2006-09-04T09:52:00.000-05:00

As the Dr. Phil of female anatomy etiquette, also known as the Nipple Whisperer. Since Oprah refuses to acknowledge my dominance, I have written a book, "Your Vagina is not just Mr. Sphincter's next door neighbor." This is an excerpt from Chapter seven ( Ninja slipper or Panty hamster?)

It is not carelessness, but guile, that caused this this young lady to expose her nether region to the world. My women think this is fine bait to attract new sexual partners with. They are wrong, and here's why.

1. Too much information
2. Pudenda open to criticism
3. Easy target for Black Flies (ouch)

A preferred approach may be viewed by rolling the cursor over her derrière. See what I mean?

There is no argument here

2006-08-21T11:33:00.000-05:00

Read my mood

Hundreds of protesters and counter-protesters assembled in this small Philadelphia suburb (Hazleton, Pa.)· Sunday in response to the community's new attempt to crack down on illegal immigration.

About 200 protesters argued against a township ordinance adopted last month that bans the hiring and housing of people who cannot verify they are legal residents.·

I know liberals hate black and white issues, but T.S.· The protestors have zero law behind them, even with the new ordinance aside.

"This can only lead to more separation, more hostility, more hatred, more anger," Marlene Lao-Collins, associate director of the New Jersey Catholic Conference, told protesters.

Yeah, about 3000 miles of separation Marlene.· If they can't prove citizenship, send them back pronto.·

But, Rodge, what about illegals who've had children born here?· Their kids are U.S. citizens.

Okay, deport the parents, then arrest the kids for loitering.

2006-01-31T20:04:00.000-05:00

Test

2006-01-04T11:52:00.000-05:00

Animal Rescue

EXPELLED (NSFW) is so buggered up that I can't edit previous posts, and now, after I tried to start new archives for 2006, I seem to have screwed everything up. Anyway, this picture was the last one posted in 2005, and my favorite, so I'm rescuing it. I just noticed that PowerWeb, my file host, has a script for installing Word Press, so maybe I'll give that a try. (The answer to what I know is coming is ... I don't care how easy [fill in program] is to install, I no longer have any desire to pollute my limited brain resources with technical crap. All of these Blog programs ought to be as simple to install as Blogger, and they're not.)

2006-01-04T10:40:00.000-05:00

*ahem*

REVIEW & OUTLOOK

Churchill at War
January 4, 2006; Page A10

No one knows how Winston Churchill would have fought the war on terror or what he might have thought of the U.S. practice of holding members of al Qaeda at Guantanamo or secret CIA prisons in Eastern Europe. But in newly declassified records of the British Bulldog's War Cabinet meetings, Churchill offers some posthumous insights on wartime leadership.

In 1942, the Cabinet discussed the options were Hitler to fall into British hands. "All sorts of complications ensue as soon as you admit a fair trial," Churchill said, according to notes taken by the deputy cabinet secretary Sir Norman Brook. To avoid such a "farce," which he thought would distract from the war effort, Churchill favored swifter means of dealing with Hitler. "This man is the mainspring of evil. Instrument -- electric chair, for gangsters."

Churchill called other Nazi leaders "outlaws" and argued that those who fell into British hands should be executed rather than put on trial. (There is no record of his views on water-boarding.)

At another Cabinet meeting, he advocated shooting German POWs if the Nazis were to kill British prisoners (the U.K., for the record, never did). After the Germans massacred the people of Lidice, Czechoslovakia, Churchill proposed, perhaps again half seriously, "wiping out German villages by air attack on a three-for-one basis." The Cabinet overruled him.

Churchill might wonder at today's attitudes toward fighting terrorists, about American "torture" of prisoners, and about the U.S. President who's often derided in London as a "cowboy." The British Prime Minister's clarity about the Nazi threat in World War II got his nation and the world successfully through that conflict.

URL for this article:
http://online.wsj.com/article/SB113633953789937127.html

2006-01-04T09:51:00.000-05:00

2006-01-04T09:32:00.000-05:00

Paging Elizabeth Vargas

2006-01-04T09:17:00.000-05:00

Gipper, Jr.

Sen George Allen, Jr.

Look for shakeups on Sen. John McCain's staff in the coming weeks as he begins to strategize about deploying an organization leading into his decision to run for President in 2008. Based on less than stellar results from fundraising forays in New York and elsewhere in the past six months, McCain is looking to strengthen his outreach to conservatives, and to shore up his financial standing compared to Republican challengers.

Right now, the only stated candidates focused on making plans for a run are Sen. George Allen and Gov. Mitt Romney. Others are exploring the possibility, including former New York Mayor Rudolph Giuliani, Sen. Sam Brownback, and Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee. -- Prowler

Circa 1997, on FreeRepublic.com, I posted about upcoming stars in the Republican party, and focused on then Virginia Gov. George Allen, Jr. Back then, there were organized lurkers who went absolutely bonkers whenever anything negative was written about Hillary -- I mean bonkers! It was funny. Well, my post on Allen drew the same vitriolic response, way out of proportion to what a relatively unknown governor warranted. I'd hit a nerve.

Allen was then, and still is, the quintessential Ronald Reagan. He has a quick wit, engaging smile, and by his actions proved that he is a real deal conservative. Of the potentials listed above, only Giuliani has a real shot of beating Allen - once he gets going, but I'm not sure Giuliani can beat Allen for the nomination, which requires support from conservatives. I'm heartened.

2006-01-03T20:47:00.000-05:00

Pillow Face

2006-01-03T20:34:00.000-05:00

When birds get horny

2006-01-03T19:58:00.000-05:00

School Time

This looks like a pretty good deal to me .. because it's free. See you there (we're having a mixer at the barn Thursday night. Drinks are on us).

2006-01-03T19:21:00.000-05:00

I see a Blond joke ... .

2006-01-03T19:05:00.000-05:00

Looking at Earth from Mars

2006-01-03T18:53:00.000-05:00

Nut Licker

2006-01-03T18:38:00.000-05:00

Snotbuckets and other fools

Two things recommend our Gun Boy's Hall Of Shame

I could not have done a better job
Things like "Sen. John McCain (TV, Arizona);" Rep. Frank Murtha (D[isgraced], Penn.); and a wing named "Anti-Gun Snotbuckets:"

2006-01-03T14:37:00.000-05:00

When Hillary is President - a Kinder Air Force

2006-01-03T14:27:00.000-05:00

Firefox Help and Tips

2006-01-03T13:59:00.000-05:00

2006-01-03T13:40:00.000-05:00

Caveat Russian Code Breakers

Immediately after installing the Russian Metafile Hot Fix my keyboard and mouse [wireless] began misbehaving. I uninstalled the fix, but the problem persisted. I took my keyboard apart and washed it in soapy water (lotta crap in there), and reassembled. Still no change, so I just now Restored my system to yesterday afternoon, and all symptoms disappeared.

Just now I noticed this comment to my original post, for what it's worth:

Comments: From Russia? Are you kidding?
Most of the phishing efforts out there are coming from Russia, and the problem this fix is supposed to resolve... vulnerabilities that can aid in ID theft from Russians.
Uninstall this fix if you can... ASAP. Seriously. Look for a patch from MS, which should be out shortly.

# posted by Ogre : 12:26 PM

2006-01-03T12:08:00.000-05:00

Bush's Job Growth WORST in 50 Years (Roll out the red carpet for this “staunch Bush supporter.”)

Before I could comment ("false premise ... what's the unemployment rate douchebag?") 150 others beat me to it. Anyway, reading the comments will sharpen skills.

2006-01-03T11:59:00.000-05:00

I feel like the Energizer Shrimp Ball

"Did [the leakers] have any sympathy or understanding about this new climate this country finds itself in and the criticism the Bush administration took prior to 9/11 for not putting the pieces together and figuring out that a terrorist attack was imminent? In other words, did they acknowledge that tough times may call for tough measures?"

- Katie Couric interview with ~~al-Jazeera~~ New York Times Fifth Columnist James Risen.

Mark Finkelstein, who has carved out a journalistic niche doing what few have the stomach for -- covering the Today Show, first with Free Republic (using the tag "governsleastgovernsbest"), and now at NewsBusters, was as surprised by Couric's departure from cream puffery as I. You can read his full report here, but his conclusion is that Risen came close to verifying what we already know to be true. Elements within the gummint, especially in the State Dept (and the CIA), have waged war against this Administration. Democrats show no interest who the leakers are, and would most certainly object to their summary executions if they were unmasked, so why bother? We are not a serious nation anymore. Shrimp balls, anyone?

2006-01-03T11:44:00.000-05:00

The only positive to come out of the Clinton terror, is an endless appetite to lampoon and humiliate them, and enough material to last a lifetime.

2006-01-03T08:58:00.000-05:00

2006-01-03T08:00:00.000-05:00

Paging Steven Coonts

Many of you will remember Flight of the Intruder, Steven Coonts' novel (and John Milius movie) about the Navy A-6 Intruder buddies who fulfill the American fantasy of actually trying to win the Vietnam war. They illegaly bomb "Sam City," the anti-aircraft installation in Hanoi that American politicians have put off limits [GAH!]? Yeah, that one. But, how many remember his next novel, Under Siege? Precious few, I'll bet.

Even though Siege was on the New York Times best seller list, it generated so little media buzz that it may as well been authored by Ann Coulter. I couldn't' put it down, and I anxiously awaited the movie version that never came.

"When the kingpin of the Medellin drug cartel is extradited to Washington, D.C. to start trial, President George Bush is severely wounded by a hired assassin. Vice President Dan Quayle assumes the responsibility for directing the fight against a criminal army that now rules the streets." Summary

That was the problem Dan Quayle is assertive, heroic, and does all the right things, qualities impossibly at odds with the media crafted image of Dan the Dunce (and conservative presidential threat). But, I digress. The thrilling ending of the book has Washington's Black population going Mau-Mau, and hanging scores of the city's drug dealers from lamp posts, and the white House fence (as I recall). USA! USA! Another American fantasy fulfilled.

This is what reminded me. What an opportunty.

"Democrats to hit White House, Republicans on privacy issues"

2006-01-02T22:10:00.000-05:00

Here's the answer

2006-01-02T21:50:00.000-05:00

The never-ending story .. AWWWKKKK

"He's continuing the fight he began in 2004," said Kerry spokesman David Wade. "He wants to make it very clear he's a fighter who is going to continue to fight for his agenda."

And - continue his petition to have unawarded Medals of Honor conferred as well, no doubt. I am utterly fascinated (and concerned) that someone so transparently a fraud, as is Kerry (and the Clintons before him), could get so far up the political ladder. If this was a movie script, the screenwriter would have been compelled, by natural flow, to describe Kerry's suicide in January 2005, while a patient at D.C.'s St. Elizabeth's Hospital for the criminally insane. Anything less would seem preposterous.

2006-01-02T20:21:00.000-05:00

Pass the Vodka

I just installed the Russian guy's temporary fix for the Metafile problem.· I don't know if it works, or even whether I've just turned over the keys to my computer, but I do know that everything works.· here's the story.· Here's the download site.· Here's the fix itself (download and run)· (http://www.hexblog.com/security/files/wmffix_hexblog14.exe).

2006-01-02T18:39:00.000-05:00

The official tabloid of the Party of Hate & Treason shows that it can also compete with the most vulgar bloggers [ahem].

These are cruel times for vaginas. Lately, as if I don't have enough to worry about, with the deadline on various unkept 2005 resolutions fast upon me, I have begun obsessing about various aspects of my genital appearance. Take my labia minora, for instance. Tucked away as those intimate folds of flesh are - hidden in the underbrush, you might say - I have never given them much thought, except as they relate to experiences of sensual pleasure. Ditto my labia majora, which dutifully served their purpose in guarding the entryway to what the Victorians would have quaintly referred to as my maidenhead. As for the much vaunted hymen (named for the Greek god of marriage), mine remained intact longer than most thanks to my slow-blooming erotic life, until such time as a boyfriend's patient late-night exertions finally parted me from it at the age of 25. Needless to say, its absence - much less the idea that I might be harboring a deep sense of nostalgia for this tiny piece of overinvested membrane, might indeed be secretly yearning to reclaim it - hasn't so much as crossed my mind in the intervening years. ["Our Vaginas, Ourselves, " continued.]

2006-01-02T13:45:00.000-05:00

Man's engagement ring

2006-01-02T13:19:00.000-05:00

2006-01-02T13:08:00.000-05:00

Today's Premium Content

I prolly should have brought this up before Christmas, but it didn't cross my mind until Christmas Eve. What happened was I didn't take the time to do my outside barbecuing of the meats, but at the last minute I was feeling glum about feeding the family plain old beef. Then I remembered my Cameron Stovetop Smoker. While I've had it about six years, I've probably only used it about 12 times. The biggest reason is Mother Superior is not crazy about heavy "smoke" flavor, so I save it for big occasions, and that usually means outside grilling. But here's what I did.

I took about a 6 pound top round of beef and smushed it down with a mallet so it would fit in the smoker. I threw in a handful of oak chips, closed the lid (which really is tight enough to keep smoke from escaping) and put it on the gas burner (low heat) for 90 minutes. When I opened it up, it had barely cooked at all, but it was smoked, baby. I put it in the oven with a temperature probe,set to rare, and walked away. Took maybe 45-60 minutes to finish, and the thin sliced beef was superb .. and way smoky tasting.

It's today's beauty, and yes, I did pay about $65 for it back then, so this is a very good deal.

2006-01-02T12:17:00.000-05:00

Band of Monkeys

My sense is that Spielberg's heart is in the right place (as are the hearts of most liberals), but the combination of self loathing, and the trademark arrogance of all liberals leads him to make the case for lining up at open graves. Damned if we won't have to save his ass, along with the rest of them, but it does get tedious working against the tide 24/7. (I'm practicing condescension, so as to meet them half way). Here's the whole article, if you're interested.

2006-01-02T10:49:00.000-05:00

A Halfbright, and a Half-ass

Madeleine Halfbright is concerned because "Bush Talks 'Victory' Too Much, " and on Meet the Press yesterday, the Republican (and Halfbright 's intellectual equal), South Carolina Sen. Miss Lindsey Graham [Egad .. can we get Fritz Hollings back?], agreed that we needed to "come up with a plan that will allow us to leave honorably." I think it's time to rethink fluoridated water.

2006-01-02T09:56:00.000-05:00

Fun Rides

Louis Farrakhan Named 'Person of the Year'
Tories take the lead: Canada
Mitch McConnell: New York Times Endangering U.S. Security
Bill Clinton: U.S. Ready for Female President
(unfortunately, that does not include psychopathic liars, crooks, and women with thunder thighs)

2006-01-02T08:57:00.000-05:00

Great Print Ad

2006-01-02T07:33:00.000-05:00

AllPeers is a big deal ..

Heads up by GrinfilledCelt

2006-01-01T22:00:00.000-05:00

I agree with, oh lemmy see -- all of these.

2006-01-01T21:44:00.000-05:00

Chinese warriors are crack shots at one meter

2006-01-01T19:30:00.000-05:00

Skins whip Eagle's Ass

2006-01-01T12:04:00.000-05:00

Today's Democrat poster child

2006-01-01T11:34:00.000-05:00

Aukland AAA

2006-01-01T11:14:00.000-05:00

Out with the old, In with the old

Here's a nice way for the New York Times to begin the new year. The paper's own public editor (ombudsman), Byron Calame, pens a passionate article that, at its heart, condemns the paper for engaging in outright warfare against the president, the nation, and any who disagree with them, and refusing accountability. It took two ombudsmen what? - five years to get Paul Krugman to admit he had used false data to argue that Al Gore had really won the 2000 election? Too late for all the True Believer nincompoops that build bombs in the Moveon.org cellar, they're officially rabid It's time to act in an official way regarding the Times. The paper poses a clear and present danger to the United States.

THE New York Times's explanation of its decision to report, after what it said was a one-year delay, that the National Security Agency is eavesdropping domestically without court-approved warrants was woefully inadequate. And I have had unusual difficulty getting a better explanation for readers, despite the paper's repeated pledges of greater transparency.

For the first time since I became public editor, the executive editor and the publisher have declined to respond to my requests for information about news-related decision-making. My queries concerned the timing of the exclusive Dec. 16 article about President Bush's secret decision in the months after 9/11 to authorize the warrantless eavesdropping on Americans in the United States.

I e-mailed a list of 28 questions to Bill Keller, the executive editor, on Dec. 19, three days after the article appeared. He promptly declined to respond to them. I then sent the same questions to Arthur Sulzberger Jr., the publisher, who also declined to respond. They held out no hope for a fuller explanation in the future. -- Behind the Eavesdropping Story, a Loud Silence

2006-01-01T09:53:00.000-05:00

Yearly Report

I wish each of you a happy and prosperous New Year. I have several readers who send me very good photos (and it's very difficult to send me pics I haven't seen), news links, and inspiring personal messages that often make my day. Thank you all. One reader sent me the story of her child's experience at school, and it was Pulitzer stuff that I fully intended to write about, but it's still laying in my leaf pile. AADD (Adult Attention Deficit Disorder). Others may have fallen victim. Eek. I have been at times overwhelmed by the generosity of those who use the tip jar. Since it is my only source of income here at the home, I am indebted to you. I bought a Continental kit, and skirts for my scooter (it's a James Dean thing). My nurses love to ride on my lap now. I also bought a half a gallon of jet fuel for my B-52 (thanks). This year ... we take Canada! USA! USA!

2005-12-31T20:24:00.000-05:00

pakistani cab

2005-12-31T20:12:00.000-05:00

CRIP

2005-12-31T19:53:00.000-05:00

SAD NEWS

Mother Superior calls all the nuns together and says to them, "I must tell you all something. We have a case of gonorrhea in the convent." "Thank God," says an elderly nun at the back of the room, "I'm so tired of Chardonnay."

2005-12-31T14:53:00.000-05:00

While I really don't care for okra, I'm trying to think what it would take for me to proactively trade cream style corn for it? I think I'd have to be really fucked up.

2005-12-31T12:17:00.000-05:00

Penn's Trophy

Actor Sean Penn has been carrying a torch for ex-wife Madonna for years. Here he's shown with Fantana Moss, who Penn plucked from New Orleans' flood waters. "She was CEO of a huge company that was destroyed by the hurricane," says Penn. "Isn't the resemblance to her [Madonna] uncanny? I want to marry her."

okay, I made this shit up.

2005-12-31T11:59:00.000-05:00

Sulphur Surprise in the Oven

2005-12-31T11:38:00.000-05:00

Some predictions by people smarter than I

By way of MaxedOutMama I found these Predictions for 2006 written by the Anchoress. There are 21 of them, all nicely done. Here are a few I liked most ..

3) President Bush will not be impeached over the FISE/NSA matter; his poll numbers will continue to rise as Americans - no longer distracted with Christmas - follow the story and realize that the NY Times and much of the Fourth Estate have become a Fifth Column.

Good reasoning, but the notion that Bush could be impeached is a dream that lives only between the ears of the Mean Green Loon Machiners.

9) Somebody’s gotta get serious with Iran. W will do it. Ungrateful Europe and leftists will curse him for it, while wiping their brows in relief before driving to their next Bush-bashing engagement.

Here's one other guy who agrees with her ..

"Congenital pessimist John Derbyshire writes at NRO that "Iran will test a nuclear weapon....The European nations will issue a joint statement declaring their very, very grave displeasure." Stuttaford likewise writes that "the Iranians will have come even closer to securing [nukes]. We still won't know what to do." The IHT's Bernstein predicts diplomatic failure and adds helpfully: "After Iran, Egypt and Saudi Arabia will go nuclear too, and just when the post-Cold War world is supposed to reduce its nuclear stockpiles, a nuclear arc will be forming from India and Pakistan in the East all the way to North Africa, and it will be forming in the most politically explosive, death- and extremist-prone region of the globe." - John Tabin

14) John McCain will continue to straddle middle ground wherever he can, and the press will continue to let him think he could be president. They will encourage him to run as a third party candidate. McCain will change his middle name to Perot.

15) The Democrats will not pick up any new senate seats in ‘06, but Olympia Snow[e] and a few other GOP Senators will jump the aisle, giving the majority to the Democrats, who will declare filibusters “unpatriotic, obstructive and unserious.”

Possible, but unlikely. At this point who cares? 90% of all Senators are jerk-offs to begin with. The Anchoress has several links to other blog predictions after hers, so prolly worth a look.

2005-12-31T10:10:00.000-05:00

second opinion toon

2005-12-31T09:57:00.000-05:00

A Major Award

"In the 1980 comic classic "Private Benjamin," Goldie Hawn, whose character has been widowed just six hours after her wedding, finds herself in the office of an Army recruiter. If she enlists, he promises her, she'll have access to yachts and beachfront condos -- and the chance to be in the best shape of her life.

"Lately it's become all the rage to depend on Uncle Sam for a fitness program, or to pretend to do so... .

"Take soda. The Center for Science in the Public Interest plans to file lawsuits, as early as next month, against Coca-Cola and PepsiCo. ... Richard Daynard, a law professor at Northeastern University who will be representing the plaintiffs.. stands to make millions if the suit is successful." - Big Brother Is (Weight) Watching

'Pus Filled Canker Blossom of the Year'

"Richard Daynard, a key player in the tobacco wars, at first thought lawsuits against fast food companies would fail, but then he had an epiphany. “What persuaded us,” he now says, “was, in a sense, the media. This thing is so radioactive in terms of media attention that cases will bring in other lawyers and bring in other cases.”

"In other words, Daynard is counting on a snowball effect. Start the ball rolling downhill, attract a few additional cases, and gather momentum. Eventually, the logic goes, fast food companies will be the subject of so many lawsuits that they’ll throw up the white flag. Legal merits and common sense? Please." -- Fallout From 'Radioactive' Torts

When it comes to shakedown artists, you'd be hard pressed to beat Richard Daynard, Tort Man, and our "Pus Filled Canker Blossom of the Year." An integral component of the "Nuisance Law" industry (ACLU, ATLA, Democratic Party) these cynical dewberries each year cost Americans billions of dollars in jacked up auto insurance, health care costs, consumer goods cost ... in fact, there is no segment of our economy left unaffected by them. Just like rats, and cockroaches.

"When McDonald's decided a couple of months ago to put nutritional information on its products, its executives probably weren't thinking that, say, a nine-year-old would be studying the label on a quarter-pounder (420 calories) to determine whether the burger would bust his daily nutritional allowance. They were trying to keep an "expert witness" in some future trial from saying that adults don't know how unhealthy fast food can be. You know, the way adults didn't have a clue that smoking a pack of cigarettes a day was a habit at odds with a long life." - Big Brother Is (Weight) Watching

Naming Daynard 'Pus Filled Canker Blossom of the Year,' by no means erases any of the slime trail left on our economy by activist lawyer John Banzhaf, who is himself a past 'Pus Filled' winner .

"Banzhaf speaks with the voice of experience. The professor at George Washington University was in the forefront of lawsuits against cigarette manufacturers. "People used to say that those suits were frivolous," he noted. "Well, today we call those lawyers 'multi-millionaires.'" - John Stossel "Fast food justice isn't good justice"

As much as I despise these people, the so called Cheeseburger Law passed by the House in October is troublesome. I don't like the idea of the Feds telling state courts what they may, or may not entertain by way of lawsuits. I probably don't have to worry though, because the last I heard the Senate was letting it collect dust, primarily, I'm afraid, because a majority of them are owned by tort lawyers. Anyway, the federal courts are another matter.

I think a good tack would be to emulate proposed legislation designed to curb the ACLU. If passed, that law would say, "okay, do your public service as you see fit, but you don't get lawyer fees." Then we'll see just how "civic minded" these dewberries really are. But first, we Americans have got to start defending ourselves against these pernicious thugs. There are huge rewards.

2005-12-30T22:12:00.000-05:00

Read

2005-12-30T20:59:00.000-05:00

The Top 10 Craziest Science Stuff you didn't know

#4 - Don't laugh too much, it can kill you

Several years ago I laughed so hard that, with no warning whatever, I passed out and fell to the floor. Hypoxia (or Anoxia ... one of those)..

2005-12-30T20:04:00.000-05:00

Clinton VooDoo

Click

2005-12-30T19:17:00.000-05:00

Only 8 Models

2005-12-30T18:14:00.000-05:00

2005-12-30T17:14:00.000-05:00

Caption This

2005-12-30T15:13:00.000-05:00

Today's Extension Magic

I may be alone here, but I can't read artsy-fartsy web pages. Black ink on white paper is the best. Usually I just go away, or highlight the whole page in order to read it. Here's a Firefox Extension that solves the problem, and I love it. READ EASILY is just 7K, and it works by right clicking the mouse, and choosing from the context menu, or pressing SHFT-CTRL-Z. Bada-Bing.

2005-12-30T14:03:00.000-05:00

It was almost a shame to eat one, and snap the other's neck

2005-12-30T13:40:00.000-05:00

Rodney Dangerfield Revisited

Less than a year ago, we labeled the current U.S. expansion the "Rodney Dangerfield economy" -- because it "gets no respect." Today our now $12.5 trillion economy has only maintained its strength even as it still gets disparaged in the media, which continues to fret about the fragility of what has undeniably been a resilient expansion. There are a few policy lessons here, assuming Washington is awake.

The 3.5% to 4% rate of growth in 2005 has been especially remarkable given eight Federal Reserve Board interest rate hikes, oil prices as high as $70 a barrel, and one of the most devastating natural disasters in American history. Yes, fourth quarter GDP may come in softer thanks to limping auto sales, but the entrepreneurial U.S. economy will still have grown at about twice the pace of Old Europe in 2005. As economist Michael Darda of MKM Partners, puts it: "This is the most derided and ridiculed growth cycle in post-World War II history, even though by many measures, including productivity and corporate profits, it's one of the most impressive." -- Rodney Dangerfield Revisited, W$J

It's called, "Liberals have invested everything they have in this administration's failure Only bad news is reported, and if there is no bad news, it's manufactured.."

2005-12-30T11:47:00.000-05:00

"Bias by Omission: The Top 8 Media Mulligans of 2005"

2005-12-30T11:40:00.000-05:00

Elephant Hunter

2005-12-30T11:36:00.000-05:00

Retirement Fun Speaking of Social Security

2005-12-30T11:20:00.000-05:00

Some of these feminists are getting awfully cocky

2005-12-30T11:00:00.000-05:00

Who Needs Men?

Maureen Dowd ... shrivelled, barren, and bitter

"Men haven't turned away from smart, successful women because they're smart and successful. More likely they've turned away because the feminist movement that encouraged women to be smart and successful also encouraged them to be hostile and demeaning to men.

"Whatever was wrong, men did it...At the same time women wanted men to be wage earners, they also wanted them to act like girlfriends: to time their contractions, feed and diaper the baby, and go antiquing...And then, when whatshisname inevitably lapsed into guy-ness, women wanted him to disappear. If children were involved, women got custody and men got an invoice. The eradication of men and fathers from children's lives has been feminism's most despicable accomplishment." -- "Feminism's devolution from hoaxers to whores" By Kathleen Parker

2005-12-30T10:03:00.000-05:00

Can't you feel the poignancy of a past tragedy in this sign?

2005-12-30T09:43:00.000-05:00

Be Prepared

There are few things that will trigger a democrat politician's saliva glands quicker than news of U.S. military defeat, or the buttocks of a young page, but this will .... untaxed success.

2005-12-30T05:14:00.000-05:00

2005-12-30T05:12:00.000-05:00

Back Scratch

Go here and vote for her so her husband will send me instructions on how to fix the three way light switch going up the stairs. Thanks. Also, because SonraK's blog is my favorite Diva Blog, and she sends me a lot of traffic.

2005-12-29T19:55:00.000-05:00

2005-12-29T13:23:00.000-05:00

Closure

Thirty-six years later, Sen. Kennedy remembers where he may have lost his prized Ho Chi Minh PEZ Dispenser.

2005-12-29T13:07:00.000-05:00

It's been what? 50 years? I guess they need to work on fundamentals. Or, maybe these guys took extra helpings of lice?

2005-12-29T12:42:00.000-05:00

It's Time

continue
"Where are the treason prosecutions?"

2005-12-29T12:17:00.000-05:00

Playboy in Braille

2005-12-29T11:36:00.000-05:00

Asshats, Inc.

Apropos my "Full Sleaze Ahead" conclusion.

Mr. Bush's turnaround is well known by now. What is not so well known is the deep political damage Democratic leaders have done to their party's future viability on the core issue of keeping America safe.
    While Mr. Bush and the Republicans have remained tightly focused on the terrorist threat and the need to maintain a permanent war footing against it, the Democrats' focus has been on setting pullout deadlines and attacking the government's post-September 11, 2001, surveillance operations to keep the bad guys from killing us again.
    But the Democrats' message, aimed at their party's noisy antiwar base, doesn't play well with the rest of the country. Indeed, if their own polls are right -- and I think they are -- the message many voters get is that the Democrats' can't be trusted to defend America. This is the disturbing finding in a survey for the Democratic Leadership Council earlier this month by pollster Mark Penn, who polled for President Clinton.
    While Mr. Bush's newly strengthened polls on Iraq remain just below 50 percent, Mr. Penn's poll found "the Republicans still hold the advantage on every national security issue we tested," according to a DLC memo.
    The poll showed Republicans held "a 40-36 [percent] lead on which party can better keep the country safe; a 45-40 lead on which party can be more trusted on national security; and a 48-38 lead on which party can be more trusted to fight terrorism."
    More ominously in political terms, Mr. Penn found, "Those GOP leads are double digit in each case among married voters with kids, middle-income whites and white women." -- "Attitude trends"

2005-12-29T11:01:00.000-05:00

25 Web Cams

2005-12-29T10:36:00.000-05:00

Full Sleaze Ahead

The National Security Agency program to eavesdrop on terrorists calling or e-mailing people in the United States may be controversial in Washington, but far less so across the country. A new Rasmussen poll reveals that 64 percent of Americans believe the National Security Agency should be allowed to intercept such conversations, including 51 percent of Democrats and 57 percent of independents. Fewer than one in four actually opposed the idea.

What's more, 48 percent believe President Bush is not the first president to authorize such actions. -- Brit Hume

By extension it also means, by my calculus, that 64% of us feel that those people raising a ruckus over the issue do not share our concerns about terrorism. If that's true, then democrats are in for a major ass kicking next November. Ain't life grand?

2005-12-29T09:46:00.000-05:00

2005-12-29T09:39:00.000-05:00

2005-12-29T09:35:00.000-05:00

I'll do anything for a good picture

2005-12-29T09:29:00.000-05:00

2005-12-29T09:08:00.000-05:00

"Air rifle pellet killed mother According to police, Elizabeth A. White's son shot her after she threatened to kill her father with a pair of scissors."

2005-12-29T09:01:00.000-05:00

" Kwanzaa is a holiday for white liberals, not blacks." - St. Ann

2005-12-28T22:04:00.000-05:00

Annika does King Kong

2005-12-28T21:57:00.000-05:00

2005-12-28T21:33:00.000-05:00

2005-12-28T18:14:00.000-05:00

MAN DATES GAL ON INTERNET FOR SIX MONTHS - AND ...

The real question is- why the hell talk about it?

2005-12-28T17:48:00.000-05:00

Why we're not kidding when we call the New York Times a yellow rag.

2005-12-28T17:23:00.000-05:00

2005-12-28T16:33:00.000-05:00

2005-12-28T16:12:00.000-05:00

Say Rodge, there just aren't enough addictive things to occupy me until quitting time anymore. Any suggestions?

2005-12-28T15:44:00.000-05:00

2005-12-28T15:25:00.000-05:00

MSM Shock: Bush Didn't Lie

Judging the case for war

Published December 28, 2005

Did President Bush intentionally mislead this nation and its allies into war? Or is it his critics who have misled Americans, recasting history to discredit him and his policies? If your responses are reflexive and self-assured, read on.

On Nov. 20, the Tribune began an inquest: We set out to assess the Bush administration's arguments for war in Iraq. We have weighed each of those nine arguments against the findings of subsequent official investigations by the 9/11 Commission, the Senate Intelligence Committee and others. We predicted that this exercise would distress the smug and self-assured--those who have unquestioningly supported, or opposed, this war.

The Ace of Spades has it capsulized ...

MSM Shock: Bush Didn't Lie

But don't believe them, because the MSM are all right-wing tools for the Republicans:

On Nov. 20, the Tribune began an inquest: We set out to assess the Bush administration's arguments for war in Iraq. We have weighed each of those nine arguments against the findings of subsequent official investigations by the 9/11 Commission, the Senate Intelligence Committee and others....
WHAT THE WHITE HOUSE SAID

Intelligence agencies warned the Clinton and Bush administrations that Hussein was reconstituting his once-impressive program to create nuclear weapons. In part that intel reflected embarrassment over U.S. failure before the Persian Gulf war to grasp how close Iraq was to building nukes.

WHAT WE KNOW TODAY

Four intel studies from 1997-2000 concurred that "If Iraq acquired a significant quantity of fissile material through foreign assistance, it could have a crude nuclear weapon within a year." Claims that Iraq sought uranium and special tubes for processing nuclear material appear discredited.

THE VERDICT

If the White House manipulated or exaggerated the nuclear intelligence before the war in order to paint a more menacing portrait of Hussein, it's difficult to imagine why. For five years, the official and oft-delivered alarms from the U.S. intelligence community had been menacing enough.

On all nine arguments for war, the Chicago Tribune finds the White House's statements about war either accurate or wrong but relying in good faith upon erroneous intelligence.

I suppose that settles that.

I suppose a lot of things. I'm a moron.

Thanks Claire -- for the tip

2005-12-28T13:56:00.000-05:00

Mommy Mommy, I got Malibu Stacey!

2005-12-28T13:35:00.000-05:00

Curmudgeonly & Skeptical

Clinton Metastases

Menendez - "I am not a crook"

There is no argument here

Judging the case for war

MSM Shock: Bush Didn't Lie