Light Blogging

Hello everyone!

I want to apologize for the light blogging this week, and caution you that it will likely continue!

I am very happy to announce that Michael is finally coming home from Iraq after a fifteen-month deployment. I am flying out to Colorado Monday morning to be with him for the holidays. It is a huge relief knowing that this is finally over!! I can't tell you how excited and happy I am that we will actually get to be together for the holidays.

The one sore spot is that this makes things very, very, very hectic. Besides working six days a week, I have to pack, go Christmas shopping, buy winter clothes, get travel necessities, figure out who will watch my kitten while I'm gone, who will take me to the airport... my head's practically spinning! This has been the reason blogging's been lighter this past week.

I will leave this post at the top of the page (please scroll down for new posts). When I get to Colorado, I don't know how much internet access I'll have, or even how much time I will have for blogging, either. So in all honesty, blogging may take a drop-off in the next few weeks. I hope to be able to keep things as regular and steady as possible here, but some things are actually more important than blogging (shocking, I know!). In any case, in January (mid-January to be specific) I will be back home and back on a regular schedule. So I may be gone for a little while, but not for good!

So, again, I'm sorry for the light blogging, but I'm sure you will all understand. Please continue to check back, because even if blogging is light I will be sure to update occasionally to let y'all know I haven't forgotten you. I'll probably be posting a lot of pictures -- I'm a Florida girl, and this will be my first time ever in snow, let alone having a white Christmas. So y'all can at least look forward to lots of pictures the next few weeks!

Thank you guys so much for sticking with me this year! I look very forward to being able to spend Christmas and New Year's with Michael, and I hope you all have a safe, happy, and wonderful holiday as well.

- Cas

Quote of the Day

Maybe Markos Moulitsas and the Kwazy Kos Kids aren't as influential as they think.

We've bitched and moan and pleaded and begged and threatened and cried -- and none of that mattered.

We really can't hold up money, since quite frankly we don't have that much, and the lobbyists will always have more.

Votes? We're an important part of the party's ground game, but the most entrenched of our ineffective Democrats have been in office 250 years and in safe districts, and have little to fear from you and me staying home, too disillusioned to participate.

He then goes on to explain that the way to get their candidates in is by winning at the primaries. No, really?! I don't think anyone would have guessed that. Insert eye-rolling now.

But hey, Kos, here's a thought. Maybe there's this gap between what far left loons like DailyKos, the DU, MoveOn.org and so on and so forth advocate and what mainstream Americans want. In fact, I'd venture a guess that it's a pretty sizeable gap. The Democratic Party does not need to get any more to the Left, unless of course you're trying to bring about the total destruction of the United States. So let's celebrate the fact that apparently (according to you anyways) regular, every day Democrats aren't drinking the DailyKos Kool-Aid.

And please, keep up the pity parties. It's rather entertaining.

Christmas video for the troops

Blackfive asked bloggers to send in videos for a Christmas tribute for our troops overseas to say thank you. Here is the end result:



I do not have a digital camcorder, and therefore could not send in a video. However, I would still like to say a huge THANK YOU to the men and women serving overseas right now. There are not words for what your sacrifice means to us and how proud we are of all of you. I hope you have a wonderful, safe Christmas, happy holidays, and a great New Year. Come home safe -- you'll be in our thoughts and prayers.

Uh-oh, they're not backing down!

Remember the Sorry Everybody campaign? It was a pathetic attempt for moonbats to deal with their BDS and PEST by sending in pictures of themselves holding signs "apologizing" to the world for the 2004 election.

Well, NARAL's jumped onto that bandwagon to show us that they are NOT backing down, damn it. They've started a photo petition:

Despite all our hard work, the Global Gag Rule won't be repealed this year. But we're not giving up.

Join us in sending a photo message to international women’s health providers, telling them that we stand with them in their work, and – more importantly – that we’re not backing down.

I think I'm a-tremblin' now. I didn't realize that they weren't going to just give up! And those pictures... man, they just strike deep into my soul. Now that I know that they won't back down, maybe I should just be all for killing babies too, since it's a useless fight, with the NARAL advocates proudly saying they won't back down.

Did they really think they were sending some kind of meaningful message? Yeah, we get it, you want to keep on killing babies so that you can be free to have sex without consequences, and you won't quit fighting for that "right". Trust me, none of us ever thought you would.

Anyways, here are some of the pictures -- there are just over 100 total in the album, so these are just my personal favorites:




















What I really love is the looks on their faces. Most of them have this smirk that I think is supposed to come off as tough and defiant. But mainly, it just makes them look like snobby, stuck-up, and kind of constipated high school students protesting something they don't really understand because they have nothing better to do and want to feel important.

I especially love the people who brought their babies into the pictures with them, as if that's supposed to prove something. "Look, I didn't kill my babies! I just want it to be OK for other women to!" Wow, congratulations. How about you buy 'em a shirt that sums up their position in this debate perfectly?



Anyways, I guess there's something we should let them know. Something that might be kind of important for them to understand. We're fighting for life. They're fighting for death. And if pictures are how they need to communicate, then fine. Here's a picture for them.



Hat Tip: Free Republic

Why I never go shopping (unless I have to)

There is apparently something wrong with me. Unlike 99.9% of women on the face of the planet, I abhor shopping. I don't have millions of pairs of shoes (I think I have four that I wear on a regular basis -- black sneakers, a pair of flip-flops, and then brown or black heels for dressier outfits). I have two pairs of jeans and I almost never wear jewelry. My bathroom's linen closet practically has the entire shampoo, conditioner, and body wash aisle from Walgreen's in it -- albeit in half-full bottles, because I almost never throw them away. I don't even like shopping for food, and tend to put it off until I absolutely have to. I get furious at food that spoils quickly, like milk, because then I have to go to the store and buy more.

I hate the mall all year. I don't understand how women can go into shoe stores and look at seemingly every single pair of shoes in the entire place. Do they not have any idea of what they're looking for? I also can't understand the clothing thing. I don't go shopping with my girlfriends because I just can't do it. I don't spend more than ten minutes in a store. I walk in, look around for a few minutes, and if I don't see anything I like, I walk out.

If I go shopping with my girlfriends, I get impatient and slightly crazy. They'll look through every. single. rack. They shift through outfit after outfit, humming and hawing over them when really, they all look pretty much exactly the same (at least to me). After over an hour of this (in one store!), during which I'm contemplating which object in the store can be best served with which to kill myself and be put out of my misery (a scarf? a coat hanger? what?!?), they finally pick out approximately 37 items and have to try each and every one on. And when they try them on, they have to waltz out of the dressing room for each and every item, preen in front of the mirror, turn around and say, "Cassy, how does this look?", preen in front of the mirror some more, ask me if they look fat in it, preen in front of the mirror some more again, and then finally decide they can't get it because it's too big/too small/makes them look fat/makes their boobs look too small/too expensive/the wrong fabric/the wrong cut/whatever other reason they can come up with. After another hour and a half of this routine for all 37 items, they'll then exit the dressing room with possibly 2 shirts and say they're ready to go the next store. At this point, I'm shooting them the death ray eyes. After repeating this routine in the next fifteen clothing stores, not to mention all the lingerie stores, every shoe store, and the various perfume and makeup stores, anger and impatience have abated. I'm practically in a catatonic state by then, just going through the motions and praying God, please, let lightning strike me right now and put me out of my misery.

This is why I almost always go shopping alone.

Combine that hatred for shopping with Christmas shopping (and shoppers!), and it's a deadly combination. I dread it every year.

The problem is that I genuinely enjoy giving gifts to people. I love picking something out, and I love giving it to them. I get more excited about giving the gifts than I am about receiving my own. When I know it's something that they really want, or will really enjoy, I get even more excited. So going Christmas shopping is just something I really can't avoid. And if you think that the hatred for regular shopping is bad, shopping during the holidays always leaves me with the feeling later that it's a miracle I didn't suffer a heart attack from the elevated stress levels and blood pressure, even at 23. I never say anything to anyone -- I don't get rude or mean or anything. But pretty much as soon as I get in my car, I explode. I want to get as far away from a mall as is humanly possible and sit by myself, with no other people around, and just unwind.

One major problem is that Christmas shopping seems to bring out the absolute worst in people. They're rude. They're pushy. They're oblivious that there are other people anywhere within a ten-mile vicinity. They are the only people in this mall with family and friends to buy gifts for, and therefore, are entitled to behave any way they choose, no matter how horrible. It's like the area of your brain that controls common sense, courtesy, and decency towards others automatically shuts down when you enter a mall during the Christmas season. Then there are the employees. I've worked retail, and during the holiday season too, so I can understand. And of course, there are some really great, charming, helpful people. But there are also those salespeople who quite obviously hate their job, and do nothing to hide it.

There's also the driving -- it's as if every single person in the mall parking lot fancies themselves a NASCAR driver, and everything they learned in Driver's Ed gets thrown out the window.

And the various people you encounter while shopping at the mall during the Christmas season make me want to beat my head against a wall.

There are the grazers: the people who slowly meander their way throughout the entire store with no purpose whatsoever, usually bringing with them a shopping cart and/or an entourage of every single person they've ever known in their entire life, making sure to get in the way as much as humanly possible. They block aisles, stand right in front of whatever product you just happen to need at that moment, and pretend not to notice you politely saying "Excuse me?". You end up having to contort yourself into some strange and uncomfortable position to reach around them, and when you do, they'll shoot you a dirty look, mutter something about how rude people are, and then slowly graze onto the next display or shelf.

There are the deal-chasers: the people who think that the most important thing in the world is getting the best possible deal on the planet. They'll trample you, cut you off mid-aisle, bumrush the shelf, and possibly take the merchandise right out of your hand -- all to save a lousy $0.30 on an item that's probably somewhere around $89.99. They're willing to fight for that deal, too. They'll get in your face; they'll push and they'll shove. They have no dignity and no shame, and they don't care about how rude they have to be to save that $0.30.

There are the social shoppers: the people who take an entire group of friends shopping just "for fun" on the busiest time of the year, and seem to enjoy walking five or six people deep, all the way across the walkway, as slowly as possible as to block the way of everyone else in the mall and force them to walk as slowly and leisurely as they are. They seem to have no concern for the fact that not everyone in the mall has no schedule to follow whatsoever, and usually have things to do and places to be. They probably won't do anything but window-shop, either.

Then you've got the people like me -- people who just want to get in and out as quickly as possible, and hopefully unscathed, as well. I don't want to get in anyone's way. I'm not necessarily looking to get a hot deal (although I don't want to overpay, either). I just want to get my presents and go home. Newscasters are bemoaning how shopping rates are down this holiday season, but perhaps it's because there's a lot of people like me who simply hate having to deal with the hassle. It's why I never go shopping unless I absolutely have to.

Is Christmas supposed to be like this? People flocking to area malls, forgetting all commom decency and dignity in order to get the best deal, or make sure they've seen every trinket on every shelf of every store? Would it be so hard for us to show some courtesy to each other during the holidays? Why don't we try that one out -- actually remembering there are other people that want to buy presents for their loved ones as well, and trying to be courteous and polite to each other as we navigate economically dangerous terrain?

Illegal alien arrested for keeping his girlfriend chained to an engine

I was browsing along this morning, when I came across this story linked at Ace of Spades. It's about a man -- Fernando Orozco-Trevizo -- who kept his girlfriend chained to an engine inside their trailer. He also beat her and strangled her. The desperate woman was able to escape by drawing "Call 911" in the condensation on the window, catching the attention of a neighbor who called police.

Investigators believe the woman was held captive in her apartment, near 2900 West and 3500 South, for several days, possibly a week or more. When her boyfriend was home, she was allowed to roam freely in the apartment. But when he left, a chain was tied around her ankles, said West Valley police Capt. Tom McLachlan. The other end of the 20-foot dog chain was tied to a 6-cylinder engine in the closet, he said.

The chain was long enough for her to reach a restroom, but she could not leave the room. The door leading into the room had deadbolts on both sides, McLachlan said, and both were locked. The windows in the room were screwed shut so they couldn't be opened. Additionally, the apartment had no phone.

Last Friday morning, the desperate woman wrote "call 911" in the condensation on her window. The first floor window, which was in the back of the building, faced a neighboring trailer court. The nearest trailer was about 20 yards away.

Peter Erkelens, 32, who lives in that trailer, was just getting home from work when he saw the woman writing on her window with her finger, he said. He saw the message and was able to talk to the chained woman through the glass. He then called 911 using his mobile phone.

...

The woman talked to the man while her boyfriend was still in the house, McLachlan said. She barricaded the door with a dresser so he could not get in, he said.

When police arrived, they kicked in the front door of the apartment and broke out the glass from the back room. They found "a frantic woman crying," according to a Salt Lake County Jail report.

"After police told me she was chained to an engine block, I was kinda shocked and disgusted," Erkelens said. "Who does that?"

The woman told officers that her boyfriend, "beats her regularly, strangles her and doesn't let her leave." In addition to the engine block and chain, police also found padlocks and the two-way deadbolt lock "that was secured with a key from the inside and outside."

"The victim had injuries from being beaten, strangled and there were scratches on her lower legs where the chain had been attached," the jail report stated.

Here is the mugshot of Orozco-Trevizo:

Of course, there's no specific mention in this story as to what his immigration status is. But there's a telling little nugget in one of the last paragraphs (emphasis mine):

Orozco-Trevizo was booked into the Salt Lake County Jail for investigation of aggravated kidnapping and assault. He also had an immigration detainer put on him for aggravated re-entry into the United States. Orozco-Trevizo told police if he got deported again, "he will come back for the victim," according to jail records.

So if he gets deported again, he'll come back for the girlfriend -- meaning he's been deported before. And he doesn't care at all about breaking our laws again to come back to try to beat, strangle, and imprison this girl again (if not worse).

So... why has he not already been kicked out? He'll probably serve out his jail sentence, to then be freed with a deportation order that no one bothers to follow through with so he can continue with his vile ways here in the United States, free to continue on breaking our laws and exploiting our generosity. Isn't that how it normally works?

But hey, he's just doing the imprisoning and girlfriend-beating that regular Americans won't do, right? We should respect that. I'm just being a xenophobic bigot. My bad.

Here's a better plan: Deport. Them. NOW.

Scientists petition UN to stop hysteria over global warming

One hundred scientists from around the globe aren't drinking the Goracle's Kool-Aid, and have petitioned the UN to stop pushing the global warming hoax, and the hysteria associated with it.

It is not possible to stop climate change, a natural phenomenon that has affected humanity through the ages. Geological, archaeological, oral and written histories all attest to the dramatic challenges posed to past societies from unanticipated changes in temperature, precipitation, winds and other climatic variables. We therefore need to equip nations to become resilient to the full range of these natural phenomena by promoting economic growth and wealth generation.

The United Nations Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) has issued increasingly alarming conclusions about the climatic influences of human-produced carbon dioxide (CO2), a non-polluting gas that is essential to plant photosynthesis. While we understand the evidence that has led them to view CO2 emissions as harmful, the IPCC's conclusions are quite inadequate as justification for implementing policies that will markedly diminish future prosperity. In particular, it is not established that it is possible to significantly alter global climate through cuts in human greenhouse gas emissions. On top of which, because attempts to cut emissions will slow development, the current UN approach of CO2 reduction is likely to increase human suffering from future climate change rather than to decrease it.

The IPCC Summaries for Policy Makers are the most widely read IPCC reports amongst politicians and non-scientists and are the basis for most climate change policy formulation. Yet these Summaries are prepared by a relatively small core writing team with the final drafts approved line-by-line by ­government ­representatives. The great ­majority of IPCC contributors and ­reviewers, and the tens of thousands of other scientists who are qualified to comment on these matters, are not involved in the preparation of these documents. The summaries therefore cannot properly be represented as a consensus view among experts.

...

The current UN focus on "fighting climate change," as illustrated in the Nov. 27 UN Development Programme's Human Development Report, is distracting governments from adapting to the threat of inevitable natural climate changes, whatever forms they may take. National and international planning for such changes is needed, with a focus on helping our most vulnerable citizens adapt to conditions that lie ahead. Attempts to prevent global climate change from occurring are ultimately futile, and constitute a tragic misallocation of resources that would be better spent on humanity's real and pressing problems.

The list of signatories is impressive. But what would they know compared to the Goracle, a politician who was a C student in science? Besides, abandoning the global warming hoax means abandoning the perfect excuse to inflict socialism and economic ruin on Western Civilization -- and of course, blame the United States for yet another catastrophe. Why would the Goracle and the bureaucrats at the UN possibly give that up, no matter how much the science disagrees with their agenda?

Hat Tip: Moonbattery

New Jersey kills the death penalty

New Jersey, like a good liberal state, has decided that mercy is more important than justice, and has killed the death penalty.

The measure would spare eight men on the state's death row, including Jesse Timmendequas, a sex offender convicted of murdering 7-year-old Megan Kanka in 1994. That case sparked a Megan's Law, which requires law enforcement agencies to notify the public about convicted sex offenders living in their communities.

Marilyn Flax, whose husband Irving was kidnapped and murdered in 1989 by death row inmate John Martini Sr., said she seethes at the thought Martini will remain alive "while my innocent, loving, adoring husband lies in a grave."

"I feel the system has spit on me, has slapped me and I am fuming," Flax said.

Republicans said that's why they would vote against the bill.

Assemblyman Richard Merkt said the bill was "a victory for murderers and rapists."

"It does not benefit families. It does not benefit New Jersey society. It does not benefit justice," he said.

Senate Republicans had sought to retain the death penalty for those who murder law enforcement officials, rape and murder children, and terrorists, but the Senate rejected the idea.

Democrats control the Legislature.

The death penalty is not there for us Republicans to get a kick out of our twisted, macabre sense of humor. The death penalty is there as punishment. You kill someone, then this is what you have to look forward to. It's called justice, but to the liberals running the Democratic Party today, that's one value that they don't hold too dear.

A Quinnipiac Poll showed that 53% of New Jersey residents opposed abolishing the death penalty while only 39% supported it (residents were apparently not given the opportunity to vote on the issue).

Doing the "nice" thing is more important than doing the right thing, apparently. These are not petty criminals we're talking about -- these are murderers, one of them of a child. Justice, respecting the victims' families wishes, the wishes of their constituents -- all irrelevant to New Jersey lawmakers. Nope, they had an agenda to push, and they accomplished what they wanted to see accomplished.

Way to go, New Jersey Democrats. Way to go. Would you consider this a victory?

Meltdown on an Air Canada flight

This video is making the rounds, and I honestly don't know what to make of it. Some have suggested a panic attack, some have suggested drugs, and one of Michelle's readers is swearing they spotted Michael Moore in the video (about halfway through, there's a very large man who stops by). Whatever it is, something just doesn't sit right with this. The other passengers seem to be showing a complete lack of concern for what is going on. Flight attendants seem to be paying little to no attention to the man, and it seems to be left up to passengers to restrain him. Air marshalls, perhaps? In any case, something doesn't seem quite right.

The man cursed a lot, yelled out "Allahu Akhbar!" and screamed for them to shoot him repeatedly, saying he wasn't afraid to die. The whole situation is very odd.

New Britney Spears music video

Britney Spears has released a preview of her new music video for the single Pieces of Me -- you know, the one where she had to use a body double, showed up hours late, and only stayed for a fraction of the time she was supposed to.



She looks about as good as she did at the VMAs.

People You Should Know

Ralph Peters at the New York Post has a column about some injured Marines you should take the time to know. All are heroes; all were injured serving their country. All have shown an incredible resilience and fighting spirit.

There is Sgt. Eric Morante, a squad leader who had a bridge collapse underneath him when a suicide bomber detonated 3,000 pounds of explosives. His leg was snapped back beneath him and had to be amputated.

His chief ambition is still to become a drill sergeant. Missing a leg, he arranged for the Marine Corps logo to be painted on his prosthesis. "I was back on my feet in three months," he says proudly - but he still faces all-day therapy.

There's Gunnery Sgt. Blaine Scott. A little over six months into his second deployment in Iraq, an IED detonated underneath his vehicle. He suffered burns on 40% of his body, including his face.

He's been in rehab for 16 months, with "too many operations to count." Despite reconstructive surgery, his face still tells of wounds. But this Marine's Marine is 1,000 miles away from self-pity: "Hey, this is what I do for a living, this is what I chose."

His priority now? Working with new Marine patients to bolster their spirits.

There's also Lt. Col. Grant Olbrich, who heads the local Patient Affairs Team from the Marines' Wounded Warrior Regiment.

He calls the Center for the Intrepid "wonderful" and the Army hospital "very supportive of Marines."

But he also notes that Marines do miss their own culture. Part of that culture is the Corps Commandant's position on severely wounded Marines: "If you want to stay in the Corps, we're going to find a way to keep you."

Lance Cpl. Chris Traxson was on a Humvee patrol in Fallujah when a bomb struck the underside of his Humvee. He ended up with third-degree burns over 56% of his body, and struggled with coming to grips with his injuries.

His parents had been at his bedside for two weeks before he "really" woke up in the burn center. Now he's determined to move on: "For a long time, I was pretty depressed . . . for four or five months . . . but over time I came to grips with it: This is my new body."

Sgt. Jose Martinez is a Force Recon Marine. He took shrapnel to the eyes when a bomb went off after a sniper team he had been working with was dealing with insurgents.

The retinal damage to his left eye limits him to three inches of vision. The right eye's stronger, but his peripheral vision is gone and the discrepancy between his eyes prevents him from wearing corrective lenses as he walks. He's at a point where further operations would only risk the vision that remains.

The sergeant calls himself lucky: Others died. He's alive, with a girlfriend he adores and college ahead. "Whatever I decide to do, I'll get it done," the Marine said.

Make sure to read Ralph Peters' entire column. It's an incredible piece: moving, inspirational, and it will touch your heart.

These men, and countless others like him, are our heroes. Take the time to help them and other wounded soldiers.

You can donate to the Warrior and Family Support Center project via credit card by phone at 1-888-343-HERO or on the Web at ReturningHeroesHome.org.

To give by mail, send donations to:
Returning Heroes Home
P.O. Box 202194
Dallas, TX 75320-2194
Checks should be made out to Returning Heroes Home, Inc.

This holiday season, maybe you can find the time and generosity to give one more gift, to someone you probably don't know and will never meet. But that stranger is laying in a hospital, injured defending our freedoms. They deserve our support (God knows they won't get it from the defeatocrats Democrats in Congress).

Grande Conservative Blogress Diva?

Well, I happened upon Gay Patriot today, and noticed that one of their readers has nominated me for their annual Grande Conservative Blogress Diva!

In just a few hours, Bruce and I will announce the nominees for Grande Conservative Blogress Diva 2008 and you’ll have a chance to vote on which blogress you believe best deserves that coveted honor.

Until then, you still have a chance to weigh in on those blogresses who are truly conservative divas, being strong women who command the respect of men. And these ladies need not be conservative, merely have shown that they earn the respect of gay conservatives by standing true for their principles, especially against angry assaults from the conservative-hating left.

Blogresses nominated include Ann Althouse, Tammy Bruce, my fellow Wizbang-er Lorie Byrd, Mary Katharine Ham, Kathryn Jean Lopez, Debbie Schlussel, Michelle Malkin... and many more!

Apparently, readers nominated a few more blogresses, including yours truly! While I don't think I'm quite to the rank of Grande Conservative Blogress Diva quite yet, I was tickled pink just seeing my name there! I didn't make the final cut list (and by no means would I have even voted for myself -- almost every blogress there I absolutely love!), but all the same. :) So, whoever it was that nominated me, THANK YOU for thinking of me!! It's a huge compliment.

Jessica Simpson wants to go nude

Well, Jessica Simpson is leaving the good girl image behind completely. She's decided that doing a movie with lots of graphic nude scenes is the way to make her become a "legitimate" actress. Because, you know, a hot chick taking her clothes off just screams talent.

Jessica Simpson is desperate to strip naked in a Hollywood movie.

The blonde beauty wants to be taken seriously as an actress and believes baring all is the best way to earn the respect of Tinseltown, even if it goes against her family's wishes.

A source said: "Jessica is in the running for a role that, if she gets it, will put her right on the map in terms of acting.

"The only hitch is that the script requires a number of quite graphic scenes including a full-frontal nude scene. Jessica is so desperate to land the role and get the industry's respect that she's ready to go against her better judgement, and her family, by agreeing to bare all."

Earlier this year, Jessica's father Joe Simpson forced her to turn down a potentially Oscar-winning role as a porn star - insisting she keep her clothes on.

He said: "The last script that came to us was for Jessica to be a porn star. We were promised we would win an Oscar with that. I told them, 'I think we'll just buy a statue of a little man and keep our clothes on.' "

Jessica's movie career has stalled of late, with her most recent film 'Blonde Ambition' failing to gain a cinema release and being branded a "disaster".

Jessica, sweetheart, if your movie career has completely stalled without you doing any nude scenes, throwing a whole bunch of graphic nude scenes in there will not suddenly make people wake up to your hidden acting talents that were, until now, not noticed. There are hundreds of skinny, blonde, big-boobed bimbos willing to take their clothes off, and it doesn't mean that any of them will be taken seriously as an actress.

What Jessica doesn't seem to understand is that if she was cast in this part, it would be so that the world can finally ogle her goodies. No one cares about her acting creds or talent (if she even has any), and nothing is going to change that -- at least, not after every single movie she has been cast in has bombed.

I've been disappointed in Jessica Simpson for a long time. I loved her when she first came onto the scene. She was an amazingly talented singer, and had morals and principles she was willing to stand up for. She refused to compromise those morals and principles just for the sake of making it big -- or so it seemed.

Fast forward a few years, and Jessica gets her first taste of the A-List with her show Newlyweds. The reality show catapaults her from the D-List to the A-List, and suddenly, Jessica realizes she likes fame. So what does she do? Rather than using her beautiful voice, she decides to sing with a breathy, over-synthesized, Britney-Spears type voice with suggestive lyrics. Her music videos feature her wearing skimpier and skimpier clothing, until finally, she was shaking what her momma gave her in a string bikini (when she wasn't sponging herself down with soapy water on top of the General Lee). She became a second-rate Britney Spears. The girl who once used to proclaim that sex was something sacred, and reserved only for marriage, allegedly cheated on her husband and seems to have no problem whatsoever sleeping around with whatever Hollywood hunk she can get her hands on (Bam Margera, Owen Wilson, John Mayer, and now, Tony Romo).

Such a long way to fall, Jessica, and for what? A chance to show the world what you look like naked? You can abandon the morals and principles that endeared people to you in the first place, but when Hollywood's abandoned you, what will you have left?

Fred Thompson channels Ronald Reagan

Every Republican who ever runs for anything, anywhere, in the United States claims to be a "Reagan Republican". It's practically a prerequisite now. While I only find one of the presidential candidates currently running to actually be a Reagan Republican (Duncan Hunter), check out this video from Right Wing News of Fred Thompson channeling Ronald Reagan.

The Gratitude Campaign

Some things are above politics.



Visit the Gratitude Campaign website for more info. And if you see a soldier... say thank you.

Hat Tip: Blackfive

Meet Matthew Murray

The Colorado shooter has been identified, and his name is Matthew Murray. He apparently follows the liberal thought pattern on Christianity, as he allegedly was behind a series of blog posts decrying the "nightmare" and "abuses" of Christianity. A sampling:

I'm going out to make a stand for the weak and the defenseless this is for all those young people still caught in the Nightmare of Christianity for all those people who've been abused and mistreated and taken advantage of by this evil sick religion Christian America this is YOUR Columbine.

As Van Helsing noted, it would be almost impossible to distinguish between Murray's rantings and those of wacky, Christian-hating liberals like Rosie O'Donnell.

What's interesting is how moonbats hate Christianity so much, and deride it for its "abuses", and feel comfortable attacking it at every turn. Yet, they never seem to complain about the religion that actually does encourage abuse, violence, and murder. Yes, I'm talking about Islam! Under sharia law, a woman raped is the guilty party, not the victim, and there's no outcry from the feminazis who claim to be looking out for the welfare of women everywhere. A teenage girl is strangled by her Muslim father for refusing to wear a hajib, and the media labels it a "domestic dispute" blind to colour or creed and a "teenager issue". Some Muslim countries still practice female genital mutilation. Women are beaten, jailed, and sometimes murdered for not covering themselves up from head to toe. But the violence and hatred is not only towards women -- no, they'll go after anyone who isn't "tolerant" towards Islam. Muslims riot and threaten violence over anything they may perceive as an insult to Muhammed, Allah, or Islam. Radical Muslims are rallying around violence and jihad, looking to murder as many innocent people as possible, and all in the name of Allah.

Ah, Islam... the religion of peace.

But to the Matthew Murrays (and Rosie O'Donnell's, and other anti-Christian moonbats), it is Christianity that is dangerous. It is Christianity that abuses and enslaves people; it is Christianity that is intolerant and hate-filled. Christians are not tolerant enough. Christians aren't willing to just roll over and let moonbats destroy every vestige of Judeo-Christian values from western civilization, making them oppressive and close-minded.

It must be interesting to constantly live in an alternative state of warped reality.

Australian judge rules that a ten-year-old wanted to be gang raped

In Australia, nine Aborigines raped a ten-year-old girl. Six of them were juveniles, and one of the adults had a prior offense on his record -- the rape of another ten-year-old girl. But thanks to Judge Sarah Bradley, these men won't be going to jail, because the victim, now twelve, "probably agreed" to be raped (emphasis mine):

Nine males who pleaded guilty last month to gang-raping a 10-year-old girl at the Aurukun Aboriginal community on Cape York have escaped a prison term, with the sentencing judge saying the child victim "probably agreed" to have sex with them.

Cairns-based District Court judge Sarah Bradley ordered that the six teenage juveniles not even have a conviction recorded for the 2005 offence, and that they be placed on a 12-month probation order.

One of the adult rapists, Raymond Frederick Woolla, 26, is on the Australian National Child Offence Register following a conviction on March 29 last year for unlawful carnal knowledge of a female child - an offence committed after he was charged with the rape of the 10-year-old girl.

Judge Bradley said Woolla was the oldest and should have known a lot better.

"You cannot have sex with anyone under 16," she said. "However, as I said before, I am not treating anyone any differently in terms of being a ringleader, and in your case, again, I will impose a sentence of imprisonment but it will be wholly suspended so you do not go to jail today. But if you get into more trouble in the next year, you could end up in jail."

Woolla had been arrested on August 7 last year and the judge said the 14 days he spent in custody awaiting his sentence was to count as "imprisonment already served".

When sentencing the juveniles, Judge Bradley said: "All of you have pleaded guilty to having sex with a 10-year-old girl and (one of the juveniles) has pleaded guilty to having sex with another young girl as well. All of you have to understand that you cannot have sex with a girl under 16. If you do, you are breaking the law, and if you are found out, then you will be brought to court and could end up in jail. I accept that the girl involved, with respect to all of these matters, was not forced, and that she probably agreed to have sex with all of you. But you were taking advantage of a 10-year-old girl and she needs to be protected, and the girls generally in this community need to be protected. This is a very serious matter. It is a very shameful matter and I hope that all of you realise that you must not have sex with young girls. Anyone under 16 is too young. Some of you are still children yourselves. Others of you are adults but I am treating you all equally in terms of the behaviour. I am not treating any of you as the ringleader or anything like that."

She asked each prisoner to stand up and said she hoped they would realise it was wrong to have sex with young girls.

Judge Bradley then offered them probation and when each agreed to accept that, she said she would not record a conviction.

To one of the juveniles, she said: "You are still a child. You have pleaded guilty to one offence of rape. You have been in a lot of trouble in the past, though, and you still have some community service to do. You have not been doing that well. I am prepared to offer you probation but you have got to stick with the rules of probation."

The juvenile agreed and was then placed on 12 months' probation, with no conviction recorded.

Not mentioned in this story is that rape of children has become a widespread epidemic in Australia, which makes Bradley's irresponsible sentence all the worse.

Aboriginal children, including babies as young as seven months, are being raped by community members, with the crimes going largely unreported and with few cases making it to trial, a Central Australian prosecutor says.

Nanette Rogers, Central Australia's Crown Prosecutor, has written a dossier on the tragic state of domestic violence in Aboriginal communities which details horrific acts of abuse.

Dr Rogers cited an example from 2003 in which a man sexually assaulted a seven-month-old baby who he had removed from a room of sleeping adults. In the morning, her mother noticed blood on the baby's clothes but was too drunk to register what had happened.

In another incident, a male relative took a two-year-old girl into the bush and digitally penetrated her anally and vaginally at the same time. He returned the toddler to her father's camp, crying and bleeding.

Both children required surgery for external and internal injuries, Dr Rogers said.

Dr Rogers cited another case in which an 18-year-old petrol sniffer drowned a young girl while raping her as a number of children played in a waterhole a kilometre or so from the community.

"While she was playing in water he pulled her under, anally penetrated her, drowned her, probably simultaneously. The children gave very graphic evidence (against him)," she told ABC TV.

She said the acts were "beyond the range" of normal comprehension but there were many reasons they had occurred.

"Violence is entrenched in a lot of aspects of Aboriginal society here," she said. "Aboriginal people choose not to take responsibility for their own actions ... the reason for that malaise is mostly because of the entrenchment of violence in the whole of the community."

Dr Roger said violence in Aboriginal communities was "all around", particularly at stations in rural areas.

But because it was frowned upon to report the acts, few of the crimes made it to trial.

"All child sexual assault is happening at much higher rates than is being reported to police," Dr Rogers said.

If Australians take justice seriously at all, they will demand for Judge Bradley to be removed from the bench immediately. She quite obviously has no concept of what rape is. And how she can look at an adult with a prior record of raping a child, who has now raped another child with eight accomplices, and think that he doesn't deserve serious jail time is completely beyond my comprehension. If I could sentence those men, the ringleader with a history of raping children would be serving life in jail, and the rest would be serving serious jail time. Community service will not reform them, nor will it keep them from raping other children. Letting the ringleader and serial child rapist, Raymond Woolla, go free is a serious miscarriage of justice. It is laughable for anyone to think that he won't do this again.

How can any judge look at this case and accuse the ten-year-old of agreeing to have sex with nine men?! Obviously, she is incompetent and unable to comprehend the details and repercussions of the responsibility she holds in her hands, and is completely flouting that responsibility. Calling this sentence "lenient" is a giant understatement. What this sentence is -- probation and community service for nine child rapists -- is a huge miscarriage of justice. Bradley should step down voluntarily, if she has any respect for the position that she holds at all. If she won't step down voluntarily, she should be removed.

Hat Tip: Moonbattery

Remember Pearl Harbor, Part II

I went to the Duval County Veterans Memorial Wall with some flowers about two hours ago to pay my respects. I brought my camera because I thought surely there would be something to commemmorate one of the most significant days in American history.

I was wrong.

The Duval County Veterans Memorial Wall was built in 1995, to remember the local heroes who have made the ultimate sacrifice for our freedoms. It dates back to World War I, and includes World War II, the Korean War, the Vietnam War, the Gulf War, and now, the Global War on Terror. There are more than 1500 names on the wall.

I've long worried that the date of December 7 has become less and less important to our country over the years, a thought that saddens me greatly. I wasn't alive when it happened, but I grew up knowing of the attack and what it meant for this country. I could no sooner forget that date then I could forget 9-11. Does the fact that no one was there mean anything? Not necessarily, but I was a little disappointed to see not one person there to pay their respects to the sacrifices of the fallen from WWII. I was a little disappointed to know that the meager bunch of flowers I brought would be the only ones there (aside from a wreath placed under the new addition of names for the War on Terror).

I took some pictures, and here they are. I've always found the Memorial Wall to be incredibly moving in its somber simplicity, and I can almost never visit without tearing up, a little (and some times more than others!).


Engraved underneath the eternal flame.



Each war has a plaque explaining how we came to be a part of it.


WWII has, by far, more names than any other -- there are nine plaques in total.



A wreath left at the base of the portion for the War on Terror.



This flag had messages written on it of gratitude and love.



The newest addition to the wall: a stand-alone section for the War on Terror.



The eternal flame, with the American flag, the state of Florida's flag, and a flag for those who are POW/MIA.



The entire wall.



My flowers, all by themselves.

Please make sure you take a moment today and remember Pearl Harbor. If you know or see a WWII veteran, thank them (or thank any veteran, for that matter). If you have a memorial in your hometown like mine, stop by. Bring flowers if you'd like. Whichever way you choose to do it, make sure you take some time today to pay your respects for those who made the ultimate sacrifice on a day, 66 years ago, that forever changed our country.

Remembering Pearl Harbor

Yesterday, December 7, 1941 -- a date which will live in infamy -- the United States of America was suddenly and deliberately attacked by naval and air forces of the Empire of Japan.
...
Always will be remembered the character of the onslaught against us. No matter how long it may take us to overcome this premeditated invasion, the American people in their righteous might will win through to absolute victory.
...
With confidence in our armed forces -- with the unbounding determination of our people -- we will gain the inevitable triumph -- so help us God.

-- from Franklin D. Roosevelt's December 8, 1941 speech to Congress.

It has been 66 years since the attack on Pearl Harbor, the worst our nation had ever seen.

1,178 wounded.

2,043 dead.

Make sure to stop and thank a WWII veteran today if you see one. Take the time to remember and reflect on the sacrifices the Greatest Generation made to defend their country. Know that we can learn from their example.

Golden Compass Review

Well, I saw the Golden Compass.

I was a little bit unsure of what to think about this movie going into it. I'd heard about all the controversy surrounding it for the books' anti-Christian themes, but I've never read the books. And I wanted to go into the movie with an open mind. And honestly? I wasn't that impressed.

I could pick up right away what was supposed to be the evil church (the Magisterium) trying to sabotage the good people who just want to know the truth about the universe. I think, though, that was because I knew about the anti-Christian themes going into it. Besides that, there really wasn't anything to show that the books were written as part of the author's quest to destroy Christianity.

All that aside, how was the actual movie? It was decent. I'd give it a C. I got to see the trailer for The Chronicles of Narnia: Prince Caspian again, and that had me more excited than the actual movie did (literally -- I was practically bouncing up and down in my seat with excitement). The movie had decent action sequences, although not enough, and I felt myself willing the movie forward. The plot was kind of tedious, and left the ending quite obviously open for another movie. There were no real awe-inducing visuals in my opinion, either. There also is not the feeling that Lyra's quest is something that she needs to undertake. There's mention of how she's the child in a prophecy, but there is no sense of urgency there.

The biggest problem, however, was not the tedious plot or lack of action sequences or that there were no stunning visuals. It was missing that spark of magic, that sense of awe and wonderment you get from other fantasy movies like the Lord of the Rings trilogy, the Harry Potter movies, and yes, The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe. Those movies left you feeling awed, stunned, and the magic in those worlds seemed palpable and real. You left the theatre feeling as if these were real people, real events, and that if you poked around a few wardrobes in your house, you might just find Narnia, too. The Golden Compass did not have that spark of magic. You didn't leave the theatre feeling awed and stunned. Whether this was due to the plot or the filmmaking, I don't know exactly. Some movies have it. Some movies don't. This didn't.

All in all, I don't see this having the mega-success that the Chronicles of Narnia has enjoyed. I'm sure it will do well at the box office, but I just don't see it becoming an instant classic, a mega-blockbuster as I feel The Chronicles of Narnia, the Harry Potter series, and the Lord of the Rings trilogy were. It comes off as if the movie is trying very, very hard to be in that category, but it simply falls short. The plot isn't as strong, the visuals not as stunning, and the magic is simply missing. I can't speak for the books, as I haven't read them. But the movie, in almost every way, is simply mediocre.

Instead of the Golden Compass, watch this

Here's the new trailer for The Chronicles of Narnia: Prince Caspian. I was obsessed with the series as a kid, and I loved the first movie. After seeing this trailer, I cannot wait to see the next. Unfortunately, it doesn't come out until May of next year. :(

So until then, enjoy the trailer and the awesomeness in it!

Video of the Day

Here's a great video I came across on Right Wing News:

Breaking News: Politicians have actually worked for a living!

The Associated Press has interviewed the presidential candidates about their worst jobs ever. The answers were varied, but the award goes to John McCain:

Republican Fred Thompson, son of a used-car salesman, remembers his years before law offices, Hollywood and the Senate. "Well, let's see," he said. "I've worked in a factory, I was a bouncer at my uncle's drag strip, I worked at the post office, I sold children's shoes, I sold ladies', I sold men's clothing, I was a night clerk at a motel.

"I can't think of a job that I had that I wasn't thankful for at the time."

Romney never went begging for dollars — his dad was head of American Motors and governor of Michigan. But the Republican presidential candidate got up close and personal with sewage while spending time at his uncle's spread, doing chores at age 15. He said he spent a week on his assigned task of cutting the sewage pipe.

...

In Alaska, she washed dishes in Mount McKinley National Park, the better of two brief menial jobs that financed her travels. "My worst job was sliming fish in a fish cannery in Valdez," she said without hesitation.

The Democratic New York senator elaborated on this in her memoirs: standing in bloody water in knee-high boots on a pier removing salmon guts with a spoon; supervisors yelling when she didn't slime fast enough; switching to the packing line where she reported spoiled fish to the boss, who soon fired her.

Republican John McCain, son of an admiral, had post-grad employment unlike most — war. The Navy pilot landed in a vicious Hanoi prison and has no complaints about other circumstances of his youth: "I've never really had a bad job."

Bill Richardson worked for a summer laying sod, and called it "backbreaking".
John Edwards had cleaning duties at a mill.
Mike Huckabee worked at JCPenney -- I assume cleaning, because he talked about how he never touches glass doors, as he had to work so hard getting fingerprints off the doors.
Barack Obama said his worst job was scooping ice cream, because he ate too much of it.
Chris Dodd sold clothes in a haberdashery, and said it was "boring".

All together, I guess we're supposed to be awed by the fact that these people have, at some point, actually worked.

At any rate, this seemed to be a fun topic, so let's get the ball rolling.

My worst job ever was, by far, as a dog washer at a doggie spa. It was the first job I ever had, I was fifteen, and my mother literally made me take it. I lasted a week. Maybe some people are good with that kind of thing, but I simply was not. I love dogs, but I did not like washing them every single day, and having to go home smelling like wet dog and burnt doggie pee (they tended to pee when you blow dried them after washing them).

I also worked at a museum here, the Museum of Science and History, as an intern for five years. I worked for one summer in the planetarium, but most of my experience there was working in the history department -- giving tours, doing demonstrations, and the like. Occasionally, though not often, we did exhibitions in period dress, which means I know what a corset feels like (not good!!). It was one of the best jobs I've ever had.

There also was, of course, Jacksonville.com. I covered sports there, and had some of the best experiences of my life. It's where I started my writing "career", really, but there were lots of different things we were expected to contribute -- photo galleries, columns, video reports, etc. While writing was what I mainly did, I also got to dabble in some photography and be both in front of and behind the camera.

And like many college-aged kids, I worked as a server in various restaurants for about three years. This was one of those jobs that you're either really, really good at, or you're terrible (in my opinion). I was really, really good. Serving is also one of those jobs that you kind of simultaneously love and hate.

After only a few months at my first job as a server (Sneakers Sports Grille, where you wear cheerleading uniforms), I was promoted to a shift leader and a trainer. Therefore, I tend to have ridiculously high standards when I eat out. If a server brings me a new drink without taking the empty glass away, for example, I get slightly annoyed. If they have a great attitude and personality, though, I can overlook just about anything. I do have a kind of mental tally of things that I expect servers to do (pre-bus, check on you throughout the meal, try to upsell, etc.). I also tend to simultaneously be more sympathetic to servers than other people -- if you've never been one, you can never understand what it's like and how stressful it can be. I try to give them the benefit of the doubt. I hate watching people be rude to servers, and it tends to make me want to tip that server even higher to make up for it. People, don't be rude to your server. Really, really don't. If you don't know what I mean, then watch the movie Waiting. It is a scarily accurate depiction of what working in a restaurant is like. If you're such a terrible person that you can't be nice to your server just, you know, to be a decent human being, then do it for your own good. You don't want to screw with the person who is taking care of your food. I have never personally messed with anyone's food, but I have witnessed it. Many times.

So that's some of my job history (yes, much of these overlapped -- I often work multiple jobs at the same time). What was your worst job, or perhaps, your best? Let's get a little conversation going here.

Political correctness claims its first Santa

Last month, I wrote about how political correctness has reached a new low by asking Australian Santa Clauses to say "Ha Ha Ha!" instead of the traditional "Ho Ho Ho!". It was supposedly insulting to women and frightening for children. I wrote:

Of all the ridiculous things to say might be politically incorrect, the famous laughter of Santa Claus is beyond ridiculous. Westaff's spokesperson said that they merely "encouraged" the Santas to use 'Ha Ha Ha' instead, but why would a simple suggestion cause multiple Santas to quit?

And let's say someone does get offended. Let's say some kid does get scared.

Who cares?!?

If someone if offended, they can get over it and themselves. If some kid gets a little bit scared by the big man in a red suit, I'm sure he or she will get over it as well without suffering any long-term damage. What do these people think is going to happen? That the five-year-old scared by Santa is going to spend the rest of his life in therapy because Santa said 'Ho Ho Ho' instead of 'Ha Ha Ha'?

Have you ever heard anything more ridiculous?

If a kid was scared of Santa, the way he laughed probably wouldn't change that. And if some chick walking down the street got "offended" because she thought Santa was calling her a ho, then she was probably looking for a situation to take advantage of.

Sadly, the first Santa Claus has been sacked for being unwilling to throw out tradition for political correctness and the "I'm Offended, Therefore I Am" crowd.

A shop has sacked its Santa Claus for saying Ho-ho-ho.

John Oakes, 70, got his marching orders after the store decreed that women might be offended because 'ho' is American slang for a whore. Instead, he was supposed to say Ha-ha-ha.

"They're are trying to kill the spirit of Christmas," said Mr Oakes, who has been a Santa for ten years.

He was also found guilty of singing Jingle Bells at the Myer department store in Cairns, Northern Australia.

He said: "The manager told me my services were no longer required. When I asked her why, she replied, 'You said Ho-ho-ho and that's not appropriate'. Not appropriate? How long has Santa been calling Hohoho, for goodness sake? She also said I wasn't supposed to sing."

Sad, isn't it?

Have we -- and by we, I mean those of us who are a part of western civilization in general -- really become this sensitive? I'm really curious as to how and why we got here. Who can honestly look at this as a victory? Wow, way to go, Department Store Manager -- you fired Santa for saying the phrase that he has been known for saying for hundreds of years. Bet it makes you feel real powerful, huh? It makes you wonder how far some people will go to destroy commonly loved pastimes and traditions, regardless of how harmless they may be.

When I first heard about this story, the Santa Clauses had stood up and protested, and tradition beat political correctness. Unfortunately, when it comes to moonbattery and political correctness, common sense can only go so far.

Ron Paul and Joy Behar on the same stage?! How do they contain all the kookiness?!

Ron Paul was on The View yesterday with Joy Behar & Co., and craziness definitely ensued.

As an example, check out this intro:

Paul's appearance on set didn't come until the end of the show, after the in-depth discussion about Jennifer Love Hewitt's cellulite and body image, the power going out at co-host Joy Behar's last dinner party and Breslin's aversion to math as taught by her tutors.

But Paul was there. The first Republican presidential hopeful to appear on the show, Paul was dubbed by Behar, an avowed supporter of Democrats, as her favorite Republican in the race because he opposes the Iraq War.

When Behar teased Paul's appearance before going to commercial, she pointed out that he is, in addition to his 10 terms in Congress, an OB-GYN. "Two treats in one," she told the audience, before poking a little fun at Paul.

As a large head shot of him smiling in front of an American flag flashed on screen, Behar asked, "Can you imagine that face staring at you from behind the stirrups."

Co-host Sherri Shepherd said she thought Paul looked nice and she wouldn't mind him delivering her baby.

Not your typical Ron Paul introduction.

Wow, what a classy way to introduce a presidential candidate. Real smooth.

Joy Behar, of course, loooooves Ron Paul because of his anti-war stance, but he's also against abortion, so she just couldn't possibly support him, darn it.

Showing her political prowess, Whoopi Goldberg asked Paul about China and "all the things that have been going on there". Paul's zinger of a response? "Treat China like any other country."

Man, oh man. (Or maybe I should say woman?) Looks like The View is truly now on its way to becoming an important, relevant show that doesn't just talk about stupid woman issues. I mean, before Ron Paul took the stage, the ladies discussed Jennifer Love Hewitt's -- GASP!! -- cellulite, and how the power went out at Joy Behar's last dinner party. Riveting, indeed.

My number one question, though, is this. How did the producers do it?? With both Ron Paul and Joy Behar on stage, how were they able to support and contain all the craziness?!

Hat Tip: Liberty Pundit

Liberals + Murderers - Death Penalty = Justice

Troy Victorino is notorious in Florida. He's known as the ringleader of the group of thugs responsible for the aptly named "XBox Murders" -- the brutal, savage slayings of six people in Deltona, Florida.

Here in Jacksonville, the local "alternative" paper (read: liberal), Folio Weekly, interviewed Victorino, who is currently on Death Row at the Union Correctional Institute in Raiford. Unsurprisingly, the interview was all about the injustice of the death penalty, how the state is out to get vengeance, and how the death penalty doesn't solve anything. I won't post the entire interview, but here are some snippets:

Folio Weekly: What's your view of capital punishment?
Troy Victorino: My personal views are that it doesn't solve anything. It's just a way of murdering someone legally. There's no real sense to it. It doesn't solve any problems. It doesn't fix anything. It doesn't deter crime.

FW: Are you talking about revenge?
TV: Yeah. As long as the public cheers it on, they're not gonna stop it.

FW: You're saying it's not the actual lethal injection that's cruel and unusual, but simply undergoing execution?
TV: I think that anytime that you kill anyone, it's cruel and unusual. Especially if you lock them away for X amount of time and every day that person has to dwell on the day that they're gonna die. And people out there, cheering it on, the news broadcasting it all over, it's just a public spectacle. And I think it's more cruel in that sense than any other. Anytime you kill someone, there's a measure of cruelty. That's anything -- in any kind of homicide or killing.

How compelling. I especially loved the part where the murderer talks about how cruel it is to kill someone. Ain't that irony for you.

For those unfamiliar, here's what happened:

From the doorway, to the left, a 17-year-old lay in a recliner, legs draped across an ottoman. His head was crushed and his face, neck, chest and stomach stabbed. His wounds show he fought hard. He was a musician and an actor. His name was Jonathan Gleason.

A few feet away, a 34-year-old lay on the floor -- beaten in the face. He had left New York City to escape trouble and violence. His name was Anthony Vega.

Around the corner, past the closet, Vega's girlfriend was in a bedroom. She was stabbed behind her ear, and in her right breast and hip. Others in the home had been mutilated after they died. But this 19-year-old whose father called her "Princess" hung on for quite a while. While her heart continued to beat, they slit her throat, three times. That's all she could take. Her name was Michelle Ann Nathan.

Across the hall, lying in the doorway of the next bedroom was a 28-year-old. Like Vega and Gleason, he, too, fought. But he also suffered a similar fate. He was stabbed at least 15 times in his chest and 10 times in his stomach. But he died from being beaten in the head. His name was Roberto Gonzalez. His friends called him "Tito."

No single room held more death than the master bedroom. Next to flipped mattresses lay a 30-year-old from Puerto Rico, naked. Just one head wound stretched from his ear to his forehead. Teeth were knocked out. His throat cut. His name was Francisco Ayo-Roman. His friends called him "Flaco."

On the other side of the room, a limp brown figure lay. It was a dachshund named George. Someone had stomped his snout so many times it killed him. He lay next to his master, her legs half inside the bathroom, naked body halfway out. It's here Flaco's 22-year-old girlfriend offered up a final breath after suffering the most abuse of the six victims. Even after she died from the beatings and the cuts, her body had been sexually desecrated.


Her connection to another home had sparked trouble. She called the police after finding a man's belongings in her grandmother's home. There was a run-in, and then another. The man grew angrier and angrier. He wanted his stuff back. He wanted revenge. She didn't want a fight.

She wanted it to end, and this is how it did.

Her name was Erin Belanger. She was raped with a baseball bat.

Three other men were responsible for the murders besides Victorino: Robert Cannon, Jerone Hunter, and Michael Salas. But multiple people pointed to Victorino as the ringleader. He had it out for Erin Belanger.

Belanger had called the police when she discovered Victorino squatting in her grandmother's house. She removed his belongings from her "Nana's" house, including an Xbox. She kept it boxed up in her house and was willing to give it back to him. But Victorino was furious that she called the police on him, and the quest for revenge started.

He initially gathered six people to go by the house Belanger lived in, and a screaming match started. Belanger, terrified, called the police. Victorino and his group of thugs left, but not until they had slashed the tires of two cars. One of the people who participated, Nicole Kogut, told investigators:

"I was like, hold it, we did, just did like $500 worth of damage. And Troy's like, 'So? I want them dead.'"

So Victorino gathered some people and went to Wal-Mart to get his weapons of choice: baseball bats. He had accomplices. He had the tools. He planned the attack. Six people were soon to be brutally killed, and Victorino was found guilty and sentenced to the death penalty.

And like many murderers, much of Victorino's life has been a crime spree.

Before the Aug. 6, 2004, killings, eight of his last 11 years had been spent in prison -- six for beating a man so severely he needed 18 hours of reconstructive surgery. Victorino pummeled Michael Simpson for four to six minutes, records show, shoving a walking cane down his throat and knocking out three of his teeth. The reason for the violence: Simpson would later say he believed Victorino wanted his souped-up Honda CRX.

Behind bars, Victorino was still notorious. He was repeatedly disciplined in prison for fighting and generally being "a security threat," state documents show. One time in 2000, he was accused of hitting an inmate in the face with a lock after calling him a snitch. Locked up, he still had power -- he was the leader of a Latin Kings gang, state records show.

Most ordinary people would celebrate the fact that this violent monster is behind bars and will be put to death, never again able to inflict such pain and torture upon innocent people.

But not if you're a liberal.

If you're a liberal, you'll probably be howling about the injustice of the death penalty, and how cruel it is. I think beating and stabbing someone to death, only to then rape them with a baseball bat, is pretty damn cruel, too. And no matter what Troy Victorino or your local liberal rag might claim, the death penalty does deter crime. As far as I'm concerned, though, that is not why we put murderers to death. We put them to death because it is punishment. After you've brutally murdered six people, in addition to beating someone almost to death, I don't think you're in much of a position to point the finger about receiving a cruel and unusual death, nor to expect that you deserve a peaceful death in your sleep.

Will liberals ever understand this? Troy Victorino is just another murderer, and of course he's going to do all he can to try to avoid the death penalty. What's even more sickening is the liberals that enable him and others like him.

Somebody call a WAAAHmbulance!

Well, yet another newspaper hack is crying into his Kool-Aid about how the mean 'ole bloggers are ruining the newspaper industry:

==On if he considers going back to newspapers, or whether it's a dying industry:

"I don't believe that. All the newspaper industry has to do is connect itself better with the internet and guess what? People will read the newsaper on the internet, not rely so much on the paper copy and get with the internet age more so than it has. The foundation of the newspaper business... should never die. We shoud do all we can possible to make sure it lives in perpetuity because it’s extremely important with everything. It keeps radio and television on their ps and qs.

"And when you look at the internet business, what’s dangerous about it is that people who are clearly unqualified get to disseminate their piece to the masses. I respect the journalism industry, and the fact of the matter is ...someone with no training should not be allowed to have any kind of format whatsoever to disseminate to the masses to the level which they can. They are not trained. Not experts. More important are the level of ethics and integrity that comes along with the quote-unqoute profession hasn’t been firmly established and entrenched in the minds of those who’ve been given that license.

"Therefore, there’s a total disregard, a level of wrecklessness that ends up being a domino effect. And the people who suffer are the common viewers out there and, more importantly, those in the industry who haven’t been fortunate to get a radio or television deal and only rely on the written word. And now they’ve been sabotaged. Not because of me. Or like me. But because of the industry or the world has allowed the average joe to resemble a professional without any credentials whatsoever."

Gosh, imagine if regular Joes (or, well, I guess Janes) like me got to "disseminate our pieces to the masses". Why, it'd almost be anarchy! The world would come to an end! There would be no reliable news, anywhere! We have no ethics, no integrity! But more importantly... newspaper writers would be out of a job! WAAAAAAH!

Every time some MSM idiot tries to blame the blogosphere for the death knell sounding for Old Media, I both want to laugh and roll my eyes. Do they really believe what they're saying? Are they really that stupid and dense that they can't understand why it is regular people don't like your product anymore? What I especially love is how he cries that the public will be "forced" to read our unintelligent garbage.

Uh, news flash, buddy. There are not brain waves beaming out of my computer to force people to read this blog post. And I don't think any other blogger has quite been able to do that, either. See, the unwashed masses that MSM tools consider the public to be come and read this stuff of their own free will. All on their own. Isn't that amazing?

With that in mind, you would think that MSM hacks would stop and contemplate what it is, exactly, that is causing people to stop reading newspapers and watching CNN, and migrate to the blogosphere and to talk radio. But that would imply that they were willing to accept a deficiency in the Old Media, which they simply cannot do.

But luckily, us bloggers are usually more than happy to illustrate just what it is that is wrong with the MSM today.

Maybe people are fed up with lies and inaccuracies and unreliable sources. Maybe people are fed up with the rampant bias and agenda-pushing. Maybe people are fed up with hearing nothing but negativity about Iraq, the economy, the weather, the United States, and life in general. Maybe they're fed up with reporting that's closer to enemy propaganda than unbiased news. For more examples, maybe these MSM hacks should visit Newsbusters or Media Mythbusters. That could help shine a light into those dark corners.

Sorry, Mr. Stephen Smith, but people aren't tired of physically holding newspapers, as you suggested by saying that all newspapers needed to do to survive was move onto the internet. Old Media needs to change some things, fast, or they will end up obsolete, through no other fault but their own.

Old Media flakes like Mr. Smith here can whine about how us unintellingent, untrained, unethical idiots shouldn't be allowed to express our opinions of the world today all he wants. He can cry it's destroying an industry. But eventually, he and all the rest of them will discover that they are wrong, and if they want to save an industry, the only finger pointing they should be doing is towards a mirror.

Hat tip: Ace

Worst Quotes from the Kostards for 2007

2007 is almost over, and John Hawkins brings us an early Christmas present (or maybe it's more along the lines of a lump of coal... you decide) in the worst quotes from Daily Kos of 2007.

How he's able to pick just ten insane quotes from Daily Kos, I don't know. There's so much moonbattery, idiocy, paranoia, hatred, anger, and all around lunacy over there that I know I wouldn't be able to narrow it down to such a small list. The website would be hilarious (unintentionally so, of course) if the Kwazy Kos Kids weren't taken so damn seriously. Markos Moulitsas is one of the most powerful players in politics today. Democratic politicians regularly write for Daily Kos, and the Democratic presidential candidates couldn't get to the 2007 Yearly Kos convention fast enough. These raving moonbats are very influential, indeed, and they are definitely part of what has forced the Democratic Party to shift so dangerously far to the left.

I won't list all ten -- visit Right Wing News to see them all. But here are my favorites:

"I wrote a diary a short time ago about how the Bush administration helped ruin my marriage. It wasn't because my husband was a Bush supporter or anything...it was because of all the stresses from job loses, living without health insurance and getting sick, to my husband being forced to take a job where he wasn't home much that helped ruin my marriage." -- angrybird

I saw this quote as a perfect example of BDS today. Liberal Democrats hate President Bush so much, that often they will blame him for anything and everything that goes wrong in their lives. This Kostard's marriage didn't last, and what was the President supposed to do about that? Intervene for her? Personally make sure her husband gets a good job, and that they both stay employed, so neither one of them gets stressed out, ever? Last time I checked, marriage was considered to be "For better or for worse, in sickness and in health, til death shall we part", not "As long as we both have a job and health insurance, are healthy, and are not stressed out". But I must clearly be mistaken.

I often find BDS to be a crazy mix of paranoia, egotism, anger, lunacy, and narcissism, all rolled together into one mentally-challenged moonbat. And this wackjob shows that rather perfectly, I think.

"I know I’m a Jewish lesbian and (Ahmadinejad would) probably have me killed. But still, the guy speaks some blunt truths about the Bush Administration that make me swoon...

Okay, I admit it. Part of it is that he just looks cuddly. Possibly cuddly enough to turn me straight. I think he kind of looks like Kermit the Frog. Sort of. With smaller eyes. But that’s not all...

I want to be very clear. There are certainly many things about Ahmadinejad that I abhor — locking up dissidents, executing of gay folks, denying the fact of the Holocaust, potentially adding another dangerous nuclear power to the world and, in general, stifling democracy. Even still, I can’t help but be turned on by his frank rhetoric calling out the horrors of the Bush Administration and, for that matter, generations of US foreign policy preceding." -- sallykohn

This is, I think, another example of BDS gone rampant. A Jewish lesbian has "a crush" on Ahmadinejad because he doesn't like George Bush. The fact that he hates the President and the United States in general excuses every horrible thing he has done and will do, which she names herself! But hey, for a Kostard, as long as you hate George W. Bush and the U.S., you're A-OK with them. You can do whatever you want, as long as you make sure to call the United States the Great Satan fairly regularly and condemn anything President Bush does. Libs will be perfectly fine with that. Hate Dubya, and you can do anything. Moonbats will simply look the other way.

And for what it's worth, in my opinion, the fact that a monster like Ahmadinejad hates President Bush only makes me like the President even more.

"I have never in my 50 years of life been more frightened then I am now. I have seen the arrogance of this White House and the massive damage done to our country. But the Katrina-size storm clouds are gathering folks. If we do not wake up now and flood Congress to impeach the President and Vice President, one year from now, Daily Kos may be banned and Markos himself may be disappeared, in a federal prison somewhere.

....This is deadly serious folks. This is not just another diary. We ignore this threat at our own peril. I would suggest even I in writing articles like this and the many writers at Daily Kos are personally at risk of being arrested in a future dictatorial United States. The government will use these writings as an excuse to put us away.

....I say WAKE UP Daily Kos!! If the people at Daily Kos cannot take this seriously and try and do something about it, then the United States, as a free country IS doomed. Enjoy your freedom to read and write at such sites as Daily Kos, because that freedom will be taken away WHEN Bush declares martial law." -- slw0606

This is the kind of paranoia that runs rampant among the Kwazy Kos Kids, and among leftists in general. Sometimes I wonder if they honestly believe the things they write. Do these idiots really think that George Bush is going to declare martial law and refuse to give up the presidency? And what is it that makes them so damn paranoid? The ironic thing is that it isn't President Bush, or Republicans, or conservatives, seeking to censor and stifle opposing viewpoints. Its liberals and Democrats. You see it in the Fairness Doctrine; in the hatred towards Fox News and talk radio. You see it when Democrats riot against conservative speakers. They try to shut down opposing viewpoints constantly, but then tremble in their environmentally-friendly homes, fearful that Republicans are going to jail dissidents! I just find it hard to believe that they really believe what they are saying. But, when it comes to the Kostards, you never know.

"...We need to lose this war and not start the next one so that we can remain a free people. Diminished on the world stage? Perhaps, like Great Britain was diminished when it surrendered its colonial empire. But free." -- bluedogtxn

This is just another example of what every conservative already knows: they want the United States to fall. They claim they love their country. They claim to support the troops. But every leftist to say so is lying. They don't support our troops, and their allegiance is to the U.N., not the United States. Cheering for an Iraq defeat is not unusual over at Daily Kos by any means, sadly enough. I just can't help but wonder why it is that Democrats and liberals have to be so anti-United States, anti-war, anti-military. Almost every Democrat will probably name JFK and FDR as heroes of theirs, but those men were decidedly not anti-United States and not anti-military. They were willing to stand up and fight for their country, a country they loved. Leftists today hate America and love globalism. For them, we should be kneeling at the altar of the U.N. and the world leaders presiding there.

To see what the other winners were, including the number one quote (a quote that to this day makes me furious!), head on over to Right Wing News. Knowing your enemy is the best way to defeat them, so make sure to get familiar.

So, the Army got spanked...

38 - 3. I know, I know. There was much sadness when I saw that. But hey, we know who the real ass-kickers are off the field, right? ;)

And this video still makes me laugh!

Another global warming tragedy

If by tragedy, you mean yet another example of how global warming is all a giant scam, and people who keep doing stuff like this, and end up making idiots out of themselves, only to prove their own theory wrong.

These are not the first people to try and prove that global warming is true by hiking through the Arctic, where the polar ice is supposedly melting.

The result, however, is the same (emphasis mine):

A North Pole expedition meant to bring attention to global warming was called off after one of the explorers got frostbite. The explorers, Ann Bancroft and Liv Arnesen, on Saturday called off what was intended to be a 530-mile trek across the Arctic Ocean after Arnesen suffered frostbite in three of her toes, and extreme cold temperatures drained the batteries in some of their electronic equipment.

"Ann said losing toes and going forward at all costs was never part of the journey," said Ann Atwood, who helped organize the expedition.

But the latest trek got off to a bad start. The day they set off from Ward Hunt Island, a plane landing near the women hit their gear, punching a hole in Bancroft's sled and damaging one of Arnesen's snowshoes.

They repaired the snowshoe with binding from a ski, but Atwood said the patch job created pressure on Arnesen's left foot, which led to blisters that then turned into frostbite.

Then there was the cold _ quite a bit colder, Atwood said, then Bancroft and Arnesen had expected. One night they measured the temperature inside their tent at 58 degrees below zero, and outside temperatures were exceeding 100 below zero at times, Atwood said.

"My first reaction when they called to say there were calling it off was that they just sounded really, really cold," Atwood said.

She said Bancroft and Arnesen were applying hot water bottles to Arnesen's foot every night, but had to wake up periodically because the bottles froze.

The explorers had planned to call in regular updates to school groups by satellite phone, and had planned online posts with photographic evidence of global warming. In contrast to Bancroft's 1986 trek across the Arctic with fellow Minnesota explorer Will Steger, this time she and Arnesen were prepared to don body suits and swim through areas where polar ice has melted.

Atwood said there was some irony that a trip to call attention to global warming was scuttled in part by extreme cold temperatures.

"They were experiencing temperatures that weren't expected with global warming," Atwood said. "But one of the things we see with global warming is unpredictability."

See, one of the things that comes with global warming is unpredictability -- now I get it! Extreme cold = global warming. Lots of hurricanes = global warming. No hurricanes = global warming. Blizzards = global warming. Any kind of weather, anywhere, is caused by global warming!

What I can't help but wonder about is how these out-to-prove-global-warming-true-explorers (and these two are definitely not the first ones, and probably won't be the last) ever thought anything different would happen. I mean, when they sat around thinking about swimming through the arctic circle, did they really believe their own propaganda, and think they wouldn't freeze? And even if they did believe their own propaganda, why did they not realize the game was up when their gear froze?

Maybe then they just sat around and started praying to the Goracle. Instead of facing Mecca, they face Malibu. Global warming and environmentalism is the religion of choice for moonbats, after all.

A good quote from American Thinker:

I hope the two recover fully and come to realize that it can still be really, really cold in the arctic, no matter what Al Gore tells them.

...

I hope they are now letting those school groups know that it is foolish to plan to swim in the Arctic beacuse it gets really, really cold there.

Hat Tip: Moonbattery.