DEAN RALLIES IN TUCSON

Ok, so I am a lazy blogger. Either that or I just couldn't stomach the thought of placing myself in the midst of that crowd to get any first-hand reporting or photos. Plus Daisycat was sick, and I missed a family get-together on that account anyway.

I was hoping the local press would get something juicy, but nothing but blah-blah campaign photos.

suburban blight: do I dare to eat a peach?

Add to the blogroll (why am I so slow at finding the good ones?)

Allah on a Roll
Allah Is In The House

Spew alert with this link! Allah has been very busy with Photoshop on Dean and Clark campaign photos!

Kerry Smoking "Funny Herbs"
Kerry says threat of terrorism is exaggerated - The Washington Times: Nation/Politics--"I think there has been an exaggeration," Mr. Kerry said when asked whether President Bush has overstated the threat of terrorism. "They are misleading all Americans in a profound way."

As Kim DuToit notes, here is an example of that exaggerated terrorist threat:


Not to mention the Khobar Towers bombing, the bombing of the U.S. embassy in Nairobi, the terrorist attack on the U.S.S. Cole, the FIRST bombing attack on the WTC, and all the plots that have been thwarted since 9/11.

Of course those other successful attacks occurred on Clinton's watch, so they don't count, right?

Howie...look behind you...!


"Ok, now when the Mothership lands, we need to stay REEAL calm.
As long as we are wearing our tinfoil hats, we'll be safe..."

Primal Purge: How I got in touch with my inner Lara Flynn Boyle by huffing bacon

Anna is on the Atkins Diet, and I am scraping myself together after ROTFLMAO, reading about it!

Like most, I'm enjoying the rich, culinary diversity Atkins has to offer; fried bacon for breakfast, for lunch I have a bacon sandwich consisting of ten pieces of bacon wrapped around five pieces of bacon, a bacon shake slurped through a hand-rolled bacon Crazy Straw for a mid-afternoon snack, and slow-cooked Crock Pot bacon simmered in bacon glaze for dinner followed by a bale of bacon-scented Metamucil to facilitate the marble-sized turd that's manufactured once every seven days.


My insides feel like one of those giant gumball machines at the grocery store that are about 5' tall with the see-through, lucite spiral guts. I don't think I need to mention the anticipation and fascination as you hear that tiny, hard ball roll like an aggie down the spiraling chute, spinning and whirling and churning and turning and twisting and gliding down and downward until the little shiny hinge flap opens and the spherical goody rolls out. And as for the gumball machine...who knows. I have no idea how they work.

Now if you've clicked on my Primal Purge link before, and returned saying something like "ew" or "wtf", then by all means, do not click on it now and come back later complaining. Otherwise go enjoy the rest!

Dean's World: Illegal Immigration Woes

Dean Esmay has a sensible take on the immigration reform issue. Thanks to Little Miss Attila for the link.

Chuck at You Big Mouth, You! has more.

The Patriette: The Cover That Hanoi John Doesn't Want You To See

Truth-telling on John F-ing Kerry.

On the Rushwire: "Rush Limbaugh is 'The Passion'
by Chris Davis as posted on Free Republic.com

Make no mistake. Rush Limbaugh is "The Passion." He is the passion of conservatism, the very pulse, bounding through the veins of the nation. He produces life with every heartbeat of his show as he scoffs at liberals and gives us his interpretation of conservative truth. His brand of ideology shakes the very foundations of liberalism.

He follows in the footsteps of giants, such as George Washington, Thomas Paine, and Ronald Reagan, promoting the ideals of life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness. He broadcasts affectionately trying to steer growing government towards the ideals of the Constitution.

He believes that Americans with limited government are better Americans. He believes that Americans shouldn't murder babies in the womb. He believes that tax cuts are good for the economy. And finally, he believes safe Americans living free are the best Americans of all.

Boldly he pronounces the lies of liberalism and asserting daily doses of truth. With resounding conviction, he echoes the sentiments of the Founding Fathers, evoking the wrath of those who oppose him. "The Passion." His passion forces him to carry the torch of liberty and justice, inflicting backlash, lies, and corruption at his doorstep. The compassionate liberals, those that believe in fair play and equal justice, will do almost anything to berate him.

Mildly he sits and passes on his message, his passion, his views, his legacy. A legacy of truth, justice, and the conservative American way. He hands his gift down day after day, show after show. He will live as one of the greatest men in conservative history correct 98.4% of the time. There are few men in history that has received the same award as President Ronald Reagan. There are fewer men that could go on day after day under the scrutiny he faces. And there are only a handful of men that could keep themselves reserved while suffering the onslaught of the visceral hatred of "compassionate liberals."

Quite frankly, I don't know how he does it. How does he stand so strong against so much? How does he execute his duties so faithfully with the onslaught of these lies? How does he continue to go on the air? Especially when the people that presume to blackmail him walk free! "The Passion." That's how.

As I listened to his show today, January 27, 2004, I could hear "The Passion." Liberal after liberal tried to infiltrate the show and discredit the man behind the "Golden EIB Microphone." He was fiery. He was excellent. He'd had enough. They failed to extinguish him.

Last night, his attorney, Roy Black, was filled with "The Passion." Filled so full that it seemed as if Rush himself were sitting there screaming the answers, "I DID NOT DO THIS!"

I was enthralled. I was overjoyed. I felt giddy, like a kid in a candy store. I knew for the first time in months as if justice had taken a direct blow to the lies and corruption creeping into Rush Limbaugh's life. Never had I wavered. Never had I been so steadfast in my disbelief of the news media. I never believed the allegations. Not once. Not until Rush himself admitted it.

I was disappointed when I heard Rush was addicted to prescription painkillers. Why, you ask? Because I had placed him on so high a pedestal, considering him the greatest man in the world. You know what? I still do. Despite all the claims, I still consider him the greatest conservative I'll ever know.

I know you're saying I'm crazy. I know you're telling me to check myself into therapy, but it's true. I can't help it. I can't help but applaud a man with this many medical conditions going on day after day after day after day, executing liberal lies with impunity. I have too much respect and admiration for the man that put his own show ahead of pain, pushing himself into addiction and blackmail. Too much admiration for the man that removed the disease, the man that removed liberalism.

Liberalism was planted deep within me, as if it were a parasite feeding on me. Rush cut it out like a surgeon excising a cancerous tumor, giving me the opportunity to experience life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness. He gave me the chance of a lifetime. The "lone beacon of opposition" handed me a certainty, a guarantee no person had ever given me before. No, he didn't come to Texas and brainwash me. He presented his case like he does every single day-clearly, concisely and effectively, planting the seed of common sense in my brain. By sowing that seed, he also gave me hope, happiness, and "The Passion."

"The Passion" to live life, to succeed again and again, and to not feel guilty about creating wealth. He handed me an education in advanced conservative studies and said, "Go forth and produce young man. Give life everything you've got." And I do. I thank him from the bottom of my heart. I owe at a minimum my undying support and loyalty.

Everyday Rush withstands the assaults, he strengthens my resolve to praise him more and more. The more the liberals bash Rush the more I salute him. The more they harangue him the more I respect him. They cannot or will they ever break my obstinate resolve. Instead, they have only succeeded in convincing me how corrupt, phony, and merciless they really are.

With Rush on the radio, I continue to conquer day after day, living in conservative principles, consumed with the fiery notion of my new life. I rebuke liberalism with special thanks to my educator. I love the life I have earned, as I pursue success after success, and eagerly wait another broadcast day of "The Passion."

The Corner on National Review Online

Ok, it is about time I put this in my list where it is handy! THE happening place!

Things You Can Never Say Out Loud

I've been dealing with a public agency with a set of plans I am trying to get approved. I am multiple iterations into the process now, dealing with a tech-level lackey who is apparently on a power trip, or at least seems to delight in requesting absurd and ignorant changes to my plans.

I have thought to myself, "If I send her a vibrator and a tube of KY along with the next plan submittal, maybe she'll get her jollies that way, and leave my plans alone..."

I didn't say that.

WMD Inspector Says Removing Saddam was Justified:
"'We have discovered hundreds of cases, based on both documents, physical evidence and the testimony of Iraqis, of activities that were prohibited under the initial U.N. Resolution 687 and that should have been reported under 1441, with Iraqi testimony that not only did they not tell the U.N. about this, they were instructed not to do it and they hid material,' Kay said.

'Iraq was in clear and material violation of 1441,' Dr. Kay stated. 'They maintained programs and activities, and they certainly had the intentions at a point to resume their program. So there was a lot they wanted to hide because it showed what they were doing that was illegal. I hope we find even more evidence of that.'"

This is not the usual spin we are seeing in the media regarding Dr. Kay's testimony, are we? But this is the truth of what he is reporting. The WMD programs were still in place, Iraq was definitely in material breach of UN resolutions. The only thing missing is any actual stockpiles of WMD's.

And Dr. Kay's oft-quoted belief that intelligence was wrong is not such a sure thing yet. I am trying to find the source of a report I heard from an Iraqi interim minister who stated flatly that he expects the WMD's to eventually be found. He believes the reason they have not yet been found is that the effort to hide them was very sophisticated.

The murder of Ashley

Do you want to know what the "drug war" is doing? Read the link! I dare you! Those of you who rant against hippies and their pot, I dare you! Take off your blinders and read the story, and get a grip on reality!

Businessman shot in botched raid --Drug WarRant:

"In Wednesday's Gazette:

58 year-old Streamwood man Robert Kennigil was shot four times Tuesday night by federal agents serving an internal revenue service audit at his home office. He was pronounced dead at Mercy Hospital two hours later. Mr. Kennigil was the owner of a mail-order sports clothing company.

Treasury spokesman Mark Connell said the agents were following up on an informant's tip that Robert Kennigil had falsified deductions on his tax returns and only fired when they saw Kennigil reach for an eraser."

This'll make you think! Go read the rest for the conclusion.

Ivy is here
Noted for future perusal--this is a poetry blog. Thanks to Annika for the link.

the dissident frogman

Ok, maybe I've been too hard on the french. Here is a bilingual blog by a Frenchman with a perspective I can respect and relate to.

And another here: Merde in France

Libertarian and/or pro-American Frenchmen. I'm...well, stunned is to strong a word, but certainly pleasantly surprised is an adequate description.

IT'S ALL ABOUT OIIIIIIIILL!!

Yeah! You bet it is!

BBC NEWS | Europe | Ex-minister denies Iraq oil claim: "Former French Interior Minister Charles Pasqua has denied claims that he received gifts from Saddam Hussein in return for supporting his regime."

On the part of the french and Russians, that is. Not Dubya or Cheney.

'Bloggers' Chronicle Presidential Campaign:
"Some analysts have their doubts about blogs, however.

Larry Purpuro, coordinator of the Republicans' e.GOP Project in 2000, said many bloggers were little more than 'armchair analysts in their bathrobes [with] no serious interest in leaving their living rooms to actually help the campaigns.'

And blogs allow negative stories that might have died after one or two news cycles to be repeatedly cited and linger, said Sree Sreenivasan, a new media professor at Columbia University.

Take Dean's impassioned, fist-pumping speech after the Iowa caucuses Monday night.

The blogs were all aflutter Thursday with a 'dance version' parody of the performance. In the audio remix, Dean's rattling off of the names of upcoming primary states is set to a pulsating techno beat punctuated by a siren"

"Waah! Waah!"

That's the sound of media spinmeisters losing control of the conversation.

It's only a downside for an entity with something to hide. And regarding "innacuracies", the weblog media is largely self-correcting. If an inaccurate story spreads like wildfire, it is just as likely that the updated information will also be posted on most responsible blogs. And this is not to mention the "opposing view" blogs that more than likely will have their own take on the info.

Oh, and Mr. Purpuro, bite me! If you don't think this new media "actually" helps or hurts candidates, in and of itself, then you could be in for a rude surprise. This new media is about keeping the traditional media honest. What? You want us to man a phone bank, or pass out campaign buttons somewhere? Sure that's valuable too in some cases. But personally I resent being called at home, even by the candidate I support. I'd rather go online and look for info on the candidates I'm interested in.

Wake up and smell the coffee! The start of the twenty-first century apparently passed you by a few years ago.

Spirit Update
Spaceflight Now | Destination Mars | Mission Status Center

Apparently the flash memory is ok. They are looking into other possiblities, including a software glitch in the file management module, temporary problems with the flash memory due to solar radiation particles, to possibly a hardware issue with one of the motor control boards. In any case, the prognosis is looking good.

Pictures from Meridiani Landing Site
Mars Exploration Rover Mission: Multimedia: All Raw Images: Opportunity

More of that very fine, cohesive soil at this site, but much darker. The marks from the airbags shows up prominently around the site. NASA thinks the Opportunity rover is sitting in a crater. It looks that way to me. It'll be interesting to see when one of the satellites gets a picture of this landing site. That picture of the Spirit site really put things in perspective, and made it clear that the hill seen in the rover pictures is the edge of the crater seen from space.

That first color image from NASA doesn't look color-balanced to me. So I took the liberty of adjusting it, using the black and white grid on the lander panel as a reference white. Here is my effort:



NASA's uncorrected image can be found HERE

Two For Two!
Spaceflight Now | Destination Mars | Mission Status Center

Opportunity has successfully landed on the plains of Meridiani!

And Spirit's status has been upgraded, now that the problem has been isolated (flash memory problem).

BLOGinality: weblogger personality types

I have taken this test manually before, and I am an INTP, otherwise known as the "Architect" or "Thinker". I could also be an INTJ, or "Mastermind/Scientist", because I am very ambiguous on that last letter (Perceiving vs Judging). As a Civil Engineer, either one fits me to a tee!

My Bloginality is INTP!!!

My Bloginality is INTJ!!!

Tech Support!
Redsugar Muse: Musings v4.1.3

Check out the linked file under item 6 of this post on Redsugar Muse. It is hilarious!

Kerry Photo: Not Flattering

Wonkette compares John Kerry to Stan Laurel. REMARKABLE resemblance! I was not aware that Kerry's face was capable of shifting off his usual deadpan expression...

More absurdity from the drug war
Here is another example of how the 9/11 tragedy is being abused to ratchet up the drug war.
Drug WarRant

Dean Scream Remixes
Dean Goes Nuts

Hah! I was looking for this! Thanks to Amish Tech Support for the link.

Osama Captured?
Northeast Intelligence Network

Please note, this site is one of the more infamous "rumor mills" on the 'net. But this is an interesting rumor, to say the least!

Spirit landing site from Mars Global Surveyor

Vox on Bush and the Republican Party
Vox Popoli
Why are Republicans supporting this man? He's a Clintonite Democrat in conservative clothing, except that even Clinton never dared anything like the Patriot Act. Just wait until the next Democrat gets into office and starts wielding the expanded central power that this Republican Congress and Administration have created. Then, I expect conservatives will start crying foul. The president rightly compared the Patriot Act to the drug war last night... how much more clear does he have to make his intentions to violate civil rights and American liberties before those who profess to care deeply about such things will disavow his actions? Yes, he's a better Commander-in-Chief - did you really doubt that our military forces could beat Iraq and the Taliban?

Does being a Republican truly mean never have to say you're sorry for reducing American freedom? Clinton would never have gotten a pass on this from conservatives. Bush shouldn't either.

The people running the Republican Party right now are not conservatives. Let's not confuse ideology and party.

Bush & Co. appear to be in the middle of attempting to crush the Democrat Party by sitting hard on them--straddling the political "middle" in a (so far) successful effort to push them to the extreme left, where they may be more easily swept away in the next election. I really do believe there is some long-term strategy here that just looks awfully ugly in the short term.

It doesn't mean I like it, particularly the most egregiously statist moves such as the Patriot Act, attempts to ratchet up the drug war, massive new (unneccesary) domestic spending, etc.

I will however continue to vote Republican. The choices are between "not that good" and "really awful". If Bush continues to steamroller leftward, crushing Democrats in his path, he may yet leave a vacuum on the libertarian right quadrant that can be filled by a third party. But right now, in a close race a third party vote is a vote for "really awful", unless your choices are honestly between voting third party or not voting at all. Then I'd say by all means show up and vote your ideology.

Because of the way the electoral system is set up in this country, the real answer has to come by regaining control of the Republican party and bringing it back to a conservative and libertarian perspective. The country needs to be brought along too, by education and persuasion, otherwise the statists and socialists will just recapture the majority.

Vox Popoli: "There is a hoary old excuse that claims as soon as the Republicans achieve power, we'll see their true colors. This has actually proven to be true. A Republican House, Senate and White House have combined to create the most expansionary central government since LBJ. Just as no honest capitalist would see any need to choose between a Stalinist or a Trotskyite candidate, no supporter of small government and individual freedom should feel any pressure to support the lesser of two evils presented by the two major American parties.

If the American people have no principles, pragmatism will only slow, slightly, the national decline into full-blown socialism. And if no one offers them a principled alternative, this decline will be inevitable."

As a matter of advancing my principles, I am more interested in supporting the Republican efforts to crush the left than I am in undercutting those efforts by prematurely running to a third party that may emerge from the wreckage.

If the Democrat party becomes sufficiently marginalized that they have little chance of major electoral victories in the foreseeable future, I will be glad to join in a new movement to restore liberty and constitutional government to this nation. Until that happens, there is no room in the political landscape for a libertarian party of any stripe to gain a foothold.

I could stick to principles by abandoning the Republicans now, and end up doing nothing more than carping from the sidelines. Or I could help crush Stalin with Trotsky, then set Locke against Trotsky once Stalin is finished. The desired ends are the same. It is only the means that differ.

Spirit Phones Home
Spaceflight Now | Destination Mars | Mission Status Center:

"Mission Control has received actual data from Mars Exploration Rover Spirit after commanding the craft to transmit the information.

'The spacecraft sent limited data in a proper response to a ground command, and we're planning for commanding further communication sessions later today,' said project manager Pete Theisinger.

Officials have not yet said what the data indicated or other details.

The data was received in a communication session that began at 8:26 a.m. EST (1326 GMT) and lasted 20 minutes at a data rate of 120 bits per second."

Court claims control of future of schools
Herald.com:

LITTLE ROCK - The Arkansas Supreme Court claimed control Thursday over the future of the state's school system, saying the Legislature had missed its deadline to come up with a plan to resolve a decades-long fight over school quality.

Yes, they are trying to take over. Is there any doubt?
It's been happening at the national level for thirty years, and here is a blatant example of wresting executive and legislative power away from the proper branches of government.

And here is why we need Al Sharpton to stay in the contest:
Excite - News "But civil rights activist Al Sharpton used the explanation to remind Dean of his paltry numbers in Iowa.

'I wanted to say to Gov. Dean, don't be hard on yourself about hooting and hollering,' Sharpton said. 'If I spent the money you did and got 18 percent, I'd still be hollering.'"

And now a word from the opposition: Gut Rumbles: why i don't like cats

Ahem. In answer to the above:

1)A cat knows when it is loved and wanted, and unless it has been abused previously in it's life, it will reciprocate with loyalty and affection. Just not like a dog will. Thank goodness (yuk!!)

2 and 3) I have two extremely well-worn scratch posts, and the same set of furniture from ten years ago, still intact.

4) Both of these are the result of stress, not a need to urinate or defecate. Remove the source of stress and this behavior will often disappear. In my case this meant making one of my boys an indoor-outdoor cat to reduce the rivalries in the house.

5) Cats are hardwired to kill to survive. An overstuffed housecat is still hardwired to kill but has no use for the results. A hungry cat will not toy with it's prey, but will go straight for the kill. The playing with prey is partly a hardwired training routine for the benefit of teaching kittens the finer points of hunting.

6) There might be something to this, but usually it's a two way street, and a pretty good exchange. Which explains me.

I have five full-time indoor cats, one indoor/outdoor, and four more that I feed in the backyard. The indoor ones are my babies, and they are just as convinced that I am one of them. Jasmine "owns" me, and will sometimes sit on my head and gnaw on my scalp just to drive the point home. She is by far the smallest of the group, but the rest usually give way before Her Highness.

"Married to Myself"
I wonder if Aurora knows her "comments" appear to be down. I was going to comment on the new cat, but that was about when the comments vanished, and they haven't returned since. Helloo girl! It's way less interactive this way...

"Mr. Mistopheles" was going to be my suggestion. I had a little black and white cat visiting my backdoor for a long time, until her owners moved away and took her with. I thought she was he at first, and named her Mistopheles, which I later changed to Mitzi when I realized the mistake with her gender.

Spirit Rover Most Likely in "Safe Mode"
Spaceflight Now | Destination Mars | Mission Status Center: "Controllers at the Jet Propulsion Laboratory believe the Mars rover Spirit has placed itself into 'safe-mode' after experiencing some sort of problem, and officials remain hopeful that engineers can coax the craft back into operation."

Wow. I felt like I got socked in the stomach earlier today when I heard it stopped communicating. I'm worried but hopeful now.

Bush is wrong on drug war
Peter fisks the SOTU address on the topic of the drug war here:Drug WarRant

Too bad the President is on the wrong side of this issue. But this is consistent with his Big Government approach to far too many issues. He continues to steamroller in a leftward and statist direction, and it is making me very uneasy...

Howwer Deanafat
Here is the perfect topper to this story. Thanks be to Allah!


Allah Is In The House:

IN THE MEANTIME: DEAN JUMPS THE SHARK [Jonah Goldberg]
The Corner on National Review Online

When I read this, I had to leave the room to avoid waking Daisy Cat with my strangled guffaws! This is by far the best take on Dean's scream that I have read so far.

But whatever it was, he sounded like he meant to go to a proctologist but accidentally visited a chimney sweep instead.

Oh Lord, we need Dean to stay in this race a little longer! :D


UPDATE: Via IMAO here again is the Scream

Fred

I haven't decided where to put this one yet, but he deserves a place somewhere in my links.

Fred on America
Vox references an interesting piece here about how it *really* works in this country. Here's an excerpt:

The US government consists of five branches which are, in rough order of importance, the Supreme Court, the media, the presidency, the bureaucracy, and Congress. The function of the Supreme Court, which is both unanswerable and unaccountable, is to impose things that the congress fears to touch. That is, it establishes programs desired by the ruling political class which could not possibly be democratically enacted. While formally a judicial organ, the Court is in reality our Ministry of Culture and Morals. It determines policy regarding racial integration, abortion, pornography, immigration, the practice of religion, which groups receive special privilege, and what forms of speech shall be punished.
...the two-party system prevents expression of any ideas the two parties agree to suppress. How much open discussion do you hear during presidential elections of, for example, race, immigration, abortion, gun control, and the continuing abolition of Christianity? These are the issues most important to most people, yet are quashed.

More on Immigration Reform
Blogged and Dangerous has a sane review of the President's immigration reform proposal here.

FOXNews.com - Top Stories - Yellowcake in Rotterdam Harbor From Iraq

I forgot to note this when the story first broke, but it is definitely worth a mention. So what if it is not enough by itself to make a bomb. Is it too much of a stretch to imagine that Saddam managed to smuggle the rest out of his country in small batches in aa similar manner, and that this batch just didn't end up at it's intended destination?

Whatever be the case, this ought to silence the moonbats screeching "Bush lied!!" If Saddam was not seeking yellowcake, and he had in fact complied with UN demands prior to the war, then where the heil did this come from?

Hmm?

There is little doubt the shipment originated in Iraq. It seems dubious that a regime actively seeking to obtain yellowcake would have somehow overlooked the fact that they had two pounds of it right in their own country. On the other hand, with UN inspectors breathing down their necks and US troops massing on the border, getting it out of the country by all means available and into the hands of a safe third party, seems entirely consistent with Saddam's modus operandi.

Little Dick's Last Farewell

OUTSIDE THE BELTWAY: CAPTION CONTEST: IOWA CAUCUSES EDITION

And then there's Dick Gephardt. *sniff*, *sniff* goodbye...

Despite his imaginary friends, he was one of the saner ones of the bunch, next to Lieberman who will probably bow out after getting creamed in New Hampshire next. That's too bad. If I had to make a second choice (after Bush) from the "D" column, it would have been one of those two.

Howie the Handgrenade

Pic via: Cooper for President

It looks like ol' Howie needs a little help on the campaign trail now, if Republicans really want to face him in the general election. Despite protestations from his supporters that Iowa rarely picks the eventual nominee, the dramatic nature of these results (less than half the votes of the winner) do show that his "front runner" status may be far more tenuous than anyone guessed. It may also have been an indication of how little the primary voters are paying attention to the actual issues yet. Once they get a more close up look at the rest of the pack, they realize that the Dean campaign is mostly composed of hot air and noise.

Kerry as winner is not an unbelievable result. But the real "winner" was Edwards at number two. Watch for him to take off.

Audio File of Howard Dean Losing His Mind

From Matt Drudge via Matt Welch:

Lunatic Scream!

Geez Louise! I haven't seen the video, but I am told that he had on his red-faced, pop-eyed, lunatic, axe-murderer visage again...

UPDATE: Bah! The file has been moved...nevermind.

RE-UPDATE: Rush has the clip in his commentary HERE

Iowa Demos attempt to yank Party back toward sanity
Kerry's Focus on Iowa Pays Off - VOANews.com

It is said that only the hard core of the Democrat party in Iowa participates in the caucuses, and therefore usually chooses someone who reflects their extreme views. Well it looks like this year ol' Howie the Handgrenade got the cold shoulder from the core. Apparently Internet-based politics hasn't made it into the Iowa cornfields yet...

Patriot Rock
Thanks to Serenity for the link:
Serenity's Journal: Artistically Thankful
Another symbol of gratitude for all soldiers who have served and fought to defend the freedom of people.

On A Rock In Rural Iowa

This huge rock is located on highway 25, and kids use to put obscenities and etc. on it. However, since the rock was painted like this, it's been left alone. This rock is in Adair County, between Greenfield, and I-80. The kid that painted it is a local guy, named Bubba. This kid is really talented, take a look at it. Be sure to scroll all the way down to see all sides of the rock.

Spaceflight Now | Destination Mars | Mission Status Center

I have to bump this back to the top where it belongs. This is a great site for mission updates.

The Dante's Inferno Test has sent you to Purgatory!
Here is how you matched up against all the levels:

Level	Score
Purgatory (Repenting Believers)	High
Level 1 - Limbo (Virtuous Non-Believers)	Moderate
Level 2 (Lustful)	High
Level 3 (Gluttonous)	Moderate
Level 4 (Prodigal and Avaricious)	Low
Level 5 (Wrathful and Gloomy)	Low
Level 6 - The City of Dis (Heretics)	Very Low
Level 7 (Violent)	Low
Level 8- the Malebolge (Fraudulent, Malicious, Panderers)	Moderate
Level 9 - Cocytus (Treacherous)	Low

Take the Dante's Inferno Hell Test

"Those Donk Fools"
The Anti-Idiotarian Rottweiler: Can His Majesty Have Some of What Those Morons are Smoking?
Which "essential" allies have we alienated? france? BWAHAHAHAHAHA! Pardon us for saying so, but we think that we'll somehow manage to get by without overpriced piss masquerading as "wine" and runny brie. The ones that are our friends are already on our side. The rest can go unceremoniously **** themselves with a ridiculously oversized fence post.

No one excels at nuclear fisking quite like His Imperial Highness. Put on your asbestos suit before clicking to read the rest.

The virtuous seed of freedom
Vox Popoli:

Vox has another great article here on the topic of Christian Libertarianism. He is responding to a conservative Christian critique of Libertarianism, and in the process he notes some of the distinctions between Libertarianism and Christian Libertarianism. This critique charges that Libertarianism does not take into account the Founding Fathers understanding that the government they formed would be unable to govern if the moral fabric of society, based in Biblical precepts, was not maintained. In fact Libertarianism is accused of being corrosive to this moral fabric.

But the key that critics seem to miss often, and which makes the philosophy workable, is the right of free association and the power of social ostracism. In a scenario where the right of free association is unfettered, societal norms are not imposed by government, but are naturally formed by individuals choosing with whom to associate and who to shun. In this manner communities of shared values are formed, and deviants are either excluded or are forced to conform to the community norms in order to participate in the community.

What we have right now are two camps, Republican and Democrat, Conservative and Liberal, both attempting to use the power of government to impose a different set of virtues on society. We need neither, and instead government needs to get out of the business of doing anything other than what it is constitutionally mandated to do. That includes attempts to mandate tolerance of the intolerable as a modern substitute for real virute.

Dang I like this ideology, and Vox's thinking! If I could write half this good...

"Wimps and Barbarians
The Sons of Murphy Brown"
The Claremont Institute: Wimps and Barbarians:

via Kim DuToit

Bush Installs Pickering on Appeals Court
My Way News

Zing! Recess appointment! All right!
He could appoint a few more now, if you ask me.

FOXNews.com - Politics - Bush Honors King, Draws Protests

What I find interesting is that nearly every news outlet focuses on the 700 or 800 protesters that jeered Bush as he laid a wreath in honor of Martin Luther King at his gravesite. But never mentioned anywhere that I have been able to find, is just how many people were in attendance to listen to Bush speak at the "packed" Union Bethel Church, where MLK spoke 42 years ago.

Could it be that those who showed up at the church to hear him speak greatly outnumbered those who wished to distract him?

Hmm?

I think we have learned from the Iraqi bloggers how different the truth on the ground can be from the reporting we see in the media.

Mars Rover Completes First Maneuvers on Martian Surface - Reuters:
"PASADENA, Calif. (Reuters) - The robotic rover Spirit rolled off its landing platform on Thursday for its first spin on Mars and project managers, declaring that 'Mars is now our sandbox,' spoke of possibly extending the planned three-month mission.

The 78-second outing took Spirit only about 10 feet straight ahead, but was hailed by scientists at the Pasadena-based Jet Propulsion Laboratory as a flawless prelude to the six-wheeled craft's quest for signs of life-sustaining water.

'Mars is now our sandbox, and we are ready to play and learn,' lab director Charles Elachi told reporters."

The rover then stopped and extended it's sensor arm as it tentatively scratched at the Martian surface with it's front wheel. It proceeded to dig a larger hole using both front wheels, then spun in place and squatted on it's rear wheels, doing some "business" out of view of the cameras.

NASA mission controllers whooped and hollered and gave each other high-fives when confirmation of the successful completion of the maneuver was beamed back to the command center.

"We are proud to see how quickly the Mars Spirit rover learned to use the sandbox!", said an unidentified member of the NASA team.

NASA radio commands directing Spirit to make its initial excursion were beamed to Mars, and elated mission controllers later received the first pictures taken by the rover looking back at the now-empty lander and showing a pair of tracks left in the dusty martian soil.

The pictures also revealed that the hole had been carefully covered again by the rover.

"To me, this is the most significant milestone in the history of the project," said Steven Squyres, the mission's principal investigator.

It's always interesting seeing what pops up in the referrers list.

PhpWiki - Research on Autobotography: "2-3 http://desertcat.blogspot.com/ : The writer discusses a lot of 'blog theory' and has a play on it at the beginning (something like 'No children under 17 allowed because they will see the musings of a naked soul.'). The author discusses blogs as an egoist's tool. (Note: Couldn't decide if this was a 2 or a 3 so I put it as '2 to 3.' I'm leaning more toward 3, though.) "

I had no idea...
Nor for that matter do I really know what that site is about. I didn't know I spent a lot of time on "blog theory", though it has come up from time to time. I thought I focused mostly on politics and current events, with a bit of personal stuff thrown in to keep it from being just dry rantings. So what does a rating of "2 or 3" mean anyway? There's no e-mail address on the site. Maybe the author will return here and explain all this to me...

If he wants "autobiography", I could direct him to my secret pathos URL, wherein I indulge in all manner of navel-gazing and self-pity. :P

About D@mn Time!
Another for the "to be watched" list.

It's Winter, What Do You Expect?

What is with all the pathetic whining in the Northeast? It's fifteen degrees below zero in Portland, Maine and the governor has declared a "state of emergency"?! WTF?!

Pussies!

The last winter I spent in Minnesota, it was thirty degrees below zero every single frickin' morning for almost two weeks straight. Geez people! If you are going to choose to live somewhere like Maine or Minnesota, bear down and deal with it. We don't need this national media hysteria, like it's somehow Bush's fault (yes I know, Gore is planning to make a speech accusing Bush of causing cold weather...but that's just Gore, remember?)

Spirit Rolls All Six Wheels onto Martian Soil

Rrrrrmmm! Phbhbhbhbhbhbt!



Woo Woo! Let the science exploration begin! I wanna drive it!

Christian Libertarianism
Vox Popoli
Christian libertarianism is derived from the postulate that God places a strong inherent value on free will. Since God, who has infinite power, elects not to use such power to control individual behavior, humans and human law should do likewise in imitation of the Divine, drawing a firm line at where one individual's behavior exerts a direct and inarguable effect on another individual.

More brilliance from Vox. Click to read the rest, and there is much more to read.

I have been trying to formulate my thoughts around this concept, and have posted a few things on the topic in the past, particularly as it relates to drug use, before I discovered Vox Day's writing. But this piece gives a very succinct definition of just what Christian Libertarianism is.

Mars 360 degree Color Panorama
mspan_2X_final-A10R1_br2.jpg (JPEG Image, 3200x397 pixels)

At last it is available! But it is too big to fit on the webpage, so go click and see.

Blog from the Dog, Hounddog that is.

Here is another blog of an anti drug warrior. This will go on my list of links shortly.

"Marijuana Analogue" Pushed by US Government for Decades, Study Concludes

Reuters AlertNet - Marijuana buzz linked to "runner's high"-US study: "ATLANTA, Jan 9 (Reuters) - The same family of chemicals that produces a buzz in marijuana smokers may be responsible for 'runner's high,' the euphoric feeling that some people get when they exercise, U.S. researchers say.

High levels of anandamide were found in young men who ran or cycled at a moderate rate for about an hour, according to a study made public this week by the Georgia Institute of Technology and the University of California, Irvine.

Anandamide is a cannabinoid, or lipid molecule, that is naturally produced in the body. It is known to produce sensations that are similar to those of THC, the psychoactive property in marijuana."

Well now isn't this interesting? I wonder what the President's Council on Physical Fitness and the Surgeon General will have to say about this...

Not to mention His Highness the Drug Czar.

Will the DEA now be empowered to stake out jogging paths in order to bust runners who are producing their own intoxicating chemicals? Are we going to see rehab programs started for recovering exercise addicts? What do we do with Richard Simmons? Twenty years to life for his ilk!

This is also interesting from a personal perspective. Daisy Cat and I hiked up a local hill a couple of weekends ago for exercise. Right after the hike we hopped on our scooters to head home, and she promptly wiped out unexpectedly on the first corner, injuring her shoulder. I wonder if she had a bit too much anandamide in her system?

Looks like the police will need to give extra scrutiny to drivers leaving the gym after a workout. Maybe we need new laws against driving while exercise intoxicated?

Either that, or we need to come to our senses on the drug war.

Weapons of Mass Destruction Found in Iraq
FOXNews.com - Top Stories - Danes Test Suspected Blister Agent in Iraq

Well well well well well....

"Oh but they are Oooold! Leftovers from the Iran Iraq war!"

So?

They are what they are. They were not accounted for properly, in accordance with UN requirements. Saddam's regime insisted that they did not exist at all. They were hidden--buried in the desert. They undoubtedly represent a tiny tip of the iceberg.

Watch the spin begin.

Hi Frenchy!
For some reason I seem to be getting a few hits from this site:
Rechercher sur Internet

It appears to be the French version of an AOL search page. I have no idea what the search terms are being entered that bring up my site. Must have been something related to my comments about "Frog appeasement".

"U silli frog U! Ur mother is a weasel and Ur father smells of camel dung! Ah fahrt in ur general direcsion! Now go away or I will taunt you again!"

Jonah Goldberg on Immigration Reform
Jonah Goldberg's Goldberg File on National Review Online: "Well, it looks like I picked the wrong week to stop sniffing glue. I'm going to say something that I know is going to make my life more complicated: 'I'm not outraged by Bush's immigration proposal.' There you have it.

For two days it's been like doing the belly crawl through a barbed-wire field in the Corner (our blog, for those of you who are painfully ignorant of the goings-on around here). NR's mighty angry, and so are the vast majority of our readers.

Heh! Looks like he has been having the same reaction as I have had recently. Good to see another conservative on this side of the "barbed-wire field".

Also Little Miss Attila has another bit on the topic.

Redsugar Muse
Ok, time to put her on the blogroll--she's back to posting again.

Guest Workers
I have not wanted to wade into this fray. It is a bit jarring, finding myself suddenly feeling like a fish in a pond of sharks, when I thought I was in the company of like-minded individuals. There are an awful lot of knees jerking in conservative circles over the President's immigration reform proposal. An awful lot of visceral reaction that seems like an unwillingness to face the fact that we have a problem that is not so easily wished away with such dismissive rants as "seal the border, track down the illegals, tag 'em, handcuff 'em and throw 'em back over the fence!!" See, I live in Arizona and I see the situation a bit more up close than much of the country. I also know these people a little better than folks in much of the country. And I can tell you, I am ashamed to admit that much of what I hear coming from many "conservatives" sounds awfully xenophobic, and maybe, yes, a bit racist. I get the sense that those who are arguing in favor of militarizing our borders and imposing draconian measures on border crossers, are the same people who argued successfully in favor of the militarization of our police forces and draconian mesures in the "war on some drugs". The folly of that "war", and the resulting carnage and wreckage, is becoming more apparent every day.

In Arizona we are already familiar with the concept of a guest worker program. You may have noticed how many members of the Arizona delegation are onboard with the President's proposal. There is a reason for it. We've spent more time thinking about it rationally than many of the folks in the rest of the country, and the President's proposal seems like a sensible starting point and a reasonable compromise between the realities of the border and our national security needs. One thing that I think needs to be added to this to make it more equitable for US taxpayers, is that employers of foreign nationals should be required to buy into some sort of emergency health care pool, to help defray the costs to hospitals for emergency room care for foreign nationals. Right now hospitals are required to give emergency care without regard to ability to pay. Along the border, this is pushing some units to bankruptcy. It would be fair that those who benefit from foreign labor help pay the social costs of that labor. I mean it could be a private insurance pool--maybe even an experimental program that could later be applied to the privatization of Medicare and Medicaid. This would go a long way toward silencing the knee-jerks who think they're only crossing the border for our social services.

I would rather see them working in *this* country at jobs that contribute to the success of *this* economy, rather than seeing some of the jobs they do take off to some third-world location. I would rather see a factory emploing a thousand Mexican nationals set up in South Tucson, than to see that same factory set up in Bangladesh. It's our economy that benefits by their labor and their economic activity. And don't tell me they're taking jobs from American workers. The reason these jobs are ending up in Outer Mongolia is that American workers are not willing to do the job at a wage that makes the end product competitive. I have worked in various factory jobs, mostly assembly work. It is grueling. The average pampered American teenager is *not* looking forward to taking his place on the assembly line, come graduation from high school. Why not compete with the third world on their terms? Let people come here who are willing to do the work for competitive wages, so that it benefits our economy instead.

I hear a lot of talk about how we could get by without foreign national labor. Sure we could. At the cost of a lower standard of living for everyone. Wages would rise for the type of work they do, but that means higher costs for you and me. Restaurant meals will be more expensive. Hotel rooms will be more expensive. Landscape work will become unaffordable, except for the rich. A lot of construction work, including new houses, will get more expensive. That means we can afford less than we can now. It also means that some things will simply be out of reach, except for the rich. Some jobs just won't be done at all. Sure it might mean innovation will be spurred to find new ways to get the jobs done with less labor, but how is that better than letting the work be done by real people instead of machines? If it really was more efficient to build a machine to do the job, it would be done already. This is a free-market economy--that's how it works.

Little Miss Attila has a very good piece on the topic. Please give a click and read. I like her analogy, and I agree with her conclusions. Now if she will just up and write part II...

Marijuana Blog - Spiritual, Psychological, Physical Benefits - Cannabis Legalization

The title of the blog pretty much says it. She is focused primarily on the medical uses of marijuana. This is a new blog and there are only a few posts so far, but there are some interesting links. Go take a look.

Alaskans to Vote on Marijuana Decriminalization
Reuters | Latest Financial News / Full News Coverage:

This should be interesting to watch. The last attempt to pass a marijuana decriminalization proposition in Arizona failed, but it attracted a substantial minority of the vote. Alaska has a greater libertarian tradition than does Arizona. I don't have the details, but I certainly hope they have tailored the initiative narrowly enough to appeal to a majority of the Alaska voters. Sometimes it is all you can do to get your foot in the door. Opening it wide will have to wait until the "Chicken Littles" are proven wrong.

Allah on the Mars Mission
Allah Is In The House:: "You know what is nice about your country, kufr? Wait, did Allah say 'nice'? He meant 'dumb'. Two things. First, there are no lengths to which you will not go to get a really good picture of rocks. "

LMAO!

Funny. Vox Day is happy to make The Corner, and I am happy to get a mention on Vox Popoli.

I guess that's what being a "Slimy Mollusc" in the TTLB ecosphere means. :D

Update: Er, well I was last time I checked. "Flippery Fish" at the moment, until I roll off a couple people's front page...

The Corner on National Review Online

I need to keep an eye on this--probably it goes in the Lynx.

Vox Day

Man, I like the way this guy thinks!
Vox Popoli


I am a Christian, but I absolutely prefer that the State be limited to matters of defending its citizenry and the private property rights of those citizens. If the State is allowed to play God and define sin, then sin will be defined by the most active special interest groups in the quasi-democratic West, leading to situations where men are convicted for the hate crime of publishing Bible verses as happened recently in Canada, or, conversely, women are sentenced to stoning for getting pregnant out of wedlock. What the State can give, the State can take away; it is an amoral enterprise.
...
The only question that remains is do we structure our society with laws in accordance with our best understanding of God's Will or not? Since God appears to be the ultimate champion of free will, I do not think we should, but rather imitate Him in allowing people the maximum freedom and responsibility possible. I suggest that history and the failures of every attempt to force God on individuals through the State supports this stance.

Rousseau did not trust such an arrangement. He argued for a "common will" expressing the collective moral intent of society, (presumably to be enforced by government). The practical results of this approach include National Socialism, Communism and Socialism--and oppression, terror, brutality, anf poverty. These are the hallmarks of government attempts to enforce morality.

See this "morality" is not limited to that which has its basis in religion. Is meat murder? Are Hummers an immoral affront to nature? Are sexist comments a moral crime? Are cigarette smoking, overeating, or public flatulence offenses that should be regulated or banned by government?

If you are willing to go partway down this path, where do you draw the line? The Left loves to portray fundamentalist Christians as being the equivalent of the Taliban, but they have plenty of blood on their own hands. Save the whales, wear your seatbelt, extinguish that cigarette, recycle, buy a Toyota Prius--it's all "for the children", and therefore a moral "good" that "ought" to be enforced by government.

There is another reason Christianity is under assault. Liberal democracy in pure form requires a moral fabric to exist in society independent of government regulation, for it to be successful. Those who have a Rosseauian vision of Socialist Utopia in mind, need to destroy that fabric in order to demonstrate the need to replace it with their own vision of public morality, enforced by government. As long as Christianity (or any other socially responsible moral system, for that matter) is able to moderate the base nature of humankind, the need for government control cannot be as effectively demonstrated.

Unfortunately over the last fifty years, these socialist utopians have made substantial headway in unravelling the moral fabric of the nation.

Proof of Life on Mars Found!!
Image: link here
Via ScrappleFace

Don't miss this one, click the image link! This image proves three things:
1) Life did exist on Mars at one time.
2) The Martians were litterbugs.
3) Coke had *another* exclusive vendor contract...

"Coke adds life..."

Tony Blair for President

Pretty good idea, but I still like Bush better. ;>

The Volokh Conspiracy: Strategy for the Libertarian Party

David Bernstein has a positive idea for Libertarians and Republicans alike--rather than running against each other and throwing elections to statist Democrats, negotiate a truce for specific elections, based on Republican committments to advance more libertarian judicial nominees. This gives Libertarians some clout without actually being elected, and gives Republicans the edge they often need to win against Democrats.

It is very much in line with my advocacy of working for libertarian changes within the major parties. The problem with the Democrats is that the statist voices--those dragging them into socialism--are much stronger than the libertarian voices in their party. Now and in the foreseeable future, the natural allies of libertarians will more often be those in the conservative wing of the Republican party.

Fed Deal With Broadcaster Squelches Free Speech
Link via Drug WarRant

Looks like the Feds have a deal with Comcast that has effectively squelched a message that the government doesn't like. Comcast has announced a huge three-year advertising pledge with the Partnership for a Drug Free America. Granite Staters for Medical Marijuana has been prohibited from purchasing air time on the network, based on the group's message about medical marijuana.

This sounds like that bus advertising ban from a while back. "You can't advocate changing medical marijuana laws! Marijuana is illegal!"

Duh?!

I thought we had a constitution..."the right to freely assemble and petition the government for redress of grievances, shall not be infringed..."

Colorado Judge Locks Horns With DEA
Link via Drug WarRant

So the Feds don't think they are subject to state law, hm? Let's just coronate the Drug Czar King, and be done with it then.

I thought we had a constitution...
"All powers not specifically enumerated are reserved to the states respectively, or to the people..."

First Hi-res Color Photo from Mars
Spaceflight Now | Destination Mars | Early Images

Click HERE for more photo links and info on the mission.

No Overcharging at Dick Cheney's Former Company
WSJ.com - U.S. Home: "Halliburton was cleared by the head of the Army Corps of Engineers of any wrongdoing related to a Kuwait fuel contract."

Eheh heh heh...another example of Demos walking into closed doors.

Little Miss Attila
Another weblog to watch--she says she is a "bleeding-heart conservative"...with a name like that, I am intrigued enough to find out more.

Digital Angel Corp
Aha! I'm not the only one who thinks this is the "mark of the beast".
Vox Popoli

Frog Appeasement Fails
France Plays Down Possible Terror Link to Airliner Crash - Excite - News

Whether or not the claim by the terrorist group turns out to be true, this is an excellent example of why appeasement will get you nowhere. The fact that terrorists threaten to attack french planes over this issue is evidence that weakness and appeasement invites aggression just as surely as a strong stand may. The difference is that the terrorists have reason to fear and respect the US now, while they have no reason not to despise the french.

We can disagree on policy nuances, but one thing must be clear--if western liberal democracy is to survive, it is crucial that we stand firm against Islamofascism wherever it raises it's ugly head.

Spaceflight Now | Destination Mars | Early Images

First images from Spirit:

Dean Now Willing to Discuss His Faith (washingtonpost.com)

How cynical, how manipulative can he get?! I'll believe the sincerity of this this about the same time that I believe the devil repents and gets saved. Is this part of his "southern strategy"? If so, he must believe the average southerner "with a confederate flag on his pickup" is dumber than a rock. How elitist, how blinded by arrogance!

And where are the left-wing pundits? When GWB said Jesus is his favorite philosopher, they were apoplectic. They're just going to glide on by this one, leaving their audacious hypocrisy hanging out for all who have eyes to see, to see and marvel at.

Spirit Has Landed!!
Spaceflight Now | Destination Mars | Mission Status Center

Click the link for a continuously updating timeline. As I write this, NASA expects that Spirit may send back a few photographs yet tonight (local Martian time).

In other good news, the Stardust spacecraft successfully passed through the tail of a comet yesterday, collecting stardust and snapping dozens of pictures of the core of the comet. This craft is scheduled to return its sample of stardust to Earth.

I need to start expanding the universe of bloggers that I read. Here is a good place to start:
Gut Rumbles: a genuine Jamaica story

Happy New Year!

Hey, I haven't seen you all since last year!

>>snrk!<< >>snrk!<< Huh huh huh...