Reading up on this Nancy Pelosi/Update

Doing a bit of research this morning. *.

Consider the case of Nancy Pelosi, the ultimate San Francisco big-government liberal, and leader of the Democrats in the House of Representatives. She is the daughter of Big Tommy D'Alesandro, boss of the Baltimore Democrat political machine. She grew up in a household built around the use of political power for personal gain, under the banner of compassion. In her career in Congress, she has garnered the highest praise from the AFL-CIO, the Americans for Democratic Action, and the League of Conservation Voters. She is grotesquely pro-union and pro-regulation, and a fierce "environmentalist," of course. Her favorite pastime is attacking people on her political right — which is everyone to the right of, say, Mao Zedong — as enemies of clean air, clean water, the working man, or whatever. To her, we're all greedy, vile exploiters of the poor.
Nancy Pelosi is worth more than $50 million — not bad for a champion of the poor.
Actually, to be fair, her favorite pastime is enacting laws to increase the power of unions, trial lawyers, and the federal government. But Pelosi's private life is all capitalist. She and her husband have a net worth of over $50 million — not bad for champions of the poor. Much of their wealth comes from real estate ventures, such as the development of the Corde Valle Golf Club and Resort in Silicon Valley. Schweizer documents how the Pelosis' private partnership (Lions Gate Limited) managed to get approval to develop some raw land over the objections of environmentalists and other local groups, by contractually promising that the club would be primarily a public course and that the development would be ecologically friendly. But the developers stiffed the public. The golf course turned out to be primarily for the use of the ultrawealthy: the hoi polloi have to reserve three days in advance and pay $275 for a round of golf. A membership at the club costs $250,000! And Lions Gate failed to live up to the promised environmental guarantees. When the San Jose Planning Commission started thinking about looking into whether Lions Gate had made fraudulent representations to get the development approvals, the Pelosis simply hired some local, well-connected lobbyists, and the Planning Commission backed away like frightened kittens.

She sounds like just a peach. Yes, just the person we want in charge of the House.

I just watched her victory speech over at Hot Air. And I took some notes:

First she mentioned that the Democrats are going to bring change and a New Direction to government. WHEW. I thought they had no plan. Change and a New Direction. That is exciting.

Next she promises that the Democrats are going to work toward bipartisanship. They are going to work together and restore integrity and honesty to Washington. Here is the biggie: the Democrats are going to lead the most honest, open and ethical Congress in HISTORY.

To continue, she will lead toward a "fairer economy." What does that mean? Pelosi is one of the wealthiest in our country; is she going to start passing out money? That would be fairer. To me. Then she starts going on about how all will participate in the prosperity of the economy. How is that going to work? I seem to remember Marx had the same idea. Lemme guess; higher taxes, raising the minimum wage, and anything that panders to those who don't pay any taxes at all (an ever increasing number in our country.) Really, it's a numbers game and the Dem have figured this out. Keep pandering to those who don't pay taxes, who will FLOCK to your promises. I don't know what they are going to do when they get to the end game; when those who pay taxes are so outnumbered by those who don't that our entire economy grinds to a halt by the democratic process of pandering.

Moving right along, she gets to the part of the speech where she lays out the Democrat plan for Iraq. Let me summarize it for you:
Stay the course is wrong
We need a new direction
Let's find a new solution

The only thing missing in this plan, is the actual plan. Oh well, I'm sure they'll come up with something soon!

Congratulations America!

Didya hear?

I totally knew Kevin and Brittany weren't going to make it.

Made-up My Mind About the Dovvvves

Hmm hmm tasty.

What I'm Reading

Robert Spencer's newest book The Truth About Muhammad.

It's interesting. I'm thinking about trying to reestablish the order of theKnights Templar.

Crib My Cheat Sheet

Dick DeVos (of course)
Terri Lynn Land (Sec of STate)
Mike Cox (Attorney General)
Mike Bouchard (U.S. Senate)

State Proposals:

1- State park, hunting, fishing and conservation fees protected from being raided to fund other things. YES
2-Ban affirmative action. YES.
3- Mourning Dove ban. No recommendation
4-Stop government from taking private property and giving it to another private property under eminent domain. YES
5. Require annual increased state funding to rate of inflation for public schools and colleges; reduce and cap retirement contributions by schools and colleges and shift remainder to the state (that second part is the DOOZY.) HELLS NO.

So , that last part would be simply, Yes, Yes, no opinion, Yes, and NO.

Now, in other civic duty news, it's time for me to give blood again. Gotta get a run in BEFORE I donate. Busy busy.

Revisiting that Bus Ad

"Not Voting Is A Vote for DeVos"

I'd like to deconstruct the meaning behind that. Does it mean that those too lazy to vote are more often Democrats? Detroit Democrats? Dare I say blackDemocrats?

You Get What You Give

A quick note to all those parents who took their kids out begging last night (perhaps even to other/better neighborhoods) without decorating their own homes, or giving out any candy:

YOU TOTALLY SUCK.

People don't have to participate in Halloween. No one is forcing you to go that extra mile and add joy to our sometimes dreary little word. Wet blankets don't piss me off. Perhaps, I'll give you the benefit of the doubt and guess you oppose Halloween for religious reasons. Or, you know, perhaps you're a dentist or dietitian.

But, those of you out there who figure it's everyone else's obligation to create a holiday for your children;

YOU TOTALLY SUCK.

It's like Halloween welfare or something. The entitlement mentality.

You're lucky, though, that I'm good enough to hoist all the blame on YOUR shoulders. Your little demon spawn* are blameless.



And, FTR- My husband and I switch off as to who takes the kids around, and who deals with the beggars at the door.

*Hey, it was Halloween. I'm sure some were dressed as demon spawn.

Report from Detroit

Last night, we had the nicest, most polite trick or treaters EVER.

In DETROIT.

Bus Sign

Not Voting is a vote for DeVos

Sigh.

Busy

It's supposed to be warmer in the early part of the day, so I'm going to try to get my bulbs in the ground. And clean the backyard. And put up Halloween decorations. And finish all the laundry. And ...

Cobain suicide?

Read this, omitting the last few lines (which are obviously done by another hand), and tell me if it sounds like a suicide note, or a "farewell to his fans" message?


It may be that I'm tired, but reading through that site has me half-believing that his wife did him in.

To Watch or Not to Watch

Last night (around midnight) I told my husband that if Leyland played Verlander tonight, I was going to bed early.

I could handle a Tiger's loss in Detroit. But to watch it in in St Louis? I don't have the strength.

Marriage is Unnatural

Marriage is a very unnatural act. Black men have realized this fact far ahead of their white counterparts ("Black teens have bleak view of marriage," Oct 19). Marriage is a bad business deal for most men. If you have financial resources, female companionship will always be at your disposal.




This is a letter to the editor that appeared in my paper yesterday.

Perhaps I'm Confused

But, I thought the concept of a "paid vacation" meant you didn't actually GO to work during that time?

Must Not Kill Children

And it's only Monday. It's gonna bee a looong week.

To My Pro-choice readers

I'm ok to be on the side of those who picket abortion clinics This gal is one of yours. Don't want her? Tough. She practiced a unique form of late-term abortion; a procedure supported by the pro-choice advocacy groups.

Despite the fact that the baby was to be delivered that very day, Tammy Skinner, none-the-less, shot it while it was still in her stomach.

Repeat after me; Keep your laws, out of my womb. The slippery slope slides one way; the direction in which no matter how disgusting, such an act is not a crime.

Look how far we've come, Baby!

Have I ruined anyone's dinner?

The New Face of Oppression

I've got something to say about this:

Rose Rock, the mother of comedian Chris Rock, claims she was racially discriminated against when she was seated but ignored for a half hour at a Cracker Barrel restaurant along the South Carolina coast.

But, first I'm going to go punch a hole in a wall.

Listen, Rose, there is a term for what happened to you at Cracker Barrel. It's called bad service. And if you think that only black people - oh excuse me - people of color experience this phenomena, you'd be wrong. My husband and I walked into a low-brow chain restaurant five days ago, only to be ignored at the door for about ten minutes. After we were seated, another 15 minutes went by before anyone took our order. I suppose, perhaps, the restaurant was run by anti-white black panthers, but I doubt it. The joint was disorganized, and -let's face it -certain chain restaurants don't draw exactly from the top of the food chain of restaurant servers and management. They don't pay enough.

But, please Rose go on with your sad tale.

He never called over the waitresses and asked, `Why did these people sit here for a half hour without service?'"she said."The only thing he said was we could have a free meal and neither of us wanted to eat."

You see, he didn't have to. It's not a manager's job to berate employees before the customers. Maybe he didn't bring a server over, because it wasn't a server's fault. Perhaps it was an extremely inexperienced hostess? You know how common it is for a poorly run restaurant, with bad or new hostesses, to sit people without assigning a server to the table? What did you want, Rose the manager to drag over some 17 year-old girl, who goofed, to apologize for 200 years of oppression?

When bad service happens to white people, it's called what it is. When it happens to black people (however slight), it's racism.

Let me give you some unasked for advice, Rose, next time you face the oppression of bad service, walk out.

Update: Gays at Cracker Barrel:

Look, while in the business, I would say about 50% of the male servers were gay. Traditionally this was always the case (although I think it's not as prevalent as it used to be.) Now, if a male employee were to be fired, chances are great (dare I say there is a 50% chance) that he is gay. People are rarely pleased when they are fired, and would usually prefer to find an excuse. I sucked as a server? NO, that can't be it (I mean, after all, how often does bad service occur?)

Word on the Street

The word is that I am in trouble because I viewed my TiVo'd season premier of Battlestar Galactica. I had promised my brother I would wait for him to come over, and we would watch it together.

Well, I've got a great excuse; I just couldn't wait any longer. Plus, the Tiger games were lurking, and I had to get it in on an off-night. AND, Jeff Harrell wrote a really long post about it, and I wanted to read it. And there is really NOTHING scheduled (worth watching) on Monday nights.

So there you have it. I basically had no choice. It was beyond my control.

Man, these intertubes can get a gal in trouble.

Go Here

Link in title, go check out the picture.

Please

Some one explain to me why I had children?

Weekend Report

First, I must address how happy I am for (commenter, Ace Regular) Mesablue, who was at that Tiger Game. Bastard. Now that I got that off my chest;

HOW ABOUT THOSE TIGERS?! I know, no one wanted, or thought that the Tigers would make it to the Word series. And, when they got rid of the Yankees, the BS on other blogs was how grateful the Mets fans were to the Tigers for getting ride of the Yankees, and now there would be a "Mets/A's" game in the World Series.

Well, how's that working out? They took our games out of prime time, because we were the B-listers.

But, you know, I'm not bitter.

Go TIGERS!

Top of the fourth. Detroit is up 2-0. Yip yip yip.

Update1: Kenny Rogers is having another hot day. All the more amazing since it is so freakiin freezing.

Crackheads and Guns

My mom had her home broken into yesterday. The assessment of the police, and the guy that came to install a new door for mom, was that it was probably the work of a crack-head.

Now, this event can lead me to have rants about the following topics: drugs, addicts, inner city decay, police inefficiency, racial apologists, Jesse Jackson, tougher criminal sentencing, forced sterilization, parental responsibility, morality in to day's society, welfare reform, racial profiling, gangster/rap culture, common decency, social norms, and educational reform.

Oh, and I want a gun.

On the plus side, the guy stole her broken DVD player. Sucker.

Thanks For Nothing

Pretty much everyone knows I home school. And, just about everyone who knows that, knows that I hate teaching children how to read. Detest it to the very fiber of my being. Personally, I love to read. I remember learning how to read; I was in first grade, and I distinctly remember the joy of knowing that I could read stories to MYSELF! I also remember that my readers were of the "Dick and Jane" genre, but that relates not at all to my post. I'm just rambling, basically.

Anyway, back to how much I hate teaching my children how to read. Not one of them has been an quick learner. Let me amend that, none of my children have been "early" learners. Basically, the process involves me trying every method I can find, bashing my head against the wall while they struggle and resist, and then one day I notice they're reading the sub-titles of the French film I'm watching. This has happened three times in my home so far. Yet, with number 4 (and 5 still to go), I gnash my teeth, worry, struggle, and continue to knock my head against the wall. The knowledge that some day they WILL read does nothing to pacify my angst.

So, today, in search of yet another method, I (mistakenly) checked out the forum boards where I bought my curriculum (Sonlight.) I was looking for stuff like this :

HELP! My (almost) 7 y/o is struggling to learn to read and I'm at my wits end. I've tried a variety of methods and nothing seems to be working. Can someone advise me?

To which, I was hoping to see something along the lines of this:

REST assured. There is nothing to worry about. Many 7 y/o children are still struggling with reading. I can recommend many games and books to help you ...

After the ellipses , of course, there would be a ton of helpful suggestions. Unfortunately, that is not what I found. I don't want to copy from a private forum, but basically, no joke, what I found resembled this:

My 5 y/o tested at fourth grade reading level, and I'm having trouble finding a program that is challenging enough for her.

And:

My oldest is 5 1/2. She is reading at a fourth grade level, and has the word recognitions skills of a 12th grader.

I'm going to go bang my head against the wall.

FRAK

I fell behind on BSG webisodes and now I cannot find them on the SciFi site. The only one I can find is episode ten. I wonder/hope it is just a gliche, because apparently there was some plot development. I had assumed they were going to be more in the vein of teasers.

I watched the season premier last night- enjoyed it very much- and refuse to make annoying parallels with the WOT/Iraq, etc. Jeff Harrell has a good post and discussion regarding THAT, and I agree with what was said over there. No need to put it over here. Oh, well perhaps just this :

If you want to all rorschach on it, you can find similarities between “Battlestar Galactica” and pretty much anything. That’s because it’s a show that takes great inspiration from events and situations both historical and contemporaneous. You think you see parallels between the fictional occupation of New Caprica and the post-war situation in Iraq? Great, congratulations. But there are also parallels between the TV show and the occupation of France by the Nazis, the occupation of the West Bank by Israel, the occupation of big chunks of Europe by the Soviets … hell, you can find common threads in the Roman occupation of Britain and the Persian occupation of India under Alexander the Great.

For the record, I think there were a few points in the episode where the writers were trying to get their digs in (calling the good guys "insurgents", for example) , but overall, thematically, the argument cannot be made that the show is a teaching moment for the foibles Bush administration. Assuming, of course, the person has over an 8th grade education.

Does this happen in your 'hood?

I live in a perfectly nice neighborhood. Nice gardens, manicured lawns. Nice, even sidewalks.

It is that last part which makes the mystery of why teens, in my neighborhood, INSIST on walking in the streets. Right down the middle.

Now, I would understand if it were the winter, and the sidewalks were unshoveled and icy. Or, as is in some bad areas of Detroit, the sidewalks were heavily littered with debris (left, I might add, by pedestrians and litter bugs.)

I would say it's a ghetto thing, but not all the kids doing it are from a ghetto. And, to make you understand how irritated I get by this, the other day it wasn't a group of teens, but ONE teen with three little kids walking smack dab down the middle of my street.

Honestly, I'm interested in the psychology behind this.

Not On My Dime

Michelle Malkin has a vlog on last week's brewhaha at Columbia. It was disgusting, and she sums it up pretty well.

Juicing/fitness

Ok, George, I just drank a cup of juiced apples and carrots (I received a nice juicer when I was first married.) What recipes have you got? I don't suppose I can drink that every day (I used to buy apple/carrot juice.)

For the record, I have lost few pounds since I really started running regularly - I'm on my third week, and am running 4 miles, followed by a day of either walking or thirty minutes on the nordic track. I don't want to run every day, because my knees need to be babied. I've also hit the Bowflex, although I do need to hit it harder.

So, how long until I fit into E's jean size?

Today's run; A review

Not so great. My body prefers to run after dinner, but my schedule prefers a morning workout.

Anyway, four miles, the last two in drenching rain, complete with thunder and lightening. I bet I was running with five pounds of water weight added on.

My kids were waiting for me with a towel when I got home.

Running music update

Shakira's "Hips Don't Lie" was pretty good. I put together a "running" playlist, and tried it out for the first time last night. Four miles of glory, it was.

And, Kel, I even put a Madonna song on the list; "Ray of Light".

Another reason I don't watch Oprah

Isn't Oprah trying to convince us she's not a lesbian? Because the list of "sexiest" men in her magazine does little to convince me that she's actually, you know, attracted to men. Well, anyway, here is the list of "sexiest" men:

1. Cory A. Booker--liberal Newark Mayor and Yale lawyer.
2. Larry Page and Sergey Brin--Google founders.
3. David Gregory
4. Albert Pujols--St. Louis Cardinals First Baseman (he should sue Oprah for listing him among these geeks; very uncool)
5. Barack Obama
6. James Nachtway--photographer of the African AIDS crisis
7. Markos Moulitsas Zuniga
8. Robert Egger--founded D.C. Central Soup Kitchen
9. Dr. Drew Pinsky--hosts sex radio show, used to host MTV sex show
10. Jeffrey D. Sachs
11. Larry Norton--Breast cancer researcher
12. Johann Olav Koss--Olympic gold medalist who uses sports as tool for kids in third world
13. Michael Arad--Architect designing politically correct Ground Zero Memorial with artsy fartsy pools and waterfalls and "living park" devoid of noting what really happened there
14. Fareed Zakaria
15. Alton Brown--Food Network chef
16. Patrick J. Fitzgerald

Well, I'm all hot an bothered now, aren't you?

Content Lag

But, you know, you get what you pay for here.

This week, I will blog while I am not doing one of the following:

Mulching the yard.
Planting bulbs and a few fall flowers.
Caulking the tub.
Running.
Home schooling.
Over-seeding the backyard.
Ferrying my children to/from soccer games/practices.
Preparing and/or teaching my fourth grade catechist class.
Washing windows.
Cleaning the house.

There you have it. Don't expect too much, and you will NOT be disappointed.

Sigh

The guest bloggers are killing Protein Wisdom. Don't bother clicking. It's not loading today.

QOD

Name some good songs to RUN to. I find running needs entirely different songs from, say, an elliptical trainer. System of a Down is great for that. Too angry for running though.

*Note: suggest Madonna and you will be banned.

My dog just farted

Right here, next to the computer.

I gotta go. Let things air out.

HELP!

I agreed (since I didn't exactly volunteer) to teach a Catechism class for my church. The church was (obviously) desperate. Anyway, I got stuck blessed with fourth graders. I don't want to say that they are little terrors, but they talk incessantly, giggle, fall off of their chairs ... you put it together. Not to appear sexist, but I have a class made up primarily of boys. Whose idea was it to give the new gal a class of boys? Trial by fire, I guess.

Today, I really have to get them under control, or I fear all is lost. I 'm thinking I have to come up with a game or something that we can regularly play if they get the "work" part of the class done in time. Any ideas? Any advice is welcome.

New on the Tube

The new fall television season is upon us, and I thought I'd list the new additions I plan on watching :







That ought to sum it up. I hate new shows, and I never watch them. Through the process of attrition, this would eventually lead to watching zero tv. That's not entirely how it works, because occasionally I'll hear someone talking about a show, and I might check it out. That's what happened with House. And, many moons ago, with Buffy. Sometimes, I check them out, watch for a few weeks and then decide I really don't like them; Desperate Housewives. To be honest, my goal is to watch less TV, not more, which is why I don't even start with new programs. That leaves me with:

24
Battlestar Galatica (which has a rather short season)
House

These are (pretty much) the only shows I TiVo. Everything else depends on how desperate I am to watch something (anything.) Last night I ended up watching the last forty-five minutes of Bridget Jones' Diary.

Pope Invites New Looks at Catholicism

Never mind the violence occurring today, let's focus on what the Catholic church used to do:
 Pope Benedict XVI's reference to dark aspects in Islam's history also has opened up another type of backlash for his church: fresh examinations of its past as conqueror, inquisitor and patron of missionaries whose zeal sometimes led to conflict with other faiths.

Right, let's dig into these past issues, because, you know, no on is going to declare a fatwa and go on jihad if we criticize Christians.

"No religion is without their unholy periods," said the Rev. Khalil Samir, a Vatican envoy for interfaith links in Lebanon. "To admit this is an important step to real understanding and dialogue."


Except, Islam will admit no such thing, of course.

In recent decades, Islamic groups and others have increasingly targeted Christian missionaries for allegations of forced conversions and as symbols of Western interference

Well, of course that is because there is no other God but Allah, and Mohammed is his Prophet. Duh.

FTR

I find that the endorphins don't kick in until after mile THREE (when I was younger, it used to be after mile two.) Of course, if I only run three miles, I completely miss the whole positive vibe of running. It's just one long, sustained effort to keep moving.

But, last night I went to four. Yea me.

Overheard on Medved

That the average home has more TVs than people.

We've got 7 people and 2 tvs. Actually, we have three - we bought a small one for the PS2, but it only occasionally gets used since the kids prefer to use the larger tv in the basemen.

What's this?

Typhoid fever is an infectious feverish disease with severe symptoms in the digestive system in the second phase of the illness.

Sounds good so far.

Classic typhoid fever is a serious disease. It can be life-threatening, but antibiotics are an effective treatment. The disease lasts several weeks and convalescence takes some time.

Do you think they have antibiotics in the caves of Afghanistan or Pakistan? Because I'm guessing that might be tricky.

The disease is transmitted from human to human via food or drinking water, and it is therefore mainly hygiene and sanitary conditions that determine its spread. It is primarily for this reason that it is no longer so commonly seen in Europe.

Bad hygiene you say? Well, I, for one, am shocked at the very suggestion.

You can read all the details here, but here is where it starts to get good:

2nd phase: in the second to third weeks of the disease, symptoms of intestinal infection are manifested and the fever remains very high and the pulse becomes weak and rapid. In the third week the constipation is replaced by severe pea-soup-like diarrhoea. The faeces may also contain blood. It is not until the fourth or fifth week that the fever drops and the general condition slowly improves

Unless, of course, you never got those antibiotics.

Intestinal perforation or profuse bleeding from the intestinal mucosa may occur if typhoid fever is left untreated.

Ouch, that sounds bad.

If Osama turns up dead, you can all thank me, because I have been faithfully praying to God to strike this evil man down. Or, should I say, you can Thank God. And go to church and show him a bit of gratitude.

On the shelf

Mark Steyn reviewing a new book by Lawrence Write on the development of the current jihadists we fae:

In an Islamist grievance culture, the tower doesn't have to be that tall to loom. The tragedy in Wright's book is that across little more than half a century a loser cult has metastasized, eventually to swallow almost all the moderate, syncretic forms of Islam. What was so awful about Sayyid Qutb's experience in America that led him to regard modernity as an abomination? Well, he went to a dance in Greeley, Colo.: "The room convulsed with the feverish music from the gramophone. Dancing naked legs filled the hall, arms draped around the waists, chests met chests, lips met lips . . ."

In 1949, Greeley, Colo., was dry. The dance was a church social. The feverish music was Frank Loesser's charm song Baby, It's Cold Outside. But it was enough to start a chain that led from Qutb to Zawahiri in Egypt to bin Laden in Saudi Arabia to the mullahs in Iran to the man arrested in Afghanistan on Sept. 11. And it's a useful reminder of how much we could give up and still be found decadent and disgusting by the Islamists. A world without Baby, It's Cold Outside will be very cold in

What a concept!

Use a skinny-ass, drugged-out, white chick in black-face to garner attention to the plight of Aids in AFrica.

Genius!

In the kithen today

Apfelkuchen

Ingredients:
2 1/4 cups sifted flour
3 ounces sugar
1 1/8 cup warm milk
5 lg. peeled, cored, sliced apples
1 package dry yeast
1 package vanilla-sugar
3 ounces room temperature butter
Dash salt
--TOPPING:--
1 cup sugar
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
Dash salt
3/4 cup sifted flour
1/4 teaspoon nutmeg
1/2 cup butter

Directions:

Mix all ingredients (except apples). Then blend on high for 5 minutes. Let dough rest for 5 minutes. Grease cookie sheet and with greased hands, pat dough into the pan. Place apples on the dough and push in lightly. Let rise in a warm place for 30 minutes.

Topping: Combine sugar, flour, spices and salt; cut in butter until mixture is crumbly. Sprinkle over apples. Heat oven to 400 degrees. Bake 20-30 minutes or until brown.

Recipe from CD Kitchen.

Dang, I'm busy

That is all.

You First, Buddy

Morocco's King Mohammed VI sent a letter to the Vatican in which he implored Benedict to show "the same respect for Islam that you have for the other religions," Moroccan media reported. Morocco withdrew its ambassador to the Vatican over the weekend

As soon as they stop beheading in the name of their relgiion, I'll start to respect it. The following statement does little to encourage hope:

The group said Muslims would be victorious and addressed the pope as "the worshipper of the cross" saying "you and the West are doomed as you can see from the defeat in Iraq, Afghanistan, Chechnya and elsewhere. ... We will break up the cross, spill the liquor and impose head tax, then the only thing acceptable is a conversion (to Islam) or (killed by) the sword."
Islam forbids drinking alcohol and requires non-Muslims to pay a head tax to safeguard their lives if conquered by Muslims. They are exempt if they convert to Islam.

I'm having 'puter troubles; my entire screen is fuzzy. Sigh. There could be a ton of typos here, but I can't see a thing. Sorry.

Is the Pope Catholic?

A quick read through the Pope's speech which has sent the Islamo-tards frothing:

"Show me just what Mohammed brought that was new, and there you will find things only evil and inhuman, such as his command to spread by the sword the faith he preached". The emperor goes on to explain in detail the reasons why spreading the faith through violence is something unreasonable. Violence is incompatible with the nature of God and the nature of the soul. "God is not pleased by blood, and not acting reasonably (F×< 8`(T) is contrary to God’s nature. Faith is born of the soul, not the body. Whoever would lead someone to faith needs the ability to speak well and to reason properly, without violence and threats... To convince a reasonable soul, one does not need a strong arm, or weapons of any kind, or any other means of threatening a person with death...".

The decisive statement in this argument against violent conversion is this: not to act in accordance with reason is contrary to God’s nature. The editor, Theodore Khoury, observes: For the emperor, as a Byzantine shaped by Greek philosophy, this statement is self-evident. But for Muslim teaching, God is absolutely transcendent. His will is not bound up with any of our categories, even that of rationality. Here Khoury quotes a work of the noted French Islamist R. Arnaldez, who points out that Ibn Hazn went so far as to state that God is not bound even by his own word, and that nothing would oblige him to reveal the truth to us. Were it God’s will, we would even have to practise idolatry.

And the Muslim response? Jihad.

Adnan El Shukri Jumah sighting?

Go read the thread to this post of SondraK's. The comment is from 7:18 yesterday and continues further down.

It does help to keep our eyes open and spread the word. These nuts do not have the power of invisibility.

Coincidence?

Growing up, one of my good childhood friends was Canadian. My family had a Cottage in Ontario, so I spent every summer with her. She was very sweet, but not the sharpest tool in the shed. One year, I wanted to learn a bit about how their government worked, but I quickly realized I was asking the WRONG person when she informed me that Ronald Reagan was her president.

I never assumed, though, that intellectual acuity was tied to her nationality. But, this (from AoS) gives me pause:

Sadly, a recent poll on another Canadian television network showed that 22 per cent of Canadians believe the American government was involved in 9/11. Another 53 per cent are of the opinion that US foreign policy was responsible for the attack. All of which shows a diminishment of trust in America

Twenty-two percent?!? That's a rather large percentage to be merely a loony "fringe." What is the problem Canada? Too much beer drinking? Been playing hockey without a helmet one too many times?? I'm about ->this<- close to declaring the entire country a lost cause. If it wasn't for the Tragically Hip I would have written you off entirely long ago. And I'll never forgive you for foisting Celine upon us.

Never forget. Never forgive.

Good News

Not everyone at Harvard is a total idiot:

The feminists at Harvard seek to remove every vestige of patriarchy in America, but they have said almost nothing about the complete dismissal of women's rights by radical Islam. To do so would be to attack Islamic culture, and according to multiculturalism, every culture is equal and none is evil. They forsake women in societies that repudiate women's rights and direct their complaints to societies that believe in women's rights. Of course it's easier to complain to someone who listens to you and doesn't immediately proceed to slit your throat. No sign of any rethinking of feminism has appeared in the universities where it flourishes.

So while Rosie equates Christians to homosexual-killing Islamists, and Harvard welomes Mohammad Khatami, there are small vestiges of intelligence to be found.

With Love from River Rat

Bush Poll numbers average at 42% approval.

Well his numbers are improving why so silent now, are those crickets I hear? Oh ya one other thing gas prices are dropping like Britney spears underwear, I thought GWB wanted high prices for his oil buddies.

Silly, we only hear stuff like this when it's bad news for Bush. Here in Detroit, there was a station selling gas at $2.05 a gallon.

Why I don't Watch Daytime TV

Because it is too farking stupid.

I missed Rosie's rant the other day on The View because I never watch that crap. But I did catch it on the intertubes. When I heard the applause , by a New York audience, to her line - "And just one second, radical Christianity is just as threatening as radical Islam in a country like America"-my first thought wasn't to wallow in despair that we were a nation of total fucking idiots, but instead to feel secure in the knowledge that on display was merely the low-caliber of intelligence (or rational thought) of those who watch daytime television.

A few years ago, I was shocked to learn that women I knew watched soap operas. I couldn't believe that anyone, over the age of 21, could find such dreck entertaining or interesting. I was so naive. It was said, long ago, that religion is the opiate of the masses. I disagree; mindless TV is the opiate.

Have you Seen This Man?

He's wanted by the FBI.

I don't know about you, but I'm thinking about taking a drive over to Dearborn and see what I can find. He's only 5'3 aND 135, so I'm thinking I can take him myself, but I might bring Greta, because I've heard these Islamic fascist Jihadists hate dogs. I might pull a Lynddie England on him myself (where did I put that extra dog collar?)

Do you think a bit of torture, before I turn him over to the FBI, would interfere with collecting the $5 million reward?

For those Keeping Score at Home

Ethan's head: 1
Erin's teeth: -3

Enough

I must stop watching and reading 9/11-related stuff on the internet.

"The Arab and Iranian Reaction to 9/11 Five Years Later

Democracy Now!'s Loose Change debate with the makers of crackpot film extrodinaire "Loose Change" and the editors of "Popular Mechanics." (h/t Hot Air).

The two above links are in competition; watch the Memri one and you will be amazed at the stupidity pouring out of the Middle East. But, then you watch the "Loose Change" debate and you see that we have some real weiners on our side of the pond as well. I'm undecided as to whether or not that is reassuring.

Allah put together 27 minuets of the CNN coverage from 9/11. PTL I didn't know CNN was going to do this (I found out in the afternoon) or I probably would have sat and watched it all day long.

For the last two days I've been wallowing in 9/11 . I didn't watch the miniseries, but I did watch the French documentary that was shown Sunday night. I need to stop. My children need schooling.

Abu Ghraib/ bias keeps flowing

Article in which complaints are made of treatment by Iraqi Guards since the Americans have left.

Some of the small number of prisoners who remained in the jail after the Americans left said they had pleaded to go with their departing captors, rather than be left in the hands of Iraqi guards.
"The Americans were better than the Iraqis. They treated us better," said Khalid Alaani, who was held on suspicion of involvement in Sunni terrorism.

Picture for the article? Lynndie England with the dogleash photo.

Do I Need to Remember what I Haven't Forgotten?

Jeff Harrell puts into words something that's been lurking in the attic of my brain, but just I couldn't put my finger on it:

[W]ith all due respect, you can blow your memorials and your big-screen movies and your documentaries out your ass. Remembering 9/11 isn’t the problem.

I started watching "The Path to 9/11" last night, but then stopped. It's TiVoed in case I change my mind at some point, but I don't really need a movie to reenact the events. Who does, at this point? If someone is living so outside of the events of the world, that they need a refresher course on this stuff- well, I Just don't know what to say about that.

I'm still mad

On 9/11-today- I opened my local newspaper to read this dreck:

Sept. 11 only heightened the misconceptions about Islam. Islam-phobia has risen in the post-Sept. 11 era among certain populations in the United States.
If there was a different administration [with] a difference language about the Muslim community and had a different foreign policy and a domestic agenda, and a different agenda on the so-called war on terror, I think Islam-phobia would decrease.Dawud Walid, executive director of CAIR

Look, buddy, 9/11 didn't heighten the misconceptions about Islam, your jihadist muslim Brothers did that with their actions. He references 9/11 as if it were just a date unattached to the most horrible act of terrorism committed in the name of HIS religion.

I remember 9/11. The World changed. My world changed. But, I'm not going to write about where I was, or what I did (although I remember everything about that day), because I'm sure others have more poignant tales to tell. And, I'm not posting a tribute to someone who died; or to the heros or victims in general. On this day, five years later I am mad. Mad again.

Mad because of people like Walid, for whom 9/11 is a date from which to trace his victimhood as a Muslim.

Mad because a movie about 9/11 moves politicians to make grave threats against a network lest their inactions against terrorists be widely exposed to a television watching audience.

Mad because people believe that appeasement will work.

Mad that this war is being fought on unequal footing; they act with 7th century barbarity, while we acting with a 21st century sense of human decency.

This list is by no means complete. But now I've gotten myself good and worked up.

Did anyone watch that miniseries last night?

Like Peanut Butter and Chocolate

Two great things that go great together. NIN and "Angel".

Mood check

I believe I can see the future
Because I repeat the same routine
I think I used to have a purpose
Then again, that might have been a dream

I think I used to have a voice
Now I never make a sound
I just do what I’ve been told
I really don’t want them to come around
Oh, no.

Every day is exactly the same
Every day is exactly the same
There is no love here and there is no pain
Every day is exactly the same

I can feel their eyes are watching
In case I lose myself again
Sometimes I think I’m happy here
Sometimes, yeah, I still pretend
I can’t remember how this got started
But I can tell you exactly how it will end.

Every day is exactly the same
Every day is exactly the same
There is no love here and there is no pain
Every day is exactly the same

(spoken)
I’m writing on a little piece of paper
I’m hoping someday you might find
Well, I’ll hide it behind something
They won’t look behind

I am still inside here
A little bit comes bleeding through
I wish this could have been any other way
But I just don’t know, I don’t know,
What else I can do…

Every day is exactly the same
Every day is exactly the same
There is no love here and there is no pain

NIN

Yea, whatever froggie

Against terrorism, what's needed is not a war. It is, as France has done for many years, a determined fight based on vigilance at all times and effective cooperation with our partners.

"But we will only end this curse if we also fight against injustice, violence and these crises."

What does that even means? A fight based on vigilance at all times? And, we will only end the curse (of terrorism, I suppose) if we fight against "injustice"? The injustice exists in the Arab culture, and if you buy the multi-cultural mumbo-jumbo, that should mean hands-off in influencing them. Isn't that cultural imperialism?

Wow

No blogging for a week! Probably a record. Things are just busy - lots of traveling and visiting for the past month. Now, we've got to get our homeschool groove going. Add to that a cat that bugs me WHILE I'm at the computer, and a "v" key that won't work, and a "c" key that repeats. Oye.

I must mention that I loved the Crocodile Hunter, and this ESPN ad is a hoot.

Wow

No blogging for a week! Probably a record. Things are just busy - lots of traveling and visiting for the past month. Now, we've got to get our homeschool groove going. Add to that a cat that bugs me WHILE I'm at the computer, and a "v" key that won't work, and a "c" key that repeats. Oye.

I must mention that I loved the Crocodile Hunter, and this ESPN ad is a hoot.

Have I ever told you ...

That I love Metallica?

I'm Joining

I'm joining the Public School teachers and their strike. I'm done.

Homeschooling: the wages suck, and you can blame the student's bad behavior on anyone else but yourself.

Oh, yea, and the "principal" doesn't get home until 6:30.

Striking, "For the Kids"

Nothing says "it's not about the money, it's about education" like marching with signs that read:

Hands off my benefits

Yet, you can always count on at least one striker making the asinine comment. This time, it was veteran teacher Audrey Gates:

"It's not about money in our pockets, it's about teaching these kid."

For the sake of the children, of course. Because, you know it really makes a difference to the students if your insurance co-pay goes up.

Articles are stressing that the teacher's want a 5% pay increase, which isn't exactly the case. They want complete protection of their benifits, and a 5% pay increase each year for the next three years. I went to Detroit public schools, but I think 5+5+5=15%.

You'd have to live on another planet to not know that Detroit is broke, and that health insurance costs have gone through the roof. Detroit schools have been bleeding students for years, resulting in a bloated system serving a diminishing student body.

Yet, the public employees believe they deserve more. Keep repeating that teacher's don't make enough, and some fool will believe it. Teacher's in Detroit with a Master's degree can make $70,046. Not exactly second-rate pay.

Perhaps unspoken is WHY they believe they deserve higher pay (because it certainly isn't for the superior product they turn out.) One striking teacher, though, let the honesty seep through after a fight broke out between two girls during registration:

"I need a raise at least as an incentive to come back to this," Dianne Brown-McDuell, an English teacher at Denby, said after witnessing the fight.

Maybe she's got a point. Could we earmark it as "hazard pay?"

Free to be Racist

Tonight, as I was running, two black teens yelled Run Forest, Run. Run from the niggers at me. I live in Detroit, in a racially mixed neighborhood Both of my immediate neighbors are racially mixed couples - and I'm not talking Irish/Italian mix. I have noticed that there are some racist people here - but they are mostly black racists. Don't ask me how I know, I just know. What the neighborhood isn't, is ghetto. But, those two (girls) who yelled at me are pure ghetto. I fumed as I ran. I was, basically, pissed.

I made sure I ran near their house again; preparing the admonishment I would give. They may have thought I was younger- I mean, the audacity to yell such a thing at an adult is pretty shocking, but that kind of stuff happened to me all the time when I was a young (and going to Detroit Public schools.

Anyway, the girls were gone, but there were to adult women out front. As nicely as I could, I informed the women what happen, who were horrified, and promised they would handle the situation.

Maybe Hillary was right; it takes a village.

Great Vent

On Hot Air. Michelle explores the ambulance hoax.

HA!

Why diet when you can Photoshop.

My husband will be so happy, because today was going to be the first day of our diet.

H/t: Hot Air.

The Gang

DSC00675_1
Originally uploaded by Carinroz.

On a hike, in Wilderness State Park.

Hartwick Pines

DSC00680_1
Originally uploaded by Carinroz.

Can you see the kids?

Michigan's "Tunnel of Trees"

DSC00657_1
Originally uploaded by Carinroz.

The most beautiful drive I've ever taken. I cannot imagine how magical it is in the fall.

Trip

I'll be away until Monday. See ya suckers.

Ego much?/link fixed

If you haven't read this you have to. It's apparently been linked a bit, but I just saw it today. The whole thing is so immensely catty, it's really hard to pick my favorite bit, but I think it must be the advice she gives to men who don't qualify to date at her strata:

Lower your standards and stop pursuing women who are out of your league. There are lots of fat single mothers out there who can’t find dates either.

She writes that she gets tons of responses to her single's ad. Hint, Hon, if you are so "all-that", why do you need ads to get dates?

h/t: Electric Venom.

The Other Side of Hollywood

Woot, woot!

"We the undersigned are pained and devastated by the civilian casualties in Israel and Lebanon caused by terrorist actions initiated by terrorist organisations such as Hezbollah and Hamas," the ad reads.

"If we do not succeed in stopping terrorism around the world, chaos will rule and innocent people will continue to die.

"We need to support democratic societies and stop terrorism at all costs."

Eight-four "high-profile" Hollywood types signed the statement, lead by Nicole Kidman. Excellent.

h/t: Riehl World

Belated Birthday

I didn't get an opportunity to wish Fidel a Happy Birthday, mostly because I was hoping he was dead. But, I was visiting Val's blog whic mentions this celebration they had in San Fran. Included in the performance art was this piece of crap poem:


FIDEL CASTRO
by Jack Hirschman

The president of the other America has fallen ill
and it is his birthday. We wish him Happy
Birthday and a speedy recovery.



By the other America, we don't simply mean
his brothers and sister in Venezuela, Bolivia,
Chile, Peru, Brazil, Haiti and the like.



We mean also the 37 million people living destitute
and in misery in these disunited States, of whom
six million kids go to bed hungry every night,



while a murder machine waves the false flag of security
and makes war on the poor of the world.
What is more insecure than the empty belly of a child?



The president of the other America knows that there is
a poverty that is the wealth of the world. Viva the poverty
of Cuba that makes even the comrade on the cross applaud.



Viva the dignity of Cuba, whose island arms stretch
all the way to the equality of love that is Africa.
There is a man who has understood that life is worth



nothing if it is not free, and freedom nothing if it is not
consciousness of necessity---principled, palpable and priceless.
That is Fidel. That is fidelidad. Be well, commandante. Feliz cumpleanos.

You know, it's not enough that most "artists" and creative types are rationally and factually challenged. If they were good at the creative stuff, I'd say they at least served some purpose. The above drek was written by the Poet Laureate of San Fran.

Cool video

Ace already posted it, but it's enjoyable.

That's Going to Leave a Mark

Dr. Sanity has a few words for the American left women marching with and for and next to Hezzbollah:

To the leaders of today's socialist, anti-war, anti-American, anti-freedom, anti-capitalist, anti-Israeli and truly anti-human feminists, I have only this to say:

You now stand voluntarily on the side of monsters who not only oppose any progess for women rights, but who believe firmly that women are no better than dogs and animals; and are only good for breeding. They and their brothers have deliberately subjugated, oppressed, and humiliated women, stripping them of individuality and rights, just to enhance their own inadequate and pathetic masculinity. If ever there was need of a women's movement, it is to combat this kind of evil in the world.

Instead, you have effectively transformed yourself into a terrorism cheerleading squad, supporting a sick, sexist, racist and morally bankrupt medieval culture.

Ouch.

Hezbollah primer

For those who don't see what's so bad about Hezbollah:

Protesters in London have been marching through the streets carrying banners proclaiming "We Are All Hizbullah Now."

Do they know that every Lebanese child killed is a triumph for Hizbullah and a tragedy for Israel, as well as for Lebanon? Do they know that among the prisoners Hassan Nasrallah demands that Israel release are men arrested after rejoicing in smashing out the brains of Israeli children? [The crime of Samir Kuntar - and it is horrifying - can be read here]

Do they know that Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, the eager seeker of nuclear weapons, considers the utter destruction of Israel an Iranian priority? Or that Hizbullah's Nasrallah has said that he wished all Jews would gather in Israel so they could all be destroyed at once; and that there is no creature more disgusting in the world than a Jew, "and note that I said a Jew, not an Israeli"?

For those who argue that Hezbollah opened schools, and offered social services, I say; I'm sure Hitler did a few OK things as well. You know, like getting rid of all those pesky Jews, right?

T-minus 8 days

So, what is going to happen on August 22? Is the hidden imam going to come flying out of that well, and whisper into Ahmadinejad's ear that the time is now to wipe Israel off of the face of the Earth?

With that in mind, should I continue with my diet/exercise plan? I mean, do I really want to spend what could be my last few days on Earth depriving myself?

Green Helmet Guy

George sends along this for your Saturday afternoon enjoyment :)

HA!

Steve, of Hog on Ice is pretty funny. His new tagline:

-- Islam: the Sole Reason it Takes an Hour Several Hours to Get on a Plane

Moxie has a few of her own:

Or, "Islam, the reason your flight may never land".

Last shot, "Islam, the reason you need to taste your own breast milk (and urine) before boarding a flight".

Oh, so insensitive. But, never fear, CAIR is ready to whip us back into the right state of dhimmitude. From Al Reuters, via Jihad Watch:

U.S. Muslim groups criticized President George W. Bush on Thursday for calling a foiled plot to blow up airplanes part of a "war with Islamic fascists," saying the term could inflame anti-Muslim tensions.

So what is the offensive word Bush used? Fascists.

"We believe this is an ill-advised term and we believe that it is counter-productive to associate Islam or Muslims with fascism," said Nihad Awad, executive director of the Council on American-Islamic Relations advocacy group.

Well, perhaps CAIR should advise the nutjob jihadists that it is counter productive to associate Islam or Muslims with mass murder. I do know that today, the papers and radio were filled with stories about American Muslims/Arabs who feared a backlash against them. You know what? If they hadn't been out in the street last week praising the terrorist organization Hezbollah and calling Jews Zionist Pigs, I might have a bit more sympathy. And, if I felt that the American Arabs were on our side. Yet, after a near miss like yesterday, instead we get stuff like this:

"When the people we need most in the fight against terrorism, American Muslims, feel alienated by the president's characterization of these supposed terrorists, that does more damage than good," Lekovic said.

Did you catch it? Supposed terrorists.

The "Denial and Displacement" Process

River Rat points to this Dr. Sanity article. It would be funny if the consequences were not so serious. It used to be only the fringe elements of the Left that used to do this. I'm afraid it's creeping toward their middle.

Terror Plot Averted!

And, what do the KosKids have to say? Let's go see:

JEERS to red meat for Fox News.  The U.S. and Britain are now at Terror Alert Level "Mommy!!!" as an apparent terrorist plot to blow up 6-10 airliners is apparently thwarted.  Officials say all liquids are now banned in the cabins of overseas flights.  Great...just what a passenger riding on a potential time-bomb needs: an empty liquor cart.

Don't go LOOKING for an actual story on dKos about the event. There isn't one (at this point.) It's just not as important as the Lamont/soreLoserman issue. From the comments:

It's been going on all night.  Arrests in London.  Terror plot.  Its all we will hear for the next few days.

MAN, that sounds like a real drag. We're going to be overwhelmed with this boring issue for days. You know what else really bugs me about this whole Global War On Terror? The inconvenience of those pesky security precautions. Sometimes, I wonder if it wouldn't just be easier to live our lives, and what happens - Happens. If only Bush had not begun his illegal war for oil...

Who, what happened there? You think BDS might be contagious? Merely reading dKos may be enough to catch a nasty infection. More from comments!

Typical Republican response to a setback in the political arena.  Raise the terror alert level. This has occurred so many times before that it has become a joke.  I wouldn't have thought Lamont's victory over Lieberman would have stressed the Republicans so much.

Oh, yes, a variation on the "I question the timing" theory. It's just so OBVIOUS that this entire terrorism kerfuffle is nothing more that a Rovian plot to distract the voters. I quote Michael Moore; "There is no terrorist threat." Well, there you have it. There is a bit more (mostly complaining about airplane restrictions that might arise due to this, which degenerates into a declaration that one man will piss in the isle), but then the discussion turns back to Lamont.

There is nothing to see here folks, keep moving.

John Conyers, in search of the truth pt 2

John Conyers crossposted his latest crazy rant at HuffPo. The full title of his report is "The Consitution in Crises; the Downing Street Minuets and Deception, Manipulation, Torture, Retribution, and Coverups in the Iraq War,
and Illegal Domestic Surveillance," Shorter version; Lefty arguments to Impeach George Bush.

If Dems wins the majority in November, this man is going to be head of the Judiciary Committee . After he attempts to impeach Bush, he'll move on to his next project, H.R. 40, otherwise known as slavery reparations.

He's a nut. A hypocritical, unethical nut.

Exellent summation

Ace (via someone else) points to a wonderful summation of the entire war photo kurfuffle. I've been too busy to blog about it, but have been following it with total outrage.

I think this is an indication of the much larger problem; Islamic fundies are master propagandist and anti-war liberals are way to happy to lap this crap up. Truth is not relative.

Dogs or Cats?

Discuss.

(snicker)

See ya'll tomorrow.

I scuk

I'm even too busy to go back and fix the above typo. Blogging will resume tomorrow.

"L" word

I'm having trouble with "L" words -see below. The key is sticking - I either get nothing, or a bunch.

So sorry.

First Day

We started (home) school here today, so busy busy busy. So far, so good. We are actually having fun. At east I am. But, it's not even ten yet, so ...

Dogs

I think I've mentioned before my fondness for my pooch, Greta. She isn't my first dog, that honor goes to Moe, a shepherd/collie mix I picked up at the Humane society back in college. My second dog was a beagle/bloodhound mix. So, I'm not unfamiliar with mixed breeds. Greta is my first "bred" dog, And, she is, either by breeding or coincidence my best dog.

Now, it isn't PC to like bred dogs. You are supposed to get your dog from a shelter, or a rescue organization. There are "X" number of dogs put down each year, we don't need dogs bred intentionally, etc. In addition, I am told that mix-breed dogs have a better temperament and health. Assumedly, the unhealthy and undesirable traits just disappear when the breeding is random.

Moe wasn't "bad." Lets just say she had "issues." She didn't like kids and had a horrible habit of running away. Once I found her five miles from home. She had been a stray, and I guess it was something in her that couldn't be loved away. Malcolm, the beagle/bloodhound, was sweet but about as intelligent as the pavement. He too would run away, but it was more of a straying-until-he-got-lost dealo. Both had health problems as they got older. Moe had hip-displaysia the last few years (she also was epileptic), and Malcolm was put down shortly due to back problems.

And then there is Greta. Greta is loyal, smart, and totally devoted to our family. She is great with the kids (although she does tend to lick them excessively), is playful, and a great watchdog. So far, her health is great, and X-rays show no signs that she will develop the dreaded hip problems that can plague the breed. She is the perfect dog.

Now, I'm not about to convince anyone that they shouldn't get dogs from humane shelters. I've done it myself. That's where we got our cat! I'm not saying that mixed dogs are bad, or inferior, or anything else. What the hell am I saying?

Oh, right. I do have a point.

Earlier today I was chastised for, basically, have a bred dog. Dogs shouldn't be bred, you see, because we should all be rescuing dogs from shelters. We should all be taking up the slack for the irresponsible dog-owners out there. ) Certainly there are some nice dogs in shelters, but if you peruse the cages (which I have) you will find that many of the dogs (since the puppies are usually place quickly in homes) have issues. Like they are not good with children. Or they hate cats with a passion.

Obviously the woman who chastised me is very passionate for her cause. But, it was irritating. I have a feeling that she has now labeled me as one of those inferior pet owners. Oh well, I'll get over it.

I love my dog, and if our love is wrong, I don't want to be right.

Did that sound bad?

"Untitled"

Jeff Harrell was kind enough to email me a link of the story IN ORDER so you don't have to hunt/scroll.
Now, go read.

?

From comments way down :

I am the son of love-the poet from above
that you love to shove
and kick and hate
because i am of peace and you hate the dove
but we all know where you are coming from because
i have been in your shoes and you are going to lose

Is this a poem? I'm not exactly sure to what he is referring, perhaps that crazy dKos poem I quoted that imagined a world without Israel. You get a "C" for rhyming, mainly because shoes/lose sound really forced. As for content, well, what can I say? I don't believe you have the slightest idea where I'm coming from.

Now, Kelly, when I refer to "moonbats" it's stuff like this that makes me use such words.

Fiction

Oh, look what Jeff has been up to. So far he has four parts posted (link is to first part.) Much modern fiction, especially short stories, are more style than substance. He's got a real story going here, and I'm hooked. Just go to his main page and scroll for the rest. Because I'm a lazy blogger.

Speaking truth to power or something

Addressing the breastfeeding fascists:

The lies about motherhood start at conception. Morning sickness is not confined to the morning, and it doesn't disappear after three months. 'Natural' childbirth is nothing of the sort; it's messy and excruciating, like trying to pull an orange out of your nostril. And breastfeeding is not wonderful and fulfilling, but painful, difficult, boring and humiliating .

Blog

[insert content here]

I should be able to come up with some sort of rant later today. Just what ya'll wanted right?

Propaganda works

Very interesting piece in EU Referendum regarding the tragic event in Qana:

Whatever else, the event in Qana was a human tragedy. But the photographs do not show it honestly. Rather, they have been staged for effect, exploiting the victims in an unwholesome manner. In so doing, they are no longer news photographs - they are propaganda. And, whoever said the camera cannot lie forgot that photographers can and do. Those lies have spread throughout the world by now and will be in this morning's newspapers, accepted as real by the millions who view them.

While the world condemns Israel for it "excessive force" against Lebanon, what is lost (to those in the MSM, and thus readers/watchers of the MSM) is this:

Only through these sources [blogs and other alternative media] do we learn that Hezbollah gunmen (in civilian clothes) have been preventing civilians from evacuating, have been deliberately using civilians as "human shields" and have been employing strategies for maximising Israeli "collateral damage" in order to provide a potent propaganda weapon, a ploy which the western media so easily fall for.

So Hezzbollah keeps a shelter filled with women and children near where they are shooting off rockets. Israel can determine where the rockets are coming from, but not where the shelterful of children are located. Or that they are located in the same spot. Israel bombs the shelter, and Hezbollah has the images it needs.

The death of innocents is tragic. But it isn't Israel that is killing them, even if the ordinance belong to them.

Via Ace.

"This Ever Happen to You ?" Department

Last night, a mosquito bit me right on the lip. How weird is that?

RIP John O'Brien

DSC00555
Originally uploaded by Carinroz.

A Warning To My Children