is a "public figure", and it is therefore defamation of character because he called her a "ho" when he knew that there was little to no truth behind it.

    First of all, how does Vaughn figure she's a public figure? Did anyone know her name before this whole mess came forward? I doubt anyone knew her name until she filed the suit, and therefore distinguished herself from the rest of the Rutgers team. The head coach talks about how Imus' comments rip away all the positive feelings from their great season, but honestly -- how many people even knew Rutgers made it to the national championship before this whole controversy? I mean, let's not get carried away here. This isn't like March Madness, where the country follows it obsessively. If this girl truly thinks she is some kind of famous basketball player, well, she needs to step down off that pedestal, quick.

    Second, all Imus' team needs to do is use two little words to defend himself: comedic satire. Imus is know to use it quite regularly.

    Not to mention that, if she was so damaged, then why did it take over four months to file a claim? Her lawyer says it has simply taken time to prepare, but what a surprise that the suit was filed the same day that Imus got a huge new contract.

    But, a lawyer spoke the truth, as rare as that may be. In today's litigious culture, none of that really matters. She doesn't need to prove that she's damaged, that she's suffered financial setbacks, that Imus was talking about her specifically, or that she isn't a "ho". She doesn't like what he said, and therefore, is entitled to a fat payout.

    And that, my friends, is sadder than what Imus said to begin with.

    Previous:
    Of Hypocrisy and Hate Speech

    Right Wing News Top 40 Bloggers

    John Hawkins just released his list of his top 40 bloggers for the third quarter of 2007 on Right Wing News, and I made the list!

    It may not seem like a big deal to some, but I consider it a HUGE honor, not to mention an ever bigger honor to be listed alongside such great blogs as Wizbang, Newsbusters, Mary Katharine Ham, Tammy Bruce, IMAO, Little Green Footballs, and of course, my two favorites (aside from RWN, and no, I'm not sucking up): Michelle Malkin and Hot Air, not to mention the other excellent blogs picked by John.

    I didn't expect to see that today, and so now I get to go do my dorky little happy dance in my living room. Yay! :)

    Tuesday, August 14, 2007

    Meet Bearforce1

    This is Bearforce1:



    Can anyone guess what they're famous for?

    Yep, they are the world's first ever all-gay boy band... made up of... bears. And they're from Holland.

    Um... thoughts?

    Commenting

    A quick message to my readers --

    As I expected, there was a very strong reaction to my Ron Paul post, which is fine.

    However, some of these people attacked some other readers using profanity and lewd language. That will not be tolerated, and those comments were deleted.

    I've been fortunate enough to not have to issue this kind of warning before, as I've been blessed with great readers who are able to debate each other without resorting to that kind of crap. I don't have a problem with anyone disagreeing with me or what I write, but I will not allow personal attacks against my readers to take place. Those comments will be deleted, and if they continue, you will be banned and commenting will be closed to registered users only.

    I really, really don't want to have to do that. I enjoy hearing different points of view, and I don't want to discourage that. So please, folks -- if you disagree with me and want to say so, fine. You can write whatever you want, but leave the profanity and the attacks elsewhere, because it won't be tolerated here.

    Thanks for reading,
    Cassy

    Free Republic hosts a Duncan Hunter press conference

    Yesterday, Free Republic hosted a press conference with presidential candidate Duncan Hunter:
    To members of Free Republic and friends, I would like to introduce a candidate for President of the United States and the current congressman from the 52nd district of California, Duncan Hunter!! To Americans who value the patriotism and missions of our Armed Forces, to those who want to put fear into the hearts of our adversaries from Beijing to Tehran, to those who value the rule of law when it comes to illegal immigration, to those who realize that the unborn deserve full legal protection beginning at conception, to those who believe Peace through Strength is far more than a motto, to those who do not like giving communist China unfettered access to our markets while they cheat at every turn, to those who want to halt and reverse losses of US sovereignty to global entities, and to those who want the GOP to return to Reaganism, Mr. Hunter is the Best choice.

    Congressman Hunter currently is the ranking Republican on the Armed Services Committee, after spending the previous 4 years as its chair. He is an original co-sponsor of the Fair Tax bill and he is the author of the Secure Borders bill, signed by President Bush in 2006, which mandates 800+ miles of double fence across the smuggling corridors of the SW. He also is the man who has led the fight against NAFTA’s Mexican truckers having free reign on our roads, has forced congressional oversight of the executive branch’s ‘Security and Prosperity Partnership’ with Canada and Mexico, and was instrumental in saving our military intelligence officers from having to jump through bureaucratic hoops unrelated to combat.

    A Vietnam combat Veteran himself, he currently has a son in the Marine Corps, Capt. Duncan Duane Hunter who is busy hunting jihadis in Afghanistan after two tours in Iraq. Congressman Hunter has been the anti-dote to the liberals in Congress doing their damndest to cut and run from the battlefield. Mr. Hunter knows that this war is our generation’s calling, and “the only way we can leave is to WIN”.

    Below are 15 questions we compiled last month on Free Republic, which we sent to Congressman Hunter a few weeks ago. They are followed by his answers. This is the springboard we will use to kick off Mr. Hunter’s live “virtual press conference” on FR today.

    This was followed by questions on global warming alarmism, how quickly he could offer real results on strengthening the border as President, lack of conservative "fight" in the GOP, homeschooling, cutting the size of the government, the differences between himself and Fred Thompson, and much more.

    Here are a few of the questions asked, but be sure to head over to Free Republic to read the whole thing.
    #3. Mr. Hunter, conservatives are often dismayed by the lack of “fight” in our GOP leaders, specifically regarding vicious and very slanted attacks from the democrats and their Main stream media allies. How do you plan to fight back?

    Hunter: Just tune in to the floor debate or press conferences that I am engaged in and I think you will see lots of Conservative “fight.”

    #5. What is your position on homeschooling? Please elaborate. And how do you plan to reign in the bloated Department of Education?

    Hunter: I like homeschooling because it offers a clear choice for parents who want to impart values and knowledge to their children. I would substantially cut the bureaucracy in the Department of Education, top to bottom.

    #8. Representative Hunter, you have extremely good conservative positions on social policies, defense, and immigration. However, some fiscal conservatives on Free Republic are worried that you won’t do enough to cut the size of government. Could you please list some government programs and/or agencies that you consider wasteful and would cut? Or, in the alternative, could you please explain what policies you would support to cut the size of government?

    Hunter: I would eliminate such programs as National Endowment for the Arts and dozens of programs identified in the Bush Administration’s “cut list.” (These include programs from HUD, the Departments of Justice, Labor, Energy, Agriculture, Commerce, Transportation, Interior, HHS, DHS, and the EPA). Additionally, I would freeze discretionary non-defense spending, while increasing defense spending to a point between 4.5% and 5% of the GDP.

    #10. Do you, Congressman Hunter, think it is important to keep God in public view? If so/not, why?

    Hunter: God is in public view every time we review the Declaration of Independence and every time we exercise the inalienable rights given us by God, not government. We should be as willing to acknowledge God in the public forum as was George Washington and Abraham Lincoln.


    Previous:
    Ron Paul vs. Duncan Hunter
    Why conservatives should stand with Hunter
    His stock is rising
    Spencer Johnson: Conservatives should rally behind Hunter
    Al Sharpton vs. Duncan Hunter
    Ann Coulter endorses the "magnificent" Duncan Hunter for President
    Duncan Hunter speaks about the shamnesty bill
    The answer is Duncan Hunter
    Duncan Hunter on immigration at last night's debate
    Duncan Hunter says thank you
    Still the one we need!
    Leadership for the right path

    Monday, August 13, 2007

    Ron Paul is taking over my city!!

    Something strange has happened. As I've been driving to various places the past two days, I've noticed something scary, slightly funny, and noticeably different.

    There are Ron Paul banners. EVERYWHERE.

    I've begun seeing them on interstates, boulevards, residential streets... they are literally everywhere. Knowing that this means there are undoubtedly Ron Paul supporters at work, and knowing how they tend to be a little bit... uh... different, it makes me slightly nervous. I guess I just never knew that north Florida was such a political hotspot. I mean, during the last presidential election I practically begged the Duval County Republican Party to let me volunteer, and nothing. I had to drive a few hours away to the Democrat-heavy Daytona to help campaign (that was one of the best weekends of my life, facing off against near-violent Kerry supporters, and I'm not being sarcastic -- it was LOADS of fun). Here in Duval, they don't seem to really do much, perhaps because Duval County almost always votes Republican, they feel they don't need to.

    At any rate, apparently Ron Paul supporters have taken over. I haven't seen a banner for one other candidate, Republican or Democrat. And when I think of Ron Paul supporters invading, for some reason it makes me think of zombies. I'm not entirely sure why, but I just get this vision in my head of zombies, all dead-eyed, marching around while moaning, "RON PAUL FOR PRESIDENT. RON PAUL FOR PRESIDENT."

    It's a well-known fact that most of his supporters are truthers, nutjobs, and spammers who for some reason are more attached to him than John Edwards is attached to hairspray and mousse. And they've congregated to my city, for some unknown reason. Should make for some interesting times coming up!

    Join the Ron Paul Revolution? No thanks.

    Tsunami warning for Buzzard Bay

    Breaking news from the Anti-Idiotarian Rottweiler: there is a tsunami warning for Buzzard Bay!
    Residents are currently being evacuated from the Buzzard’s Bay area from Hyannis to Falmouth on Cape Cod. Aerial observation from Cape Cod Coast Guard Air Station reported that the tsunami was accidentally generated by the Commodore “Oldsmobile” Kennedy demonstrating his famous cannon-full-of-gin-ball dive into the lagoon of the Kennedy Compound in Hyannisport.

    In other local news, package stores throughout the area, reported the mysterious disappearance of all hard liquor from their shelves, sometimes during the Friday overnight period.

    More details here, and check back often, as I'm sure that the Emperor will make sure to keep you all up to date.

    Tommy Thompson drops out

    Not a surprise, considering he said that if he didn't do well (meaning come in first or second) in the Iowa straw poll, he would drop out.

    And, guess what happened?
    Saying he has 'no regrets', Governor Tommy Thompson thanked his supporters Saturday night and officially left the campaign trail.

    "I want to thank the people of Iowa who were welcoming and supportive as well as my volunteers and contributors from around the country," said Thompson. "I have no regrets about running. I felt my record as Governor of Wisconsin and Secretary of Health and Human Services gave me the experience I needed to serve as President, but I respect the decision of the voters. I am leaving the campaign trail today, but I will not leave the challenges of improving health care and welfare in America."

    Thompson, who was elected to serve four terms as Wisconsin Governor and four years as Secretary of Health and Human Services, began exploring a presidential bid last December. Weeks ago, he told supporters and the news media that if he did not do well in the Iowa Straw Poll, he would step aside and leave others to work for the Republican nomination.

    "No candidate is more experienced than Governor Thompson and no candidate worked harder; but sometimes the dynamics just aren't there to bring about a victory," said Steve Grubbs, Senior Advisor to Thompson's campaign. "The Governor's staff was deeply committed to him and to his candidacy. If we could have willed a victory, we would have."

    Thompson will return to the private sector as well as his non-profit work after a brief time off.

    "I have very much enjoyed my years in public service and I am comforted by the fact that I think I made a difference for people during that time. I hope to continue working to serve others over the next few years," said Thompson.

    I don't know enough about Thompson to say too much about him. But I did see him in debates, and while he certainly came across as passionate, but he always seemed to come off a little bit crazy to me -- he'd get fired up about something, his face would turn completely red, and I was just waiting for him to start spitting fire with smoke coming out of his ears. He reminded me a lot of a cartoon character.

    Oh well -- as Brian from Iowa Voice said, I'm sure he's a good man, and I wish him the best of luck in whatever he chooses to pursue.

    Another Code Pink hunger strike

    Cindy Sheehan's famous hunger strike included coffee, ice cream, and Jamba Juice smoothies. The hunger strike was so effective, that Michelle Malkin was able to gain weight when she jumped on board!



    But, alas, the Code Pink wackos never give up.

    Well, at least until they get hungry, and then they can run merrily over to Jamba Juice and get some blended strawberries, mangoes, or whatever else kind of smoothie they want, because that's how real hunger strikes work and all.

    This time though, they don't even seem to know what exactly they're protesting:
    "Code Pink, a national grassroots peace movement inspired by Bay Area women, organized the protest to call for an immediate end to the war in Iraq and immediate impeachment proceedings against President Bush and Vice President Dick Cheney.

    Protesters walked from the bridge to the Pacific Heights home of Sen. Dianne Feinstein, D-Calif., set up camp, cooked one last carbohydrate-heavy meal and began a hunger strike. About 40 gathered on some terraced steps near the senator's home, along with a half-dozen police officers.

    "We have about eight people who are going to stop eating, including me," Code Pink spokeswoman Nancy Mancias said.

    On Wednesday, the group plans to relocate the hunger strike to House Speaker Nancy Pelosi's home on Broadway, where they will urge the San Francisco Democrat to hold a town hall meeting with constituents.

    Code Pink leaders believe both lawmakers should be doing more to bring the troops home and to rally other Democrats to call for an end to the war.

    "Feinstein voted for the war spending bill, and even though Pelosi didn't, she's not doing enough to convince others to join her," Mancias said.

    ...Their hunger strikes have drawn worldwide attention. In summer 2006, the group was invited to meet with members of the Iraqi parliament in Amman, Jordan, to discuss diplomacy."

    So... they're having a hunger strike to get Nancy Pelosi to meet with constituents? That's it?

    These loonies have hunger strikes for everything, but -- surprise, surprise -- even though almost none of their goals have been met, they are all eating! I mean, we're still in Iraq but I haven't seen one Code Pink moonbat keel over from starvation yet.

    As John Hawkins notes at Right Wing News::
    Do these Code Pink loons even understand the whole concept of a hunger strike? You don't just, not eat for a few days, or eat smoothies and ice cream for a few days, like Cindy Sheehan, and then start eating again even though your demands aren't met. You're supposed to withhold sustenance from yourself until you get what you want or keel over dead.

    Stupid Code Pink hippies -- they practically protest full-time and they can't even do that right.

    You know, maybe this is just a method to try and lose weight for them. It could be the new fad diet: the Protest Diet! Find something that pisses you off and say you're going on a hunger strike to end it. Don't eat for a few days, lose five pounds, and then quit, all the while making yourself seem like you really, really care.

    Considering the moonbats are so fond of not eating, why don't they just become Catholics? We fast all the time, especially during Lent. But then, they wouldn't be able to make themselves feel all important and influential that way, so I guess that's out, too.