The following video reports a natural gas explosion that happened in Allentown Pennsylvania, last night being the latest in a string of such events that have happened, such as in Philadelphia just last month, as well as San Bruno, California where an entire neighborhood was destroyed. Yet this is what some proponents of alternative energy sources are urging us to use for to account for much of our energy needs. In fact, this kind of thing has been happening with increased frequency.
Natural gas is dangerously unstable, and it is worth noting that, in the case of the explosion in Allentown, a routine check of the lines in the neighborhood in just the previous week had revealed no leaks, or any other problems.
Bear in mind, we are not only going to be using more and more of this stuff in our business and residential neighborhoods, we might also be driving with it in our cars in place of gasoline.
I understand that there will probably come a time when we might not have much choice, but frankly, I'd prefer to drive a car powered by neutrons. I say that in all seriousness.
By the way, there was also a recent explosion of a gas line in Israel, the result of a terrorist act in the face of the recent unrest in Egypt, from where the line originated. Although its not quite as dramatic as the video below, the video of the terrorist act offers grim evidence of the dangers involved.
Yeah, this is the part where I say "Drill, Baby, Drill".
Thursday, February 10, 2011
Wednesday, February 09, 2011
The Obama Administrations Secret War Against Toyota
I don't think anybody can blame Obama or the federal government for seeming to come down a tad hard on Toyota when it looked like an electronics problem might have been causing sudden "acceleration syndrome", especially when it looked like it had cost lives, and continued to endanger others. It certainly didn't help that the company seemed to be in denial of its problems and obvious culpability.
Only it turns out they were not so culpable after all, and the problems with the giant auto-maker were not quite what they seemed to be at the time. In fact, a government report exonerated Toyota. The problem, when there really was one at all as opposed to mere driver error, was a problem with the floor mats.
This is according to a government report, mind you, but one which was not released until a few days ago, even though it has been available for months. Since, in fact, well before the election. It's almost as if the administration wanted to use this as a political issue, huh? Or it could be they were simply trying to engage in the tried and true tactic of destroy the competition, the point being the government is now part-owner of Toyota competitors GM and Chrysler. While this is a valid argument, I think it pales in significance to the fact that an even bigger owner, especially of GM, is the UAW, a staunch supporter and contributor to the Democratic Party.
But hey, its almost a relief that the Democrats might spend some of their time trying to wreck something besides the Constitution. But its also scary to contemplate whether or not this report would have ever seen the light of day if the Democrats had won the election.
Only it turns out they were not so culpable after all, and the problems with the giant auto-maker were not quite what they seemed to be at the time. In fact, a government report exonerated Toyota. The problem, when there really was one at all as opposed to mere driver error, was a problem with the floor mats.
This is according to a government report, mind you, but one which was not released until a few days ago, even though it has been available for months. Since, in fact, well before the election. It's almost as if the administration wanted to use this as a political issue, huh? Or it could be they were simply trying to engage in the tried and true tactic of destroy the competition, the point being the government is now part-owner of Toyota competitors GM and Chrysler. While this is a valid argument, I think it pales in significance to the fact that an even bigger owner, especially of GM, is the UAW, a staunch supporter and contributor to the Democratic Party.
But hey, its almost a relief that the Democrats might spend some of their time trying to wreck something besides the Constitution. But its also scary to contemplate whether or not this report would have ever seen the light of day if the Democrats had won the election.
Tuesday, February 08, 2011
Countdown To Irrelevance
Have you been wondering what Keith Olbermann would do after losing his gig at MSNBC. Well, since Countdown With Keith Olbermann is no more, it seems like the Bathtub Boy may have found another gig, at WRVK 1460 AM, home of Renfro Valley. Yes, Keith has landed a position as radio announcer and commentator for WRVK's Friday Night broadcast of the Rockcastle Rockets, the high school football team of Rockcastle County High School. During off season he'll be sweeping the studios, fetching coffee for Pete Stamper, and parking cars and selling tickets for the Renfro Valley Barn Dance.
Okay, okay, jeez, I'm just kidding. It's not even that good. The Olberdouche will instead be working for Al Gore's Current TV.
Yep, now you have to pay to see the little prick melt down.
Okay, okay, jeez, I'm just kidding. It's not even that good. The Olberdouche will instead be working for Al Gore's Current TV.
Yep, now you have to pay to see the little prick melt down.
Monday, February 07, 2011
Strong, Yet Fragile
I originally intended to post this video of a mother kangaroo and its new born baby for Imbolc, but didn't have time. Imbolc, which by the way occurs on Groundhog Day, February 2nd (among other more religiously oriented traditional holidays, such as Candlemass), is a day for the observance of the fragile beginnings of spring. As such, we try to look for and recognize those elements of our lives that need greater nurturing and protection, in the hopes they too might grow and blossom within our lives.
This video then should serve as both a reminder and an inspiration to those who recognize and wish to seek out those qualities. Well, that and its just cool. How could you not love a baby kangaroo being nurtured by its momma?
This video then should serve as both a reminder and an inspiration to those who recognize and wish to seek out those qualities. Well, that and its just cool. How could you not love a baby kangaroo being nurtured by its momma?
Sunday, February 06, 2011
Doctor Gosnell And His Chamber of Whorers
The headline from Ace of Spades HQ says it best-"abortion should be safe, legal, and rarely used in a negative headline". You have yet to hear a report in the media about the latest undercover investigation by Breitbart in which a Planned Parenthood employee counseled an undercover journalist, disguised as a pimp, on the best way to handle potential problems with what he described as underage foreign sex slaves. But even that almost pales into significance compared to the story of the Philadelphia abortion doctor, Dr. Kermit Gosnell, that went above and beyond the call of duty in performing late term abortions. He induced labor, allowed the children to be fully born, whereupon he murdered them by cutting their spinal cords with a pair of scissors.
The case was so grotesque that he and nine of his employees have been indicted by the Philadelphia District Attorney Seth Williams-a Democrat-who is the first black DA in Philadelphia history. The vast majority of the doctor's clients and patients were in fact black, and he has been charged with the murder of seven newborn infants, and one woman who also died accidentally as the result of an abortion procedure.
No one in the media seems interested in this story, but that's no surprise. After all, they don't want to be seen as being on the side of the Pro-Life movement, so they have taken the stance they have criticized so many politicians for related to other scandals. They would prefer to cover it up, sweep it under the rug, just ignore the story and pretend it goes away. Otherwise, they might offend the Pro-choice lobby that makes up such a large percentage of their viewers. Also, it might outrage the far right to such an extent there could be riots, or threats to abortion clinics and other abortion providers.
Thus, it has been deemed, obviously, as non-newsworthy, even though DA Williams has stated that he might seek the death penalty.
So what does the left have to say about it? Oh, have no fear, they are truly outraged. Not at the story itself, but because somebody made the statement that Obama, as a black man, should be angry that so many innocent black babies were murdered in this manner.
That outraged the left so much they turned to their tried and true accusation against their opponents. Whoever suggested Obama should be angry at the story is RAAAAAAA-CCIIIIIISSSSSTT!!! This is a perfect example of how the left uses cries of racism as a diversionary tactic. Obama is a known supporter, from his days as Illinois State Senator, of the practice of allowing babies who were born in the aftermath of failed abortion attempts to die. He even co-authored the bill that would have made this a state law.
The dirty secret there, that the Right doesn't care to know, is that these infants are probably so grossly damaged by the procedure that they would have no chance for any quality of life if they were saved. So I tend to give Obama the benefit of the doubt on that one. But this case is vastly different. In the Gosnell matter, babies are born through induced labor, and then unceremoniously murdered.
Gosnell was reported for almost the entirety of his forty years of these practices, yet no one in authority ever did more than cursory investigations at best, even when it was told how he cut off the feet of the infants and kept them in jars, for "research" purposes, after discarding the infants bodies like so much garbage. All of this has been well-known but rarely spoken of save in hushed whispers, until a Grand Jury recently, finally, decided to take action.
The Left, for the most part, has nothing to say, and neither does the media. Unless that is they think these women had given birth to crickets.
I bring this up now, even though the story is actually a couple of weeks old by now, for the simple fact that I am always hearing from the left as to how the media is not partial to the left. Most of them even accuse the media of being conservative, if you can believe it. The only thing conservative about the mainstream media is their inclination to protect their own bottom line by not insulting their mostly liberal audience. After all, they are the only audience they have. Well, they and that undecided, mushy middle that make up the majority of so-called independents-you know, the ones they still manage to bullshit on a fairly regular basis.
The case was so grotesque that he and nine of his employees have been indicted by the Philadelphia District Attorney Seth Williams-a Democrat-who is the first black DA in Philadelphia history. The vast majority of the doctor's clients and patients were in fact black, and he has been charged with the murder of seven newborn infants, and one woman who also died accidentally as the result of an abortion procedure.
No one in the media seems interested in this story, but that's no surprise. After all, they don't want to be seen as being on the side of the Pro-Life movement, so they have taken the stance they have criticized so many politicians for related to other scandals. They would prefer to cover it up, sweep it under the rug, just ignore the story and pretend it goes away. Otherwise, they might offend the Pro-choice lobby that makes up such a large percentage of their viewers. Also, it might outrage the far right to such an extent there could be riots, or threats to abortion clinics and other abortion providers.
Thus, it has been deemed, obviously, as non-newsworthy, even though DA Williams has stated that he might seek the death penalty.
So what does the left have to say about it? Oh, have no fear, they are truly outraged. Not at the story itself, but because somebody made the statement that Obama, as a black man, should be angry that so many innocent black babies were murdered in this manner.
That outraged the left so much they turned to their tried and true accusation against their opponents. Whoever suggested Obama should be angry at the story is RAAAAAAA-CCIIIIIISSSSSTT!!! This is a perfect example of how the left uses cries of racism as a diversionary tactic. Obama is a known supporter, from his days as Illinois State Senator, of the practice of allowing babies who were born in the aftermath of failed abortion attempts to die. He even co-authored the bill that would have made this a state law.
The dirty secret there, that the Right doesn't care to know, is that these infants are probably so grossly damaged by the procedure that they would have no chance for any quality of life if they were saved. So I tend to give Obama the benefit of the doubt on that one. But this case is vastly different. In the Gosnell matter, babies are born through induced labor, and then unceremoniously murdered.
Gosnell was reported for almost the entirety of his forty years of these practices, yet no one in authority ever did more than cursory investigations at best, even when it was told how he cut off the feet of the infants and kept them in jars, for "research" purposes, after discarding the infants bodies like so much garbage. All of this has been well-known but rarely spoken of save in hushed whispers, until a Grand Jury recently, finally, decided to take action.
The Left, for the most part, has nothing to say, and neither does the media. Unless that is they think these women had given birth to crickets.
I bring this up now, even though the story is actually a couple of weeks old by now, for the simple fact that I am always hearing from the left as to how the media is not partial to the left. Most of them even accuse the media of being conservative, if you can believe it. The only thing conservative about the mainstream media is their inclination to protect their own bottom line by not insulting their mostly liberal audience. After all, they are the only audience they have. Well, they and that undecided, mushy middle that make up the majority of so-called independents-you know, the ones they still manage to bullshit on a fairly regular basis.
Saturday, February 05, 2011
I,Me,Mine
This is my brain on drugs, about four years ago, give or take.
Jim is right. And what about the Tailhook scandal? Oh, and by the way, when are they going to get around to disciplining the assholes that tried to push evangelical Christianity on recruits, trying to coerce them with their positions of authority. Strangely enough, that seems to have been swept under the rug.
Oh,and by the way, to the person who asked about how a new recruit would take her, if I was that recruit I would take her dead seriously. I would treat her with the same degree of respect that I would treat any superior officer, male or female. Not one ounce more, not one ounce less.
That’s one of the first things you learn in the military, discipline and respect. If you don’t show the respect, you will learn discipline REAL DAMN FAST!!!!!!!!!
And that is the way it should be, regardless of who the person is. This whole controversy, and the reason it is a controversy, is nothing but a shining example of how people let their sexual hang-ups override their common sense.
Sure you can disrespect some “shameless floozy” that shows her body, but don’t you dare disrespect somebody that tries to shove a damn Bible down peoples throats, or interfere with the pervasive culture that allows it.
That was comment number twelve to a post on Urban Grounds about Michelle Manhart, an Air Force officer who got in a little bit of trouble over posing for Playboy.
I point this out as a means of reminding people that, yes, you can change. It depends on how the change comes about. In my case-and this is important-it come about due to my thoughtfully seeking greater access to a wider variety of information and points of view than what I was traditionally exposed to.
As a result of such greater depth of information, I found myself becoming more and more conservative. I guess my exposure to Fred Thompson during the 2008 campaign was the final pull that brought me over to "the dark side" of Federalism. Where once I was all over the map ideologically, but basically a left of center moderate, I have transitioned to the point I am a fanatical federalist.
More importantly, it pisses me off when I think of how I was sold a bill of goods for such a long time by Democrats, liberal activists, and worse of all, a complacent and seemingly at times bought and paid for mainstream media, who come to find out seem to all but promote RINO Republicans to lead the GOP, then turn on them during general elections. They also tend to ignore things that make their side look bad. But they always find a way to fool you into thinking they're objective.
Lately I got some comments from a person who is a liberal, and I think a liberal pagan, though I'm not sure. He commented on a number of posts, but one in particular he made mention of how two groups of opponents on the gun control issue allegedly decided they had more in common than not, and decided it was something they could compromise on.
As somebody who has always been a supporter of the Second Amendment, even in my most liberal days, I can respond to that flat out by asserting that there is no compromise when it comes to the Second Amendment. But Democrats don't really want compromise. They want to ask for ten times more than what they really want, and then when they get what they actually do want, they call it compromise. But you can't compromise on the Second Amendment, because it means what it says. And what it says has nothing to do with government regulation. Well-regulated means, quite simply, well armed. You can no more compromise on the Second Amendment than you can on the First Amendment, or any of the others. No, you can't cry fire in a crowded theater, and if you do you'll be prosecuted. That's not exactly what I would call a compromise, but okay, if you insist, I'll play along. If you walk up to somebody and shoot them because you don't like them, or hold a gun on them and rob them, you can be prosecuted for that as well. There, how's that for a "compromise"? Well, that's as good as one as you'll get from me.
Okay, just to show I'm reasonable, no one should be allowed to own their own private nuclear bomb.
See, you can't win with liberals, because they hate this country. They'll deny that, but then they'll turn around and in all sincerity do everything they can to increase the role and size of the federal government, and will do so in the name of robbing Peter to pay Paul. Class warfare, you see, is more than a means to an end. In some ways, it is the end. Its a way of transforming American society from top to bottom, by becoming more like the "advanced" European societies they so admire and wish to emulate. That on its own puts the lie to how much they love this country.
I was lucky. I always hated political correctness, something any so-called liberal should also hate if they really believed in the First Amendment, but there again, their hypocrisy shows loud and clear.
I don't know for sure what the final straw was. It might have been the dawning realization that Democrats were craven based on their actions in the days following the 9/11 attacks, their support for such things as the Iraqi invasion and the Patriot Act when it was convenient, but then fought against both tooth and nail at the first opportunity. Yet, they almost all voted for the Patriot Act without even reading the bill. In the 2002 mid-term elections, many Democrats couldn't get too close to George W. Bush. God damn, some of them were almost groping the fucking guy in public, on their own campaign advertisements. They were and still are sickening pukes.
Mainly though, and I say this in all sincerity, I always recognized that conservatives, as a general rule, are just better people than liberals. As an example, I'm always giving conservatives and liberals both hell about abortion. I'm always telling them since liberals are the ones by and large who get the lion's share of abortions, we shouldn't stand in their way. The world needs less, not more liberals.
Guess who gives me the most grief about that. It's hard to figure out, but it shows that conservatives are genuinely sincere in their stated opposition to abortion. They don't even want their worse, most hated enemies, to engage in such a despicable practice, one that will and has lessened the numbers of future liberals since 1973. Conservatives deserve at least some respect for that much.
That's why I don't really feel comfortable with the term conservative. Federalist, not that fits me to a t now. I think it always did, it just took me some time wandering in the darkness to find my natural home.
As for where I've been, that person is a stranger to me.
Jim is right. And what about the Tailhook scandal? Oh, and by the way, when are they going to get around to disciplining the assholes that tried to push evangelical Christianity on recruits, trying to coerce them with their positions of authority. Strangely enough, that seems to have been swept under the rug.
Oh,and by the way, to the person who asked about how a new recruit would take her, if I was that recruit I would take her dead seriously. I would treat her with the same degree of respect that I would treat any superior officer, male or female. Not one ounce more, not one ounce less.
That’s one of the first things you learn in the military, discipline and respect. If you don’t show the respect, you will learn discipline REAL DAMN FAST!!!!!!!!!
And that is the way it should be, regardless of who the person is. This whole controversy, and the reason it is a controversy, is nothing but a shining example of how people let their sexual hang-ups override their common sense.
Sure you can disrespect some “shameless floozy” that shows her body, but don’t you dare disrespect somebody that tries to shove a damn Bible down peoples throats, or interfere with the pervasive culture that allows it.
That was comment number twelve to a post on Urban Grounds about Michelle Manhart, an Air Force officer who got in a little bit of trouble over posing for Playboy.
I point this out as a means of reminding people that, yes, you can change. It depends on how the change comes about. In my case-and this is important-it come about due to my thoughtfully seeking greater access to a wider variety of information and points of view than what I was traditionally exposed to.
As a result of such greater depth of information, I found myself becoming more and more conservative. I guess my exposure to Fred Thompson during the 2008 campaign was the final pull that brought me over to "the dark side" of Federalism. Where once I was all over the map ideologically, but basically a left of center moderate, I have transitioned to the point I am a fanatical federalist.
More importantly, it pisses me off when I think of how I was sold a bill of goods for such a long time by Democrats, liberal activists, and worse of all, a complacent and seemingly at times bought and paid for mainstream media, who come to find out seem to all but promote RINO Republicans to lead the GOP, then turn on them during general elections. They also tend to ignore things that make their side look bad. But they always find a way to fool you into thinking they're objective.
Lately I got some comments from a person who is a liberal, and I think a liberal pagan, though I'm not sure. He commented on a number of posts, but one in particular he made mention of how two groups of opponents on the gun control issue allegedly decided they had more in common than not, and decided it was something they could compromise on.
As somebody who has always been a supporter of the Second Amendment, even in my most liberal days, I can respond to that flat out by asserting that there is no compromise when it comes to the Second Amendment. But Democrats don't really want compromise. They want to ask for ten times more than what they really want, and then when they get what they actually do want, they call it compromise. But you can't compromise on the Second Amendment, because it means what it says. And what it says has nothing to do with government regulation. Well-regulated means, quite simply, well armed. You can no more compromise on the Second Amendment than you can on the First Amendment, or any of the others. No, you can't cry fire in a crowded theater, and if you do you'll be prosecuted. That's not exactly what I would call a compromise, but okay, if you insist, I'll play along. If you walk up to somebody and shoot them because you don't like them, or hold a gun on them and rob them, you can be prosecuted for that as well. There, how's that for a "compromise"? Well, that's as good as one as you'll get from me.
Okay, just to show I'm reasonable, no one should be allowed to own their own private nuclear bomb.
See, you can't win with liberals, because they hate this country. They'll deny that, but then they'll turn around and in all sincerity do everything they can to increase the role and size of the federal government, and will do so in the name of robbing Peter to pay Paul. Class warfare, you see, is more than a means to an end. In some ways, it is the end. Its a way of transforming American society from top to bottom, by becoming more like the "advanced" European societies they so admire and wish to emulate. That on its own puts the lie to how much they love this country.
I was lucky. I always hated political correctness, something any so-called liberal should also hate if they really believed in the First Amendment, but there again, their hypocrisy shows loud and clear.
I don't know for sure what the final straw was. It might have been the dawning realization that Democrats were craven based on their actions in the days following the 9/11 attacks, their support for such things as the Iraqi invasion and the Patriot Act when it was convenient, but then fought against both tooth and nail at the first opportunity. Yet, they almost all voted for the Patriot Act without even reading the bill. In the 2002 mid-term elections, many Democrats couldn't get too close to George W. Bush. God damn, some of them were almost groping the fucking guy in public, on their own campaign advertisements. They were and still are sickening pukes.
Mainly though, and I say this in all sincerity, I always recognized that conservatives, as a general rule, are just better people than liberals. As an example, I'm always giving conservatives and liberals both hell about abortion. I'm always telling them since liberals are the ones by and large who get the lion's share of abortions, we shouldn't stand in their way. The world needs less, not more liberals.
Guess who gives me the most grief about that. It's hard to figure out, but it shows that conservatives are genuinely sincere in their stated opposition to abortion. They don't even want their worse, most hated enemies, to engage in such a despicable practice, one that will and has lessened the numbers of future liberals since 1973. Conservatives deserve at least some respect for that much.
That's why I don't really feel comfortable with the term conservative. Federalist, not that fits me to a t now. I think it always did, it just took me some time wandering in the darkness to find my natural home.
As for where I've been, that person is a stranger to me.
Friday, February 04, 2011
Criminal Conspiracy
Now that the Obama Justice Department has busted the Mafia-arresting more than one hundred members of five New York crime families-how long do you think it will be before we'll see them go after some of the other criminal goon gangs? Groups like the Crips, Bloodz, Latino gangs like MS-13, maybe some of the Mexican bloodsuckers that have wreaked havoc and turned the Mexican-American border into a war zone.
I think we'll see that in no time at all. See, La Cosa Nortra makes the perfect foil for politicians looking to make an impression. Bobby Kennedy, as AG in his brother Jack's administration, figured that out and played it for all it was worth, even while using some of these same people in plots against Castro. In the meantime, he seemed to all but ignore the Irish Mafia, who naturally stood to gain if the Italians and Sicilians were eliminated.
It's all a fucking dog and pony show that means very little beyond the players directly involved.
I think we'll see that in no time at all. See, La Cosa Nortra makes the perfect foil for politicians looking to make an impression. Bobby Kennedy, as AG in his brother Jack's administration, figured that out and played it for all it was worth, even while using some of these same people in plots against Castro. In the meantime, he seemed to all but ignore the Irish Mafia, who naturally stood to gain if the Italians and Sicilians were eliminated.
It's all a fucking dog and pony show that means very little beyond the players directly involved.
Somewhat Authentic Buffalo Wings
I had them for Imbolc, so I probably won't have them again for the Super Bowl, but here's as good a recipe for authentic buffalo wings as you'll find anywhere. Remember, don't use margarine, use real butter for the sauce. And Frank's Hot Sauce is the authentic hot sauce used in original buffalo wings. Those two ingredients, and vinegar, is all you need. Finally, some people like to coat their wings with flour. If you do that, you'll probably have a big mess and the sauce won't work right.
Ignore the bit at the beginning with the salt mixture. Just wash your wings, salt them, then cover them with the sauce after you bake them or grill them. I like to put them back in the oven on low heat for just a few minutes after coating them.
Ignore the bit at the beginning with the salt mixture. Just wash your wings, salt them, then cover them with the sauce after you bake them or grill them. I like to put them back in the oven on low heat for just a few minutes after coating them.
A Walk In The Snow
This is a great short film by a beginning filmmaker. There's no story as such, just a guy walking in the snow, at night. But the scenery, the lighting, etc. are exceptional.
Nothing Good Can Last Forever
I just remembered something. This is the first year in more than sixty years there is no Kennedy in Washington. Enjoy the brief respite while it lasts, and pray that it continues, however unlikely that is. But while we do have this brief interval of relief, I'll celebrate with the following video. This band is one of my favorites, even though I don't really care that much for their music. It's just that their name always brings a fucking smile to my face.
Thursday, February 03, 2011
Progressive Tolerance On Public Display
The following video is from a progressive rally sponsored by Common Cause. Yeah, according to these fuckwits, Clarence Thomas should be made to work in the fields, or he should be hung, along with his wife. Scalia, Alito, and Roberts don't fare much better, nor does anybody connected with Fox News. This is a perfect example of why I wouldn't give a good fuck if somebody was to drive by cocksuckers like this and spray them with machine gun fire.
UPDATE-All right, I admit that was a little harsh and over the top, but these kind of people piss me off so bad, I just can't help it. Especially grating is the fact that these are the very kinds of asshats that would raise bloody hell over anything anybody on the right said that was one fourth as vile as the shit that spews out of their mouths here.
Come to think about it, I remember now about two weeks before Gabrielle Giffords was shot, I brought a box of Kleenex, because I was fresh out. I still haven't gotten around to opening that fucking box of tissue. Make of that what you will.
H/T Belchspeak
UPDATE-All right, I admit that was a little harsh and over the top, but these kind of people piss me off so bad, I just can't help it. Especially grating is the fact that these are the very kinds of asshats that would raise bloody hell over anything anybody on the right said that was one fourth as vile as the shit that spews out of their mouths here.
Come to think about it, I remember now about two weeks before Gabrielle Giffords was shot, I brought a box of Kleenex, because I was fresh out. I still haven't gotten around to opening that fucking box of tissue. Make of that what you will.
H/T Belchspeak
It's All In The Genes
I'm starting to think now I am veering over towards the camp of the Birthers. It's not that I find it so strange that Barak Obama allegedly spent millions of dollars to keep his birth certificate under wraps. Even if that's true, there could be all kinds of understandable reasons he might do that. For example, he might have been an addict, or he might have even been born with an embarrassing disease, such as syphilis.
But no, that's not what I'm talking about. I have other concerns that have recently come to light, things that might explain certain things in Obama's past. Having perused the photographic evidence, I now present THE ANSWER!
What do you get when you cross Ted Kennedy-
With a Klingon Warrioress-
Answer-
Yep, explains a lot.
But no, that's not what I'm talking about. I have other concerns that have recently come to light, things that might explain certain things in Obama's past. Having perused the photographic evidence, I now present THE ANSWER!
What do you get when you cross Ted Kennedy-
With a Klingon Warrioress-
Answer-
Yep, explains a lot.
A Dangerous Game
Now that its come out that Obama, the State Department, and the international AFL-CIO are all largely responsible-granted, allegedly, for now-for the Middle East unrest that has led to violent demonstrations in Cairo and Alexandria, Egypt, and threatens to spread even to Syria, what happens from here? Is this some kind of ideological mutation that has metastasized? If so, what is the end game? Obviously, if Mubarak leaves Egypt in the next few days, as Obama seems to want, chaos will reign supreme, making it that much easier for the Nuslim Brotherhood to assume power. After all, they are the only ones, except for the military (and of course Mubarak's government) with the infrastructure, resources, and the will to stand up what would pass for a government. In the urge for stability in the days following Mubarak's premature ouster, the people might turn to them in large enough numbers to give them power. From there on, any election, despite any international monitoring, would be as much a sideshow as the recent rigged elections held by Mubarak.
It's hard to see how this benefits the US, but if this is true, what it suggests to me, is that the Obama Administration has decided the only way to achieve peace and stability in the region long-term is by being on the right side of history and to be perceived as helping it along as much as possible.
As for Israel, its easy to read the Administrations aims in that regard. They think that if there is a region wide upheaval that empowers "the people", and this is spearheaded or at least largely influenced by Islamist factions, the Israeli state would have no choice but to adopt what the administration feels is a more "reasonable" posture. Remember, to their way of thinking, in progressive internationalist terms, the problem is a perceived lack of opportunity for the Arab citizens of Gaza and the West Bank, who yearn collectively for nothing more than political freedom and economic opportunity. Once they have achieved these aims, eventually the strife will end, and Jews and Arabs will live together in peace. More or less.
But first, the Jews have to grant at least a limited right of return, remove all barriers to free and reasonable travel throughout the country, and finally, withdraw completely to pre-1967 borders. And of course, work out some sort of solution regarding Jerusalem, or at least East Jerusalem.
It will never happen though, in my opinion, and this is why this is such a dangerous, incredibly short-sighted game. This is eventually going to result in yet another full-scale Intifada, eventually, and it will likely culminate in the loss of more lives, mostly Palestinian, in a shorter amount of time, than at any time of recent history. It is not unreasonable to assume the casualties could result in the hundreds of thousands, and the million mark, while probably unlikely, is by no means impossible.
The key is the Egyptian military. They know they are no match for the Israelis, even on their best days. The annual aid the Egyptian military receives from us is for defensive purposes. If they tried to man an offensive operation against the Israelis, they would get their clocks cleaned, and they know that. So unless an Egyptian Napoleon arises from the rubble and there is support from China or the EU, its probably not going to happen. Besides, they don't want to lose their US support, and they understand full well that Obama, even if he wanted to, would be unable to justify such continued support in the face of any aggressive actions.
Therefore, the most likely targets of Israeli wrath, beyond the Palestinian people and especially Hamas, would be Syria, Lebanon, and by extension, possibly even Iran, because that's the real key to instability in the region anyway. Iran has funded Hzbollah, and is also a major supporter of Hamas, as well as the Muslim Brotherhood.
Right now the Israelis have been relatively restrained in their reaction to recent events. But they're watching, and waiting. And if worse comes to worse, they aren't going to take anything lying down.
And then there's the oil situation.
And oh yeah, China, which is an economic partner of Sudan-which is also facing the same kind of unrest as seen in Egypt, Tunisia, Yemen, and now, possibly Jordan.
Mark the coming days carefully, because you could be viewing the beginnings of a third world war. And if it turns out like I'm afraid it will, you might also start to hear the beginning stirrings of talk of impeachment, and it might be at a bipartisan level at that.
For now, watch Mohamed El-Baredei. He could well be the key to all this. If I'm right, this is something that's going to reach all the way into the corridors of the UN.
So what's Obama thinking? Obviously, he's not thinking of helping a legitimate, stable government to emerge, because if he was, he would accede to Mubarak's stated aims to remain in power until September, and from there to peacefully transition to a more acceptable, more democratic government. Because everybody knows that such a transition, while it would have to allow for some participation by the Muslim Brotherhood, would not on the face of it allow for the kind of chaos that would make their ascension to total power highly probable, if not a definite certainty.
And that's what makes this whole thing so potentially explosive. Even if one chose not to trust in the sincerity of Mubarak, steps could be taken to assure that he kept to the September time-table, and a stable government was set up at the end of that period. That Obama and the administration, as well as the ACLU and probably a cabal within the UN seems to be working more hand in hand with the Muslim Brotherhood (and by extension Iran), bodes no good at all.
It's hard to see how this benefits the US, but if this is true, what it suggests to me, is that the Obama Administration has decided the only way to achieve peace and stability in the region long-term is by being on the right side of history and to be perceived as helping it along as much as possible.
As for Israel, its easy to read the Administrations aims in that regard. They think that if there is a region wide upheaval that empowers "the people", and this is spearheaded or at least largely influenced by Islamist factions, the Israeli state would have no choice but to adopt what the administration feels is a more "reasonable" posture. Remember, to their way of thinking, in progressive internationalist terms, the problem is a perceived lack of opportunity for the Arab citizens of Gaza and the West Bank, who yearn collectively for nothing more than political freedom and economic opportunity. Once they have achieved these aims, eventually the strife will end, and Jews and Arabs will live together in peace. More or less.
But first, the Jews have to grant at least a limited right of return, remove all barriers to free and reasonable travel throughout the country, and finally, withdraw completely to pre-1967 borders. And of course, work out some sort of solution regarding Jerusalem, or at least East Jerusalem.
It will never happen though, in my opinion, and this is why this is such a dangerous, incredibly short-sighted game. This is eventually going to result in yet another full-scale Intifada, eventually, and it will likely culminate in the loss of more lives, mostly Palestinian, in a shorter amount of time, than at any time of recent history. It is not unreasonable to assume the casualties could result in the hundreds of thousands, and the million mark, while probably unlikely, is by no means impossible.
The key is the Egyptian military. They know they are no match for the Israelis, even on their best days. The annual aid the Egyptian military receives from us is for defensive purposes. If they tried to man an offensive operation against the Israelis, they would get their clocks cleaned, and they know that. So unless an Egyptian Napoleon arises from the rubble and there is support from China or the EU, its probably not going to happen. Besides, they don't want to lose their US support, and they understand full well that Obama, even if he wanted to, would be unable to justify such continued support in the face of any aggressive actions.
Therefore, the most likely targets of Israeli wrath, beyond the Palestinian people and especially Hamas, would be Syria, Lebanon, and by extension, possibly even Iran, because that's the real key to instability in the region anyway. Iran has funded Hzbollah, and is also a major supporter of Hamas, as well as the Muslim Brotherhood.
Right now the Israelis have been relatively restrained in their reaction to recent events. But they're watching, and waiting. And if worse comes to worse, they aren't going to take anything lying down.
And then there's the oil situation.
And oh yeah, China, which is an economic partner of Sudan-which is also facing the same kind of unrest as seen in Egypt, Tunisia, Yemen, and now, possibly Jordan.
Mark the coming days carefully, because you could be viewing the beginnings of a third world war. And if it turns out like I'm afraid it will, you might also start to hear the beginning stirrings of talk of impeachment, and it might be at a bipartisan level at that.
For now, watch Mohamed El-Baredei. He could well be the key to all this. If I'm right, this is something that's going to reach all the way into the corridors of the UN.
So what's Obama thinking? Obviously, he's not thinking of helping a legitimate, stable government to emerge, because if he was, he would accede to Mubarak's stated aims to remain in power until September, and from there to peacefully transition to a more acceptable, more democratic government. Because everybody knows that such a transition, while it would have to allow for some participation by the Muslim Brotherhood, would not on the face of it allow for the kind of chaos that would make their ascension to total power highly probable, if not a definite certainty.
And that's what makes this whole thing so potentially explosive. Even if one chose not to trust in the sincerity of Mubarak, steps could be taken to assure that he kept to the September time-table, and a stable government was set up at the end of that period. That Obama and the administration, as well as the ACLU and probably a cabal within the UN seems to be working more hand in hand with the Muslim Brotherhood (and by extension Iran), bodes no good at all.
The White Stripes
The White Stripes have decided to call it quits. One thing about it, it wouldn't be that big a deal for them to start all over, you know since like there's only two of them and they ARE brother and sister.
UPDATE-Yikes, I fucked up. Meg and Jack White aren't brother and sister, they are former husband and wife. In fact, he took her last name when they were married, and they were divorced either by the time they began recoding together or shortly after.
Needs more doorbell.
UPDATE-Yikes, I fucked up. Meg and Jack White aren't brother and sister, they are former husband and wife. In fact, he took her last name when they were married, and they were divorced either by the time they began recoding together or shortly after.
Needs more doorbell.
A Bag For Me, A Bag For You
Listen carefully, children, as lovable Irish hip-hop artists The Rubberbandits expound on the techniques and joys of sniffing glue.
Wednesday, February 02, 2011
The Sun Is Shining Down by Almira Fawn Southworth
I haven't heard a word out of this kid, or about her, since her mother was murdered, so I don't know how she's doing. No word yet on the status of the investigation. I just hope she pulls through.
Katie Holmes For-Well, Anything
I finally got around to seeing the Batman movie The Dark Knight, and I was all like WTF is such the big deal about that? Let's face it, if it weren't for Heath Ledger as The Joker, that would have been one big turkey. They should have just made the movie about The Joker and called it-well, The Joker. Not only was Batman useless, but they had to cram yet another villain, Two-Face, in there and gum up the works, like they usually do with superhero movies any more. Just like two many cooks spoil the broth, so too do too many villains cram the plot and ruin the character development.
Worse, it probably isn't going to get any better than that, so now I know I won't be going to the trouble of the drive and the expense to see the newest Batman, which will feature Anne Hathaway in the role of Catwoman.
But I do have one hell of an idea. Why not cast Katie Holmes as Catwoman, and then go that extra mile by casting Tom Cruise as Batman. Now that would be some intense shit. You would have one psycho character who doesn't believe in psychiatry playing the role of a costumed vigilante that needs one almost as badly as Cruise. And Katie Holmes as Catwoman would be the perfect foil. Unfortunately, Hollywood would be tempted to camp it up with these two and ruin the whole thing, so it might not be such a great idea after all.
In other comics related movie news, sometime this year the new movie Captain America-The First Avenger will be released. He will undoubtedly kick much ass, but here's the real kick in the ass. It will be released worldwide, but in three countries the title will be changed to simply The First Avenger. Those three countries are Russia, the Ukraine, and-South Korea.
Don't get me wrong, I've been aware for some time now that the US is not exactly universally loved in South Korea, to put it lightly. But this? I guess it could have been worse. They could have called it "Capitalist America Swineman", or "Captain Infidel Dog". But you know what? American values just aren't for everyone, not even the screwed up versions as conceptualized by Marvel Comics, which is as left-wing a company as you can imagine.
These are the people who honestly believe that the hero Iron Man represents a true conservative, and on top of that, one of the very few good ones. And even he at one point turns out to be quite the fascist prick. But there again, to Marvel, that's what conservatism is. It's no wonder kids grow up with a screwed up view of conservative values. They're either Bible thumping ignorant rednecks who hate everybody, or crooked business people who could care less about people or the environment, or they are bent on world domination for the sake of their own power and influence, while selling it in terms of American security needs. No wonder the South Koreans hate us, even though they would doubtless have been overrun by the communist North decades ago if not for us. Go figure.
Finally, in other comic book news, the Human Torch is dead. Yeah, I know, they can always bring him back, this is the comics after all. But it just seems wrong. A flaming, flying human is an original concept to Marvel, and though Johnny Storm wasn't the first human torch, he has been the mainstay of the concept for going on fifty years now. With the advent of Marvel superhero movies, including the Fantastic Four, I guess someone is afraid that some little jerk-off will set himself on fire, who knows? No way it could be just another cynical marketing ploy, huh?
Worse, it probably isn't going to get any better than that, so now I know I won't be going to the trouble of the drive and the expense to see the newest Batman, which will feature Anne Hathaway in the role of Catwoman.
But I do have one hell of an idea. Why not cast Katie Holmes as Catwoman, and then go that extra mile by casting Tom Cruise as Batman. Now that would be some intense shit. You would have one psycho character who doesn't believe in psychiatry playing the role of a costumed vigilante that needs one almost as badly as Cruise. And Katie Holmes as Catwoman would be the perfect foil. Unfortunately, Hollywood would be tempted to camp it up with these two and ruin the whole thing, so it might not be such a great idea after all.
In other comics related movie news, sometime this year the new movie Captain America-The First Avenger will be released. He will undoubtedly kick much ass, but here's the real kick in the ass. It will be released worldwide, but in three countries the title will be changed to simply The First Avenger. Those three countries are Russia, the Ukraine, and-South Korea.
Don't get me wrong, I've been aware for some time now that the US is not exactly universally loved in South Korea, to put it lightly. But this? I guess it could have been worse. They could have called it "Capitalist America Swineman", or "Captain Infidel Dog". But you know what? American values just aren't for everyone, not even the screwed up versions as conceptualized by Marvel Comics, which is as left-wing a company as you can imagine.
These are the people who honestly believe that the hero Iron Man represents a true conservative, and on top of that, one of the very few good ones. And even he at one point turns out to be quite the fascist prick. But there again, to Marvel, that's what conservatism is. It's no wonder kids grow up with a screwed up view of conservative values. They're either Bible thumping ignorant rednecks who hate everybody, or crooked business people who could care less about people or the environment, or they are bent on world domination for the sake of their own power and influence, while selling it in terms of American security needs. No wonder the South Koreans hate us, even though they would doubtless have been overrun by the communist North decades ago if not for us. Go figure.
Finally, in other comic book news, the Human Torch is dead. Yeah, I know, they can always bring him back, this is the comics after all. But it just seems wrong. A flaming, flying human is an original concept to Marvel, and though Johnny Storm wasn't the first human torch, he has been the mainstay of the concept for going on fifty years now. With the advent of Marvel superhero movies, including the Fantastic Four, I guess someone is afraid that some little jerk-off will set himself on fire, who knows? No way it could be just another cynical marketing ploy, huh?
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