I was online this afternoon, reading up on Sen. James Webb of Virginia. Some delusional Democrats have started tossing his name around as a possible VP candidate with Barry Obama. I knew a little bit about Sen. Webb, but one thing I learned today was that he produced and wrote the story for one of the better guy movies of recent years, Rules of Engagement with Tommy Lee Jones and Samuel L. Jackson (the definitive guy flick costars). Directed by William Friedkin (The French Connection, The Exorcist, and Sorcerer, three other guy flicks I loved).
Webb also had an impressive military career, unlike me. The thing I liked best about being in the army was that I could cuss as much as I wanted and never stand out in a crowd.
If the Dems ever recover from the disaster that the 2008 campaign is turning out to be, it'll be guys like Wes Clark and Jim Webb who are leading the way.
Friday, May 30, 2008
One possibility
One reason extremely conservative people are so happy may be that they have websites like this to entertain themselves. If you really love America, you owe it to yourself to check it out.
Wednesday, May 28, 2008
Day late, dollar short
I saved a quick 28 bucks today. I made a firm decision that under no circumstances would I buy Little Scotty McClellan's new book about his experiences as the White House press secretary.
Apparently unable to make a decent living in the outside world, Little Scotty has decided to cash in on the public disgust with his former employer by trying to sell another so-called insider look at the workings of the W misadministration. Based on what I'm reading on my favorite political blogs, it seems like a classic case of too little, too late. Anybody who doesn't already know that W and The Dickster lied us into war is too f-ing dumb to care anyway. Scotty could've amounted to something if he'd spilled his guts the day before he submitted his resignation. Now it looks like he's playing a "me too" game. Screw him.
Apparently unable to make a decent living in the outside world, Little Scotty has decided to cash in on the public disgust with his former employer by trying to sell another so-called insider look at the workings of the W misadministration. Based on what I'm reading on my favorite political blogs, it seems like a classic case of too little, too late. Anybody who doesn't already know that W and The Dickster lied us into war is too f-ing dumb to care anyway. Scotty could've amounted to something if he'd spilled his guts the day before he submitted his resignation. Now it looks like he's playing a "me too" game. Screw him.
Monday, May 26, 2008
So fade away already--
Tonight I watched American Experience on our PBS channel, Part 2 of the Harry Truman biography dealing with his post-WWII years. As expected, Truman's conflict with General Douglas MacArthur figured prominently in the segment covering the Korean war. The archival film footage included the part of MacArthur's famous farewell address where he spoke of old soldiers: They never die, they just fade away.
After the Truman documentary ended, I surfed channels briefly, watched a few minutes of the Anderson Cooper program on CNN, and saw a video clip of Bill Clinton speaking somewhere, pissing and moaning about how Mrs. C was being treated disrespectfully. The thought occurred to me: Old presidents, like old soldiers, should just fade away.
After the Truman documentary ended, I surfed channels briefly, watched a few minutes of the Anderson Cooper program on CNN, and saw a video clip of Bill Clinton speaking somewhere, pissing and moaning about how Mrs. C was being treated disrespectfully. The thought occurred to me: Old presidents, like old soldiers, should just fade away.
Sunday, May 25, 2008
Good for Top Gun
McCain, Obama learn pastors' support draws backlash Chron.com - Houston Chronicle
Like a sick old dog wandering the streets at night, Top Gun staggers right and left, bumping into lampposts then veering off in the opposite direction. After watching Obama pay the price for the radical viewpoints of his preacher man, Top Gun got smart and put some distance between himself and the two evangeloonies he'd been courting, Hagee (the ugly bastard who looks like a fat old bullfrog) and Parsley, the fool who thinks we need to exterminate the Muslims for holy reasons. What was that old saying ? Even a blind hog roots up an acorn now and then ?
Like a sick old dog wandering the streets at night, Top Gun staggers right and left, bumping into lampposts then veering off in the opposite direction. After watching Obama pay the price for the radical viewpoints of his preacher man, Top Gun got smart and put some distance between himself and the two evangeloonies he'd been courting, Hagee (the ugly bastard who looks like a fat old bullfrog) and Parsley, the fool who thinks we need to exterminate the Muslims for holy reasons. What was that old saying ? Even a blind hog roots up an acorn now and then ?
Saturday, May 24, 2008
Another bogus controversy
There are things that combine to keep me almost perpetually angry, and near the top of the list are the mainstream news media, or MSM as they're known on the internet. There was a time when the media took their responsibilities seriously and served the country well, but they've been getting lazy over the years, and are currently next to worthless.
The latest example of media silliness is the controversy being whipped up over comments made yesterday by Mrs. Clinton in an interview. She referred to the fact that her husband was still campaigning for his nomination in mid-June 1992, and that Robert Kennedy was assassinated in June 1968 while in the midst of his campaign.
The topic Mrs. Clinton was being questioned about was the pressure on her to wrap it up and terminate her campaign, and she was clearly trying to make a point that she saw no need to end her campaign prematurely, that other notable Democratic campaigns have lasted well into June. If her point was that obvious to me, why are paid media professionals having so much trouble with it ? This is the kind of bogus controversy I've learned to expect from the MSM. There are good reasons to criticize Hillary, but her alleged gaffe isn't one of them.
When you consider the number of voters who are plain ignorant, and the number who rely on media sources like television and daily newspapers for information, the election results we get shouldn't come as a big surprise.
The latest example of media silliness is the controversy being whipped up over comments made yesterday by Mrs. Clinton in an interview. She referred to the fact that her husband was still campaigning for his nomination in mid-June 1992, and that Robert Kennedy was assassinated in June 1968 while in the midst of his campaign.
The topic Mrs. Clinton was being questioned about was the pressure on her to wrap it up and terminate her campaign, and she was clearly trying to make a point that she saw no need to end her campaign prematurely, that other notable Democratic campaigns have lasted well into June. If her point was that obvious to me, why are paid media professionals having so much trouble with it ? This is the kind of bogus controversy I've learned to expect from the MSM. There are good reasons to criticize Hillary, but her alleged gaffe isn't one of them.
When you consider the number of voters who are plain ignorant, and the number who rely on media sources like television and daily newspapers for information, the election results we get shouldn't come as a big surprise.
Monday, May 19, 2008
Another reason to be proud of state government
Newspaper report shows 26 vote-fraud cases targeted Dems
This tidbit from the Austin American Statesman is worth reading. Did you know that in Texas, it's against the law to carry a mail-in ballot to the post office for an elderly or disabled person unless your name and address are on the envelope ? Apparently it is, since 18 of the 26 cases of prosecuted vote fraud in the last two years involve that violation. This is the epidemic the Republicans have been warning us about.
Bullshit like this is the reason I have a cynical view of proposed voter ID laws. If anyone has been stealing elections lately, it's been the Republicans.
This tidbit from the Austin American Statesman is worth reading. Did you know that in Texas, it's against the law to carry a mail-in ballot to the post office for an elderly or disabled person unless your name and address are on the envelope ? Apparently it is, since 18 of the 26 cases of prosecuted vote fraud in the last two years involve that violation. This is the epidemic the Republicans have been warning us about.
Bullshit like this is the reason I have a cynical view of proposed voter ID laws. If anyone has been stealing elections lately, it's been the Republicans.
Friday, May 16, 2008
Barr the door !
I got an e-mail from my bro this morning in which he raised the question: Would Republicans really be dumb enough to vote for Bob Barr in numbers great enough to affect the outcome of the election ?
This is a matter worth additional contemplation, so I began by trying to reconstruct the circumstances of the 2000 election in my mind. In that one, Nader was running as the Green Party candidate, and he was selling the idea that Gore wasn't liberal enough, that the Repubs and the Dems were two sides of the same coin. His appeal was to liberals whose dedication to principle outweighed practical political considerations.
On election day, Gore lost New Hampshire by about 7200 votes; Nader had gotten 22,200. In Florida, as we all remember, W won by 537 lousy votes; Nader had gotten over 97,000. We'll never know how things would've worked out if Gore had gotten half of Nader's vote in either state, but the country would've been spared the W debacle.
By Democratic standards, Clinton had been a moderate. The ultralibs figured his VP would just be more of the same, so nearly three million of them voted for the Green Party.
By Republican standards, Top Gun is a liberal. Maybe there are a few million ultraconservatives who will look past the race or gender issues and decide that as a practical matter, there ain't much difference between Top Gun and whichever Dem ends up with the nomination. Being rightwingers, the fear of Obama (or Mrs. Clinton) will probably keep them on the reservation, but you never know. After all, Ron Paul is still getting votes in the Republican primaries.
This is a matter worth additional contemplation, so I began by trying to reconstruct the circumstances of the 2000 election in my mind. In that one, Nader was running as the Green Party candidate, and he was selling the idea that Gore wasn't liberal enough, that the Repubs and the Dems were two sides of the same coin. His appeal was to liberals whose dedication to principle outweighed practical political considerations.
On election day, Gore lost New Hampshire by about 7200 votes; Nader had gotten 22,200. In Florida, as we all remember, W won by 537 lousy votes; Nader had gotten over 97,000. We'll never know how things would've worked out if Gore had gotten half of Nader's vote in either state, but the country would've been spared the W debacle.
By Democratic standards, Clinton had been a moderate. The ultralibs figured his VP would just be more of the same, so nearly three million of them voted for the Green Party.
By Republican standards, Top Gun is a liberal. Maybe there are a few million ultraconservatives who will look past the race or gender issues and decide that as a practical matter, there ain't much difference between Top Gun and whichever Dem ends up with the nomination. Being rightwingers, the fear of Obama (or Mrs. Clinton) will probably keep them on the reservation, but you never know. After all, Ron Paul is still getting votes in the Republican primaries.
Thursday, May 15, 2008
Me Bob Barr. Me want your vote.
According to my news sources on the internet, former US Representative Bob Barr, who was on television every night while the House was impeaching Bill Clinton, is planning to seek the nomination of the Libertarian Party for president.
This is interesting because for a long time, Bob Barr was the poster boy for rightwing Republicanism. You name a conservative cause, he be for it. There are a lot of rightwingers who've been planning on holding their noses and voting for Top Gun just because they can't handle the idea of that woman or that Black Muslim in the White House. Now there might be an alternative for the conservative lunatic fringe.
What'll be neat is if Bob Barr winds up being to Top Gun what Ralph Nader was to Al Gore in 2000, particularly in a couple of states like Florida or Ohio. The Dems are dead set on self-destruction so it might not matter in the long run, but at least the prospect might add a little spice to an event that's shaping up to be fairly dreary.
This is interesting because for a long time, Bob Barr was the poster boy for rightwing Republicanism. You name a conservative cause, he be for it. There are a lot of rightwingers who've been planning on holding their noses and voting for Top Gun just because they can't handle the idea of that woman or that Black Muslim in the White House. Now there might be an alternative for the conservative lunatic fringe.
What'll be neat is if Bob Barr winds up being to Top Gun what Ralph Nader was to Al Gore in 2000, particularly in a couple of states like Florida or Ohio. The Dems are dead set on self-destruction so it might not matter in the long run, but at least the prospect might add a little spice to an event that's shaping up to be fairly dreary.
Wednesday, May 14, 2008
Tell me again... West Virginia matters why ?
Tucked in somewhere at the ass-end of things, West Virginia held its Democratic primary yesterday. To no one's surprise Mrs. Clinton won decisively, along the lines of 67-26 with the departed John Edwards apparently getting the leftovers. Now we get to read and hear more analysis about the Hard-Working Blue Collar (HWBC) voters whose whims will determine the next prez.
The voters in question, we're reminded again, are older (60-plus), lower-income (under 50,000 annually), and less educated (no college). These are America's most influential people, at least as far as their importance in deciding elections is concerned. Or so we're told.
Mrs. Clinton contends her appeal to this crowd makes her the best candidate for November, but something tells me when push comes to shove, about 95 percent of the HWBCs will be voting Republican. Hillary's getting their support now because they're voting against The Black Muslim.
The biggest drawback to universal suffrage is that so many people want a president who's like them, no better, no smarter. Someone they think will identify with and care about their problems and things they believe are important, like guns and religion. In 2000, people voted for a candidate who was no better than most of them, and we've all had to live with the result.
The voters in question, we're reminded again, are older (60-plus), lower-income (under 50,000 annually), and less educated (no college). These are America's most influential people, at least as far as their importance in deciding elections is concerned. Or so we're told.
Mrs. Clinton contends her appeal to this crowd makes her the best candidate for November, but something tells me when push comes to shove, about 95 percent of the HWBCs will be voting Republican. Hillary's getting their support now because they're voting against The Black Muslim.
The biggest drawback to universal suffrage is that so many people want a president who's like them, no better, no smarter. Someone they think will identify with and care about their problems and things they believe are important, like guns and religion. In 2000, people voted for a candidate who was no better than most of them, and we've all had to live with the result.
Thursday, May 1, 2008
The one (and only) time I agree
The headline above the fold in yesterday's local newspaper: Bush says Dems let people down.
Without reading the article to see what idiotic remarks that damned fool actually made, I agree with his premise in the headline. The Dems did let the people down. Bush should have been arrested, indicted, tried, convicted, and placed in the stocks for 6 months in a public square so that he could be pelted with rotten fruits and vegetables. That would be the bare minimum he deserves. The fact he still gets to sit around the White House picking his nose is a tremendous disservice to the American people.
Without reading the article to see what idiotic remarks that damned fool actually made, I agree with his premise in the headline. The Dems did let the people down. Bush should have been arrested, indicted, tried, convicted, and placed in the stocks for 6 months in a public square so that he could be pelted with rotten fruits and vegetables. That would be the bare minimum he deserves. The fact he still gets to sit around the White House picking his nose is a tremendous disservice to the American people.
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