Thursday, December 30, 2004

Go Read

The Diplomadic has a GREAT post regarding the UN, American "stinginess", and the press. Go read. Now.


H/t smalldeadanimals

Barbara Streistand is a moron

But, why bother formulating an argument for her moronhood, she does my job for me? This from her "blog":

The idea of a liberal media bias is simply a myth. If only it were true, we might have a more humane, open-minded, and ultimately effective public debate on the issues facing the country. We may actually embrace the principles of liberalism, instead of using it as a tool to divide the nation. Everything good that has happened in this country is founded on the ideology of liberalism. Liberals in the past were liberators who fought for a woman's right to vote, and fought to end segregation in the United States and then to end apartheid in South Africa. Thanks to liberals, today we have public education, Social Security, Medicare and Medicaid, environmental protection laws, a minimum wage law...among many other wonderful programs



Really, I just don't know where to start. It's ... overwhelming. I will, though, take a moment to thank Liberals for that Public Education thing ... here in Detroit, the School is $200 MILLION in the hole, and sends something like 20% of it's graduates to college. WAY TO GO!

I do this, because I CAN

Now that I have my own blog, I can rip on Margaret Cho anytime I want. And the time is now. On her blog (no link for you, but it's easy to find) she blabs about how she saw, for the first time recently, one of the beheading videos. Now, here is a moment where she could see the barbarity of the enemy we are facing. I mean, after all ... people just don't go around BEHEADING each other around here (unless they are psychopaths.) But, alas, Margaret came away with something different. You wanna bet upon viewing she was able to rail against our government? Oh, now that was a gimme, now wasn't it? The sight of an AMERICAN beheading causes her to wax poetic as follows:

I must also grieve for Tawid and Jihad, that our actions led to their inestimable anger. I beat my chest and cry out hardest of all for our country, with its government so far from its people that most of us cannot see why anyone might want to harm us, take us hostage, fly planes into our towers, kill us and die trying. Most of us don't even know why, which is the saddest fact of all.

We are like the headless corpse, confused and swiping at the air for clues, for understanding. As we bleed from our mortal wound we flail for mercy and answers with eyes and ears missing, cut off. We are removed from our sense of self, conscience, purpose, but it isn't the fault of the body, slowly starting to slip away into death. We have lost our head, or it has been taken from us, along with our voices, our reason, our control. All that is left is dissipating strength and a heart that will soon cease to beat.


Oh, I grieve for Tawid and Jihad too ... that our actions (of freedom for women and gays, which Cho is supposedly big on) cause them so much frustration. Yes, it gets those jihadest really really mad when they see women walking in the streets unaccompanied by men, or voting, or working, or expressing an opinion. I feel for them, really. I swear, can you believe that women want to be considered more than a third of a person? Bah.

I bleed for you, Margaret ... that you are so absorbed in your own little world that you don't realize that there are those of us who are EDUCATED and informed, and we don't buy your crap. If anyone is a bodiless corpse, it's looney leftist moonbats like yourself Now go read some Victor David Hanson (link is below.) He really addresses today's column to your sort (if you can understand what he is saying, that is.)

Weekly VDH worship

It must be done, and usually once a week, but Victor David Hanson is just too good to be ignored. In today's NRO column, he has this gem:

We may still rant about the American rejection of Kyoto. But is anyone alarmed over the hundreds of coal plants sprouting up in India and China to ensure billions of people that there will be enough energy for a possible future lifestyle of the type we now take for granted in Santa Barbara and Nantucket? In short, we will soon enter an age in which China may well change the world's environment, affect the price of oil, and govern the world's trade as much as the United States — and will care almost nothing about what Western liberals say, secure either that its fraying socialist veneer or sheer size and power will earn it a pass from the censure of Western intellectuals.

If we thought indigenous liberationist movements of the Islamic world — who have beheaded and killed to be free of Western religious tolerance, equity for women and homosexuals, and voting and human rights — put an enormous strain on the ossified Left, wait until Mao's old socialist utopia begins to send ultimatums to the democracies of the Philippines, Japan, Taiwan, and South Korea. What will Earth First do when this socialist behemoth sprouts its oil rigs in the Arctic tundra and pristine seas?


This is what has always amazed me - the utter intellectual isolation in which many American liberals seem to be living in. While they view the American Great Satan as the source of all evil, they seem utterly unable to see REAL evil. The isolated offenses that occur here, somehow block out the widespread offenses elsewhere. One gay man can be murdered in the US, and it's proof that the whole country hates gays. In Iran, gay men get beheaded as POLICY (but it's just a different culture, you understand.) It will be interesting to see if the liberal line will change as China starts flexing it's world muscles. When China is the biggest polluter, will we see tree huggers in the trees in Beijing? I don't think so. Who, really, is the great Satan? Societies that allow their uniformed zealots to march in the streets, or those that just shoot into the crowds? When will liberals learn that it is the great FREEDOM that we have here, in America, that makes us different. Their freedom to be loony, and freedom for the rest of us to be productive and happy.

Wednesday, December 29, 2004

Let the Sniping begin

In another incident of unwavering non-partisianship (cough cough) the Washington Post writes:

Although U.N. Emergency Relief Coordinator Jan Egeland yesterday withdrew his earlier comment, domestic criticism of Bush continued to rise. Skeptics said the initial aid sums -- as well as Bush's decision at first to remain cloistered on his Texas ranch for the Christmas holiday rather than speak in person about the tragedy -- showed scant appreciation for the magnitude of suffering and for the rescue and rebuilding work facing such nations as Sri Lanka, India, Thailand and Indonesia.
After a day of repeated inquiries from reporters about his public absence, Bush late yesterday afternoon announced plans to hold a National Security Council meeting by teleconference to discuss several issues, including the tsunami, followed by a short public statement.
Bush's deepened public involvement puts him more in line with other world figures. In Germany, Chancellor Gerhard Schroeder cut short his vacation and returned to work in Berlin because of the Indian Ocean crisis, which began with a gigantic underwater earthquake.


There were a bevy of such stories this morning. How COLD of Bush to remain at his WORKING ranch, while Shroeder cancelled his trip OUT OF COUNTRY. You know, there are two types of politicians (oh, heck, I'm sure there are more than two types, but for simplicity's sake, just go with it.) Type one cares first about posturing for the camera. Who make sure that their EVERY positive action is seen by everyone. And then there are those who care FIRST about action, and only later are concerned with how the public perceives it. This was not a time for Bush to come out and calm our population (since, unlike Germany's possible 1,000 dead, we have very few victims of the tsunami.) 9/11 ... Bush was there. But now, the people who were suffering most likely don't even have television access. It would have been pure posturing. Bush acted behind the scenes.

I also find the list of aid pledged very interesting, and am very proud to call the Australians our allies. Some highlights :

AUSTRALIA: Increased aid to $27 million and said it, the United States, Japan and India were considering setting up a group to coordinate help. Also sent five air force transport planes with supplies and medical specialists to Sumatra, and two 15-member emergency medical teams and 12 police to Phuket.

BRITAIN: Pledged 15 million pounds ($28.9 million); plastic sheets and tents worth 250,000 pounds to Sri Lanka; 370,000 pounds to EU aid offer, $100,000 to World Health Organisation.

DENMARK: Increased aid pledge to 85 million Danish crowns ($15.6 million) after spending almost all initial 10 million crowns pledged. Aid to cover -- medical supplies, food, water, shelter, reconstruction.

FRANCE: 15 million euros pledged to affected states in Southeast Asia. French authorities and aid groups decide to send 110 tonnes of aid.

GERMANY: Doubling emergency aid to 2 million euros. Air force medical evacuation plane to set off for Phuket, two more planes chartered to take disaster relief teams, medicine and consular officials there. Germany's largest utility E.ON donates 1 million euros.

JAPAN: Pledged $30 million in aid, sent three navy vessels to Thailand to help rescue survivors.

KUWAIT: Pledged aid supplies worth $2 million, sent $100,000 immediate aid.

NORWAY: Preliminary contribution of 50 million Norwegian crowns ($8.2 million) for emergency relief, including medicine, food, clean water and shelter.

QATAR - Sent urgent relief aid worth $10 million.

SAUDI ARABIA: Pledged $10 million aid package -- $5 million of food, tents and medicine to be distributed via Saudi Red Crescent, $5 million for international aid groups such as the Red Cross and U.N. High Commissioner for Refugees.

UNITED STATES: Pledged initial $35 million. Pentagon ordered 12 vessels to region, though no decision taken on their role.


Yesterday, France was reporting only a little over 1 million (American) aid ... and I've seen other numbers, but I'll go with the above number and say good job. Of course, not included is all the aid given freely out of the pockets of normal citizens ...Amazon is collecting funds for the Red Cross, and that effort alone has raised already $2 Million (in a DAY.) I see no reason why everyone can't give at least a few bucks.

H/t:captainsquarters

Tuesday, December 28, 2004

The Incredibles and Ann Rand

SondraK mentions that when she went to see The Incredibles she was struck by the Objectivist theme throughout the movie. Now, I hadn't seen "that", but of course I was in and out of the theater during the movie with my two-year-old son Ethan (sigh, the other children enjoyed it.) SondraK linked a great article that discusses in depth the themes presented in the movie that basically scream out as Rand-inspired. Reading the article was pretty much a "duh" moment for me ... but in my defense ... Ethan, etc. I've only read one Rand book (Fountainhead, just this past year), and afterwards was pretty excited to discuss it's themes. This desire has yet gone unfulfilled. Has The Incredibles brought Rand to the masses?

For those keeping track

US aid pledge- $15 million

Canada- $1 million
Germany -$1 million
Spain- $1 million
Ireland-$1 million
Belgium-$1 million

In the article (link in the title) some UN weenie says that Americans are being stingy (because we need to be taxed more, you see, so we can give even more aid payola). Yea. Ok. Whatever. I need to go look for those figures on how Americans give (on average) to charity more than any other people.

I hate to get political with a tragedy such as this. But, it is in times such as this that America steps up to the plate (which is promptly forgotten by the rest of the world). That $15 million is intended as initial relief, and Colin Powell suggested that more aid would be available. This has wrecked death that I can't even wrap my brain around, and I pray for those who have lost loved ones, and entire families. And I pray for those who are trying to live under what must seem like apocalyptic conditions.

H/t Ace

Thursday, December 23, 2004

Word of the day

Socialism (izm), n. an economic system based on public ownership of the means of production, distribution, and communication, as land, mineral resources, basic industries, railroads, public utilities, etc: the theory or principles of such a system. (Webster's)

Notice how much "nicer" this sounds than Fascism? "Public Ownership" (unlike that nasty sounding "government control" in fascism) ... that means you and me. We would own EVERYTHING- the factories, the media, means of transportation. isn't that GREAT? Now ... who runs it?

Oh, never mind.

Wednesday, December 22, 2004

Beer Cake?

I like beer just as must as the next gal (preferable a nice German variety.) But, this just doesn't sound right.


At least we don't have a GIANT BROWN CLOUD

The US is the whipping boy for all the world's ills. We're aggressive, greedy, and pollute the World. Well, at least we don't have a BIG ASS BROWN CLOUD over our country.

H/t Interested-Participant via this week's Bonfire of the Vanities (edit - I should add, I FOUND "interested-participant" via the Bonfire.)

Tuesday, December 21, 2004

Movie Bleg- "Ju-On"

If ANYONE has any idea what the movie "Ju-On" was about, please fill me in. I mean, I get the whole deal about there being some sort of grudge, and anyone who has anything to do with this house disappears. But, the ending. I don't get it. Was it NOT the wife the whole time that was killing people? Maybe I drank too much wine while watching, but the ending lost me.

Cuba gets ready

For what, you might ask? Well, for the US invasion, of course. This from the Detroit News:

Cubans awaoke to air raid sirens Sunday and practiced shooting and doing duck-and-cover drills as the communist nation wrapped up a week of defense exercises to prepare for any possible attack by the United States.


A week of these exercises? REally, if we invaded Cuba, it wouldn't take a week. But, you know Fidel, whatever floats your boat (oops, sorry, poor choice of words?) But, really the report gets BETTER :

The activities, called teh Strategic Bastion 2004 Exercise, were intended as an evaluation of how prepared Cuba is to face military attack during a second term by President Bush.


Ah ... I understand now. Sounds like Fidel has a bit of that PEST virus.

Monday, December 20, 2004

Ali

I wish I knew what Ali was talking about when he posted this:

" When are both sides going to realize that it's not only about them! That there are millions of Iraqis, Afghanis, Iranians..Etc who are suffering daily and who are trying to find a solution and a way to achieve their dreams (with the help they are getting from America) and who do not have the slightest interest in supporting any party in America. The world is bigger than you and your partisan conflicts and frankly I'm getting sick of it. Take this crap somewhere else and leave us alone! We have enough problems to deal with and we are not interested in supporting any party anwhere, as simply we cannot afford the time or the effort."

It appears that Ali will no longer be posting on Iraqi the Model, and that is a shame. But, still, I wish I knew what he was talking about. While I understand his desire to stay out of American politics (to remain focused on Iraqi concerns), there is something to be said for "using" the brothers to increase the support for US actions in Iraq. Is this 'using' them for purely selfish (Republican) motives? Only if you think what we - and the Bush administration- are doing there is wrong. We have the continual drumbeat of how "wrong" our actions are; how democracy cannot be established in the Middle East, etc- and to have the voice of Iraqi's who are committed to democracy is invaluable.

Saturday, December 18, 2004

A little Christmas present

A little early Christmas present in the form of a GREATarticle by Victor David Hanson (not a member of the Hanson Brothers, btw.) I have this little fantasy where Jeanine Garafalo is doing her schtick, and V. D. Hanson walks in and starts schooling her. I have other fantasies, but none of them involve Garafalo, and really don't pertain to the topic at hand.

But, back to the politics, the main thrust Hanson makes is that there are "fundamental flaws" in the left's current ideology. Flaws such as putting good intentions over truth, and forced equality over liberty and freedom. These flaws have led them to "virtual incoherence."

A few golden nuggets:

"So both here and abroad, the Western public believes that there is a double standard in the moral judgment of our left-leaning media, universities, and politicians that we are not to supposed to ask how Christians are treated in Muslim societies, only how free Islamists in Western mosques are to damn their hosts; or that we are to think beheading, suicide murdering, and car bombing moral equivalents to the sexual humiliation and roguery of Abu Ghraib apparently because the former involves post-colonial victims and the latter privileged, exploitive Americans. Most sane people, however, privately disagree, and distinguish between a civilian's head rolling on the ground and a snap shot of an American guard pointing at the genitalia of her terrorist ward."


And this :

Similarly, Nobel Prizes increasingly go to either unsavory or unhinged characters. Yasser Arafat was a known killer and terrorist, not a global peacemaker. Wangari Maathai's public statements about AIDS are puerile and ipso facto would have eliminated any Westerner from consideration for anything. Rigoberta Menchu Tum herself was a half-truth, her story mostly a creation of a westernized academic publishing elite. Jimmy Carter's 2002 award was not predicated on his past work on housing for the poor, but his critically timed and calculated opposition to George W. Bush's effort to topple Saddam Hussein as was confirmed by the receptive Nobel Committee itself. Recent winners Kofi Annan and Kim Dae-jung are now better known for having their own sons involved in influence-peddling and bribery while they oversaw bureaucrats who trafficked in millions with unsavory murderers like Kim Jong-Il and Saddam Hussein. In short, such an august prize has come a long way from Mother Teresa and Martin Luther King Jr. and precisely because it has privileged leftist rhetoric over real morality.


As they say, read it all.

My white lights do NOT suck


DSC00202
Originally uploaded by Carinroz.



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Friday, December 17, 2004

Recommendations for "Blue" blue staters

Wiltondemocrats.org (no link offered by me) has a nice laundry list of recommendations of things people should do before the Inauguration in January. And, sadly, I don't believe this is a parody.

Some things to Do Before the Inaugural:

1. Get that abortion you've always wanted.

2. Drink a nice clean glass of water.

3. Cash your social security check.

4. See a doctor of your own choosing.

5. Spend quality time with your draft age child/grandchild.

6. Visit Syria, or any foreign country for that matter.

7. Get that gas mask you've been putting off buying.

8. Hoard gasoline.

10. Borrow books from library before they're banned - Constitutional
law books, Catcher in the Rye, Harry Potter, Tropic of Cancer,
etc.

11. If you have an idea for an art piece involving a crucifix - do it
now.

12. Come out - then go back in - HURRY!

13. Jam in all the Alzheimer's stem cell research you can.

14. Stay out late before the curfews start.

16. Go see Bruce Springsteen before he has his "accident".

17. Go see Mount Rushmore before the Reagan addition.

18. Use the phrase - "you can't do that - this is America".

19. If you're white - marry a black person, if you're black - marry a
white person.

21. Take a walk in Yosemite, without being hit by a snowmobile or a
base-jumper.

22. Enroll your kid in an accelerated art or music class.

23. Start your school day without a prayer.

24. Pass on the secrets of evolution to future generations.

26. Learn French.

28. Attend a commitment ceremony with your gay friends.

29. Take a factory tour anywhere in the US.

30. Try to take photographs of animals on the endangered species list.

31. Visit Florida before the polar ice caps melt.

32. Visit Nevada before it becomes radioactive.

33. Visit Alaska before "The Big Spill".

34. Visit Massachusetts while it is still a State.

This outta keep 'em all busy for a while. The American Spectator has a good response.

h/t Curmudgeonly & Skeptical

Word of the Day

Fascism (fash/ism), n. the doctrine of the Facisti: (f-), a centralized system of government which exercises absolute control over industry, and which advocates strong national policies, regulates all news and suppresses opposition. (Webster's New School and Office Dictionary. )

Thursday, December 16, 2004

Canada on missile defense, war dodgers

Paul Martin announced today the he's not gonna participate, either financially or structurally, with Bush's missile defense plan. He doesn't want to join in on "continental" defense, despite the fact that I believe Canada is actually on the same continent as the US. Martin said that he wanted to spend money on Canadian priorities, and missile defense is not one of these priorities.

Well, I mean, why buy the cow, when you can get the milk for free. Would the US stand by if Canada was being attacked? Of course, this begs the question, who would attack Canada? Really, Canada can just say no to all this stuff, happily secure in the notion that they can never be forcibly removed for North America, and thus will always exist safely in our shadow (did I say that out loud?)

Martin went on to say that Canada would be a haven for all of our military deserters- he welcomes them with open arms. You know what? I'm fine with this. While it galls me that Canada thinks nothing of our laws, and society ... the thought that we would be RID of these people outweighs my reservations. Fly, be free you little pansy asses. Take an extra coat.

Chevy F'ing Chase

Well, really, it's not as if it came as some big surprise.

Fallen Hero

This is a story not to be missed; of a hero so amazing that I dare you to not get a tear in your eye. It is a story that will cause love of country, and love of the men who serve to make you want to do something like this.

h/t-littlegreenfottballs

For those without children

You know, they said DVDs were superior to VHS tape, because they would last FOREVER. Oh, yes, they threw in the fact that the image quality would be better, bla bla bla, but the sold me on the idea that these babies were heavy duty. For years and years, I would be able to review, and rewatch, Mr Darcy diving into that pond. Or George (from "Room with a View") running around 'au natural'.

Then, came THEM. Fruit of my womb? I call 'em DVD wreckers. Listen to me, and listen good ... when you have children, don't put away the crystal ... put away YOUR DVDs. Because they will go through 'em like Micheal Moore and Big Macs.

Just a word of warning.

Quiz

Did I get the just released, extended version, "Lord of the Rings: Return of the Kind" DVD for my husband, or myself? Sure, it will be wrapped under the tree, with his name on it. But is it shamelessly self-serving to have bought it, under pretense, for him? Was this WRONG?

I thought not.

Monday, December 13, 2004

Christmas books

I love giving books, but I rarely GET the books I want (which are often the books I give out -TAKE A HINT people.) Anyway - here is a list of books that I'm giving, BUT I REALLY WANT FOR MYSELF.

"The Case For Democracy: The Power of Freedom to Overcome Tyranny and Terror" by Natan Sharansky. Sharansky was a Soviet political prisoner for 9 years, and writes of the struggle for Democracy. It was on the reading list of Bush and Condi, so that's good enough for me.

"Anti-Americanism" by Jean Francois Revel. Basically a book on why the French (and Europeans) hate us. I got my BIL this book last year, and he said it was excellent. Numerous suggestions to him that he loan it to me have gone unanswered. Oh well. I'm getting it for my dad.

"State of Fear", by Micheal Crichton. I find it interesting that Amazon hasn't posted any of the "professional" reviews for this book. Could it be that they don't want to go into it's premise? From what I gather, the book is a tale of shoddy science and evironmentalists, and based on the speech that Crichton gave, I would say that he is VERY un-PC. It's a GREAT speech/essay, by the way, if you haven't read it.

This book is for my mom. It's a book of Bob Dylon's lyrics, and since SonofNixon has lifted his ban, I figured it's ok to list it here. NOTE, I do NOT want this book. I'm just listing it, because it's in with all the other holiday books I bought.

"The Gallery of Regrettable Food", by James Lileks is for my brother-in-law (who is heading to Iraq in January). Funny funny fun-fun. I tried to describe the book, and Lileks ... but words fail me. Visit his website, and you'll get the idea. The book would made a GREAT gift, which is why I've added it to my gift-giving collection.

"His Dark Materials Trilogy: The Golden Compass/The Subtle Knife/The Amber Spyglass" (box set), by Philip Pullman is for my nephew. It was mentioned by someone the other day as just being fabulous, and I want to read it. But, now is NOT the season to order for oneself, so I will get it for my nephew, and then ask to read it when he's done.

Ah, if feels SO much better to give, than to receive. It really does.

North Korea: a nice place to live.

You know, I always get a kick out of these North Korean rants. From an AP story (link it title) :

"The United States had launched a psychological campaign to persuade people there was a crisis in the communist North, including mass defections by generals to China, the ministry said in a lengthy English-language statement."

Our "psychological campaign" has caused them reconsider participating in multinational talks with the US. We're just so MEAN.

"The U.S. false propaganda and psychological operation aimed to slander the DPRK and finally realize a regime change there have, in actuality, gone beyond the tolerance limit," it said, using some of the toughest rhetoric in recent months.

"Quite contrary to what the U.S. claimed, not even a button of a general officer's uniform, to say nothing of more than a hundred of general officers, has ever been found across the border," it said. "We do not know such a word as defection.

Nope, no one has left the country. No one has even THOUGHT about leaving the Paradise that is North Korea. When is Oliver Stone gonna do a movie about these people?

Sunday, December 12, 2004

Sunday in Jesusland

In honor of the holy day, no blogging. Instead, I worshipped at the House of Capitalism (after Church, of course). Time was running out- sacrificing had to be made. Today was a complete day of Christmas shopping. I am so done.

Saturday, December 11, 2004

Ahh

I just cleansed my brain of 'He-who-shall-not-be-mentioned' anymore by reading Chris Muir's "Day by Day." Ahh. Go read it yourself -here.

How Unfunny?

Garry Trudeau is untouchable. No matter how bad or biased he has become, he still holds his job- getting paid to write the tired, predictable, elitist merde "Doonesbury".

Today's comic genius: (hold onto your seat, because you might just laugh yourself off of your chair) "Doonesbury" character Roland is traveling to report from a "dusty backwater with inedible food, and incomprehensible culture and hordes of hostile fundamentalists." Is he going to Fallujah? No (now here's the ha ha) - he's going to some RED STATE.

Get it? Isn't that just the most imaginative, funniest thing EVER that you have read? See - Red States - you know, Ohio ... Tennessee ... Georgia (I could go on and on listing them, since they outnumber the Blue states) - we're hostile fundamentalists, because we blow ourselves up for Jesus so we can go to paradise and be with 72 Virgins. Oh, wait, we don't do that. Uhm ... well, we behead environmentalists ... yes, I 'm sure we do that, right? Oh, drat, we don't do that either. WELL, certainly we stone to death gays, non-believers, and those who have had abortions. Man, I can't get anything right today, can I?

Humn ... next: comprehensible culture. You mean, Red Staters have culture? I think he's wrong about that- because certainly anyone living outside of New York City had absolutely NO culture, right? We all just shop at Wal-Mart and watch TV all day (Nascar, of course.) And this really ties into the "inedible food"- because we just all eat fried food around here. That explains why we're all FAT.

Oh, that Garry ... he SO understands those Red States.

Friday, December 10, 2004

Haloscan commenting and trackback have been added to this blog.

Are Europeans the Ents?

Another GREAT article by Victor David Hanson. He asks if the Europeans are like the Ents; will they rise to the challenges brought forth by radical Muslims? The following really struck me (but read the entire article):

"But gut-check time is coming for Europe, with its own rising unassimilated immigrant populations, rogue mosques entirely bent on destroying the West, declining birth rate and rising entitlements, the Turkish question, and a foreign policy whose appeasement of Arab regimes won it only a brief lull and plenty of humiliation. The radical Muslim world of the madrassas hates the United States because it is liberal and powerful; but it utterly despises Europe because it is even more liberal and far weaker, earning the continent not fear, but contempt."

A snide Canadian recently commented on another blog
that Canada hadn't been attacked on 9/11. Well, buddy - you want to know why? Read the above. They don't like you ANY better, they just don't see you as a threat.

Thursday, December 09, 2004

A Quandry

Blog or exercise?

Kids for sale, cheap

Anyone want 'em? Right now, I might just take the best offer thrown my way.

Really, I blame the City of Detroit (where I live.) See the schools are SO CRAPPY here, I am forced to homeschool. You guys all saw "Eight Mile", right? Seriously ... would you want your child to turn into the next Eminem? Without the drug addicted mom living in a trailer park, of course. But, still ... (shudder.) Although -he did technically not grow up IN Detroit - he was North of Eight Mile ... I am South.

So, back to the subject,the schools are so awfully horrendous, that only a kookie-crazy person would send their kids there Since I am NOT a kookie-crazy person, and since we currently are stuck here in Detroit ... I homeschool. And that has lead to me being surrounded by my children ALL day long (and thus my desire to sell them.

And HAVE they done school today? I think not. Right now, they are actually HIDING in the laundry room from me. Arg. Taking offers. Shipping included.

Wednesday, December 08, 2004

10 Most Fascinating People

Ok, now how much do I hate these lists? Usually I'm able to completely ignore them, but this year ... I ... just ... can't.

Oprah. Ok, now what is interesting about her? She's really rich, she been doing exactly the same thing for I don't know HOW many years (15? 20?) I have no idea, because I haven't watched her show since I was in college ...which was a WHILE ago. She loses weight, she gains weight. You know, I'm just not that fascinated in the trials and tribulations of wealthy famous people.

Paris Hilton. LORD HELP ME. What's so fascinating about a skank?

Michael Moore. As if we hadn't heard HIS name enough this year.

Usher? And he is who?

Donald Trump - once again, we're supposed to be interested in him because...? I've never watched his show (and rather proud of that fact.)

Mel Gibson - Not as bad - because that whole "Passion" thing was pretty interesting. But certainly we could come up with a better list? Some people that were -actually - fascinating? AFter all that has happened in the last year - we get this list composed mostly of people that grace the pages of "People" magazine. Well, I don't read "People" ... or EW, or anything else like this. Matter of fact, I'm pretty sick of the whole glorification of Hollywood stars in general.

Comet

Not the reindeer ... but the kind that flies through the night sky. A Comet will be visible in the sky through January! Kinda neat, huh?

Campus Bias

Bruce Bartlett writes for NRO about the state of conservatives on the College campus (link in title). Anyone that went to college can attest to the overwhelmingly liberal influence. Question is ... can I homeschool my kids through college?

I say this in a joking manner, but in all honestly, sometimes I wonder what the heck I learned in college? All those student loans, for what? I can count on ONE hand the courses that were valuable to me. Particularly wasteful, was a writing prof who gave "A's" to pretty blonds who wrote poetry about sex. A college education has become such a rubber stamp. An "industry." Now I'm depressed.

17 Shopping Days Left

And I have yet to start. Yikes. Never fear, Amazon is here! Internet shopping was the greatest invention for moms of young children. Or, the elderly. Or those who work over 50 hours a week. Heck, internet shopping is perfect for everyone who hates shopping malls. I have just about everything picked out, and placed in my shopping cart. Ahhh. All that is missing from the experience is the trip to the overprice-mall-coffee shop and one of those salted pretzels. Oh, and those mall-cookies are sometimes good too.

I still have to tackle the children, but for them I take a minimalist approach. They're each going to get one "biggish" thing, and a set of books. NO VIDEO GAMES. Since I homeschool, and since homeschooling takes dramatically less time that traditional schooling, my kids have a lot of extra time, and nothing puts me in a worse mood than watching them play some game all day long.

Not to go off on a tangent (but I'm going to) - Last summer, I would take the whole gang for a walk, or a bike ride, around the neighborhood ... and we would go for blocks and blocks w/o seeing a single child. NONE. where have all the children gone? Sadly, I feared they were all inside ... playing video games. I couldn't prove it, since I didn't go barging in and investigate for myself. But, they had to be somewhere, and they weren't outside. You tell me where they were.

Regardless ... I might be wrong. They might have all been inside reading a book. OR, maybe they were all walking at the same time, and they were on another block? But, I'm going to do what I can to discourage the practice in my house, and there will be no video games given this Christmas. Bah. Humbug.

Tuesday, December 07, 2004

Cat Blogging


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Originally uploaded by Carinroz.
In an effort to be as inclusive as possible - here is Cosmo (from a year old, so he's bigger now.)

Dog Blogging


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Originally uploaded by Carinroz.
Well, since I have no readers - I might as well put up a picture of my beautiful dog Greta.

Blogging makes my head hurt

Well, not really. But, there appears to be an "information overload factor" trying to figure these things out.

Hypothetical question

If you have a blog, and no one reads it ... does it really exist? I would go and tell my friends and family about it (this), but -really- isn't that SO MUCH more pathetic?? Please, go read my blog ... ugh.

Reasons to blog. This question has been tackled by many. My reason (for this three-day -old blog) are pretty mundane. I homeschool - which leads to hours upon hours of basically sitting here, next to my children, while they do their reading writing, and 'rithmatic. If I leave (to cook or clean), my children quickly find other things to do. Usually, they start wrestling (which ALWAYS ends with one of them getting hurt.) So after months and months of political reading - and emailing to friends who usually weren't interested in what I found - I became addicted to the blogs. I LOVE them. I love reading them, I often like commenting. I'm basically a pest with no life. Well, that is my perception at least. So, in conclusion, I just need some sort of outlet (for the crap I find.) It would be nice if there were people reading ... but since THAT is not the case, at least it keeps me occupied.

Smooth Sailing

All is well in my little homeschool today :) My minions are all reading, and coloring. Ahhh. The perfect day, is when they are "done" (or almost done), by noon. It's 11:55, and they are well on their way. Yes.

Monday, December 06, 2004

White Lights?

White lights versus Colored lights? Which is better? SOME people have pretty strong feelings on the matter.

Actually, I'm irritated by the whole question. If someone goes through the trouble of buying lights and assorted crap, and braves the cold (here in the North) to put them up and out ... they get credit in my book.

As an aside, an ENTIRE street of white lights is kinda boring. Mix it UP, people.

News from the North

Huh ... this doesn't give me the warm fuzzzies- CBC news is reporting that there are 1000 missing uniforms and security badges

"The minister alerted Canada's airport screeners to double-check airport employee identification in all 89 airports and said Canadians have nothing to worry about at this moment. After the attacks on Sept. 11, Ottawa invested billions of dollars to improve airport security, although Americans often view Canada's airport security as lax."

But, don't worry ... CANADIANS have nothing to worry about. Some of the stuff has turned up on Ebay ( I don't know if this is good or bad.)

A Music Break

I just can't get enough of William Shatner's Common People . I. Just. Love. It.

Spacemonkey is too funny

He's trying to harass me into blogging. But, this is a warning ... *if* I blog ... many will suffer. Who? Well, all the blogs I read, of course! Can everyone stand for their daily hits to plummet? Times are hard. The election is over, and many are suffering from a disappointing "deflation" of their readership.

Of course, perhaps it will be a good thing, because I will have less time to bug people. Yes, yes, this might be a good thing.

Friday, October 15, 2004

Well, this sucks

I can't even figure out how to get my stupid blog roll going. That's it, I don't read ANY blogs.

YEA!

I did it, I figured it out ... I've mastered that silly blogroll thing (that every other blogger probably did with ease.)

This blog thing isn't gonna be easy. sigh.

Required sucky post

I read somewhere that your first post has to absolutely suck. So, there. I'm done.