Santorum a No-Show

h/t Daily Kos

Scott Newcomer has nothing over Sen. Rick Santorum. At least Newcomer plans to live in the district that elected him.

The Pittsburgh Post-Gazette sent a letter (routine request for Voter’s Guide information) to the address Santorum claims in Penn Hills, PA. The letter came back stamped “Not Deliverable As Addressed -- Unable To Forward."

The editorial about this in the Post-Gazette is really quite hilarious.

The God of Everything

From my Mom, again. Where does she find these things?

Did God Create Evil?
Did God create everything that exists? Does evil exist? Did God create evil? A university professor at a well known institution of higher learning challenged his students with this question. "Did God create everything that exists?"

A student bravely replied, "Yes he did!"

"God created everything?" The professor asked.

"Yes sir, he certainly did," the student replied.

The professor answered, "If God created everything; then God created evil. And, since evil exists, and according to the principal that our works define who we are, then we can assume God is evil." The student became quiet and did not respond to the professor's hypothetical definition. The professor, quite pleased with himself, boasted to the students that he had proven once more that the Christian faith was a myth.

Another student raised his hand and said, "May I ask you a question, professor?"

"Of course", replied the professor. The student stood up and asked, "Professor, does cold exist?" "What kind of question is this? Of course it exists. Have you never been cold?" The other students snickered at the young man's question.

The young man replied, "In fact sir, cold does not exist. According to the laws of physics, what we consider cold is in reality the absence of heat. Every body or object is susceptible to study when it has or transmits energy and heat. What makes a body or matter have or transmit energy? Absolute zero (-460 IF) is the total absence of heat; and all matter becomes inert and incapable of reaction at that temperature. Cold does not exist. We have created this word to describe how we feel if we have no heat."

The student continued, "Professor, does darkness exist?"

The professor responded, "Of course it does."

The student replied, "Once again you are wrong sir, darkness does not exist either. Darkness is in reality the absence of light. Light we can study, but not darkness. In fact, we can use Newton's prism to break white light into many colors and study the various wavelengths of each color. You cannot measure darkness. A simple ray of light can break into a world of darkness and illuminate it. How can you know how dark a certain space is? You measure the amount of light present. Isn't this correct? Darkness is a term used by man to describe what happens when there is no light present."

Finally the young man asked the professor, "Sir, does evil exist?"

Now uncertain, the professor responded, "Of course, as I have already said. We see it everyday. It is in the daily examples of man's inhumanity to man. It is in the multitude of crime and violence everywhere in the world. These manifestations are nothing else but evil.

To this the student replied, "Evil does not exist, sir, or at least it does not exist unto itself. Evil is simply the absence of God. It is just like darkness and cold, a word that man has created to describe the absence of God. God did not create evil. Evil is the result of what happens when man does not have God's love present in his heart. It's like the cold that comes when there is no heat, or the darkness that comes when there is no light."

The professor sat down. The young man's name -- Albert Einstein

***

Considering that Einstein was Jewish, his open-mindedness is remarkable.

I have never denied the existence of God, I just don't believe (with respect) that God is the god of Rick Esenberg, of one billion plus Arabs, or of any of the other religious faiths. Happiness to them and their faith.

For myself, God is in my heart and that's all I need to know.

UPDATE! This link provides an excellent discussion on the urban legend that is this piece. However, my part is real.

We're So Sorry

With the Badger Blog Alliance shindig coming soon (yours truly will not be attending for multiple reasons), now is the time to check out "Above the Borderline." One of its members ran afoul of my buddy, Chris, of spottedhorse2 fame. Now he’s not invited to the picnic. He’s very sad … as are some of his friends. If you want to commiserate, check out the links below. Their apologies are touching … NOT! But they are hilarious. If you click over now you will be entertained by:

Hurry, Supplies are Limited

And who can forget this time-honored classic:

Countdown to Badger Blog Alliance Bash: Only 4 Days

Hey, I used to drink Old Mill when I was a kiddy, it was cheap.

Don’t Worry If You Swill Too Much Old Mill

Clean up while reading this gem.

Count Down To Badger Blog Alliance Bash ... Don't Forget The Soap!

Get the hankys out. Damn the MSM. They wouldn’t report this.

Tragic Lawn Dart Accident at BBA/KKK Picnic!

Big forearms? You'll like this.

I Like to Swear, I Used to be a Sailor


There's more, but time and space wait for no one and I have little of the former. Click here. These guys are funny.

Ironic Pity

Good grief, Patrick McIlheran is now quoting Peter DiGaudio. Of course, considering that McIlheran likes to travel WorldNetDaily and its crazy loons, I guess it makes sense.

This from DiGaudio the other day. I’m sure he didn’t see the irony in the first and last sentences. I’ll highlight them for him.

And the anti-gun Nazis shouldn't feel too smug, either. As I have maintained all along, none of this is about guns, easy access to guns, and too many guns. It's about out-of-control personal behavior.

***

Oh, did you ever notice that the majority of DiGaudio's posts have to do with African-Americans, or Hispanics? And, he really doesn't like Michael McGee Jr and Eugene Kane. I can understand McGee, but Kane? Kane writes opinions from his side of the aisle. But DiGaudio apparently has skin thinner than onion paper, because he rants on and on about Kane. I'll give McIlheran credit, he has the professional courtesy to deny agreeing with DiGaudio about Kane.

I read DiGaudio because he is a bellweather for the far right loonies. Always good to know what they're up to.

Memorial Day Revisited

Revisiting Memorial Day for a moment. I remembered my grandfather who fought in WWI. A loving man who taught me how to be proud and stand up for what you believe. And my father, still alive and living in Madison (of all places, he’s very conservative), who was a Marine in WWII … and of course my uncles who fought in Vietnam.

h/t to Tom Tomorrow for this article by Bob Herbert of The New York Times.

Consider the Living
The point of Memorial Day is to honor the service and the sacrifice of those who have given their lives in the nation’s wars. But I suggest that we take a little time today to consider the living.

Look around and ask yourself if you believe that stability or democracy in Iraq — or whatever goal you choose to assert as the reason for this war — is worth the life of your son or your daughter, or your husband or your wife, or the co-worker who rides to the office with you in the morning, or your friendly neighbor next door.

Before you gather up the hot dogs and head out to the barbecue this afternoon, look in a mirror and ask yourself honestly if Iraq is something you would be willing to die for.
There is no shortage of weaselly politicians and misguided commentators ready to tell us that we can’t leave Iraq — we just can’t. Chaos will ensue. Maybe even a civil war. But what they really mean is that we can’t leave as long as the war can continue to be fought by other people’s children, and as long as we can continue to put this George W. Bush-inspired madness on a credit card.

Start sending the children of the well-to-do to Baghdad, and start raising taxes to pay off the many hundreds of billions that the war is costing, and watch how quickly this tragic fiasco is brought to an end.

At an embarrassing press conference last week, President Bush and Prime Minister Tony Blair of Britain looked for all the world like a couple of hapless schoolboys who, while playing with fire, had set off a conflagration that is still raging out of control. Their recklessness has so far cost the lives of nearly 2,500 Americans and tens of thousands of innocent Iraqis, many of them children.

Among the regrets voiced by the president at the press conference was his absurd challenge to the insurgents in 2003 to “bring ‘em on.” But Mr. Bush gave no hint as to when the madness might end.

How many more healthy young people will we shovel into the fires of Iraq before finally deciding it’s time to stop? How many dead are enough?

What The Hell

This was sent by my sister ... A piece she found on the Internet, somewhere. I wish I was this clever.

HELL EXPLAINED BY A CHEMISTRY STUDENT
The following is an actual question given on a University of Washington chemistry mid-term. The answer by one student was so "profound" that the professor shared it with colleagues, via the Internet, which is, of course, why we now have the pleasure of enjoying it as well.

Bonus Question: Is Hell exothermic (gives off heat) or endothermic (absorbs heat)?

Most of the students wrote proofs of their beliefs using Boyle's Law (gas cools when it expands and heats when it is compressed) or some variant. One student, however, wrote the following:

First, we need to know how the mass of Hell is changing in time. So we need to know the rate at which souls are moving into Hell and the rate at which they are leaving. I think that we can safely assume that once a soul gets to Hell, it will not leave. Therefore, no souls are leaving.

As for how many souls are entering Hell, let's look at the different religions that exist in the world today. Most of these religions state that if you are not a member of their religion, you will go to Hell. Since there is more than one of these religions and since people do not belong to more than one religion, we can project that all souls go to Hell.

With birth and death rates as they are, we can expect the number of souls in Hell to increase exponentially. Now, we look at the rate of change of the volume in Hell because Boyle's Law states that in order for the temperature and pressure in Hell to stay the same, the volume of Hell has to expand proportionately as souls are added. This gives two possibilities:

1. If Hell is expanding at a slower rate than the rate at which souls enter Hell, then the temperature and pressure in Hell will increase until all Hell breaks loose.

2. If Hell is expanding at a rate faster than the increase of souls in Hell, then the temperature and pressure will drop until Hell freezes over.

So which is it?

If we accept the postulate given to me by Teresa during my Freshman year that, "it will be a cold day in Hell before I sleep with you, and take into account the fact that I slept with her last night, then number two must be true, and thus I am sure that Hell is exothermic and has already frozen over. The corollary of this theory is that since Hell has frozen over, it follows that it is not accepting any more souls and is therefore, extinct ... leaving only Heaven thereby proving the existence of a divine being which explains why, last night, Teresa kept shouting "Oh my God."


This student received the only "A."

Another Guest Appearance

Jessica McBride reprises her role in Tom Tomorrow's "Modern World" as a mindless automaton. Click on image to enlarge.

Brookfield Bigot

Read a Joel McNally column (“The Capital Times,” May 26, 2006) addressing the illegal immigration debate and the role of Rep. F. James Sensenbrenner. It really is a good read, in my opinion. Here is a link to the column. However, the paragraph from McNally below really sums up my feelings about our Brookfield bigot.

If Sensenbrenner really wanted to be honest about what he's up to, he would
simply add an amendment declaring white to be our national color.

Living Will

With a child on the way, it seems a good idea finally to put together a living will ... just in case conservatives with guns go on a shooting spree (lol). This form was sent to me by a friend. Looks like a good start. Click on image to enlarge.

Temporarily out of Ammunition

It's been an odd two weeks. I'm just as outraged as ever about the antics and the stupidity of most of the wingnut cheddarsphere. I read Clint's pieces and shake my head. Peter's leave me with a headache. Jessica's are too silly and petty to mention. I've caught James' cold (thanks).

Owen comes across as reasonable until you delve further. Dean is okay, though I'm stunned that he is in the plus 50 crowd, too (you look younger). RealDebate is no such thing. And of course there is no explanation, physical, metaphysical, or even hysterical for Chris.

And yet, none of their antics, their poor writing skills, or their complete inability to master even the simplest logic the past two weeks have had more than the tiniest impact on me because ... none are important.

My wife and I are having a baby!

I came home and she showed me the test results. I was floored. The fertility insitute and numerous hospital tests all confirmed that the liklihood of this occurring was closer to Peter DiGuadio constructing an original argument that made sense. For those who do not know Peter ... little chance at all.

We will continue to completion the home study process for adoption. Then we have one year to decide whether to continue or not. I hope that there will be no need to continue and sometime next January, a little boy, er, sorry honey ... a little girl will be born. Really, we don't care.

To those with children ... blessings. To those with none, but trying ... keep trying.

Post Turtle

Neither my mother or I take credit for this. I do not know where she found it, but ...

While suturing a cut on the hand of a 75-year old Texas rancher, whose hand was caught in a gate while working cattle, the doctor struck up a conversation with the old man. Eventually the topic got around to former Texas Governor, George W. Bush and his elevation to the White House.

The old Texan said, "Well, ya know, Bush is a post turtle.

"Not being familiar with the term, the doctor asked him what a post turtle was.

The old rancher said, "When you're driving down a country road and you come across a fence post with a turtle balanced on top, that's a post turtle.

The old man saw a puzzled look on the doctor's face, so he continued to explain: "You know he didn't get there by himself, he doesn't belong there, he doesn't know what to do while he's up there, and you just want to help the dumb shit get down."

Weird Science

I just ran into something (not literally, for those who believe everything) that caused me to write this piece. Let me explain why. I was born May 25, 1956. So, in little more than one day, I will turn fifty. I am not happy about this. I don’t like the idea of turning fifty. It feels like I’m crossing a Rubicon in my life and the descent to serious aging will quicken. Consequently, my date with history has been on my mind of late.

Where was this going? I had surfed over to ESPN to check the baseball scoreboard. I do this religiously during the season. I have been a life-long baseball fan. One of the first books I owned was about the Baseball Hall of Fame. I even made up baseball dice games when I was a kid and kept stats (geek!).

Oddly, the results of the thousands of rolls of the two six-sided dice were similar in range to historical baseball norms. Different combinations of the dice elicited different results. Sometimes these resulted in re-shakes, which introduced more combinations. The average batting average was .280 to .300. and ERAs (earned run average) were in line with MLB.

Another strange thing was players like Hank Aaron, Willie Stargell, Roberto Clemente, Bob Gibson, Warren Spahn, etc., performed frighteningly similar to their real life selves. A weird connection mainlined by my fingers into those dice.

As a kid and later as an adult, my favorite team, other than the Braves, later the Brewers, was the Pittsburgh Pirates. I don’t know why, I had this thing for Pittsburgh. So naturally, when I first got involved in the fantasy baseball craze, my Strat-o-Matic expansion club was named the Pittsburgh Pirates (Braves and Brewers already taken).

If interested, check out the Strat-o-Matic website. It’s an incredibly accurate baseball experience.

For the next 15 years, my Pirates won five division titles (24-team league with 6 divisions), was the wild card entry another 3-4 other times and made it to one World Series where Larry Walker (a fav of mine traded to my World Series opponent at the beginning of the season) single-handedly snuffed the hopes of the Pirate faithful by winning two games with walk-off homers. Walker and his team, the Chicago White Sox, won the series four games to two.

A few years ago, I entered another league. This league added general manager to the list with its introduction of a salary structure, free agency, etc. This team, the Cream City Pirates has won one division title, and a wild card appearance.

Anyway, if you've stayed with me so far, hang on, we're almost there.

So, while surfing ESPN I saw this: “… excerpt from Rob Neyer's Big Book of Baseball Blunders, where Neyer recalls the Braves' signing of an aging Babe Ruth.” I clicked and read. Near the end, Neyer says this about the fading former Bronx Bomber:

There would be one last hurrah. On May 25 in Pittsburgh, Ruth hit a two-run
homer in the first inning. In the third, he hit another. And in the seventh, he
hit one more home run (this time with nobody on base). The latter two homers
came against Guy Bush, who years later would say, "I never saw a ball hit so
hard before or since. He was fat and old, but he still had that great swing.
Even when he missed, you could hear the bat go swish. I can't remember anything
about the first home run he hit off me that day. I guess it was just another
homer. But I can't forget that last one. It's probably still going."

I looked at the date of the game and where it was played (and the last name of the pitcher who yielded the final two homers ... indicative of the fall of the modern-day Bush?) and I was surprised and kind of thrilled at the cosmic implication that this was the reason I'm a baseball fan.

Hey, if thousands of monkeys pecking away indiscriminately at typewriters can produce Shakespeare over a journey of an eon or two, then anything is possible.

You say tomato and I say ... well ... tomato too

An article in the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel highlighted testing with adult stem cells that showed promise in combating urinary incontinence (I suppose one has to start somewhere).

Seth Zlotocha had a funny, but ultimately inaccurate piece, stating that F(at) James Sensenbrenner would be unhappy with this because his personal wealth comes from Kimberly-Clark, the makers of the product Depend.

James Wigderson pointed out at his site that Seth inaccurately portrayed the stem cells used. They were adult stems cells, Wigderson said, not stem cells obtained from the destruction of embryos.

James is right. I agree with James on everything except the misleading label he applies to Republicans who claim to be "pro-life." A more accurate label would be pro-adult stem cell Republicans.

Or, until Republicans (and conservatives, sorry, I forget you guys are two different entities) truly begin supporting life as in supporting getting our troops out of Iraq, as in defeating efforts to bring the death penalty to Wisconsin, as in defeating the so called defense of marriage initiative, then they should be known as the pro-expediency-anything-goes-because-we-ain't-got-no-stinking-morals-except-at election-time-when-we-need-to-get-out-the-vote Republicans.

Miracles

I'll post this anyway ... even though my wife surprised me with an e-mail from Vegas and so I included it in my reply to her. I have been blessed in life. Tonight I watched "Fiddler on the Roof." Miracle of Miracles is one of my favorite songs and the last stanza especially describes my feelings about Kelly.

But of all God's miracles large and small,
The most miraculous one of all
Is the one I thought could never be:
God has given you to me.

Here's hoping that everyone is happy or has moments of happiness in their lives.

And the Deer and Its Baby Play

Been taking it easy from blogging the last few days. Dropped my beautiful wife off at Mitchell Field this morning. She is attending a business conference in Vegas.

I wanted to recount an incident that occurred Thursday, or was it Wednesday. I don't know, events tend to blend into the background these days. Anyway, I had just begun cutting the lawn and had reached the back end of the lot when out from the adjacent wood with creek walked a solitary doe. That this occurred was rather odd. She didn't seem frightened at all by the noise from the riding lawnmower ... just strode to the middle of the yard, glanced over at me casually, and just stood there.

I continued to the far side, turned, shut off the engine and just watched. She looked around, sauntered a few paces ... then I noticed movement to my left, about 50 yards away near the house. It was a fawn. I'm not sure where the baby came from. It was probably resting in the bushes that line and separate the yards. We had found a fawn last spring and had been told by the local Humane Society that the mothers will often leave their fawn in secluded places, go off to feed, and then return for their babes.

Baby walked across the yard a little unsteadily toward its mom ... all legs. It reached its mom and immediately began suckling. It paid no attention to me. It had eyes only for its mom.

The two eventually strolled toward the creek together and entered the wood. Before, though, the mother took one long look at me. I've no idea what went through the mind of the mother doe. Is thought even remotely processed by deer in a similar fashion to humans?

But I think she was just saying I'll be on my way now and thanks for not frightening my child. Or, vote Democrat this fall. Who can say.

New Deportation Strategy on the Right

This from an article by Joe Conason, at Working for Change.

On the far-right Web site WorldNetDaily, a columnist who describes himself as a “Christian libertarian” recently explained why he knew that the president is wrong about mass deportations. “If it took the Germans less than four years to rid themselves of six million Jews, many of whom spoke German and were fully integrated into German society,” he wrote, “it couldn't possibly take more than eight years to deport 12 million illegal aliens, many of whom don't speak English and are not integrated into American society.”

If memory serves me right, those Jewish citizens were not deported, unless sending them to a different astral plain counts. And conservatives say we have an anger problem.

Click here for the entire Conason article.

Also a post on this at the Talent Show. I followed the link from there to Crooks and Liars and finally to the article in question at WorldNetDaily. Mysteriously, the article has been altered and the German connection removed.

And to think that Pat McIlheran has quoted pieces from WorldNetDaily. Goes to show where his ethics lie.

They Just Can't Stop Lying

Clint at Milwaukee ID10T thinks that a video supposedly showing Tony Snow “smack down” octogenarian Helen Thomas is good TV. He fails to note, as usual for conservative listeners and, especially conservative bloggers, that Tony Snow was at his disingenuous best. Click here for the Media Matters follow up to this press conference.

I Can't Wait To Spend That $20

Quality of life tax cut for my frind Clint:

Another $70 billion tax cut was recently passed. The Center on Budget and Policy Priorities says the average middle-income household will get a $20 tax cut. Oh boy!

Those making more than $1 million a year will get nearly $42,000.

Damn, you're right. Love that quality of life statement by conservative governance. But at least it's a plan, you'll say.

Some plan. Now if only we could win the lottery.

Who Are The Traitors to Liberty?

When conservatives tell you that you should be willing to sacrifice some freedoms "temporarily" for the sake of security in the war on terrorism, remember these:

“Those who would trade safety for freedom deserve neither.” -- Thomas Jefferson

“Those that would sacrifice liberty for security deserve neither liberty nor security.” -- Ben Franklin

“Those who are ready to sacrifice freedom for security ultimately will lose both.” -- Abraham Lincoln

Oh What A Tangled Web We Weave ...

(Click on image to view)

What Do You Think?

Another from Mom (in honor of Mother's Day):


It started out innocently enough. I began to think at parties now and then, just to loosen up. Inevitably, though, one thought led to another, and soon I was more than just a social thinker. I began to think alone -- "to relax," I told myself -- but I knew it wasn't true.

Thinking became more and more important to me, and finally I was thinking all the time. That was when things began to sour at home. One evening I had turned off the TV and asked my wife about the meaning of life. She spent that night at her mother's. I began to think on the job. I knew that thinking and employment don't mix, but I couldn't stop myself. I began to avoid friends at lunchtime so I could read Thoreau and Kafka. I would return to the office dizzied and confused, asking, "What is it, exactly, we are doing here?"

One day the boss called me in. He said, "Listen, I like you, and it hurts me to say this, but your thinking has become a real problem. If you don't stop thinking on the job, you'll have to find another job."

This gave me a lot to think about. I came home early after my conversation with the boss. "Honey," I confess, "I've been thinking..."

"I know you've been thinking," she said, "and I want a divorce!"

"But Honey, surely it's not that serious."

"It is serious," she said, lower lip aquiver. "You think as much as college professors and college professors don't make any money, so if you keep on thinking, we won't have any money!"

"That's a faulty syllogism," I said impatiently.

She exploded in tears of rage and frustration, but I was in no mood to deal with the emotional drama. "I'm going to the library," I snarled as I stomped out the door. I headed for the library, in the mood for some Nietzsche. I roared into the parking lot, with NPR blaring on the radio, and ran up to the big glass doors ... They didn't open. The library was closed.

To this day, I believe that a Higher Power was looking out for me that night. Leaning on the unfeeling glass, whimpering for Zarathustra, a Poster caught my eye, "Friend, is heavy thinking ruining your life?" it asked. You probably recognize that line. It comes from the standard Thinkers Anonymous poster.Which is why I am what I am today: a recovering thinker? I never miss a TA meeting. At each meeting we watch a non-educational video; last week it was "Porky's, this week it will be the speeches of George W. Bush." Then we share experiences about how we avoided thinking since the last meeting. I still have my job, and things are a lot better at home.

Life just seemed ... easier, somehow, as soon as I stopped thinking. I think the road to recovery is nearly complete for me. Today I made the final step: I registered to vote as a Republican.

Down on the Border

Rather than adding 6,000 National Guard members to the Border Patrol, let's just add F(at) James Sensenbrenner. His girth should be enough to cover the entire border several times over. Wouldn't have to feed him either. He could just eat the clumsy ones who fall into his pudgy grasp.

And if that is not enough, we can plant large speakers up and down the border and replay Jessica McBride radio shows.

Our Government Hears Your Concerns

(Again, from This Modern World)

The Brain and the Brainless

The cover for a new soap opera (from This Modern World).

What Conservatism Reaps ... Hatred

I read this a week or so ago in an old Time magazine. What a great idea. That conservative, homophobe bastard, Fred Phelps, deseves this kind of attention.

From The Army Times:

Bikers drown out funeral protesters
By Ryan Lenz, Associated Press

FORT CAMPBELL, Ky. — Wearing leather chaps and vests covered in military patches, a band of motorcyclists rolls from one soldier’s funeral to another in hopes their respectful cheers and revving engines will drown out the insults of protesters.

The motorcycle club members calling themselves Patriot Guard Riders are trying to shield mourners from cruel jeers by adherents of a tiny fundamentalist church who picket military funerals to reflect their belief that U.S. combat deaths are a sign God is punishing the United States for harboring homosexuals. Some protesters’ signs said, “Thank God for IEDs,” the improvised explosive devices, or homemade bombs, that kill many U.S. soldiers.

“The most important thing we can do is let families know that the nation cares,” said Don Woodrick, the biker group’s Kentucky captain. “When a total stranger gets on a motorcycle in the middle of winter and drives 300 miles to hold a flag, that makes a powerful statement.”
Across the nation, Patriot Guard Riders number more than 5,000. They show up at soldiers’ funerals to chant patriotic slogans and wave red, white and blue flags in hopes of overshadowing backers of a Kansas clergyman named the Rev. Fred Phelps.

Phelps and members of his Westboro Baptist Church have caused such a fuss that at least 14 states are considering laws aimed at the funeral protests. During the 1990s, church members were known mostly for picketing funerals of AIDS victims, and they have long been tracked as a hate group by the Southern Poverty Law Center’s Intelligence Project in Montgomery, Alabama.

The project’s deputy director, Heidi Beirich, said other groups have tried to counter Phelps’ message, but none have been as organized as the Patriot Guard.

“I’m not sure anybody has gone to this length to stand in solidarity,” she said. “It’s nice that these veterans and their supporters are trying to do something. I can’t imagine anything worse, your loved one is killed in Iraq and you’ve got to deal with Fred Phelps.”

At a recent memorial service at Fort Campbell, church protesters and sang vulgar songs condemning homosexuals and soldiers. The Patriot Guard was also there, cheering to support mourning families across the street as community members came in a freezing rain to chant “U-S-A, U-S-A” alongside the bikers.

“This is just the right thing to do. This is something America didn’t do in the ’70s,” said Kurt Mayer, the Patriot Guard’s national spokesman, referring to the era when protests against the Vietnam war were common. “Whether we agree with why we’re over there, these soldiers are dying to protect our freedoms.”

Shirley Phelps-Roper, a daughter of Fred Phelps and an attorney for the Topeka, Kansas-based church, said neither state laws nor the Patriot Guard can silence their message that God killed the soldiers because they fought for a country that embraces homosexuals.

“The scriptures are crystal clear that when God sets out to punish a nation, it is with the sword. An IED is just a broken-up sword,” Phelps-Roper said. “Since that is his weapon of choice, our forum of choice has got to be a dead soldier’s funeral.”

The church, which is not affiliated with a larger denomination, is made up mostly of Phelps’ extended family. A small group of them appeared last month in West Virginia outside a memorial for the 12 men killed in the Sago Mine disaster. They held signs reading “Thank God for Dead Miners” and “Miners in Hell.”

Kentucky, home to sprawling Fort Campbell, was among the first states to attempt to deal with Phelps legislatively. Its House and Senate have each passed bills that would limit people from protesting within 300 feet of a funeral or memorial service. The Senate version would also keep protesters from being within earshot of grieving friends and family members.

The Indiana Senate has passed a bill intended to prohibit protests within 500 feet (150 meters) of funerals. The House is considering the measure.

The bills were written to protect families of soldiers such as Pvt. Jonathan R. Pfender, 22, of Evansville, Indiana, a soldier from Fort Campbell’s 101st Airborne Division who was killed in January by a roadside bomb in Beiji, Iraq.

Westboro church members protested at Pfender’s funeral, screaming profanities at mourners as they passed. Family members were shielded from the insults by the rumble of Patriot Guard motorcycles.

“We were glad that the Patriot Guard Riders were there,” said Jackie Pfender, the soldier’s stepmother. “This group of protesters wanted to put something negative on Jonathan’s funeral. In actuality, it became a positive thing because of the support we had.”

Patriot Guard members only show up at funerals if invited by family. Richard Wilbur, a retired police detective, said his Indiana Patriot Guard group came to the Pfender funeral at the family’s request after protesters announced they planned to attend.

“No one deserves this,” Wilbur said. “If I were burying my loved one and they were out there yelling anything close to what they yell to the families of these soldiers, I know my temperament. I probably would not handle it very well.”

Hanky Time

Another boo hoo piece from a conservative blogger. Once again it's the liberals' fault for all their woes. I'll let him speak for himself.

Conservative Anger Highway Sign

Thursday Jokes

Not in the mood for jousting. These are from a friend. I think I'll make this a regular post. Anyone have a good joke, send it to me and I'll publish it.


One day, a man came home and was greeted by his wife dressed in a very sexy nightie.

"Tie me up," she purred, "and you can do anything you want."

So he tied her up and went golfing.

***

A woman came home, screeching her car into the driveway, and ran into thehouse. She slammed the door and shouted at the top of her lungs, "Honey,pack your bags. I won the damn lottery!"

The husband said, "Oh my God! What should I pack, beach stuff or mountainstuff?"

"Doesn't matter," she said. "Just get the hell out."

***

Marriage is a relationship in which one person is always right, and the other is a husband.

***

A Polish immigrant went to the DMV to apply for a driver's license. First, of course, he had to take an eye sight test. The optician showed him a card with the letters: 'C Z W I X N O S T A C Z.' "Can you read this?" the optician asked.

"Read it?" the Polish guy replied, "I know the guy."

***

Mother Superior called all the nuns together and said to them,"I must tell you all something. We have a case of gonorrhea in the convent."

"Thank God," said an elderly nun at the back. "I'm so tired of chardonnay."

***

A wife was making a breakfast of fried eggs for her husband. Suddenly, her husband burst into the kitchen.

"Careful," he said, "CAREFUL! Put in some more butter! Oh my GOD! You re cooking too many at once. TOO MANY! Turn them! TURN THEM NOW! We need more butter. Oh my GOD! WHERE are we going to get MORE BUTTER? They're going to STICK! Careful ... CAREFUL! I said be CAREFUL! You NEVER listen to me when you're cooking! Never! Turn them! Hurry up! Are you CRAZY? Have you LOST your mind? Don't forget to salt them. You know you always forget to salt them. Use the salt. USE THE SALT! THE SALT!"

The wife stared at him. "What in the world is wrong with you? You think I don't know how to fry a couple of eggs?"

The husband calmly replied, "I wanted to show you what it feels like whenI'm driving."

***

Fifty-one years ago, Herman James, a North Carolina mountain man, was drafted by the Army. On his first day in basic training, the Army issued him a comb. That afternoon the Army barber sheared off all his hair. On his second day, the Army issued Herman a toothbrush. That afternoon theArmy dentist yanked seven of his teeth. On the third day, the Army issued him a jock strap. The Army has been looking for Herman for 51 years.

It's So Graphic

No blogging today (well, until now). The video driver went on the blink and I 've spent the greater part of the day trying to get the system to hold together long enough so I could change some settings, which allowed the system to function while I downloaded a new driver and repaired the problem.

Finally did only to discover that it's probably the card itself that isn't working. Oh well. I can work at minimum accelaeration for now. A new graphics card is not a priority.

This Land is Our Land

My friend, Elliot/Michael posted a comment to a post entitled, “Those Treasonous Dogs.” I began responding to him (I like his thinking and he is always reasonable), and then decided to make my response a separate post.

Which rights do Liberals still love, Tim? They long ago stopped being
defenders of the First Amendment (which is why I stopped being a liberal).
They never believed in the Second.I don't think Conservatives are all that
great, either. But I think Liberals lost the high ground a long time ago.

First thing to keep in mind, my friend … it was liberal thought that brought forth the constitution.Look it up. Imagine where we would be without those great liberal thinkers, Jefferson, Adams and Adams, Payne, etc.

I think you gave up being a liberal too soon, my friend. This liberal believes in the 2nd amendment, i.e. the right for the people to bear arms, though I have strong reservations about sub-machine guns and bazookas.

I’ve been a hunter, and enjoyed it when I was younger. I have experienced the thrill of the hunt. Truthfully, though, I think the only real hunters are those who use bows. I'm older now. I no longer crave mowing down defenseless creatures for food. There is always the alternative grocery store on every other block.

And as far as the 1st amendment, I think from my writings you'll see I am not a PC liberal. Have we gone too far? Absolutely. But our society tends to do that. It ebbs and it flows. Do you remember the roaring 20s? How about the 60s? My point is look out, the roaring, lost your minds 2010s are just around the corner.

Anyway, having said that, I am proud to be a flaming liberal. While taxes may be a wee high, I am not sorry to pay my fair share and help ensure government functions, roads are smooth and people in need are given a helping hand. In regards to a helping hand: Pulling yourself up by your own bootstraps is a favorite conservative phrase these days. Apply it to Halliburton and its greedy brethren and I’ll listen. A number of conservative bloggers have used this phrase to describe their own lives … how they had to work, blah blah blah. You know what? Boo hoo. Whining is not a liberal state of mind and certainly not mine. It is, however, what I think some conservatives are best at.

I don't believe in TABOR or any of its offspring. To amend the constitution is a whack job. Conservatives are saying they don't trust politicians. Fair enough, there are many to be disgusted with. The answer to that is to get people who truly care about the amity of the people to run for office. We the People! We're not so dumb.

I believe in marriage ... for all! And I don’t believe in wedge issues designed to create attendance on election day, at the expense of innocent citizens who will be affected by mean-spirited resolutions.

I believe in the right of a woman to choose without men interfering in their lives. We disagree sharply here, I know. But liberals have always been able to discuss things amongst themselves ... not so sure of narrow-minded conservatives, though I know a few who seem to have evolved. I know that both liberals and conservatives yearn for the day that abortion occurs so minimally that it doesn’t warrant pitched battles. Can’t we agree on exceptions for rape and incest and then educate our people to think of the consequences before conceiving? I’ve got to believe that some day we’ll succeed.

Believe! That’s what liberals do best. Rather than go backwards using faulty and aging memory cells to those glorious days of old, liberals believe in the present and the future. Liberals believe in people … all of them, regardless of faith, lack of faith, color, race, handicap. We are not a “white mans” club only, allowing only the token more brilliant or outspoken of others to have associate membership.

And one more thing. For all the denigration of the 60s, it was the 60s, the people, who hastened the end of that bastard Vietnam conflict. That there were excesses, no doubt. That the troops who were drafted to fight were treated poorly there and on their return, no doubt. But if the people had not risen and protested as was their RIGHT that conflict would probably have continued being the centerpiece of what it was: the playground of big power politics. It would not have been Nixon and his children, or any of the other supporters of that conflict and their children who would have suffered. It would have been my kids and yours.

Just like today.

Gobbledygook

Calling their arguments “gobbledygook,” a U.S. appeals panel handed the Bush administration their lunch regarding wiretapping of Internet phone calls.

“Your argument makes no sense,” U.S. Circuit Judge Harry T. Edwards told the lawyer for the Federal Communications Commission, Jacob Lewis.


I’m sure we’ll be hearing the familiar refrain about activist judges from the same old suspects in the very near future. This will include a misleading sub-header to an anything but fair and balanced Fox News story.

But who cares. This administration is kaput. Even their so-called true conservatives (the John Birch remnants) are bailing. It would really be quite humorous if the stakes were not so high … like constitutional rights, presidential overreaching of power, abuse of power, etc.

You know they will not go down without a fight and while they fritter away the time, thousands more will die for their misguided whims.

Islam Bad, Us Better ... Ug

At 12:08 in the morning, Jessica McBride must have been just a wee bit tired. Or she just got back from a barfing session. You know, the kind that happens to her when she reads her own writing back to herself.

This time she has come up with a doozy. I knew she was a flaming racist and intolerant prig before, but …well, check out her post on the JournalSentinel editorial about the open house being held at the Islamic Center of Milwaukee. I thought she was shallow before, but this takes the cake.

Let’s see, she’s not going to go because she already knows everything she needs to know about Islam; in some parts of their society women are treated differently than here. Gasp. Yes, that’s true, Jessica. But it’s not the case universally and I doubt it’s the only place where women are considered second-class citizens. How about evangelical Christians and their “woman must submit to man” doctrine. Ya know, hubby knows best.

And a McBride piece wouldn’t be a McBride piece without a nyah nyah section. She says, “Would the JS editorial board ever encourage Muslims to go to a Christian church for a "special opportunity" to get to know us and our ideals?” What?!?

Leaving aside the childishness of that statement, I have a news flash, Jessie-pooh, not all Muslims hate us. And last time I looked, yes, we did attack them, unless those armored units in Baghdad are just an illusion. Many of them don’t like us over there, regardless if you think it was the right thing to do. I’m sure there were many Germans who thought the Fuhrer was right on to invade Poland.

Considering that a real clash of cultures is underway, for the JournalSentinel to suggest and recommend that the “majority” population get to know a little about the people we are supposedly freeing from tyranny doesn’t seem such a bad idea.

I for one will go. I would like to ask why women remain subjugated in parts of Islamic society and I will LISTEN to the answer rather than assume I know all the answers.

***

Oh, I’ve wanted to comment on Jessie's quote from Winston Churchill, which she uses as an excuse for her banality.

You have enemies? Good. That means you've stood up for something, sometime in your life. -- Winston Churchill

I have one for Jessica …

"All tyranny needs to gain a foothold is for people of good conscience to remain silent." -- Thomas Jefferson

Those Treasonous Dogs

Click on image to expand view.

Those damn treasonous liberal dogs, what with their misguided love for rights, the constitution and all things mocca. They'll be the death of our greedy lobbying initiatives and land-oil grab. Ooooh, I know ... bring up the defense of marriage farce and let's change the subject again, hee hee hee.

It's raining potatoes. Oh, not really. Jessica McBride is barfing again.

Can You Hum a Few Bars?

While I'm in full agreement that people who come to America should learn and sing our national anthem in English, Jacob Weisberg at Slate Magazine has a funny piece on the difficulty that even native born Americans have with our anthem's archaic and convoluted lyrics.

Here is a link to the piece.

Weisberg also shares info on some of the other unofficial and alternative national anthems floating around. My favorite is Woody Guthrie's "This Land is Your Land."

There are a number of unofficial and alternative national anthems that would
present less of a challenge to Latino immigrants rallying around "Nuestro Himno" a cloying, Latin-pop interpretation of "The Star-Spangled Banner" (and no improvement, incidentally, on the patriotically minded Spanish translation "La Bandera De Las Estrellas," scored by Walter Damrosch and published in 1919). The perennial top candidates are the 1913 version of "America the Beautiful," which was written by a Wellesley English professor named Katharine Lee Bates; Irving Berlin's 1938 version of "God Bless America" which became patriotic theme music in the days after the Sept. 11 attacks in 2001; and Woody Guthrie's "This Land is Your Land," which was written in 1940 as a kind of hobo's answer to "God Bless America."

One thing: I have read of all the outrage over the flying of the Mexican flag (I'm guessing it was, there is no Hispanic flag that I know of). This really seems like racist drivel to me. Come on, I've seen the German, Italien, Polish and Greek flags, all being flown at Summerfest. I've seen them flown above restaurants, inside restaurants. I've seen them at churches, outside homes ... everywhere. Aren't these people Americans and how dare they fly the flag of another country?

This country is large enough (I 'm not referring to land mass) to accept these people and figure out an equitable solution to this issue without resorting to racist tactics (Right, Charlie?).

Ha Ha Ha Sensenbrenner for President

This was (ha ha ha) too funny. I can hardly stop laughing (ha ha ha). This guy recommends F. James Sensenbrenner for president (ha ha ha, too much).

Stop it. It hurts.

Actually, Clint and I have had a few conversations (see posts below). While Clint has difficulty staying on topic, his comments are reasonably well done. But Sensenbrenner for prez?

Whoop whoop!

Lost in Conservative Fogland

Just an impression ... have you ever noticed that the majority of anonymous comments and comments from sites that have no profiles (rendering them effectively anonymous) are conservative in nature?

Just asking.

Brokeback Razorbacks

A friend sent this to me this morning.

This was actually on TV. The commentators paused and didn't say a word. Arkansas Razorback players Clarke Moore, Brett Goode and Casey Dick need to stop hanging out together ... at least when in uniform.

No Weight Loss Yesterday

Holding at 229. The split pea soup that I made the other day has not contributed to any weight gain. I'm glad I quit smoking, though.

Barf Session

News Alert!

Jessica McBride said she would begin barfing if she read another glowing story in the JournalSentinel about a Sen. Russ Feingold listening session.


Leap forward in time ...

Jessica McBride barfing endlessly. Parents concerned about water safety. MMSD contacted and considering gag (we can only hope).

Charlie Sykes blames Gov. Jim Doyle for lack of action and announces new Deep Tunnel award to person(s) who solve the McBride vomitus issue.

Husband Paul announces new website claiming his wife's puking directly related to release of drug-addled criminals by Kate Falk, though she has nothing to do with their release and in fact was in the Bahamas when the release occurred.

Scott Walker drops out of race for governor, again. Says McBride's vomiting problems a sign from god.


Leaping a little more forward in time ...

JournalSentinel sued. Judge decides that glowing articles about Feingold listening sessions are indeed the cause ofJessica McBride vomitus. Pictures of damage caused by her puking sway his decision.



























Scott Walker drops his candidacy for Waukesha County Supervisor for two reasons: god and, unbeknownst to him, all posts were eliminated in last election.


Leaping to the conclusion of this terrible ordeal ...

Giant sock stuffed down Jessica McBride's throat. No outcome expected.

Scott Walker begins barfing.

Piddle Piddle Splash Splash

"There was no arrest. There was no new charge, no new case. Case closed. Story's over. I won. Operative words: 'not guilty.'" -- Rush Limbaugh

Yeah right, Rush. Then why are you required to pee into a cup for the next 18 months? You simply had more money and better lawyers.

A Tough Question

I love and respect Hispanics, Hispanic culture and the desire many have for a better life. In that regard, Hispanics are no different than the other ethnic groups that have come here in droves.

I don't know how to handle this issue. It does seem to me that some employers share blame. If illegal immigrants were not hired, there would be less who would sneak in across the border.

Can we really send those back that are here now? I don't see how. On the other hand, today's march and job workoff, and the Hispanic anthem that was written will not make current citizens any more agreeable to Hispanic concerns.

There are also groups who are fanning the flames of racism over this issue. Race should be left out of this.

Another Pound

Down to 229. Have lost four pounds since beginning this new diet and exercise regimen. Also, made some delicious split pea soup the other day. The kids won't touch it so it's all mine. All mine I say ... heh heh heh.

Well, the wife has said she'll try it, though I may not let her.

Feeling very evil this morning. After taking the kids to their doctor appointments (for the adoption process), I think I just may scan through some blogs and create some nasty commentary ... heh heh heh.

Day One Done

After a strenuous day moving building a new garden, moving dirt and mulch, and eating right, I have lost 2 1/2 pounds. Down to 230 1/2. I know the poundage will not be shed this quickly ... it was probably water ... but it's a good start.

Too Bad

I will not comment further about Rush (addict) Limbaugh's (denial) drug problems. I'll let him (hypocrite) speak.

“Drug use, some might say, is destroying this country. And we have laws against selling drugs, pushing drugs, using drugs, importing drugs. ... And so if people are violating the law by doing drugs, they ought to be accused and they ought to be convicted and they ought to be sent up.” -- Rush Limbaugh

The Puppeteers

Up In Smoke

"The FDA says there's no -- zilch, zero, nada -- shred of medicinal value to the evil weed marijuana. This is going to be a setback to the long-haired, maggot-infested, dope-smoking crowd."-- Rush Limbaugh


And I thought the debate was about glaucoma patients and those with cancer. So much anger, so little brains.

Opining About Apparently Nothing

Jessica McBride has a new favorite word. "Apparently" has apparently used up its usefulness. Her new word is "opine."

Opine I love thee, ooak not so much, though owalnut is stouter than obeech ever would.

Ouch. Just thought it was funny.

Weight Loss Statement

It has now been 17 months and change since I quit smoking. I had a pack a day habit for nearly 30 years. With the help of Zyban and having met a new person who was a non-smoker (later to become my wife) I finally kicked the habit.

In the absence of smoking, I did something I never thought I would do ... gained weight. I was formerly a long distance runner ... I once ran the mile in under 4:30. Heck, I weighed 127 pounds my senior year in high school and didn't break the 150 barrier until my twenties.

I now weigh 233 pounds. There was a time I would have rejoiced at that. Trust me, nobody pushes around anyone who weighs 233 pounds, unless of course they weigh more and are belligerent. In any case, the ache on my knees and feet has become intolerable. My body is simply not used to carrying this much weight.

James, at Wigderson Library and Pub, might not recognize me now. He probably remembers the relatively svelte guy he regularly harassed (kidding) at UWM. Of course the hair is gone now as well. Used to have it fairly long.

Anyway, that aside, the time has come to seriously take some action. I will be blogging regularly about losing this weight, in addiiton to my other rants. My goal is to get to 175 pounds. My mission statement is:

I am in the weight loss business. I intend to lose all the weight I gained
after I quit smoking and to lose an additional 15 pounds to reach my ultimate
goal of 175 pounds.

Wish me luck.

Life is Good

The mulch pile in the driveway is getting smaller. I must say that the yard and gardens around the house look good. I also just got done removing a bush from near the front door. It's twin will be removed as soon as I'm done here. Then my wife and I will work at planting some annuals and applying mulch.

It's good to get out and work in the yard. Muscles that I haven't stretched out over the winter were sore last night and will be more so tonight. But it's a good feeling nevertheless. And tomorrow the soreness will be less.

Anyway, anonymous comments are no longer allowed at this blog. The people who come here and comment, even if they use fake names, are okay. At least I can track back and find out something about them ... though I won't go so far as some conservative buffoons have and "call them out." That's just silly. I am considering setting up a list of disallowed commenters from bloggers who don't identify themselves. Maybe not ... maybe on a case by case basis.

I just have more respect from someone who makes comments out in the open, so to speak.

They're Just Plain Lazy

I love conservative thought. Whenever I put up a post they disagree with, they tell me to go do this, go do that, find information for them to refute what I posted.

Guys, it's not my job. Do the legwork yourself.

Besides, I got other things to do. Now, if you want to have a discussion and provide your own refutations, great, I'll go along. I might even agree with you if I think your point is made. But don't expect me to do the work for you.

Vote Your Wallet

This was too good by Greg Saunders over at "This Modern World."

Gas Prices










Oil Company Stock Prices












Big Oil's campaign contributions
















Greg Saunders says: You're paying at the pump. Get payback at the polls.

More of the Same

And now, from those fun-loving guys who brought you Iraq and thousands of senseless deaths and oodles of destruction, here's more of the same ... can you say "Texas Nuke 'em?"

Click on image to view.

We Believe in the Bill of Rights

This is what should have been posted by Ragnar.

Why Should Money Have Anything To Do With It

James Wigderson has another Thursday Waukesha Freeman column. As usual it’s persuading. It’s persuaded me to think of another way we can ensure fairness in elections, which is what I believe James is in favor. He says this in his column:

Jay Heck of Common Cause estimates the cost of the governor’s race will be
between $35 million and $40 million, a nice-sized Powerball jackpot. But that
only translates to approximately $9.75 per eligible voter in Wisconsin, less
than what you spend on a pizza. What is your vote worth to you?

My vote is worth quite a lot to me. But its effectiveness has been diminished by lobbyists, special interest organizations and industry. What happened to one person one vote?

I say disallow all contributions, including those from candidates themselves (it seems only the wealthy are able to run for office these days). Instead, have all campaigns financed by money from the peoples' coffers, supplied by equal dollar amount taxation of each individual, not based on worth or lack thereof. My proposal includes no contributions from lobbies, organizations or industry.

Television time could be arranged for candidates and their teams to put together televised arguments to attempt to sway voters. No other attempts to do so on television or radio would be allowed.

Oh hell, I know it would prove nearly impossible to insert effective controls into our elective process. But maybe we could gain a little more control than we have now. But busting loose the contribution levels is not the way to go.

Carrick's Bend, Part Two

My new friend has a new post (and an update on an old one). First the old one. My friend has such a potty mouth. Here's his update to an old post (italics, mine).

UPDATE#2: Man this guy actually is dummer (I think he means dumber.) than a
rock. My point in the title you dumb ass (See, he can spell the word dumb.)
is that with idiots like you (you little Brookfield rich boy trying to be a good
little terrorist loving lefty prick) on the left the Republicans should have 90%
or more of the Senate and House.

Besides channeling Ann Coulter and her bad behavior, it seems to me the point my friend was trying to make is now even more ambiguous. Oh, sorry a big word. The point is hard to discern. Oh, another big word. How’s this…it’s even more difficult to make any sense of the point trying to be made.

And, the reason, me thinks, the Republicans do not have 90% of the Senate or House is because of supporters like you, my friend.

Now on to the most recent post.

My new friend posits that teachers are at fault for children not making it in eighth grade. Here is part of his comment …

… several posts on several blogs by teachers whining about “losing” students who
are reading at a 3rd grade level in the 8th grade got me thinking (Oh, oh.).

HOW DID THEY GET TO THE EIGTH GRADE?

It just proves a point I've made several times before. You have to want to learn.

The Sky is Falling

The latest wacky tale from my children, this time from my little five-year old, Abby.


Each spring, the sky turns red. Giant drops of detergent fall from the sky. All this detergent helps the grass and the dolls to grow, but it can make things really large too.

Some places get so much detergent, that rivers drown into the streets. Driving can be tricky when this happens, so some people put special dogs on their cars.

And when the detergent is falling, don't forget your can. Otherwise, your feet might get small if you walk in puddles!

After all the detergent has fallen, the skies begin to swim. If you are lucky, you might see a huge speaker stretched across the sky.

Success Story

To all the righties who take pleasure in knocking down MPS teachers, here is a story of one remembered by a student as having been a positive influence.

I can hear the cacophony already … ha ha ha, just one. Well, in response, that’s shortsighted and crude. Please note in the article (if you are able to read) that the student acknowledges that a positive home environment played a role in her success. That without it, her teacher’s efforts would likely have been for naught.

Teachers can only do so much. There has to be help on the home front.

No Room for Threatening Behavior

All right, someone is getting too carried away. It's one thing to shout at each other and call each other names, and even to suggest someone put a gun in their mouth and pull the trigger. It's quite another to send mean-spirited and threatening e-mails.

Peter DiGaudio, at Texas Holdem Blogger, says that this is exactly what has been happening to him. I don't really like Peter or his politics. Apparently someone else does not like him either. But that is no reason to threaten. It should stop immediately.

As I posed at his site and I will repeat here ... there is no room for that kind of behavior.

We're So Mean

Patrick McIlheran is at it again. He's back claiming the left is so mean. In his most recent blog, he opines about the trouble a Ohio State University librarian got in for suggesting a book for a reading list. Here’s what he wrote:

A day late, though it’s still fresh, I’m led by Rick Esenberg’s blog
to Dad29, who unfolds the trouble a librarian at Ohio State U got in for suggesting a
book, “The Marketing of Evil,” for the reading list for incoming freshmen. The
book suggests that the sexualization of culture is a deliberate marketing tactic
to sell stuff to youths. It has similar derogatory things to say about the
cultivation of campaigns for legalized abortion and gay rights. It's been
praised by culturally traditionalist commentators.

Well, duh. I happen to agree that sex is used as a marketing tactic. This is news? The other stuff is made up. As is typical of McIlheran, he’s afraid to expose who he roots with, so he applies ambiguous names such as “culturally traditionalist commentators.” So who are these shadowy commentators?

I did a little research and found that “The Marketing of Evil” was written by David Kupelian. It seems that David Kupelian is a managing editor of WorldNet Daily. You know, the outfit run by Joseph Farah who has advocated the murder of adulterers and praised the blacklisting of suspected communists in Hollywood in the 1950s.

"It was a good thing. It was the right thing to do at the right time in history.
And, as America finds itself beleaguered in the world against – literally
surrounded by – enemies who seek to destroy it, we cannot allow traitors
privileged status in the entertainment industry."

Also included in the illustrious group of shadowy commentators is Donald Wildmon, leader of the evangelical activist group, American Family Association, which has linked Judaism to criminality and hostility toward Christianity. Wildmon has been denounced by Jewish organizations including the Anti-Defamation League and the American Jewish Congress.

Then there is Rabbi Daniel Lapin, whom NY Times columnist, Frank Rich, has called a “show rabbi” for the Christian right. Lapin actually introduced Jack Abramoff to Tom Delay.

Can't forget D. James Kennedy, a former Arthur Murray dance instructor, and founder of Coral Ridge Ministries. Kennedy has said this: "Our job is to reclaim America for Christ, whatever the cost. As the vice regents of God, we are to exercise godly dominion and influence over our neighborhoods, our schools, our government, our literature and arts, our sports arenas, our entertainment media, our news media, our scientific endeavors -- in short, over every aspect and institution of human society."

Kennedy's a big fan of Roy Moore, former Alabama Supreme Court Justice, who once penned an opinion calling for the state to execute "practicing homosexuals."

Hmmm. Another dark commentator is David Limbaugh, brother of Rush Limbaugh. ‘Nuff said.

And of course, who can forget Dr. Laura Schlesinger, radio talk shrink, who's opinion it is that homosexuals are a "mistake of nature."

And finally, Michele Malkin. Can you say shrill, with no substance?

Seems to me there is nothing traditional about murder, execution and advocating for internment camps.

Shame on the Milwaukee Jornal Sentinel for continuing to carry this clown. To have balanced opinions is one thing. Then bring a conservative voice like George Will to the pages. McIlheran is nothing but a shill for far right conservative blather.

Oh, that's right. I'm so mean. At least I don't support anyone who advocates murder.

Charlie Sykes ... Standing Up for Expediency

Charlie Sykes has a post ridiculing the Doyle administration for saying that tourism will suffer if the anti-gay marriage amendment is passed, when in fact tourism has not really been affected because gay marriage is already illegal.

It does sound kind of dumb.

About as dumb as Charlie Sykes saying he doesn’t know which way he will vote on the amendment, when in fact, gay marriage is already illegal. Which means ... why are we voting at all. A little overkill maybe. This from the guy who likes to say he stands up for what is right.

Uh huh. More like he stands up for what is best for him.

New Neil Young Album Coming Soon

This from Tom Tomorrow....

With Neil Young’s new anti-war album coming out soon, it looks like we’re
about to go through another round of dipshit right wing bloggers explaining why
artists and musicians aren’t qualified to express political opinions.

Unlike, you know, the dipshit right wing bloggers themselves.

That was so naughty.

Charlie Sykes Makes Appearance in "This Modern World"

Really. Minus glasses, the guy on the right looks just like Charlie Sykes. He certainly sounds like him. The person on the left? Nah, James Wigderson has more hair.

Click on image to expand (not yourself, the image).

Twelve White Jurors Not Angry Enough

I am going to give the twelve white jurors in the Frank Jude case the benefit of the doubt. It was a complex case, with seemingly contradictory evidence and, of course, the silence of the cops did not help.

What is perplexing, though, are the comments from so many that it shouldn't matter that the jury was all white.

They're right of course, it shouldn't. But, try telling that to the face of an African-American. Try telling that to the faces of African-Americans who have been witness to lynchings caused by all white mobs. Try telling that to the faces of African-Americans who have been witness to all white juries in the past that ensured guilty verdicts for the innocent.

Just saying that maybe a little sensitivity to what has happened in the past might assuage some of the anger over this verdict.

Just Around the Carricks Bend

Oh goody. Another conservative blogger in need of a timeout. This person's blog is titled "Carrick Bend Thoughts," and there is a post concerning a couple that I wrote. This post shows so little in the way of neat argument that I just have to provide a link for my dear readers ... for a laugh.

First off, the post is titled: "this-is-what-amazes-me-most-about-republicans." Hmmm, no I'm not. Such a silly person.

Anyway, the first post my new friend comments on was written in response to the many "communist Waukesha" posts that some of my conservative blogger brethren put up regarding the election of Dem. Larry Nelson as mayor of Waukesha. My new friend chastises me for using a picture of an entrance to Terezin that has the words "Arbeit Macht Frei" on the archway. This picture was used, my new friend postulates, in complete disregard of the people who suffered there.

Well no. My knowledge of WWII is likely far superior to my new friend's. Additionally, my new friend ignores the fact that communism was (has been?) responsible for just a few million deaths, in similar fashion to the German Reich, so I've been told. In fact, gulags were fashioned in a manner similar to Nazi concentration camps. But I saw the humor intended in the posts of my conservative brethren regarding the disheartening election of Nelson (for them), and James W. and others saw the humor I intended. My new friend is unable to consider that. It's so sad.

And then my new friend thinks I mock Bush's (fake?) concern for children blown up by IEDs. That my new friend is unable to discern the idiocy of Bush's comment is plainly sad (the comment itself was taken from Garry Trudeau's site). That I mock Bush is true. He is responsible for the deaths of thousands, his crocodile tears impress me not one whit.

So, my new friend, post away, and have a good day. You've made mine.

It Was Just a Little Caucasian Lie

In Rush Limbaugh’s world, a little plagiarism here and there is no big deal. Nor is lying, for which Limbaugh is an expert. On his April 12th radio show, Limbaugh basically said that the Washington Post caved in and that the allegations of plagiarism against Ben Domenech were concocted. Of course, Limbaugh conveniently forgot to mention that Domenech has admitted to having done so.

Oh well. Lying is second nature to these guys anyway. So, I guess, what's a little lie amongst friends?

Reminds me of the blowhard conservative bloggers who stated, without any proof whatsoever, that liberals did not want the movie "United 93" to be shown. Tssk, tssk.

Think Outside the Box

"Emancipate yourselves from mental slavery, none but ourselves can free our minds."
-- Bob Marley

A wish that those who follow and believe so blindly would listen.

William Sloane Coffin, Jr.

William Sloane Coffin, Jr. died Wednesday, April 12th. Sloane was a former chaplain at Yale who practiced what he preached in the 60s, and marched and protested against the quagmire called “The Vietnam War.”

I remember him vaguely, growing up in the late 60s, early 70s. He proved to the right that protesting the policies of our beloved country was the patriotic thing to do, not to just sit back and blindly follow. He was not afraid of their wrath … he was a true hero.

Rummy in More Hot Water

Donald Rumsfeld came under fire from six more top ex-military officials who challenged his strategy and his abusive manner.

Retired Maj. Gen. John Batiste, who commanded the 1st Infantry Division in
Iraq until last November, appeared on NBC’s “Today” show to reiterate
criticisms he leveled earlier this week.

Batiste said Rumsfeld had “failed to build the peace” in Iraq, and
criticized “a leadership style which is intimidating, abusive. There was not a
two-way street of respect.”

The question remains whether the famous Bush loyalty will continue. George Jr. finds it difficult to let go. I can see George's dilemma ... you can't really fire grandpa, can you?

Conservatives Are Such Christian Folk

Click on cartoon to view.

Too Much Time On His Hands...Get a Real Job

Who cares. I made breakfast, did the dishes, cleaned up the computer, helped move the treadmill downstairs and took the dogs for a walk.

No time to complain about anything nor rant about hate and anger.

Got better things to do.

Conservatives Are So Funny

"And then I prayed. And I said, 'Lord, what's wrong with her?' I just prayed silently. And the Lord said, 'Ask about her sex life.'"

-- Pat Robertson, explaining how he cured a woman suffering from asthma

Channeling Dr. Seuss

A follow up to the post below. Read some of Peter's responses to comments made on the subject of his post on United 93. I think the little ditty below covers his thoughts.

I’m always right,
I’m always right it’s true.
I especially don't like the color blue.
And if you disagree about that particular hue,
I’ll shout you down with all my might,
Because, you know, I’m always right.


An example of the level of argument capable for some of those on the right.

Lies to The Right of Us

Jay at folkbum's rambles and rants provides the impetus for this piece and responds to the lies they propogate. I'm not as nice.

Wing nuts commentators and bloggers are again proving adept at being disingenuous. With their party leader’s poll numbers dropping precipitously, and having found it unsavory to ask his Saudi buddies to round up more disaffected youth and convince them to fly into tall buildings for the sake of Republican sustenance of power, these pompous pundits have latched onto the movie “United 93” as the savior of their party’s hopes in November.

This from radio shill, Charlie Sykes:

Is this movie too soon? Hardly. It’s overdue. It's a reality check; an antidote
to the fantasy world of the Charlie Sheens/Russ Feingolds who seem to have
forgotten what happened to this country and how we responded (Well, no…that’s a
lie. We as a nation responded fine. It was their fearless leader who was so baffled upon hearing the news that he delayed reacting by reading a book upside down).

Peter at Texas Hold ‘em Blogger echoes Sykes:

See this trailer. It is so powerful liberals are demanding it be withdrawn from
theaters because of the shock value (Well, no…that’s a lie.). Every time I see
Sept. 11, 2001 footage, which isn't often, I am left shaking with anger. This
was no different.The terrorist appeasers (Well, no…another lie by Peter.) are
claiming it is too soon for this movie. That is a bunch of "Barbra Streisand
(B.S.)." It isn't soon enough. The national media has removed these powerful
images from our TV screens in hopes America will forget what happened that
terrible day in September 2001 (Well, no…a really big whopper.).

Badger Blogger unoriginally continues:

Charlie Sykes has been talking about the trailer for the movie Flight 93, about
9/11, I just watched the trailer. It is stunningly powerful. There are a lot of
people that say this movie should not be shown, but I feel it is the duty of all
Americans to see this movie, we must remember what evil we are fighting in the
War On Terror. To many Americans have such a short memory, and that is sad
(Well, no…another lie. I had a friend die in the fall of the Twin Towers. I
remember him. His name was Ramzi Doany. Don’t preach to me.)

And last, but certainly least, Chris at spottedhorse2 adds his two cents:

America needs this movie we need to be slapped in the face and reminded of the
real reasons why we fight and who we fight (Well, no…you guys need this more
than us…we acknowledge the dead rather than ignore the carnage brought on by
Bush the Minor.) You can see the Trailer for United 93 here. This movie has the
chance to be like the World War 2 Series of films that Frank Capra made for the
United States Government. It was shown to GI's to explain that that war was more
than avenging Pearl Harbor but a fight for the survival of Western Civilization.

Hopefully U93 will help remind the cowards and appeasers of places like White Fish Bay and Shorewood what the real evil in the world is. It is a shame we have to call the gutless cowards who voted to cut and run, Americans in the same breath as the Brave people of that flight.

The Coward AntiAmerican left in this country, the Party of Russ Feingold doesn't want the people to see movies like this or footage from that day. Russ Feingold and his ilk want to pretend 9/11 never happen while setting us up for the next 9/11
(Well, no…that’s a really big lie.).

The true Americans in this country are the ones concerned about the safety of its troops, its citizens and maintaining the rights that both enjoy. This in sharp contrast to the LIARS on the right, like the three bloggers mentioned, who would have been comfortable living in Germany in the 30s when democracy was overwhelmed by gross lust for power.

Voting Democratic Will Set You Free

My friend, James, over at Wigderson Library & Pub is a funny man. I mean that sincerely. His posts intended to be humorous never go flat, and the one liners are the best.

He recently posted a comment about a lefty blogger who, I guess, did not find some of the wingnut comments regarding Larry Nelson's surprise victory in the Waukesha mayoral race humorous. For the most part, the comments all have to do with running for your lives, a communist government will soon be installed.

James is at his best with this photo of a new city of Waukesha logo. What James and all the other righties fail to mention was the destruction the other day of the entrance to Waukesha, torn down by the freed inmates and the liberating armies. They're just a little embarrassed. See below.

He's So Emotional

"One of the great things about America, one of the beauties of our country, is that when we see a young, innocent child blown up by an IED, we cry." -- George W. Bush

J-J-J-Jeff Wagner a Ch-ch-ch-cherry Picker

I couldn't help but notice as Jeff Wagner stu-stu-stu-stuttered through a piece on the anti-war referendums, that he used the term "cherry-picked" in reference to the communities that hosted the referendums. It's at least the fifth time I've read or heard that term today. Good to see the talking points memo system is still functioning.

Apparently it's his and the wingnut belief these communites were cherry-picked for the referendums to succeed. Of course, there were 12 communities that did not vote in favor, so I guess that kinda blows that theory.

Flag Waving Flip-Flop

by Greg Saunders

Has anyone bothered to point out that the righteous rage on the right over the flying of the Mexican flag by some attendees at the pro-immigration protests is coming from the same people who defended the confederate flag as a source of “southern pride” (as opposed to the rallying symbol for slave-owners and their defenders)? They were for taking pride in regional/ethnic differences before they were against it. Seems like a racist double-standard to me, but pretty consistent if you stop taking conservatives at their word.

Jessica McBucher Joins This Modern World

It was announced today by Faux News that Jessica McBucher was joining Tom Tomorrow's "This Modern World" as a mindless automaton, a role she fulfills regularly at her blogsite. Click on image to enlarge.

Poor Baby

Perennially complaining conservative whiner, Peter DiGaudio of Texas Hold 'em Blogger, can dish it out, but can't take it. He complains in comments on Xoff's site that he can't catch a break, and the mean old establishment is against him getting a job. Heck, he even applied for THREE jobs in the 80s, and didn't get hired for any of them, and he's sure that it was because of his skin color.

Now he works at a $7,000 a year job trying to teach inner city kids who don't want to learn (his words). While I could go on and on about a person claiming to be an educator putting down his/her own students as deplorable, I'm more interested in someone working for $7,000 a year in this day and age. Peter, you could make more money delivering papers.

If you take a look at Peter's blogsite, I'm thinking you will notice what I noticed...a lot of anger and it's not very well written. Not well written in the sense he cannot maintain an argument that makes sense. I've posted twice about this here and here.

Anyway, in response to a comment I made that perhaps the reason he is not hired for better jobs is because of his attitude, Peter advises me to get a 9mm, stick it in my mouth and blow my worthless ass away. Peter’s such a meany.

I hear conservatives go on and on about the anger from the left. Pat McIlheran claims it's because lefties are childish and immature, while conservatives are thoughtful and well-mannered, and would never resort to name calling or threats. Ha ha ha.

Pat, meet Peter, a poster child for anger management and the need for timeouts.

Jessica McWhiner

Jessica McBucher is already whipping out the blog posts stating that the Dems had an unfair advantage because they violated the anti-partisan aspect of the mayoral race in Waukesha. How did they do this? The Waukesha County Democratic Party sent out a memo advising members to do visibility demonstrations the day of the election.

Oh my gosh, Jessica. The horror.

Of course, the irony is that Jessica completely neglects to mention that Ann Nischke proudly proclaimed her Republicanhood and support of Bride of Tabor (a Republican-backed initiative), and that Republican former Gov. Tommy Thompson and Republican F(at). James Sensenbrenner campaigned for Dan Vrakas for Waukesha County board exec.

She saves the funniest for last. She has protested long-windedly and hard against the anti-war referendums in the state. She even resorted to Joe McCarthy tactics and claimed they were set up by communist front groups, notwithstanding there are numerous stories of people who felt so strongly that they pushed for these referendums on their own, without any outside help, and succeeded in getting them on ballots. Anyway, Jessica claims victory by pointing out that if you remove the votes from Shorewood, Madison and La Crosse, voters by a solid majority voted against the referendums.

Uh, I see. Is that the new McBucher and Republican strategy? In this November’s elections, the defeat of Republican-backed candidates will be nullified because the votes of liberals don’t count?

Jessica McBucher, defender of tyranny and a (look up the word Rush Limbaugh used to describe the women allegedly raped by a lacrosse team) for the Republican establishment.

Speaker for Mayor

Going to vote for Jeff Speaker today, for mayor of Brookfield. I like the truck he drives and that he won't toss shoes in my direction if we disagree.

Not terribly in-depth reasons for voting, but at least I vote.

We The People Defend This Nation

I get tired of responding to these clowns. But this was so blatantly sophomoric that I couldn’t pass it up. This from "Alicia" commenting on an anti-referendum post at Wigderson Library & Pub.

It's an emotional issue, and fear has a way of clouding sound judgment.If it
weren't for our history of troops defending our liberties,and our ideals,we may
not have had the luxury of holding a public referendum/elections/ and have
freedom of speech. Are these people who are anti-war also pro-Saddam Hussein
(and the likes of him? Our country has chosen to take a brave stand. The easier
path is to stand for nothing/do nothing then criticize the leadership who is
actually trying to achieve goals.

Alicia, which tyranny do you come from? Last time I looked, “we the people” were the protectors of our liberties and ideals. When did we give up that right and allow tyranny to triumph.

I am insulted that you seem to think that holding public referendums, elections and practicing freedom of speech is a luxury.

IT IS A DUTY.

IT IS A RIGHT.

It is insulting for you to denigrate those who are doing their duty and are taking a stand for what they believe is the right course for this country, while you complacently enjoy the fruits of luxury.

I do not agree with you that our country took a brave stand in Iraq. I believe we are in the wrong in Iraq. I believe that we are the aggressor in Iraq. No one participating in these referendums is pro-Hussein…we should have took him out in the first gulf war, but George’s daddy’s Saudi friends advised against it then. Who is really looking out for our best interests, Alicia, certainly you don’t believe that the Saudis are?

No, Alicia, the easiest path is to do nothing, which is the path you have chosen. You have chosen to turn your back on civic duty and you have turned your back on the troops, our fellow citizens. That's right, Alicia, the troops are the same as me and those citizens standing up with the anti-war referendums: citizens.

They Need Serious Help

Tree hugging – it is somehow bad to hug a tree now and then. I’ve climbed trees when I was a kid and when I got too high, I hugged that tree for dear life. I felt sad when we had to cut the apple tree in the backyard down. It had provided apples for many years and contributed to numerous apple dishes. It provided shade. It provided food for animals who would visit our backyard. Hugging a tree is not such a bad thing, but Patrick McIlheran and conservatives would have you think so.

Anti-war – it is somehow bad to be against war. No one I know likes war. The military only fights war as a last resort. War causes death. Lots of it. The opposite of anti-war is, I guess to be for war. Is this really what Patrick McIlheran and conservatives want? That says something about their morals or lack thereof.

Peacenik – it is somehow bad to be for peace. See above.

More as they come up. Conservatives are such sad people.

Baseball and Being White

A busy weekend spent with friends talking baseball primarlily, but also some politics, lots of music, what's going on with families, who's died...all done with beer and mohitos. Sadly, an acquaintance of ours from high school days passed away. Al LaLeike was a good-hearted guy. It was always a joy to see him again.

I think I improved my chances to contend for the Little Nine title again this year. The first order of business was a trade to J. I traded Dontrelle Willis, Miguel Cabrera, Felipe Lopez and my second round pick for Todd Helton, Grady Sizemore and the top pick in the draft.

Not satisfied, I turned around and traded the top pick in the draft and Grady Sizemore for Ricky Weeks and Vernon Wells.

It remains to be seen whether any of these moves will help.


One thing on "white advantage" a topic of interest in the right wing of the Cheddarsphere. My gosh you people are twisted. It's been a little over 40 years since the Civil Rights Act and already you're complaining. Oh my, your "white disadvantage" has been whittled away a bit (I know you're saying there isn't one, but it's what you sound like).

Got news for you blockheads, we as a nation have a long way to go before centuries of advantage are evened or wiped out. If you think living the black experience as it is for many today is a choice, much the same as the choice all of you get to make in life, then you are more narrow-minded than I ever thought.