Hey---that's my Limey Grandson who is keeping up the tradition of getting ready to eat--Steak and Kidney Pie with a side of Bangers. 

It's 8:00 in the morning here on the East Coast and it's now 2005 in Sydney Australia.

And so--Happy New Year!

Bush "Undermining the UN with Aid Coalition? Let's Hope So Claire Short, who is famous only for quitting Tony's Blair's cabinent over the Iraq war claims that President Bush is "undermining the UN with his "aid coaltion" and that the UN is the only body with "moral authority" to do this job. Um, OK. Is she talking about the same morals that led to the Oil For Food Scandal? Or the same morals that allowed UN Troops to engage in child rape and sex trafficking? Or the same morals that allowed over a million to die in Srebernica and Rwanda, not to mention the slaughter going on in Darfur right under the UN's nose?

Short's anti-American bias shines through in this ludicrous and blatantly stupid assertion. The notion that the UN has any moral authority, let alone be the sole sanctuary of it, should have been universally dismissed in the Oil-For-Food corruption that Kofi Annan has tried to cover up all year. As I recall, that also started as a massive relief fund for victims of the UN's unwillingness to give Saddam the boot instead of starving the Iraqi people to death. The Sole Bastion Of Moral Authority managed to put billions of dollars into Saddam's pockets while enriching the member-states that made sure no one unseated Saddam.

• Advice to the Left
• Remember that multilateral inaction — whether in the Balkans, Rwanda, or Darfur — is often calculated, selfish, and far more lethal to millions than risky interventions like removing the Taliban and Saddam.
• Quit idolizing Europe. It was a far larger arms merchant to Saddam than was the United States; it supplied most of Dr. Khan’s nuclear laboratory; it financed much of the Oil-for-Food scandal; and it helped to create and tolerate the Balkans genocide. It has never freed any country or intervened to remove fascism and leave behind democracy — silly American notions that are to be caricatured except when it is a matter of saving Europeans.
• Stop seeing an all-powerful United States behind every global problem. China is on the move and far more likely to disrupt environmental protocols, cheat on trade accords, and bully neighbors. The newly expanded Europe has a larger population and aggregate economy, stronger currency, and far less in trade and budget debts than does the United States — and is already using that economic clout for its own interests, not global freedom from dictators and autocrats.
• Don't believe much of what the U.N. says anymore. Its secretary general is guilty of either malfeasance or incompetence, its soldiers are often hired thugs who terrorize those they are supposed to protect, and its resolutions are likely to be anti-democratic and anti-Semitic. Its members include dozens of nations whose odious representatives we would not let walk inside the doors of the U.S. Congress. The old idea of a United Nations was inspiring, the current reality chilling.
• Stop seeing socialists and anti-Americans as Democrats. When a Michael Moore compares beheaders to our own Minutemen and laments that too many Democrats were in the World Trade Center, he deserves no platform alongside Wesley Clark or a seat next to Jimmy Carter or praise for his pseudo-dramas from high Democrats. Firebrands like Al Sharpton and Michael Moore are the current leftist equivalents of 1950s right-wing extremists like t

Read the whole thing here-

http://www.nationalreview.com/hanson/hanson200412300838.asp

HERE'S A LOOK AT The Los Angeles Times' performance in 2004. Less than stellar. This is a must read!!!!!

CortiSlim---CortiScam

The commercial says-----weight management can be obtained through the right combination of “diet, exercise, stress management, and supplementation,” (i.e. CortiSlim). Now, out of the four aspects he mentioned, which one do you think is totally unnecessary?

Why do people buy into this shit?

Tsunami scientists and public safety officials are closely watching an earthquake-prone nation with thousands of miles of crowded coastlines for signs of an imminent disaster. Indonesia? Japan? Try the United States.

Experts say the West Coast could experience a calamity similar to the one they have been watching unfold half a world away.

“People need to know it could happen,” said geologist Brian Atwater of the U.S. Geological Survey.

Scientists say grinding geologic circumstances similar to those in Sumatra also exist just off the Pacific Northwest coast. They are a loaded gun that could trigger a tsunami that could hit Northern California, Washington, Oregon and British Columbia in minutes — too fast for the nation’s deep-sea tsunami warning system to help.

For all of my friends that live on the West coast, please take my advice on this: You have more chance of dying via a poison dart to the head, fired by a crazed Kerry supporter who listens to the voices in his head than any Tsunami.

Year end report:

I did not go to a single movie this year.

Notes for the coming year:

Q: I've heard that cardiovascular exercise can prolong life. Is this true?

A: Your heart is only good for so many beats, and that's it...don't waste them on exercise. Everything wears out eventually. Speeding up your heart will not make you live longer; that's like saying you can extend the life of your car by driving it faster. Want to live longer? Take a nap.

Q: Should I cut down on meat and eat more fruits and vegetables?

A: You must grasp logistical efficiencies. What does a cow eat? Hay and corn. And what are these? Vegetables. So a steak is nothing more than an efficient mechanism of delivering vegetables to your system. Need grain? Eat chicken. Beef is also a good source of field grass (green leafy vegetable). And a pork chop can give you 100% of your recommended daily allowance of vegetable products.

Q: Should I reduce my alcohol intake?

A: No, not at all. Wine is made from fruit. Brandy is distilled wine, that means they take the water out of the fruity bit so you get even more of the goodness that way. Beer is also made out of grain. Bottoms up!

Q: How can I calculate my body/fat ratio?

A: Well, if you have a body and you have body fat, your ratio is one to one. If you have two bodies, your ratio is two to one, etc.

Q: What are some of the advantages of participating in a regular exercise program?

A: Can't think of a single one, sorry. My philosophy is: No Pain ....Good

Q: Aren't fried foods bad for you?

A: YOU'RE NOT LISTENING!!!. Foods are fried these days in vegetable oil. In fact, they're permeated in it. How could getting more vegetables be bad for you?

Q: Will sit-ups help prevent me from getting a little soft around the middle?

A: Definitely not! When you exercise a muscle, it gets bigger. You should only be doing sit-ups if you want a bigger stomach.

Q: Is chocolate bad for me?

A: Are you crazy? HELLO ...... Cocoa beans .. another vegetable!!! It's the best feel-good food around!

Q: Is swimming good for your figure?

A: If swimming is good for your figure, explain whales to me.

Q: Is getting in-shape important for my lifestyle?

A: Hey! 'Round' *is* a shape!

Well, I hope this has cleared up any misconceptions you may have had about food and diets -- and remember, "Life should NOT be a journey to the grave with the intention of arriving safely in an attractive and well preserved body, but rather to skid in sideways - Chardonnay in one hand - chocolate covered strawberries in the other - body thoroughly used up, totally worn out, and screaming

From Blame Bush:

Bush Vacations While Susan Sontag Dies

Can't sleep? Is your hair falling out in clumps? Are your evenings spent naked in the basement, jabbing yourself in the thigh with a plastic fork?

You are not alone. There isn't a self-respecting progressive in the world who hasn't suffered horribly the past few days, wracked with paroxysms of grief over the loss of our beloved Susan Sontag. The rainbow flags at Berkeley are flying at half mast. Elbow-patch university professors have been strangely silent at Manhattan wine and cheese parties. The entire nation of France is being flooded by a tsunami of tears. Yet that so-called "compassionate conservative" in the White House can't seem to pry himself off the golf course and comfort us in our time of sorrow.

It's typical for an administration that sends three measly cents to those hurricane victims in Taiwan - or wherever it is - and has a robot sign condolence letters to the families of dead troops, of all things! Bill Clinton was a caring, sensitive man who would go out of his way to send a personally autographed copy of Walt Whitman's Leaves of Grass to the wives, sisters, and daughters of every troop who died on his watch. He'd even invite the cuter ones back to the Oval Office for a private mono y mono, so he could really feel their pain up close. He was a hands-on kind of guy. Not the Shrub. We'll be lucky if he stops "clearing brush" long enough to even acknowledge our torment, let alone bite his lip and speak to us in the soft, dulcite tones of a nurturing mother.

And does he think he's fooling anyone with this whole "clearing brush in Crawford" charade, anyway? Every time an important world figure mysteriously dies, Dumbya is conventiently off "clearing brush". I don't know whether it's a clever alibi, or a euphemism for something else entirely.

"Georgie! You've been in the bathroom for two hours! What are you DOING in there?"

"I'm clearing brush, Ma!"

"Don't you lie to me! I saw you take a copy of that Susan Sontag book in with you!"

"Nuh uh...it was Camille Paglia!"

"YOU'LL GO BLIND!"

Oh well. Don't expect much from me for the next few days. If the Shrub can't at least pretend he cares about our pain and suffering in the wake of Boom Boom's death, I'm not coming out from under the sink until after New Years.

Too Funny!

Check out the Tee Shirt on the fourth guy from the left.  

Taint-taint Christmas-taint New Years-it's just Taint

On with relief efforts! But first, some recriminations, and of course, let's hold a conference!

Jan Egeland, UN undersecretary-general for humanitarian affairs and emergency relief, is a really class crass act. As the world gears up and initiates humanitarian responses to the devastation from the Sumatra quake and Tsunami, Egeland uses his new found importance in front of sound bite hungry newsies as a platform to call the developed world a bunch of tightwad skinflints.

Yeah, that'll help get safe drinking water for hundreds of thousands in Sri Lanka and along the Indian coast, Jan. Probably much too cynical to suppose that Egeland's indignation stems from the monies actually flowing to, you know, disaster victims, directly, than being given to UN coffers where he can manipulate it, and have a 'say' in what's done with it. Can you spell 'administrative overhead'? Thought so.

And, a bit later on Monday, Egeland used a spot on PBS' News Hour (which is the segment they didn't post audio for) to continue his 'miserly bastages' rant; then when asked by Gwen Ifil about the major efforts his organization was planning in response, he popped up with - wait for it - that they're going to hold a conference to discuss the problem!. Fantastico! It's well know that a buffet tray of shrimp, pate, and little crackers under an intricate Tsunami wave ice sculpture surrounded by nattering bloatocrats is the one sure way to hold our restive planet's convulsions at bay.

Here's an idea - radical, it may be - how about they save the several million dollars that the hot-air extravaganza planned for Kobe will cost, and instead use the funds to begin the set-up of some sort of global coastline notification and warning system, along the lines of the one used in the Pacific? The excuse that 'well, it only happens once every hundred years or so' sounds pretty crass when contemplating the tens of thousands of dead - a figure that could be substantially lower with even five minutes warning of some sort.

Putting such a system in place around the Indian Ocean would be a band-aid on a sucking chest wound at this point - a true solution needs to encompass every major body of water on the planet - if it's big enough to get sloshed, it needs to be included. Implementing such an alarm system should be job one for prevention.

That's self evident enough following the events along the coasts of the Bay of Bengal. Do you really need to sit around for three days and conduct a hand wringing, shrimp consuming, pontification session on the matter? Or is it silly to think of the UN doing anything other than producing left over krab-dip, which won't even keep long enough to be shipped into the disaster zone?

How about it, Mr. UN undersecretary-general for humanitarian affairs and emergency relief? What's that? You want we should fill out some forms in triplicate so your staff can inform us that prevention is not your department?

Salute to Silent Running

There was a time when, if you wrote or spoke out against the United Nations, you would be dismissed as some right-wing kook, a nutcase who saw conspiracies or was some kind of isolationist who didn’t understand the need for an international forum where the problems of the world could be resolved without resort to warfare.

Well, friend, welcome to Kookville! Turns out that the United Nations is not simply incapable of stopping wars and genocides, it is so utterly corrupt that it needs to be eliminated entirely in the hope that the many other existing international organizations, treaties, unilateral and bilateral relations can be allowed to do what it will not and cannot.

Hopefully, 2005 will be the year that historians will mark as the one in which this bloated international criminal conspiracy implodes from its own dead weight.

This is not a new thought to me, but it resurfaced as I read an October 9 news article about “a tough new anti-terrorism resolution aimed at stemming attacks on civilians by denying terrorists safe havens, weapons, financial resources, and freedom of movement.” Introduced by the Russian Federation, it was unanimously passed by the UN Security Council. It was described as strengthening the “essential coordinating role of the United Nations in the international campaign against the terrorist threat.”

This is the same United Nations that did nothing when Red China invaded and occupied Tibet. And then gave Taiwan’s seat to Red China.

This is the same United Nations that stood by while Rwanda went about the business of slaughtering hundreds of thousands of innocent civilians.

This is the same United Nations that has been unable to stop the Sudan from conducting genocide against more than a million of its Christian citizens. And Sudan is a member of the UN Human Rights Commission!

This is the same United Nations that has been unable to persuade Syria to withdraw its occupation troops from Lebanon.

This is the same United Nations that has stood by for years as the Palestinians waged a terrorist campaign against the Israelis and then chided the Israelis for building a fence as a means to defend themselves.

This is the same United Nations that needed a coalition led by the United States to force Iraq to withdraw from its invasion of Kuwait and then spent twelve years passing one useless resolution after another to get Saddam Hussein’s Iraq to disarm. After its Oil-for-Food administrators and key members of its Security Council wallowed in corruption, it faintly blessed the US effort to remove an important base for terrorist planning, training, and funding. And remove an evil dictator from power.

This is the same United Nations that needed the United States to intervene when the North Koreans invaded the south in the 1950s and whose atomic energy agency has been unable to stop North Korea from developing nuclear weapons. Now Iran is thumbing its nose at the UN. It’s not nuclear proliferation that is the problem; it’s which country is led by people deemed most likely to use these weapons. The mere prospect of a nuclear exchange drove Pakistan and India to the table to resolve longtime conflicts.

And, yes, this was the United Nations that stood by while the United States pursued a noble, but ill-fated war against the North Vietnamese when they invaded the south.

The United Nations has been unable to respond to outbreaks of violence in Haiti, Somalia, Cambodia, and Kosovo, to name just a few places where it has demonstrated its ineptitude.

It is the same United Nations that is trying to cover up the biggest scandal in history, the Oil-For-Food program it administered which put billions into the hands of Saddam Hussein, allowing him to bribe France, China and Russia, among others, to buy armaments while Iraqi citizens died from malnutrition, disease and the butchery common to Saddam’s regime.

As the scholar Jeremy A. Rabkin points out, “The Security Council has never authorized outside military intervention solely to protect people from slaughter at the hands of their own government.”

Now, three years since 9-11, an event that changed not just the United States, but alerted the entire world to the threat posed by an organization that is not a nation, but a group dedicated to imposing Islam, the Security Council has passed another useless resolution, vowing to do something about it.

Meanwhile, the United Nations has been largely sustained by the nearly twenty-five percent of its annual budget paid by the United States, plus the $1.4 billion the US gives to United Nations’ programs and agencies. US taxpayers fund more of the UN’s activities than all of the other 177 member nations. At the same time, the vast majority of the recipients of US foreign aid routinely vote against the policies of the United States. Most of those opposing US initiatives come from Africa and the Middle East.

Since the founding of the United Nations in 1945, there have been 291 wars resulting in 22 million deaths. The US Department of State lists 36 terrorist organizations operating with impunity in at least 60 UN member nations. Fully 102 of 191 member nations do not have completely free and democratic governments. 47 member nations are dictatorships and the UN roster includes six terrorist states.

A Gallup poll in September 2003 found that sixty percent of Americans said the UN was doing “a poor job.” It’s not just doing a poor job; it is actively seeking to undermine the concept of sovereignty for every nation in the world. It is actively seeking to become a world government. It wants to impose its own taxes. It wants its own military force. It wants to ban ownership of guns. It wants control of the world’s oceans and seas. Its Kyoto Protocol will seek to impose limits on the use of various forms of energy vital to industrialized nations, while exempting some like China and India.

There are elements of the United Nations that are doing some good work. It has helped refugees. Its World Health Organization presumably tries to improve conditions. There are, I’m sure other examples, but overall the UN is a cesspool of corruption and the nexus of evil that blithely ignores its original mandates.

So, if by now you have been or are ready to join the rest of us kooks who want the US to withdraw its support, welcome to Kookville. Welcome to the existing and growing majority of Americans who think it’s time to withdraw from the United Nations and find other means to address the world’s problems, unilaterally, bilaterally, and effectively.

Thanks to Alan Caruba

Mark Steyn is loaded for bear--well, donkey actually--in his latest Chicago Sun-Times essay. He mentions the London Daily Mirror's infamous post-American election headline, "How Can 59,054,087 People Be So DUMB?". And so with all due respect to my in-laws The Fosters:

Well, they're British lefties: They can do without Americans. Whether an American political party can do without Americans is more doubtful. Nonetheless, MSNBC.com's Eric Alterman was mirroring the Mirror's sentiments: "Slightly more than half of the citizens of this country simply do not care about what those of us in the 'reality-based community' say or believe about anything." Over at Slate, Jane Smiley's analysis was headlined, "The Unteachable Ignorance Of The Red States.'' If you don't want to bother plowing your way through Alterman and Smiley, a placard prominently displayed by a fetching young lad at the post-election anti-Bush rally in San Francisco cut to the chase: "F--- MIDDLE AMERICA."

Almost right, man. It would be more accurate to say that "MIDDLE AMERICA" has "F---ed" you, and it will continue to do so every two years as long as Democrats insist that anyone who disagrees with them is, ipso facto, a simpleton -- or "Neanderthal," as Teresa Heinz Kerry described those unimpressed by her husband's foreign policy. In my time, I've known dukes, marquesses, earls, viscounts and other members of Britain's House of Lords and none of them had the contempt for the masses one routinely hears from America's coastal elites. And, in fairness to those ermined aristocrats, they could afford Dem-style contempt: A seat in the House of Lords is for life; a Senate seat in South Dakota isn't.

More to the point, nobody who campaigns with Ben Affleck at his side has the right to call anybody an idiot. H. L. Mencken said that no one ever lost money underestimating the intelligence of the American people. Well, George Soros, Barbra Streisand and a lot of their friends just did: The Kerry campaign and its supporters -- MoveOn.org, Rock The Vote, etc. -- were awash in bazillions of dollars, and what have they got to show for it? In this election, the plebs were more mature than the elites: They understood that war is never cost-free and that you don't run away because of a couple of setbacks; they did not accept that one jailhouse scandal should determine America's national security interest; they rejected the childish caricature of their president and paranoid ravings about Halliburton; they declined to have their vote rocked by Bruce Springsteen or any other pop culture poser.

The quiet time post Santa. And so it begins. 

Before the mayhem. 

All hands on deck, let's get ready to rumble. 

Let the mayhem begin 

Green high top Converse---This would never have been a present I would have asked for. Go Figure? 

The aftermath II 

The aftermath 

Christmas morning it was grey, however, notice there's no snow--just a low tide. 

This is what it looks like when you are close hauled on a port tack with a steady 20 knot wind. Oh Yea! 

My two favorite Left Wing Liberal Weenies 

Hysterical

Thanks to cousin Barb for this laugh out loud piece. I was in tears about mid way through it and by the end of the piece my family thought I had lost it completely.

Enjoy:

Subject: Fwd: Chili Cookoff: HILARIOUS



If you can read the whole story without tears of laughter running down your cheeks then there's no hope for you. NOTE: Please take time to read this slowly. If you pay attention to the first two judges, the reaction of the third is even better. For those of you who have lived in Texas, you know how true this is. They actually have a Chili cook-off about the time the rodeo comes to town. It takes up a major portion of the parking lot at the Astrodome. These notes are from an inexperienced chili taster named Frank, who was visiting Texas from the East Coast:

"Recently, I was honored to be selected as a judge at a chili cook-off. The
original person called in sick at the last moment, and I happened to be standing
there at the judge's table asking directions to the Budweiser truck, when the call came in. I was assured by the other two judges (Native Texans) that the chili wouldn't be all that spicy and, besides, they told me I could have free beer during the tasting, so I accepted." Here are the scorecards from the event:

Chili # 1 Mike's Maniac Mobster Monster Chili:
Judge # 1 -- A little too heavy on the tomato. Amusing kick.
Judge # 2 -- Nice, smooth, tomato flavor. Very mild.
Judge # 3 (Frank) - Holy shit, what the hell is this stuff? You could remove
dried paint from your driveway. Took me two beers to put the flames out.
I hope that's the worst one. These Texans are crazy.


Chili # 2 Arthur's Afterburner Chili
Judge # 1 -- Smoky, with a hint of pork. Slight jalapeno tang.
Judge # 2 -- Exciting BBQ flavor, needs more peppers to Be taken seriously.
Judge # 3 -- Keep this out of the reach of children. I'm not sure what I'm supposed to taste besides pain. I had to wave off two people who wanted to give me the Heimlich maneuver. They had to rush in more beer when they saw the look on my face.


Chili # 3 Fred's Famous Burn Down the Barn Chili.
Judge # 1 -- Excellent firehouse chili. Great kick. Needs more beans.
Judge # 2 -- A bean less chili, a bit salty, good use of peppers.
Judge # 3 -- Call the EPA. I've located a uranium spill. My nose feels like I have been snorting Drano. Everyone knows the routine by now...get me more Beer before I ignite. Barmaid pounded me on the back, now my backbone is in the front part of my chest. I'm getting shit-faced from all of the beer.


Chili # 4 Bubba's Black Magic
Judge # 1 -- Black bean chili with almost no spice. Disappointing.
Judge # 2 -- Hint of lime in the black beans. Good side dish for fish or other mild foods, not much of a chili.
Judge # 3 -- I felt something scraping across my tongue, but was unable to taste it. Is it possible to burn out taste buds? Sally, the barmaid, was standing behind me with fresh refills. That 300-lb. bitch is starting to look HOT (just like this nuclear waste I'm eating.) Is chili an aphrodisiac?


Chili # 5 Linda's Legal Lip Remover
Judge # 1 -- Meaty, strong chili. Cayenne peppers freshly ground, adding considerable kick. Very impressive.
Judge # 2 -- Chili using shredded beef, could use more tomato. Must admit the cayenne peppers make a strong statement.
Judge # 3 -- My ears are ringing, sweat is pouring off my forehead and I can
no longer focus my eyes. I farted and four people behind me needed
paramedics. The contestant seemed offended when I told her that her chili had given me brain damage. Sally saved my tongue from bleeding by pouring beer directly on it from the pitcher. I wonder if I'm burning my lips off. It really pisses me off that the other judges asked me to stop screaming. Screw those rednecks.


Chili # 6 Vera's Very Vegetarian Variety
Judge # 1 -- Thin yet bold vegetarian variety chili. Good balance of spices and peppers.
Judge # 2-- The best yet. Aggressive use of peppers, onions, and garlic. Superb.
Judge # 3 -- My intestines are now a straight pipe filled with gaseous, sulfuric flames. I shit myself when I farted and I'm worried it will eat through the chair. No one seems inclined to stand behind me except that slut Sally. She must be kinkier than I thought. Can't feel my lips anymore. I need to wipe my ass with a snow cone.


Chili # 7 Susan's screaming Sensation Chili
Judge # 1 -- A mediocre chili with too much reliance on canned peppers.
Judge # 2 -- Ho hum, tastes as if the chef literally threw in can of chili peppers at the last moment. I should take note that I am worried about Judge # 3. He appears to be in a bit of distress as he is cursing uncontrollably.
Judge # 3 -- You could put a grenade in my mouth, pull the pin, and I wouldn't feel a thing. I've lost sight in one eye, and the world sounds like it is made of rushing water. My shirt is covered with chili, which slides unnoticed out of my mouth. My pants are full of lava-like shit to match my shirt. At least during the autopsy, they'll know what killed me. I've decided to stop breathing, its too painful. Screw it...I'm not getting any oxygen anyway. If I need air, I'll just suck it in through the 4-inch hole in my stomach.


Chili #8 Tommy's Toe-Nail Curling Chili
Judge # 1 -- The perfect ending, this is a nice blend chili. Not too bold but spicy enough to declare its existence.
Judge # 2 - This final entry is a good, balance chili. Neither mild nor hot. Sorry to see that most of it was lost when judge # 3 passed out, fell over and pulled the chili pot down on top of himself. Not sure if he's going to make it. Poor dude, wonder how he'd have reacted to really hot chili

Hump Day Musings

Europeans Don't Like Us

I’m sure I’m not the only one who is totally sick of reading these polls.

President Bush’s re-election was viewed negatively by a majority of people in several European countries — including those in Britain, America’s strongest ally in the war in Iraq, Associated Press polling found.

The president was not the only one viewed unfavorably. Americans generally were seen in an unfavorable light by many in France, Germany and Spain, countries not supportive of U.S. Iraq policies.

When the hell are there going to be opinion polls done asking Americans their opinion of France? Why are we never given the opportunity to express our displeasure with these gutless European twats? Why can’t we talk about how much we hate the French as a people? Yes, Europe hates us, fine. When do we get the chance to speak?

But if you ask Democrats, these are the people who should have a veto over our national security.

International resentment of the Bush administration has spilled over to include bad feelings for the American people, too - at least in three European countries that opposed U.S. policies in Iraq.

People in France, Germany and Spain are more likely to have an unfavorable than favorable view of Americans, Associated Press polling found.

Just over half in France and Germany said they viewed Americans unfavorably. Almost half in Spain felt that way, while a third of Spaniards viewed Americans favorably.

Well, too bad for Europe, this is our country. Just because Europe doesn't want there to be a strong America doesn't mean we should listen to them. Remember, the number of people in the United States that voted for Bush is greater than the entire population of France.

There is a great line from Die Hard the first Die Hard Movie when Danny Glover is lamenting that God hates him for teaming him up with Gibson and he says to Gibson that God has to hate him for this and Gibson says—“Then do what I do-- just hate him back!”

I feel the same way about the French.

U.S. Senate Democrats Monday signaled they would continue to try and unofficially oversee the Bush administration.

Sen. Byron L. Dorgan, D-N.D., and Minority Leader Harry Reid, D-Nev., announced several oversight hearings on a range of subjects next hear.

The minority party in Congress argued the Republican leadership has skirted its responsibility for administration oversight as defined in the Constitution.

Now you just have to love this if you’re a Republican or a Bush supporter. This may be the very thing that gives the Republicans a filibuster proof majority in the Senate. At some point someone on the left is going to have to come to grips with the old adage that when you’re in a hole –Stop Digging!

You want Holiday Cheer??

This had me laughing out loud.

http://irrationalnoise.com/fries.htm

A warning from the pages of the St. Petersburg (Fla.) Times:

Before you wear your cool yellow LiveStrong wristband at the hospital, think twice.

Several area hospitals are putting the brakes on Lance Armstrong's cancer organization fundraising bracelets. It's not cold-hearted backlash, but rather a safety precaution.

Patients wear colored bracelets to identify safety needs, said Lisa Johnson, vice president of patient services for Morton Plant Mease Health Care. Yellow stands for "do not resuscitate."

"Hey, have you seen my new bracelet? It's to die for."

A must read for any that think the Rumsfield gotcha question from an embedded reporter was unusual. The press has obviously decided that now that Ashcroft is gone they must have a target and Rummy is it.

Read the article from the Wall Street Journal and get the truth for a change. You won't get the truth from the Washington Post, L.A. Times or the New York Times.

Question Authority

What the media got wrong about Spc. Wilson and Secretary Rumsfeld.

BY JOHN R. GUARDIANO

Wednesday, December 15, 2004 12:01 a.m. EST

http://www.opinionjournal.com/extra/?id=110006029

AARRUGH!!!!

I’m sitting here in my office at the house catching up on email and tuning in to Fox News with Brit Hume. What’s on are three jurors from the Scott Peterson trail telling the media idiots how hard they (the jurors) had it during the trail and how much of a toll it took from them. They want everyone to know what a terrible ordeal this has been for them.

HELLO????????---they just sent the guy to the death chamber and they want us to worry about their mental/physical strain?

These three twits just sent a guy to the death chamber with no physical evidence. How do you square this up with O.J. Simpson where there were DNA-Blood-two bodies-and a load of physical evidence? For Peterson they had a concrete anchor and a boat with no physical evidence tying him to anything but they did have his private punching board represented by Gloria who added nothing to the evidence other than the fact that his thought process traveled mainly though his dick.

So—OJ is playing golf and Scootso is about to take the big dirt nap. This poor schmuck is about to be the victim of political correctness to the max.

It boggles the mind!

A very different --yet interesting--way to look at the world we live in.

My cold will not go away!

Why?

For whatever reason my brain went into a vacuum yesterday and it hit me that there are no sports teams I can think of that use the nickname of “The Gorillas”.

Think about it. We have all sorts of weird and strange nicknames for teams but no Gorillas.

Hokies-Redskins-Clippers-Terps-Hurricanes-Cavaliers-Marlins-Frogs-Aggies-
Rockets-Gators-Lions-Tigers-Utes-Trojans-Buckeyes-WarEagles-BullDogs-
Ravens-Grizzlies-TarHeels-Raiders-Pistons-Cocks-Dolphins-Rams-Bears-
Huskies-Wolverines-Hawks-Mavericks-Panthers-Blue-Jays-Cowboys-Niners-
Longhorns-Sooners-Ducks-Cubs-Celtics-Jets-Stingrays-Reds-Raiders-Saints-
Astros-Hoosiers-Spurs-Chargers-Pistons-Colts-Cardinals-Patriots-Jaguars-
Ravens-Titans-etc., etc., etc.

But-no Monkeys-Apes-Baboons-or Gorillas.

Why?

Matt Leinart won the Heisman Trophy---does anyone care this year?

Do yourself a favor and watch this exceptional tribute.

(Via LGF)

Great piece on Airlines and flying:

Sample:

If you treat people like cattle, they will act like cattle. If you run your business like it’s the airborne Greyhound Bus system, you can’t be surprised if the customers act like they were paroled from Sing-Sing as early as that morning. If you treat them like valued customers they will respond to that too. Try it, you might find that they come back more often. Airlines today have simply forgotten what business they are in and they don’t honestly believe that people have a choice.

In my business, to do anything you used to have to fly to the problem. I don’t have to do that anymore. I’m not the only one who has been making the Internet work for me. Airlines think I don’t have a choice, but I do, and increasingly I’m choosing not to fly.

Airlines – I’m your biggest fan, and even I don’t like you. This is a problem.

Read the whole thing

http://varifrank.com/archives/2004/12/like_a_cattle_c.php

It just don’t get any better than this:

From MoveOn.Org to its members:

"For years, the party has been led by elite Washington insiders who are closer to corporate lobbyists than they are to the Democratic base," said the e-mail from MoveOn PAC's Eli Pariser. "But we can't afford four more years of leadership by a consulting class of professional election losers."

Under McAuliffe's leadership, the message said, the party coddled the same corporate donors that fund Republicans to bring in money at the expense of vision and integrity.

"In the last year, grass-roots contributors like us gave more than $300 million to the Kerry campaign and the DNC, and proved that the party doesn't need corporate cash to be competitive," the message continued. "Now it's our party: we bought it, we own it, and we're going to take it back."

I do hope they continue to press the issue. They just might be the very thing needed to establish a filibuster proof margin in the Senate.

Do something meaningful:

"Yellow ribbons tied around trees and red, white and blue

stickers on the backs SUVs saying "Support our Troops"

are things that make civilians feel good but do nothing

for the men and women actually in uniform.

So please consider the following:

The number ONE request at Walter Reed hospital is phone cards. The government doesn't pay long distance phone charges and these wounded soldiers are rationing their calls home.

Many will be there throughout the holidays.

Really support our troops --Send phone cards of any amount to:

Medical Family Assistance Center

Walter Reed Medical Center

6900 Georgia Avenue, NW

Washington, DC 20307-5001

This is how you reach out to the Whackado Wing of the Democrat Party 

Where's the Kleenex?

Miss me?

I have been down with “Bubonic Cold/Flu” which has made my mood as such that I just didn’t care what the hell was going on, which is the reason you ladies have had to endure a week without my insight and sick humor. I’m still not 100% (not that I have ever been 100%) but I ‘m well enough to play catch up.

Ramblings:

If you have not seen this or listened to it on the Internet as yet you need to go do it. America: Fuck Yeah!

112,000 New Payroll Jobs In November, Unemployment Rate Falls To 5.4%

The Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) reported today that in the month of November 112,000 new payroll jobs were created and the unemployment rate fell to 5.4 percent.

Based on the payroll survey and benchmark revision, "2.4 million new jobs have been created since August 2003, and over 2 million new jobs have been created thus far in 2004."

So—is there any reason to ever believe anything that Paul Krugman says?

We are getting closer to the time when CBS is going to come clean about Memo-Gate. Dan has insulated himself from the axe by retiring but do any of us think that this will inoculate him from criticism about trying to influence the election or unseat the president with a hit piece? Actually, my favorite Rather biased moment is Dan Rather’s reaction when Ed Bradley tells him Ohio can’t be won by Kerry even with 80% of the provisional votes. Dan pauses, then looks confused, then says, “So, what are you telling me?”

Big news last week—there is a Splenda shortage.

Good God!

Want to see what those creeps who work for TSA at the airport and now seeing with the new screening equipment?

Go here---Link to new airport security machine.

http://home.chello.no/~siamak.javid/etc/NewAirportSecurity.swf

There is now a big deal and a law suit about the military’s “Stop-Loss” policy. This is where the military can keep a guy in uniform beyond his contract date because they deem his billet or service needed for unit effectiveness. Well folks, you need to disabuse yourself of the notion that this is something new and unique to Bush and the current world situation---it’s not! In my day they used to call this an “Involuntary Extension” of your active duty and it happened all the time.

From Red-State:

Mary Frances Berry, scourge of people trying to actually heal race wounds in this country, has admitted defeat.

Her term ended Sunday, but she refused to go. In a letter to the President today, Ms. Berry decided to "resign," despite not actually having a job from which to resign. She's taking Democratic Vice Chairman Cruz Reynoso with her.

Good riddance.

Thanks to our pack of Congresscritters we now have an “Intelligence Czar” Think he/she/it will be any more effective than our Drug Czar or our Education Czar?

The Ohio sky at 7:00AM from the cockpit of the Odormobile 

One down two to go

Well—the first major holiday of the season is now over and all I can say is how much I am looking forward to Christmas and New Years. About as much as sticking an ice pick in my forehead.

We capped off the Thanksgiving holiday with an exhilarating drive from Columbus, Ohio to Ozona, Florida. We began the trek at 7:00 in the morning and got home at a little after midnight. Usually we go to the airport and pick up my car but I did all the driving and the car could wait until the following day as I was just too damn tired. So—what’s it like being in the SUV with the family after we have pigged out for three days eating all those fat rich foods and deserts? Well, it’s not like going out after a spring rain and smelling how fresh everything is. My son had what might be labeled as a slight case of gas. And so for 17 hours he entertained us with the odor of the hour. He demonstrated his total virtuosity by giving us a sample of everything from turkey to snicker-doodle pie in the form of vapor. We are still not talking to him. Today I must take the SUV in for a complete detail inclusive of vanilla scent for the interior. I have also put all of our clothes into a bag and will be taking them to the cleaners too. Nothing was safe from the “smell”.

Now you ask what is the first thing on the mind of the people I live with. Why-- it’s when do we get a tree and how big should we get? I’m already sick of Christmas. I will now be subjected to watching “It’s a Good Life” 350 times, listening to that awful Christmas Carole music, Christmas Cookies everywhere, along with the constant adjusting of the tree lights. Every major catalog on the planet is now arriving at my mailbox. Christmas cards are already arriving from people I do not know. Even my email box is now filing with spam from people of good cheer trying to part me and my money. The good news is that I am alone a lot because the family makes a career of shopping in the next 25 days.

Dear Anonymous:

Imagine my surprise?

There are a bunch of folks who read this ridiculous blog because they actually think I might have something interesting to say or they think I’m amusing. As you know—I amuse the hell out of myself with regularity. And the older I get the easier it becomes to amuse myself. What I regret is that I have to amuse myself with mental gymnastics rather than physical gymnastics as the physical stuff is not doable any longer.

None of my regular readers make comments on the public board due to my behavior on the previous board I sponsored where I was less than kind to people who disagreed with my point of view. So, even though I have taken a much lighter, kinder and gentler approach on this board and use it primarily to post my random idiotic thoughts; if they feel the need to comment they send me a private email as they would rather I just behave myself on the public board.

You are a much different case you as you actually believe that I’m a genius. Not just any genius—but your genius. How warped are you? I am delighted that you are here and watching my insane contemplations, idiotic notions and bizarre wisdom. It will make me happy to know that on the other end of this blog there is someone smiling if I use the phrase “Pavlotti Hey” or “Ring pass Snot”

Please give my very best regards to Clyde. And remember that you are always in my thoughts.

Turkey Blogging will continue at the end of the weekend for the rest of you fools.

Turkey Blogging II

The day of giving Thanks and feasting has arrived. I’m now safely ensconced at my in-laws house in Grove City, Ohio. Would you believe that I woke up to a dusting of snow this morning? Would you believe that it’s about 38 degrees outside? Would you also believe that I wish I was back in Florida? While I care a great deal about my in-laws and it’s nice to be around the family for this holiday I could do without the cold weather and gray sky.

The day began with the dusting and a trip to Tim Horton’s for donuts and coffee. I made sure to get a bunch of coffee to take home so I can alternate between Dunkin Donuts coffee (which I can get at home) and Tim Horton’s coffee (which I can’t). How sick is that? I was a big Starbucks fan for a while but the taste of the different brands/blends never seemed any different. All Starbucks coffee tastes the same to me but Dunkin Donuts always tastes good and never too harsh.

Tim Horton’s was jammed. Seems as if even on Thanksgiving people never get enough of their donuts. Following Tim Horton’s I made a quick trip to the grocery store to pick up those last minute things needed to complete the feast to come. I don’t mind going to the store as it gives me a chance to see all the neat new things and packaging that I don’t get to see in Florida. This part of Ohio is a marketing test market and here in the Columbus area they get all the newer stuff first as it is a prime test market, Usually the new stuff I see the in Kroger Supermarkets here I see in about a year in the Publix in my neighborhood.

Now back in the warm confines of the living room the holiday lunatics are watching the Macy’s Day Parade. I can’t watch it for one reason---Katie Courick. If I could be assured that if I watched her and the parade-- that Katie would burst into flames right after Santa shows up I would definitely watch. But the chance of her igniting from internal combustion is pretty slim so I’m in another room watching Rutgers and Connecticut football. Hey---it’s a pretty good game.

There will be a minimum of 15 people here for their dining pleasure today. There’s a very good chance that I will once again consider putting a gun in my mouth by days end.

Turkey Blogging

I’ve never been a big fan of holidays. I have always found them to be a genuine pain in the ass. It’s an excuse to stop working on things that need to get done. WE know we still have things to do, however, now that the holidays are upon us the sense of urgency dissolves and what could be done today gets put off until after the holiday. Our collective mood changes from the daily awareness of reality into a false sense of good cheer and tolerance. It annoys me because 1— the cheery attitude is only temporary due to the insane logic of holiday feel good, 2—we assume a demeanor of overt charity fueled by a false sense of security and 3---We say nice things to people we honestly don’t care for. What’s annoying is that we should either do this all the time or stop being a bunch of phony bastards.

So—here I am at the Tampa International Airport “Turkey Blogging”. It is the first major event of the holiday season and the first major bullshit reason to not get anything done other than watch football and eat. What is a) depressing b) infuriating and c)typical is that I got to the airport two and a half hours prior to departure time and the god-damned airport is less populated than on any given business day. With all the hype about this being the heaviest travel day of the year I got though security in less than 10 minutes when it would take me 20 or more on a normal business trip during the work week. I even took a picture to prove it. The bottom line is that I now have to sit here watching a bunch of kids run around sans their ADD medication while their parents pretend that they’re cute from being a real loud and royal pain in the ass.

Dan Rather resigned---Good! It’s about time. First he is a dishonest prick. Second he’s a fool because he lies to himself. He actually believes he is NOT biased. This from a guy who tried to bag the president with phony documents after he gave a kissy face interview to Saddam Huinsane. This from a guy who publicly gave the Clinton’s an on-air blow job and ambushed Bush 41. He should have been on the payroll of the DNC and not CBS.

Rather has been losing ratings for 10 years and his mind for 20. This is a guy that I always thought would come screaming out of an elevator, naked as a Jay Bird, wielding a fire axe screaming that his brain was in a vacuum and we all need to have more courage. The guy was a certifiable whack job. This is an idiot who at age 70 stood out in a hurricane to prove his manhood. Oh Yea---that really gives me a sense that this guy is a great reporter.

The logic test for CBS is why do you fire a producer for breaking news of Arafat’s assumption of room temperature and not fire Dan and Mary for trying to unseat a sitting president with fraudulent evidence from a source that is tarnished? Perhaps this is the reason that Dan was able to have such a long career with CBS. They just flat run a shitty operation and have no ethical compass.

NID—National Intelligence Director:
Ya gotta love the hysterics of the MSM and left wing liberal weenies over the conference committee inability to mollify two House committee chairmen and get a consensus Bill passed. It’s as if not passing a Bill replete with every single recommendation made by the 9/11 commission is somehow not a good Bill. Hogwash! This is another one of those massive pieces of legislation that I’m willing to bet none of them have actually read.

They are hung up on only two issues. The issuance of driver’s license to illegal aliens and direct access to satellite intelligence by those operators on the ground in combat hot zones. Seems to me that they ought to be able to work this out and I’m of the mind that anyone who thinks it’s a good idea for illegals to be able to get valid driver’s licenses are out of their minds and I hope the Bill never passes. You do remember that those fine young Arab terrorists who took out the World Trade Center and 3,000 of our citizens had 61 (that’s right—61) drivers licenses between them. You did remember that---didn’t you? I wonder if the clowns in the conference committee do.

Back to the Thanksgiving trip from hell.
I’m flying Southwest, which is without a doubt the very best run airline in this Nation. Even better, now you can go on-line and download a boarding pass which allows you to be in boarding group “A” which makes you think that you are going to be in the first group that boards. NOT ON THE HOLIDAYS Sparky! On these holiday times you have young couples with lots of little kids that are traveling home or to Grandma’s house and they get to board first. So on this day, even though I am in Group A the plane is half full by the time I get to board. So—I take the very first open aisle seat (row three) and sit next to a very old couple who are at least in their 90’s and obviously got to board early and in front of me—in back of me—and across the asile from me are CHILDREN. Children with colds—children with runny noses---children screeching---children crying---or just spilling their juice all over the place, while Mommy is trying to cope and disappear into her seat.

In spite of all the kids the thing that goes haywire is the old guy next to me. About an hour out of my destination the old guy starts yelling and clutching his chest and stomach. We are in a little turbulence and the seat belt sign is on but this guy is standing straight up and yelling about heartburn. I can’t ignore him and neither can anyone else. Next thing I know he hurls all over the kids in the row in front of us. I immediately head for the rest room to hide and I stay there until we are on final. When I get back to my seat the guy looks like he will die any minute but I try and pretend as if this is normal and sit there looking straight ahead wishing the minutes to fly by so I can get the hell off this plane.

Now that we are on the ground—don’t you know that the people sitting in the front row need a wheel chair and insist on getting off first. So the entire plane has to wait while these elders are carried off the plane and deposited in wheel chairs. I am now of a mood and mind to roll them right off the jet way and on to the tarmac. Finally I’m off the plane and into the terminal, and guess what—I’m beginning to feel the first twinges of “bubonic common cold”. Those little bastards!

Weekend Musings

Quote of the Day

James Carville, twelve days before the election: “If we can’t win this damn election, with a Democratic Party more unified than ever before, with us having raised as much money as the Republicans, with 55% of the country believing we’re heading in the wrong direction, with our candidate having won all three debates, and with our side being more passionate about the outcome than theirs — if we can’t win this one, then we can’t win s**t! And we need to completely rethink the Democratic Party.”

Let the rethinking begin.

French Terror Alert

AP and UPI reported that the French Government announced yesterday that it

has raised its terror alert level from "run" to "hide." The only two

higher levels in France are "surrender" and "collaborate."

The raised alert was precipitated by the recent fire which destroyed one

of Frances' white flag factories, disabling their military.

Fallujah Outrage My Ass

I understand that Muslims are a bit upset that an injured insurgent was shot in a Mosque in Fallujah. Tell you what. There's a lot of Marines who are upset about being shot at from Mosques. When insurgents attack American forces from Mosques, those buildings cease being a Mosque. They become an enemy stronghold. When the world's Muslims show one-half the concern for the actions of their brethren that they express over the actions of American and coalition forces maybe we'll start paying some attention.

The Pentagon says that it's concerned how this video is going to play in the Arab world. At this point, who gives a damn? The Arab world is quite proud of the videos it shows of Arabs cutting heads off Americans. They seem to handle that quite well. They even celebrate it. Let them be angered. We're angered too. When they start to adopt some semblance of civilized behavior maybe we'll start being more concerned about their feelings.

The rules of war, the Geneva Convention, do not protect soldiers who are not wearing their own country's uniforms. To get the protection of rules, you have to play by the rules.

Terrorists are not enemy soldiers covered by the rules of war. Nor should they be. They observe no rules.

Amnesty International, Human Rights Watch, and the United Nations can all talk about "the Geneva Convention." But that agreement on the rules of war has never applied to combatants not wearing the uniform of any country that is a party to the Geneva Convention.

Terrorists wear no uniform and show no mercy, as they have repeatedly demonstrated by beheading innocent civilians, including women.

Why any such terrorists should be captured alive in the first place is a real question. Maybe they have information that could be useful. But every terrorist our troops try to capture alive increases the risk of death for American combat troops.

It is more than enough to ask a man to put his life on the line for his country, without needlessly increasing those risks by trying to be nobler than thou or playing to the international gallery. The very fact that this Marine in Fallujah has been taken out of combat and is under investigation can only have an inhibiting effect on other troops.

The inhibitions under which American troops have already had to fight have needlessly jeopardized their safety while we tiptoe around the delicate sensibilities of the media, European critics and "the Arab street."

The Times of London refers to a Marine "killing an unarmed man in cold blood." If that was his purpose he could have opened fire when he entered the room, instead of waiting until he saw an Iraqi terrorist faking being dead -- for what purpose the Marine had no way of knowing.

We cannot fight wars to please The Times of London or the other nay-sayers and nit-pickers that have been against us from the beginning. There is no point trying to appease people who are not going to be appeased anyway. And to do so at an increased risk to American lives would be criminal.

Are you ready for some football????????

Can it get any better than this? It’s RIVAL WEEKEND!

Florida—Florida State

Ohio State—Michigan

Auburn—Alabama

South Carolina—Clemson

Illinois—Northwestern

Stanford—California

Yale—Harvard

North Carolina—Duke

Indiana—Purdue

Ya just gotta love this time of year if you’re a football fan. From now until about mid-January one can sit in their living room and OD on football, both college and Pro. Add the beginning of NBA and college hoops—be still my heart!

From Neal Boortz:

The media is attacking Condi attacking her with political cartoons that are beyond racist (see below). You can only imagine what would happen if a conservative cartoonist created a cartoon using basic black stereotypes to make fun of a black Democratic nominee? The liberal lynch mobs would be out front with pitch forks before the second edition came out. The cartoonists are demeaning a black conservative now ... so not a peep.

Will race pimps like Jesse Jackson be defend Condoleezza Rice? How about Al "The Liar" Sharpton? Will the useless NAACP come to her defense? Will other so-called "civil rights" groups and race warlords hail the importance of her appointment as the first black female secretary of state? What about the National Organization for Women? Will NOW be celebrating this appointment? You know the answer to all of these questions ... and that answer is not only "no," but "hell no." Of course not, and the reason is simple: these groups were never about protecting anyone's rights except those of liberal Democrats.

Never forget...there are two sets of rules not only for the media, but for the civil rights hacks out there. One set for the Democrats and one for Republicans.

Greenspan:

Isn’t still amazing to anyone what kind of impact Alan Greenspan has on the market?

Linda Ronstadt:

Has anyone else noticed that the fatter Linda gets the dumber she gets? At this point in her life about the best thing we could do is install lights on her sides and consider her a singing Goodyear Blimp with message board to boot.